Dear colleagues,
I hope that the term is progressing well in each of your sectors in the ACT. Momentum is building as a number of a number of key professional opportunities continue to be generated by ACEL for educators across our nation and preparations are made for our annual conference in October.
I am delighted to advise that at our recent Awards Ceremony our 2024 leaders representing each of our sectors in the ACT were esteemed for their individual educational leadership exemplars which showcased significant careers, emerging ideas in research, teaching and leadership practice locally and nationally.
Congratulations to each of these colleagues who include:
ACEL ACT Fellowship
Patrick Ellis
ACEL ACT Growing in Leadership Award
Kaitlyn Delaney and Oscar Jolly
ACEL ACT Excellence in Excellence in Leadership Award
Sam Chrzczonowicz, Piper Hain and Peter Milligan
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Our 2024 ACEL Fellow Patrick Ellis delivered the occasional address at our ceremony and I have attached an excerpt for your edification.
‘Having had the opportunity to lead now at both school and system level, I have been able to reflect upon what it is to lead in Education more broadly. Through our work with Catalyst, we have been able to influence and inspire politicians, policy makers, other systems and departments to contribute to the shift occurring across the educational landscape to a more evidence base focus, I have narrowed it down to what I value most in leadership, what I think is important and how best I think I have led over the years.
There are 5 areas that capture it for me.
Firstly, Passion - you have to love what you do. Of course, it is worth saying that we have one of the toughest jobs and it pushes us to the edge every day, but as an educational leader if you don’t love teaching, if you don’t obsess over student learning and having a positive impact on their lives, if you don’t have the energy to show up every day, have the positive outlook, able to start a fresh new day, each and every day, then how are you expecting to lead others to that.
Knowledge - you have to know your stuff. This means reading, listening to podcasts, networking, attending professional learning, get right in the centre of what you want those around you to know and do. As a leader, you don’t need to be in every little detail as such, but the more leaders focus their influence, their learning, and their relationships with teachers on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater our likely influence will be on student outcomes - which is why we do what we do.
Character – you have to be authentic and really be present. Like students can pick up someone faking it, so to can teachers and those around you. It is not to say you need to know everything as I have said, but you need to be driving the bus, and you need people with you on that bus, on that journey, people who believe you, trust you and will go the extra mile with you.
Connection – you have to spend time getting to know people. Not just with work but get to know them. What makes them tick, what are their strengths, their areas of challenge, the gifts they contribute to the wider team. Relational skills are critical for a leader. For any change to occur within an organisation, for people to really invest, they need to know you know them, their struggles, barriers and successes. Without this connection, it all becomes about transactional, compliance driven and people doing it because they are told.
And lastly, Accomplish – you need to be able to deliver. You need to execute a project or focus, to accomplish what you set out to achieve. To inspire those you lead to be the best version of themselves, to push to where they didn’t think was possible. This gives credibility which is so important particularly in education.
I am proud of the schools I have led in across three systems, being Parramatta, Wilcannia-Forbes and Canberra-Goulburn.
A particular moment in my leadership journey that stands out is that of being Principal out at Wilcannia, in NSW outback. Leading a school, in an Aboriginal community, surrounded with quite complex challenges was an experience that really shaped my leadership, and my life. To not only lead a school, but to lead within a community, lead within a Parish and be essentially ‘on call’ 24/7 was intense.
Being confronted with social and emotional challenges every day from students, teachers, parents and community members was next level. Understanding the complexity of what we face as a nation to help, support and reconcile with First Nation peoples is something that is still at core of my leadership today. To be challenged to still lead a school community, to still improve teaching practice and still improve student learning in a very complex environment, allowed me to develop the patience and ability to listen to understand not just respond, the ability to work the problem and the ability to maintain high expectations for myself and those around me.
I am now extremely proud and honoured to lead Teaching and Learning across the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn, across 56 schools. The work in system leadership over the last 5 years has been an incredible journey for me that has both challenged and rewarded me.
Through our work with Catalyst, we are opening up possibilities for our students that we never thought possible. We are living out our Mission everyday by providing high quality teaching and learning to every single young person in our care to go out and make a positive different in this world. We know just how important that is now in today’s society and how important that will be into the future.
At the core of what we do in educational leadership should be focusing on Equity and Excellence for all. We should, everyday really obsess about that for every school, every classroom, every teacher and every student.
Every child has the right to receive an excellent education. It is not for the few, it should be for all. Context matters, but it shouldn’t be a barrier.
Every teacher, every student deserves their leaders to lead for impact. They deserve to have every leader go the extra mile, to inspire them to dream more, learn more, know more, do more and most importantly become more. Become who they were meant to be in this world.
This is what I hold close in my leadership and what this award represents for me tonight’.
Thank you and congratulations Patrick
We are currently planning the Ministers Breakfast on 23 May at the National Portrait Gallery. Registrations will become live for this in the coming weeks so please don’t forget to register as this is a very popular event.
This year the ACEL National Office have asked that we align our annual awards ceremonies with the National schedule, so we have called for 2025 awardees this term and extended the nomination period. I am delighted with the number of nominations we have received from each of our sectors as well as the variety of leadership exemplars demonstrating the exceptional work that is occurring in the ACT.
On behalf of the Executive of ACEL ACT, I wish you every success for the rest of Term 1 and a well earned break if you are taking one.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if ACEL ACT or any of our Executive can assist you or our members.
Yours sincerely,
Sandra Darley
BEd MEdLd, FACEL
ACT ACEL President