ACEL National conference in Queensland
The conference is getting close! Just a few weeks before we will be:
“Celebrating 50 years: Learning from the past, leading for the future”.
September 27th – 29th 2023
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
We hope you have had a chance to check out the conference program and to finalise registration
It is exciting to have this special 50th celebration conference in Queensland this year and we look forward to sharing this privilege with so many of our Queensland ACEL members.
A team of ACEL Qld Branch Executive members and colleagues have been planning a highly interactive and participative opportunity for all conference delegates this year. The process is entitled Connect, Converse, Call to Action. Delegates will be invited throughout all days of the conference to share their insights, responses, and reflections – in person and across a digital platform. This promises to be a conference where participants share actively in the ongoing conversations and provocations, and the development of collective wisdom. We’re keen to hear your voice and ideas and be able to share this Queensland initiative with you.
Also, the Queensland Branch Executive members invite all state branch delegates to join with us for pre-conference networking drinks. We have been holding this preconference event for some years now and it is always a fabulous night that truly kick starts the positive conference vibe.
Pre-conference networking event:
Day/Date: Tuesday 26 September 2023
Time: From 5pm
Venue: Southbank Beer Garden (Light snacks will be provided.)
State Branch Executive changeover
The current term of office for ACEL State Branch Executive finishes at the end of September.
Congratulations to the incoming Branch Executive (2023 – 2026) and new ACELQ Branch President Liz Foster!
Continuing members are Liz Foster (President) Bruce Addison, Lee Catterall, Tameika Grist, and John O’Sullivan Williams, who will be joined by new members, Sarah Gunn, Daniel Johnson, Adam Kuss, Tania Leach, and Lynda Wall.
What a fabulous team of enthusiastic, skilled, and talented educators! Thank you all for your willingness to support ACEL Qld in these important roles.
To those who are finishing their terms of office (many completing at least six years): Liz Benson, Tracey Cook, Norm Hunter, Alexander Mason, and Sandra Nissen – thank you for your support, efforts, and work over the past years. Of note, Norm Hunter has also served the Executive over several terms in the past as well. We have all valued his wisdom, support, and encouragement and thank him for a lifetime of service to ACEL Qld, the teaching profession and educational leadership.
Throughout my years on the ACELQ Executive, I have continued to be inspired by the conversations, mutual respect, ideas, and enthusiasm of this group of educators who volunteer to support the work of ACEL in this State.
Imbued with the sense of purpose ACEL inspires, the members of the current Qld Branch Executive have heightened engagement with our tertiary partners and sector representatives, developed a robust and energetic middle leaders network, Pivotal People, generously shared their reflective writing, developed professional conversations and enriched learning through our In Dialogue sessions, promoted the value of our profession, grounded our work in a Statement of Commitment to the Profession of Teaching, produced spectacular and meaningful Leadership Awards ceremonies, developed an innovative national conference engagement plan, readily engaged with members, and hosted many ACEL networking and professional learning events. Thank you all!
I believe that there is no other organisation that truly fosters and supports educational leadership, with the humanity and purpose I’ve witnessed and felt at ACEL. To all members - if you have the chance to engage with ACELQ Executive activities, please do so - it is such a wonderful community in which to learn and grow.
As this is my final Branch newsletter, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my current Queensland Executive colleagues, fellow national directors, the wonderfully supportive ACEL national team, and all ACEL Queensland members. My very best of wishes to the incoming ACELQ Executive and national ACEL Board. I am sure that the future of ACEL, ACEL Queensland, and educational leadership in this state and across the nation will be guided purposefully and energetically.
ACELQ Leadership Awards
The 2023 ACELQ Leadership Awards ceremony, held on 22 August at Wavell SHS, and recognising the contribution and accomplishments of an exceptional group of Queensland educators, was a truly wonderful event this year. We were honoured to have in attendance the ACEL National President, Dr Briony Scott, ACEL National Patron, Emeritus Professor Frank Crowther, and ACEL National CEO, Dr Barbara Watterston, together with many special guests from across the school sectors, universities, and wider educational communities.
Some highlights of the evening included: the thoughtful and thought provoking Miller Grassie Address presented by Jacinda Euler Welsh, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School and the 2023 recipient of the Miller Grassie Award for Outstanding Educational Leadership; brief reflections on the 50 years of ACEL from Frank Crowther; the heartfelt speech from Kimberley Bachmann explaining how the Inspiring Educator recipient, Ian Burgess, impacted her decision to become a teacher; closing remarks from Briony Scott; and bearing witness to the efforts and accomplishments of all award recipients.
We thank the Wavell State High School community for their wonderful hospitality, especially the students who welcomed and entertained us, and participated in the ceremony. A special thanks to the ACELQ Awards Committee led by John O’Sullivan Williams for planning and organising such a successful and meaningful event.
Congratulations to our 2023 Award Recipients
Time for reflection
The Queensland Branch Executive members continue to offer our regular Time for Reflection pieces, established to provide members with a brief read to provoke thinking, reflection, and inspiration. Soon ACELQ members will receive in their inboxes a reflection from ACELQ Executive member Tameika Grist. Tameika recently participated as a panel member in the ABC Q&A Education special and this experience has prompted her thoughtful reflective piece.
Pivotal People… a note from Liz Benson
I want to share with our ACELQ members how proud I am of the ACELQ Pivotal People Middle Leader's network. On July 26th we celebrated 5 years of ACELQ Pivotal People with an intellectually stimulating and engaging conversation about Middle Leadership in Australia: Where to Next? Sandra Robinson, from Australian Institute for Teaching & School Leadership (AITSL) shared insights into the new Professional Standards for Middle Leaders AND then Martina Tramier, Rachel Scott and Karen Caswell inspired us with their 'where to next stories'. What a highlight and opportunity to hear these three women speak about how they have created their leadership path by setting a vision for themselves, being prepared to be vulnerable and creating a supportive network.
Over our five years ACEL Queensland Pivotal People has engaged over 400 middle leaders in high quality, low cost, timely and relevant professional learning for middle leaders across all sectors in Queensland . Our mission is to change professional learning for middle leaders - providing opportunities to grow as a leader outside their school/system and broaden their network. I started ACELQ Pivotal People to fill I gap in my professional learning, and I am so pleased in doing so we have provided PD that allows teachers to grow and explore further pathways. We now have two thriving networks in Southeast Queensland and are trialling our first hybrid event on October 11th. The topic is pedagogical leadership.
Other exciting news:
- Adam Kuss, Sarah Gunn and myself are presenting a presentation on our story and learning about middle leaders and their development at the ACEL National Conference in Brisbane.
- To compliment the conference presentation Tanya Anderson, Liz Lacey, Adam Kuss, Jenny Da Silva and myself are writing an article for AEL sharing our story.
- Our steering committee will be up and running with the ACELQ Branch Executive change over in October. The steering committee will be charged with nurturing and growing ACELQ Pivotal People.
- And congratulations to Sarah Gunn and Adam Kuss for being elected to the 2024-2027 ACELQ Branch Executive. Both shining examples of how being involved in Pivotal People can lead to bigger and better things.
Final reminders
- Reminder to Queensland members to make yourself known to all ACELQ Branch Executive and other Queensland members, throughout the national conference. There will be a central meeting place where we will be based. We look forward to meeting you there.
- Term 4 Date claimers and registration links.
Please stay in contact with ACELQ through branch.qld@acel.org.au
Karen Fox
ACEL QLD Branch President