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LESER NETWORKS For All Staff and School Councillors of Colleges and Schools, Kindergartens & Early Childhood Centres LESER Office Hours 8.30am – 4.30pm
ABN 49 108 117 667
21 November 2013 No. 20
One of the projects in Lutheran Education circles right at the moment around the country is to put together a concise statement which details the “Essence of Lutheran Education”. Our office has been involved in consultation on this. One of the elements that has consistently been identified is that of service. So what should service “look like” in a Lutheran school? The challenge is for our service to be genuinely from the heart rather than it being motivated by underlying thinking that may be along the lines of … “look at us … aren’t we good”. (An aside: There is a fine line between being proud of what we have achieved and “blowing our trumpet” about that. In fact one of the biggest traps we can fall into is to think that we are better than other schools. It is also not so much what we say, but how we say it. Humility is a key word here!) The Parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 has something quite harsh to say about this. The key thing in this parable is that the sheep (those who have a relationship with God) … just go about their service, reaching out to those in need around them, without even knowing they are doing it. The goats on the other hand, think they have done great works and have all their bases covered, but they have their motivation completely up the creek. It is by the way, easy to serve the “good” families, staff or students. The real challenge however is to reach out with unconditional love, no strings attached, to those who irritate us, get under our skin, push our buttons, or even exhibit obnoxious and aggressive behaviour. That’s part of our calling as staff in Lutheran schools to move beyond soft and comfortable service. We need to be prepared to get our hands dirty in the trenches, to extend our comfort zones and genuinely reach out with love to serve and care for the marginalized.
Neville Grieger Assistant Director
Please ensure that this publication is forwarded on to all staff and school councillors
LESER Networks can also be found on our website http://www.leser.lutheran.edu.au/publications/newsletter/
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From the Director…….. Victory Lutheran College – Prayer Point Please pray for the school community of Victory Lutheran College, Wodonga on the sudden passing of one of their parents over the weekend. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family, staff and students. Principals’ and Business Managers’ Day Principals and Business Managers from across the region attended a combined meeting at the Quality Hotel, Tullamarine last Friday. An item that has been on the agenda for a while now, is the development of a set of employment conditions and guidelines for principals. We were able to bring this one step closer to reality by gathering some further feedback. An addendum to the conditions that deals with appraisals, professional learning plans and contract renegotiation was tabled for the first time. Much of the day was spent engaging with our strategic partners. We were privileged to have Michelle Green, the Chief Executive Officer of Independent Schools Victoria address us. Nigel Bartlett the funding expert from ISV also gave us some additional insights on future funding arrangements. Ellen Young, the Manager of the VRQA Schools Review Unit challenged us with the possibility of heading down the pathway of Lutheran Education South Eastern Region becoming a system review body. Graeme Huf gave us an informative update on the state of the current Enterprise Agreement negotiations and gathered some advice from the group with regard to particular bargaining points. It was a pleasure to have Jonathan Krause, the Communications Manager, Australian Lutheran World Service speak to us after lunch. He is an inspirational speaker and we highly recommend that schools engage with the planned ALWS awareness days in 2014. The final session was conducted by Commotion Marketing Consultancy. They have been engaged to help steer us through a rebranding and strategic communication exercise. One of the key issues is to investigate the renaming of our region. It seems that there is wide spread support and encouragement for us to move away from the LESER acronym. What may replace it is unclear. We seek the collective creativity and wisdom of everyone in helping us to rebrand ourselves! We invite you to send in your thoughts. While we understand that it is sometimes difficult for school leaders to be out of the school, the meeting such as the one last Friday was it seems, highly effective and beneficial because of the strong commitment to it. We sincerely thank you all for your support. (With regard to the electronic survey that was sent out, we would appreciate it if attendees can find a small window of time to respond with a reply (if possible by Monday of next week.) Many thanks, The Team from Lutheran Education South Eastern Region
Paul Weinert
Director [email protected]
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Principals’ Retreat
The second spiritual retreat for 2013 was held at the Campion Spiritual Retreat Centre, Kew last week. One of the key aims was to create “time and space” to listen to what God has to say to us. Many thanks to all of the schools who have made it a priority to release staff to attend the two retreats that have been held this year. It is our intention to continue the retreat program in 2014. The first Principals’ Retreat dates for next year have now been set: June 4th – 6th.
Neville Grieger Assistant Director
Enterprise Agreement Bargaining Update In our letter to staff dated 31st October we outlined a number of areas that the Employer representatives, Employee Representatives and IEU representatives have been working through in developing the new LESER Enterprise Agreement document. The bargaining group met again on 14th November, where positive progress was made on a number of these matters and are close to finalising many of the key issues. However, until the remaining matters have been fully documented, we will not be in a position to present staff with the final Agreement for their consideration and approval. If this cannot be achieved by the end of the 2013 school year, we expect the final Enterprise Agreement will be ready for a vote upon the commencement of the new school year in February 2014.
Graeme Huf
LESER Business Manager [email protected]
ISV Professional Learning Independent Schools Victoria provide some excellent professional development seminars and can be found by clicking on the below link: http://www.is.vic.edu.au/services/professional-learning/calendar/index.shtml
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A Life Worthy Early Childhood Retreat February - March 2014
Good News!! Early Childhood Retreat planning is now well under way with the addition of presenters for the weekend. Don’t forget to diarise the Retreat and start planning for the weekend of Thursday, 27 February 2014 to Saturday, 1 March 2014. The venue will be the same as last year, Royal on the Park in the Brisbane CBD. Keep an eye out for program details and registration forms which should be out very soon. Thursday and Friday of the Retreat will be for the Leaders of the service with
Saturday workshops for all other staff. Please encourage your staff now to attend on the Saturday as we are once again planning workshops for that day. Please see below biographies of 2 of the presenters for the weekend. We hope to see you all at Retreat in 2014! Stay tuned for regular updates as we get closer to the time! Your Managers will also discuss the Retreat with you further as time progresses.
Kari Sutton Kari Sutton is a Licensee for The Happiness Institute based in Queensland. Kari is an experienced facilitator in positive psychology, wellbeing, communication and teamwork. Kari was also recently the concurrent keynote at the Australian Conference for Lutheran Education (ACLE). Kylie Brannelly Kylie Brannelly is the Executive Officer of the peak body for school age care services in Queensland –QCAN. Kylie holds a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and Master of Education (Special Education) and has worked within School Age Care for over 20 years as a Coordinator, Manager and Trainer. As an active member of NOSHSA (National Out of School Hours Services Association), Kylie has participated in the steering committee supporting the development of My Time, Our Place – framework for school age care in Australia. Kylie is a confirmed PhD candidate and has research interests in school age care settings and leadership.
Fiona Williams Personal Assistant Queensland Lutheran Early Childhood Services A Branch of Lutheran Education Queensland
Phone: (07) 3511 4077 Fax: (07) 3511 4051 E-mail: [email protected]
24 McDougall St Milton QLD 4064
PO Box 1857 Milton QLD 4064
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Engaging students in Maths through the construction of a Milk Carton Igloo
Engaging primary school students in mathematical thinking is often challenging. Experience shows that a practical hands-on project not only provides a strong base for learning but also a valuable opportunity to engage with the wider community. This semester the year 5/6 class at Sunshine Christian School undertook the challenging task of planning and building a milk carton igloo. 963 milk cartons, 5 supportive cafés, 4 weeks, 1.5kgs of hot glue sticks, and 1 set of fairy lights later, 94 excited students attended the official igloo opening ceremony.
This project engaged students in learning activities across a wide range of subject areas including mathematics, literacy, integrated studies and art. During the construction process students undertook a series of mathematics tasks. They estimated quantities of materials required, gathered data on collection patterns of milk cartons, collated and graphed results using various technologies and analysed data trends. Students developed an advertising campaign encouraging the school community to collect milk cartons for the project. As construction progressed they documented the process in both video and written formats. At every stage of the project students were faced with problem solving challenges forcing them to work collaboratively and look for creative ideas and strategies. The project provided a diverse range of tasks allowing students of all abilities to participate and contribute. As well as engaging our students this project also encouraged participation and interest from parents and the wider community. Parents regularly visited the classroom to check on progress prompting valuable dialogue with their children. Local cafés took an active role helping with carton collection and enthusiastically received photos of the latest construction progress. Constructing an igloo has enhanced student learning, established a platform to connect the school with the community and provided a source of enjoyment for students, parents and staff alike. Michelle Clarke Tom Brennen Year 5/6 Teacher Principal Sunshine Christian School
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LESER Calendar Dates – 2013
CLE Meeting 28 November St John’s Southgate
LESER Planning Day (Office Closed) 29 November
LESER Office Closes 20 December
Attention LEXICON Data Base Administrators END OF YEAR STAFF CHANGES
We wish to thank you for your efforts this year in assisting us with this important task. It is vital that the information provided from LEXiCON is the most up-to-date.
Recording of Pathways training in LExICON During the year it is likely that you have delivered the Pathways program – Pathways Spiritual and/or Pathways Theological. Could you please now ensure that this information is entered into the LExICON database? If you encounter difficulties with the database please contact me immediately so that I can work with the person who enters the data. My aim is to have accurate, up-to-date accreditation information entered for all staff in schools by December 1, 2013. This will assist my planning for 2014. Thank you.
Liz Pietsch Education Officer
[email protected] PH: 03 9236 1271
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LESER Office re-opens 13 January
LESER Planning Days (Office Closed) 20 – 21 January
Australia Day Holiday 27 January
Christian Studies Leaders – Western Hub 14 February TBC
Western Hub Meeting 17 February TBC
Equip Module 1 – Melbourne 21 February Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
Christian Studies Leaders – Central Hub 25 February TBC
College Of Directors 25 – 27 February LEA – Adelaide
LEA Working Parties 25 – 28 February LEA - Adelaide
BLEA 27 – 28 February LEA - Adelaide
Early Childhood Retreat 27 Feb – 1 March Brisbane
Equip Module 1 - Riverina 3 March TBC
Christian Studies Leaders – Riverina 4 March TBC
LESER Principals’ Day 6 March Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
LESER Planning Day (Office Closed) 7 March
Labour Day Holiday Vic/Tas 10 March
ALWS Awareness Week 10 – 14 March
Equip Module 3 – Melbourne 14 March Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
LESER Staff Training Days (office closed) 18 – 19 March
Equip Module 3 – Riverina 21 March TBC
LESER Business Managers’ Day 28 March Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
Good Friday 18 April
Easter Monday 21 April
ANZAC Day 25 April
LPA Day 30 April
National Lutheran Schools Week 5 – 9 May
LEA Working Parties 5 – 9 May Brisbane
LESER Beginning Teachers Day 13 May TBC
Equip Module 4 – Melbourne 16 May Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
College of Directors 20 – 21 May Brisbane
Equip Module 4 – Riverina 30 May TBC
Principals’ Retreat 4 – 6 June Campion Retreat
Queens Birthday Holiday 9 June
BLEA 19 – 20 June
Germany Tour 5 – 18 July
Equip Module 2 – Melbourne 24 July Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
Equip Module 5 – Melbourne 25 July Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
LESER Principals’ Day 1 August Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
LEA Working Parties 4 – 8 August Adelaide
College of Directors 5 – 6 August LSA
Riverina Hub Conference 15 August St Paul’s College, Walla Walla
Western Hub Conference 22 August Holy Trinity Lutheran School, Horsham
National Lutheran Principals Conference 24 – 27 August Alice Springs
Equip Module 2 – Riverina 27 August
Equip Module 5 – Riverina 28 August
Christian Studies Leaders – Riverina 29 August TBC
BLEA 4 – 5 September Adelaide
LESER Schools Assembly (TBC) 6 September Quality Hotel Melbourne Airport
LCA District Convention 3 – 5 October (TBC) Good News Lutheran College, Tarneit
Central Hub Conference 6 October Luther College
Equip Module 6 – Melbourne 10 October Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
Equip Module 6 – Riverina 17 October TBC
LESER Business Managers’ Day 17 October Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
Christian Studies Leaders – Western Hub 24 October
Melbourne Cup Day 4 November
LESER Calendar Dates 2014
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New Added or changed Dates
LEA News for school leaders: 20 November 2013
From the LEA Executive Director [Stephen Rudolph]
Thanks to principals and teachers
LEA would like to sincerely thank all who participated in the recent CRA / ALITE / LEA survey Exploring future leadership in Lutheran schools. As previously indicated, a summary report will be forwarded to principals and teachers during Term 1 2014.
SchooLink: ACLE4 edition
All schools will have received the latest edition of SchooLink which provides a rich variety of ACLE4 views and observations. The contributors to SchooLink are to be commended for their efforts, insights and willingness to be a key part of our Lutheran schools’ ACLE4 experience. LEA acknowledges all ACLE4 organisers, contributors and attendees. May God bless you as you serve the students and parents of our schools.
History of Lutheran early childhood education
In the past twelve months, LEA has, in cooperation with Richard Hauser (writer, historian and retired Lutheran principal) and Lutheran Archives, compiled a list of Australian Lutheran primary, secondary and tertiary schools (1839 to the present). In order to include the Lutheran Early Childhood Education Centres in a complete history of all Australia Lutheran ECE, primary, secondary and tertiary schools, mush research has taken place in the past six months to compile the attached draft list of Lutheran ECEs. Regional offices and principals are asked to please study this ECE list and provide feedback to LEA ([email protected]) by 31 January 2014. During 2014, LEA plans to publish a booklet of all Australian Lutheran Early Learning Education Centres and Schools (1839-2014) to celebrate 175 years of Lutheran education in Australia. Your input is sought and valued as we appreciate our rich, long history.
175 Years of Lutheran education [The tree
of life]
In 2014 LEA plans to substitute the normal National Lutheran Schools Week with the celebration of the 175th anniversary of Lutheran schools in Australia. The theme will be The tree of life. Worship and curriculum resources will be available early 2014. In addition, LEA will send to each Lutheran school, a voucher for the purchase of a 175th celebration tree for a ceremonial planting before 30 June 2014, together with a commemorative plaque for placement next to their 175th celebration tree. These will be sent during term 1 2014. Lutheran schools throughout Australia are encouraged to choose a day or week during the first semester in 2014 to celebrate the 175th anniversary. It can be at any time that suits your school’s calendar, however, we would ask that it be celebrated before the end of Term 2.
ALWS Communications Support Officer
Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is the aid and development agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). It is seeking an energetic and organised person to support the important work of our Community Action team. This is a part-time position (2 days a week) which provides a broad range of responsibilities. ALWS invites qualified and experienced applicants who are committed to serving the world’s poor and marginalised through a global network of partners. ALWS is a child safe organisation. As a condition of this, the successful applicant will be required to sign the
College of Directors 11 – 12 November Adelaide
LESER Principals’ Day 14 November Quality Hotel, Tullamarine
LESER Office Closes 19 December
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ALWS Code of Conduct. The location of the position will be negotiable. Applications close 2
nd December 2013. For more information, please visit our website
at www.alws.org.au, or contact ALWS at 1300 763 407 or the Executive Secretary at [email protected].
ALWS 2014 Awareness Week
Awareness Days
ALWS are offering the following options for Lutheran schools in 2014: Awareness Week 10
th–14
th March 2014
It doesn’t need to be a week, and it can be whenever suits you best … but Awareness Week provides your school with a whole range of resources to inspire, inform and equip your students to be active and aware about justice and development. Awareness Week caters for all year levels, linking in to a range of subject curriculum, focusing on a number of Australia-relevant countries. To enable schools to easily make concrete links with the National Curriculum, the theme for Awareness Week 2013 will focus Village Life with a focus on Cambodia.
All Awareness Week materials will be available on the ALWS website:
www.alws.org.au from the end of November. The Awareness Week materials include: Resources on Cambodia, development and justice issues relating to Cambodia, photos with questions, teaching ideas and resources and Photo Stories and Power Points. These materials are suitable for Chapels, Assemblies, curriculum classes (e.g. Christian Studies, Geography, History, English, Science), or for special learning opportunities for Awareness Week. If you would like help with how to use any of these resources, please don’t hesitate to contact ALWS.
Awareness Days 2014
ALWS are offering many Awareness Days around Australia in 2014. These days are designed to challenge school leaders and students interested in social justice issues in ways that they can make a difference in this world. Awareness Days have whole group and small group activities, guest speakers, workshops, audio visual presentations, food and culture used to inform and challenge students about injustice in the world and what we can do to help.
For further information, please contact Susan Seng ([email protected]) or Vicki Gollasch ([email protected])
From the LEA Executive Director: Formation [Anne Dohnt]
Staff new to Lutheran schools
As relationships with new staff commence, and letters of appointment or employment contracts are discussed, please reflect on how your leadership teams will communicate to new staff that they are entering a Lutheran school where Lutheran perspectives on theology inform the spiritual life and culture. All staff, in a Lutheran school, will be involved in spiritual formation experiences. Please see the clauses to be included in letters of appointment which detail expectations of staff joining Lutheran schools at: http://www.lutheran.edu.au/assets/Uploads/pr/policies/Staff/Accreditation/AppointmentLetters%20Octo
ber%202012.pdf (log in access required)
Christian Studies in Years 11 and 12
The LEA Staff Formation Working Party has reviewed and discussed the summary of research into Christian Studies in Years 11 and 12. The working party has decided to conduct some further research with school leaders, teachers and students in schools to explore what is working well and the real challenges. The further research will be in the form of a more qualitative approach with a number of case studies. It will involve principals, CS leaders and teachers and students in chosen schools. The interviews will explore:
What are the realities, successes, challenges and ways forward?
The interviews will provide greater clarity of the issues so that the ensuing response can more clearly meet the needs of leaders, teachers and most importantly students.
From the LEA Business Manager [Stephen Kroker] Federal funding 2014
Department of Education payment system
The Department is currently developing a payment system based on the funding formulas in the Australian Education Act and the detail provided in the bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and the signatory States and Territory. The system will create a provisional entitlement notice at the end of November which will give schools an initial picture of what they can expect in terms of funding from the Commonwealth, ie, ‘the Commonwealth share’. The first payment will be made in January 2014 and will be accompanied by a payment advice notice.
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LEA Canberra connections Update from Minister of Education
In his latest news, The Hon Christopher Pyne highlighted the following
Coalition ‘scraps the cap’ on self-education expenses
$522 million in new research grants award to Australia’s best and brightest
New streamlined student visas to grow Australian education
TEQSA instructed to cut red tape for Higher Education
AITSL November eNews
AITSL has a number of new reports and resources to share:
Local Leadership – Signature Learning Program
Learning Frontiers page details other AITSL activities you can be involved in.
AITSL 2012-2013 Annual Report
ACARA Update November 2013
ACARA Update issues by the Association of Independent Schools SA is attached
NQF sets higher benchmark for children’s services [6 November 2013]
Education and care services are continuing to meet and exceed Australia’s quality standards, according to the latest National Quality Framework Snapshot. The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) released its latest report on the National Quality Framework (NQF). The NQF Snapshot Q3 2013 is ACECQA’s third national report providing analysis on children’s education and care services assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard (NQS) in Australia. ACECQA Board Chair Rachel Hunter said 3441 education and care services had received a quality rating since assessment and rating began in most states in June 2012. About 58% of assessed and rated services continue to meet or exceed the National Quality Standard. Read the full media release
Attachments
History of Lutheran early childhood education
AIS SA ACARA Update
