Executive Director’s Update to Principals #51 - 5 December 2024

Letter from Bishop Paul re High Court Judgement

You may have seen media coverage following a recent judgement of the High Court of Australia that involved the Diocese of Ballarat. This judgement has prompted renewed discussion about liability. A letter from Bishop Paul in response to people’s concern and questions is available below. 

Principal Arrangements, Sacred Heart Casterton

4/12/24 - Letter to school community

We have asked Suzie McManus to remain as Principal for the first part of the 2025 school year, and Suzie has graciously accepted. This decision will help ensure a smooth and organised start to the year while minimising disruptions as rectification works from the recent storm proceed.

We did receive applications for both the ongoing and interim principal positions; however, the candidates were not deemed the best fit for Sacred Heart at this time.

We plan to readvertise the position early in the new year and will keep you updated on our progress.

We are grateful that Suzie will continue to provide educational stability and quality leadership through this transitional period.

We wish you all a happy, safe, and holy Christmas.

Yours sincerely
Tom Sexton
Executive Director

Expression of Interest: Early Adopters for the Online Recruitment System

As discussed in recent DLG meetings, a component of the Nexus program is the development of an online recruitment system, also known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). To bring this vision to life, DOBCEL has partnered with PageUp, a leading provider of recruitment solutions.

We are now seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from DOBCEL schools interested in helping shape the functions and process built for the system and to become early adopters of this system.

What Does This Involve?

Early adopters will play a vital role in shaping the system to meet the unique needs of schools by:

• Participating in occasional consultations with the People and Development team (approximately 2 hours per month) to share insights on school recruitment processes.
• Collaborating with us to refine the system to ensure it aligns with the practical needs of our schools.
• Early adopters may be principals and/or any other staff members who assist and understand the process to recruit staff.

Why get involved early?

Your involvement will contribute to the creation of the processes and system build of a user-friendly, efficient recruitment platform tailored for DOBCEL schools.

Being an early adopter of an applicant tracking system can offer several significant benefits including –

• Streamlined recruitment process all captured online – no more bits of paper
• Reduced time to hire
• Improved record keeping for compliance
• Ability to make data driven decisions using your recruitment data
• Better candidate experience
• Onboard new hires easily (no more sending bits of paper to people via email – all onboarding paperwork is available in a safe, secure portal)

How to Get Involved

If your school is interested in being part of this exciting initiative, please submit your Expression of Interest via the link HERE.  

EOI submissions close on 13 December.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to help shape a system that will benefit all DOBCEL schools.

If you have any questions or require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact Sarah Hanley.

Early Career Teacher Pilot Workshop – Setting Up for Success

Overview

Feedback from the Early Career Teachers (ECT’s) program highlighted a need for targeted support for 1st-year ECT’s and Permission to Teach teachers at the start of the academic year. As a result of this, DOBCEL is launching a pilot workshop to support ECT’s in preparing for the school year to be held on Tuesday 21 January. This workshop focuses on practical approaches to establishing a strong foundation for effective learning and teaching.

This initiative is voluntary to attend and as such there is no obligation on the school to cover the costs of travel, accommodation or wages. Lunch will be provided to those to attend.

Focus Areas

The workshop will cover:

• Establishing classroom routines and procedures
• Building and maintaining positive relationships
• Understanding students and their learning needs
• Engagement strategies for effective teaching

Please share the flyer below to any incoming 1st-year Early Career Teachers or Permission to Teach teachers to register by Wednesday, 15 January 2025.

For further inquiries, contact Julie Cooper at 0417 595 886 or via email at jcooper@dobcel.vic.edu.au.