CSPA News
Meeting with the Education Minister
Members of Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA), which includes two delegates from CCSP NSW/ACT, had a productive meeting with Education Minister Jason Clare on 24 August 2023. The meeting focused on crucial matters related to the important role that families have in the learning and wellbeing of our children and young people and its impact on education in Australia.
The CSPA delegation took the opportunity to provide an overview of their ongoing efforts in parent engagement, including projects and surveys aimed at ensuring a parent voice on critical topics such as student wellbeing and learning, the effects of classroom disruption on learning, and the current positive Home and School communication project.
One highlight of the meeting was CSPA's proposal for a National Parent Engagement Roundtable to develop a national policy so that all schools were committed to engaging families in their children and young people’s learning and wellbeing. This roundtable would also discuss establishing a national repository to bring together all the current resources and research being done in Australia in Parent Engagement. This would be a central point for families, schools and early childhood to access the best information possible to better engage all families. Minister Clare exhibited keen interest in this initiative and initially CSPA will work with the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) around developing a plan for the roundtable to present to him.
'In our pursuit to advocate for parents, we recognise that one in five children in Australia receives their education in Catholic schools. This statistic underscores the immense responsibility we bear in ensuring their educational journey is nurtured through strong family-school partnerships. Our ongoing collaboration with Minister Clare cements our commitment to strengthening education by empowering parents to actively engage in their children's learning,' said Andrea Obeyesekere, CSPA National Chair.
CSPA 10-Year Anniversary
Catholic School Parents Australia (CPSA) celebrated 10 years of advocacy and engagement since it was founded as the national coordinating voice of Catholic parents at a special event in Sydney at CCSP's offices in August.
Past and present council members, partners and well-wishers came together to commemorate CSPA’s journey including Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney Danny Meagher, national Catholic education executive director Jacinta Collins, ACARA chief executive officer David de Carvalho, and the inaugural chair of CSPA Tony O’Byrne.
Jacinta Collins said CSPA had made a remarkable contribution to Catholic education, empowering parents to take an active role in the education of their children and by encouraging family engagement with their child’s school.
The CSPA council also took time to meet to reflect and collaborate on its continuing journey as an important partner in education in Australia.
This included discussion of advocacy initiatives and parent engagement projects such as fostering positive home-school communication, student health and wellbeing, addressing vaping concerns, nurturing respectful relationships, navigating the impact of artificial intelligence, and managing mobile phone usage in schools.