Welcome to Parent Talk
Welcome to the fourth edition of CCSP's Parent Talk for 2021.
I hope you had the opportunity to attend one of the Masses celebrating 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. I was honoured to attend the National Mass at St Mary's Cathedral, it was a truly wonderful celebration. The Hon Scott Morrison, Prime Minister, recorded a video greeting and a recording of students from across Australia performing Faith in Our Future was played in the Cathedral. There is a link to both of these videos later in this newsletter. Student representatives from Sydney Catholic Schools, educators and distinguished guests heard His Grace Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP speak of God's love for us all during his inspiring homily. There is a link to both of these videos later in this newsletter.
As I foreshadowed in issue three of Parent Talk, I have included some information about the NSW Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill. It is not yet determined when it will be debated in Parliament.
CCSP continues to advocate for parents during the current reforms to the Australian Curriculum by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the NSW Curriculum and syllabuses by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). CCSP will make a submission to ACARA regarding the draft Australian Curriculum. Parents and teachers have until 8 July to make individual submissions. See later in this newsletter for a link.
On 10 June, CCSP Chair, Wayne Davie, and I met with NESA CEO, Paul Martin, to discuss the ongoing NESA reforms and to ensure the voice of Catholic school parents is heard. In addition to this, Catholic school parents are represented at NESA Parent Roundtable meetings and are providing feedback on various NESA projects.
Included in this newsletter are examples of how members of CCSP's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee are bringing to life the theme of Reconciliation Week 2021, "More than a word. Reconciliation takes action."
As Term Two draws to a close, some students may be thinking about subject selection and career direction. We have included some handy tips that may assist you to guide your student with subject selections.
I hope you and your families will be able to celebrate World Grandparents Day on Sunday 25 July.
Finally, congratulations to Mr Tony Farley and Dr Jacqueline Frost on the first Family Forum hosted online by Sydney Catholic Schools on 25 May 2021. This was a great opportunity for the parents and carers of students in Archdiocesan schools to find out more about key aspects of the thriving Catholic Communities that are Sydney Catholic Schools.
Kind Regards,
Peter Grace
Executive Director