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Dear Members,
Welcome to the first official newsletter for 2022.
As school leaders you are central to your local community and the vast majority of the community looks up to you and respects what you do. You are doing a fantastic job so far in keeping schools open, staff and kids safe and the learning programs on track…. all while navigating some complex and challenging local issues.
Through our strong partnerships we have maintained two-way communication with the Department to ensure our Operating Guidelines, Policies and the CHO Directions are implemented and adjusted in the most practical way without overwhelming staff and leaders’ workloads. Schools and their staff are doing an amazing job at the moment managing Covid infections, recording data, communicating with their communities, teacher shortages, RAT distribution, vaccinations, parent complaints, CI Anywhere, and then the issues of flooding, food shortages and telecommunication outages.
Please stay connected and provide feedback to myself or your Chapter Reps. We are meeting twice weekly with the Department to communicate any issues or concerns. Remember to complete your 2022 membership. Please encourage your Assistant Principals to join as we will continue to provide unique professional learning opportunities.
The NTPA Executive have continued to advocate that budgets will not be impacted from the lack of enrolments, lack of attendance, and long-term absences due to Covid-19. The CE has reassured us that budgets will not be impacted and wants us to stay focused on keeping schools open for to maintain continuity of learning. We have also been consulted for the Review of the Effective Enrolment methodology used in the School Resourcing Model.
At a National level, with an election looming, our National Associations, AGPPA, APPA and ASPA have been meeting with Federal Members to advocate for what matters most to our schools and educational leaders. Please read the linked AGPPA Election priorities below and the latest ASPA newsletter in our professional reading section.
The recent media release of the Grattan Institute’s Making time for great teaching: How better government policy can help - Grattan Institute Report is an interesting read and makes some recommendations for what systems and school leaders can do. This is a timely document as reducing non-teaching and learning workload is part of the NT Teacher Wellbeing Strategy and an action in the School Leader Wellbeing Action Plan.
Basic steps for Principals to regulate responses – COVID 19
- Maintain a sense of routine as much as possible. This is the most critical thing that creates safety.
- Limit, or consider your personal over-exposure to the media or news. Support the provision of only factual information. Be mindful of exposure to information through stories, print media, tv, radio, and social media. It may be helpful to take a break from the 24-hour news cycle.
- Check-in regularly about things you may have heard, seen or feelings you have experienced.
- Avoid catastrophizing and ensure your behaviour and reactions aren’t elevating your staff or community’s reaction. Speak calmly and stay grounded to allow people around you to feel safe.
- Explain that people react differently to stressful situations and that being calm is important.
- Find trusted sources of information and fact-check about decisions that impact your school community.
- Check-in with other principal colleagues who are experiencing similar leadership complexities and stressors. It can always help to talk with a trusted friend, colleague or another principal.
- Remember to consider your mental health as well as your physical health.
- Don't dismiss or minimise your response. It’s a valid human reaction. It is reasonable to be concerned. Some of us are feeling really scared, frustrated, angry and sad at the moment and these are normal feelings to an extraordinary event.
- Do things that make you feel safe, both physically and emotionally
- Create an honest open line of communication. Know that it is okay to show vulnerability and express that you don’t have all the answers if you don’t.
- Engage in activities that promote a sense of calm and the feeling of being grounded. (Use of alcohol and other drugs might be counterproductive).
- Maintain a healthy headspace by including good sleep hygiene, physical exercise, a balanced diet, mindfulness practice of noticing your own signs of stress and feelings of overwhelm in addition to talking to others.
- Contact the support lines and services for adults, if you feel overwhelmed
- Be self-compassionate – everyone is finding it hard to operate at an optimum level of functioning right now so show some kindness and gentleness to yourself.
Please stay well and be sure to reach out.
Warm regards,
ph. 0400 146 693
President Email: ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au or ntpa.president@education.nt.gov.au
New members are welcome and encouraged.
Please email completed forms to Ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au
Thank you to our amazing Chapter Representaives who commit so much of their time and expertise to their roles.
Please reach out to your Chapter rep if you need anything.
President |
Robyn Thorpe | ntpa.president@education.nt.gov.au |
Vice President Primary Central Chapter |
Belinda Pearson | belinda.pearson@education.nt.gov.au |
Darwin Chapter | Lorraine Evans | lorraine.evans@education.nt.gov.au |
PaRR Chapter | Jackie Roberts | jackie.roberts@education.nt.gov.au |
Barkly Chapter | Stephen Nimmo | stephen.nimmo@education.nt.gov.au |
Arnhem Chapter | Joe Hewett | joe.hewett@education.nt.gov.au |
Katherine Chapter | Jane Arnott | jane.arnott@education.nt.gov.au |
Links to other Professional Learning Opportunities, Publications, and Professional Reading:
Supporting Leaders is a Global Priority
One of the things that fascinates me in my role as ICP President is working out what issues are specific to a particular country or region and which ones have a global resonance.
As the Irish playwright Brian Friel points out in his wonderful play Translations, the greatest challenge we all face is how to fully understand one another, regardless of the culture or context that we find ourselves in.
One of the issues that does appear to translate, wherever we find ourselves, is the challenge of finding and retaining leaders. The Pandemic has accelerated a process that was already
taking place, whereby leaders as far apart as Europe, Australia and Africa are saying to themselves ‘do I really need the pressure that comes with this job?’
For this reason ICP has made raising the profile of school leadership one of the central planks of its programme over the next two years. As a global family of leaders, we need to
play our part in helping existing leaders to stay in their role and in making the next generation feel supported as they step forward.
As a first step, we are using this month to hold a series of regional meetings In Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania to explore this challenge. How, for example, can we provide more support for school leaders and make their role more sustainable?
If you would like to know more about the date and time of the meeting in your region, please contact me at president@icponline.org or via twitter @icpconnect. We would love your input to the
discussion, as we explore how best to support leaders worldwide.
Working together in 2022
Peter Kent
ICP President
You may be interested in changes that are being proposed to the Copyright Act 1968 through the Copyright Access Reform Bill. The draft legislation, Discussion Paper and instructions for making a submission, can be found on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communication’s website. The consultation will remain open until 5pm (AEDT) Friday 25 February, 2022.
The proposed changes aim to clarify and/or update Section 28 of the Copyright Act 1968 to allow for:
- the performance, watching or viewing, of copyrighted material in class; and
- any copying, communication or recording that may be required to facilitate teaching.
This means lessons can to be livestreamed or temporarily recorded and made available to students and others taking part in the lesson to view or listen to later (especially important during periods of home learning due to COVID-19).
These reforms will also allow lessons to be conducted at sites external to the educational institution or via the internet if reasonable steps are taken by the educational institution to limit access only to persons taking part in the lesson. It will also allow parents, work placement supervisors, community members and others to take part in lessons. For example, parents and guest speakers can participate in lessons, such as reading to the class, or community members or subject matter experts can record a video to be played in the classroom to assist in learning.
It is also proposed to restore Section 106 of the Copyright Act 1968 to allow all government schools/TAFEs to play sound recordings at non-curricular activities such as school concerts, assemblies and graduation ceremonies. This would mean that schools can play music over their loud speakers at assemblies, or when “ringing “ the bell.
Lastly, the reforms to the Copyright Act will also allow teachers to make incidental copies of material to be made to students in order to display them to their students.
If these reforms are not passed before the 2022 federal election, State and Territory education authorities (both government and non-government) and schools will continue to be exposed to increased legal risk, ongoing legal liability and unnecessary financial burden. Departments will also be liable for breaches by schools and issuing copyright infringements. Schools and teachers will be required to provide remote teaching but it may not always be legal.
DESE - Schools and Youth Virtual Copyright Team
SchoolsandYouthVirtualCopyrightTeam@dese.gov.au
Hello Principals! If you’re looking for a fun, easy, highly profitable and healthy fundraiser that encourages kids to read, builds on teacher-student relationships and lifts school spirit – check out My School Adventure’s purpose-written adventure gamebook for primary schools“The Art Show That Came To Life At [Your School Name Here]” that’s customised to YOUR school, including FOUR of your REAL teachers as characters, lots of school details, and 22 possible endings! Kids love being the hero of their own school-based adventure — an art show exploding with magic, monsters, flying, chases, escapes, and famous art characters such as the Mona Lisa, Vincent Van Gogh, The Thinker and Terracotta Warriors — and students get to choose what happens next!
Easy to run by just one person in a couple of hours (no teacher work required), books are presold to students at your nominated price, with your school keeping your profit to spend however you wish. You can really skyrocket your fundraiser by seeking community sponsorship of the book, with our free insertion of business logos into 2–4 pages before the story starts. West Pennant Hills Public School (NSW) made a PROFIT of $6,500, being $2500 in book sales (to students) plus $4000 in sponsorship (from local and parent businesses). Lots of money raised, and the kids loved it!
Visit www.myschooladventure.com to learn more, and ask for your free sample book for your school.