As I sit and write my last message to you, I wonder where the last three years have gone ‑ so much has happened over that time. My term as State President finishes in September and I have made the decision to retire from active involvement on the State Executive, where I have been a member since 1994 (with some time off for good behaviour) and a total of over 30 years of P&C service. The pace in education over the last three years seems to be greater than at any other time that I can recall during my many years of involvement. I am pleased to say that parental involvement is being recognized, but we still have work to do to ensure that parents understand that this is an important element in their children's education. QCPCA continues to have a strong partnership with Education Qld, Principal Associations, government and other stakeholders. The open, and at times frank, discussions on your behalf ensure that the voice of P&Cs is heard. Queensland leads the way in productive partnerships and we continue to work closely with the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO).
This year has seen a range of submissions and government advisory committees for which we have been asked to provide input. These include:
- Ministerial Advisory Committee for Building the Education Revolution
- Queensland Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 Students National Assessment Program ‑ Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) senate enquiry
- Peoples' Question Time with the Premier and Minister
- Cyber Safety Parliamentary Enquiry
- Australian Government's Review of Funding for Schooling
- National School Chaplaincy Program
- OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes
- Gaskin Asbestos Enquiry
- Regional Directors Selection Panel
- Restructure of the Education and Training Regions
- Steering Committee on Mandatory Language Studies Years 6, 7 and 8
- Teaching & Learning Reference Group - Australian Curriculum
- Queensland Schools' Alliance Against Bullying (QSAAV)
- The Flying Start Green Paper.
As well as all of the above, QCPCA as an organisation has been very busy as we continue to move forward through a time of change, for example:
- working through the recommendations in the Organisational Review
- full restructure of the State Office and new staffing model
- our 'QCPCA-e' electronic newsletters (register online at www.qcpca.org.au to receive your regular copy)
- preparing for our member's log-in page for the website.
We welcome Terri Hinkley who has joined our team as P&C Services Manager. This is a new shared role with Education Qld that focuses specifically on advice and support for P&Cs, training packages and a range of other ideas. We look forward to this new initiative and no doubt Terri will keep you posted as her new role 'unpacks'.
There are so many people I would like to thank who help to keep the organisation functioning on a business level ‑ the State Executive, the Officers, the State Office staff and the Regional teams. Without you all working together we cannot achieve anything we set out to do. I sincerely thank the Minister for Education, the Hon Geoff Wilson; the Director General Julie Grantham; Lyn McKenzie; Al Wagner and the Executive Management Group and their assistants in Education Qld. You have certainly made my task so much easier and more enjoyable.
In closing, can I thank you, the hardworking P&Cs that give so much of your time to your school and community? I can only encourage you to continue to be involved in the education of your children at whatever level you are comfortable with, for whatever time you can spare and to do it to the best of your capabilities. There are so many changes and initiatives rolling out in the education arena in the next five years. I can assure you that the QCPCA Executive will be there advocating on your behalf. I wish you all the best.
Kind regards,
Margaret Black
State President
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