Head of Campus

Dear Families

Last week I was so fortunate to attend the 2025 Australian Catholic Education Conference in beautiful Cairns, where the warm weather was a welcome bonus! The conference was a rich and inspiring experience, bringing together educators and leaders from across the country to explore the future of Catholic education.

The event opened with a moving keynote by Sr Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, “Hope Anchored in Faith: A Synodal Vision for Catholic Education,” which set a reflective and visionary theme for the conference. A highlight was the Mass, celebrated by the Bishop of Cairns, Most Rev Joe Caddy, and attended by over 1,000 Catholic school students who were also the amazing choir. It was a faith-filled celebration of community and connection. 

I had the privilege of attending two keynote addresses: 

• Prof Dylan Wiliam spoke on “Everyone Counts: Responsive, Engaging Education for All,” offering powerful insights into inclusive and adaptive teaching practices. 
• Dr Steve Constantino presented “Why Families Matter,” unpacking five simple yet profound principles for engaging every family in the learning journey.

I look forward to exploring further these topics and the positive impact it can have in our school community.

I also attended thought-provoking sessions on:

• Trauma-Informed Instructional Practice – exploring strategies that are essential for some and beneficial for all.
• Anchored in Culture and Guided by Faith – a meaningful conversation on co-creating hope in First Nations education.
• The Wellbeing Data Landscape – tackling the challenge of subjective decision-making in student wellbeing through data-informed approaches.

It was an enriching experience filled with learning, connection, and hope for the future of Catholic Education, and I look forward to sharing these insights with our school community.

Sadly, being at the conference meant that I missed our Book Week parade, which I heard was a wonderful event with so many families in attendance. I have enjoyed looking at the photos and matching the creative and colourful costumes to the students and staff who were wearing them. A big thank you to Lisa-Jayne, Jemma and Kelly for bringing this event together and for all the work they do to promote high-level teaching of literacy and communication in our school. They are a great team! 

As we also celebrate Speech Pathology Week 2025, themed “Impact Through Communication,” I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of our speech pathologists Jemma and Kelly. Their dedication and expertise make a lasting impact in our school community, and we celebrate them this week and always!

Kind regards 

Cathy Sires

Head of Campus - St Patrick's Special School