Principals' Meeting.

Friday 12th: Meeting all day of the Southern Zone Principals' Group in Warrnambool CEO office. Set agenda and some speakers addressed us on 'Coaching', 'Religion' and 'Critical Incidents'. Officers elected for next year. Much ground covered and great debate and banter. All funded and supported by the CEO. The support that schools and principals get from the CEO is phenomenal. In St. Mary's Trim we have prioritized numeracy among other areas this year. We had a facilitator for one day's planning but we had other areas to plan for also on that day. Then we try to use a portion of every staff meeting to continue with these priorities. In St Patrick's Koroit, we have a numeracy facilitator coming in on Wednesdays from 8.30 to 5.00. She will do model lessons and mentor the teaching of numeracy in the school as well as holding a meeting after school. Not bad but the amazing thing is that she will come to us every two weeks, all day for the whole year! At the meeting today they were trying to organise training for teachers in the schools to become coaches so that they could coach the teachers in numeracy (or literacy) in their own schools because once every two weeks was not enough!! The coaching is a brilliant idea but it is difficult to see it working because of time and financial limitations. Two sub teachers would need to be employed to cover the coach and the teacher and it would need to be done at least once a week. Teachers are already doing an amount of Professional Development (PD) and each time a sub (E.T.)is employed to cover their class.
Set out at three thirty for South Gipsland where the International Teachers' Association have organised a weekend for us 'fellows'. About nine of the fourteen have turned up and we all stay with ITA members in the area. It took me over five hours to drive from Warranbool but it was like a reunion when I arrived. We had not seen each other since the orientation and it was great to swap war stories. Great fun day planned for tomorrow.

Three Candles and a Parchment

Thursday 11th: Met with Larry Byrne Director of the Diocessan CEO for an hour this morning. He is very interested in and committed to the exchange and was keen to learn about ideas from the Irish system, in particular our system of governance. He was encouraging me to go to educational conferences and as one will be in Sydney I guess that I will have to force myself!
I am now the proud owner of three candles and a parchment containing the Vision and Mission Statements of the Southern Zone Catholic Primary Principals' Association. All the Catholic Principals in our zone, which is about the size of Ireland, were invited to a Mass followed by a meal for all the principals and their spouses. All organized and paid for by the CEO. Those of you who have been following the blog will know that two weeks ago there was a mass for all the teachers where the new teachers were comissioned and given a candle. Tonight's mass was for all principals and leaders of the CEO and we were all given another candle and then the two new principals were again 'candelled'. Nice touch and you really have to profess your commitment to the Catholic Schools ethos. The CEO is a magnificent support system for the Catholic schools and principals. I will have to come back to this again, as i do not have the time and space to go into it more here.
At the lovely meal afterwards it was so much like being with principals at home. Everybody was slagging everyone else and winding people up about tomorrow's meeting.

Paul O Connell

Wednesday 10th: You have probably noticed that I have gone very quiet, my first week of teaching. I need to talk to Paul O Connell.

An Lár

Tuesday 9th: An Lár is referred to as the CBD or Central Business District, even in a town the size of Warrnambool which has about 32,000 souls.

Some Teaching

Monday 8th: This is where I write a funny account of taking Prep/One for Library: It wasn't funny!

Black Saturday Anniversary.

Sunday 7h: Great choir was back. It was Fr John Fitzgerald's birthday Mass (70). Great energy in a full church, and the recessional hymn:
"Happy Birthday To You!"
I love it.

All the media are covering the first anniversary of the bushfires in Victoria on Feb 7th last year, which was a Saturday, thus 'Black Saturday'. A minutes silence was observed nationwide. A lot of very harrowing stories and interviews on the telly.

Festival on by Lake Pertobe, took a wander down. Weather fab in early twenties with an offshore breeze. Live bands, sunshine, food and drink.

Chores

Saturday 6th: There is a pattern developing here. I had a choice between changing the sheets or sleeping on the other side of the bed, and I chose the former! Also did other chores as I was at it. Did some prep for next week, as I have classes including Prep/One for P.E. and Library.
Staff barbie in Vicki's house. Great system whereby you bring your own meat and drink so a large crwod can be catered for without too much responsibility falling on the hosts.