From the President

As December begins, I take time to stop, pause, ponder, and look back at the year that 2022 was.

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on what has been achieved, the learnings and the failures both professionally and personally.

As I look back, the start of the year with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, seems a distant memory. In more recent months though, the end of the year has been punctuated by floods and heavy rains in parts of NSW and the ACT. My thoughts are with members who have been impacted. I work and live within a regional setting, so I have witnessed the devastation for several of our school families.

2022 In Focus

From a NSW/ACT Chapter perspective, 2022 has been a busy and successful year. It has been great to connect again face-to-face, whether in Adelaide at the International Conference, which certainly provided a feast of learnings, or at one of the many SIGs that have been run at a Chapter level. Thank you to our members who have generously hosted these sessions. It is always so valuable to hear and learn from our peers and have those opportunities to connect. Over 577 members (representing 113 schools) engaged across the six SIGs, webinars and professional development sessions run this year.

Serving our regional members also continued to be a focus this year. I would love to hear from our regional members on what you would like offered in 2023, and how we can build on the regional professional development sessions that were held this year at Frensham and Newcastle Grammar.

Upcoming Events

I do hope you are able to join us at the Christmas drinks celebration on 14 December. It’s not too late to register for this event, which will be held at the Searock Grill at Circular Quay. If you’d like to attend, please Click here.

In addition, planning for 2023 is also well underway:

  • The Advancement Practitioner Training is being held in Sydney on 27-28 March and is a wonderful opportunity for you to upskill in the pillars of Educate Plus – Admissions, Alumni & Community, Marketing & Communications and Fundraising. 
  • The ‘NEXUS | Passion & Impact‘ (NSW/ACT Chapter Summit), is being hosted by Canberra Grammar on 18-19 May 2023. The Summit will be the premier event for our Chapter in 2023 and promises to be a fantastic opportunity for two days of professional development, networking and inspiration in our nation’s capital, Canberra!
Thank You

Thank you to the NSW/ACT Chapter Committee – a team of absolute professionals, who bring expertise, commitment and a willingness to serve our members. In addition to myself, the 2022 Chapter Committee members were: Yvette Graniero (Vice President), Grant Birse (Treasurer), Jackie Dalton (Secretary), Myfanwy Stanfield (Immediate Past President), Geoff Anderson, Hannah Atwell, Lyn Jarvis, Sandy Goddard, Karen Smith, Dana Casimaty, Clare Lacey, Paul Dennett, LeVina Huirua and Philippa Zingales.

On behalf of the NSW/ ACT Chapter, I would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to our CEO, Mandy McFarland and the Educate Plus team for all that they have achieved this year. Their focus is simply to strengthen the organisation and improve the offering for us, the members, and I am grateful to them for their leadership and guidance in 2022.

In Conclusion…

Please enjoy this final Chapter Newsletter for 2022. Here’s to the year that was, and we look forward to connecting again in 2023. Enjoy and have a great break!

 

Lyn O’Neill

Chapter President | NSW/ACT