President’s Report

Autumn in the New England area is undoubtedly spectacular. Having made a tree change last year to NEGS in Armidale, I am experiencing autumn in this high country region for the first time. With the change of season, the region’s landscape looks impressive and reflects autumn colours’ full palette. 

An increased busyness marks this change in season at school as term two ramps up. Autumn provides an excellent landscape for our enrolments team, an opportune time to show prospective families around our 50-hectare campus, focusing on securing future enrolments. Equally, our events calendar is kicking in, and though living in a regional town has a different rhythm within the school environment, the pace is fast. 

I am looking forward to connecting with colleagues later this month when we gather in Adelaide for the REIGNITE International Conference. The conference program is impressive, and I am sure we will be inspired, motivated, and energised for the second half of 2022. Don’t forget to buy your ticket for the NSW/ACT Chapter Dinner on Tuesday evening at Casablabla. It will be a fun and relaxed evening and a great way to catch up with NSW/ACT Chapter colleagues.

The feedback from the regional professional development program held at Frensham earlier this year was overwhelmingly positive. So on Friday, 29 July, we are heading north with our Regional Professional Development Program with Newcastle Grammar hosting. This day will provide our regional members in the Hunter and Northern NSW an excellent opportunity to come together, exchange ideas, learn, and hear from the dynamic speaker Ingrid Messner. Ingrid will run an interactive workshop on ‘How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle’. The day will also include breakout sessions after lunch to discuss issues or trends, share information, or seek informal advice in a confidential setting among professional colleagues.

I hope all is going well for you and your institutions. I look forward to catching up in Adelaide. However, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any committee member with suggestions or questions.

Lyn O’Neill | NSW/ACT Chapter President

Chapter Dinner: REIGNITE International Conference

Join your fellow Chapter colleagues for a fun relaxed evening!

Event Details

Date: Tuesday 31 May 2022 (during the International Conference)
Time: 6.30pm to  8.30 pm
Venue:  Casablabla, 12 Leigh Street, Adelaide
Cost: Members: $55pp (plus gst) | Non members $70pp (plus gst) This includes a welcome drink and Chef’s Selection of tapas dishes. 

Want the perfect nightcap?

The SA/NT Chapter is inviting conference delegates from across Australia and New Zealand to join them at Sôl Rooftop Bar (Level 9, SkyCity Adelaide) for a drink or two after their dinner.

• Date: Tuesday 31 May
• Time: 9pm onwards. No need to book for this, just turn up !
• Venue: Sôl Rooftop Bar, Level 9, SkyCity Adelaide, 125 North Tce, Adelaide
• Views are on us. Drinks are on you.

A great opportunity to connect with colleagues from other Chapters while enjoying Adelaide’s immersive rooftop destination with 270-degree views from the hills to the coast!

Regional PD Day at Newcastle Grammar

We are continuing to take our professional development program on the road! On Friday 29 July we will be at Newcastle Grammar School.

This will be a great opportunity for advancement staff to come together, exchange ideas, learn from one another and hear from the dynamic speaker Ingrid Messner.

When uncertainty and stress levels are high and influencing stakeholders seems difficult, it is crucial to work with a Leadership Expert that supports you to achieve more with less struggle and exhaustion. Ingrid will be running an interactive workshop on How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle. 

The program will also include breakout sessions after lunch. These will be in the form of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on Fundraising, Alumni, Marketing and Enrolments. These groups allow for discussion of topical issues or trends, sharing information or seeking informal advice, in a confidential setting among professional colleagues

Morning tea on arrival and a networking lunch will be provided.

The day is open to all Educate Plus members and non-members and we look forward to seeing you there.

Event Details

Date: Friday 29 July

Time: 10.00am – 2.30pm

Program: 
10.00am-10.25am Registration/Morning Tea/Networking
10.25am-10.30am Welcome from Mrs Erica Thomas, Head of Newcastle Grammar School
10.30am-12.00pm Interactive Workshop with Ingrid Messner on ‘How to achieve more positive impact with less stress and struggle’.
12.00pm-1.00pm Lunch/Networking
1.00pm-2.30pm Special Interest Group Breakout sessions

Location: Hill Building, second floor HSCR, Newcastle Grammar School, 60 Newcomen St, Newcastle. All guests must come to reception to register and you will be shown to the room

Parking: As NGS is ‘City School’, Parking is only on the street and sometimes tricky

Cost: $45pp members & $75pp for non-members. There is a 20% discount for 3 or more registrations

Note: You have to be double vaccinated to enter the School. Please carry your proof of vaccination.

REGISTER NOW

Community Relations and Wellbeing by Clare Lacey

At Newcastle Grammar School (NGS) we have deliberately chosen Positive Education to bring together best practice teaching and learning with acquiring the skills and mindsets to flourish. As a Visible Wellbeing School, we have a shared language for what we have always known – positive relationships matter. As psychotherapist Esther Perel asserts, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”

As humans we are hard-wired for connection and our wellbeing is directly linked to the experiences that we share with others. Schools are such important places to build relationships that not only help us to rise to both academic and social challenges but that transcend time and have the capacity to sustain us throughout our lives. It is always wonderful to see the power of these lasting relationships at our annual school reunions—sharing moments and memories from school, even twenty or thirty years later, is very special.

At NGS, a strengths-based approach has been adopted across the entire school as part of our Positive Education programme. This is not only applied within the school, but it also extends through the entire landscape, including our alumni. As our communities begin to socialise again, the need for connection and shared experiences is apparent and our events team is busier than ever creating ways to reengage with our stakeholders—past, present, and future.

We curate opportunities for members of our extended school family to offer their strengths. One annual event that showcases inspiring alumni stories is our Year 11 Positive Education Conference which focuses on “Me, We…Us.” Through sharing in the strengths and stories of our alumni, our Year 11 students learn about the importance of relationships and other positive psychology principles such as growth mindset, grit, flow, gratitude, and mindfulness. Every year our feedback indicates that students love their interactions with our alumni volunteers and appreciate the power of being part of something bigger than themselves.

Later this year we will launch our intergenerational School Ties Breakfast Series, which will be another example of the strength of NGS relationships over time, with current students in attendance with their alumni parents or grandparents.

We are also very excited to bring our Wellbeing Breakfast series to the broader Newcastle community to share our strengths-based approach along with some of the wellbeing practices, strategies, and interventions that we use to help our community and local businesses flourish. It is very exciting to be part of a positive ripple effect that takes the language of wellbeing beyond NGS and into the wider world.

Relationships really are central to our subjective wellbeing and vital to our experience of being human. We are very proud of the way we support positive relationships across our entire community at Newcastle Grammar School.

Clare Lacey
Committee Member/ Regional
Head of Community Relations
Newcastle Grammar School

What are Registrars made of? Sugar and spice or frogs and snails? By Karen Smith

I have ‘reinvented’ myself several times…dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast were dashed early on and a degree in Modern History wasn’t exactly a vocational qualification, so my horizons were wide when I left University. Initially, I pursued a career in HR in a department store, followed by Recruitment Consultancy, Real Estate (don’t judge me) and then Office Management in a church.

Why a Registrar?

I’d seen only one Registrar in action, which was when I enrolled my daughter in Kindergarten. She took us on a tour, guided us through the enrolment process and advised us on scholarship opportunities. I remember thinking that this was the sort of job I would like. Several years later, I met the former Registrar of St Andrew’s Cathedral School who gave me a ‘warts and all’ account. At this point I realised that I had the right qualities for the job:

• Professional: experience liaising with people at all levels
• Passionate about lifelong learning
• Protagonist: if I’m passionate about something I know about it – Christianity, running, reading, cats!
• Personable: an introvert but also a people-person

What have I learned as a Registrar?

Know your product! You can’t sell something unless you know all about it and believe in it!

To be successful you need to fully immerse yourself in the life of your educational establishment: go to sports carnivals, community events, drama productions, assemblies. It’s no wonder that parents and alumni often make great Registrars because they know the establishment from the ground up.

Know your audience You can’t rely on past trends to predict the future.

Regular analysis of demographic trends and client behaviours will assist you in developing an enrolment strategy for existing and future student groups. This work will also help to ensure that marketing initiatives are targeted and relevant.

You are not an island You don’t have all the answers.

Networking is key and this is one of the reasons Educate Plus exists. I have benefited from attending the Advancement Practitioner Training, conferences and networking events, having an experienced mentor (thanks Pauline!), and collaborating on specific issues via a Mentor Cloud. Other experienced professionals can help you navigate the challenges of your role, offer peer support, and provide expert advice.

One body, many parts You have lots of team-mates.

No coffee, conversation or interaction is wasted. This year I have spent a lot more time with colleagues from all around the College from staff in Maintenance, IT and the Canteen to Teachers, Learning Support and Senior Leaders. Every person I interact with can teach me something and contribute to successful enrolment outcomes: whether they are supporting a College tour or Orientation Event, helping me to discern whether a student/family is a good fit for the College or informing future enrolment strategies. 

Relationships are crucial You are the School to your applicants.

This is where my customer service experience has paid dividends. Enrolments are the ‘shop window’ to the school. The way you respond to and follow up enquiries, the timeliness of your response, your ability to treat each enquiry in an individual way and remember names, faces and family stories are key to your success. 

My previous career choices, despite being diverse have led me to this point. As an Historian I can read vast quantities of information and pick out the salient points; from my retail background, I gained expertise in customer service; as an HR manager I learned how to handle information with discretion, to conduct interviews and identify those who fit the vision and values of an organisation; and as a former Real Estate Agent I know how to sell!

Naturally, I have a lot still to learn, but then learning is now my profession!

Karen Smith
Committee Member/ Admissions
Registrar
William Clarke College

Recorded Sessions: International Conference

From Our Knowledgebank

NSW Independent schools are flying into the future

By Peter Buckingham

Peter Buckingham is the Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis, a Melbourne based consultancy in demographics, mapping and analysis specializing in schools. Peter is both a CMC (Certified Management Consultant) and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC). Peter can be contacted at peterb@spectrumanalysis.com.au or called on 03 9830 0077.

Many of us (myself included) were of the view a couple of years ago that the pandemic would cause more economic strain across the country, and force (for financial reasons) an exodus of students from Independent schools into the Government schools system. Whilst unemployment went up, it was low in the white collar and grey collar communities, and these are predominantly the parents of your students.

Independent schools enrolments were up 3.54% in NSW 2021 over 2020, mainly due to people sending their children to Independent schools earlier than they were planning to because the Independent schools handled home schooling far better than Government schools. This was not surprising when you think of the quality of your teachers and of the computer hardware that would be available in households of Independent school families compared to lower socio economic families with children at Government schools.

Click on the button below to read the whole article including the ACARA data for NSW and ACT.

Read More

Remaining SIGs for 2022

We have a number of SIGs remaining for 2022.

*Dates to be confirmed and you will receive notifications closer to the time. You can also check the EVENTS page for updates.

Events – How to maximise community engagement from events | Thursday 4 August | In person at Santa Sabina College, Strathfield
This event will be followed by networking drinks at Santa Sabina College

Archives: Using archives to engage your community | Monday 22 August | Online
How to use archives for engagement and fundraising

Admissions | *Tuesday 6 or *Thursday 8 September | Online
Digital Age – effects of its impacts and how to best utilise your systems
Why it’s worth investing your time and resources.

Welcome to Our New Members

A very warm welcome to our new members! We look forward to meeting with you at one of our 2022 SIG’s, PD or networking sessions. Please feel free to jump onto our website forum to ask a question, seek advice or listen to other hot topics. We also invite you to join our FB Group which has up to date discussions with Educate Plus members.