NEW MEMBERS We would like to welcome the following members who have joined our Association.
Sheree Rous, York DHS
Samuel Jones, Wilson PS
Cristy Coulson, White Gum Valley PS
"We look forward to providing you with the Support, Advocacy, Leadership Development and Connection for which WAPPA is renowned.
We welcome your voice to the ongoing discussions around primary education and school leadership through the numerous avenues provided to our members." - The WAPPA Team
WAPPA BOARD ELECTIONS Thank you to all members who voted in the recent WAPPA Board Elections. Life Member, Phillippa Berkhout was the Returning Officer for this election and she announced the results at this year's AGM, on Monday 4 November. We would like to congratulate and welcome the following nominees to the WAPPA Board, who will commence their tenures on 1 January 2025:
1x Vice President with three year tenure, Ross Tamlin
4x Board positions with three year tenure, Julie Simpfendorfer, Donna Bridge Jade Aim, and Craig Mainard
1 Board position with two year tenure, Kylee Weadley
The WAPPA Board will now be complete, with these members joining:
President, Niel Smith
Vice President, Lisa Helenius
Board Members, Barb Bromley, Aaron Young and Di Miller
WAPPA acknowledges the contributions of Emma Bancroft and Mel Sutherland, who both leave the WAPPA Board this year. Emma served on the WAPPA Board for three years 2022-2024, with time spent before that as a Chapter Chair 2019-2021 for Manjimup and Perth South.
Mel Sutherland was a Board Member for the last seven years 2018-2024, being a member of the Executive from 2021 and serving as WAPPA Vice President and West Australian AGPPA Rep from May 2024. Mel served as the Geraldton Chapter Chair from 2016-2019, overlapping both roles of Chair and Board member for a short period of time.
Both Mel and Emma made significant contributions to WAPPA in a variety of roles across Conference, State Assemblies, within Board Meetings and at a range of stakeholder meetings. Thank you sincerely for all that you contributed, over the years.
WAPPA BOARD APPOINTED AWARDS & ANNUAL REPORT The 2024 Annual Report was tabled and ratified at the WAPPA AGM on Monday 4 November. This report showcases the many great achievements of WAPPA this year, across the areas of Support, Advocacy, Connection, Leadership, Governance, Business Centre Operations, Events and Financial Management. Everyone associated with the Board and Business Centre is extremely proud of our collective efforts over the year and we would strongly encourage all members to read the report and provide any feedback, you may have. Read the 2024 WAPPA Annual Report Here
Within the 2024 Annual Report, you will find the names and citations of those people who were awarded Board Appointed Awards, this year. Nominations for these awards are called upon from the membership, with the Board deciding on the winners. A number of awards were presented across all three categories this year and we would like to congratulate the following recipients:
Life Membership, Jan Applin and Ashley King
WAPPA Service Award, Craig Mainard and Lisa Rodgers
WAPPA Country Rep, Jane Salt
Well done and thank you to all of you. Your hard work and dedication at both supporting and contributing to the success of our Association, will be forever acknowledged and appreciated. Read the Award Winners' full citations here
NATIONAL HORIZONS - APPA NEWSLETTER Please follow this link, to read the November edition of the Australian Primary Principals Association's National Horizons Newsletter.
COLLEGIAL GROUPS If you wish to become part of a collegial group, please reach out to Angie, our Member Services Officer at aossy-orley@wappa.net.au, and we will promptly be in touch.
Collegial groups are inclusive and open to non members. Therefore, if you know of an interested colleague but they may not yet be a WAPPA member, encourage them to join us.
Advocacy & Support
YOUTHCARE REGIONAL PRINCIPAL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM WAPPA were extremely pleased to be advised that the decision to cease funding to the Principal Chaplaincy Program had been overturned, last week. As stated previously, WAPPA has supported this program for many years, meeting regularly with Youthcare staff, chaplains and our own members, to hear directly from them, about the benefits of this service. WAPPA worked closely with Youthcare in recent weeks, seeking members' testimonials, providing media statements and liaising with the other associations, in order to achieve this wonderful outcome, for a program that is valued by so many regional members.
STATE ASSEMBLY OUTCOMES & WAPPA'S FUTURE WORK If ever there was a State Assembly in which we got a lot of work done 'in the room', then November's would have to be it! The result of this work will be finalised over the remainder of the term and the Christmas Holiday period, just in time to launch in 2025.
Over the two days, Board Members led sessions on:
Self assessment of the 2022-2024 Strategic Plan and development of the new draft plan
Development of 'big picture' priorities for distribution to all parliamentary candidates leading into the 2025 WA state election
Development of 'fine grain' measures that can be presented to our new Director General, in order to place a genuine focus on the workload reduction of school leaders
Provision of information that will support the work of the newly established Family Law Matters in Schools Working Party
Facilitation of a presentation and Q&A session with WACSSO President Pania Turner, who discussed all things P&C governance, financial, relational and operational.
Discussion regarding Reporting to Parents changes, impact on school leaders, decisions that were made in schools for Semester Two 2024, and what we would like to see future primary templates look like if a change was mandated. From that discussion it became very clear that the majority of members in the room were keen to remove all learning area comments, but were keen to retain sub-strand grades in some capacity. This led to further discussion regarding the workload of specialists in reporting, the workload of school leaders and not just teachers, as well as what parents see as beneficial and whether this is context driven? The options discussed by members in relation to sub-strands centered around:
keep all sub-strand grades
keep Maths and English only
keep Maths, English, Science and HASS
allow schools to choose (and does this option just set schools up for ongoing comparison, whilst removing the system's ability to implement an effective workload reduction initiative?)
If you are an Active WAPPA Principal or Deputy Principal, you will have received a survey link this morning, for you to complete. Your responses will help guide our feedback and advocacy in the Reporting to Parents consultation meetings.
From the Field
WA EDUCATION AWARDS WAPPA would like to congratulate all schools who were listed as finalists in this year’s WA Education Awards, along with the winners in each category. There were six award categories at this year’s awards, with one of them being specifically for secondary schools. From the remaining five categories, four of them were won by primary schools, with the fifth being a district high school. All five of these schools have WAPPA members in them, with a total of nine WAPPA members working in the winning schools. This is a wonderful achievement for our members and a great acknowledgement of the work being done in our schools to deliver quality primary education, across the state.
CONNECTING FOR A CAUSE: Lockridge Primary School's Family Picnic & Mental Health Expo.
The Lockridge Primary School (LPS) ‘Family Picnic and Mental Health and Wellbeing Expo’ is a much-welcomed annual fair hosted by LPS in support of WA Mental Health Week. The event takes place at the beginning of Term 4 and brings together families, students, staff, and community partners to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. The afternoon begins with our school community sharing in a picnic style lunch together, allowing families and staff to connect and network with one another. Families, students, and staff are then invited to engage in a variety of activities to support positivity, joy, and good health such as mindfulness artwork, gratitude stonework, Indigenous games, and the much-loved family karaoke session, or visit a wide variety of stalls hosted by our local community partners who provide valuable health related resources, individual and family support information, and health promoting activities. This event which has grown year upon year, has become a staple part of our Student Wellbeing and Engagement processes, with local community members now reaching out to us to be a part of future events. We are thankful for the continued support of those both in school and within the community for our shared commitment to supporting the health and wellness of our LPS families.
Simon Breakspear at WAPPA Conference
Simon Breakspear's expertise in educational leadership and change management was evident throughout his presentation on "Rethinking Resistance,", demonstrating why he is a firm WAPPA conference favourite. Breakspear began by addressing the challenge of bridging the gap between current behaviours of the adults we work with or lead, and those needed to achieve desired educational outcomes. He emphasised that resistance to change is a natural human response, not limited to any particular group. Rather than viewing resistance negatively, Breakspear encouraged us to approach it with empathy, seeing the required changes through the eyes of those experiencing them.
