Blogs and Messages

WA Branch News: May 2026

By Rachael Lehr posted 6 days ago
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Building Stronger Teams: What The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Teaches Us About Educational Leadership At our recent ACEL WA book club, a small yet passionate group of leaders gathered over coffee and cake to discuss Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team . A rich discussion ensued which led to many helpful ‘take-aways’ that were food for thought. In schools, we often speak about the importance of collaboration, shared purpose, and collective efficacy, something that, in my role as Associate Principal at Dayton Primary School, we return to often; recognising that our positive culture is not something that happens by ...
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VIC Branch News: May 2026

By Annette Rome posted 6 days ago
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ANZAC Day 2026 was celebrated recently across the country. This year, many of the services felt particularly poignant, perhaps, sadly, because of current world events. At my school, one of the students shared the following and I believe it is a powerful reflection of the current challenges and hopes that some of our young people recognise in relation to such commemorations. I hope you find it as thought provoking as I do. Theirs was a generation that did not have the luxury of looking away. They could not mute it, minimise it, or scroll past it. When the moment came, they stood in it — fully, completely, without the option of retreat. And in standing ...
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SA Branch News: May 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 6 days ago
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ACEL Branch Awards 2026 It gives me great pleasure to announce our ACEL SA 2026 Award Winners: Alby Jones Gold Medal Award Dr Neil McGoran ACEL SA Fellowship Awards Anna Mirasgentis Deb Dalwood Dr Michelle Kohler The Distinguished Contribution to research in educational leadership award Prof Simon Leonard ACEL SA Educational Leadership Award Angela Phillips Rebeca Huddy Roy Page Luke Ritchie Pip Field Emerging Leaders Award Kerry Proctor Lucy Warnock Simon Miller Ed McInnes ACEL SA Media Award Will Goodings We will celebrate these outstanding leaders at the ACEL SA Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, ...
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Highly Effective Teams: Reflective Relationality and Organisational Richness

By Bruce Addison posted 6 days ago
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Highly Effective Teams: Reflective Relationality and Organisational Richness Late last month ACEL released its new publication, The Teamwork Toolkit: Designing Teams that Matter . After the success of the Bold Teacher Toolkit , this publication promised much—and it did not disappoint. Teams are central to our organisational contexts, and it is always valuable to examine them through different lenses. The reflections below were, in part, stimulated by reading and interrogating this resource. Most schools can point to teams that are working. They meet, share information, move through agendas, and complete their work. Yet there is often ...
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ACEL Teamwork Toolkit - Now Available

By Lisa Newland posted 20 days ago
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As we begin Term 2 across schools in Australia, I’m excited to share a new resource to support your leadership practice—our Teamwork Toolkit . So much of our work through ACELearn focuses on leadership teams: building culture, strengthening collaboration, and designing real teams—not teams in name only. Grounded in the Harvard Six Conditions of Team Effectiveness, this toolkit is designed to prompt reflection, sharpen practice and support the important work of leading together. I hope it offers something valuable for you and your teams as the term unfolds. We are also continuing to invest in leadership at every stage. Our reimagined NextGen program ...
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Courage Fatigue

By Fiona Roush posted 09-04-2026
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This month’s article has been written by ACELQ Executive Ms Fiona Roush. Fiona is currently Dean of Teaching at Sunshine Coast Grammar School. There was a genuine sense of community at the March ACEL Aspiring and Early Career Teacher Breakfast. A splendid gathering of early‑career educators and mentors sharing their experiences and thoughts of the joy of teaching. The event originated from the conceptual work of ACELQ Executive members Adam Kuss, Tania Leech and Bruce Addison. Head of St Hilda’s Learning Institute and ACELQ Executive member Majda Benzenati’s keynote address offered a compelling reflection on her teaching journey, affirming the ...
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WA Branch News: April 2026

By Rachael Lehr posted 02-04-2026
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Reflections on Cyclone Narelle and Leadership I watched with interest recently as Cyclone Narelle took her time in travelling from the far north into more southern areas in WA, and noted the many reminders to be prepared as the cyclone track was updated. Being Perth based, it is rare for us to experience the direct impact of a cyclone, something that our members in the more northern parts of the state are much more familiar with. I did notice though, that the warnings were coming through for people even in Perth and to the south to be prepared, and while there is always a bit of tongue-in-cheek commentary about trampolines and garden chairs on ...
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Pacing the Pause in leadership

By Fiona Hutton posted 02-04-2026
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Pacing the Pause in leadership I find myself in an unusual stage of life. After ten years of founding and building a business, I rewarded myself with the first Long Service Leave that I have been able to take in nearly 35 years of work. This is really only possible because I have an exceptional team working with me at HCA, who insisted that I would benefit from a break, (and did initially disconnect me from Microsoft teams!). I also have a very supportive partner who is a Director of our company and encouraged me to pause . The challenge has been in finding my own daily pace and rhythms in this time of leave. I am a driver. As a leader, I recognise ...
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QLD Branch News: April 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 02-04-2026
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Ours is the Best Profession in the World: Unpacking the Essence of Teaching Good morning colleagues, and especially to all our early career teachers. It is a privilege to stand with you today as a fellow member of our wonderful profession – perhaps the noblest of professions. I want to begin with a simple but profound acknowledgment: we have the opportunity and the privilege to make a positive difference in the lives of young people daily. What an honour. Each of you brings something unique to this profession—your talents, your perspectives and your way of being in the world. In the words of a giant of our profession, Emeritus Professor Frank Crowther ...
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ACT Branch News: April 2026

By Sandra Darley posted 02-04-2026
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As Term 1 draws to a close I wish to commend the exceptional work that our profession is leading in each of our sectors. For those who are about to take a well earned break I hope that it is a time to refresh before the busy term ahead. Our Branch Executive is represented by each of our 3 sectors and we are both very excited well positioned to contribute to the work of progressing ACEL as a national and local peak body in the life of our profession. We meet regularly and are planning some exciting opportunities in 2026. The first of these is the much anticipated Ministers Breakfast on 29 May at the National Portrait Gallery between 7 – 8.30 am. We have ...
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2025 ACEL New Voice Perspectives

By Lisa Newland posted 02-04-2026
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The Australian Council for Educational Leaders is proud to present the 2025 New Voice Perspectives —a collection that reflects the strength, diversity and future of educational leadership across Australia. Each year, the New Voice Scholarships recognise emerging leaders who are not only excelling in their contexts, but who are also shaping what comes next. These are educators who are thinking deeply, acting courageously, and leading with purpose. Through this publication, their ideas extend beyond their own settings to inform, challenge and inspire the broader profession. What is particularly striking in this year’s contributions is both the urgency ...
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This year's National Inclusion and Disability Conference in Adelaide is shaping up to be our best yet!

By Lisa Newland posted 25-03-2026
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This year's National Inclusion and Disability Conference in Adelaide is shaping up to be our best yet — and that's thanks to you. You asked for less theory and more practice. You asked for sessions that leave you with a tangible takeaway. You asked for the chance to connect with educators who are doing this work well, right now, in real schools. We listened. The 2026 conference has been redesigned from the ground up with that feedback at its heart. Alongside our outstanding keynote speakers — including Professor Linda Graham, Sam Brain from Deloitte Access Economics, and ACARA's Kathryn Tully — you'll find dedicated hands-on workshops, practical sessions ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 1 2026

By Lisa Newland posted 12-03-2026
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Lisa Newland, CEO, Australian Council for Educational Leaders Bold leadership in action: The attitude that says "we can" The opening edition of Australian Educational Leader this year invites us into a timely conversation about the purpose and meaning of schools—and the role leadership plays in shaping that purpose. Across this edition, a clear message emerges — leadership matters not because it holds authority, but because it creates the conditions for learning, belonging, and flourishing. So what does it take to lead boldly right now? Bold leadership is sometimes misunderstood as being loud, forceful, or heroic. Yet the kind ...
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Message from the President, Term 1 2026

By Elizabeth Foster posted 12-03-2026
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The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) stands as a community in which we find our professional home. We are a place in which we can learn, challenge one another, grow and collectively advance our profession. ACEL is more than an organisation; it is a living network of educators committed to transformative learning. As we welcome new members, we extend not just an invitation to join, but an invitation to belong and contribute to the collective wisdom that resides within our community. As leaders in education, we understand that our future is not created or designed in isolation yet enabled by the collective wisdom of communities committed to learning ...
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Message from the President, Term 1 2026

By ACEL Library posted 11-03-2026
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Liz Foster, (BEd, FACELQ) The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) stands as a community in which we find our professional home. We are a place in which we can learn, challenge one another, grow and collectively advance our profession. ACEL is more than an organisation; it is a living network of educators committed to transformative learning. As we welcome new members, we extend not just an invitation to join, but an invitation to belong and contribute to the collective wisdom that resides within our community. As leaders in education, we understand that our future is not created or designed in isolation yet enabled by the collective wisdom ...
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Message from the CEO, Term 1 2026

By ACEL Library posted 11-03-2026
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Lisa Newland, CEO, Australian Council for Educational Leaders Bold leadership in action: The attitude that says "we can" The opening edition of Australian Educational Leader this year invites us into a timely conversation about the purpose and meaning of schools—and the role leadership plays in shaping that purpose. Across this edition, a clear message emerges — leadership matters not because it holds authority, but because it creates the conditions for learning, belonging, and flourishing. So what does it take to lead boldly right now? Bold leadership is sometimes misunderstood as being loud, forceful, or heroic. Yet the kind ...
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QLD Branch News: March 2026

By Bruce Addison posted 05-03-2026
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It is hard to believe that Term One is well over halfway. Such is the rhythm of our school year. On Friday 20 March, ACELQ is hosting an early career teacher breakfast at Allan Border Oval commencing at 7.00 am. Our theme is the beauty and joy of teaching . We hear so much about the attrition rate of our early career teachers we wanted to host a function in which we could celebrate and affirm our new colleagues within the context of ACEL’s collegial, cross-sectoral community. As we all remember, the flight to professional maturity usually commences once a new teacher is placed in their first staffroom. It is here that professional practice begins ...
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SA Branch News: March 2026

By Martyn Anderson posted 05-03-2026
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Dear ACEL SA, I hope the year has begun positively for you. One of the many strengths of ACEL is our shared commitment to celebrating the profession and recognising the outstanding leadership that exists across our state. Each year, you have the opportunity to acknowledge colleagues who are making a significant impact by nominating them for both the ACEL SA State Awards and the ACEL National Awards. These awards shine a light on the innovation, dedication, and excellence that characterise educational leadership in South Australia. As a profession, we are sometimes hesitant to pause and celebrate the exceptional work happening around us. Yet these ...
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Using data wisely: A workshop with Professsor Alex Bowers

By David Gurr posted 05-03-2026
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Using data wisely: A workshop with Professsor Alex Bowers Educational organisations in Australia and elsewhere are awash with data. However, turning data into useful information which may inform policy and practice is not easy and not often done. There are also cautions about data and just because we can collect data and link it together and analyse it in ways not possible in the past, is not a reason to do so unless you are sure it makes sense and you can mitigate the unintended consequences that can arise. When My School began in January 2010 there was a lot of concern about the positive and negative impacts it might have. I remember an article ...
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NSW Branch News: March 2026

By Paul Kidson posted 05-03-2026
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It's a very mixed moment writing this newsletter, my final as NSW Branch President. Last week I notified the National Board Chair, Liz Foster, and our NSW Executive that a combination of family and work matters have altered the time and energy available for this work, at least in the foreseeable future. I’m delighted that Corinna Robertson has agreed, with the endorsement of the Branch Executive, to hold the position until the elections later in the year. The elections are an opportunity for wider members of the Branch to consider serving in a strategic leadership role for the Association. Perhaps you might consider responding to the call for nominations ...
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