President's Update

Dear QACSL Members,

I am delighted to write to you this month as the incoming President of the Queensland Association of Combined Sector Leaders.  For those who do not know me, my name is Paul Andrews, and I have been a passionate member of our organisation for the last 5 years.  My career has taken me across the state from large P-12 Urban Colleges to Deputy Principalship and Principalship in rural Central Western Queensland.  I am truly honoured to have been elected as President of QACSL in late March, and after navigating a series of structural changes throughout the department, I excitedly began the role officially in May.  I would like to say a big thank you to all the members who I have spoken to and welcomed me into this role.  I am inspired by the deep desire shown by everyone to see QACSL flourish now and into the future.  We have some big plans that I am excited to share them with you in our first new eNewsletter.  

I appreciate that this Newsletter is far longer than I would normally provide, however I felt it important to outline our strategic direction and focus going forward.

At the heart of QACSL’s work is a simple, powerful truth: everything we do is about improving outcomes for students. We empower school leaders to lead with confidence and impact - because when leaders thrive, students succeed. Through advocacy, professional development, and collegial support, QACSL equips leaders to meet the complex demands of combined sector education, today and into the future.

Honouring Brian O'Neill

Many of our members had the opportunity to hear me speak at the School Leaders conference earlier this term.  During this address, I took the opportunity to thank Brian O'Neill, our immediate past president, for his dedication to QACSL over his career.  You may not know that Brian was actually meant to be on stage with Pat Murphy (QASSP Pres.) and me, however due to sickness, he was unable to get to Brisbane.  I had written a longer version of my address for Brian which I would like to share:

"Finally, today, Pat has tasked me with the greatest honour imaginable.  That is to acknowledge our immediate past president of QACSL – Brian O’Neill.  Having been born and raised in Normanton, Queensland’s Gulf Country, it was his early teaching experiences in rural and remote schools (including Normanton I might add) that instilled Brian’s love for regional education.  His entire career has been spent in regional and remote locations, working to provide the best opportunities for students so often left behind when compared with big metropolitan schools.  Brian has been a passionate advocate for combined sector education for over 40 years, with the last 26 being spent as Principal of Callen District State College intermittently dispersed with QACSL and SPERA Presidencies. 

Brian has mentored countless generations of students, teachers and school leaders. He has provided a shoulder to cry on, calm counsel in tough times and a joyful smile in the good times; and one or two corny jokes to lighten the mood at times as well.  Brian has led our small but powerful organization with pride and determination, achieving significant success from which combined schools now benefit. Simple things such as Heads of School being able to attend principals' conferences or undertake school reviews, the allocation of deputy principals and HODs to rural and remote k-12 schools or advocating for a combined sector timetabling app in OneSchool. 

Brian, you have touched the lives of so many people, not just in this room, but across the educational landscape.  I am truly honoured to call you not only a mentor, but also a close friend.  Brian, while we know you are not retiring, but rather transitioning into academia, you can leave the department knowing that it is in a better place, how do we know? Because you helped shape it."

On a personal note - when I say a shoulder to cry on, I mean it.  Numerous times throughout my own leadership journey, Brian has allowed me to be privately vulnerable and offered significant support when things have been tough.  Brian's work in providing wellbeing support for school leaders is second to none.  Brian, thank you for your enduring work and friendship - I hope I can live up to your leadership. Thank you. 

It must be said, Brian is not leaving QACSL for good, he is remaining as our Treasurer and VP - Academic Research.

Annual General Meeting

Thank you to the approximately 40 members who attended our AGM in March.  The Executive for 2025-2027 is as follows:

Executive Committee:

  • President - Paul Andrews (QACSL & FN Regional Office)
  • Secretary - Vanessa Koina (MISOTA)
  • Treasurer - Brian O'Neill (CQU)
  • VP - Administration - Vanessa Koina (MISOTA)
  • VP - Academic Research - Brian O'Neill (CQU)
  • VP - First Nations - Yolanda McLean (Tagai SC)
  • VP - Inclusion & Diversity - Kelly Jeppesen (Woodford SS)
  • VP - Marketing - Bec Hutton (Palmwoods SS)
  • VP - Mentoring - Cameron Wayman (Beaconsfield SS)
  • VP - Rural, Remote and Distance Education - Aleksandr Taylor-Gough (Tagai SC)
  • VP - School Supervisors/Corporate Liaison - Bronwyn Johnstone (SS - SER)
  • VP - Urban Colleges Network - Joel Buccholz (Kelvin Grove SC)

Regional Counsellors:

  • Central Queensland - Nicole Landers (Barcaldine P-12 SS), Sarah Taylor (Tambo SS), Pree Jeewandara (Calen SC)
  • Darling Downs South West - Felicity Ditchburn (Taabinga SS), Jason Edmonstone (Millmerran P-10 SS)
  • North Queensland - Tonia Smerdon (Normanton SS)
  • Far North - Chris Honan (EFI/Herberton SS)
  • North Coast - Kelly Jeppesen (Woodford SS), Renai McLean (Kilvivan SS)

Vacant Positions:

  • VP - Associate Administrators
  • Counsellors for Metro North, Metro South, & South East Region

We welcome back our long-standing Patron - David Ham, who is joined this year as Co-Patron with the wonderful Robin Rayner who is handing the baton of mentorship over to Cam Wayman.

Renewed Strategic Focus

Leveraging on Brian's work, we have undergone a significant period of strategic planning.  As many of you may have seen, I sent out a survey regarding our strategic direction and the opportunities QACSL has to contribute to the educational conversations in our state. Thank you to all who have completed this survey and if you have not, there is still time:

https://forms.office.com/r/U5KuNjpj55

Using the responses as well as a significant number of conversations with members and stakeholders, I have spent the last month drafting our new four-year strategic plan. Recognising the need to renew our purpose, vision and mission, the committee has reviewed and endorsed our Strategic Plan 2025 - 2028.  Please take the time to read the plan and if you feel that you can contribute to any particular area, let us know!  The link is located on the left-hand side at the top of the eNewsletter.

Here is a brief snapshot of our agenda:

Our vision is: 

To be the leading voice and professional community for combined sector school leaders in Queensland, driving equity, excellence and innovation in education.

Our mission is:

To support, connect and empower school leaders of combined sector schools through advocacy, professional learning, research and strategic partnerships that address the unique needs of our communities.

We have consolidated our work into three strategic pillars:

  1. Governance
  2. Professional Learning
  3. Advocacy and Influence

These will be achieved through our five Strategic Priorities:

  1. Strengthening association governance and structures (Pillar 1)
  2. Embedding the state schooling strategy throughout our strategic focus (Pillar 1)
  3. Statewide presence and professional learning (Pillar 2)
  4. Reinvigorating regional representation and advocacy (Pillar 3)
  5. Building research, policy and innovation influence (Pillar 3)

Over the coming months, we will be forming 3 sub-committees to oversee the work of each Pillar.  If you have a particular interest in one of these pieces of work, please reach out and I will allocate you to the appropriate leadership member for further consultation.

Professional Development & Meeting Restructure

A major part of my platform in running for President was to restructure our monthly meetings.  To better respond to the needs of our members, we have made the decision to split our monthly meetings into two separate meetings, one executive functions meeting and one wider membership professional development.  The rationale behind this change is that it allows us to maintain the functioning of the association, whilst also creating a space for useful dialogue between QACSL members facilitated around a topic of conversation. 

We will have three pieces of PD per month:

  1. Monthly PD Meeting - a meeting for all members where a guest will provide a session of professional development followed by discussion by QACSL Members.  This session will be taped and uploaded to support those unable to make the meeting.
  2. eNewsletter - each month, the guest of the PD Meeting will be invited to submit an article for members to peruse and share with their communities if they see fit. 
  3. Cross-Sector Conversations: A QACSL Podcast - Each month we will be interviewing interesting people, providing insights into combined sector education.  Sometimes, it may be the same guest as the Monthly PD Meeting, other times it may be a leader or a group of leaders from Queensland combined sector schools.  This is an exciting initiative for QACSL, and I do hope you enjoy it as much as I have in developing it.

A monthly schedule for our PD meetings will be released soon once finalised, and members are welcome to join any sessions that align with their interests. All sessions will also be added to our calendar of events to assist with planning and organisation.

Marketing Materials & Membership Drive

We’re entering a new era of connection for QACSL. A new website is on the way, and we’ve established dedicated email addresses to improve how we communicate and engage with members:

A big thank you goes to Bec Hutton (VP Marketing), Bronwyn Johnstone (VP School Supervisors) and Vanessa Koina for being the guiding graphic designers for this work! Their insights have been invaluable.

We also want to be upfront: we know we haven’t done engagement as well in the past as it could have been. Communication has been inconsistent, and engagement has dipped. We hear you and we’re owning it. This is our commitment to doing better. Over the coming year we will begin putting out professional flyers and materials to help drive engagement.

At its heart, QACSL is about collegiality and connection. We are a network of school leaders who understand the unique complexity and opportunity of leading in P–10/12 contexts. No one understands this space like we do and it’s time we harness that strength. So here’s the ask: If you know a leader who isn’t a QACSL member - reach out. Invite them in. Let them know they’re not alone. Let them know there’s a professional community that’s built just for them. Together, we are stronger, louder, and more effective. This is more than a membership drive—it’s a movement to reconnect and reenergise. Let’s grow it, together.

Connecting with Schools across Queensland

It is my goal to visit as many combined sector schools as possible throughout my term. Each term, I’ll spend two weeks on the road: one week in Brisbane for central office meetings and connecting with leaders in our urban colleges across the South East, and one week out in the regions, visiting our regional, rural and remote schools.

These visits are designed to ensure QACSL stays connected to the realities of school leadership across all settings. Whether you're leading a large urban college or a small P–10 in the bush, I want to hear from you directly.

Importantly, if you need support, don’t wait for a visit - reach out. We're committed to continuing our work on principal wellbeing and professional connection. Leadership can be isolating, but you don’t have to do it alone. QACSL exists to walk beside you.

Paul Andrews
President

0431 895 499 | president@qacsl.org.au