There is no doubt the past two years have tested our leaders beyond their limits in their efforts to continue to support Victorian Catholic learning communities.

Principals as we know are the people we look to for leadership, guidance, for stability, for reassurance that our children are in safe hands and that we as parents have chosen the right education for our children.

With so much uncertainty surrounding remote learning, school closures, COVID cases that have forced more school closures beyond lockdown and the stresses that resulted, the strength of our communities, particularly our leaders was tested.

On behalf of parents of children in Catholic schools, we would like to acknowledge the endless dedication of Catholic school principals across primary and secondary schools. We encourage parents to thank your school princpal before the end of this year and share how much you appreciate all their efforts to keep our schools running effectively during this year. 

Most of what principals achieve in their multi faceted role is often behind the scenes and not always visible to families. Many principals go beyond the call to make sure teachers are performing well, student wellbeing is a major consideration for children, that families are supported and that everyone who returned to school is safe and transitioning back to learning on-site.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools has acknowledged the work of our school principals in several video messages that demonstrate appreciation for the work of Catholic school leaders.

CSPV strengthened relationships with the principals associations this year and our Principal member, Michael Bourne attended our meetings each quarter to provide insight into the perspective of Catholic school leaders.

In 2022 we will attend the VACPSP Conference and work alongside the principals associations to strengthen our partnership to support families as they return to engage in and recreate the life of our Catholic learning communities.

You may like to watch the videos below from Gerard Dalbosco, Chair of MACS Board, along with messages from new Catholic school principals sharing their experiences this year and how we have come together as strong and compassionate Catholic communities to make it through such challenging times.