It is a great privilege that I write this, my first Chairperson’s report for Catholic School Parents Victoria (CSPV). 

I have only been a parent member delegate of CSPV for close to six months and have quickly witnessed a group of people who are warm, purpose driven and most importantly possess a strong desire for the betterment of children who attend Catholic schools in Victoria and support for their parents and carers. 

I especially thank Rachel Saliba, our Executive Officer for her guidance and support so far. 

Naturally, I have been asked about why I put my hand up to be Chairperson and why and how I became involved with CSPV. I have been a member of the St Macartan’s Parish Primary School Advisory Council (Mornington) for close to three years. This involvement led to the awareness of being able to be involved at another level with CSPV as well as being a representative on the national parent body, Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA). 

This has all come from a point of wanting to be more involved at a decision-making level in the Catholic education of my own three children. It has also come from a point of being able to ‘give back’. 

Matthew (pictured left) attending the annual St Patrick's Day mass at St Patrick's Cathedral alongside MACS board members, NCEC Executive Director Jacinta Collins, Archbishop Peter Comensoli, Bishops and priests who presided over mass. 

I have been a teacher and senior leader in Catholic schools for over 23 years with national and international experience, with a qualifications background that covers education, theology, governance, Canon Law and business. I am blessed that I can share my experiences and learnings with like-minded people, for a greater good.

I look forward to what is to come for CSPV in providing a voice and support for parents of children in Catholic schools.

Our role at CSPV is also to provide opportunity for parents of Catholic students to come together, so I hope you are using the resources on our website and encourage you to let us know what you may need from us.

Please remember that you are able to translate this newlsetter to different languages so it is hoped that more parents are able to access and read the important information we share with all parents in our diverse school communities.

We recently surveyed Catholic school parents to determine areas of focus for 2022. Scroll down for a copy of our CSPV Advocacy Report sharing the results of common themes and answers from parents related to parent engagement in child safety, curriculum, wellbeing and Catholic Community. These results will guide us in choosing topics for articles, webinars, resources and other key areas of importance for parents of children in Catholic schools.

Throughout the year you will receive emails from CSPV inviting parent feedback and participation in forums, webinars and other opportunities. We encourage you to take advanatage of these opportunities and share with other families in your school community. 

Stay tuned for more events to come and make sure you follow our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn posts.

As we move further into 2022, we encourage you to speak with your school principal about nominating a CSPV parent representative for your school. Further information about options to be involved with CSPV are included in our CSPV Introduction Booklet. Click on the link below to read or download a copy.

Parent representatives provide a wonderful connection between CSPV and your school and provide a range of opportunities and topics throughout the year for you to engage with and share with other parents. To truly represent parents of Catholic students we seek more engagement from parents to ensure we are providing a true representation of issues, concerns and experiences across the varied needs of parents in each diocese across Victoria. 

The recent work of CSPV is summarised in our Annual Report from 2021 that you can download in this newsletter. The Annual Report provides you with an overview of our key advocacy focus areas and how we have provided opportunities for parents to engage in webinars and respond to key issues in education last year.

Thank you to the CSPV Council members, past and present and the many parent representatives that have and will continue to support the work of CSPV.

Take care over the holidays and Easter blessings to you all,
Matthew Williams
Chairperson