Thank You
As the year draws to a close, I would like to thank our WAPPA Members, Business Centre, Board and Partners, for making this year a very rewarding and memorable one. I never take for granted the importance of the role and I feel WAPPA has been successful this year, due to the ongoing contributions of all the stakeholders above. We have tried to listen, respond and innovate and it has been a pleasure to play my small part in carving a new path forward. Thank you sincerely and best wishes for the festive season.
Niel
New Members
Kaya. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest WAPPA members:
- Donelle Fox, Brookton DHS
- Christy Campbell, Middle Swan PS
The total number of new members this year was 85, which is extremely pleasing. Equally as pleasing, was the small achievement of having new members join in every fortnight of the school year, as there new names to be published in every newsletter. These outcomes tell us that we continue to be the association of choice for primary leaders and aspirant leaders across the state, and also that the great work we do continues to be shared by our members, resulting in ongoing referrals and new members across the year.
Members would also note that Gary Crocetta stepped down from the WAPPA Board this year, as a result of being appointed to a Director, Public School Review role. The Board undertook a process, using nominees from the previous election, to appoint a new member to replace Gary for 2023. As a result, we would like to congratulate Kristy Harrison on being appointed to this position. We welcome Kristy to the Board and look forward to her contributions next year.
2023 Board Member, Kristy Harrison - Principal Noranda PS
If you are a retiring member, can you please advise the Business Centre, so that we can update our database, but also so we can offer you a complimentary one year Alumni membership, in order to stay connected to WAPPA and its activities. We already have an Alumni event planned for early 2023 and you won't want to miss out. Margy will be happy to walk you through the process of Alumni membership.
Welcome Sundowner - places filling fast
The WAPPA Welcome Sundowner has been scheduled for 20 Jan 2023 at the beautiful Aurora Rooftop Bar. As always there will be a selection of delicious foods, drinks, collegiality and door prizes. We thank OSHClub for supporting this event and we are looking forward to seeing you there. Click the links below to register for this event.
Advocacy & Support
In the last fortnight I have worked with Presidents from the other associations to seek information about GROH and how the issues around housing are impacting staffing and education in the various regions. Collectively we have been advocating on your behalf and plan to continue this advocacy into the new year. As a result of this consultation process we were made aware of a number of rent increases that shouldn't have occurred and these have since been placed on hold. If you do find yourself unable to attract staff, due to unforeseen increases in GROH rent, we would urge you to contact us.
As the year comes to an end, we know that the workload often doesn't go away, especially in relation to staffing and housing. If any members need advice or support over the holiday break, I would urge you to still reach out via the support line, that we will ensure is diverted to one of us during the break.
Speaking of holiday breaks, we were alerted to some PL sessions that were being offered during the holidays, with principals being 'encouraged to attend.' Whilst we appreciate many members may only be in Perth during holiday periods, we would still urge you to actively seek time away from work and most certainly away from PL sessions. I contacted the Department about these PL sessions, to be assured that they will be run during Term 1 and during school hours, though these additional sessions aren't uploaded to PLIS as yet.
Finally, I would draw members' attention to the link below, to view the AGPPA response to the Draft National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. This response was developed by AGPPA National Council, at our latest meeting.
Professional Learning
It's been a long time waiting, but Fierce Conversations are back in 2023. Make sure you grab your spot in our April cohort by registering today!
Dan Haesler will finally make his way across to WA for our special event, in-person Masterclass of 'The Act of Leadership'. We are excited to host Dan at WAPPA and know this event will sell out fast. Make sure you plan to bring your leadership team or colleagues with you to make the most of this unique opportunity!
Member Benefits
Stay connected on Facebook through the school holidays
WAPPA will continue to monitor the Facebook Member Only group page and the WAPPA Business page over the school holidays. So if you have any questions for your colleagues, brilliant ideas for the new year or staffing availability, keep using the page to connect and share with your fellow WAPPA members.
WAPPA Partners
WAPPA is proud to have the support of the following partners