Foundation Principal – Our Lady of Mercy College (P-12 School), Shepparton South, VIC

• Catholic coeducational school, opening 2019
• Grow to P-12 with Early Learning Centre
• Suit Catholic primary or secondary leaders

Are you ready for the opportunity of opening a new P-12 school for term 1 2019 in Shepparton, Victoria?
Can you lead a school community which is united in their view that a greenfield site can become an innovative centre of learning? How often in a career is it likely you’ll be able to open an exciting, contemporary school?

Introduction to Our Lady of Mercy College

It became apparent in the early 2000’s that Shepparton South was growing significantly. Under the direction of the then Parish Priest, Monsignor Frank Hickey, and with the support of the Catholic Education Office Sandhurst, the search for a suitable future school site began.

In 2010 a suitable parcel of land was identified, and contracts to purchase the land were signed in 2012. Settlement took place in November 2014.

The Parish Priest of St Mel’s, Fr Joven Lustre, appointed a Project Control Group (PCG) in 2015 to
manage the project to build a co-educational Catholic P-12 school and an Early Learning Centre on this greenfields site in Kialla.

Community Consultation
During 2015 extensive Community Consultation took place to understand what the community was looking for in a new school. A series of consultation meetings took place with:

1. St Mel’s Parish Community,
2. Staff of all Catholic Schools in Shepparton and Mooroopna, and
3. Students from St Mel’s Primary School and Notre Dame College.

The results of these consultations form the basis of our Master Plan and Educational Provision.

Master Plan
The Master Planning process involved extensive community consultation, school visits and online research. Following three Master Plan options, the final Master Plan was selected to support the pedagogical direction of the school and provide maximum interactions between the students and staff under one roof. It provides for general learning Junior, Middle and Senior neighbourhoods along with specialised areas, administration and Chapel.

Structural, services, and landscaping strategies were presented to complement the Master Plan design.

Education Provision
The Master Plan has provision for Early Childhood Education and Care, Before and After School Care, Primary and Secondary Students. The site has the capacity to cater for approximately 1400 students.

This new school will be based on the most current research available to enable students to thrive in the 21st century. In addition to the research evidence, the PCG has visited 10 different schools across Australia to further investigate the most suitable of learning and teaching approaches for the College. Based on this work, the PCG have concluded that an Inquiry Based Learning Framework is required. The PCG is currently narrowing these options down to settle on the best approach for our new school.

Governance Structure
The College will be a Parish school under the jurisdiction of the Canonical Administrator of St Mel’s Parish. An Advisory College Board will be established in 2018 to assist Fr Joven and the College Principal in the strategic direction of the College.

Stage 1
Following on from the Master Plan was the design of Stage 1 of the project which will see the new school open in time for the 2019 school year. In the first year, the College will take enrolments for Foundation (Prep), and Year 7 students. We are estimating a Foundation enrolment of 50 students and a Year 7 enrolment of 75 students. Stage 1 will cater for up to 240 students.

A separate funding application has been submitted for an Early Childhood Education and Care facility to be built. It is hoped that this 120-place facility will also be ready for the 2019 school year.

Our School Name
From the fourteen names gathered from a four-month period of community consultation (May-August 2016), the Parish finally chose Our Lady of Mercy College as the name of our new Parish school at Kialla. It was approved by Bishop Leslie Tomlinson in October 2016.

The Diocese of Sandhurst

This new school will be a part of the System of schools in the Diocese of Sandhurst. Led by The Most Reverend Leslie Tomlinson, the Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst extends across most of the central, north central and north eastern areas of the State of Victoria and is home for nearly 94,000 Catholics; 18,000 students; 55 priests, 50 religious sisters and 5 brothers.

With offices in Bendigo, Shepparton and Wangaratta, the Catholic Education Office (CEO) is a formal office of the Bishop of Sandhurst. The CEO serves and supports Parish Priests, principals, staff and parents in the work and leadership of the (currently) fifty-six schools of the Diocese.

Living in Shepparton

Shepparton is located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, approx. a 2-hour drive from Melbourne.  With an urban population in excess of 50,000 people and growing, Shepparton is a large regional agricultural and manufacturing city, and the centre of the Goulburn Valley irrigation system, one of the largest centres of irrigation in Australia.

Greater Shepparton is known for its cultural diversity (there are 40 nationalities within the St Mel’s Parish) and boasts outdoor and sporting activities seldom found anywhere else. It also features magnificent food and wine, glorious weather and all the attractions and activities you could imagine in a regional city. It is easy and affordable to live and work in Greater Shepparton and the region offers wide-ranging employment opportunities and has a thriving business sector.

Position Information

Position Title:    Foundation Principal
Reports to:          Canonical Administrator of St Mel’s Parish, Shepparton South

Commencement

Negotiable but expected to be full-time no later than January 2018. Ideally the new principal will be also available, in some capacity, from July 2017 to provide input into key milestones occurring this year.

Conditions of Employment

• The remuneration package will be discussed with the successful applicant and will be aligned to the recommended salary and conditions for secondary principals of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd
• The initial contract period is for seven (7) years, with further contract periods subject to Appraisal according to CEO policy.
• Reasonable relocation assistance (if required) will be negotiated with the successful applicant.
• The successful candidate will be subject to mandatory child protection screening.

Selection Criteria

We anticipate that experienced primary or secondary leaders interested in this role will be able to demonstrate:

• as a practising Catholic, a deeply embedded Catholic faith and active in the life of their Parish
• a passion for innovative collaborative learning and teaching
• an understanding of contemporary learning theory and practice and application of that knowledge in leading school improvement
• a community builder with a commitment to developing strong parish-school partnerships
• the resilience and flexibility to respond to the emerging needs of schooling in today’s world
• capacity for P-12 thinking
• a track record of ongoing personal and professional learning

Are you Interested in this Opportunity?

If you are interested in this role, then simply complete the ‘Express Your Interest’ panel on this page; or email us at jobs@traksearch.com stating your interest and nominating ref number TS1350. Please also provide a contact telephone number.

At this stage we do NOT ask for you to labour over selection criteria, provide a resume or any application document – just complete the panel on this page or send a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘Foundation Principal TS1350’ and providing a contact telephone number.

Any questions can be directed to either (a) our Director John Chesher by telephone (0417 068 220) or (b) email our office via jobs@traksearch.com.

The timeline and details for this project are outlined below. All emails and applications are acknowledged within 48 hours.

The Selection Process

Key dates are as follows:

Trak Search has been instructed to provide a process that is welcoming for people interested in this role. Significant aspects include:

• Throughout the process, Trak Search is available for confidential discussions and to provide information to allow you to explore this opportunity and determine your interest in the role.
• A range of additional information will be provided to you as we progress through this process.
• At the outset you will not be required to: complete an application form; provide a resume or lengthy, comprehensive document to address the selection criteria; or provide any referee details. However, you will be invited to supply us with additional information (verbally and in writing) as you progress through the process.
• A late application could be accepted, providing it does not adversely impact other applications or the schedule. Please be aware however that any application received after close of business on the date noted above is more likely to be returned to you.
• At the appropriate time (refer above) we will seek written consent to speak with referees – listing referees on your resume does not signify consent.
• We expect to contact one work related referee and a Priest referee prior to short listing, with additional references completed later in the process.  You should always expect that prior to reaching the final stage of the project, we will ask to speak with at least one person who has: directly managed you; recently; and for a significant time period.
• All information provided to Trak Search will be made available prior to short listing, in confidence, to the Director or nominee unless you instruct Trak Search otherwise.

You are also encouraged to view our Collection Statement which provides details on the manner in which we collect and use information obtained from you during your engagement with Trak Search.