Mt St Michael’s College, in the Tradition of the Sisters of Charity
Established in 1925, Mt St Michael’s College is a Catholic College for young women, located in Ashgrove, Brisbane. The College enrolment is currently 860 students over six year levels: Years 7 to 12; and with a total staff of 120.
As a learning community, all within the College community strive for excellence with a focus on continuous improvement. When students are asked what they value about their College their responses include: our unique community, the quality of relationships, our spirit and pride; our school is a safe place where we can be ourselves and express who we are; our diversity, there is something here for everyone; our mission, the way we reach out and show compassion for others; our focus on learning and commitment to excellence; our sense of empowerment and capacity to be change agents.
Vision
The vision for College graduates is that they be women of:
- Compassion
- Conscience
- Commitment
- Competence
- Confidence
Mission
Mt St Michael’s College aims to provide an excellent education to students in a Catholic educational environment administered through the Mary Aikenhead Ministries. Students educated at Mt St Michael’s College will be nurtured in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity to be principled young women with a passion for life, a commitment to justice and the courage to live out the teachings of Jesus.
College Structure
Mt St Michael’s College is one of four incorporated apostolic works in education under the governance of Mary Aikenhead Ministries. As a company limited by guarantee, the Directors of Mt St Michael’s College Board are accountable for the governance of the College to the members of the Company (Mary Aikenhead Education) within the context of the mission of the Catholic Church and the education philosophy of Mary Aikenhead Ministries (MAM).
The Principal is appointed by the Board with the approval of MAM and is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Principal is responsible to the Board for implementation of the educational policy of the Board and for the internal administration of the College.
An organisation chart will be provided as we progress through this process.
Further Information
A range of additional information can be viewed by visiting the College website at https://www.msm.qld.edu.au
Position Overview
The Principal is accountable to the College Board of Directors (“the Board”) and is responsible for implementing the Mission, Vision and Values of the College derived from the Educational Philosophy of Mary Aikenhead Ministries incorporating the charism and tradition of the Sisters of Charity.
The Principal is directly responsible to the Board for leadership that builds the climate and culture of the College along with all aspects of the management and operation of the College. A primary role of the Principal is the implementation of the College Strategic Plan with the development of Annual Operation Plans.
The College is widely recognised for its clear focus on student learning and striving for excellence, as well as the pastoral care of staff and students. While the new principal will be able to shape and influence the College’s future, the Board is not seeking a leader to take the College in a completely new direction or to in any way diminish the culture and values which underpin the College’s standing.
Future enrolments are secure and prudent stewardship of resources provides a solid financial position for the College.
The College is currently developing a Master Plan to address the needs of the College for the next 10 years. This is expected to be finalised in 2016 so the incoming principal will benefit by having a facilities blueprint in place.
The current strategic plan has covered the period from 2012 to 2016. While the formation of the next strategic plan has commenced, the intention is for the new principal to have a leadership role in the development of the College’s strategic plan from 2017 -2021
Commencement
After 15 years of outstanding leadership, College Principal Alison Terrey is retiring at the end of the 2016 school year. It is anticipated the successful person will be able to commence in January 2017.
Location and Setting
Mt St Michael’s College is located at 67 Elimatta Drive, Ashgrove and is 6 kilometres to the North West of the Brisbane CBD.
Nestled in beautiful garden surrounds the buildings are shaped by sound environmental planning and care. The College offers an excellent level of facilities which incorporate modern general learning classrooms, specialist learning areas, a brand-new Arts Precinct, the multipurpose Sophia Centre, a renovated Library, a Learning Enrichment Centre, Ionian Centre with an auditorium, music facilities and state of the art Science laboratories.
All learning areas are equipped with wireless technology with high speed internet connectivity and all are air conditioned.
Terms and Conditions of Employment
- The terms and conditions of appointment will be negotiated with the successful candidate.
- The Principal will be appointed for an initial contract period of 5 years.
- The Working with Children (Risk Management & Screening) Act 2000 requires the preferred applicant to be subject to “working with children check” as part of the employment screening process.
Selection Criteria
The College Board invites expressions of interest from outstanding and inspirational education leaders able to demonstrate:
- As a practising Catholic, a strong commitment to the philosophy, beliefs and ideals of Catholic education;
- The capacity to embrace and promote the educational philosophy of Mary Aikenhead Ministries which is informed by the tradition of the Sisters of Charity;
- Effective leadership in Catholic Education with an extensive knowledge of current educational theory and practice;
- Ability in the successful development, implementation and evaluation of contemporary learning and teaching practices, particularly in relation to the education of young women;
- Innovation and strategic planning for future educational initiatives;
- A strong commitment to continual improvement and accountability in personal professional practice;
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with all members of the College community, other educational institutions and authorities.
Are You the Right Person for This Challenge? Interested?
If you are interested in this role, there are two options to progress:
- If interested, but have questions requiring a response before deciding whether to progress, then either
- telephone our Director John Chesher (0417 068 220) or
- email our office at mail@traksearch.com or from this website with your questions.
- If and when you have enough information to start this process, then simply email us from this page on our website or at mail@traksearch.com stating your interest and nominating the role and ref number TS1328.
At this stage we do NOT ask for you to labour over selection criteria; provide a resume or cover letter; or an application document – just a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘Mt St Michael’s Principal TS1328’ and providing a contact number to reach you. The timeline and details for this project are outlined below.
The Selection Process
Key dates are as follows:
| Date of project launch/advertising | Fri 13th / Sat 14th May |
| Trak Search discussions commence | From Mon 23rd May |
| Latest anticipated date for applications | Wed 1st June |
| Initial reference check by Trak Search | From week commencing Mon 6th June |
| MSM review meeting & short listing | Week commencing Mon 13th June |
| Anticipated date for client interviews | Week of Monday 20th or 27th June |
| Final references; academic documents obtained | Following client interviews |
| Follow up meeting/discussion | Likely within 7 days of client interviews |
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, including a ‘Prospectus Appointment of Principal’ 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 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 prior to short listing, with additional references (including with a Religious referee) 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 College Board 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.
