Primary Principal: St Patrick’s Catholic School, Griffith NSW

St Patrick’s Primary School, Griffith (480 students) – RE-ADVERTISED

 View this 2-minute video to obtain a sense of the opportunity that awaits:

The Diocese of Wagga Wagga is in rural NSW, located in the Riverina and south western district of New South Wales. The Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers are significant geographical features of our area – the diocese – and on our eastern border lie the mountainous regions of the Great Dividing Range. The area has large and small towns and some of Australia’s richest and most picturesque countryside.

The Diocese of Wagga Wagga has a rich faith tradition; our faith communities are nourished and sustained by the sacramental life of the church administered and accessed through 31 parishes.

Our Bishop is Gerard Hanna.

The Catholic Schools Office

The Catholic Schools Office (CSO) is accountable to the Bishop and is led by the Director of Schools, Mr Alan Bowyer. There are 27 primary schools and 5 secondary schools that educate in excess of 8,500 students through the dedication and work of approximately 1,000 staff.

St Patrick’s Primary School, Griffith

St Patrick’s Primary School is located in the rural Riverina city of Griffith which is part of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. St Patrick’s School is part of the Sacred Heart Parish and the school can be found adjacent to the Sacred Heart Church. St Patrick’s first opened in 1921 with 80 students and has been served over the years by the Sisters of Mercy and the Marist Brothers.

The school has students from Kindergarten to Year 6 with three classes at each year level. It is a welcoming community which has modern facilities and large playing areas for students; provides a safe and secure environment, within which students receive high quality education. Staff are fully committed to their vocation as Christian educators.

Educational Priorities for 2016

• Continuing to provide strong Pastoral Care for all members of our community.
• To continue to improve student achievement in all areas of contemporary learning.
• Continue providing for collegial planning and collaborative practices.
• Building on our whole school improvement framework.
• Continue to inspire learning through our Catholic Faith
• 21st Century learning – Information and Communication Technology.

 School Priorities

• Embed purposeful pedagogy and build teacher capacity to improve student learning outcomes.
• Further develop elements of a professional learning community.
• Use the Inquiry for Continual Improvement process to improve student learning in all KLA’s.
• Target professional learning to suit the needs of teachers and students
• Strengthen Catholic identity and empower teachers in classroom practice of Religious Education.

 February 2016 Census:  480

Information on the Griffith area can be found by clicking here

Appeal of Living in Rural NSW

If you are from a metropolitan/coastal city, and have not experienced life in rural areas, there are three key aspects for you to explore and consider:

1. How would your financial position alter if you accepted a senior role in rural NSW?
2. How will your home life benefit by experiencing the sense of community rural living provides?
3. How will your career thrive because of the leadership experiences a senior appointment would provide?

Further Information (cut and paste the following links)

Bishop Hanna’s Mandate available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1H2Mq3Q

CSO Strategic Plan available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1JT0sZs

Building on Strengths available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1zPS2yF

A Framework for Learning available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1EfEIQF

Firestick available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1JuUhHB

Accreditation to Work, Teach & Lead in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga

Available on webpage at http://bit.ly/1GSrJEY

 Position Overview

Position Title:    Principal

Reports to:       School Service Consultant

Principal’s Responsibilities

Religious Leadership : Religious leadership facilitates spiritual formation through a dynamic process of growth in the understanding and practice of Christian faith and spirituality. This is expressed in dedicated structures, specific programs, communal support and resources.

Educative leadership:  Utilises a developmental approach to link the development of effective learning and teaching with contemporary curriculum to provide high quality student learning.

Staff Leadership: Staff leadership meaningfully integrates the personal and professional experiences of staff through distributive leadership, mutual accountability, inclusive processes and planned professional learning.

Strategic Leadership: Strategic leadership is directed towards the development, alignment, attainment and review of the vision, mission and the strategic goals for the school as set out in the school’s improvement plan.

Organisational Leadership: Organisational leadership focuses on the development, support, monitoring and evaluation of operational processes.

Commencement

It is anticipated that the successful applicant will be able to commence for the start of the 2017 school year.

Conditions of Employment

• Salary and Conditions will be discussed as we progress through this recruitment project. Incentives negotiable and housing support considered.
• The CSO is open to negotiating the term of this appointment as well as the support provided to assist the new Principal.
• Salary Packaging: employees may elect to take their remuneration as a combination of cash salary and benefits as outlined in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga Salary Packaging Employee Information Guide.
• Applicants who are successful in gaining an interview will receive an interview travel allowance.
• Relocation allowance will be provided for the successful applicant, if required.
• The successful applicant will undertake a New Working with Children Check and a National Police Checking Service (Crimtrac) prior to appointment.

Selection Criteria

We invite expressions of interest from people with leadership experience in Catholic primary schools/Education offices who are able to demonstrate:

• An appreciation of and active commitment to Catholic life and practice
• Innovation in leading contemporary learning initiatives
• Ongoing development and integration of learning related to Religious Education, Theology, Scripture, Leadership and Curriculum
• An affinity for rural & regional areas
• Accreditation to teach Religious Education and have completed a minimum of four units of study at a postgraduate level in Religious Education, or Theology, or specific Catholic Leadership

Are you Interested in this Opportunity?

If you are interested in this role, there are two options for you to proceed:

1. If interested, but have questions requiring a response before deciding whether to progress, then either (a) telephone our Director John Chesher (0417 068 220) or (b) email our office via mail@traksearch.com or from this page of our website with your questions.
2. If and when you have enough information to start this process, then simply email us at mail@traksearch.com or from this page of our website stating your interest in St Patrick’s TS1331; also providing a brief resume.

At this stage we do NOT ask for you to labour over selection criteria or any application document – just a one-line email to Trak Search to indicate your interest in ‘St Patrick’s Griffith TS1331’ and providing your resume. The timeline and details for this appointment is 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 lengthy, comprehensive document to address the selection criteria; or 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 Priest 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 CSO Executive 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.