Welcome to Catholic Schools Guide 2015 edition; a celebration of leadership in our secondary schools. Our Guide has been published to provide feature profiles on Catholic Secondary schools in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in order to give parents of prospective students easy-to-access essential information. The magazine is published annually.

All information contained in the printed Guide is available at this website. To read a profile on a College, simply click the Finding A School icon. To receive a hard copy of the publication, just send us an e-mail and we shall post you a free copy. To download a PDF version simply click on the appropriate cover, enter your email address and your will then receive a free PDF version.

 
 
 
 

Our Future Leaders

Each year our Guide carries a different theme. This year, our theme is ‘Our Future Leaders’. It is from the classrooms of today that the leaders of business, sports, arts, science, politics, law and medicine will arise. In just a few short years, these young men and women will be charged with carrying the torch of leadership that each generation thrusts upon the next, albeit occasionally reluctantly!

Across the Catholic education network our teachers are charged with great responsibility. They must foster and develop great thinking – as the famous quote attributed to William Arthur Ward goes, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

Society yearns for great thinking and great visionary leadership. (think Mandela, think Pope Francis) Transformational change is possible if we start thinking not for the now but for years ahead – what kind of society do we want for our children?

I was reflecting on the recent state elections. Wouldn’t it be inspiring that if one pledge of government was not for today or the elected term but a pledge made solely on the basis of generations ahead. Make one great decision that will benefit society in 50 years time. I wonder if all our leaders in all facets of life looked occasionally through that lens what an extraordinary difference it would make.

Our feature writers this year are Dr Stephen Brown from the Queensland Education Leadership Institute who provides insight in the strategic thinking to develop great leadership within schools; while Professor Geraldine Castleton, from Australian Catholic University complements this on how leadership is being fostered within the tertiary setting. I am grateful for their expertise. I am reminded of the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” If I may add, make sure there is a good plan attached!

Caritas Australia

Once again, the Catholic Schools Guide is proud to be supporting the work of Caritas Australia. In 2015, Project Compassion focuses on the right to food. There is enough food produced in the world, yet over one billion people worldwide go hungry every day. And, as Pope Francis noted in 2013, around one-third of all food produced in our planet goes to waste.

Project Compassion is one of Australia’s largest annual humanitarian fundraising campaigns. Please encourage your school or College, if not already involved, to get on board!

Essential Tips

Many parents ask me for advice when visiting schools. So I have written a short booklet with 23 ‘essential tips’ to help parents when considering a College for their child. Remember, one size does not fit all. Each child is special and many have particular needs that certain schools are more adept at delivering than others. Ask lots of questions, read the prospectus, go to more than one Open Day and take a tour on an ordinary school day. You can purchase a copy by clicking on the icon over on the left hand column.

More information

The Catholic Schools Guide is an independent publication. Please contact me with your comments and suggestions.

Greg Campitelli
Publishing Editor
Catholic Schools Guide