MAW Educational Consultancy

Term Two saw me engaging in two more EdQ school reviews both near the Gold Coast. It was good to be able to travel from home. I really valued my time at Coomera Rivers State School. Quite a new, large school with wonderful facilities and a very dedicated staff. It was such a pleasure to engage with students, staff and parents.

My second term two EdQ review was at beautiful Beechmont State School in the Scenic Rim of the Gold Coast Hinterland. This was a much smaller school than Coomera Rivers, but again, a very dedicated teaching and support staff doing amazing things with and for students. Such a beautiful environment and setting. The school is very involved in the very friendly Beechmont community.

As always I really enjoyed working with the Ed Q friendly talented review panels.

This term I will be involved in reviews at Harris Fields SS in Brisbane and then Toogoolawah State School in the Brisbane Valley at the end of term. It will be nice to be in a country school again.

A 72nd birthday just celebrated and a Golden Wedding Anniversary family getaway and Pacific cruise coming up in August. ❤️🚢Life is busy but good. 🙏💐

2025 has started on a positive note for MAW Educational Consultancy. I was delighted to be reappointed as an External Reviewer for Ed Q for another three years. I think that will see me out in terms of my professional working life.
I conducted an Assistant Princial Review at Mt Maria College Mitchelton in Term One and really enjoyed working with this wonderful college community again.
I also was a panel member in Term One for the Currumbin Community Special School on the Gold Coast. This was such a richly rewarding experience working with a dedicated school community of staff and parents who make such a positive difference in the lives of their students. Such a privilege to engage in this positive review.

Early in Term 2 I was on the review panel at Berrinba East State School in Brisbane. Again it was a privilege to see and hear of the dedication and commitment of staff at this school in Logan. Such wonderful community partnerships in existence to support student and families. I always enjoy working back in Logan City where I worked previously in Brisbane Catholic Education.

Next week I am on the panel for a school review at Coomera Rivers State School. I am looking forward to this review as I will be able to travel daily from my home Broadbeach. In the last week of Term Two, I am on the panel for the school review at Beechmont in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

So, some busy times behind me and more busy times to come before the end of term.

My final work as an External Reviewer was on the panel of Kalbar State School
from 10-12 September. It was great to be back in the role again after time out with my injured arm. Such a lovely little school and community in the Scenic Rim. Alan enjoyed exploring Boonah while I worked and where we stayed, as this is his home town. Such a positive experience in a flourishing school of committed leaders, staff and parents.

Next week I will be conducting the formative review process for the Deputy Head of College at Marist College Ashgrove where I have worked previously this year and in past years. I am very much looking forward to working in this welcoming college community again.

I have completed the Offer Tender process to be considered as as Extetnal Reviewer for Ed Q for the next three years. I have really enjoyed the role over the last three years and hoping to do more in the future.

Lets’s see what 2025 brings.🌷

Great opportunity to work in Brisbane last week as a panel member on the four person review panel for the Marist Ashgrove Head of College. Excellent three days of interviews with staff, parents and students. Final Teams meeting tomorrow to assist the panel chair in compiling the report. Good to be working in my consultancy again and so pleased my fractured arm did not give me too much pain. 🙏
Lovely to catch up for dinner in downtime at Southbank too with my brother Peter, an Associate Professor at UQ and his wife Lyn. 🥂💕Training day in Brisbane for Ed Q review panels next week. Good to be back at my work. Taking it slowly.

Summary of work opportunities completed 2023:

EdQ School Reviews - External Reviewer

Benowa SS
Kippa Ring SS
Marsden SS
Springwood Central
Kallangur SS
Baringa SS
Mudgeeraba SS
Beenleigh SS

Brisbane Catholic Education:
Middle Leader Reviews - My Maria College, Mitchelton
APA Michael Krank Review - Mt Maria College

Rockhampton Catholic Education:
3 NSSAB School Validations

Summary of 2022 work opportunities completed:

ACER Review St Monica’s College, Cairns

41 QELI Coaching sessions - Cairns Catholic Education Office and Ed Q

EdQ Reviews as an External Reviewer:
Jimboomba SS
Palm Beach SS
Ormeau SS

Senior Leadership Reviews Brisbane Catholic Education :

St Thomas More College Sunnybank - APA and DP summarize reviews

St Michael’s College, Carrara - DP Review

Rockhampton Catholic Education Office - 3 NSSAB Validations

Posting after a few years!! 👍🙏
MAW Consultancy work has kept me busy and engaged over 2022 - 2024. Naturally COVID impacted greatly on everyone’s capacity to carry out working roles especially in the COVID years. Amazing resilience was shown by those in schools and education generally in exploring explore and engaging in new ways of working. Thankfully the world has returned to a new sense of normalacy post Covid.

2024 started with a trip to Longreach to sit as the external panelist on an EDQ panel for a school review at Longreach SS. I really enjoyed being back in the North West where I began my teaching career 50 years ago. 🤣The school and town community were extremely welcoming and committed to education for the young people in the community. I very much enjoyed hearing their stories and the incredible work they were doing. A very positive outcome for the school. With my husband Alan, it was also a great opportunity to be a tourist in the town.

The next consultancy work I look forward to from 19th - 21st August 2024, is being a panel member for the Head Master’s Review at Marist College Ashgrove. Should be a very enriching three days review work back up in Brisbane.

Good to be back at work after major surgery on my arm due to an unexpected injury while on holiday in the UK. ✈️ Healing is slowly taking place after a long painful, healing journey. Sadly I had to cancel a Senior Leadership review process at Marymount College on the Gold Coast in June as well I was not able to engage in an Ed Q review at Woodlinks SS in SEQ also in June. Hopefully there will be opportunities for EDQ review panel engagement again in Term 4. 🙏

Just over two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an ACER NSIT training course with the Lismore Catholic Education in their beautiful Conference Retreat Centre, Invercauld House, in a beautiful hilly part of Lismore. This was a refresher course as I completed a similar course in 2018. It was great to meet the lovely Lismore office staff involved in school reviews, and local principals. There were also people present similar to me, who were retired and had set up their own consultancies. Christina Rogers did a great job of facilitating the course. I will soon complete the further training requirements in the hope of becoming an accredited ACER reviewer in the future. After such a lovely time in Lismore, Alan and I were devastated to see the terrible aftermath of the floods that hit the town soon after we departed. The motel where we stayed and restaurants and hotels where we ate, were all terribly inundated with flood waters. Our prayers and thoughts have certainly been with the Lismore CEO and all those suffering in the Lismore community, as they attempt the enormous task of cleaning up and rebuilding. So hard to believe that such devastation could happen so quickly. It had been raining heavily but there was no real indication of the enormity and speed of the flood that hit.

I very much look forward to supporting the community in any way possible once life returns to some semblance of normal again. ❤️🙏

So to what lies ahead in 2022 for MAW Consultancy. Already looking like some interesting work ahead for the year. 😀
I have been engaged again by Rockhampton CEO to complete external validations in primary schools in Mackay, Bundaberg and Emerald.
This will involve short visits to these school communities, so very much looking forward to these visits. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends in these towns. QELI has engaged my services to mentor a principal in the Cairns Diocese for the year. I am engaging in a refresher course with ACER in the NSIT this week in Lismore with othered from the Lismore CEO. Really looking forward to this refresher course and the possibility of Review work with ACER nation - wide after this. Even though it is work, it will be lovely to spend time in the beautiful Northern Rivers area again. I am also presently in the tender evaluation process for NSIT review work with Ed Qld. So - lots of exciting possibilities for the year ahead. 👍😀Need to keep free from work in August as I will delightedly be welcoming a fourth grandchild - a much wanted sibling for nine year old grandson Seb. He will be a wonderful big brother. ❤️🍼Nana duties will be keeping me busy. 💕

Lovely to work with the Aquinas team in 2021.💕

In June 2021, I had the privilege in my consultancy, of facilitating and chairing the middle leadership appointment process at Aquinas College Ashmore on the Gold Coast, where I had worked many years ago. It was a delight to work with the leadership team on this important appointment process. I do hope all the middle leaders are enjoying their challenging roles.🙏👍

Lovely to work with the Marists in Ashgrove in 2021. 😀