Attendance Options for Delegates
Full Conference 29-30 May – $890
The price includes the Conference Dinner at Bathers Beach House
Thursday 29 May from 7.45 am– 4.30 pm. Conference Dinner from 6.00 pm.
Friday 30 May from 7.45 am – 4.00 pm.
Principals: Wednesday 28 May
1.30 pm: Principals’ arrival and tea/coffee
2.00 pm: Principals’ meeting
4.00 pm: Principals’ drinks
Day 1: Thursday 29 May – $450
Single Day Pass from 7.45 am – 4.30 pm. Includes the full day of presentations and the Pilgrimage of Mercy from 1.00 pm – 4.30 pm. Please note the Day Pass does not include the Conference Dinner.
Day 2: Friday 30 May – $350
Single Day Pass from 7.45 am – 4.00 pm. Includes the full day of presentations and the closing refreshments.
Program Overview
Scroll down for presenters and workshop information.
Day 1: Thursday 29 May
7.45 am
8.30 am
8.45 am
9.45 am
10.30 am
11.00 am
12.00 pm
1.00 pm
1.30 pm
6.00 pm – 9.00 pm
Arrival and registration, tea and coffee
Welcome to Country
Opening Mass – Fr Sean Fernandez
Keynote Presentation – Prof Br David Hall FMS
Mercy Schools: Good for Australia – What type of leadership is required in achieving this aspiration
Morning Tea – Terrace
Keynote Presentation – Dr Mark Williams
The Neuroscience of Learning
Workshop 1 – Various elective workshops
Lunch – Packed lunch
Excursion – Mercy Pilgrimage – Bathers Beach, Boat Tour, Heritage Centre, Mercedes College, Cathedral, Cup of Tea
Conference Dinner – Bathers Beach House, Guest Speaker – Lucy Stronach
Day 2: Friday 30 May
7.45 am
8.30 am
8.45 am
9.45 am
10.30 am
11.00 am
12.00 pm
1.00 pm
1.30 pm
2.30 pm
3.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Arrival, tea and coffee
Prayer and Reflection
Keynote Presentation – Dr Helen Street
Contextual Wellbeing – Creating Positive Schools From the Inside Out
Workshop 2 – Snapshots of Innovation (20 minute sessions)
Morning Tea – Community Room
Workshop 3 – Various elective workshops
Workshop 4 – Various elective workshops
Lunch – Boarders’ Dining Room
Think Tank – Contemporary Issues in Mercy Schools
Plenary and Blessing – Led by Prof Br David Hall
Refreshments – Community Room
Lead Presenters
Prof Br David Hall FMS
Professor Br David Hall fms is well known to Marists and Catholic educators across Australia, having spent over 35 years as a practitioner in the Catholic education sector. He has been a principal of several Catholic schools, primary and secondary. Br David is involved in the governance of Catholic schools as a member of various boards and committees and conducts workshops and other professional learning activities in the areas of spiritual formation and leadership. He is currently the Dean of the La Salle Academy at Australian Catholic University, a unit with responsibility in the areas of Religious Education, Faith Formation and Educational Leadership.
Prior to the establishment of Marist Schools Australia (MSA) Ltd, Br David was Chair of the Marist National Schools Council. In In 2022, he was appointed as the inaugural Chair of the MSA Board. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious ACEL Dr Paul Brock Medal for his national and international contribution to excellence in advancing educational leadership.
Dr Mark Williams
Dr Mark Williams is an internationally recognised Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience who has worked at top universities in Australia and overseas, including MIT in the USA. He is the author of the best-selling book ‘The Connected Species’, published in top-tier international academic journals and has been widely featured in the media, including Forbes, The Guardian, New York Times, The Economist and the New Scientist.
Mark has studied how we learn and develop using cutting-edge computational brain imaging analysis and the adoption of new technologies like virtual reality and transcranial magnetic stimulation. He designed and convened a very successful first year neuroscience course at university with more than 1000 students and works with schools internationally on improving teaching methods, learning outcomes, and student wellbeing.
Dr Helen Street
Dr Helen Street is one of Australia’s most highly respected educators. With a passion for educational reform, Helen has become known as a powerful advocate for children’s rights as well as a pioneer in the support of improving engagement, motivation and wellbeing in schools. In 1999 Helen moved to Perth to take up an academic position in the School of Psychiatry at The University of Western Australia. Helen and Neil Porter founded the Positive Schools Initiative which advocates for equitable education in support of all young people academically, socially and emotionally. As part of her Positive Schools role, Helen is the co-chair of the Positive Schools conferences and the host of the Positive Schools Online vodcast, ‘Critical Conversations’. During the past fifteen years, Helen has also been a regular advisor to the Health Department of WA’s Centre for Clinical Interventions and the WA Association of Mental Health. Helen has also worked with schools and colleges around Australia and internationally with schools from more than 15 countries, including England, Wales, Germany, Hong Kong, China and Singapore. Helen’s latest book ‘Contextual Wellbeing – Creating Positive Schools from the Inside Out’ has been praised by leading educators around the world.
Nuella Flynn
Nuella is a Principal Policy Analyst at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). She has led a range of national education projects in the areas of quality teaching, assessment and school leadership development. She has experience in professional learning development and delivery and in creating teaching and learning resources for schools. Nuella was formerly a secondary science teacher in Western Australia. She currently leads work for AERO on maximising learning progress by translating evidence on how students learn and the most effective teaching practices.
AERO is a ministerial-owned company governed by a Board, jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. AERO conducts research and shares knowledge to promote better educational outcomes for Australian children and young people. AERO’s vision is for Australia to achieve excellence and equity in educational outcomes for all children and young people through effective use of evidence.
Lucy Stronach
Lucy Stronach is a passionate human rights advocate working to create local and systems level change. Currently, she leads Youth Justice and Early Years Partnership Food Security portfolios at the Minderoo Foundation. Lucy sits on advisory boards for the Sir David Martin Foundation and the United Nations Association of Australia, and is Project Manager for Hello Initiative’s Youth Justice Innovation Advisory Council. Lucy was recently named the 2024 WA Young Achiever of the Year, was the recipient of the 2024 Community Service and Volunteering Award, and was named the 2022 Community Leader at the WA Youth Awards.
After graduating Santa Maria College in 2013, Lucy studied Criminology, Law, and Security, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies and spent much of her early career working in the international space as a DFAT New Colombo Plan fellow. From 2020-21, Lucy was the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations and Australian representative for the 12th UNESCO Youth Forum, after which she worked as a consultant to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women until 2023.
A Pilgrimage of Mercy
In the footsteps of Ursula Frayne and her Companions
On Thursday afternoon, delegates will embark on our Pilgrimage of Mercy, which offers a meaningful chance to reflect, connect, and build community. Delegates will board the magnificent James Stirling River Boat and together, we will retrace the journey of Ursula Frayne and her companions. From their historic landing at Bathers Beach in Fremantle to their boat voyage up the Swan River, this interactive experience is a journey back through the history of Mercy, ultimately reaching the site of Australia’s first Mercy school.
Workshops
The following is an overview of some of the workshop opportunities confirmed to date. We are most grateful for the generous contribution staff within our Mercy network have made in offering to share their expertise in workshop presentations.
Workshops will operate in two formats throughout the two-day program: 50–minute sessions and rotating 20–minute workshops in the Snapshots of Innovation segment, which are focused on sharing snapshots of the many fantastic programs and initiatives operating within our Mercy schools. Please note that the numbers in each workshop will be capped, and additional workshops may be added once delegate numbers are finalised.
Delegates will be emailed and invited to nominate their preference for workshops in early March.
Presenter
CURRENT WORKSHOP OFFERINGS
Pr Br David Hall FMS
Dean, La Salle Academy
Australian Catholic University
Visionary Leadership Through a Faith Lens – The Call to be Bold and Prophetic
Nuella Flynn
Principal Policy Analyst
Australian Education Research Organisation
How Students Learn – A Model for Effective Teaching Practice
Dr Tania Hicks
Senior Lecturer, Catholic Institute of Western Australia / University of Notre Dame Australia
A Sense of Hope, Shared Belief and Connectedness to Others – Student Spiritual Growth in Mercy Education
Majella Dennis
Psychologist, Director of Encompass Psychology and Education
Pairs and Repairs – Navigating Relationship Repair and Rebuilding Connection
Dr Helen Street
Author, presenter and consultant. Founder and Co-Chair of Positive Schools
A Journey to Equity and Inclusion
Jayne Kingwell
Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning Santa Maria College, Perth
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Learning
Kirsty Murphy and Christine Spagnuolo
Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning and Head of Future Pathways & Partnerships
Mercedes College, Perth
Mercedes Chrysalis – Unfolding the Wings of Student Transformation
Catherine O’Kane
Principal
All Hallows’ School, Brisbane
Sustaining Engagement – How Strategic Teams Strengthen Community
Helen Shanahan and Dr Matt Allen
Award winning singer-songwriter and Academic Coordinator of Contemporary Music, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Community Songbook – The Power of Group Singing and Harmony
Michelle Carrick
Head of Professional Learning
Santa Maria College, Perth
Pathways to Professional Excellence – A Growth and Development Framework
Claire Easton
Dean of Mission
All Hallows’ School, Brisbane
Building a Thriving Workplace – A Holistic Work Wellbeing Framework
Kate Anderson
Director of Professional Learning
Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, Sydney
Advancing Global Water Justice – Advocacy, Action, and Sustainable Solutions
Tara Egger
Head of Identity
Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, Sydney
Mercy Culture Audit – Maintaining an Authentic Mercy Charism Through Change
Siobhan Bloomfield and Tom Crowle
Assistant Principal – Student Engagement & Wellbeing and Senior Years Leader
St Aloysius College, North Melbourne
Student Leadership Matters
Elisa Litvin and Adam Valladares
Curriculum Documentation & Reporting Leader and English & Literacy Strategies Leader
St Aloysius College, North Melbourne
Embracing Diversity in a Mercy School – Cultivating Inclusion and Compassion
Jane Sparks and Rebecca Dea
Student Engagement and Pastoral Care
St Joseph’s College, Mildura
Student Engagement and Pastoral Care Using the Mercy Values
Colin Hogan and Ellen Francis
iGEN Learning Leader and iGEN Project Officer
Catherine McAuley College Bendigo & Mercy Health
iGEN – Exploring the mutual benefits of intergenerational learning through Mercy partnerships
Christina Symons and Amanda Humphrey
Faith, Life & Mission Education Leader and Faith, Identity & Mission Leader
Sacred Heart College, Geelong
The Power of Immersive Experiences in Education today
Conference Dinner
After the Pilgrimage, we will gather at Bathers Beach House in Fremantle to share pre-dinner drinks as we watch the sun set over the very beach where the Sisters of Mercy first arrived. The evening will conclude with a long-table dinner, celebrating the spirit of Mercy that continues to inspire us.
The full conference price includes the Conference Dinner for all delegates due to the minimum numbers for the venue, however it is not compulsory to attend. Please note: Day tickets do not include the Conference Dinner. You can request to join a waitlist for any places that become available.
If you have any queries, please contact the Conference Manager, Rebecca Kinsella:
[email protected]