Southern Region Representative

Nicole Allen 

I joined CSPACG in 2019 – the council was discussed at our school board meeting briefly, and I decided it would be a good challenge. I want to increase parent influence on the education of students in the Catholic school system. As someone involved in education myself, I wanted to ensure that I was doing all that I could to allow my children to be the best they can be. Critical reflection can only occur when you immerse yourself in something and work as a team to ensure all needs are met.  

Parent engagement is, initially, the close engagement a school has with its families to ensure the best outcomes for children. However, for those of us that need or want more, parent engagement is a process between a system and the family community to allow the best policies, practices and procedures to be adopted. That strong connection is unique to the Catholic Education System. For me, true parent engagement means that I have the avenues and opportunities to support my children and others, be in a position to advocate for children’s wellbeing and work with other professionals to achieve the best possible outcomes for all. 

Conversations with like-minded, committed families, has inspired me to represent parents on this council. 

I feel that my experience as a parent in the Catholic education system is valued by both the schools in which my children attend as well as the Council. I bring knowledge to the role regarding families dealing with additional needs as all three of my children are on the Autism spectrum and have ADHD / ODD. As someone who has a Master’s in Special Education, my goal is that in time, with both my personal and professional knowledge I can make a positive impact.

My hope for CSPACG is that the work done by this council is of value to the wellbeing of Catholic school students and that the council can provide all families with support, guidance and re-assurance that we are all striving along a continuum towards excellence where all children’s and families are valued and recognised. 

Paul Penberthy

I joined CSPACG in May 2021, following on from a conversation with the Family Engagement Officer at Catholic Education. 

For my family, family engagement is about taking an active interest in the performance of our children academically as well as their physical and emotional wellbeing. It is about agreeing on expectations that will help them to fulfil their potential and to develop into happy, responsible and successful citizens.

I am hoping that by joining the Council I can develop ideas to gain increased parental engagement in the local school where I am Chair of the Community Council. I also hope to find like-minded individuals who will develop and recommend initiatives to assist with improved academic results from all the schools in the Archdiocese.

Over the past 13 years I have established a Management Consultancy business that works with multi-national pharmaceutical companies in the Asia Pacific region, helping them improve operational excellence. This has given me experience in working across corporate and country cultures to identify and drive improvement opportunities across all levels of organisations. I believe this experience is relevant and can be of benefit to CSPACG.

My hope for the Council would be to highlight to families the critical role they play in engaging with their children’s learning and development and the long-term benefits. I am optimistic that we could work towards a situation where all parents see the value of their children engaging in sporting activities, the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and the benefits in setting high expectations for accountability and personal performance.