Welcome to new and ongoing SBM’s and administration staff. It is hard to believe we are heading towards the end of Term 2 and almost halfway through 2021. I hope everyone is managing their workloads, feeling settled, productive, and embracing life in your school. 

The TSAA continue to support administrators in schools by representing you at DoE Corporate Meetings and Focus and Project Stakeholder Groups. During this term we continued to meet with the Finance and HR Teams via TEAMS along with representation and involvement in a number of very interesting stakeholder groups and proposed initiatives including; 

• SAAF – School Administrators’ Advisory Forum 
• School Asset Register Project 
• Capabilities and Values Stakeholder Group 
• United Workers Union Consultation Meetings 
• Monthly Budgeting – Pilot School Meetings 

• Workforce Equality and Respect Working Party 

Whilst we understand the wheels often appear to turn slowly with the role out, implementation and progress of new systems and initiatives, we are excited to be involved in a number of conversations with DoE Business Units including; Asset / Inventory Register, Purchase Order platform,  Debtors Auto Allocation (implemented this term) and further training and support with Finance One electronic attachment of invoices. 

Our Executive are busy planning our September conference program. What a great line up we have with some fabulous keynote speakers locked in, along with informative DoE Presentations from DoE Busines Units and plenty of time for networking with our sponsors and colleagues. Save these dates - Thursday 2 and Friday 3 September 2021 at Wrest Point. Further details in this Bulletin.  

Executive members will be contacting School Business Managers over the coming weeks via phone. We understand how the pandemic has impacted on many of us over the past 18 months and limited our opportunity to network with colleagues and attend DoE forums etc. We want to ‘check-in’ with SBM’s, offer our support and seek your feedback for future focus areas. In particular we are keen to hear your thoughts on the TSAA conference and website and have included the link below for you to share your ideas further.

• Conference DoE Presentations 

• TSAA Website content 

https://tassaa.schoolzineplus.com/form/4 

• Our Mentoring Program and Network Groups 

We look forward to chatting to you soon! 

Cynthia Pearce 

TSAA Chairperson 

Please save the dates. Our Annual TSAA Conference has been scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd September 2021. Further details to come including booking links. Below is a little taster of our guset speaker and MC.

Will Smith is a youth leadership coach and speaker. He is the founder and director of JCP Youth. Will is known for his decade long youth work; developing, implementing and connecting innovative youth programs in Australia and around the world. Will is a nationally awarded role model that has been recognised for his leadership contribution to the Australian community. Will draws experiences from the red carpet of Hollywood, to working in the war-torn streets of an active red-zone in the Middle East.

Like all organisations the TSAA are reliant on the support and active participation of its' members. TSAA is no different and appreciates the ongoing support from schools across the State. Our aim is to provide a vibrant platform to liaise with DoE Business Units, be involved in stakeholder groups and represent administrators in schools. Member support is vital to the growth and continuation of our Association to continue to create a positive and strategic professional presence for our School Administrators. Payment of the annual membership allows us to support our colleagues to attend interstate conferences, professional development and networking opportunities, including our Mentoring Program and annual conference and provide collegiate support in times of crisis. Membership of our Association is available to all Senior Administrators in all Education Department Schools and colleges.

The TSAA is affiliated with the Australian School Business Leaders Association (ASBLA). Previously known as AAGSA, this association was formed in 2002 by School Business Leaders from Tasmanian, South Australia and Victoria with the notion to form a national body to represent and support state school administrators across Australia. Whilst the pandemic has meant the face to face meetings have taken on a different look and feel we have continued to meet regularly via online platforms.  

TSAA MEMBERSHIP—WHAT DO YOU GET?  

Membership provides a greater opportunity for professional communication with our peers and increases our influence within the Department when dealing with current issues and representation of our association throughout our department, along with our bi-termly TSAA Bulletin 

Affiliate membership with our National Professional Body—ASBLA 

• Access to our Mentoring Program  

• State-wide PL days for Admin/TA and EFA - in conjunction with the PLI  

• Annual State-wide conference for SBMs and EOI invitation for all Administration Clerks  

• The opportunity to attend Interstate Conferences  

• Building the profile of School Business Managers as a professional body responsible for supporting efficient management of the school's business functions including administration, WHS, asset management, HR and finance 

• Members are connected and supported, professional, confident, and involved 

Income Statement (Payment Summaries) 2020/2021 Financial Year 

Moving forward Income Statements (Payment Summaries) will be accessed through the online service myGov.  Employees will also be able to view year-to-date pay and superannuation information. 

Employees can now create, or log into their myGov account to view current year-to-date details for this financial year. 

Further information surrounding Income Statements can be viewed on the ATO website. Any queries regarding payment summaries are to be directed to the HR Payroll team via email hrpayroll@education.tas.gov.au 

The big move from eVEM to PageUp commenced on Wednesday 12 May 2021. 

As with any major system change, there have been a few small challenges along the way but overall the transition has gone very smoothly because of everyone’s professionalism and the willingness to give it a go. More than 400 requests have already been entered by you all and well over 100 contracts generated.

PageUp Timeline

15 March 2021:   Advertisements (infostream and Gazette) move to Pageup            Complete

1 April 2021:       Fixed-term and relief employment registers move to Pageup          Complete

12 May 2021:      Vacancy Establishment Management (eVEM) requests move to Pageup      Complete

June 2021 and beyond:    New features,including selection processes, referee reports and onboarding.         Up next

Tip: You may find that the position details haven’t populated on the request card. This occurs because the position number hasn’t been recognised on the first screen. The best option is to cancel the request and start again, and check that the blue box is populated when you put the position number in again.

The PageUp Intranet page will is up to date with all the PageUp news so please check regularly.

Thank you for your patience, feedback and goodwill as we worked on the implementation of the new recruitment system.

This is just a reminder that DoE sites must routinely view a contractor or volunteer’s RWVP card, and verify that it is current via the Department of Justice website along with maintaining complete visitor sign in records.

All volunteers, contractors and external providers must present to the site office and complete the visitor record log and obtain staff verification as a minimum standard of record keeping. This includes those contractors/external providers who have a statutory right of entry under the Water and Sewage Industry Act (WSIA) i.e. TasWater officers. Under the WSIA, the officers are not required to hold RWVP, however, should not enter the site unannounced.

The RWVP onsite process infosheet includes a visitor assessment risk matrix, on-site flowchart and a risk assessment and mitigation plan template to assist sites in quickly determining the RWVP requirement for persons presenting to a DoE site in line with the RWVP Policy.

Capabilities & Values Profiles Working Group Review  

• Lea-Anne Breganti – SBM Rokeby Primary School   
• Ali Dennison – SBM Smithton High School   
• Meg Barker – Project Officer Workforce Strategy   
• Lisa Burstall – Manager Strategy, Performance and Partnerships   

• Jakki Coombes – Assistant Manager HR Recruitment and Employment   
• Alison Knowles – Senior Accountant Financial Services   
• Christine Lane – Manager Engagement Strategic System Improvement   
• Lyn Metcalfe – HR Manager HR Policy, Strategy and Wellbeing   
• Margaret Paterson – Senior Consultant Performance   

• Jacqui Percival – Coordinator Financial Systems   
• Jo Pook – Manager Workplace Relations   
• Amy Robertson - Project and Policy Coordinator Workforce Strategy   

The latest update from the Working Group Meeting held on 2 February is a list of areas where there is an indication for a need for improvement or change, some of the main highlights are: 

• The use of the C&V Profiles within the working group is mixed, some departments within DOE utilise the C&V Profiles more than others  
• The concept of a format which separately displays items which apply to all employees regardless of the employee’s classification is supported, although headings should be reviewed 
• Differentiation between bands was in many cases strong, areas were highlighted where it was indicated differentiation could be improved 
• Some of the Topics (headings) under a Domain could be amalgamated with other topics in that Domain 

Senior HR Consultants are now work through all of the comments and suggestions and will provide an updated set of C&V Profiles for the Working Group to consider as soon as possible.  

Don’t forget to check out the intranet hub for the Performance Management Framework. If you have any performance related activities on your horizon, check out the hub and the resources available, including the improved format PDP template. There are a lot of new guides for all things relating to performance discussions. https://tasedu.sharepoint.com/sites/HumanResources/SitePages/The-Performance-and-Development-Framework.aspx   

Lea-Anne Breganti & Ali Dennison  

The Tasmanian Government have invested in upgrades to early learning facilities and brand new Kindergartens around the state.

Bagdad Primary School has successfully moved into a wonderful new kinder at the beginning of 2021.

The building is a wonderful space for our kinder students who spend many hours playing, creating and enjoying the company of their friends. Our families engaged in our LiL program have embraced the sunny and open spaces created in the new building.

Carol Bellchambers

Business Manager, Ulverstone Secondary College

I started my career with the Department of Education at Arthur District Office in 1994, on secondment from TASTAFE. I have also worked at Burnie High School

– Administrative Officer, Learning Services – HR Payroll Officer, Educational Performance Services – Data Management Officer and at the Professional

Learning Institute – Business Manager.

The Department gave me the opportunity to complete my Associate Degree in Applied Business through UTAS and the University College; it was a new challenge and one that I was happy to embrace.

I have had many notable moments working for the Department, but the following stand out;

The first was whilst at Learning Services being appointed to the Steering Committee for Romaine Park Primary School, which saw the amalgamation of Brooklyn, Upper Burnie & Acton Schools to form the new school. This involved stakeholder and planning meetings. Once the building plans and costings were completed for Romaine Park Primary School, I attended the Parliamentary Standing Committee session to get government approval for the expenditure. Closer to the completion of the new school I was responsible for sourcing and procuring the furniture and fittings.

The second was working beside Dr John Ewington establishing the Professional Learning Institute. In 2015 the Department decided that they wanted the Professional Learning Institute to be centralised to Hobart, therefore I was transferred to Ulverstone Secondary College.

Ulverstone Secondary College is a 7 -12 school with an enrolment of over 625 students. We have a senior enrolment of 90 students, which also includes shared enrolments with Don, Yolla and Sheffield. Extending to year 11-12 has been favourably accepted by the school and the wider community.

I thoroughly enjoy my diverse role at Ulverstone Secondary College working alongside our dedicated team, educating our future generation to reach their potential aspirations.

Hi, my name is Brenda McLarin 

I am the School Business Manager (SBM) at Lindisfarne North Primary School. Last year I became a member of the TSAA executive.  I am also a member of the CPSU SAAF group. Outside of school I am supported by my high school sweetheart, who I have been married to for 34 years and our 3 fantastic adult children. And this year I have reduced to 0.80 FTE to spend time with our absolutely adorable grandson who is now 15 months old. 

I was appointed as SBM at Lindisfarne North Primary School in July 2011.  I have been working in the Education Department since 2003 when I started as a School Admin Clerk at Herdsmans Cove Primary School.  

Before being permanently appointed as a SBM at Mt Faulkner Primary School in 2007 I had worked in a relief capacity as SBM at Herdsmans Cove, Lansdowne Cres, and Kempton Primary.  As SBM at Mt Faulkner I was involved in the construction of Windermere Primary. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges I experienced whilst at these schools. And being involved in the construction of a new school was very rewarding if not a tad stressful.  During 2019/2020 I worked on secondment as the Admin Coordinator at Learning Services South and returned to LNPS in the middle of the covid situation where things were so uncertain and a little crazy.  

I think I might be the only SBM to have actually moved their whole school from one campus to a new campus without it being an amalgamation, just a change of address It was a bit like moving house but at least 20 x times bigger. Lindisfarne North Primary School has grown from 285 students when we moved to 370 students today.  

The work that school admin staff undertake in 2021 is very different to the work that was required when I started in 2003, no longer are we “just” the ladies and gentlemen in the office,  we are the cogs that keep the school running as smoothly as we can, the complexities of the work we undertake has certainly increased.  

The role of a SBM is rewarding, it is also challenging, so much is required of us.  We are the type of people that give our all to the role, sometimes to our own detriment but we will continue doing the most we can to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for students that will enable them to grow into the best adult they can be. 

BREATHING  

The physiological link between your breathing and your mental state 

Breathing is an automatic response and a process we take for granted, yet it is so vital for our existence. How we breathe impacts our autonomic nervous system and affects our essential bodily process. When was the last time you checked in with your breath? Take the time now to gently observe your breath for a few moments without the need to control it. Is your breath shallow, tight, constricted and armoured? Or is it open and expansive and deep and free-flowing? Or perhaps a mix of the two at different times?  

When we take the time to pause, slow down and take a deep breath, we voluntarily regulate our nervous system. A deep breath lowers our heart rate, regulates blood pressure and helps us to relax, which assists in decreasing the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) released into our body.   

Breath is an invisible link between the mind and body.  Have you noticed a correlation between the quality of your thoughts and the rhythm of your breath? Our state of mind is reflected in the way we breathe. An active mind fuelled by stress keeps our immune system from working at its full capacity. According to Vedic sages, the mind can be in one of five states at any time, ranging from the deeply troubled mind (least desirable) to the completely mastered mind.  

When our mind is deeply agitated or scattered, our breath becomes erratic.  

When our mind is dull or lethargic, the breath is shallow.   

If the mind is partially focused, the breath alternates between scattered and calm.   

When the mind is one-pointed and calm, the breath is deep.   

The ultimate freedom is when the calm mind is in heightened awareness, that is, when the inspiration and expiration merge.  

Every cell in our body needs oxygen to function efficiently, so it’s no surprise that a regular practice of controlled breathing can decrease the effects of stress on the body and increase overall physical and mental health. 

The difference between chest and abdominal breathing. Which is best?  

The way we take in our breath is the way that we take in our life. Have you ever noticed how soothing a deep sigh can be at the end of the day? When we breathe through the nose, deep down into the belly and the lower lungs, we are activating the nerve receptors in the lower parts of the lungs that then activate the ‘parasympathetic nervous response’. This is also known as your relaxation response.   

Conversely, have you noticed how fast and shallow your breath can be when you are in a state of panic? When we breathe through the mouth, shallowly and into the chest, we are activating the ‘sympathetic nervous response’ in the body. This is also known as your stress response. 

In our busy lives, it is not uncommon to breathe quite shallowly throughout the day and only use a small proportion of our lungs. This means we are generally functioning at a low-grade stress response just from our daily living; so the nervous system is already under stress and duress. This does not do us any favours. We can become accustomed to an unhealthy pattern of initiating the breath from the chest and we operate a heightened state of arousal. This form of shallow breathing can agitate our minds and we may even overuse the muscles in the neck and upper body. Add to this tight, shallow and constricted breathing. The result? You’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster for your physical, mental and emotional state of being. 

A growing number of scientific studies have revealed that diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing) triggers body relaxation responses. Deep breathing is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for emotion enhancement, reducing anxiety, depression and stress.   

How to manage negative emotions through optimal breathing techniques 

The way we breathe can have an energetic effect on us – physically, emotionally and mentally – as we move throughout the day. Have you noticed the rhythm of your breath when you feel anxious or angry? Most likely, your breath becomes shallow and constricted, linked to erratic and negative thoughts, not to mention the physiological impact on the body: sweaty palms, muscles contracting and heartbeat racing. This is not a pleasant state to be in! We can become stuck in a downward spiral of negativity when we are caught up in low-frequency emotions of anxiety or anger and it can be difficult to move out of this state if we don’t shift our attention.  

By mindfully redirecting our awareness to our breath, coupled with choosing positive thoughts (mantras or affirmations), we can assist in bringing ourselves back to harmony in mind and body. Slow, deep breathing brings a sense of ease to the body and the mind. When our internal landscape is at ease, a sense of peace can be reflected into our external world.   

Reference – Eden Health Retreat Journal  

The Journal of Eden | Eden Health Retreat