Join us at the 2023 NSW/ACT State Conference, which will be held over two locations: Regional and Metro.
2-step registration process in 2023
We are excited, this year, to introduce a 2-step registration process, which will see staff from our CSA member schools register individually for State Conference. You can find out more information in the 'How to Register' section, below.
State Conference Overview
The NSW/ACT State Conference will be held in person across two venues/locations:
- THACCCSA on Monday, 17 July 2023 (Charlton Christian College, 43 Fassifern Rd, Fassifern), and
- Sydney on Tuesday, 18 July 2023 (Penrith Christian School, 1 Simeon Rd, Orchard Hills)
The theme for our 2023 events is:
A Place to Grow:
The formation of practice | the practice of formation
During our 2023 State Conferences, we will look at how the Christian story speaks to and resonates within the cultural landscape of 21st Century Australia. How does a school community most effectively embody this story?
An overview of the programmed sessions is provided below and further information about the State Conference can be found further down this page:
Session 1 Focus: personal formation and the marketplace of ideas, which can seem like a battlefield, and the beauty of the Christian story through the frame of truth, suffering and success.
Session 2 Focus: the cultural waters in which we swim, and the opportunities schools have for bringing hope and meaning by teaching and living out the Christian story in a school context.
Session 3 Focus: applying the principles discussed in session 2 within individual school/team contexts.
Conference Program
An overview of the program (the same at both locations) is detailed below:
- 9:00am Opening Praise and Worship
- 9:20am Welcome from CSA CEO
- 9:50am Keynote 1 with Max Jeganathan of Centre for Public Christianity (via videolink).
- 10:45am Morning Break
- 11:15am Welcome back to session
- 11:30am Keynote 2 with Simon Smart of Centre for Public Christianity (live presentation)
- 12:45pm Lunch Break
- 1:45pm Afternoon Session; Venue specific activities building on the morning program
- 3:30pm Close of State Conference
Please note this program may change.
Conference costs ($75 +GST per person) will be invoiced directly to each school through the CSA accounts team.
Speakers
Max Jeganathan
Max Jeganathan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity CPX. A former lawyer and political & policy adviser, Max was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Oxford and is undertaking a PhD in Law. Max speaks on the intersection between faith, culture, economics, finance, technology and moral reasoning. He has spoken in businesses, universities and political institutions, including Samsung, Lego, Goldman Sachs and Amazon. He loves movies, good wine with his wife Fiona and making his kids laugh.
Simon Smart
Simon Smart is Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity. A former English and History teacher, Simon has a Masters in Christian Studies from Regent College, Vancouver. He is the co-author of For God's Sake: An Atheist, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim Debate Religion, and was co-presenter and co-writer of the historical documentary For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined. Simon’s writing has appeared in such places as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC, The Australian, and The Guardian. He is the host of the Life & Faith podcast. He lives on Sydney’s northern beaches and is an inept but enthusiastic surfer.
Craig Groeschel
Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multi-site church that began in Oklahoma. Together with his wife Amy, Pastor Craig started Life.Church in a two-car garage in 1996 as a place where people could come just as they are to experience the life-changing love of Jesus. Though the church now meets in physical locations across the U.S. and globally at Life.Church Online, the mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Under Pastor Craig’s leadership, the church has become known for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, launching the first church online experience in 2006 and creating YouVersion, the most downloaded Bible app in history. With a passion for serving the global Church, Life.Church gives away thousands of resources through its Open Network to help pastors and church leaders around the world grow their ministries and reach more people for Christ. He also leads people to give generously through the church to local and global mission partners so that people all over the world can find relief and restoration. A New York Times bestselling author, Pastor Craig has written more than 15 books on topics like marriage, prayer, purpose, church leadership, and more. His most recent book, The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most, was released in February 2023. Pastor Craig and Amy live in Oklahoma and have six children and five grandchildren. To learn more about Pastor Craig, visit craiggroeschel.com
Your Host, Ian Liney, CSA State Executive Officer, NSW/ACT
Ian commenced with CSA in January 2022 in the role of Executive Officer, NSW/ACT. Ian has spent the past 15 years as Principal of Wyong Christian Community School a K-12 school of 740 students in NSW. Prior to this appointment, he was Assistant Principal at Marrara Christian College in the Northern Territory. In his role as Executive Officer, Ian ensures that the NSW/ACT member schools are afforded personalised support and are provided with the resources and services they need to grow and flourish as Christian schools. In addition to his role with member schools, Ian also assists in rolling out CSA’s strategic priorities in the areas of Leadership Development and Teaching and Learning. Ian is well known in NSW and ACT, having served on the State Council of CSA from 2014 to 2020. Ian has extensive networks in Christian schooling and the wider education sector. He has been a central figure at all levels of Christian Education in Australia for the past three decades.
How to Register - Individual Registration
We are excited to introduce individual registration this year! Staff from CSA member schools are able to register themselves individually to State Conference. Incorporated in the registration is a 2-step registration process, which is outlined below for your information:
- Click "register" on the right (you will need to be signed in to your account) and follow the prompts to register (ensuring you click 'proceed to checkout'). You won't need to worry about selecting a location at this point.
- Check your inbox for an email with "Action Required:..." in the subject and click on the "url link" within this email and complete your registration by filling out the relevant fields (including location) and submitting your registration.
Once you have completed these steps, you will be registered for conference.
If you're having trouble logging in to your CSA online account or registering for this event, please contact your school admin team.
Detailed Session Information
Please refer to information below about each of the sessions being presented at the upcoming conference.
Keynote One: Living Faith on the Battlefield of Ideas with Max Jeganathan
In a world increasingly polarised and uncertain, the marketplace of ideas can seem more like a battlefield. How can personal formation play a role in enabling us to meaningfully engage with the big issues of the day? In this session (provided by videolink), Max Jeganathan will consider the philosophical, sociological and cultural currents shaping 21st century society. He will then set out the relevance and beauty of the Christian story through the frame of three fundamental issues that are central to our cultural moment: Truth, Suffering and Success.
Keynote Two: Telling a Better Story with Simon Smart
The pace of secularisation has left many Christians feeling bewildered, defensive, and increasingly disconnected from the surrounding culture. How should we respond? Simon Smart makes the case for schools being uniquely positioned to not only proclaim but to embody a life-giving alternative to the dominant cultural narratives of our day. In this session, Simon will illuminate key aspects of the Christian story that speak to universal human longings with compelling answers that are found nowhere else. We will explore a vision of life that is not only coherent, but uniquely appealing.
Bonus Session: Leading like it matters with Craig Groeschel
Our relationship with God affects our leadership and influence. Our faith influences everything we do and has direct impact on others and how we lead. Formation of our faith is foundational to who we are and how we lead in Christian schools. In this bonus session (provided by videolink, after the conference), we will hear a little bit around Craig's own personal and spiritual formation/development, as well as hearing some of the principles from Craig's recent book, Lead Like it Matters, This session will specifically look at your personal formation and how to hold onto it.
Qualify for CPD Hours
A certificate of Professional Learning (for 5 CPD Hours) will be issued following the event and accessible via your member dashboard. The event will address the following AITSL standards and newly released Christian Distinctive Focus areas:
AITSL professional teacher and leadership standards:
» 6.2 Engage in Professional Learning and Improve Practice
» 6.3 - Engage with colleagues and improve practice
» 6.4 - Apply professional learning and improve student learning
» 7.4 - Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
Christian Distinctive Focus Areas:
» 6A - Engage in professional learning which aids the development of a philosophy of Christian Education based in Biblical principles
» 7A Knowledge about and engagement with the school, its Christian ethos and vision
» 7B Contributes to the development of distinctive Christian practice in the school, profession and wider community
Want to learn more about the CSA Christian Distinctive Focus areas? Click here.
Cancellation
If you are needing to cancel your State Conference registration, please ensure you make contact through your school administrator. Schools may notify us of cancellations to the respective CSA state office in writing. Unfortunately, no refunds will be issued after 15 days out from the event start date. Any cancellations made after this date will be charged the full registration fee. 'No Shows' to the event will be charged the full registration fee.
The event program is subject to change and we may not be able to provide prior notice.
Please note that registration fees do not include insurance to cover loss of any fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the event or through cancellation of the event itself.
A full refund will be issued if the event is cancelled by the organiser (CSA) due to COVID-19 restrictions or any other reasons out of the organisers control.
COVID-safe Information
We are committed to the health and safety of our member community and are following government guidelines regarding the spread of COVID-19.
Learn more about how we are keeping you safe at CSA events.
Event Sponsors
We are so grateful to our conference sponsors who have helped to make this event possible.
THACCCSA Venue
Platinum Sponsors
The School Photographer
The School Photographer is currently enjoying 36 years of operations throughout NSW, ACT, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. We pride ourselves on producing high quality photographic student packages from our modern production facilities and superior customer service. Our innovative “360 Virtual School Tour” and our “Fly Through Video” products are proving to be an invaluable marketing tool to showcase the very best images of your school. Additionally, we can produce for your school a wide range of marketing products such as window film, pull-up banners, fence banners, tear drop banners, school prospectuses, report folders, stationery and much, much more. We have implemented COVID-safe measures throughout our company to ensure the safety of schools and their communities.
Essential Assessment
Essential Assessment is a leading provider and a trusted assessment and curriculum partner with over 2,000 Australian schools. We provide a unique Australian Curriculum, Victorian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus numeracy and literacy assessment and curriculum model for a whole-school approach to formative and summative assessment. Our online program assesses your students to create a personalised curriculum for growth from their current point of understanding. Our resources include My Numeracy + Sunset Maths, My Literacy + My Spelling, a suite of online activities to complement paper-based curriculum resources for learning consolidation across your school.
Premium Sponsor
Positive Action for Christ
“Positive Action for Christ Bible Curriculum” - is a not -for- profit publishing ministry specializing in Bible studies and curriculum for schools, churches, and home schools. Our mission is to equip Bible teachers to magnify the majesty of God. We believe that God gave us His Word to reveal His glory, His grace, and His love. Therefore, we write our studies to magnify His majesty, His works, and His nature. We challenge students first to stand in awe of God, to know and love Him, for that is the first step of any true change of character.
Penrith Venue (Greater Sydney)
Platinum Sponsors
The School Photographer
The School Photographer is currently enjoying 36 years of operations throughout NSW, ACT, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. We pride ourselves on producing high quality photographic student packages from our modern production facilities and superior customer service. Our innovative “360 Virtual School Tour” and our “Fly Through Video” products are proving to be an invaluable marketing tool to showcase the very best images of your school. Additionally, we can produce for your school a wide range of marketing products such as window film, pull-up banners, fence banners, tear drop banners, school prospectuses, report folders, stationery and much, much more. We have implemented COVID-safe measures throughout our company to ensure the safety of schools and their communities.
Mercer
At Mercer, we believe in building brighter futures. Together, we’re redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being. We do this by meeting the needs of today and tomorrow. By understanding the data and applying it with a human touch. And by turning ideas into action to spark positive change. For over 75 years, we’ve been providing trusted advice and solutions to build healthier and more sustainable futures for our clients, colleagues and communities. Welcome to a world where economics and empathy make a difference in people’s lives. Welcome to brighter ...
Premium Sponsor
Essential Assessment
Essential Assessment is a leading provider and a trusted assessment and curriculum partner with over 2,000 Australian schools. We provide a unique Australian Curriculum, Victorian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus numeracy and literacy assessment and curriculum model for a whole-school approach to formative and summative assessment. Our online program assesses your students to create a personalised curriculum for growth from their current point of understanding. Our resources include My Numeracy + Sunset Maths, My Literacy + My Spelling, a suite of online activities to complement paper-based curriculum resources for learning consolidation across your school.