The end of year is fast approaching in what has been an eventful and busy 2017. As we enter the home stretch, it’s now time to begin planning for a successful 2018.
But before I go into budgets and funding and fundraising successes, I just want to say a big thank you for all the great work you’ve already done this year to support your local chaplains.
To ensure their success for the year to come I want to encourage you to finalise your budgets for 2018 by no later than mid-November. This will enable you to better plan for the New Year.
We will be contacting you shortly regarding your chaplain’s 2018 pay band.
As a reminder, a chaplain’s salary band is determined by their years of service, their qualifications and successful completion of their Chaplain’s Development Plan (CDP). Once you’ve received confirmation of your chaplain’s salary status, please make finalising your budget for 2018 a priority.
To assist you in planning your budget, please make use of the Chaplaincy Cost Calculator 2018 on the My SU site. It has all the correct cost rates and salary bands already pre-loaded.
As you may know, 2018 marks the final year of the current round of funding for the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP). Please rest assured that SU QLD will be advocating on your behalf to all levels of government to see that funding renewed.
The good news is that we continue to receive a lot of positive support for school chaplaincy from Local, State and Federal politicians, and of course the school communities. In fact, the number of schools requesting a chaplaincy service continues to grow and we are seeing new services commencing on a regular basis. To cater for this growth we inducted 30 new chaplains during staff conference in August and a further 14 over the recent school holidays.
Looking forward, our recommendation to all LCCs is to aim towards having at least one day of community funding so your chaplaincy service can continue regardless of the outcome for grant funding in next year’s Federal Budget.
One way to do this is by utilising the Champion Your Chappy resource. If you haven’t signed up, please do. Morayfield State High School has already raised over $3,400, while Aspley State High and Narangba Valley State School have raised more than $2,000 apiece in a short period of time.
It’s simple and easy to sign up. Once your page is up and running, simply share it on Social Media and encourage everyone you know to also share that page. It’s really a great way to raise awareness and funds for your chaplaincy service.
In closing, let me once more say thank you for all of your amazing efforts in supporting your chaplains. From helping out with breakfast programs in school to organizing fundraising events and dinners and much, much more, your efforts do not go unnoticed.