2025: A Year of Growth and Gratitude
As we approach the end of 2025, we look back on a transformative year defined by our strategic theme: Growing Value, Evolving with Purpose. It has been a year of significant milestones for CEnet, from welcoming our new CEO, Paul Giusti, to expanding our network and receiving national recognition for our innovations.
However, our achievements are not solitary wins; they are the result of deep collaboration. We are profoundly thankful to the educators, administrators, and IT professionals who have informed and shaped our mission this year. Whether you participated in our pilot program, attended our conferences and events, or provided feedback on daily operations, your insights have ensured that our technology remains grounded in the realities of the classroom and the values of our community.
While we celebrate the future, we also pause to remember the profound legacy of Greg Whitby AM KSG, whose passing we mourned this year. His vision for equitable access to digital resources laid the foundation for the network we cherish today, and his commitment to the greater good continues to inspire our work.
2025 was a watershed year for our technology initiatives. We are incredibly proud that CEnet was recognised at The Educator's Service Provider Awards, securing prestigious honours for both Artificial Intelligence in Schools and Security Software.
We significantly strengthened our digital safety net this year, implementing robust measures to foster a reliable and safer digital environment for over 370,000 students and staff across the network. Beyond security, our focus remained on making broad improvements to assist teachers in their daily work. By prioritising tools that reduce administrative complexity, we are striving to support educator wellbeing and maximise instructional time.
This year, we celebrated the first birthday of cechat, which has grown from a bold idea into a trusted companion for over 12,000 teachers and 30,000 students across 16 dioceses. Your engagement allowed us to showcase our "AI with Heart" approach on the global stage at the University of Oxford and launching a research partnership with ACU to tackle teacher workload.
Our network is stronger than ever. We were delighted to welcome the Diocese of Ballarat (DOBCEL) to the CEnet family, expanding our collaborative reach into Victoria. Through events like Synergy 2025 at Google Sydney and the Future: Forward conference, we moved beyond simple adoption of technology to true leadership, exploring how we can co-create the future of Catholic education together.
Thank you for your partnership, your trust, and your dedication to excellent outcomes for students. You have helped us build a year where technology did not just serve the network, but empowered the people within it.
We wish you a blessed Christmas and a restful break.
