THE WAY (Term 4 Week 10 - 14 December 2020)
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Message from the Director
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Good News Article: Mount St Patrick College, Murwillumbah
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Announcements
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Congratulations LEAD teachers Emma Fisher and Chelsea Fisher
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Accreditation News
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Diocesan Action Plan for the Education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
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REMINDER: Grants Available for 2021
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Positions Vacant
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My Learning
'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16)
As we turn towards Christmas we remember that God gave us Jesus because God's love is unconditional. That Jesus was born in the humblest of circumstances, in an animal shelter, should not be lost on us. God gave Jesus to us this way to make it clear that no place and no person was beneath His dignity. The first Christmas story is one of humility, a story without royal robes, and a story without a proper bed. Jesus' presence brings joy to the world. Christmas is about finding God in unexpected places – in the faces of the homeless and refugees, the lonely and the persecuted.
As a 2020 draws to a close we are called to reflect upon the year that was – and what a year it was! 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for people globally. Drought, bushfires and a global pandemic has brought great sadness, confusion and loss for many Australians. For much of the year, education as we know it was turned on its head, but we know that opportunity comes from challenging times and we look forward to new possibilities. I am deeply grateful for the way in which staff in our schools and office have risen to the unique challenges that COVID-19 presented.
I would like to thank each of you for your commitment to Catholic education in the Diocese and your dedication to ensuring the very best outcomes for student wellbeing and learning throughout 2020.
Peace and blessings to you and your families this Christmas season.
Director of Catholic Schools
Mount St Patrick College Students Recognised in the Mathspace Transformative 20 Awards
Congratulations to Anja Griffin (Year 8) who has been recognised as one of the 20 student winners of the Mathspace Transformative 20 awards for 2020. Ysabella Purser (Year 11) was also named a shortlisted student in the awards program, making it to the Top 40 from more than 200,000 students nationally.
Twenty teachers and twenty students across Australia have been recognised as recipients of the Mathspace Transformative 20 Award, which celebrates teachers for their drive to improve mathematics education and students for their commitment to their maths learning.
“The Transformative 20 awards program has always been about giving recognition to those who go above and beyond what's expected of them, those who've truly made a positive impact on others - whether it's through their innovative ideas, their work ethics or their willingness to help those in need,” said Mohamad Jebara, CEO and Co-Founder of Mathspace.
We have pleasure in announcing the following appointments to commence 27 January 2021:
School Appointments
Sophie Taylor has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching at St Joseph’s Primary School, Woodburn for the 2021 school year. Sophie is currently the Instructional Leader/Leader of Pedagogy at St Joseph’s Primary School - Coraki.
CSO Appointments
Catherine McAleer has been appointed to the temporary role of SEACS Education Officer - Primary (Tweed) whilst Kate Jones is on Maternity Leave. Catherine is currently an Ecological Justice Resources Specialist with Caritas Australia.
Across Australia, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALTs) are increasingly being recognised and respected by colleagues, parents/carers and the community as expert teachers and every year the number of HALTs is increasing.
The voluntary levels of accreditation were introduced in NSW in 2010. As of December 2020 the number of teachers accredited and Highly Accomplished and Lead in NSW are as follows.
Between 2010 and September 2020, there have been:
- 144 teachers accredited at Highly Accomplished in NSW, 15 of whom are from the Catholic school system.
- 89 teachers accredited at Lead Teacher in NSW, 8 of whom are from the Catholic school system.
It is very satisfying to know that more and more highly effective, skilled classroom practitioners are being recognised for the work they do, not only to improve their own practice, but the practice of colleagues to ultimately improve the educational outcomes for their students.
The Catholic Schools Office would like to acknowledge the following staff on their outstanding achievement in reaching the accreditation career level of Lead Teacher with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA):
Emma Fisher - Leader of Pedagogy
Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Skennars Head
Emma commenced her teaching career in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn while completing her Masters of Inclusive Education through Charles Sturt University.
In 2016, she began teaching in the Diocese of Lismore at Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Skennars Head. It is here that she has held the position of Leader of Pedagogy for the past four years. The roles and responsibility associated with the Leader of Pedagogy position enabled her to lead initiatives that demonstrated her achievement at LEAD level. The collaborative nature of the role, and seeing the growth and achievements of students and colleagues, is what she enjoys most.
LEAD Teacher Accreditation has given Emma the opportunity to celebrate her teaching career and formally acknowledge the impact Emma’s initiatives have had on the school community. Such an achievement would not have been possible without the support of her colleagues, Principal and consultants within the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Office. Emma says she is genuinely grateful for the opportunity and looks forward to sharing her experience by supporting other colleagues to achieve higher levels of accreditation.
Chelsea Fisher - Assistant Principal (Acting)
St Ambrose Catholic Primary School, Pottsville
Chelsea is passionate about Inclusive Education and completed her Masters Degree in 2015. This passion is what brings her back to teaching each year.
The opportunity to be a foundational staff member, to be part of building a new school, drew Chelsea to the Lismore Diocese in 2015. In her six years at St Ambrose Catholic Primary School, Pottsville she has held several different roles: Kindergarten teacher, Leader of Curriculum, K-2 Instructional Leader, and is currently Assistant Principal & Leader of Pedagogy.
Achieving Lead Accreditation recognises Chelsea’s commitment to initiating and leading innovation that focuses on improving the educational opportunities for all students.
Congratulations Emma and Chelsea! It is an honour to be recognised as highly-skilled teachers within the teaching profession. The hard work and efforts of these exemplary teachers within the diocese to gain this level has been rewarded. The Catholic Schools Office would like to thank these staff for their continued commitment, dedication and contribution to our Mission in enabling students to achieve the fullness of life.
Congratulations to the following teachers who have achieved Proficient Teacher Accreditation throughout the Diocese of Lismore since the start of Term 4 2020:
- Evan Berger - St Joseph's Regional College, Port Macquarie
- Sarah Bradbrook - St Mary's Primary School, Bellingen
- Helen Bush - St Paul's College, Kempsey
- Teresa Cadogan - St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga
- Mark Chivers - St Mary's Catholic College, Casino
- Rachel Clark - MacKillop College, Port Macquarie
- Laura Donnelly - Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Skennars Head
- Madeleine Edwards - St Joseph’s Primary School, South Murwillumbah
- James Everingham - St Joseph's College, Banora Point
- Samantha Ford - St Mary's Primary School, Grafton
- Meghan Haines - St James' Primary School, Yamba
- Kelly Houghton-Ons - St Finbarr's Primary School, Byron Bay
- Jessica Lewis - St Joseph's Regional College, Port Macquarie
- Amber Mann - MacKillop College, Port Macquarie
- Timothy McMillan - St Joseph's Regional College, Port Macquarie
- Sarah Nolan - St Paul's College, Kempsey
- Mark Norberry - Mary Help of Christians Primary School, Sawtell
- Nicholas O’Reilly - St Joseph's College, Banora Point
- Kylie Parsons - Newman Senior Technical College, Port Macquarie
- Emily Roden - St John's Primary School, Mullumbimby
- Michael Ryan - St Mary's Catholic College, Casino
- Bonita Smith - St Ambrose Catholic Primary School, Pottsville
- Liam Stephenson - St Joseph's Primary School, Alstonville
- Samuel Taylor - MacKillop College, Port Macquarie
- Stephanie Wong - MacKillop College, Port Macquarie
Sessions are 40-60 minutes in length and can be via Zoom or in person. Some schools have used their allocated staff meeting or have given time to their ATSI Action Plan committee for the session.
Please email Danny Rankin /Claire Lane to coordinate a date/time if this is desired.
Opportunities exist for schools to apply for grants in the areas of the Arts and Innovation.
Innovation grants provide an opportunity for teachers and school leaders to accelerate and advance learning in the classroom. These grants are awarded to support an innovative vision of education within Catholic schools. For more information on Innovation grants, and to apply, refer to the link 2021 Learning & Teaching Innovation Grant Overview & Guidelines.
Expressions of Interest for Innovation grants close on Friday, 18 December 2020.
Arts Partnerships grants provide the opportunity for diocesan schools to partner with creative professionals as artists in residence or arts and cultural organisations. For more information on Arts Partnership grants, and to apply, follow this link.
Expressions of Interest for Arts grants close on Monday, 8 February 2021.
Information on employment opportunities within the Diocese of Lismore are available via Positions Vacant.
SCHOOLS
- School Counsellor: St Joseph’s Primary School, Coraki
Staff are reminded that individuals are required to register for all professional learning courses through the My Learning site. The site has the facility to recommend courses to others. This will be potentially useful for Principals and Assistant Principals who wish to recommend staff to register for particular courses.
Staff are reminded that the closing date for courses is five working days prior to the course.
To register, please visit My Learning.
DeCourcy HSC Analysis 2021 - Detailed Analysis of the Data Workshop
21CSO-DHA2DA
CSNSW has engaged Dr John DeCourcy to conduct an analysis of the 2020 HSC. Dr DeCourcy’s reports will be available on the Catholic Schools NSW website in early 2021.
As in previous years, we have engaged Dr DeCourcy to conduct seminars for registered users of the analysis. The Diocese of Lismore will run these seminars in two locations in the diocese. The seminars are targeted at teachers, new Leaders of Learning and others who have not attended the detailed HSC data analysis before, or those who have, but who want to ‘brush up’ on the main ideas behind the Analysis. It would also be beneficial for two or more people from the same school to enrol in the same seminar.
- Tuesday 23 February - Lismore
- Wednesday 24 February - Coffs Harbour