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- Message from the Director
- Going Deeper
- St Joseph's Kempsey Teacher invited to join Surf Lifesaving Leaders Masterclass
- St Joseph's Primary School, Alstonville Centenary Celebrations
- National Child Protection Week 2019
- Road Safety Education: Play It Safe Stage 5
- R U OK Day 2019
- ACER PAT Webinars
- National Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) Information
- Positions Vacant
- My Learning
Dear Colleagues
At the time of writing I have just completed my first week of work. I am delighted to have returned to the Diocese and am grateful for the warm welcome I have received. It has been almost 12 years since I left the Diocese and my initial observation is that, while much has changed, there have been some constants over time. Of particular note is that our Catholic schools continue to be faith-based communities of learning. They extend beyond the goals of equity and excellence to encompass the Gospel imperative to be the light in the world. This requires us to have at the forefront the message of Jesus Christ – We are created in the image and likeness of God and we are known and loved.
There are many challenges for Catholic education in Lismore, many of them similar to the challenges faced by other Catholic education authorities across the country. As Pope Francis said, “We are not living an era of change but a change of era”, and this is certainly true for Catholic education in Australia. A society characterised by increasing pluralism, changing parental expectations and rapid developments in technology (to name a few) poses many opportunities and challenges for us in Catholic education.
Looking to the future, a major priority for the Diocese is the transition to a new model of governance and I will be focussed on ensuring that this is as smooth a process as possible for everyone within the Diocese.
Furthermore, ensuring that, as a system of Catholic schools, we continue to provide quality education and opportunities for school communities to engage in the mission of the Church through daily active living of the Gospel, nurturing and celebrating God’s presence in people, community and creation.
The position of Director of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Lismore is a privileged position and I acknowledge the responsibilities and accountabilities of stepping into the role. I am excited about the opportunities and challenges ahead. As I make my way around the Diocese I look forward to meeting you all.
Regards
Dr Sally Towns
Director of Catholic Schools
This week we begin to explore the increased complexity and demands of modern teaching.
The documents state, “In the specifically educational field, the scope of educational functions has broadened, becoming more complex, more specialized. The sciences of education, which concentrated in the past on the study of the child and teacher-training, have been widened to include the various stages of life, and the different spheres and situations beyond the school.
New requirements have given force to the demand for new contents, new capabilities and new educational models besides those followed traditionally. Thus education and schooling become particularly difficult today” (The Catholic School on the threshold of the Third Millennium,2).
Let us be reminded among all of the daily complexities He who called us is faithful, He wants to carry us through all of the complexity, our task is to allow ourselves to be carried.
To learn more please click here.
St Joseph's Kempsey Teacher invited to join Surf Lifesaving Leaders Masterclass
Brienna Elford, Year 6 teacher, St Joseph's Primary School, Kempsey and member of the South West Rocks Surf Life Saving Club has been selected to attend the Surf Lifesaving Australia National Leadership Masterclass for senior leaders within surf lifesaving. Brienna was selected from a large field of applicants across NSW where only seven were selected to attend. During the Masterclass, Brienna will be challenged to think strategically about the future of surf lifesaving and have opportunities to develop her leadership knowledge and skills. This achievement was mentioned in Parliament this week by Pat Conaghan, Member for Cowper.
Congratulations Brienna for this recognition and your dedication to volunteering.
St Joseph's Primary School, Alstonville Centenary Celebrations
St Joseph's Primary School, Alstonville invite staff to attend the Cententary Celebrations being held from Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September.
See brochure for more information.
National Child Protection Week 2019
National Child Protection week is 1 - 7 September 2019 (Term 3 Week 7). There are resources that you could share with your school community at the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) https://www.napcan.org.au/national-child-protection-week. Primary schools could register to be part of Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson for students in Grades 4 to 6 https://danielmorcombefoundation.com.au/australias-biggest-child-safety-lesson-2/.
Road Safety Education: Play It Safe Stage 5
The Transport New South Wales (NSW) resource has been enhanced to include alignment to the new PDHPE syllabus, and has updated resources. This Problem Based Learning resource is built around the driving question: How can we promote safer road use amongst young people in our local community? To access this resource, teachers need to create a free account at On The Move: https://onthemove.nsw.edu.au/.
ACER will be offering a series of Professional Learning webinars in Terms 3 and 4, to assist schools in their analysis of their PAT data. All webinars will be recorded and available for post-session viewing via your online assessment account. Any staff wishing to take part in the live webinars can register via the link contained in the attachment.
For further information please contact Christy Ismay.
- Assistant Principal (Mission) - St Peter's Primary School, Port Macquarie (closes 19 August)
- Wagga Wagga Diocese closing 9 August 2019
Principal – Albury Principal – Holbrook Principal – Griffith - Armidale Diocese closing 16 August 2019
Principal Quirindi Principal Moree - Northern Territory
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.
MENTORING FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING (MET) TRAINING - MFETM2
Presented by Dr Peter Hudson, the MET program provides teachers with hands-on practical experiences supported by empirical evidence and theoretical underpinnings within a validated mentoring theory. Sessions will be capped at a maximum of 40 participants.
Tweed/Coastal/Richmond Cluster
21-22 October: Invercauld House, Goonellabah
Hastings/Nambucca/North Clarence Clusters
24-25 October: BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort, Coffs Harbour
7-12 TAS REGISTRATION AND ACCREDITATION TERM 3, 2019 - TRAAT01
The next stage of the 2019 TAS Registration and Accreditation process is in Term 3 Week 8. The audit will involve Life Skills programs, unit evaluations, adjustments and work samples from across Stages 4, 5 and 6.
12 September: North - St John’s College, Lismore
12 September: South - St Paul’s College, Kempsey