THE WAY (Term 3 Week 5 - 9 August 2021)
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FOR INFORMATION
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Announcements
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Feast of Mary MacKillop, St Mary of the Cross in our hearts this Sunday 8 August
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How to recognise complex trauma in infants and children and promote wellbeing
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NESA Accredited PD in the Priority Area of Disability
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Submitting your Maintenance of Accreditation Report
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HSC Showcase Initiative
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Body Bright - Primary Schools
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National Science Week
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NAPLAN Data Support - Access to Scout Data via NETid
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Positions Vacant
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My Learning
Catholic Schools Office Appointment
Fernanda Meister de Almeida has been appointed to the position of Human Services Administration Assistant commencing on 2 August 2021. Fernanda is taking over from Heidi Dobson who finished up with the Catholic Schools Office on 10 June 2021. Fernanda has previous experience in Contracts Administration and HR working within the Engineering Sector.
We congratulate Fernanda on this appointment and look forward to her commencing her role with the Catholic Schools Office.
School Appointments
Acting Principal Appointments
Warren Niethe has been appointed to the position of Acting Principal at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga commencing Monday, 9 August 2021 and concluding 26 January 2023. Warren is currently Principal at St Mary’s Primary School, Bowraville.
Nadine Slingsby has been appointed to the position of Acting Principal at St Mary’s Primary School, Bowraville commencing Monday, 9 August 2021 and concluding 26 January 2023. Nadine is currently employed as the Assistant Principal and Leader of Pedagogy at St Mary’s Primary School, Bowraville.
Assistant Principal Appointments
Sharon de Dassel has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga commencing January 2022. Sharon has been acting in this position in 2021.
Katrina Ryan has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal – Mission at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga commencing January 2022 for a period of twelve months. Katrina is currently employed as the Leader of Evangelisation at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga.
Michael Stubbs has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal – Pastoral Care at St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour commencing January 2022. Michael is currently employed as the Assistant Principal – Mission at St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour.
Peter Murphy has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal – Mission at MacKillop College, Port Macquarie commencing January 2022. Peter is currently employed as a Pastoral Care Coordinator at MacKillop College, Port Macquarie.
We congratulate Warren, Nadine, Sharon, Katrina, Michael and Peter on their appointments and look forward to their commencement in their new roles.
Fr Peter Slack sends a timely reminder of our foundations. Let us all keep the Feast of Mary MacKillop in our hearts this Sunday.
The story of this 19-year-old young woman is one that appeals to all of us. Born to a family in difficult circumstances Mary's faith and resilience saw her travel to Adelaide as a governess. It was in South Australia that she and a number of young women established a school at Penola ... and the rest is history!
We are ever grateful for the contribution of the Brown Josephites in the little places of our diocese: Tweed Heads, Mullumbimby, Uki, South Murwillumbah, Nimbin, Coraki, Woodburn, Alstonville, Wardell, Bangalow, South Lismore, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Maclean etc. I am sure there are more. Our first outreach to state schools was through the Sisters. The Lochinvar Josephites were in Kendall, Laurieton and Wauchope. I am sure I have forgotten some of the places. Just to list them is to be aware of the contribution. In this year devoted to St Joseph let this month be our month for Mary MacKillop and St Joseph.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies in collaboration with Emerging Minds, National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health is offering a free webinar on how to recognise complex trauma in infants and children and promote wellbeing.
Complex trauma in early childhood is distinct from other kinds of trauma. It can manifest in ways that affect body and brain development, and lead to poor long-term outcomes if not addressed. Early identification and support, including through trauma-informed practice, is critical to supporting infants and children who have experienced complex trauma.
Effective trauma-informed practice can promote recovery and resilience in infants and children. However, it requires a comprehensive understanding of the signs and effects of complex trauma and the skills to hold protective conversations with parents and caregivers.
This webinar will explore how complex trauma might present in children and impact their development, as well as how practitioners can respond in their work with infants and children, and their parents and caregivers.
This webinar is of interest to professionals working with infants and children, and/or their caregivers across early learning and care services, maternal and child health and other family support services.
Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/694031947021323022
Teachers are invited to register for one of four NESA Accredited PD courses this semester. Each course will focus on a specific disability and the adjustments required to support students with that disability.
Courses will focus on:
- Dyslexia and Significant Reading Difficulties
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Understanding and Supporting Behaviour
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Each course will constitute 20 hours of NESA Accredited PD. Each course will be a mixture of online on-demand and webinars over approximately 12 weeks.
Available courses are listed in ‘My Learning’ in this edition of ‘The Way’.
Teachers who have met the requirements for maintenance of accreditation can submit their report up to three months ahead of the maintenance period ending. The date displayed in your eTAMS account is the date all aspects of maintenance of accreditation need to be concluded by, it is not the date you submit. Submitting your maintenance of accreditation is a straightforward process. NESA provides details in the eTAMS help desk including a visual guide which is attached for your reference.
Students across the diocese (Years 7-12) were provided with the opportunity to create a concept for the HSC Showcase website including a hand-drawn or digitally generated concept, an explanation of the concept and a catchy name.
Rory Hughes, a Year 10 student of MacKillop College, Port Macquarie has won the Catholic Schools Office HSC Showcase Design Competition. As the designer of the winning concept, Rory will have the opportunity to meet with the Lismore Diocese media team to articulate his concept and to help refine his vision into an end product. He has also won a prize for his school, an Astrobot - Smart STEM Programming Education Robot.
Have you heard about Butterfly Body Bright? Do you have questions about implementing Butterfly Body Bright in your primary school?
Butterfly Body Bright is an exciting Australian first, whole school strength-based program to promote positive body image and healthy attitudes and behaviours towards the body, eating and physical activity in primary school students. The program includes school culture guidelines, online staff training, curriculum content and resources for families.
Registration to become a Body Bright school is FREE until 31st December 2021 (with 12 months free access to all program content). Attend a special virtual event for Catholic Primary Schools in NSW to hear more about Butterfly Body Bright. Thursday, 9 September, 3.30pm - 4.15pm (AEST) Click here to attend.
For questions about this event contact: bodybright@butterfly.org.au
National Science Week will take place between 14-22 August. This year's theme, Food: Different by Design, has plenty of scope for integrating Science, Design technologies, Health, Visual arts, Maths and English. Take a look at the Resource Book of Ideas for National Science Week, produced by the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA). It’s full of teaching and learning activities aligned with science and design technologies. There are other resources available too, including posters, student workbook and information about a student competition.
Please see the attached Memo regarding NAPLAN Data Support - Access to Scout Data via NETid.
Information on employment opportunities within the Diocese of Lismore are available via Positions Vacant.
Catholic Schools Office
- Risk Manager
School Leadership
- Assistant Principal – Mission, St Joseph’s Primary School, South Murwillumbah
- Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching, St Joseph’s Primary School, South Murwillumbah
- Assistant Principal – Mission, St Finbarr’s Primary School, Byron Bay
- Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching, St Joseph’s Primary School, Wauchope
- Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching, St Mary’s Primary School, Grafton
- Leader of School Evangelisation, Mount St Patrick College, Murwillumbah
- Leader of Student Wellbeing, Mount St Patrick College, Murwillumbah
- Assistant Principal – Mission, St Patrick’s Primary School, Macksville
- Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Skennars Head
- Assistant Principal – Mission, St James’ Primary School, Banora Point
- Assistant Principal – Mission, Mount St Patrick Primary School, Murwillumbah
Staff are reminded 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.
Understanding Dyslexia and Significant Reading Difficulties 21CSO-UDASRD1
Teachers will:
- develop a deep understanding of the characteristics of dyslexia and the needs of students who have significant difficulties in reading
- become familiar with their school and system intervention policy and legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act
- learn about and use reading assessments to inform teaching and to monitor student learning
- learn about and use specific teaching strategies to adjust the curriculum to support participation by students with significant reading difficulties such as the use of assistive technology
- learn about and employ intervention strategies to accelerate reading improvement and assessment practices to monitor and support progress.
Teachers will:
- develop a deep understanding of the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the needs of students who have behaviours which arise from ASD
- become familiar with legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act
- learn about and use informal assessments to identify triggers for anxiety and difficult behaviour
- learn about and use specific teaching and intervention strategies to support participation and learning of students with ASD
- learn about strategies to support students to develop communication and relationship skills.
Understanding and Supporting Behaviour 21CSO-UASB
Teachers will
- Develop understanding about perceptions of difficult behaviour, the situation and the developmental stage of the student.
- Develop understanding about theories and perspectives on behaviour.
- Identify how relationships can positively influence behaviour
- Identify the impact of environment on behaviour
- Understand how to use a range of behaviour assessment tools
- Assess behaviour and identify antecedents and consequents
- Plan how to manage difficult behaviour
- develop interventions to support students with additional needs.
Understanding Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 21CSO-UADD
Teachers will:
- Understand the nature, characteristics and types of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Have an improved understanding of the causes of ADHD
- Have a better understanding of some of the current debates surrounding ADHD
- Be able to assess the purpose, function and context of behaviour of students with ADHD
- Set SMART goals for improving student outcomes
- Learn about and implement adjustments to curriculum and pedagogy to support students with ADHD.