THE WAY (Term 2 Week 8 - 13 June 2022)
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Be Brave. Make Change at St Joseph’s Regional College, Port Macquarie
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FOR ACTION
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Year 1 Phonics Check
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FOR INFORMATION
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2022 Student Attendance (STATS) Semester 1 Data Collection
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Free Webinar - School Attendance
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2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Resources now available!
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NESA Public Register of Active Teachers
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$1,000 Scholarships for School Leaders in New South Wales
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Positions Vacant
A heart-warming celebration of National Reconciliation Week was held at St Joseph’s Regional College, Port Macquarie. (Week 6 2022)
National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation and accepting the invitation inherent in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Schools across the Diocese answered the call to ‘Be Brave. Make Change,’ the theme for this year's National Reconciliation Week. A challenge to all Australians to be brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all.
St Joseph’s Regional College, Port Macquarie, marked the start of National Reconciliation Week with an uplifting assembly that focused on a magnificent hand-painted cross, created by talented Visual Arts teacher and proud Bundjalung woman, Ms Toni Howard. This beautiful Indigenous design incorporated many items to symbolise significant landmarks and the journey through school that students will take. It will be a wonderful centrepiece for the College for years to come.
The dedicated Indigenous Education team at St Joseph’s Regional College planned a week of outstanding activities to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-indigenous peoples. This year, the team focused on creating an interactive view of our shared history and a celebration of the vast achievements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
At the College Yarning Circle, the Indigenous team created an extraordinary interactive experience for students with an outdoor ‘Reconciliation Walk’. Students went on a journey recognising symbols and discovering 26 key dates and significant events in our shared history.
‘Our reconciliation walk was a necessary educational experience to understand the difficulties facing Indigenous Australians during settlement and our need for reconciliation,’ said Year 12 student Jonah.
Students were also invited to create a ‘Be Brave. Make Change’ artwork that will be displayed in the library and will then find a permanent home within the College. The staff were overwhelmed by the involvement of students in this and other activities throughout the week.
The week concluded with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students guiding their peers and staff through an Indigenous timeline of Australia from the Dreamtime to the present and a barbecue that raised money for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
‘An enlightening experience that can hopefully help others understand the struggle Indigenous people faced due to white settlement. It was fun and engaging,’ said Year 12 student Harry.
The St Joseph’s Regional College Indigenous Education team is to be congratulated on their dedication to providing students and staff with a rich experience of our past and encouraging further reconciliation to unify our future.
The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, developed by the NSW Department of Education, is an optional online reading assessment available to Catholic Schools NSW. The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is designed to be administered towards the end of Year 1, after students have had time to develop sufficient phonic knowledge, but with enough time to make sure interventions and targeted teaching can still make a difference. Last year, 17 primary schools in the Diocese of Lismore registered to administer the Phonics Screening Check. Teachers reported that the Check provided reliable diagnostic information on students' phonic development.
Schools that choose to use the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check will have the flexibility to schedule the Check to best suit their school and student needs within the assessment window which is 8-26 August, Term 3, 2022.
Online professional learning will be available to support both the administration of the assessment and the analysis of results. More information including how to access Professional Learning will be available after opting in.
If your school wishes to participate in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, please register no later than Friday 24 June using the link below.
Registration link https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6885871/2022-Year-1-Phonics-Screening-Check
Please Note:
- A Fact Sheet is attached.
- Details of how teachers can access the PL (most likely through DoE MyPL) will be forwarded as soon as possible. Please ensure your school provides accurate information in the opt-in survey, particularly the correct AGEID and whether or not the school is an Action Plan / Supplementary School.
- It is anticipated that CEnet will commit to uploading student registration data for those schools that opt-in and are new to ALAN/PLAN2.
For additional information about the Phonics Screening Check please contact karen.ferrante@csnsw.catholic.edu.au. For all other enquiries, please contact Mary Walsh Education Officer (Literacy & Numeracy K-2) for further information.
Please note that the Catholic Schools Office will upload the STATS attendance data and declare it on behalf of schools again this year.
Student Attendance (STATS) collects student attendance rate data by grade, gender and Indigeneity from non-government (Catholic and Independent) schools for:
- Semester 1 and Term 3 reporting periods,
- Full-time students in Years 1 to 10 attending regular and special schools, and
- Each individual location (campus).
Approved Authorities complete the STATS collection for each reporting period under the Australian Education Act 2013 and associated regulations. Student attendance rates are published annually on ACARA’s My School website and contribute high level data for ACARA’s National Report on Schooling in Australia and the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services.
If you have any questions in this regard please contact the Audit and Compliance Advisor Andrew Madden.
What does school attendance tell us about how students feel about school – and what can we do about it?
Tuesday, 21 June 2022: 4.00–5.00pm AEST
Student absenteeism has hit schools hard in 2022. Join Dr Lyn O'Grady as she unpacks the various factors which relate to school attendance, drawing upon both research and practice. These factors include individual, family, community and school factors. A whole-school multi-tiered approach will be explored and webinar participants will also be encouraged to share their most effective strategies.
Celebrate the gifts of First Nations Catholics in the Church on 3 July.
NATSICC has developed a comprehensive resource to enable your Parish, School or Organisation to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday.
Resource homepage for Downloads and Multimedia kits
Key Inclusions:
- Homily Notes by Bishop Tim Norton reflecting on the theme.
- Youth Activities that encourage students to explore Australia's history and seek ways in which they can become change makers.
- Liturgy Suggestions (Prayers of Intercession, Inculturation suggestions, Hymns).
- Updated Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country guide.
Following changes to the Teacher Accreditation Act (2004) to improve national consistency in teacher registration, NESA will publish a Public Register of actively accredited teachers in NSW on the NESA website on 30 June 2022.
The Register will include a teacher’s:
- Full name (including any middle names provided to NESA), and
- NESA account number.
If you have concerns that inclusion on the Register will impact your safety or wellbeing, please make an application to be removed by COB Tuesday 28 June.
Contact publicregister@nesa.nsw.edu.au if you wish to:
- Apply to have your details removed from the NSW Public Register of teachers.
- Apply to be added to the Register if for any reason you are not visible.
- Ask any questions about the Register.
Find out more about the reforms here.
Nominate yourself or a colleague below
The National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) have Scholarships available to support leadership development in Australian schools. Supporting educators to excel in leadership is critical to creating resilient, connected and flourishing school communities and in turn, better outcomes for students.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available to support school leaders to participate in NESLI’s renowned leadership programs. Scholarships are available for three programs:
- Deputy Principals Leadership Colloquium: an integrated nine-month leadership program supporting the development of Deputy and Assistant Principals
- Women’s Advanced Leadership Program: a comprehensive six-month program for women in senior school leadership positions, delivered in partnership with Women & Leadership Australia
- Women's Middle Leadership Program: A five-month program that builds the behaviours and mindsets needed for effective middle management, delivered in partnership with Women & Leadership Australia
Information on employment opportunities within the Diocese of Lismore is available via Positions Vacant.
Existing staff should apply through the Internal Positions Vacant page on the intranet; select School Services, then Recruitment and Positions Vacant – internal site.