THE WAY (Term 4 Week 6 - 14 November 2022)
-
Share and Strengthen Faith Through Conversations
-
FOR ACTION
-
Justin Coulson webinar - The Teenage Brain
-
FOR INFORMATION
-
Announcements
-
Announcement - Resignation
-
CSNSW Online PL Modules 5 & 6
-
Mandatory Accreditation at Proficient
-
Accreditation Supervisors (Mentors)
-
Maintenance of Proficient Teacher Accreditation
-
Teacher Accreditation Manuals and Guides
-
Scheduling Courses on MyLearning
-
Building literacy skills with Read&Write How to videos
-
Change in sign-on date for Empower HR self-service platform and Christmas Payments
-
COVID-19 Update, Term 4, 2022
-
Positions Vacant
CSO and school-based staff from the Diocese of Lismore recently attended the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) Assembly in Townsville and the CSNSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander State Education Conference in the Blue Mountains. (19-23 September/11-13 October 2022)
Catholic Schools Office (CSO) and school-based staff from across the Diocese of Lismore relished the opportunity to deepen their understanding and share unique perspectives on practices that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families to thrive.
For three days in early October, staff embedded themselves in cross-cultural perspectives at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Education NSW State Conference hosted by the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta.
Under the shade of the misty Blue Mountains in Ngurra Country of the Darkinjung, Darug, Dharawal, Gundungurra, Wanaruah and Wiradjuri peoples, staff enjoyed a wealth of inspiring ‘on country’ experiences in the heartland of the bush, yarning circles, tasty bush tucker, weaving, healing and reconciliation through art, and studying aboriginal texts including engaging sessions on school case studies.
The NATSICC Assembly was held for three days in late September in the coastal city of Townsville on the land of the Bindal and Wulgurukaba Peoples. Staff experienced an enriching display of faith and culture that symbolised the theme of the gathering ‘Holy Spirit in this Land!’ Mission Services Education Officer Matt Brown, a descendant of the Wailwan people of Western NSW, was invited to present a keynote address at the conference.
‘It was an honour to be asked to speak on Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si, which calls us to better care for our common home. As my co-presenter Sr Liz and I began to look at the content, we soon realised that our task was not to try and teach Indigenous people about caring for Country. Instead, we wanted to highlight how the Vatican document affirms and recognises the wisdom our First Nations peoples have always had in caring for the land, animals and waters. Our Indigenous peoples have an incredibly deep connection to God's spirit, and it was a great gift to be able to share how this aligns with the wisdom of Pope Francis,’ said Matt.
At both events, staff reflected on the importance of Reconciliation, urging colleagues to talk about the upcoming National Referendum to establish an Indigenous Voice in the Australian Parliament. As Catholic Educators in the Diocese of Lismore, we continue to walk together in partnership and play an active role in strengthening networks and reconciliation, so all our students flourish.
Catholic Schools Office staff have access to the recorded 1-hour webinar until 30th November. So much of what we 'think' we know about the teen brain is just not true, and so much that we need to know about our teenager's brain is not well understood. The webinar looks deep inside a teenager's brain, helping us to know what is really going on in there. Link
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
Amber Sekulic has been appointed to the position of Finance Assistant in the Finance and Corporate Services portfolio and commenced with us on 7 November 2022. This is a maternity leave cover position for Kristen McClelland. Amber has 15 years of experience with the finance sector and joins us from Blue Hills College, where she was employed as a Financial Officer.
Ray Fairweather, Human Resources Officer (Richmond) within People and Safety, has been appointed to the position of Project Manager to oversee the Child Safe Standards work. This is a temporary two-year secondment commencing in 2023.
SCHOOLS
Kate Jones has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal - Mission at St Joseph’s Primary School, Alstonville, commencing 27 January 2023. Kate has been engaged within the Diocese since 2014, most recently as a Teacher at Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Skennars Head.
Philip Crosby has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching at St Joseph’s Primary School, Alstonville, commencing 27 January 2023. Phillip has been engaged with Catholic Education since 2013, most recently as Acting Assistant Principal - Mission at St Joseph’s Primary School, Alstonville.
We congratulate Amber, Ray, Kate and Philip on their appointments and welcome their commitment and expertise to these positions.
Scott Thompson, Technology Officer (Client Services) within Finance and Corporate Services, has resigned from his position with the Catholic Schools Office.
We wish to acknowledge and thank Scott for his contribution to Catholic Education in the Diocese.
CSNSW is providing an exciting professional learning opportunity for all school staff. Amanda Corby of Illume Learning, an experienced educator in teaching children with a disability and passionate about inclusive education, presents the fifth & sixth of nine online, one-hour, on-demand professional learning PL modules.
Module 5 - Adapting Mathematics Instruction for Students with Disabilities.
Module 6 - Rethinking the Role of Teaching Assistants in Inclusive Classrooms.
The modules are available HERE.
As part of Teacher Accreditation reform, NESA will assume the role of decision-maker from 29 November 2022. Early career teachers who submit after this date will still need to ensure that their Mentor and the Regional Mentor agree that the submission meets NESA requirements before submitting it into eTAMS. There is no change to NESA requirements for mandatory accreditation at Proficient.
As part of Teacher Accreditation Reform, NESA will assume the role of decision maker from 29 November 2022. NESA will refer to Mentors as ‘Accreditation Supervisors’ to differentiate their role from that of other line managers. Principals will be able to ‘recommend’ a decision to NESA in eTAMS based on the following:
1. Records are maintained by the school, which include the following documents in an Accreditation Folder (Google Drive)
- A record of the professional activities engaged in overtime to develop practice against specific Proficient Standard Descriptors (sample table format).
- Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at Proficient - mapped over time.
- 3 - 5 Observation Reports, including the final Observation.
- Accreditation Supervisor Checklist to Finalise - completed by the Accreditation Supervisor as part of their declaration.
- Copy of the final submission.
The School Contact person for the Graduate Formation Program will ensure these Folders are set up and assist Mentors further.
2. The Mentor and the Regional Mentor have assessed the submission and confirmed that the submission meets NESA requirements. The Regional Mentor will assess (prior to the teacher uploading into eTAMS):
- if the documentary evidence meets NESA requirements,
- 3 - 5 Observations have been completed and;
- the teacher has taught a minimum of 160 days.
Mentors are advised that after 29 November 2022, the Supervisor’s Report will become optional. Based on the evidence listed above, Mentors will be asked to make a declaration in eTAMs.
Mentors are advised to refer to the Assessment for Mandatory Accreditation at Proficient Teacher Visual Guide for a summary of the process and the Visual Guide for Principals for a summary of the procedure Principals will follow to make a recommendation.
As part of Teacher Accreditation Reform, NESA will assume the role of the decision maker for the Maintenance of Accreditation from 29 November 2022. Principals will continue to make an attestation via eTAMS which will remain based on the ongoing demonstration of Proficient Teacher Practice and engagement with annual performance and goal-setting cycles (Cycles of Improvement and My Feedback). From 2023, all teachers (including part-time and casual teachers) are required to engage with COI. Teachers are advised to refer to the following Visual Guide that explains the Maintenance of Teacher Accreditation from 29 November 2022.
From Tuesday, 29 November, NESA will replace eight policies regarding Teacher Accreditation with one Teacher Accreditation Manual. The Catholic Schools Office follows NESA Policy at all stages of their career.
Advice about demonstrating practice at each stage of the career is provided in a series of Guides.
Please note the following when schools manage the scheduling of courses convened for their school staff on MyLearning (NESA Accredited or AWTL):
- Schools can schedule previously approved courses (NESA Accredited or AWTL) by creating a new schedule. There is no need to clone the course.
- Evaluations through MyLearning are optional for school-based courses. Leaders may wish to choose a more effective mechanism for gathering feedback about the course. If an evaluation form is required after the completion of the course, this is up when scheduling the course (MyLearning Manual page 38).
- When the course' schedule' has been created and the details checked, it must be sent to the Principal, AP Learning and Teaching or Leader of Pedagogy for approval. The schedule will show 'Draft', then 'Pending, then 'Approved;' 'Approved' is open for registration. Please ensure the schedule is approved in a timely manner to ensure the data can be transferred and NESA notified at least 2 weeks prior to the course running (MyLearning Manual page 22).
There is a new drop-down bar 'Expression of Interest' (EOI) beside the blue 'schedule' button. Schools do not need to use EOI. Simply click the blue button and schedule the course.
There are ten how-to videos in total.
Please contact Kara Collyer if you would like any further Professional Development.
How to use Read&Write...
- To help with word comprehension and visual support
- To practice reading aloud
- To help scaffold writing
- To encourage independent reading
- For a research project
- To study for an exam
- When teaching and learning online
- To support English as a Second Language (ESL) students
- To support students with specific learning disorders (Dyslexia or Dysgraphia)
- To reduce cognitive load
Please see the attached memo regarding Empower HR, and pay over the Christmas period.
You may be aware of an increased number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the broader community. Please be reminded that students and staff CANNOT attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
Staff who are unwell
It is no longer a requirement to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19, however, if a staff member is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school, and should access any available personal leave and should undertake a rapid antigen test.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the staff member is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the staff member is not feeling unwell and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school under the following conditions:
- the Principal is informed of the positive test result, AND
- the staff member wears a mask for a period of 7 days in all indoor settings.
Students who are unwell
If a student is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.
If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is not feeling unwell and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school under the following conditions:
- the school office is informed of the positive test result, AND
- the student (over 12 years old) wears a mask for a period of 7 days in all indoor settings.
COVID-19 Safe Measures
Schools are encouraged to:
- continue to have hand sanitiser easily accessible to students and staff
- support students and staff who wish to wear masks
- consider other mitigation strategies should there be an increase in cases in your community ie. outdoor assemblies
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 People & Safety > Recruitment > Positions vacant – internal site.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
- Family Partnership Officer (new position)
- Human Resources Officer (replacement position for Kylea Lane)
- Human Resources Officer (replacement position for Ray Fairweather)
SCHOOL
- Leader of Learning English - St Joseph's Regional College, Port Macquarie
- Literacy Coach + Teacher - St Mary’s Catholic College, Casino
- PDHPE Coordinator 2 - St Mary’s Catholic College, Casino
- Assistant Principal: Learning & Teaching - Xavier Catholic College, Ballina