THE WAY (Term 4 Week 9 - 5 December 2022)
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Pause, Pray, Play at the Family Faith Retreat
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FOR ACTION
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Synod of Bishops
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2023 Extension Programs for High Potential and Gifted Learners.
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Introduction to Multifactor Authentication
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REMINDER: Grants available for 2023
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FOR INFORMATION
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Announcements
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Shared Future Program Update
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International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Friday 2 December 2022
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CSNSW Online PL Module: Understanding Behaviour as Communication (Week 9)
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New Look Learning Collaborative Google Site
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Diocesan eSports Competition 2023
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Teacher Accreditation: Change of Employment
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Teacher Accreditation: NESA Elective PD
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HSC Showcase 2021
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Primary PDHPE - Road Safety
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NEW: NSW Cyber Security Course
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Maintenance of Accreditation - Annual Fee & Update
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Working With Children Check due over the holiday period
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SALT Compliance Modules
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Positions Vacant
Twenty families had a wonderful weekend at the Family Faith Retreat at the spectacular Tyalgum Ridge Retreat. (5 November 2022)
The Parent Assembly Family Faith Retreat brought together twenty families from the Richmond and Tweed Regional Service Areas for a beautiful weekend filled with engaging spiritual experiences and entertaining games at the Tyalgum Ridge Retreat.
Surrounded by a spectacular cauldron of green at the foot of the Tweed Valley Range, the weekend did not disappoint as the families explored the theme of Pause, Pray, Play.
The weekend began with a delightful prayer experience with a scripture-based nature walk. Families enjoyed the awe and wonder of the impressive scenery walking through the bush, looking out over the valley at the farms and trees that dotted the landscape under the shadow of Mount Warning peeking out of the horizon. It was an inspiring experience for parents and their children to rejoice in and be grateful for God's gift of creation.
Families also created a Pause, Pray and Play box to take home, containing a wealth of creative ways to engage in times of rest, prayer and family fun.
‘We loved attending the Family Faith Retreat and found it a wonderful way to connect as a family with each other and with God. Our kids love the outdoor activities, but we also really liked having the chance to learn more about our Catholic faith,’ said parent Roxanne Murphy.
Fr Wilber Tobe led a warm and welcoming Sunday Mass, bringing parents and children for a wholesome Eucharist meal.
Sunday also provided an opportunity for fun and adventure as the young at heart zipped down the flying foxes while others showed off their Robin Hood-like accuracy at the archery field. The day concluded with epic naval battles in the kayaks at the lake.
‘It was wonderful to once again be able to invite families to join the Parent Assembly at our weekend Family Faith Retreat after two years of missing out on this important faith formation event. We were thrilled that we had so many families register to attend. It was a beautiful, spirit-filled weekend with many opportunities for prayer, worship and quality family time,’ said Janita Thomson, Lead, Family Partnership.
The Family Faith Retreat is just one of the ways that the Lismore Catholic Schools Parent Assembly supports families to gather as a community and deepen their relationship with each other and God.
Synod of Bishops - The Working Document for the Synod on Synodality has been released for consultation. Don’t miss out on this chance to comment on what has resonated with us, where tensions lie between the document and our local church, and our suggestions on what should be prioritised in the Catholic Church. Go to https://catholic.org.au/synodalchurch to find out more and share your contribution or our Diocesan contact person directly, Matt Digges. The Portal closes on Friday, 9 December 2022.
In response to system and school data, the Catholic Schools Office will continue to offer Extension Programs for identified High Potential and Gifted Learners in Stage 3 Mathematics and English in 2023.
Semester One programs will commence in Term One Week 5.
Further information and links to the Nomination forms are included in the attached documents.
Please see the attached memo, fact sheet and setup guide for the introduction of multifactor authentication on Tuesday, 13 December.
Opportunities exist for schools to apply for grants in the areas of Innovation and the Arts. Please refer to THE WAY (TERM 4 WEEK 8 - 28 November 2022) for more details.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
Alex Reed has been appointed to the position of Systems Administrator (Technology One) in the Finance & Corporate Services portfolio commencing 9 January 2023. Alex replaces Daniel Perrit in this role and joins us from Sentral, where he was employed as a Senior Business Management Consultant.
Kristin Penberthy has been appointed to the position of Manager, School Counsellor in the Mission Services portfolio commencing 19 January 2023. Kristin joins us from KM Psychology, where she was employed as a Principal Psychologist.
Warren Niethe has accepted a temporary secondment to the position of Education Officer, Religious Education (Primary) for the Clarence Region in the Mission Services portfolio for the 2023 school year. Warren replaces Gemma Ballantine.
SCHOOL
Nadine Slingsby has accepted the temporary appointment of Acting Principal at St Mary's Primary School, Bowraville, replacing Warren Niethe for the 2023 school year. Nadine holds the substantive position of Assistant Principal at St Mary's Primary School, Bowraville.
Leanne Gennat has been appointed to the temporary position of Acting Assistant Principal - Mission at St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour, for the 2023 school year, replacing Scott Hardgrove, who is taking 12 months' leave from the Assistant Principal Mission role. Leanne is currently the Leader of Pedagogy at St John Paul College.
We congratulate Alex, Kristin, Warren, Nadine and Leanne on their appointments and welcome their commitment and expertise to the positions.
The Shared Future Program is out with its most recent update. You can find what's been happening this term in the attached pdf.
United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is this Friday, 2 December. Modern slavery is an umbrella term that includes: slavery, servitude, human trafficking, forced marriage, forced labour, debt bondage, child labour and deceptive recruiting of labour or services. An estimated 50 million people are experiencing modern slavery today, with 15,000 of them right here in Australia. The Diocese of Lismore is actively engaged in responding to modern slavery through its participation in the Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network (ACAN). The Board is committed to the task of reducing Modern Slavery in our supply chain and, over time, working toward elimination.
To acknowledge this day, you are encouraged to watch the What is Modern Slavery animation produced by Australian Catholic University and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Anti-slavery Taskforce.
CSNSW is providing an exciting professional learning opportunity for all school staff. Amanda Corby of Illume Learning, an experienced educator in teaching children with disability and passionate about inclusive education, presents the second of nine online, one-hour and on-demand professional learning PL modules.
Week 9 - Understanding Behaviour as Communication
The module is available HERE.
The Learning Collaborative Google site, formally named Learning Collaborative (Lyn Sharratt), has been refreshed and is found on the Learning page of the intranet. This site houses information and resources pertaining to the 14 Parameters as well as the Currents communities. Leaders and teachers will find the site helpful when engaging staff in professional learning. The intention is to continue to add new content over time. Schools in all three cohorts are encouraged to share their work in Currents.
Planning is underway for our Diocesan-led eSports competition for 2023.
Many thanks to the schools across the diocese who participated this year, enabling us to refine our processes and helping us plan for an even better competition next year.
Schools competing for the first time are able to use the CSO Loan eSports Kits. These can be borrowed from the Digital Technologies Loan Library (there are currently 12 available, allocated on a first-in, first-served basis). However, schools that have already participated are asked to buy their own Nintendo Switch, extra joy cons and games for 2023.
In 2023, we will compete using the games played this year - Mario Kart Deluxe 8, Just Dance and Rocket League.
Schools are asked to purchase Just Dance 2023 - as this now allows online play and will be the Just Dance we use moving forward. Please note this version of the game is only available via download and will be linked to the Nintendo Switch Account used to download the game.
Schools interested in participating are asked to complete the expression of interest form:
Register Expression of Interest here
We have tentatively booked the following dates to help with planning -
Teachers are advised to update NESA about a change in employment via their eTAMS account:
- before commencing a period of leave of 6 months or longer,
- when moving from full-time to part-time/casual or vice versa,
- when changing schools or
- when retiring.
Teachers are advised to leave the ‘end of contract’ date blank when changing details regarding a change of schools or moving to full or part-time employment. Evidence will be required to be uploaded to support a change from full-time to part-time/casual employment, such as a Statement of Service or Contract. Please notify NESA of any change of employment for 2023 as soon as known, as this may impact the generation of the annual fee.
Teachers are encouraged to record the details of all NESA Elective PD completed this year in their eTAMS account. As NESA Accredited PD has been narrowed to four Priority Areas, the balance of hours beyond the mandatory 50 hours Accredited PD will more than likely constitute NESA Elective PD. NESA Elective PD must meet the following requirements:
- Be an 'approved activity.'
- New learning that addresses the intention of a Standard Descriptor.
- Meets guidelines.
Mandatory training may meet NESA Elective PD requirements. A 'cheat sheet' is available here. For more information about the maintenance of accreditation PD requirements, please refer to the NESA Website.
The Lismore Diocese HSC Showcase celebrates and captures the talents of our students, reflecting their creativity, innovation, technical skills and conceptual development. These projects represent the culmination of months of diligence and commitment by students, planning and designing, developing their skills and applying them to the task of creating inspirational and engaging works.
Spotlight On …
St John’s College, Lismore (Visual Arts)
Student: Coen Moran
Title: Connections (The Maker)
This series of family portraits explores some of the similarities and differences in the ways in which people express themselves in their role as an artist or creator. This work represents how our passions are closely connected to a person. What we do for enjoyment, and to survive, is a defining part of our identity and how one is viewed by others.
Safety Town is a road safety education resource for teachers, students and families funded by the Centre for Road Safety, Transport for NSW. It provides a variety of interactive learning activities for students from Kindergarten to Year 6 that are developmentally appropriate. Transport NSW has updated the resource for teachers and parents.
The NSW Government has announced that secondary students will soon be able to experience a cyber security course developed collaboratively by the NSW Department of Education, industry and Cyber Security NSW. As part of the course, students will be able to learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity and practical skills such as building hardware and coding.
Cyber Security NSW has also invested in the development of Cyber City. Cyber City is an open source and industry-aligned set of pedagogical resources and methods to support teachers introducing inquiry-led, cyber security and digital innovation concepts in the classroom. The learning program integrates diverse concepts from the hardware and networking level up to programming and the design and testing of smart city systems. The open-source platform will help teachers deliver the new cyber security curriculum, including the new iSTEM Cyber Security specialised topic.
Schools and teachers are invited to register their interest in participating or integrating the cyber security learning experiences in their classrooms from 2023. For more information about Cyber City, see here.
Teachers are reminded that the Annual Fee to NESA is payable by the end of January 2023. Thank you for being timely in meeting this requirement.
Teachers who are maintaining accreditation at Proficient are invited to review requirements via this slideshow. The slideshow constitutes 45 minutes of NESA Elective PD (professional ethics; 6.1.2 7.2.2).
Staff are reminded to renew their Working with Children Check (WWCC) before the start of the new school year for those which expire over the holiday period.
This can be updated easily via this link.
Select profile details and enter new WWCC details.
Please visit the Office of the Children’s guardian website to apply for renewal.
Access to SALT compliance modules is available via Salt.
Reminder emails are sent annually to let you know when it’s time to complete the SALT Compliance modules of Child Protection and Bullying and Harassment modules.
If you have not received your annual reminder email but are ready to complete your training, log into SALT via the link above, click on the module name, and select the arrow to begin the readings and the quiz, which can be completed at any time.
If you are unsure whether you have completed the SALT units, you can check your information within the SALT software:
- Log into SALT https://csolismore.saltcompliance.com/ and click on My Training.
- Check the last completion date and when it is due to be completed again.
- Click on the individual course name, and this will show you when you last completed the modules and how many days until it is due again.
SALT certificates are not to be used for proof of completion for SALT modules as they create variances depending on the way you have completed your units, for example, all together or on different dates.
Schools are also provided with monthly reports that detail the expiry dates.
If you have any questions, please email dio-saltsupport@lism.catholic.edu.au, and we will assist.
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
- Pastoral Care Officer
- Human Resource Officer - Richmond (2 yr temporary position replacing Ray Fairweather on secondment)
- Education Officer, Religious Education (Primary) (replacing Catherine McAleer)
SCHOOL
- Leader of Numeracy - St Paul’s College, Kempsey
- Acting Leader of Evangelisation (plus SOR teaching) - St Joseph’s College, Banora Point
- PDHPE Coordinator 2 + teaching - St Mary’s Catholic College, Casino
Other Diocese
- Religious Education Coordinator – St Joseph’s Merriwa – offering $40,000 of incentives!
https://cdmn.elmotalent.com.au/careers/cso/job/view/1062