THE WAY (Term 1 Week 1 - 30 January 2023)
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Commencement Message from Adam Spencer
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Bishop Greg Homeming Welcome Message 2023
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Minister's Commendation Award
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FOR ACTION
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Announcements
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CSO Resignations
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Secondary Schools - PAT Assessments
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NESA Teacher Accreditation (Annual Fee)
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EMU Specialist Teacher: Ongoing Professional Learning - Day 1, 2023
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FOR INFORMATION
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Sr Nathalie’s Becquart XMCJ public lectures - Friday 3 February 2023
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Attendance Codes and Compliance Requirements
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NESA Suitability to Teach Principles
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NESA Teacher Accreditation: Have Your Circumstances Changed?
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2023 Extension Programs for High Potential and Gifted Learners.
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Secondary Curriculum Dates 2023
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NAIDOC 2023 Local Grants - For Our Elders
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Safer Internet Day
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Positions Vacant
Welcome to the 2023 school year. I am extremely excited to commence in the role of Director of Catholic Schools this year. I have a long-held affection and commitment to our Diocesan schools, and I am honoured to now be afforded the opportunity to play a new role in shaping their future alongside so many wonderful people.
2022 was a challenging year for many in our school communities, and there are a number of individuals and communities that are still suffering as a result of some of the tragic events that occurred during this time, not the least of which was the devastating flood events. As we progress through 2023, those affected can be assured of our unwavering commitment and support for you. Alongside this, it is important that well-being is prioritised at every level, and, as you will note later in this message, this will be one of my priorities this year.
The start of a new year always brings a sense of ’new beginnings’ and optimism for the year ahead. As we embark on 2023, I encourage you to consider this through the lens of Christian hope. As Christians in the Catholic tradition and as educators, the one thing that sets us apart is our commitment to Christian hope.
There is a distinct difference between hope and Christian hope. As Pope Francis succinctly outlines “Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naive…………. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow.” As I see it, that is our call to action in 2023 as we lead ourselves and our school communities through and out of the challenges of bushfire, flood, pandemic and other external pressures.
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart, and a far-sighted vision,”
Pope Francis 2022
From a practical perspective, my intention is to spend the coming weeks engaging with Principals, Priests and school communities. The purpose of these visits will be to ascertain firsthand your most immediate challenges and opportunities and consider together how the Catholic Schools Office and I can support you in ensuring our schools continue their journey toward providing exemplary Catholic education for our students.
Whilst I acknowledge I will have much to learn in the new role, I also have some straightforward and deliberate objectives that I will seek to focus on as a matter of priority. Some of these priorities will be determined by the Board, and some are crafted from my own experience of Catholic education and the Diocese. At a very high level, these will include:
- Authentic commitment to working with Parish Priests and Parish communities in ensuring a smooth transition to the new governance structure but, more importantly, ensuring an ongoing culture of schools fully grounded in the faith life of the Parish community.
- Embedding a regional structure that seeks to ensure local communities and regions are serviced according to their unique needs whilst at the same time ensuring efficiency in systems, processes, and allocation of resources.
- Commitment to staff well-being enabled through an effective workforce plan that provides strategies for recruitment, retention, rewards and recognition.
- Continued commitment to the Transformation Team as they continue their work in driving effective change programs.
- Operationalising the recommendations of the Flood Commission and working closely with Principals and Parish Priests in those affected communities to support them in guiding staff, students and families through the related challenges and opportunities.
- Embark on a journey of cultural renewal in the Catholic Schools Office as staff make the necessary changes in focus and practice related to the new governance model.
It is also expected that as I commence my new role, the Board will outline for me a range of KPIs that will further inform and add to these priorities.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year and best wishes for the year ahead. As we embark upon this era characterised by Christian hope, I assure you of my commitment, my passion, and my service in ensuring that our students, their families and our staff can live to their fullness of life through our wonderful Catholic schools.
Flood-affected secondary schools were recognised at the HSC First in Course Ceremony for their role in community recovery and continuity of learning.
Congratulations to St John’s College, Lismore, and Xavier Catholic College, Ballina, who were recognised last year at the 2022 HSC First in Course Ceremony with the inaugural Commendation for Resilience Awards.
The new award recognised school communities that went to incredible lengths to set up learning spaces and provide the necessary resources to ensure students could continue learning.
‘It is so important that we celebrate students who have achieved outstanding outcomes in the face of adversity, which is why we have introduced a new award to recognise the resilience of schools impacted by flooding across the state,’ said NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell.
This is an outstanding recognition for two schools who worked tirelessly and went above and beyond in a difficult year alongside 14 other schools from flood-affected regions, including Trinity Catholic College, Lismore.
With only 30 minutes notice, students and staff from Xavier Catholic College quickly converted their school into an evacuation centre, providing shelter to those who had lost their homes in the flood. Year 12 students helped move medical equipment and transfer 55 patients from Ballina District Hospital to a makeshift hospital created at the school.
While the St John’s College community opened their campus to Trinity College senior students providing learning spaces and equipment, the two school communities have worked together to construct state-of-the-art learning spaces, completed just a few months after the flood.
Below is a clip from the award ceremony.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
Matthew Ritchie has been seconded to the Education Officer, Religious Education (Primary) position in the Mission Services portfolio commencing 19 January 2023 for a period of 12 months. Matthew replaces Catherine McAleer in this role and joins us from St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballina.
Anne Marchment has been appointed to the position of Lead, Online Education Centre in the Learning Services portfolio commencing 27 January 2023 for a period of 12 months. Anne replaces Ian Lutton in this role and joins us from St Joseph’s Regional College, Port Macquarie.
Hilary Schultz has been appointed to the position of Family Partnership Officer in the Mission Services portfolio commencing 23 January 2023 for a period of two years. Hilary joins us from St Vincent De Paul Society, where she was employed as a Team Leader.
SCHOOLS
Carmel Zuino has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching at Xavier Catholic College, Ballina. Carmel has been with the Diocese of Lismore since 2002 and recently held the position of Acting Assistant Principal at Xavier Catholic College.
Kasey Miles has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal - Mission at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballina. Kasey has been with the Diocese of Lismore since 2009 and recently held the position of Acting Principal at St Joseph’s Primary School, Alstonville.
Jocelyn Reese has submitted her resignation as Regional Mentor Coordinator (Richmond) to focus on her school community of St Joseph’s Primary School, Woodburn. Jocelyn has been an integral part of the Learning Services team since 2018 supporting the Graduate Formation Program. Jocelyn will support schools within the Richmond region in a limited capacity until a replacement is appointed.
Attention: Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching
From 2023, all secondary schools have been provided with a licence for ACER’s Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). This licence package includes PAT Maths Adaptive, PAT Reading Adaptive and PAT Science 2nd Edition. This aligns with the System Universal Assessment Timeline from the Assessment and Intervention Framework (2022).
Schools are asked to operate within the following protocols to ensure that the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) is used in the best way possible to inform learning and teaching and so that data can be captured efficiently to inform school and system planning. Consequently, it is important that schools follow the test administration instructions carefully, remaining mindful of the time allocation for each assessment.
Please find the Intranet link to updated Secondary PAT protocols and information.
Contacts: Education Officers (Secondary) Jo Stuart (South) and Tim Kelly (North).
Technical Support: Nick Houghton.
Thank you for paying the annual NESA Teacher Accreditation fee in a timely manner. The annual fee is due by 29 January 2023.
Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) Specialist Teachers engage in professional learning twice a year to continue to deepen their understanding of the learning and teaching of Numbers, improve their pedagogical practice and lead learning in their school. Ongoing professional learning is required to ensure continual improvement of skills and knowledge and to maintain the currency of the EMU Specialist Teacher accreditation.
Please follow this link to register: 22CSO-EMUEOP
- Friday, 3 March: Primary South - Kempsey
- Friday, 3 March: Primary North - Invercauld House, Goonellabah
- Thursday, 9 March: Secondary - Clarence Regional Office, Coffs Harbour
Sr Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, the Vatican’s most influential female, is coming to Australia for a whirlwind tour in February 2023 and will be holding public forums and lectures in Sydney.
Sr Nathalie is one of the most prominent and significant women in the Vatican. A French nun of the Congregation of Xavières, Sr Natalie was appointed by Pope Francis in May 2019 as Consultor to the Synod of Bishops. In 2021 she was again appointed by Pope Francis as Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops. She is the first woman to ever hold this position in the Vatican and the first woman to have voting rights in the Synod of Bishops.
Sr Nathalie will be in Sydney for one day only on Friday, 3 February, and you’re invited to attend one or both of her free public events held at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The public forum 'Walking Together: What lies ahead on the journey to a Synodal Church' will be held at 4 pm. The public lecture 'Towards a Spirituality of Synodality' will commence at 7 pm.
The public lectures will be live streamed, and you will need to register to receive the link.
Please register on the Diocese of Parramatta website: https://parracatholic.org/srnathalie/.
Staff tasked with the recording or supervising of attendance and enrolment details are asked to be familiar with the information contained in the attached memo.
Suitability to Teach Principles will be introduced in 2023 for all persons applying for Provisional or Conditional accreditation. Being suitable to teach is also an ongoing requirement of accreditation at all levels.
Teachers in NSW must maintain the integrity and good professional standing in their conduct and reflect the standards that the community expects of teachers as representatives of the profession. Teachers are expected to conduct themselves with professionalism when working with students/children and other members of the education community, including other teachers and education sector staff, parents, and guardians. You can view the suitability to teach principles in Section 13 of the NSW Teacher Accreditation Manual.
Teachers who have moved schools, returned from leave, and/or have changed their employment pattern this year are reminded to update their details in eTAMS.
- Teachers are advised to leave the contract ‘end date’ blank when making a new entry.
- Early Career Teachers are advised to update both the employment and the accreditation section of eTAMS to align with the school and set up the approval pathway for accreditation.
- Teachers must apply for a period of leave when starting the leave or in advance. It is no longer possible to apply for leave retrospectively.
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 Week 5 of Term 1. This information was previously shared in Term 4 2022 via The Way.
Further information and links to the Nomination forms are included in the documents below.
Attention: Secondary Assistant Principals Learning and Teaching, Leaders of Curriculum, Leaders of Learning and Literacy Coaches
Please see the changes to the Secondary Dates Network, Registration and Accreditation, and meeting dates to be added to your school calendar.
NB: As advised at the end of 2022, the Languages Network has moved to an earlier date from what was previously advertised to enable an international presenter to lead a workshop for our teachers.
The NAIDOC 2023 Local Grants are now open, and the National Indigenous Australians Agency invites eligible applicants to apply until 9.00 pm AEDT Friday, 17 February 2023.
Grants are available for activities to be held during NAIDOC Week (2 – 9 July 2023) by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and community organisations across Australia.
The NAIDOC Local Grants are delivered under Program 1.4 – Culture and Capability of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy.
The 2023 National NAIDOC Week theme is For Our Elders.
For more information regarding the NAIDOC 2023 Local Grant, click here.
Click here to Nominate today for the 2023 National NAIDOC Week Awards!
Promoting online safety is a challenge. In 2022 the ESafety Commissioner reported almost 50% of children using the internet were bullied or treated badly online, and 47% of 14 to 17-year-olds had received sexual messages. Join the ESafety Commission to promote Safer Internet Day on February 7, 2023 and support online safety at school and home.
Free resources and campaign kits can be found here.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
- Lead, School Improvement and Performance
- Regional Mentor Coordinator
SCHOOLS
- Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching (St Paul’s College, Kempsey)