THE WAY (Term 3 Week 6 - 21 August 2023)
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Students Triumph at NSW Regional Training Awards
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FOR ACTION
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Scheduled Review of the Assessment & Intervention Framework (Primary)
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Bushfire Season, What's Your Plan?
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FOR INFORMATION
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Announcements
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Socktober
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Staff Injury Notification
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HSC Showcase 2022
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Regional Mentor Coordinators - Update
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University of Wollongong - Country to Coast and Future Skills Scholarships for Students
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Second Round Consultation Open for 7-10 Draft Syllabuses
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Additional Subjects 2024 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations: Expressions of Interest for Committee Members
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NATSICC Kitchen Table Conversation ZOOM - The Voice Referendum
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Celebrating the Life and Achievements Dr Uncle Ron Heron
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MyLearning
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Positions Vacant
Students excel at the 2023 NSW Training Awards North Coast and Mid North Coast Region. (9 June 2023)
Congratulations to Year 12 students Laicy Costigan, Newman Senior Technical College, Port Macquarie, and Tayla Hiscock, St Paul’s College, Kempsey, for their outstanding results in the 2023 NSW Training Awards North Coast and Mid North Coast Region.
The NSW Training Awards are conducted annually by Training Services NSW within the NSW Department of Education to recognise outstanding achievement in the vocational education and training sector.
Laicy was named the VET in Schools Student of the Year North Coast and Mid North Coast Region winner. Laicy will now progress to the State Finals, where through an interview process, a panel will determine if Laicy displays the qualities required to become a VET Ambassador.
Laicy is pursuing a career in Construction and is currently working at Port Macquarie Shipways for work placement and was previously at Adenbrook Homes and Port Macquarie Decking.
‘It was mostly because of my passion for working with my hands that I chose to pursue a career in the Construction Industry. I find the satisfaction I feel when I see the finished product empowering and rewarding. Newman College has enabled me to apply the skills and knowledge I have learned in the classroom to real-world situations, helps you learn quickly and is very rewarding,’ said Laicy.
Tayla was recognised for her outstanding achievements and commitment to her studies and work, winning the North Coast School Based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year award.
Tayla is in her final year completing the MNCLHD Elsa Dixon Aboriginal school-based traineeship to achieve a Certificate III in Health Service Assistance. She is working at Kempsey District Hospital, training to be an Assistant in Nursing (AIN).
‘While it was challenging to manage the combined demands of the TAFE qualification and an ATAR pathway, I am grateful for the opportunity to open up my future career pathways. I feel more confident than ever with my plan to attend University to continue my health career. I encourage all young people to consider a VET course if they would like to find out more about possible career pathways and to earn while they learn,’ said Tayla.
Congratulations to Laicy and Tayla on this outstanding achievement.
As part of the planned review of the Assessment & Intervention Framework, it is important to gather teacher voices as we collectively consider some changes to the scheduling of the literacy assessments.
All primary teachers and leaders are invited to participate in the review of the assessment schedule by completing this Primary Survey before Wednesday, 13 September. The school Education Officer or Inclusion Officer will be available to gather feedback in addition to or in place of the survey as they engage in their normal support of schools.
Contact: Mary Hunt - Education Officer (Literacy Projects).
All staff are strongly encouraged to discuss and plan with their family their actions in the event of a bushfire emergency in their area this coming bushfire season.
Please consider including in your plan your and your family's actions if the emergency occurs while you are at work, especially if you have school-age children that may require picking up from school.
Please let your school leadership team know under what circumstances you would need to leave school to allow the school to plan for such an event.
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-survival-plan
RESIGNATION
Kathryn Farrar has resigned from her position as Executive Assistant to the Director, effective immediately. Kathryn’s intention was to retire at the end of the month; however, due to a recent personal loss, Kathryn has tendered her resignation (effective at the end of a short period of leave to spend time with her family). Kathryn commenced with the CSO on 18 July 2022, and we thank Kathryn for her contribution to the work of the Catholic Schools Office and her support of Catholic education throughout the Diocese and pray for her and the family during this time.
APPOINTMENTS
Jacqueline Cozic has been appointed to the position of Executive Officer in the Directorate portfolio commencing 21 August 2023. Jacqui has over 16 years of experience working as a senior executive assistant supporting executives, boards, and governance committees. Jacqui joins us from Fliteboard Pty Ltd in Byron Bay, where she is employed as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer.
Alice McGrath has been appointed to the position of Regional Mentor Coordinator for the Hastings region and commenced with us on 11 August 2023. Alice has held teaching positions with the Diocese since 2018 and has also taught internationally in London.
Connor Henderson has been appointed to the position of Technology Assistant (Richmond) in the Finance & Corporate Services portfolio commencing 28 August 2023. Connor joins us from Elements of Byron and Fantastic Furniture.
Congratulations, Jacqueline, Alice, and Connor.
Socktober is a nationwide school engagement program that uses the game of soccer to educate and inspire support for critical mission projects around World Mission Month in October. Amid the thrilling atmosphere of the FIFA Women's World Cup, we couldn't have timed our launch any better.
Through this initiative, we aim to teach Australian students about the important work of missionaries and the issues of social justice they tackle daily while giving the students and their families a way of offering tangible financial support. This year, Socktober is focusing on communities in Timor-Leste, specifically a medical clinic and a children's home.
Socktober is also an opportunity for you to show your support for these crucial projects in a number of different ways. Whether you or your family sign up and raise funds, encourage others in your community to participate, or sponsor a participant, whatever support you can provide will go a long way in empowering communities and creating lasting change.
I invite you to visit our website, socktober.org.au, to learn more about Socktober and explore the various ways you can show your support for the program. Together, let's kick goals and improve the health, nutritional and educational outcomes for young people in Timor-Leste and around the world.
A reminder that should you be injured in the workplace or have a near miss, you are required to submit a notification of injury through MySafety.
Further, our insurer for worker's compensation is now QBE, which has taken over from CCI. The CSO Injury Management / Return to Work Coordinator remains Anthony Thompson.
The Lismore Diocese HSC Showcase celebrates and captures the talents of our 2022 HSC 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: Cormac Campey
Title: Impermanence
Statement: As life moves at a faster and faster pace, I am taken by the impermanence of the world around me. So much of what we encounter and experience is transient that it may as well be an illusion. These photo/film-based works are expressions and experimentations of the ethereal quality of light, colour and perhaps even life itself.
We welcome Alice McGarth as Regional Mentor to support the Hastings region. Regional Mentor Coordinators are employed to support the School Mentor (Accreditation Supervisor) to give explicit feedback about practice against the Australian Professional Standards at Proficient to a beginning teacher. Mentors in the Richmond region are asked to request support via Leisa Fisher until further notice. Priority will be given to Early Career Teachers who:
- are nearing the end of their NESA accreditation timeframe and risk suspension
- are in their second or subsequent year of service.
Regional Mentors
Tweed: Carmel Driscoll, Wednesday - Friday
Richmond: TBC, Leisa Fisher
Clarence: Carmel Driscoll, Wednesday - Friday
Hastings: Alice McGrath, Thursday and Friday.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is pleased to announce the availability of its popular Country to Coast and Future Skills Scholarships for students commencing their studies in 2024, with more than $5 million in scholarships on offer for domestic students.
The Coast to Coast Scholarship is available to 2024 Early Admission offer holders from Bega Valley, Central and Far West NSW, Goulburn and Southeaster NSW, Eden Monaro, Eurobodalla, Murray, Riverina and Shoalhaven. Select Indigenous Access Program (IAP) offer holders will also be considered eligible.
The Future Skills Scholarship supports students pursuing studies in identified priority skills areas, including business, computer science, IT and cybersecurity, education, engineering, exercise science, nursing, public health and social work.
More information about these programs and early admissions can be found here.
A second round of consultation is now open for the 7-10 draft syllabuses as the next milestone of the NSW Curriculum Reform.
Teachers and other stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the syllabuses through the NESA Consultations webpage.
Extensive feedback from teachers, parents and the community during the first round of public consultations in 2022 has informed the updated syllabuses. All feedback from the ‘Have your Say’ period will be used to inform the development of the final syllabuses.
Please click here for an outline of the key refinements for each syllabus.
The final syllabuses will be released on the NSW Curriculum Website.
In addition to the EOIs sought for Committee Members of Biology and VET Construction for the 2024 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations published in The Way last week, the Head of CSSA Exams is also seeking expressions of interest for Committee Members for each of the following 2024 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations:
- Earth and Environmental Science
- Investigating Science.
The letter regarding the Expression of Interest requirements for the Committee Member roles with the CSSA and the application process is found here.
Interested applicants are asked to send a Cover Letter and current Curriculum Vitae to Monica O’Brien, Head CSSA Exams, at cssa.exams@csnsw.catholic.edu.au by 9 am Friday, 25 August 2023.
A Kitchen Table Conversation is a wonderful opportunity to join with others and listen, learn and reflect on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum that will be held in the coming months.
The referendum is the culmination of a decade-long process that gained momentum with the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 when over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates offered an invitation to non-Indigenous Australians to walk with them to create a better future.
These kitchen table conversations are your opportunity to come together as a community, better understand the issues and talk about the pathway forward.
The details are as follows:
Dates: 17 August, 29 August, 11 September, 28 September
Time: 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Location: Online via Zoom
Please follow this link to register.
Uncle Ronald Heron was a highly respected senior Elder of the Yaegl people of Northern New South Wales. He was an anthropologist, historian and former university lecturer. Read the information sheet attached to learn more about the life of Uncle Ron.
Crossing Cultures Hidden Histories - Registrations Open
The primary objective of this course is to cultivate participants' understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and languages, fostering reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. There are three schedules currently open for registration on MyLearning. Please register for the appropriate schedule by following this link. More information about the course can be found in the information sheet attached.
Tweed & Richmond Staff - Tuesday 5 September (Invercauld House)
Clarence & Hastings Staff - Wednesday, 13 September (Catholic Schools Office-Clarence)
South CSO Staff - Tuesday, 31 October (Catholic Schools Office-Clarence)
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
- Systems Manager
- Systems Officer.
SCHOOLS
- Principal - Mount St Patrick College, Murwillumbah
- Leader of Catechesis - St Mary’s Catholic College, Casino
- Coordinator of Gifted / Higher Potential Learning + Teaching load - St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour
- Assistant Principal: Mission - St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga.