THE WAY (Term 4 Week 1 - 9 October 2023)
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Class of 2023
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FOR ACTION
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Live Bush Fire Ready
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2024 Best Start Kindergarten Assessment Workshop
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Free registration for the 2023 Australian Catholic Education Symposium (Virtual)
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English and Mathematics: NESA Elective Professional Learning Resources
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FOR INFORMATION
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Announcements
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2024 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations - Preliminary Information
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AI in Education Mini Conference
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Disability Standards for Education: New AITSL Resources
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Regional Mentor Coordinators - Update
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ONCE Project Administration Training Days
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Texthelp Roadshow PD
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Positions Vacant
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MyLearning
Congratulations to the Year 12 class of 2023, who have concluded their thirteen years of school. As these incredible young people enter the next phase of their lives, they take with them our collective blessings.
We offer our prayers and best wishes to all HSC students undertaking their exams that start on Wednesday, 11 October, through to the final exam on Friday, 3 November.
Now is the time to prepare to be Bush Fire Ready. Follow the link here for more information.
2024 Kindergarten teachers who are new to teaching Kindergarten and have not engaged in the Best Start Assessment before are asked to enrol in the ‘Introduction to the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment’ workshop. This workshop will be held on Thursday, 30 November, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm via Zoom.
New Kindergarten teachers from outside the Diocese who are joining us in 2024 are also welcome to attend this training. Please contact Christy Ismay (christy.ismay@lism.catholic.edu.au) to organise their attendance.
Join NCEC in the lead-up to World Teachers Day for the online symposium with guest speaker Prof Anne Graham, followed by a panel discussion. Australian Catholic Education Symposium 25 October 2023 | 3.30 pm. Click here to register for the Australian Catholic Education Symposium. Flyer with information here.
Overviews of Professional Learning resources that can be identified as NESA Elective Professional Learning has been collated to support the implementation of the new English and Mathematics K-10 Syllabus. Teachers and leaders are encouraged to access these overviews as a one-stop shop to save time when looking for resources, in addition to NESA-accredited courses to support their learning. As new resources and professional learning become available, they will be added to these documents.
These resources are named:
- English NESA Elective Professional Learning Resources
- Mathematics NESA Elective Professional Learning Resources
They can be found on the CSO Intranet, under Professional Learning Hub, NESA Accredited PD.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
Warren Niethe and Matthew Ritchie have been appointed to the substantive positions of Education Officers, Religious Education (Primary) in the Mission Portfolio at the Catholic Schools Office.
Warren and Matthew were appointed to the temporary positions of Education Officers, Religious Education (Primary) at the beginning of 2023.
Warren has held many leadership positions since he commenced with the Diocese of Lismore in 1999, including Acting Principal of St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga (2021-2022), Principal of St Mary’s Primary School, Bowraville, since 2017 and Assistant Principal St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga 2014-2016.
Matthew commenced with the Diocese of Lismore in 2017. His leadership experience includes Assistant Principal - Mission since 2022 and Assistant Principal and Leader of Curriculum 2018-2021 at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballina.
Samantha Walters has been appointed to the position of Regional Mentor Coordinator (Richmond) in the Learning Services portfolio commencing 9 October 2023. Samantha has held teaching positions with the Diocese since 2018 and joins us from St Joseph’s Primary School, Kempsey.
Michelle Lancaster has been appointed to the position of Team Leader, Payroll in the People & Safety portfolio. Michelle was appointed from an internal position from Payroll Officer.
Susan Roberts and Anne-Marie Robinson have been appointed to the positions of Payroll Officer in the People & Safety portfolio commencing 9 October and 23 October 2023. Susan joins us from Lactalis Australia, where she was employed as a Payroll Officer, and Anne-Marie joins us from Bindaree Food Group, where she was employed as a Payroll Project Specialist.
Greg Dywer has been appointed to the position of Manager, Applications in the Learning Services portfolio commencing 9 October 2023. Greg has previously held the positions of Education Officer (Curriculum) and Project Officer (Compass) and has been employed with the Diocese since 2019.
Riki Wood has been appointed to the position of Administrator, Applications in the Learning Services portfolio commencing 9 October 2023. Riki currently holds the position of Administration/Software Application Support Assistant and has been employed with the Diocese since 2019.
SCHOOLS
Annelise Quinn has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal: Learning & Teaching at St Patrick’s Primary School, Macksville, commencing 29 January 2024. Annelise has been with St Patrick’s since 2008 as a teacher, Leader of Curriculum, Leader of Learning, and most recently as Acting Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching since 2022.
Katrina Ryan has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal: Mission at St Francis Xavier Primary School, Woolgoolga, commencing 29 January 2024. Katrina has been at St Francis since 2001 as a teacher, Leader of Evangelisation, Religious Education Coordination of both Curriculum and Ministry, Curriculum Coordinator, Assistant Principal - Mission, and most recently, Acting Assistant Principal - Mission.
Sarah McManus has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching at St Brigid’s Primary School, Kyogle, for the rest of the 2023 school year. Sarah has previously been employed at Holy Family Catholic Primary School as a teacher, Leader of Curriculum, Sports Coordinator and most recently, Leader of Pedagogy.
Michael Gallery has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching at St Peter’s Primary, Port Macquarie, for the period 30 October to 15 December 2023, replacing Karen Robson while on leave.
We congratulate and welcome Warren, Matt, Samantha, Michelle, Susan, Anne-Marie, Greg, Riki, Annelise, Katrina, Sarah, and Michael’s experience and commitment to these roles and wish them all the best in their appointments.
The following information is provided to schools in preparation for their 2024 school calendars:
- The 2024 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations are scheduled for Monday, 5 August to Monday, 19 August, with a security period up to and including 8 am, Thursday, 22 August 2024.
- The 2024 dates for online ordering examinations, including disability provisions, are available on the CSSA website here. Note these dates in the 2024 executive school calendar.
- The 2024 DRAFT CSSA Trial HSC Examinations Timetable will be available on the CSSA website from Week 2, Term 2 2024.
Western Sydney University’s School of Education invites you to connect with like-minded educators at the upcoming mini-conference AI in Education. Participants who attend this conference will have the opportunity to explore the possibilities and challenges AI presents in education, build capacity in using AI technologies for learning and teaching, and hear from experts in the field, including Professor Matt Bower from Macquarie University.
Topics to be explored:
- AI literacy and fluency
- Ethics of AI use in education
- Practical application in classrooms
- Assessment in the post-AI world
- The role of the AI-powered educator
Date: Monday, 13 November 2023
Time: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Click here to register.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has developed a range of resources to help teachers and school leaders better understand and meet their obligations under the Disability Standards for Education (DSE). The DSE specifies how education is to be made accessible to students with disability and cover a range of issues, including enrolment, participation and curriculum development. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Teacher Standards) make explicit the teaching practices required to support the full participation of students with disabilities in education.
However, adhering to the DSE, embedding the Teacher Standards and meeting the needs of students with disabilities can be a complex process. The DSE resources developed by AITSL provide effective strategies with respect to determining and making reasonable adjustments, differentiation and inclusive teaching practices.
You can find the AITSL resources here.
Regional Mentor Coordinators are employed to support the School Mentor (Accreditation Supervisor) to give explicit feedback about practice against the Australian Professional Teacher Standards at Proficient to a beginning teacher. We welcome Sammy Walters as a Regional Mentor to support the Richmond region in Term 4.
Tweed: Carmel Driscoll (Wednesday - Friday), carmel.driscoll@lism.catholic.edu.au
Richmond: Sammy Walters (Thursday and Friday), samantha.walters@lism.catholic.edu.au
Clarence: Carmel Driscoll (Wednesday - Friday), carmel.driscoll@lism.catholic.edu.au
Hastings: Alice McGrath (Thursday and Friday), alice.mcgrath@lism.catholic.edu.au
The ONCE Project Administration Training Day will help to deepen school administration staff's understanding of the ONCE project products, further develop skills in using the products and broaden their knowledge of the software functionality. The morning session will be focused on the TechnologyOne system, and the afternoon session will focus on Compass. A draft agenda will be available via the Compass Communications. Participants can register from 12 October using this link.
Richmond Region - Thursday 16 November, Ballina Byron Islander Resort
Tweed Region - Friday 17 November, Tweed Heads Parish Centre
Hastings Region - Tuesday 21 November, MacKillop College Senior Site (The Learning hub), Port Macquarie
Clarence Region - Wednesday 22 November, Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour
This November, Texthelp is hitting the road and coming to a place near you for some free PD! We look forward to you joining us at one of the locations for our Texthelp Roadshow. Leading the sessions will be Rachel Coathup, Customer Success Director, who will take you beyond the basics of Read&Write, Equatio, FluencyTutor and OrbitNote. We will explore how you can make the most of these tools to help support ALL learners. As you may be aware, the Lismore Diocese has an unlimited subscription to these tools for all staff and students in your school. Come along to learn more about some of the digital tools and strategies you can use to enhance your students’ learning outcomes.
Why should I attend?
- Learn how digital tools support personalised learning, UDL and learner agency across all curriculum areas.
- Discover how Texthelp tools can help you meet the learning needs of ALL students.
- Get answers to your burning questions on everything from accessibility to engaging learners.
There are 4 locations and dates you can attend across the Diocese; all sessions will be held from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
The dates and venues are listed below:
Monday 6 November - Xavier Catholic College, Ballina
Tuesday 7 November - Catholic Schools Office - Clarence, Coffs Harbour
Wednesday 8 November - St Paul’s College, Kempsey
Thursday 9 November - Newman College, Port Macquarie
Please follow this link to register.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact r.coathup@texthelp.com.
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
- Regional Ministry Assistant
- Education Officer (Primary)
SCHOOLS
- Principal - St Mary’s Primary School, Bowraville
- EOI: Principal - Mount St John Primary School, Dorrigo
- Assistant Principal - Mission - St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballina
7-12 Leaders of Curriculum Professional Learning - F22LS-712LCP
This course provides attendees with the opportunity to engage in professional dialogue with colleagues to support them in complying with relevant legislative and administrative requirements, policies and processes.
Participants can register on My Learning using this link. Registration closes on 6 September.
Date: Thursday, 2 November (Catholic Schools Office - Clarence, Coffs Harbour)