THE WAY (Term 1 Week 7 - 11 March 2024)
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From Small Towns to Big Waves
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FOR ACTION
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Student Artwork Display Semester 1 2024
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Secondary ‘Have Your Say’ Consultation Period
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FOR INFORMATION
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Ad Clerum - Nambucca Valley Parish
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Formation for Mission - 2024 Staff Formation Opportunities
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Save the Date: 2024 NATSICC Spirituality Retreat
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HALT Stream-lined Pathway Pilot Program
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HSC Showcase 2023
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Primary Professional Learning Opportunity Reading Fluency : Essential for Reading Comprehension
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Interschool Puzzle Club
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DLCSL eSports Competition EOI
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Nominations for the 2024 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards presented by Schools Plus are now open
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New Syllabus Newsletters - Secondary
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Scheduled Intranet Outage - 19 March 12:30 pm
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Positions Vacant
World Championship Tour Surfer Callum Robson returned to his former school, St Joseph’s Primary School, Woodburn, sharing insights into his journey and encouraging young minds to pursue their dreams. (21 November 2023)
Last year, motivated by eagerness to commemorate the achievements of its past pupils, St Joseph’s Primary School, Woodburn, invited the iconic World Championship Tour surfer Callum Robson to their temporary site at Evans Head.
Callum currently ranks among the top 20 surfers globally on the World Championship Tour. At the end of the season, he raffled off a board signed by every surfer on the main tour, with the proceeds going towards flood recovery efforts around Evans Head and Woodburn.
Callum's visit was a heartwarming return to his former school. He engaged with both students and staff during his visit. Focusing on Years 4 to 6, he shared insights into his personal journey at St Joseph’s, drawing parallels between his time in their very classrooms and his current standing in the surfing world.
Callum addressed topics ranging from overcoming fears to navigating significant moments, inspiring young minds to pursue their dreams relentlessly.
The school community was very grateful for his visit, serving as a source of inspiration and fostering a sense of pride and ambition among the students.
You can watch Callum’s testimonial below.
Attention Principals and Art Coordinators
Reminder: The Student Artwork Display Semester 1 EOIs is due Week 7.
Please refer to THE WAY (TERM 1 WEEK 6 - 4 March 2024) for more details.
The consultation period for the following new 7-10 syllabuses opens on Monday, 11 March 2024, and closes on Monday, 8 April 2024.
Aboriginal Studies 7–10
Commerce 7–10
We encourage teachers and leaders to review the proposed new syllabuses and provide feedback to NESA.
Please see the attached Ad Clerum from Bishop Greg Homeming OCD regarding Nambucca Valley Parish.
The Catholic Education in the Diocese of Lismore - Formation for Mission Framework guides parish schools and system leaders in ensuring all staff are supported and formed in order to fulfil the vocational calling of Catholic education. The framework recognises the diversity of staff in educational ministry within our Catholic schools, who bring with them a variety of faith backgrounds, experiences and understanding. The vocational calling is captured within the Mission and Vision of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Lismore.
Further information about the variety of formation opportunities available for staff in 2024 is attached. This document can also be found in the Formation for Mission framework on the intranet. Schools are encouraged to share this information with staff and use the overview of offerings to assist with forming all staff in Mission. Details of these will continue to be advertised in diocesan newsletters during the year as applications and registrations become available. Please note that not all registrations will be available on MyLearning yet.
Please see the attached save-the-date flyer for more information.
Please refer to the attached memo regarding HALT Stream-lined Pathway Pilot Program for Mentors in the Graduate Formation Program.
The Lismore Diocese HSC Showcase celebrates and captures the talents of our 2023 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. We are excited to launch the third year of our HSC Showcase, highlighting the outstanding work of our HSC students.
Spotlight On …
MacKillop College, Port Macquarie (Dance)
Student Name: Cassie Hender
Title: Tears of an Angel
Statement: When we are unable to cry our own tears, angels cry them for us.
(video sits on the CSO Public Site under HSC Showcase 2023).
A series of professional learning activities are being designed to support K-6 teachers to incorporate evidence-based strategies to improve reading fluency instruction.
By engaging in comprehensive and sustained PD over time, teachers will understand the what, why and how of reading fluency and its important role in effective reading instruction. Teachers will be given opportunities to gain an understanding of how reading fluency can be explicitly instructed and the strong relationship to the other components of effective reading instruction.
Participants will engage via:
- Self-paced learning (2 modules) on Moodle (1 hr NESA Accredited course), followed by a series of
- Webinars (dates TBC)
Professional Learning Teams will work collaboratively to embed the learning into practice and evaluate the impact on student reading progress and achievement over time. Education Officers are available to support the conversation within Professional Learning Teams.
K-6 Teachers and leaders are invited to enrol in the first cohort.
An overview of the program is available here.
Next Steps:
- Teachers and leaders are invited to discuss this opportunity with their PLT
- Teachers and leaders are invited to enrol in the first course via myLearning here. Registrations close on 22 March, 2024
- Participants engage in self-paced learning via Moodle between 22 March and 2 May.
- Participants who register and complete the first course will be invited to attend a series of webinars to reflect on their teaching practice and impact on student learning and to continue to strengthen their knowledge of and instruction in reading fluency over time.
For more information, please contact:
Alli O’Donnell, Education Officer - English K-12 (alli.odonnell@lism.catholic.edu.au)
Interschool Puzzle Club (IPC) is a rewarding new program available to all schools across Australia.
As an alternative to traditional school clubs, IPC offers a safe space for students of all abilities and backgrounds to collaborate in an engaging and meaningful way. Students with language, physical, social and learning difficulties now have the opportunity to be recognised and celebrated in the most inclusive school club in Australia. The IPC has the flexibility to be run within the classroom, before or after school and during lunch breaks. Some schools also have programs where the classes combine once a week for enrichment, and this program is perfect for such initiatives. For more details, please follow this link. Enrolments are open now.
The DLCSL eSports Competition is being organised for 2024
This year we will be running separate face-to-face events in the north and south of the diocese. The following dates have been put aside:
Term 2, Week 8
- South - 18 Tuesday, June - Venue TBD
- North - 20 Thursday, June - Venue TBD
Term 4, Week 7
- North - 26 Tuesday, November - Venue TBD
- South - 28 Thursday, November - Venue TBD
Interested schools will need to fill out this expression of interest.
An online meeting is planned for Thursday, 14 March, at 3:30 p.m. to discuss and plan for this competition. All are welcome to attend. Please be sure to fill out the EOI.
Each year, national education non-profit Schools Plus, with the support of some of Australia’s leading philanthropists, chaired by David Gonski AC and in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, celebrates inspirational teachers who are making a transformative impact on children and school communities across Australia.
Twelve outstanding teachers or school leaders will receive a prestigious $40,000 award including funding for a strategic school project and participation in a unique 12-month Teaching Fellowship program.
Ten early career teachers with the passion and potential to make an increasing impact in education will receive a $10,000 scholarship for professional development and an exclusive leadership program.
Together, let’s celebrate life-changing teachers!
Please share this great opportunity with your colleagues, network and school community by:
- publishing a story about the Awards in your next newsletter
- sharing a post on your social media channels
- forwarding this information to your education network
- and, of course, nominating an outstanding educator.
Nominations are open between 4 March and 8 April 2024.
For more information, visit www.schoolsplus.org.au/awards or contact awards@schoolsplus.org.au.
The latest edition of the Secondary Curriculum Implementation Newsletter can be found on the Intranet under New Curriculum. The newsletters will be shared via The Way in 2024. Newsletter #2 includes information for leaders and teachers about:
- What’s New
- Have Your Say: Consultation Period
- 2024 System Professional Learning Support
- Languages Collaborative Network Meeting
Term 1 2024 KLA Network Meetings
Please be aware that on Tuesday, 19 March, commencing at 12:30 pm, the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Intranet will be unavailable for three hours while a planned upgrade takes place.
During this time staff will not have any access to the Intranet and any visitors will see a ‘Maintenance’ page.
Please note that this will not impact any other services.
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
- Team Leader, Fee Support
- Finance Assistant, Fee Support (Richmond).
OTHER DIOCESE
- Diocesan Director Catholic Education, Diocese of Rockhampton (information package)