Immediate Disaster Assistance Now Available (Ref: 058/22)
Financial assistance
Disaster payments, grants and financial assistance for people living in areas affected by severe storms and floods in NSW.
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/floods/financial-assistance
SAVE THE DATE VET Delivered to Secondary Students “Dangerous Ideas” Symposium (Ref: 049/22)
Catholic Schools New South Wales, in conjunction with the CSSA, will be hosting a VET Delivered to Secondary Students “Dangerous Ideas” Symposium on Friday 20 May 2022 at the Sydney Masonic Centre.
The symposium will bring together key speakers and Catholic school and system educators. Discussion will focus on current issues and opportunities to extend the educational pathways, opportunities, and outcomes available to students.
Further information, including the agenda and how to register will be provided in the coming weeks.
The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey 2021 Data (Ref: 059/22)
Catholic Schools New South Wales is the major sponsor of the ACU Australian Principal Occupational Health and Wellbeing Survey 2021. The report was released today.
Results from the Survey (2021) found brutal workloads, critical staff shortages and the impact of Covid-19 on the education system have hit school leaders hard, triggering “red flag” warning emails for one-in-three principals whose health and wellbeing were at risk.
The report can be found here
Have your say: English and Maths 3–10 and Languages K–10 syllabuses (Ref: 056/22)
Consultation is now open on the draft English and Mathematics 3–6 and 7–10 and Auslan, Classical Languages and Modern Languages K–10 syllabuses in the next milestone of the NSW Curriculum Reform.
Teachers and other stakeholders are welcome to give feedback on English and Maths until 26 April 2022 and Languages until 11 April 2022.
All feedback in the ‘Have your say’ phase will be used to inform the development of the final syllabuses. Visit the NESA Consultation webpage to have your say.
The syllabuses are more aligned to the latest evidence and research, and make it clearer what is essential for students to learn.
Key features
- English 3–6: A more explicit approach to teaching writing and a greater focus on reading fluency
- Mathematics 3–6: A greater focus on working mathematically, problem solving and reasoning
- English 7–10: A more explicit focus on continuing to strengthen literacy skills and fewer, more focused outcomes
- Mathematics 7–10: A clearer, more flexible ‘core’ and ‘options’ structure so teachers can tailor programs to meet students’ needs
- Classical Languages and Modern Languages K–10: Redeveloped as frameworks that can cover all languages taught in NSW, with stronger foundations in language learning
- Auslan K–10: Available in the NSW Curriculum for the first time to learn as a first or additional language.
The final syllabuses will be released on NESA’s new Digital Curriculum platform later in 2022 and will be available to NSW schools from 2023.
More information about the reform is available on the NESA Curriculum Reform website.”
Catholic Schools New South Wales HSC (DeCourcy) Analysis training and support (Ref: 022/22)
The 2021 HSC Analysis was made available on Tuesday 8th February.
Professional Development and Training
After careful consideration, the preferred mode of delivery for the HSC Analysis training will continue to be face-to-face. A version of the Introduction to the Analysis and Detailed Reading of the Analysis is being trialled via Zoom.
Course Details
Leading your School in the Analysis: Monday 21 March face-to-face at SMC
Introduction to the Analysis #2: Wednesday 23 March face-to-face at SMC
Detailed read of the Analysis #2: Friday 25 March face-to-face at SMC
The link to register for this training can be accessed HERE
The online training module can be accessed HERE
For more information contact Gary Molloy, Manager Research, Data & Analysis
*SMC Conference & Function Centre
66 Goulburn St, Sydney NSW 2000
User Support
All support for users with access or technology issues should in the first instance be directed to the support desk via email: [email protected]
Australian Inclusive Schooling Conference Free Webinars (Ref: 050/22)
In the lead-up to the Australian Inclusive Schooling Conference, Illume Learning is pleased to present a FREE pre-conference webinar series. Join us across March and April for 5 webinars that shine a light on some of the key themes and topics of the conference.
Unable to join us live (7:30pm AEST) on Webinar Wednesdays? Each session will be available for one week as an on-demand replay.
Webinar dates and registration information can be found here.
BeYou Webinar: Building skills for resilience in disaster recovery (Ref: 051/22)
BeYou (Beyond Blue) are hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 22 March, Building skills for resilience in disaster recovery.
This webinar will outline what supporting resilience looks like for learning communities, and the role of educators in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people as part of disaster recovery. Practical strategies and resources for educators will also be shared, with an opportunity to ask questions of an expert panel.
To register, click here.
LivingWorks suicide prevention training for all secondary schools (Ref: 052/22)
The NSW Government has invested $14 million in a state wide suicide prevention training initiative to support the mental health of the population. A key target group for this initiative is young people, with high school teachers; school support staff; school counsellors; parents; carers and student peer leaders in years 10-12 eligible to receive training.
Training is available for all NSW Catholic high schools, on an opt-in basis.
The training will be provided by sector experts in suicide prevention training, LivingWorks Education Australia (LivingWorks). There will be a variety of training courses on offer, ranging from a short online course that will teach participants the skills to identify signs of suicidal thoughts or self-harm and support referral to appropriate resources, to a two-day intensive suicide intervention skills course. Participation in this initiative is free, with all costs met by the NSW Government.
LivingWorks will be in contact with each Diocese and the Catholic Independent schools to plans for the rollout of training.
However, if your school wants to register to start training straight away, you can express interest on the LivingWorks website.
https://www.livingworks.com.au/
If you have any questions please contact Lauren Dale, Project Manager, LivingWorks Australia at [email protected]
NSW Curriculum Reform: New online professional development modules (Ref: 045/22)
Teachers can now explore the new English and Mathematics K–2 syllabuses through free online learning modules.
The modules provide an overview of:
- new syllabus structures
- outcomes, content and evidence base
- how to access key information
Each module counts towards 2.5 hours of NESA accredited PD.
Login to online learning HERE.
Student Mental Health & Wellbeing Trends in 2022 (Ref:039/22)
Anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidality and violence are presenting increasing challenges for schools. Increased concerns around student mental health and wellbeing hit the headlines during the COVID-19 crisis. This resulted in increased government spending and renewed interest in school safety and security.
Join Jennifer Coen (Senior Manager- Wellbeing Catholic Schools New South Wales) as she discusses student wellbeing in 2022 and how Catholic Schools New South Wales can support your school staff to become a part of these initiatives.
When: Wednesday 16 March 9:30 – 10:30
Audience: All RI/MPJP well-being & counselling staff
To register for the one hour workshop click here
You will need to update your details on the Catholic Schools New South Wales Professional Learning site by clicking here.
For any technical support please contact [email protected]. All other enquiries can be directed to Jennifer Coen [email protected] – 0417441781
Make WriteOn 2022 part of your program (Ref: 055/22)
WriteOn is an annual writing competition open to primary students in Years 1 to 6, including home-schooled students.
Last year NESA received more entries than ever before, with almost 600 students participating from over 300 schools across NSW.
This year’s competition will run from 28 March to 17 June.
Teachers are encouraged to include the competition in their English programs.
How to enter and competition guidelines can be found here.
Aboriginal Education: Mental Health and Wellbeing Resource (Ref: 054/22)
Last year, Catholic Schools New South Wales launched the Aboriginal Education Digital Resource (Ref: 246/21). Explore the following resources on the Catholic Schools New South Wales Aboriginal Education Digital Resource to support the wellbeing of teachers, students and parents.
- Wellbeing – Educators and parents can find resources, guidelines and support services related to mental health issues.
- Aboriginal spirituality
- Supporting learning at home – Teachers and parents can find resources to support children with their learning at home.
- Online resources for early learners
National Check-in Week (Ref: 054/22)
National Check-in Week starts next week! (21-25 March 2022)
Join over 700 schools and 200,000 students already registered for a week focused on student wellbeing. Through connection, conversation and continuous check-ins, we will help students better manage their emotions and relationships in a positive, healthy way.
National Check-in Week is free, simple to set up and takes only minutes each day to check-in.
National School Science Safety Campaign (Ref: 047/22)
The National School Science Safety Campaign ‘Science Safety Matters’ is an initiative of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA). ASTA is supported in this campaign by the Australian Academy of Science (AAS).
Science by its very nature requires inquiry and investigation, which inherently has risks. Whilst these risks are real, they can be mitigated through safe practices and embedding a safety-first culture within schools. The responsibility for safety with school science rests on the shoulders of school science educators, and school leadership.
The campaign was officially launched on Wednesday 16 February, you can download a copy of the launch video via the link provided (https://youtu.be/-lvsLzHGTLU), or on ASTA’s social media accounts as per below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASTA.Science/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/asta_online
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/australian-science-teachers-association
The campaign will consist of social media posts, articles and resources which will be provided over the course of the year.
Schools can subscribe to the Science ASSIST online advisory service, as well as access the many resources already available on the Science ASSIST website (https://assist.asta.edu.au).
ASTA policy position papers are available on the ASTA website under the Impact and Advocacy Section.
For further information contact: [email protected]
HSC Stage 6 Indonesian and Literature course (Ref: 046/22)
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) will not be suspending the Stage 6 Indonesian and Literature course in 2022 despite continuing low HSC candidature over three consecutive years (2019, 2020 and 2021).
Due to enrolment disruptions as a result of COVID-19, 2021 has been discounted for the purpose of calculating language completion data for the suspension of courses. Should the candidature in Indonesian and Literature fall again below 15 students in 2022, the course will be suspended following the 2024 HSC examinations with 2023 being the last year for students in Year 11 to undertake the course. If the candidature reaches 15 in 2022, the course will not be suspended in 2024.
The Big Vegie Crunch registration (Ref: 057/22)
It’s not too late to register. The Big Vegie Crunch time is on Thursday 31 March at 10am.
Wondering what Vegetable Week & The Big Vegie Crunch is all about?
Vegetable Week is a school-based event for NSW primary schools, funded by NSW Health.
‘The Big Vegie Crunch’ is an attempt by NSW primary school students to break the record for the highest number of children eating vegetables simultaneously – and to get kids excited about vegetables!
Vegetable Week 2022 will run from Monday 28 March to Friday 1 April, with The Big Vegie Crunch held at 10am on Thursday 31 March.
Find out more at the Vegetable Week & The Big Vegie Crunch website:
https://healthy-kids.com.au/teachers/vegetable-week-the-big-vegie-crunch/