Contents
Bishops' statements on the Olympics Opening Ceremony (Ref: 181/24)
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony featured a segment with a perverse take on Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, complete with purported ‘drag queens’ as the Apostles. A child was also sadly involved.
In response, Archbishop Fisher and Bishop Randazzo, in his capacity as the President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania, released statements, calling upon the faithful to ‘stand firm against such misrepresentations and advocate for genuine respect and inclusion, which are first and foremost Gospel values’, and, ‘importantly, pray for those who have not yet come to know and love Christ.’
You can access a full copy of Archbishop Fisher’s statement here and Bishop Randazzo’s media release here.
Update to CSNSW Professional Learning Online Modules (Ref: 180/24)
Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) is updating content and access to the CSNSW PL Modules on the Professional Learning platform. You have until Monday 19 August 2024 to complete unfinished modules and download your transcript.
- Sign into the CSNSW PL Platform here.
- To download your transcript, click on the My Learning tab in the top navigation bar.
- On the My Learning page, click on the Completed tab, and a Learning Transcript button will appear on the right-hand side.
- Click to download your transcript.
Free Short Course to Help Teachers Manage Classrooms (Ref: 178/24)
One in three teachers report losing teaching time due to disruptive behaviour and reports show that students perform better in reading literacy when classrooms have a positive disciplinary climate than those who don’t.
Teachers will be able to upskill for free with a new micro-credential course focused on managing classrooms, released this week by the University of Adelaide. Evidenced-based and developed by experts, the new course will help to further empower teachers in the classroom and improve outcomes for their students.
The Classroom Management course will give teachers strategies to create safe and orderly classrooms, address frequent interruptions to learning, build positive and inclusive practices and manage escalations in behaviour. The Classroom Management course can be found here.
The self-paced online course can be completed in the teacher’s own time, at their own pace, to fit in around their other commitments. The qualifications will offer teachers a potential credit pathway towards post-graduate study with the School of Education at the University of Adelaide. Microcredential courses in Explicit Teaching and Teaching Phonics will also be rolled out in the coming months.
The Albanese Government is investing more than $3 million in funding to the University of Adelaide to design and deliver microcredentials courses for teachers. This investment is part of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan and builds on the Government’s Engaged Classrooms initiative, which is developing free classroom management resources for teachers.
Registration details can be found here.
Council of Catholic Schools Parents Free Webinars for Parents and Carers (Ref: 167/24)
eSafety Commissioner Free Webinar for Parents
Tuesday 20 August from 7.30pm – 8.00pm
Parents and Carers are encouraged to register for CCSP’s Term 3 webinar ‘Consent and online boundaries: how to support your primary-aged child’.
Ran by the eSafety Commissioner’s expert education and training team, the FREE live webinar addresses how children can safely navigate the online world and how to make decisions around consent and boundaries.
This 30-minute webinar will outline strategies for parents and carers, as well as support those hard-to-have conversations.
To register click here.
Breaking Point with Dr Justin Coulson
Wednesday 11 September from 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Join Dr Justin Coulson, Australia’s leading parenting expert, as he unpacks the mental health crisis enveloping our kids. He’ll cover:
- The root causes behind the deteriorating state of mental health, and who (or what) is responsible
- The tools you need to reverse this trend for your children
- Science-backed, relationship-focused strategies to remedy school refusal
- Realistic approaches for managing screen time in a way that protects your child’s wellbeing without completely alienating them from their peers
- Creating margin in your home and family life to protect and promote mental wellness
To register click here.
ACARA’s Professional Learning Hub Courses (Ref: 166/24)
Teachers now have access to ACARA’s Professional Learning Hub, a series of courses across the eight key learning areas informed by Version 9.0. of the Australian Curriculum. The series – ‘Australian Curriculum Version 9.0: Developing a deeper understanding’ – aims to help teachers develop flexible teaching programs, which give students meaningful learning experiences to meet their needs and abilities.
ACARA’s Professional Learning Hub courses support English and Mathematics teachers as follows:
- English – gain knowledge and explore connections across the three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy to provide a deeper engagement with a range of texts.
- Mathematics – make connections within and across the strands of Mathematics so students develop a deeper understanding of mathematical skills and concepts that can be applied to solve real-world problems.
Click here to learn more.
Harvard's 'The Principals' Centre in Australia' Program (Ref: 170/24)
The Principals’ Centre in Australia program, jointly presented by the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Professional Education and the Harvard Club of Australia, encourages the attendance of principals and school leaders across Australasia.
The program will be held from 13 to 17 January 2025.
The 5-day program explores regionally based content including family and community engagement, optimal learning conditions, long-term strategies, leadership plans and instructional leadership development.
Early bird applications close on 15 September 2024.
The final application deadline is 15 November 2024.
Click here to learn more and apply.
Positive Schools Conference 2024 (Ref: 172/24)
The Positive Schools BIG WORKSHOP is on Thursday 24 – Friday 25 October 2024. This conference will focus on supporting student wellbeing, staff wellbeing and whole school success.
Day 1 will explore the Contextual Wellbeing framework and how to undertake a wellbeing audit in classrooms and staffrooms.
Day 2 will address managing resistance to change, how to create a journey of equity and inclusion and future steps.
Click here to register.
NSW Council of Deans of Education Conference (Ref: 162/24)
Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney will attend the NSW Council of Deans of Education conference as a guest speaker on Friday, August 30th, 2024, from 8:30 am. to 5:00 pm.
The 2024 conference theme is ‘Equity in Education: From policy to the playground’ with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and associated issues, including AI in education.
Noted speakers include The Hon Prue Car (Deputy Premier NSW) and Prof Mary O’Kane (Chair of the Australian Universities Accord).
Click here to purchase tickets.
NESA All My Own Work Program (Ref: 159/24)
The All My Own Work (AMOW) program teaches students about academic scholarship principles and ethical practices when locating and using information during their studies. In the updated program, contemporary examples of the principles of ethical scholarship are used including the use of generative Artificial Intelligence.
The program includes four online modules that students can work through individually or as a class, depending on the preference of the school or teacher. Schools have flexibility in deciding how and when to deliver AMOW, or to use an equivalent program.
The four modules include:
- Topic 1 – What is all my own work?
- Topic 2 – What is plagiarism?
- Topic 3 – How do I acknowledge other people’s work?
- Topic 4 – How can I work honestly?
The updated program can be found here on NESA’s website.
Additional information about delivering AMOW is also available including:
- delivery methods and implementation strategies
- certifying completion of AMOW
- completing the Quizzes.
To be eligible for the HSC, students must complete AMOW or its equivalent before they are entered into any Preliminary or HSC course. Students typically complete the program in Term 4 of Year 10. Students studying a full Stage 6 Life Skills pattern of study are not required to complete AMOW.
Principals will continue to certify students’ completion of All My Own Work through Schools Online.
Contact Monica O’Brien, Head of Assessment here for further information, if required.
Kids Helpline’s Largest Anti-Bullying Lesson (Ref: 163/24)
For the first time ever, Kids Helpline’s is launching the largest anti-bullying lesson online. This Bullying No Way Week (12 – 16 August) sign your class up for a free, exclusive live-stream run by Kids Helpline.
Kids Helpline is putting out the call to high school teachers across Australia to register their class, grade or school, and help them reach as many teens as possible.
Run by a Kids Helpline counsellor, the lesson will empower students with practical tips and advice on how to deal with bullying, while ensuring they know support services like Kids Helpline are here to help.
Sign up today and empower your students with the tools they need to make a difference.
Click here to register.
Mastery in Mathematics (MiM) Reference Guides (Ref: 161/24)
The National Catholic Education Commission engaged Ochre Education to deliver a full year’s worth of high-quality, evidence-based and adaptable teaching resources for Years 7 and 8 mathematics teachers in Catholic schools.
The Mastery in Mathematics (MiM) project delivers around 240 lessons which embed high-impact teaching practices, as well as resources to support intervention for students who have gaps in foundational numeracy skills. Resources are mapped to the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0, the NSW Syllabus, and the Victorian Curriculum version 2.0. To access the project, click here.
Curriculum maps, professional learning and lesson resources for Terms 1, 2 and 3 are already available via the Ochre website here with Term 4 being released on 30 August. To further support teachers and the implementation of MiM in your school or diocese, two quick reference guides have been developed:
PowerPoints to support leaders will be available towards the end of Term 3.
Access resources here.
Apply Now: 2025 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations – Expressions of Interest for the roles of Assessor (Ref: 164/24)
The Head of Assessment is seeking expressions of interest for the following positions.
An Assessor for each of the following 2025 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations:
- Aboriginal Studies
- Legal Studies
- Mathematics Standard 1
- PDHPE
The letter regarding the Expression of Interest requirements for the Assessor 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 of Assessment here by 9am, Friday 9 August 2024.
NAPLAN Individual Student Report Results (Ref: 165/24)
Parents of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 who took the NAPLAN assessment in March 2024 will receive an individual student report (ISR) of their child’s results from their school from the start of Term 3.
These reports provide useful information on a student’s results in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN ISRs are reported against proficiency standards. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. There are 4 levels of proficiency, which provide parents and carers with clear information on their child’s achievement:
- Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
- Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
- Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
- Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes that are expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.
Click here to find out more.
Read ACARA’s parent and carer brochure here.
Final K–6 syllabuses launched (Ref: 160/24)
The NSW Government, in conjunction with the NSW Education Standards Authority, has released the last four syllabuses of the new K-6 curriculum. The K–6 syllabuses are a significant reform, having been developed in unison for the first time in 50 years.
Schools can plan and prepare to teach the new K–6 syllabuses from 2024. The new syllabuses will be implemented in NSW schools from 2027.
The new syllabuses and support materials are available from NESA via the following links:
- Creative Arts (K-6) here.
- Human Society and its Environment (K–6) here.
- Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (K–6) here.
- Science and Technology (K-6) here.
Schools have access to support materials, including teaching advice, found here to assist with implementation. More resources will be made available over time including online accredited professional development on NESA’s online learning hub found here.
Up-to-date Curriculum Reform information is available here.
Any questions regarding the Curriculum Reform can be directed here to Joanne Hack.
2024 NAPLAN results now available (Ref: 177/24)
2024 NAPLAN results are now available in Scout.
CSNSW schools access Scout using their NETid credentials. For any access issues, schools should contact here.
NESA has advised that digital copies of NAPLAN 2024 Individual Student Reports (ISRs) and Additional Student Reports (ASRs) are available to download from the NAPLAN reporting page in Schools Online here.
Printed copies of the ISRs and ASRs were dispatched to schools for distribution to parents and carers at the beginning of term 3.
For more information about student reports, schools should contact the NAPLAN team at NESA here.
CCSP Roger O’Sullivan Award (Ref: 168/24)
Apply for the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT 2024 Roger O’Sullivan Award for the opportunity to receive a $5000 grant for your school!
- Has your school community implemented an initiative that focuses on family, school and community collaboration?
- Does your initiative focus on faith formation, the school curriculum, student wellbeing, or any combination of the three?
- Has your initiative made a real difference for the students, staff and families in your community?
The Roger O’Sullivan Award is an annual grant offered to a NSW/ACT Catholic school that can show exemplary practice in family, school and community partnerships. Apply now and tell us about how your school has bridged the gap between home and school, and enhanced student outcomes in faith development, learning and wellbeing of students. Your school could be awarded first place and receive $5000 to continue your partnership-focused initiative.
Applications close at 5pm on Monday 14 October 2024.
To learn more and apply click here.
Updated Skin Cancer Research – Cancer Conversations (Ref: 169/24)
The Cancer Institute NSW is delighted to host a special edition of Cancer Conversations on Monday 12 August at 4pm, bringing together renowned experts and health leaders to discuss emerging issues and innovations across the cancer spectrum.
Hosted by Professor Tracey O’Brien, AM, join 2024 Australians of the Year Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO Melanoma Institute Australia and leading skin cancer epidemiologist Professor Anne Cust The Daffodil Centre for this free virtual event.
Registration is now open! Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from world leaders about the life-changing outcomes in skin cancer research.
For full details and to register, click here.