Welcome to Scholaris

Presentations from the Catholic Schools Early Years Symposium (28 April 2023) are now available to download. Please feel free to share with your colleagues; however, the presentations will expire on Friday, 2nd August 2023.

Click HERE to access the presentations. (You will be directed to the CSNSW Professional Learning platform; however, if you have not logged into the platform before, you must go through the brief sign-in process.)

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is an optional online reading assessment available at no cost to Catholic Schools NSW schools with a Year 1 student cohort.

The assessment takes 5 – 7 minutes and is carried out by classroom teachers with each student individually. Student responses are auto-mapped to indicators from the National Literacy Learning Progressions.

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check provides teachers with an overview of a student’s progress in phonics. This information helps teachers make decisions during the teaching and learning cycle.

The Check assesses the phonic knowledge and skills a student has learnt to blend sounds together to read a word.

The Student Assessment Analysis provided after the check assists teachers in making decisions that will help inform the next steps to meet a student’s individual learning needs.

Teachers use an online tool to enter student responses. The online tool is available via the Assessing Literacy and Numeracy (ALAN) portal from 7 August 2023. CSNSW teachers access the ALAN portal using their NETid credentials.

The assessment window for 2023 is from 7 to 25 August (Term 3).

The assessment is available to systemic and RI/MPJP schools with a Year 1 cohort. Systemic schools should check with their Diocese regarding opt-in arrangements, as these vary across the state.

RI/MPJP schools and systemic schools not included in whole-of-Diocese opt-in to the 2023 PSC, should register their expression of interest to participate via email to [email protected]. Registrations close on 7 July 2023.

For more information, please contact Karen Ferrante: [email protected]

2023 NAPLAN results are expected to be released to schools on Thursday 22 June via the School and Student Summary report (SSSR). A proficiency standards report will also be available to schools through Schools Online.

NESA will email instructions on how to access the reports, as soon as ACARA advises that they are available.

School and student summary report (SSSR)

The SSSR provides data on how students and year groups performed in NAPLAN tests, including summaries of items administered and student performance by test domain for each year level.

Proficiency standards report

From 2023, NAPLAN results are reported using proficiency standards, which replace the previous reporting of student results that used numerical bands and national minimum standards.

Students’ results are measured against 4 levels of proficiency:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.

ACARA will publish profiency level descriptions from Thursday 22 June on the NAP website.

In 2023, proficiency standards will not be reported in the SSSR. NESA will provide schools with a Profiency Standards report via Schools Online.

The proficiency standards report is provided in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format and outlines the level of proficiency achieved by each student in each test domain.

Principals and NAPLAN coordinators will receive support materials for communicating the introduction of profiency standards to parents and carers via an email  from NESA towards the end of Term 2.

Scout

The Department of Education will send separate advice to schools in the coming weeks outlining the changes to NAPLAN reports in the Scout platform.

A factsheet for principals and teachers can be found here.

Contact NESA Tel: 1300 119 556 or 02 9367 8382

Email: [email protected] for support with accessing results.

The following information is provided to assist schools with preparation for the 2023 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations.

1. 2023 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations FINAL Timetable

The 2023 CSSA Trial HSC Examinations FINAL Timetable was made available to schools in early Term 2.

The FINAL Timetable is available on the CSSA website via the link.

The dates for the 2023 CSSA Trial HSC Examination Timetable are

• Monday 31 July to Monday 14 August 2023

The CSSA Trial HSC Examinations Security Period is

• up to, and inclusive of, Wednesday, 16 August 2023
• Examinations, including examination-related materials and student scripts, can be returned to students from 8.00 am, Thursday, 17 August 2023

Delivery Rounds

• First Round Deliveries
  • Schools that have ordered examinations per cohort (one per student) and using the 2023 CSSA Trial HSC Examination Timetable.
  • Delivered to schools from Tuesday, 18 July to Friday, 21 July 2023 (Week 1, Term 3).
  • Delivery includes four documents in support of school preparation for the CSSA Trial HSC Examinations.
  • An electronic signature is required from the school representative receiving the delivery.
  • Ensure secure storage of boxes immediately upon delivery.

• Second Round Deliveries
  • Schools that have purchased a minimum order of examinations (5 copies per subject).
  • Orders will be delivered to schools from Monday, 4 September 2023 (Week 8, Term 3).
  • An electronic signature is required from the school representative receiving the delivery.

2. CSSA Terms and Conditions

Principals are reminded to ensure the CSSA Terms and Conditions are adhered to by school executive, teachers and other staff members.

National Catholic Education executive director, Jacinta Collins, has released a statement on the Voice to Parliament while also reflecting on the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference media release on the topic, which was issued last month. Ms Collins encourages Catholic school communities to take the opportunity to learn more about the Voice and engage with their local First Nations families and communities on this important direction for Australia.

The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) commenced in 2019 and requires entities with annual consolidated revenue above $100 million in FY2022 to submit their annual modern slavery statements and set out how they have assessed, addressed, and mitigated the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.

Entities covered by the Act with a reporting period between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 must submit their modern slavery statements for FY2022 by 30 June 2023. The Australian Government is currently considering recommendations to introduce penalties for failure to comply with the Act.

The Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network (ACAN) provides shared services to support Catholic school systems to comply with the Modern Slavery Act. For more information, contact [email protected]

The Modern Slavery Act (MSA) Review Report has been tabled in Parliament with 30 recommendations, including:

• introducing penalties for non-compliance with statutory reporting requirements;
• lowering the reporting threshold from $100M to $50M; and
• amending the Act to require entities to have a due diligence system in place.

Download the report by clicking here.

The National Mental Health Commission is looking into how digital technology affects young people’s mental health. We know that digital technology can affect young people’s mental health and wellbeing in both good and bad ways. We want to develop ideas that will encourage the benefits of digital technologies and decrease harmful impacts on young people.

The survey aims to understand better how young people use digital technologies and how this can impact them. This will allow us to build the evidence base, identify practical solutions and advise the Government and the mental health and suicide prevention sectors on what can be done to support young people in an increasingly digital world. The last date to complete the survey is 22 June 2023.

Take the survey by clicking here.

ACARA has updated the National Report on Schooling Data Portal with new information on student and staff numbers, school finances and teacher education information. For the first time, this includes information on school attendance rates by socio-educational advantage, which shows an increasing gap in school attendance between the lowest and highest advantaged students.

For information or assistance, please contact Gary Molloy

The Australian Government Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System (the Review) will make recommendations for Education Ministers to inform the next agreement to improve education outcomes in Australia and meet the current and future needs of students.

As part of the Review, the Government has engaged the Social Research Centre to survey Teachers, Parents and Students. This is an opportunity for teachers, parents and students to contribute their perspectives and help shape the future of education in Australia.

The Review will use survey results to help draft a consultation paper which will invite submissions from all stakeholders. Results will also inform the development of recommendations for the final report, which will advise Education Ministers on what targets and reforms should be included in the next National School Reform Agreement.

The Survey closes on Friday, 23 June 2023:

Parent and Student Survey

Teacher Survey

For information or assistance, place contact Gary Molloy

The Sisters of Charity Foundation has partnered with The Salvation Army to provide transitional housing assistance and support to survivors, helping them build a new life and become independent.

This unique model provides survivors with accommodation tailored to individual needs and is designed to overcome the barrier of entering the rental market experienced by people with no previous rental or employment history.

Each survivor who enters the program will be supported through their transition to suitable accommodation. The Sisters of Charity Foundation heavily subsidises each rental payment for up to 12 months and provides a lump sum to set up the home with furniture and white goods.

Raise the Roof is a year long campaign designed to source the funding for accommodation and furniture. You can donate at any point throughout the year, although there is a particular focus on 28 – 31 July, with 30 July being the UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Visit here for more information and to donate.

Raise the Roof Giving Weekend – Save the Date July 28