Contents

Professional Learning Legal Resources for Learning School Newsletter Catholic Schools New South Wales Sport
Professional Learning

REGISTER NOW - Andrew Fuller: Big Impact strategies for wellbeing leaders Webinar (Ref: 49/23)

Andrew Fuller is one of Australia’s leading psychologists in the area of child and adolescent mental health.

Catholic Schools NSW invites Catholic educators to join our virtual conversation with Andrew on Tuesday 21 March 2023, as he discusses the most recent research on big impact strategies to improve student wellbeing for learning.

Register via the PL Platform HERE or via the QR code below.

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ATTENTION PRIMARY PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS: Introduction to Trauma Informed Practice Online Series (Ref: 52/23)

Catholic Schools NSW PL is excited to partner with Matthew Smith and Summit Education in offering a 4-part online series on trauma informed practice. 

Students who have experienced early-life trauma often present in classrooms as disengaged, disruptive, oppositional or withdrawn. Trauma informed practice promotes the development of healthier relationships, more engaged learners and builds inclusive environments.

Matt will lead senior primary school leaders through four 1-hour online sessions including:

  • Thursday 23 March 3:45-4:45pm Understanding the Brain Part 1 – Brain architecture – thinking, feeling, surviving
  • Thursday 30 March 3:45-4:45pm Understanding the Brain Part 2 – Neural pathway development and neural pruning – stress hormones and brain chemistry
  • Thursday 4 May 3:45-4:45pm Trauma and Behaviour Part 1 – The functions of behaviour – arousal, alarm response and hypervigilance
  • Thursday 11 May 3:45-4:45pm Trauma and Behaviour Part 2 – Attachment styles and relationship development – The window of tolerance, escalation

Matt Smith is the Director of Summit Education. He has over 20 years’ experience in education, most recently ad the principal of Jarjum College, an independent Catholic School for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children impacted by early life trauma. Matt successfully led the implementation of trauma informed practice to transform the learning and behavioural outcomes for students.

Event Flyer: Introduction to Trauma Informed Practice

Register HERE.

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Rural and Remote HSC Simulated Marking Program (Ref: 42/23)

Rural and Remote HSC Simulated Marking Program

The program provides a unique professional learning opportunity for rural and remote Stage 6 teachers to engage in a simulated HSC marking experience online.

 

Program overview

A range of one-day workshops are available. Participants will:

  • improve their understanding of HSC exam marking processes
  • deepen their understanding and application of marking guidelines, improving consistency in teacher judgement
  • use specialised marking software to practice marking student responses from previous years
  • collaborate with markers and other teachers around HSC results analysis package (RAP)
  • apply the skills and knowledge learned during the workshop to Stage 6 classes to enhance student learning outcomes.

 

Workshop details

Each workshop will be facilitated and delivered online by NESA officials or their delegates.

  2023 HSC simulation marking workshops

Subject Date
Business Studies (Core) Extended Response Tuesday 9 May 2023
Business Studies (Core) Extended Response Wednesday 10 May 2023
English Advanced (Paper 2) Module C Tuesday 9 May 2023
English Advanced (Paper 2) Module C Wednesday 10 May 2023
Mathematics Standard and Advanced – Short Answers Tuesday 9 May 2023
Mathematics Standard and Advanced – Short Answers Wednesday 10 May 2023

Applicants need to seek approval from their principal to apply to ensure that the cost of casual relief will be covered by their employer.

Participants for this professional learning will be selected according to their rurality and location. Teacher eligibility to apply for the program will be determined by the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+)External link.

Teachers in schools with a higher ranking to indicate remoteness will be prioritised for this program.

Apply from 9am Thursday 2 March at 2023 HSC Simulated Marking application External link.

Applications close Thursday 23 March 2023.

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Catholic Schools NSW Secondary Curriculum Reform Conference 2023 (Ref: 43/23)

The NSW Curriculum Reform has been a time of reflection, consultation and change.  This reform aims to ensure that our young people are well-prepared to make a contribution to our society and to the world.  The reformed NSW syllabuses are the roadmap to this future. Now is the time to seize this once in generation opportunity to optimise learning and engagement enhancing our practice across the secondary curriculum.  

Please join Catholic teachers and leaders from across the State to consider this exciting opportunity and responsibility to make lasting change. 

Preliminary Conference Details 

When: Thursday 24 and Friday 25 August 2023 

Where: Sydney CBD 

Confirmed speakers 

  • Dr Phil Lambert – Conference Facilitator 
  • Andreas Schleicher – Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills. OECD 
  • Simon Breakspear – Education Leader, researcher and speaker  
  • Representatives from The Professional Teachers’ Council NSW.

 The conference will consider the opportunity for curriculum reform through the lenses of: 

  1. the syllabuses  
  2. the cross-syllabus drive to improve reading, writing and communication 
  3. assessment & data  
  4. ensuring we are meet the learning needs of the most disadvantaged  
  5. leadership and change management.

 Registration details will be released in in the coming weeks.   

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Registrations OPEN: Early Years Symposium (Ref: 31/23)

Event registration is open!
Limited places.

You are invited to the inaugural ‘Early Years Symposium’.

It will be held from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on Friday 28 April 2023 in the Sydney Masonic Centre. 

This FREE event is for ALL those who educate and support early learners in our schools, pre-schools and learning centres.

A one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore pedagogy, build skill acquisition, collaborate with each other to enhance the educational outcomes of our students.

On the day there will be keynote speaker Nathan Wallis along with presenters Sue Larkey, Professor Tricia Eadie and Professor Pamela Snow.

To register use the QR code:

or visit here: Overview | Catholic Schools NSW (csnsw.cloud) 

For further information, please contact Sean Maloney (Senior Education Officer) here.

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NEW Mathematics modules K-2 Mathematics ​​​​​​​(Ref: 39/23)

NEW Mathematics modules for K-2 Mathematics are available now!

Find a playlist of all available K-2 Mathematics Syllabus modules here

The modules can also be accessed directly from the CSNSW PL dashboard https://learn.csnsw.cloud/p/#/app/dashboard under the NESA Accredited PD tile.

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REGISTER NOW: Preparing for the 2023 HSC PL Workshops (Ref: 40/23)

Simon Crook and Crooked Science present their flagship program Preparing for the 2023 HSC PL workshops, all of which are NESA Accredited. Access the flyer here.

View the full list of upcoming workshops below: 

All workshops NESA accredited 5 hours each at Proficient.

*Face-to-face (all other workshops via Zoom)

Contact Crooked Science Directly at [email protected] for further information.

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Catholic Schools NSW - CSSA, Disability & Behaviour Network Symposium (Ref: 56/23)

Catholic Schools NSW  – CSSA, Disability & Behaviour Network Symposium

Embracing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and positive behaviour for enhanced student learning.

Join us with Catholic leaders and teachers from across the State for this exciting professional opportunity to learn about making positive educational change.

This event aims to enhance staff capacity to:

  • implement positive approaches to behaviour management & student engagement
  • drive continuous improvement and alignment of interventions in a range of settings (K-12)
  • better recognise, respond & support vulnerable students and emerging issues
  • promote cross-team collaboration and evidence-based practices
  • significantly improve student learning outcomes across Catholic schools K-12

Symposium Details
When: Friday, 5 May 2023
Time:  8.30am – 4.00pm
Where: Hilton Sydney
Who should attend: School Leadership, Diocesan Representatives, Leaders of Student Wellbeing and/or Academic Care & School and/or diocesan Leaders of disability
Cost: Free

Confirmed Speakers

  • Dr Shiralee Poed, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Queensland
  • Illustrations of Practice including
    • Diocese of Wollongong, Positive Behaviour for Learning in Secondary Schools
    • Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, St Luke’s Catholic College, Marsden Park – Life Design Program
    • Diocese of Wagga, Wagga, Kildare College, 2022 NSW Premier Respect Award and the associated school-based program

*Participants will also have the option of engaging in an intensive Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) moderation workshop

Further workshops to be announced soon!

Registration

Registration is now open (Note: attendee numbers are limited). Register now to avoid missing out.  Register HERE  and by clicking BOOK NOW (blue button) on the right.

After registering via the Catholic Schools NSW Professional Learning Portal, you will receive a confirmation email within 48-72 hours.

If you are visiting the Catholic Schools New South Wales Professional Learning Portal for the first time, you may need to visit the dashboard first by clicking here  (hyperlink).

For further information contact either:

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Legal

Responding to copyright infringement notices (Ref: 36/23)

It’s been drawn to our attention by the National Copyright Unit that schools may be receiving emails from certain companies (some company names may include Copytrack, Pixsy) demanding they pay a fine for using a copyrighted image, alleging it has been used in an infringing way.

Certain correspondence may even be threatening court proceedings if the stated fine is not paid. Such emails are sent in relation to images or photos schools are using in their materials (such as in a school newsletter or on the school website).

Often schools actually have a licence to use the image (for example under the Statutory Text and Artistic Works Licence, a Creative Commons licence or other licence or permission) and the company sending the infringement notice may not be aware of this (and may not have taken steps to establish that).

What you should do if you receive a letter or email alleging infringement?

  1.  Don’t respond to the email. Schools should not panic if they receive an email or letter alleging copyright infringement.
  2. Take down the material, while the issue is being resolved. The school should take the material down immediately after receipt of the email/letter.  The school should also consider where else the material has been used by the school and take steps to immediately cease those uses.
  3. Contact the National Copyright Unit and provide the following:
    • copy of the email making the allegation;
    • the date and time at which the material was taken down  and
    • details about the image/photo that is the subject of the infringement claim;
    • the basis on which the school used the material (i.e. it was or wasn’t used with permission from the copyright owner, under a licence like Creative Commons, or under an education exception or the Statutory Text and Artistic Works Licence).
  1. The NCU will assess all the relevant facts and information and advise on the next steps.

If you have any further questions regarding this, please contact Mark De Carvalho ([email protected]), Senior Legal Counsel at Catholic Schools NSW.

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Resources for Learning

2023 NAPLAN Tests (Ref: 34/23)

Several changes have been made to the administration of the online NAPLAN tests. You can find detailed information regarding these changes and resources to support the implementation of these changes here on the CSNSW eLearning Platform.

Changes to the NAPLAN tests include:

  • NAPLAN moved to Term 1 in March: Wednesday 15 – Monday 27 March
  • Revised test session schedule allows all year groups to start writing on the same day. (Wednesday 15 March)
  • Test security period reduced to 4 days. (28 to 31 March)
  • New protocol for students who leave a test due to illness
  • Practice tests are no longer required, however there are several familiarisation options available to schools and students, including the NAPLAN training environment which is recommended for staff who are unfamiliar with NAPLAN online processes and functions
  • An infographic of available options can be found here: Infographic

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REGISTER NOW: Virtual Story Time (Ref: 30/23)

‘What Do You Call Your Grandma?’

By Ashleigh Barton

Registrations are open!

Be one of the first 100 teachers to register to receive a free copy of this delightful book for your class.

Live streamed into the classroom at 10am Wednesday 22 March 2023

Register with the QR code:

or visit here: https://forms.office.com/r/wX3z5d3ZQ3

Once registered you will receive a link for the live stream of the virtual story time via your email address.

Early childhood and K-2 teachers are encouraged to register.

For further information, please contact Sean Maloney (Senior Education Officer) here.

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Available to purchase now - Michelle McGrath's Yellamundie (Ref: 54/23)

Yellamundie is a beautiful collection of stories by Michelle McGrath that will bring all Australians closer to the truth about the impact that colonisation has had on our First Nations people and how that impact continues today. Truth Telling is an incredibly important part of our nation’s healing. These stories from 30 of Sydney’s Indigenous people and are told in their words – it is their truth.

Yellamundie is available to purchase here.

You can also book a school visit, where students will have the opportunity to hear Michelle read excerpts from the book, talk about the book writing process and discuss the history of Aboriginal people in Australia and what
a reconciled Australia looks like.

Find more information in the Yellamundie School Visit Flyer and book your school visit here.

About the Author

Michelle McGrath is a qualified Teacher’s Assistant and has been working in the Indigenous Education Sector since 2018 and is currently employed at Redfern Jarjum College, a special assistance school for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children.

Michelle’s passions lie in Indigenous education; both the education of our Indigenous children and the education of non-Indigenous children in Aboriginal culture and history.

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School Newsletter

REGISTER NOW: 70th Annual RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration

Schools from all sectors are invited to participate in this years’ RSL & Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration Service in Hyde Park.

This Commemoration Service has been held annually in SNW since 1953 and participating schools will lay a floral tribute during the Serve at the ANZAC Memorial, Hyde Park on Monday 3 April, commencing at 11:00 am till 12:30 pm. School representatives are asked to arrive and be seated around the Pool of Reflection by no later than 10:45 am. 

This years’ guest of honour will be Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.

The RSL & Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration will once again return to being a face-to-face event, allowing students to honour the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women.

The service is for students by students. Historically over 100 schools, with up to 1,500 students and teachers have attended this Commemoration annually.

Register your school’s participation in the service for 2023 HERE by 5:00 pm Monday 20 March, 2023

If you have any questions, please contact Catholic Schools NSW Communications and Events Manager, Emily Ritchie by clicking here.

Harmony Week Resources and Competitions (Ref: 48/23)

Promotional poster pdf.

Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country – from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world.

Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. It makes Australia a great place to live.

An integrated multicultural Australia is an integral part of our national identity. All people who migrate to Australia bring with them some of their own cultural and religious traditions, as well as taking on many new traditions. Collectively, these traditions have enriched our nation.

Resources for Harmony Week can be found here:
https://www.harmony.gov.au/resources/resources

Competitions close on Friday 14 April 2023.

 

REGISTER NOW: Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT Anxiety and Resilience Webinar (Ref: 46/23)

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT has arranged for Dr Justin Coulson PhD to present a FREE webinar on the important topic of Anxiety and Resilience.

The webinar for parents, carers, and staff in NSW and ACT Catholic schools will be held on Wednesday 29 March at 7.00pm.

You can register using the QR code below or ccsp.catholic.edu.au/upcoming-webinars.

Find resources to promote this FREE webinar to your school community and network here.

Register NOW: MAE Careers Pathfinders Showcase Day (Ref: 33/23)

The Utilities and Electrotechnology ITAB & Agrifood Industry Training Advisory Board is partnering with TAFE NSW Albury to highlight exciting career opportunities in the fields of Energy-Utilities and Electrotechnology for young women.

This event will provide attendees with opportunities to network and to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the role they can play in these industries.

The event will take place at TAFE Albury Campus – Electrotechnology – Building L, 636 Poole St, Albury on Thursday 23 March.

Since numbers for the event are limited, those interested can register here.

Click here for the flyer and map.

Register NOW: Robotics MAE Showcase Day (Ref: 32/23)

All women career aspirants, students, and school career advisors are invited to attend the Robotics MAE Showcase Day.

This event is being held in partnership with Process Automation and Controls by the Utilities and Electrotechnology ITAB & Agrifood Industry Training Advisory Board.

The event is free and is hosted for interested women, careers advisors and influencers. Participants will gain a broader understanding of their potential role within the advanced manufacturing and electrotechnology industries. There will be a free networking lunch provided.

The event will take place from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm on Thursday 16 March. It will be held at Process and Automation Controls, 81 Fletcher St, Adamstown, NSW, 2289.

Places for the Showcase are limited, and those interested can register here.

Click here for the event flyer.

Olympics Unleashed - Bring an Olympian to your school (Ref: 41/23)

Kick of 2023 with an Olympian visit to your classroom! Olympics Unleashed is bringing Olympians to year 9 classes across NSW and your school can be next.

Free for schools, your students will learn directly from athletes how to set goals, overcome challenges, and follow their passion to reach their own personal best.

Find out more and register here.

Register NOW: Vegetable Week and The Big Vegie Crunch (Ref: 38/23)

Only 5% of NSW children eat enough vegetables. We’re on a mission to change that stat, by increasing children’s knowledge, exposure, and positive attitudes towards vegetables.

Vegetable Week starts at the end of Term 1 – from Monday 27 to Friday 31 March 2023 – with The Big Vegie Crunch on at 10am on Thursday 30 March. If you can’t crunch at that time, choose an alternative time over Vegetable Week.

Schools that register receive ready-to-go resources to help you:

  • plan and prepare for the event
  • teach your students about vegetables
  • encourage students and their families to eat more vegetables
  • promote your Big Vegie Crunch activities to parents, carers and the wider school community.

Plus, registered schools will receive hardcopy ‘I CRUNCHED’ stickers and can apply for $75 grants to help purchase vegetables for the Big Vegie Crunch. Schools are also eligible to enter this year’s competition and win big prizes.

For more details and to register, visit the Vegetable Week & The Big Vegie Crunch webpage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catholic Schools New South Wales Sport

In Memory of Gary McSweeney (Ref: 55/23)

It is with great sadness that we were informed of the death of Gary McSweeney, a friend and colleague to many within the Catholic school sport sector. Gary bravely fought a long and tough battle against cancer until he fell asleep in the Lord with his family by his side.

Among his many roles, Gary chaired the Armidale Diocesan Primary Sport council and was a much-loved and respected principal at St Edwards Primary School South Tamworth for 26 years. He greatly influenced the commitment to allow Catholic students to compete against Public and Private schools at the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association fixtures.

Gary was also the President of School Sport Australia where he provided great leadership and advocacy for the development and promotion of school sport in Australia. He recently moved into a special projects role at the Catholic schools’ office in Tamworth that involved his great love of sport and school facilities support. Gary made a significant contribution to Catholic education in the Diocese of Armidale and beyond over many years.

He will be greatly missed, and may he rest in peace.

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