Priority

CSNSW AI Symposium: Risks, Rewards and Opportunities (Ref: 89/24)

Catholic Schools NSW proudly presents the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Symposium as part of its ongoing Professional Learning programme.

The symposium will take place  on Friday, 31 May.

This timely event delves into how AI can revolutionise teaching and learning, exploring the benefits, opportunities, and challenges.

Participants will hear from industry experts in AI and education as they discuss AI’s benefits, including personalised learning experiences, enhanced student engagement, assessment, and administrative efficiency.

The symposium will also examine the associated risks and ethical considerations, such as the impact on teacher roles and student well-being. By fostering dialogue among educators, administrators, and AI experts, this symposium seeks to shape a responsible and informed approach to leveraging AI in Catholic schools, ensuring it aligns with our mission in Catholic education.

Those interested can register here: CSNSW AI Symposium: Risks, Rewards and Opportunities


Professional Learning

Registrations open: Early Years Symposium – Thursday 20 June 2024 (Ref: 90/24)

CSNSW invites all to save the date for the upcoming CSNSW Early Years Symposium. The theme for the Symposium is Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Early Years.

The Symposium will be held on Thursday, 20 June 2024, at Macquarie University City Campus L24, 123 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW.

Early childhood teachers, educators and leaders are invited to explore the current state of mental health and wellbeing in the early years and how a collective impact can work best. We know the early years of a child’s life are critical for life-long learning and wellbeing. When teachers, educators, families and community services work in partnership to support a child, we build the foundations to set a child up to thrive at school and life.

Expert speakers include Dr Justin Coulson (Psychologist and parenting expert), Dr Sharon Goldfeld (Director, Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital) and Dr Jacqueline Amos (Child, Adolescent Psychiatrist and Specialist Therapist – Strategy, Research and Innovation)

Register here.

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2024 NAP Opt-in Assessment in Science Literacy​​​​​​​ (Ref: 54/24)

From 2024, Australian schools can enrol Year 6 and Year 10 students to take part in NAP Opt-in assessments in key curriculum areas at no cost to schools.

These new assessments are part of the National Assessment Program and are completely optional for schools. These new assessments will be phased in over 3 years, starting with Science Literacy in 2024.

Value to schools

Schools choosing to take part in the NAP Opt-in assessment in science literacy 2024 will be able to:

  • Measure student performance against national standards in key curriculum areas beyond literacy and numeracy.
  • Use the results (available only to the participating school) to review, plan and adapt teaching and learning programs.
  • Run the assessments using the online platform at a time that suits them in the testing window. In 2024 this will run from Monday 6 May – Friday 31 May.

The assessments are run directly by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). There is no fee for schools registering to take part. Schools can register via the NAP Opt-in tile at www.assessform.edu.au

Participating schools will be provided with three types of reports that can be used to inform teaching and learning.

Registration will be open to all schools across Australia for Year 6 and Year 10 students. Principals can register their schools at https://www.assessform.edu.au by clicking on the ‘NAP Opt-in ’ tile on the home page.

Key dates

Tuesday 26 March 2024 – Tuesday 30 April 2024
School registration and enrolment window
Monday 6 May – Friday 31 May 2024
Test window
July 2024 – August 2024
Results window

More information: Download the 2024 Science Literacy opt-in FACTSHEET

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Student Resources

Australian Rail Safety Education Kit (Ref: 92/24)

TrackSAFE Foundation is dedicated to teaching children how to stay safe on and around rail. Through a partnership with Thomas and Friends, preschool and early childhood students will have access to fun and engaging resources to help teach rail safety.

The education kit developed through this partnership contains five short lessons with posters, activity sheets, printable stickers, and other resources.

Teachers and other educators can download the resources at this link: Early Childhood – TrackSAFE Foundation

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The Good Village Australian Institute of Sport Problem Solvers Program​​​​​​​ (Ref: 87/24)

The AIS recently launched The Good Village AIS Problem Solvers Program, a FREE eight–stage incursion for Australian Primary schools.

Aligned with the Australian Curriculum, the program encourages students to engage in design thinking and problem-solving and learn from high-performance athletes. Each school is allocated an athlete ambassador who visits your school twice throughout the program (either in person or virtually).

Interested schools can find out more and apply today: The Good Village AIS Problem Solvers Program | Australian Institute of Sport

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School Updates & Newsletter

Call for nominations for a Curriculum Roundtable addressing antisemitism and Jewish-Christian relations (Ref: 91/24)

The Curriculum Roundtable is a project of the Nostra Aetate Working Group sub-committee of the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Commission for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. The Working Group partners with the Jewish Board of Deputies of NSW, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Jewish Museum, Sydney Catholic Schools and Australian Catholic University.

The Curriculum Round Table seeks to bring together teachers from NSW/ACT Catholic and Jewish schools to provide targeted, accurate and relevant resources to teachers to support areas of the Curriculum that deal with antisemitic beliefs, the Jewish faith and traditions and personalities and relations between Jews and Christians. It will meet between five and eight times over the next six months to produce the teaching resources.

Interested English, History, Art, Geography, or Studies of Religion teachers are encouraged to nominate themselves for the Roundtable by emailing Ben Smith, Head of Mission, Identity and Civics at Catholic Schools NSW, at [email protected].


Scholarships and Awards

Apply Now: The NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships (Ref: 81/24)

The NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships provide $10,000 or $15,000 for a five-week study tour within Australia or abroad.

The scholarships, funded by corporate supporters and private foundations, are open to permanent and temporary teachers in NSW government and non-government schools, on TAFE NSW campuses and across early childhood centres. Scholarships are awarded in the year prior to the study tour.

The majority of scholarships are for school-based teachers to explore best practice in their chosen focus area. The program delivers significant outcomes for scholarship recipients, students, teacher colleagues and school communities.

The NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships program is an initiative of the NSW Premier’s Department and is administered by the NSW Department of Education.

Applications close 11:59pm (AEST), Friday, 3 May 2024.

Click here to apply now.

Scholarship categories include:

  • Premier’s Anika Foundation Youth Depression Awareness Scholarship
  • Premier’s Creativity across the Curriculum Scholarship
  • Premier’s Early Childhood Education Scholarship
  • Premier’s Hicksons Lawyers STEM Scholarship
  • Premier’s History Teachers’ Association History Scholarship
  • Premier’s Inclusive Education Scholarship
  • Premier’s NESA Quality Teaching Scholarship
  • Premier’s Reserve Bank of Australia Economics Scholarship
  • Premier’s Teachers Mutual Bank Aboriginal Education Scholarship
  • Premier’s University of NSW Rural and Remote Scholarship
  • Premier’s University of Sydney Mathematics Scholarship
  • Premier’s Vocational Education in Schools Scholarship

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The NSW Premier's Vocational Education in Schools Scholarship (Ref: 35/24)

The NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships provide an excellent opportunity for educators to collaborate with other professionals in their chosen focus area and inspire positive outcomes for students in NSW schools.

The scholarships are open to current temporary or permanent teachers in all NSW schools, TAFE NSW campuses and early childhood centres.

The Vocational Education in Schools Scholarship is open to teachers in NSW secondary schools, specifically Vocational Education and Training accredited teachers, or teachers undertaking a VET co-ordination role at their schools. The scholarship is for a study to research current issues in vocational education which impact students in schools.

Areas for research may include, but are not restricted to:

  • the role of workplace learning in the delivery and assessment of VET courses
  • school-based Apprenticeship and Traineeship pathways
  • partnerships between vocational education providers and industry
  • curriculum structures, delivery patterns and arrangements of vocational education
  • articulation of vocational education credentials acquired by students inot post-School vocational education and training.

The successful applicant will undertake a study tour and follow-up activities of up to five weeks internationally or within Australia. Study tour travel is to be completed in one block between 1 January and 30 June 2024, with individual follow-up activities and reporting to be completed within 90 days of study tour completion.

Time may involve formal study (e.g., undertaking a short course at a respected tertiary institution) or may involve a program of visits to sites, schools and institutions to conduct interviews, observe exemplary practices and collect resources for the preparation of teaching materials related to the specific scholarship category.

Successful applicants will be eligible for a grant of $15,000 for a five-week study tour to be completed in Australia or internationally.

A portion of time (up to one week) may be allocated toward follow-up dissemination activites (e.g., experience-sharing, professional learning) within and across NSW, either in-person or virtually.

You can apply for the scholarship through this link.

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