The end of the year has seen a large number of VET students recognised for the outstanding achievements in their various VET courses.The end of the year has seen a large number of VET students recognised for the outstanding achievements in their various VET courses.
Seven students have recently been recognised by the Australian Government as recipients of the inaugural Australian Vocational Student Prize. Each of the following students received $2000:
Michael Sebalj - John Therry Catholic High School
Ben Warren - Magdalene Catholic High School
Mitchell Cole - St John the Evangelist High School
Kirra Barnes - St Mary Star of the Sea College
Rebecca Lewis - St Mary Star of the Sea College
Samantha Lungu - Chevalier College
Patrick McCarthy - Trinity College (Goulburn)
Read the rest of the story and view the photo gallery...
Students of the Wollongong Diocesan schools were well represented at the 2nd Annual Australian Braille Authority Awards night held on November 24th at Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club. The author, Simon French was the guest speaker for the evening and spoke about the process of finding ideas for stories.
The Australian Braille competition is open to all school students who use braille as their literary medium. The participants completed three activities including;
Read the rest of the story and view the photo gallery...
Students, staff and parents gathered to commission 2006 High School Leaders at the annual Reception held on November 11 at St Patrickís Catholic College, Campbelltown. 41 school captains and vice captains joined together from 12 schools across the Diocese to pray and be blessed by Bishop Peter Ingham, Bishop of Wollongong.
Students spoke publicly of their hopes and aspirations and of what it meant for them to have been chosen as leaders in their school communities. It was warming to listen to young people called to serve describe what being a captain or vice captain meant to them. They all spoke of their schools with great pride and emphasised the achievements of students in the academic, sporting and cultural fields. But they also talked about their Christian commitment and the schools commitment to social justice. Many proud parents joined in this year's ceremony with a special Sprinkling of Water rite involving principals and parents.
View the photo gallery of this event...
Professional Assault Response Training (known as PART) was held at the Catholic Education Office on Monday 28th November and Tuesday 29th November 2005.
PART is a participative workshop providing a comprehensive and systematic approach to the understanding and management of student aggressive/assaultive behaviour.
The November participant group collectively held over 400 years of experience which allowed for constructive discussion on topics including reasonable force, self control, crisis communication and team work. The group deflected, compromised balance, back stepped and pivoted.
Read the rest of the story and view the photo gallery...
Church Agencies & Schools Technology Network (CASTnet), our Information Communication Learning Technologies (I.C.L.T) tool for building connected learning communities was recognised by the Illawarra Business Chamber last Friday 18 November 2005 for its capacity to support the provision of quality learning and teaching in the digital age.
Judges for the awards, praised CASTnet for its capacity to support teachers in meeting the demand for improving learning outcomes of all students by using proven existing technologies in a creative and dynamic way. The network infrastructureís success lies in the fact that it was designed from educational basis, not a technical basis and therefore puts teachers in charge of the technology in each and every learning space. Learning drives CASTnet, not technology.
CASTnet is the foundation of an emerging national ICLT infrastructure known as Catholic Education Network (CEnet). This network is a fully managed I.C.L.T infrastructure not only connecting all the systemic Catholic Schools in the Diocese but also over 400 schools across Australia.
CASTnet provides an integrated Learning Management System with a range of communication tools, managed and filtered internet capability and a sophisticated integrated learning environment known as myclasses. These tools provide teachers, students and parents with twenty first century tools for a twenty first century learning experience.
Read the full story here... or download the CASTnet congratulations flyer (.pdf)
CDF Diocesan Sports Awards NightFriday 18 November, 2005
Photo Galleries of the night are available here; Teams Awards, Primary Medallions, Secondary Medallions, Ched Towns Awards, Primary Reds, Secondary Blues, Most Outstanding, Vince Villa Awards, Staff Awards and the nights action. Schools can contact John Sparks to request any original photo images. |
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The Holy Spirit College Resource Centre has made audio-books available for students to borrow, just as they would borrow their regular library books. Student Ashleigh Muirhead happily borrowed an audio book - on an iPod shuffle!
Wearing both her Learning Technologies and Library Support hats, the idea to loan out books on iPod Shuffles is the brainchild of Jeanette Davies. "We think the iPod Shuffles will prove to be a popular alternative medium for students who have a range of learning needs, including visual and physical impairments, and reluctant readers."
”We see this as an excellent way to ensure equity for students for both informational and recreational ‘reading’” Holy Spirit College Resource Centre Manager Judithe Hall said. “It is very exciting, for access and motivation, but we are proceeding cautiously at this stage to ensure issues such as copyright, maintenance, storage and health (earphones) are addressed properly from the outset. Initially our priority will be senior English texts and fiction books suitable for junior secondary.”
Students and teachers from eight schools attended the inaugural Tolerate Awards presentation at the Catholic Education Office, Wollongong on Friday November 18, 2005.
Schools and students were thanked for entering theTolR8 Competition and for taking up the challenge of developing right relationships, being fair and just … being the right kind of mate!
There were a total of 511 participants in the competition producing a very high calibre of entries, which included posters, short stories and short movies on the theme. The creative work of students was celEbr8ed as entries in Primary and Secondary categories were applauded.
The Relieving Director of Schools; John Tubridy, the Head of Employee Services, Jane Comensoli and sponsors of the competition presented prizes to the winning students. View the photo gallery of this event...
Featuring Andrew Chinn and teachers from Catholic Schools from the Diocese of Wollongong.
Performers include:
Andrew Chinn, Cinderella A Capella, Louise Robards, Gary Brown, Jen Charadia, Timothy Hart, The Dogmatics and many others ….
Hear original compositions and new versions of traditional Christmas songs.
Free Admission • Families Welcome • Free Refreshments • Donations accepted on the day for Vinnies Christmas Appeal.
For more information contact Mark Raue at the Catholic Education Office on 4253 0929 or download this flyer.
Last Friday night the Australian College of Educators recognized the work of the TEACHnology team from the Catholic Education Office at their annual awards dinner. In commending the work they have done with the development and delivery of the TEACHnology course across the Diocese over the last 4 years they also acknowledged the community of learning philosophy evident within the course.
The TEACHnology Team is a group of dedicated and enthusiastic educators who design and deliver quality professional learning for teachers. TEACHnology has been offered to primary and secondary teachers in the Wollongong Catholic Diocese for the last five years.
Click here for more information and additional photos...
On 28 October the Wollongong Diocesan Finals of the 2005 Public Speaking Competition for Primary Schools were held at St Francis Xavier’s Primary School Wollongong. This event is sponsored by the Catholic Development Fund. The adjudicator for the finals was Mrs Judith Crowe.
The standard of public speaking by the Year 5 and 6 students was praised by Mrs. Crowe. The awards were presented to the students by Mr. Tony Sanderson from the Catholic Development Fund and Mr. John Tubridy Relieving Director from the Catholic Education Office.
The Year 6 results were;
1st - Fabian Monteleone, St Columbkille’s, Corrimal
2nd - Annalise Farrugia, Stella Maris, Shellharbour
3rd - Georgia Flynn, St Therese, West Wollongong
The Year 5 results were;
1st - Jordan Mahar, St Therese, West Wollong
2nd - Ryan Gareffa, Our Lady Help of Christians, Rosemeadow
3rd - Claire Poulton, St Brigid’s, Gwynneville
Once again this competition was very well supported by all primary schools giving many children the opportunity to develop the important skill of public speaking. Parents, principals children and visitors very much enjoyed the day and appreciated the hospitality provided by the principal and staff of St Francis Xavier’s Wollongong.
View the photo gallery of this event...
Thank you to all the schools and students who entered the CEO Wollongong 2005 TolR8 Competition and for taking up the challenge of developing right relationships, being fair and just … being the right kind of mate!
There were a total of 511 participants in the competition producing a very high calibre of entries, which included posters, short stories and short movies on the theme. It has been extremely hard to decide on one winner from each category, as a result a number of entries have been highly commended. These entries now provide a wonderful resource, which our schools will be able to draw on in the future.
We are going to celEbr8 (celebrate) the creative work of our outstanding entrants and award a range of great prizes.
The Catholic Education Office is arranging a ceremony where prizes will be presented for the winning entries. The presentation will feature the work of as many students as possible and particularly honour our winning entries. The schools with winning entries have been notified and received invitations to the award ceremony on Friday 18th November 2005 at 10:30am to be held on Level 3 of the Catholic Church Offices in Wollongong. We look forward to seeing our winners and representatives from their schools.
Details of the winning entries and a photo gallery are available here..
Thank you again to all who supported our 2005 TolR8 Competition.
Certificates for all entrants and particularly noting those who were highly commended for their TolR8 creation will be sent to schools shortly. For the future:
The 2005 Good Better Best (Literacy) course was completed on 26th October by twenty five teachers from twenty diocesan schools. This professional development course for Stage 2 educators has been designed to complement and extend Reading Recovery and Good First Teaching (Literacy).
The course provided teachers with the opportunity to engage in professional dialogue with peers from other schools; reflect on their beliefs and understandings with regard to literacy acquisition; and to explore how they could better plan and deliver balanced literacy programs.
Held on Monday 10 October the morning sessions were conducted by Ass Professor Charles Burford from the Australian Catholic University who spoke on both Authentic Catholic Schools and the Changing Face of Assessment and Reporting. The afternoon session was facilitated by Anne-Maree Creenaune from the Catholic Education Office who ran a workshop on Assessment & Reporting.
This day was an opportunity for teachers, staff and parents to come together in a learning experience that helped demystify assessment and reporting. Parents from Nazareth, Stella Maris and St Paul's also attended as part of a Diocesan P&F Forum initiative.
View the photo gallery of this event...
Wollongong Diocese 9th Annual Sports Awards Evening
The 9th Annual Diocesan Sports Awards will be held to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our primary and secondary students and teachers. The evening will involve special guest speakers and the Sports Council are pleased to announce the Catholic Development Fund as the major sponsor. We are looking forward to another great night. More details and nomination forms are available on our Sports Awards page. |
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Wednesday the 5th October saw 75 teachers from 18 diocesan primary schools gather at the Campbelltown Catholic Club for the inugural North West Cluster Learning Conference. Speakers and delegates spent the day exploring ways in which they could engage students in meaningful thinking and learning using an inquiry approach - hence the conference’s theme "Let's Get Engaged".
Perry Rush, founding principal of the Discovery 1 School in Christchurch was the keynote speaker. His informative and entertaining presentation covered the latest research on Inquiry Based Learning as well as his experiences establishing Discovery 1.
Workshops from St Mary’s Eagle Vale, St Anthony’s Picton, Our Lady Help of Christians Rosemeadow, St Johns Campbelltown and St Clare’s Narellan Vale offered participants some concrete examples of Inquiry Based Learning while highlighting the diversity of this approach.
Congratulations are extended to all presenters and participants whose presence and participation highlighted the dedication teachers have to their work, and their willingness to learn from and support one another.
View the photo gallery of this event.
TolR8 Competition for Wollongong Diocesan Schools: Prizes
There has been much interest surrounding the prizes for the TolR8 competition. Jane Comensoli is pleased to announce the following:
First prize for the best overall entry is an iBook Mac laptop computer donated by Mac1!
…as well as prizes in each category which include Apple iPods, a multifunction printer from AVC, Dymock’s Book Vouchers, Kmart gift vouchers and sets of movie vouchers, a double pass to the Hilary Duff concert, Bratz Rock Angelz Cds, Schnappi CDs and Jesse McCartney Up Close DVD’s courtesy of i98fm.
Competition Timeline – (closing date Monday 24th October 2005)
Please note: to allow more time with the holiday break there is a one week extension to the closing date.
Schools need to forward their entries to the CEO, marked “TolR8 Competition”, to be received by 5:00pm on Monday 24th October 2005.
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It would be fantastic to have a number of entries from every school.
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Thank you for your great help in generating interest within the school. More information...
Featuring teachers/support staff from Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong.
Calling for expressions of interest from teachers/support staff NOW!!!!!
If you are a singer, musician or composer you may be looking for an opportunity to perform a few numbers in front of a supportive audience of your colleagues. On Sunday, 11 December, at the Fairy Meadow Surf Club, the Catholic Education Office will be hosting a Christmas (Advent actually) Concert starring some of our very own teachers and support staff.
The theme will generally be along the Advent-Christmas line, but can be applied more broadly to themes that inspire Christian faith and commitment. We are very interested in original compositions and interesting interpretations of traditional Christmas Carols. The Fairy Meadow Surf Club will be transformed into a coffee-shop style environment and a professional amplification system will be utilised to make you sound all the better.
The concert will be advertised to the broader community in due course, but for now we are calling on EXPRESSIONS of INTEREST from potential performers.
If this idea interests you, please contact Mark Raue, Head of Religious Education Services, on 4253 0929 (CEO), 0417 431 827 (mobile) or mark.raue@ceowoll.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible to register your interest so that a line up can be organised and properly promoted. Feel free to talk to Mark about what you would like to do, and he will advise on possibilities.
Congratulations to Grace Hile from St Anthony’s at Picton on being awarded an Endeavour Fellowship Language Award.
This Fellowship Program is part of the Australian Government’s social and economic understanding through establishing ongoing links between Australian students. Grace will travel to Melbourne during the January vacation period to continue improving her Indonesian language proficiency and cultural knowledge, which will assist her with her Asian Studies work at Picton.
Grace has long shown commitment in this area. Her previous overseas experiences include traveling and working in Indonesia and India and an upcoming trip to China in April, 2005. She has also completed a post graduate qualification in Asian Studies. She has been a strong supporter of Asian Studies in the Diocese of Wollongong and her students continue to benefit from her passion and expertise.
From 6 ? 26 August 2005 a group of young people from our Diocese joined Bishop Peter Ingham DD and Fr David Catterall (Diocesan Vocations Director) in Cologne for World Youth Day 2005. Students from a number of our secondary schools were part of this contingent. They were joined by three teachers Mark Malady from St John's High School Nowra and Franciene Doherty and Lisa Costabile from Holy Spirit College Bellambi. The group from our Diocese, as well as joining over 1.2 million participants to celebrate Mass with Pope Benedict XVI on 21 August, spent some days in Paris, Lourdes, La Salette, Taize, Luxembourg, and Cologne. A group also traveled onto Haltern (outside Cologne) for a post-World Youth Day retreat, while others spent some days in Rome and Assisi. A photographic record of this pilgrimage is now available.
At the concluding Mass Pope Benedict XVI announced that the next international World Youth Day will be held in Sydney in 2008. Further information about World Youth Day Cologne and past World Youth Days can be found at;
More than 150 guests joined with thirty nine award recipients at the Annual CDF Excellence in Schooling Awards in Wollongong on Thursday September 15, 2005. The awards which are now in their fifth year give recognition to the achievements of workers in schools and those who support schools. Certificates were presented in four categories of School Support, Pastoral Care, Teaching and Leadership.
Presenting the awards was the Bishop of Wollongong, Most Rev Peter Ingham DD. Speakers on the occasion included the Manager of the Catholic Development Fund, Tony Sanderson, Director of Schools Gregory B Whitby and Bishop Peter. Compere for the occasion was Head of Secondary Cluster, Netty Broekman.
In a truly joyous atmosphere shared by school colleagues, children, parents and friends, principals and invited guests, citations were read and Certificates of Affirmation and Excellence were made.
View the gallery of award winners.
Several of our schools across the Diocese have recently taken part in the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Reach for the Stars initiative. Reach for the Stars is an Australia-wide activity. It is designed to provide an opportunity for students to be involved in a single event with a Numeracy focus.
Students were asked to construct a money trail, collect and share data in order to investigate ‘How old are Australian 20c coins?’
Click here to view more photos.
Many of our schools and principals will recall Michael’s involvement with our Diocese during 1999. Michael facilitated a seminar for school principals, teacher professional development and a parent workshop.
Described recently as Australia’s doctor Phil, Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia’s highest profile psychologists. He is an official ambassador for the National Depression Initiative beyondblue as well as Mindmatters. He is a columnist for Girlfriend Magazine and an Australian Doctor.
Throughout the year Michael has conducted one day seminars around the country addressing; ‘Identifying the Student at Risk’ focusing on adolescent mental health issues.
Visit Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg’s website for resources including:
… In conjunction with UNESCO’s International Tolerance Day 16th November 2005
Calling on all schools to participate in the TolR8 competition, which is to help students:
The challenge of the 2005 TolR8 competition is to combat gender-based harassment.
Students are invited to produce a TolR8 piece of work that may be:
Schools are asked to forward their best entries to the Catholic Education Office, marked “TolR8 Competition”, to be received by 5:00pm on Monday 17th October 2005. Click here for more information.
Part A of the Assessment of Religious Literacy for Year 4 students was completed on Monday 29th August 2005 and was followed by two marking days on 31st August and 1st September. Teachers from across the diocese gathered at the CEO to mark the Part A Student Workbook. The two days were very busy and enabled teachers to share their learnings and understandings of religious literacy for Year 4 students.
Being religiously literate requires children leaving a Catholic primary school to be able to communicate with and be at home in Catholic society and religion in general. This assessment of religious literacy focused on students’ knowledge and understanding of the key concepts that are being addressed by the Religious Education program and the children’s ability to communicate with their religious tradition.
Read on for further details...
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The last session of the seventh annual Good First Teaching (Literacy) Course was concluded on 25th August. Michael King presented twenty four teachers with their certificates of completion. This brings the total number of teachers who have completed the course since its inception in 1999 to 313. |
During this year’s six day course teachers were given the opportunity to:
• Engage in professional dialogue with peers from other schools
• Reflect on their beliefs and understandings with regard to early literacy acquisition
• Explore how they could better plan and deliver a balanced literacy program.
Initial feedback from the participating teachers indicated they had all found their involvement in the program to be an extremely worthwhile professional development experience. A detailed report on the course will be available on the intranet next month.
The Annual Women and Leadership Dinner was held on Friday 19 August 2005 at Villa D'oro, North Wollongong. The dinner was a great success with over 50 women and men attending from schools within the diocese.
Fay Jackson B.Crea. Vis. Arts, Dip Ed the Director of Open Minds Consultancy was the guest speaker and was warmly welcomed. Fay offers consultancy in Mental Health in the workplace, public services and community for the federal and state governments and corporate sector. Fay is renown as a national motivational speaker, educator, advocate and voice for mental health. Her talk was very thought provoking, sometimes sad and sometimes funny but everyone left the dinner feeling enriched by Fay's compassion and charm.
View the photo gallery of this event.
For many months a contingent of pilgrims from the Diocese of Wollongong have been preparing to travel to the World Youth Day celebrations in Cologne. Students from a number of our secondary schools will be part of this contingent. They will be joined by three teachers Mark Malady from St John’s High School Nowra and Franciene Doherty and Lisa Costabile from Holy Spirit College Bellambi who will support the students as they join around 800,000 participants to celebrate Mass with Pope Benedict XVI on 21 August.
The World Youth Day began in 1974 and Cologne will mark the twentieth such gathering and the first for Pope Benedict. Such a gathering offers an array of celebrations, liturgies, prayer-time, chances to speak about faith and opportunities for dialogue with people from all over the world. further information about World Youth Day Cologne and past World Youth Days can be found at
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring03/Schmadebeck/
http://www.wjt2005.de/index.php?id=6
Novotel Northbeach, 2-14 Cliff Road, North WollongongDownload Registration Form and Conference Program (.pdf format)
If you have any enquiries, please contact: Kay Blundell on Ph: 02 4253 0980 or via email: kay.blundell@ceowoll.catholic.edu.au.
The Term 3 Parents and Friends Newsletter is also available from our P & F Forum link.
National Literacy and Numeracy Week is an Australian Government initiative, run in collaboration with States and Territories during August 29th- 4th September.
There are a number of events and activities held to support this initiative.
For further details click on the websites below.
www.literacyandnumeracy.gov.au/2005
www.aamt.edu.au
Bringing together Year 6 teachers, Year 7 teachers, support staff and Special Education Coordinators from Diocesan and Congregational schools on July the 28th resulted in a stimulating day focusing on the transition of students with special needs from primary to secondary school.
Consultant presenter Lee Casuscelli ran interactive workshops on:
• Linking primary and secondary schools to plan and implement transition programs which target the individual needs of students with disabilities.
• ‘Cool Club Program’ a positive approach to developing social skills in students with special needs.
Discussion and teacher interaction was both lively and productive, equipping teachers as facilitators with the skills and resources they can share with colleagues in schools to develop a transition program which caters to the student’s needs and the learning environment of each particular secondary school.
To further enhance the collaboration between primary and secondary schools a professional development initiative titled ‘Making Links for Transition’ (course code 05009) to be held at Wollongong Tafe on September 8th will further explore these issues and promote the continuation of the quality learning and teaching of students with special needs.
Corpus Christi Catholic High School’s newly appointed Leadership Team met with the Principal, Jenny Allen for the first time on Thursday 21st July. Pictured from left are Sue Millet, Leader of Student Growth and Learning, Jenny Allen, Principal, Michael Pate the Leader of Learning and Teaching and Elizabeth Carnegie, Leader of Mission.
The leadership structure at Corpus Christi supports the learning and teaching philosophy of the school in an environment where priority is given to relationships of staff, students and community partnerships. As their title suggests, the leadership roles of the school will be focused on learning and teaching with alternative structures and roles developed for the administrative tasks of the school.
Further details about Corpus Christi school are available here.
Based on current empirical research, the focus of a recent staff professional learning day at St Therese, West Wollongong centred on raising awareness of the important influence of emotions in learning and building social connectedness both in the classroom and playground. Research shows that a child who develops social and emotional skills, attitudes and values is significantly more likely to enjoy academic and personal success in life St. Therese’s commitment to the facilitation of positive learning outcomes for all students and the development of a positive school culture is founded on these principles and the impact of developing the social and emotional skill resilience of community members.
Read on for further information and pictures.
Explore CEO Internet Hotlinks or Caslink for some great sites including:
The Certificate in Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorder) has been developed through a partnership with the University of Wollongong and the Catholic Education Office. This course has been designed to address the professional development needs of Primary and Secondary school teachers who teach students with autism in mainstream or specialised settings.
The Certificate in Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorder) course for 2005 has provided 23 primary and secondary teachers representing 15 schools and the CEO with up to date information about the causes of autism and the major issues affecting student education, families, and individuals with autism themselves. The course, held over four days, has focussed on extending teachers' networks and in teaching the skills that will enable them to be confident and competent in working with students with autism. All participants have completed an in-depth case study of a student who has autism and evaluated the effectiveness of the strategies learned throughout the course.
Dr Deslea Konza, University of Wollongong, and Sonya Rogan
Education Officer – Special Education K-12, Wollongong Catholic Education Office have facilitated the course.
All participants received the Certificate of Special Education – Autism Spectrum Disorder presented by Associate Professor Brian Ferry at the graduation ceremony on 24th June, 2005. View the photo gallery of this event.
On 11 and 18 May 2005 the Catholic Education Office organized the second OH&S Induction for TAS. The training was held at Magdalene Catholic High School.
The training targets new or returning teachers and school assistants affiliated with the TAS department and/or special needs students. The two day training course (theory and practical) covers duty of care, CEO expectations, supervision/behaviour management, special education and TAS. It also covers TAS technical curriculum and safety.
The Course presenters for the two training days were Danny Avalos TAS Co-ordinator from Magdalene Catholic High School, Chris Kalchbauer TAS Co-ordinator from Mt Carmel High School, Leanne Woodley Special Education Officer Secondary at the Catholic Education Office and Ian Edgar OH & S Consultant.
Ian gave the introduction to the course and spoke about duty of care. Leanne’s session covered Special Education in TAS. Chris and Danny’s sessions covered Supervision/Behaviour Management, On Guard safety program, TAS Technical Curriculum. Danny and Chris spent Day 2 in TAS rooms with all participants, providing practical demonstrations and every participant was involved in hands on activities using the TAS tools, machinery and equipment and how to manage a practical class room.
Evaluation results were very positive, commending the professionalism of the trainers. Participants also indicated the training was very informative and worthwhile with recommendations for more time in practical sessions.
The Catholic Education Office is evaluating the need for a further course later in the school year. View the photo gallery of this event.
On June 15th the Special Education Team held an Expo at Dapto Leagues Club. Participants included Principals and teaching staff from Diocesan Primary and Secondary Schools, Congregational Schools, Department of Education Schools, Parents and advocates for people with disabilities. The Expo was opened with a moving gathering prayer by the children of St Francis Xavier’s Primary School Learning Centre. Wendy Lawson, the key-note speaker, addressed over 120 participants with a rich insight into having, learning and living with Autism.
Wendy led us through her story of misdiagnosis, her eventual diagnosis of Aspergers and her success since the world has become aware of her unique characteristics associated with Autism. The day focused on many of the aspects affecting students with autism with a range of workshops offered to support the key principles of Wendy's presentations, including social skill development, inclusive technology, behaviour management and making links between speech, language and literacy. The expo concluded with a movie celebration of Special Education in the Diocese of Wollongong.
View the photo gallery of this event.
How tall are you? Are you a tall rectangle, a wide rectangle or a square?
Many teachers across the Diocese discovered what they were during the latest Focus on Mathematics workshop sessions. The focus of the workshops for this term was Measurement. Much ‘mayhem’ and discovery took place. Click here to take a closer look.
On 2 June 2005, Primary Assistant Principals and Coordinators from the South Eastern Cluster gathered at St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary School, Dapto. The meeting opened with a prayer ritual led by members of St Michaels Catholic Primary School Nowra leadership team. The meeting was chaired by John Tubridy, Head of Cluster.
Teachers who attended are asked to email any comments/suggestions regarding this meeting and the format of future meetings. View the photo gallery of this event.
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Diocesan Itinerant Support Teachers (Hearing), Patricia Casben, Maryee Crofts and Sandra Michielin, shared their expertise and experience in the area of hearing impairment at a recent CEO course. Participants included teachers who are this year working with a student with a hearing impairment in their class. |
The topics covered included: • Overview of hearing loss |
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The support teachers will next be meeting with the secondary Special Education coordinators to discuss support services in the secondary school.
Further information on the support available for students with a hearing impairment can be obtained by contacting the Education Officer, Special Education. View the photo gallery of this event.
Stage 3 teachers from St John the Evangelist, Nowra and St Michael’s Nowra are participating in a state wide Catholic sector Middle years Literacy project. A 2 day orientation program held at the Masonic Centre in Sydney brought together 65 teachers from 5 clusters around New South Wales. Key note speakers Michael McGirr and Wendy Bean began each of the days with a focus on working with reluctant readers and writers. These presentations were followed by workshops on grammar, data on disk, classroom writing strategies and using technology.
The project will continue throughout 2005 and see the Nowra teachers sharing as a community of learners, working to improve the outcomes of students in writing.
For more information about our 'Learning and Teaching Communities Projects' visit our LTC link...
Each year the Diocese of Wollongong is invited to mark 20% of the year 7 SNAP papers. In taking up this offer we recognize the professional learning benefits in training in this approach to marking. On Wednesday and Thursday of Week 4, 25 teachers from Diocesan primary and systemic secondary schools participated in the Diocesan SNAP Marking Centre.
By participating in the marking process teachers gain a clearer understanding of the numeracy demands of the Key Learning Areas and the numeracy skills of their students. They become skillful and effective markers of students’ numeracy work within a standards-referenced approach.
More details about the SNAP test and a photo gallery are available here.
Creating Student-Centred, Problems-Based Classrooms with Dynamic New Technologies.
Join the world-renowned Jamie McKenzie for a series of workshops aimed at maximising the benefits of new technologies in your school. Move beyond the acquisition and installation of equipment to an emphasis upon curriculum, effective teaching and the construction of lessons that promote inquiry, problem-solving and the generation of innovative new ideas.
Dr. Jamie McKenzie is an international speaker with a focus on questioning, thinking skills, information literacies and the smart use of new technologies. His work takes him around the world inspiring teachers to challenge students at a high level of rigour. Further information and Registraion details can be downloaded (in .pdf form) below.
International Guest Speaker—Wendy Lawson
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder have different personalities and, therefore, their autistic expression will vary accordingly. Some individuals are 'in your face', up front, perhaps extraverts, others are shy, withdrawn, perhaps introverts and so on. It really is important to see us as individuals.... Extract from Wendy Lawson’s Website.
This Expo, held at the Dapto Leagues Club, welcomes Principals, Assistant Principals, Educators, Assistants and Parents who are involved with students who have special needs. Further information and Registraion details can be downloaded (in .pdf form) below.
Walk Safely to School Day is an initiative of the Pedestrian Council of NSW. The aim of the day is to encourage children to walk to school with their parents or a responsible adult. Several of our primary schools participated in this year’s event on Friday 6th May; St. Paul’s Albion Park, St. Thomas More Bowral, St. Mary’s Eagle Vale, St John Vianney’s Fairy Meadow, Nazareth Shellharbour City, Stella Maris Shellharbour and St. Francis Xavier Wollongong.
St. Pauls’ Albion Park formed a “human bus”. View some photos of this event...
The effective inclusion of students with special needs in our secondary schools continues to be a priority and focus of the Catholic Education Office, Wollongong. This priority is reflected in the mission to provide all children with quality education that fully develops their talents and capabilities.
For the third year, in collaboration with the University of Wollongong, the professional development initiative Inclusive Education for a Quality World was implemented to support secondary teachers who teach students with learning difficulties in Diocesan schools.
The initiative aimed to build awareness of individual student needs and a greater understanding of Special Education. The participants were able to develop an understanding of the current pedagogy for inclusive education. They were also able to gain skills in developing, adjusting and implementing successful strategies which cater for the diverse learning needs of the students in their classes.
The 23 secondary teachers participating in the course received a Certificate of Special Education (Learning Difficulties) at a graduation ceremony held on May 5. The Dean of Education, Prof. Barry Harper and Dr. Deslea Konza, the course presenter, were in attendance to present each graduate with their certificates.
The graduates have become ambassadors for students with special needs in their schools and a valuable resource to support other teachers. Congratulations to each graduate. View the photo gallery...
The Australian Broadcasting Authority website has a number of Community awareness information brochures available for teachers, parents and students. Information about 'how to be phone smart' and various articles about internet safety are provided.
Visit the Australian Broadcasting Authority website for more details.
Professional Assault Response Training (known as PART) was held at the Catholic Education Office; Thursday 28th April and Friday 29th April 2005.
PART is a participative workshop providing a comprehensive and systematic approach to the understanding and management of student aggressive/assaultive behaviour.
The April participant group was fantastic; collectively they held 300 years of experience which allowed for constructive discussion on topics including reasonable force, self control, harm minimisation and team work. The group deflected, compromised balance, back stepped and pivoted (with amusing results).
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The Inaugural Annual Awards for the Macarthur Youth Commitment Inc were held in Campbelltown on Tuesday 27th April, 2005. Petty O’Loughlin: Education Officer VET was one of the nine finalists in the awards and received a Commendation Award in recognition of a significant contribution made to young people in education, training and employment in the Macarthur. Pictured are Diocesan Cluster Head John Tubridy, Petty and Professional Officer Anne-Maree Creenaune. [Click photo for a larger image] |
Corpus Christi Teacher Information Session On April 22 over 150 prospective teachers attended an Information Session about Corpus Christi Catholic High School due to open for Year 7 students in Oak Flats in 2006.
The planning for the new school which has been undertaken by the Education and Employee Services teams within the Catholic Education Office was outlined to the group, with a particular focus on the curriculum framework which has been developed and the various teaching positions available in 2006.
In addition to the information which was presented at the session, teachers who are applying for positions at Corpus Christi may find the links on innovation in schools useful on the Corpus Christ Information Page.
With whom Our diocese is in full communion
The Diocese of Wollongong joins the Church throughout the world in welcoming Pope Benedict XVI as the 265th successor of St. Peter and the Vicar of Christ. I know that you will join me in asking God’s fullest blessings on our new Pope and on his Pontificate.
Once again we have a Pope who grew up in difficult times, under a harsh regime, and in his young adulthood saw his country divided. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is a man of great intellectual ability, a significant theologian, linguistically talented (he speaks ten languages), cultured, a charming, friendly, wise and gentle man. (I have met him personally on two occasions: in 1998 at the Synod of the Bishops of Oceania and in 2004 during my Ad Limina visit.) He is, too, a man of wide pastoral and administrative experience and has had the experience of being a diocesan Ordinary, as Archbishop of Munich and Freisling. He may be elderly in years, but he is vigorous and clearheaded. He collaborated closely with Pope John Paul II and knew his mind, but he is his own man and will bring his own gifts to the papacy, to the Church and to the world.
Read Bishop Ingham's full response...
“To all those who have wandered from their spiritual home I wish to say: come back!” (The Pope in Australia, 1986).
The Wollongong Catholic Education Office joins in mourning with people around the world as they express great sadness at the death of Pope John Paul II. The legacy of a great person is often not realised until some time after their death. In the case of Pope John Paul II this great legacy is immediately apparent.
Pope John Paul II was a great intellect, lover of all people and a champion of human rights. During his pontifical reign he dialogued with people from all faiths and cultures and this was reflected in the extensiveness of the encyclicals, pastoral statements and letters that he wrote. In the field of education statements like “The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium” has contributed significantly to the philosophy of education in our own diocesan schools. Having lived through and experienced some of the most horrific acts of violence perpetrated by humanity last century, Pope John Paul II recognised the great task of healing and bringing about peace in our world. Wherever he travelled he was a champion of human rights and freedom of religion and conscience as the basis for progress, justice and peace in the world, especially in developing countries. The greatest scandal of the modern world for him was the gap between the rich and poor nations.
Please read the full story here...
The Catholic Education Office Draft Leadership Framework document is now available for download from the Policies link. "Our mission statement requires that we be a Catholic community that promotes excellence in a Learning Environment based on Gospel values.
Those in Leadership positions in our schools are required to uphold this mission and to build the faith community in an environment in which the standard for all leadership skills has risen as the positions have become more challenging."
Download this document in MS Word format.
The Catholic Education Office Wollongong recognises the important role that casual teachers play in the delivery of quality teaching.
We believe that access to a range of resources and information will enhance effectiveness to work as a casual teacher and an appreciated staff member in our Diocese.
Information Evening 2nd March 2005Over two hundred people attended the Information Evening to launch Wollongong diocese's new secondary school at Oak Flats — Corpus Christi Catholic High School, on Wednesday March 2. The evening chaired by Mrs Netty Broekman, Head of the Secondary cluster of schools and the Director of the Wollongong Diocese, Mr Greg Whitby, outlined the planning which has occurred in recent years leading to the development of the school.
Mrs Jenny Allen had her first opportunity as Principal to address the parent community. After providing parents with an overview of her professional background, her presentation engaged parents in reflecting upon current best practice in secondary education. Enrolments for the first cohort of Year 7 students in 2006 were launched at the meeting and a great sense of excitement and anticipation characterised the evening.
Applications for enrolment are available from the Catholic Education Office in Wollongong, with applications closing on April 1.
Download the Corpus Christi Information Package .pdf document 'Introducing Corpus Christi Catholic High School'.
The annual Education Mass was held at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong on Tuesday February 22. Bishop Ingham concelebrated the Mass with a number of diocesan clergy on the significant feast day of St Peter.
Three new principals were commissioned by Bishop Peter as well as a large number of beginning teachers who were starting their teaching vocation.
Music was provided by a collection of teachers and parents from across the diocese and the hospitality was provided by staff and parents of the St Francis Xavier parish, who created a wonderful welcoming atmosphere. A further aspect of the Mass was the acknowledgement of the newly formed Diocesan Parents and Friends Forum Executive who all received certificates from Bishop Peter.
View the photo gallery of this event.
Past News: 2007 Sem 2 | 2007 Sem 1 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003
The Diocesan Sports awards was held to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our primary and secondary students and teachers. The evening featured special guest speaker basketballer Renae Camino. The Sports Council were once again pleased to announce the Catholic Development Fund as the major sponsors.