CEB Staff Newsletter #12 - 26 April 2024
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week (29 April - 3 May) is an annual opportunity for Catholic schools across the Diocese of Ballarat to celebrate their distinctive ethos and mission with their school and wider communities.
A wonderful array of school and community activities are planned across the diocese, and the week takes on special significance this year as our community of schools recognise the 150th Anniversary of the formation of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat.
Paywise Salary Packaging Representative Visit
Happening next Tuesday!
CEB offers Salary packaging via Smart Salary and/or Paywise.
Tuesday 30 April between 9.45 – 10.45am, Paywise Salary Packaging representative Paul Colvin will be onsite and be available to discuss your salary packaging options.
Benefits include Novated Leasing and Living Expenses.
Staff who are currently packaging are welcome to review current arrangements, please contact Tamara Mihalec in Payroll to ensure Paul will have your file available on the day.
If you would like to discuss your options and are unavailable on this day please feel free to reach out to either Daniel Mclean or Paul Colvin, for assistance.
Article submitted by Tamara Mihalec.
Catholic Identity and Mission
International Mother Earth Day - When Mother Earth sends us a message
Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people. Our own country continues to suffer the effects of devastating bushfires, floods and droughts.
Climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.
For the third year in a row, Mother Earth Day was celebrated within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This decade invites us to make ten-year commitments aimed at caring for our common home by ‘supporting and scaling up efforts to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide and raise awareness of the importance of successful ecosystem restoration’.
In the Bible we read that: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.’ Psalm 19:1-3.
We are all part of this gift of creation. We are a part of nature, not separated from it. This is what the Bible tells us.
Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. Restoring our damaged ecosystems will help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent mass extinction. But we will only succeed if everyone plays a part.
Whilst Monday 22nd April marked Mother Earth Day, for this International Mother Earth Day, and the coming weeks, months and years, let's remind ourselves - more than ever - that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. Let’s promote harmony with nature and the Earth. Join the global movement to restore our world!
Eco-action
Using the suggested Laudato Si’ Goal actions listed below, choose an action, or if you feel comfortable, one from each goal, to play your part by living out the encyclical, as we work together help restore our Earth’s precious ecosystems, improving the life of all creation.
Upcoming significant Ecological Events:
🗓️ Wednesday 1st - Friday 31st May 2024 Mindful in May (month)
- In times like these, we really can't afford to lose our minds. Research shows it only takes 10 minutes of meditation a day to see significant positive benefits to your life.
- Cool Org (formerly Cool Australia) have resources that you can practise with your students, in or outside of the classroom, and at home. Cool.org Mindful in May Resources
- For further information see the Mindful in May website: Mindful in May
🗓️ Sunday 19th - Sunday 26th May 2024 Laudato Si’ Week
Laudato Si’ Week - May 19-26, 2024
Laudato Si' Week is a celebration held every May to commemorate the anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical “Laudato Si'” on the care of our common home. It is organised by the Laudato Si' Movement and sponsored by the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
Throughout Laudato Si’ Week, Catholics come together to offer living witness to the changes brought about by the encyclical. This Laudato Si’ Week and Pentecost, let us gather in community to contemplate and nurture seeds of hope for our “suffering planet” (LD 2). Laudate Deum is a reminder about the urgency of the Laudato Si’ message and the need for both personal and cultural transformation amidst our ecological and climate crises.
This year's Laudato Si' Week theme is inspired by the symbol for Season of Creation 2024, “firstfruits.” Let us be seeds of hope in our lives and our world, rooted in faith and love.
As Laudato Si Week is fast approaching, please find below some resources to share within your schools from Caritas Australia: Catholic Earthcare to help you with your forward planning.
The new Laudato Si’ Week resources are now available to download here
If you would like to find out more about global efforts this Laudato Si’ Week, please click on this link.
Article submitted by Sarah Page.
Staff News
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Emma Sanders as Payroll Officer.
Emma joined the team on Wednesday 17 April and comes to us from Grampians Health where she was an Accounts Clerk and a Payroll Officer.
Article submitted by Sarah Hanley.
Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
Catholic Education Ballarat Vacancies
- Executive Assistant to the Executive Director – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 28 April)
- Education Consultant- Primary Northern Zone - fixed term position at 1.0 FTE (closes 28 April)
Article submitted by Sarah Hanley.