CEB Staff Newsletter #47 - 7 March 2025
Staff News
CEB International Women's Day Acknowledgments and Celebrations
Tomorrow marks International Women’s Day, and to kick off the celebrations, the Ballarat Office hosted a delightful morning tea and Deputy Director: Stewardship, Megan Ioannou shared a wonderful, uplifting speech about equality and International Women's Day. It was inspiring to see so many staff members embracing the spirit of the day by wearing purple—thank you all for your participation!
A special shoutout to our Directors for getting involved! They took the opportunity to share International Women's Day resources by visiting our DOBCEL offices in Horsham and Warrnambool.
Tom Sexton, our Executive Director, made his way to the Horsham office, while Deputy Director of Catholic Education, Matt Byrne, stopped by the Warrnambool office. It's fantastic to witness such engagement and support as we honour the achievements of women everywhere.
Let’s continue to celebrate and uplift each other—not just tomorrow, but every day.
Welcome back, Maree Baker!
We are pleased to announce that Maree Baker will be returning to the Ballarat office as a Human Resource Officer. Many of you may remember Maree from her role as Manager: Human Resources. Maree will be re-joining the team in a casual capacity whilst she also studies her Nursing degree. If you see her around, please make her feel welcome.
Footy Tipping 2025 starts tonight – round 0!
The competition is open to all staff, if you would like to join, please register via the following link: CEB football fanatics 2025 (The entry fee is $20 cash, due to Nadia by Round 2).
Good Luck!
Big Shout Out To Our IT Team!
We'd like to give a huge shout out to our IT team who have been working flat out with ensuring the technology is running smoothly and getting the new technology ready and out to our schools! Where is it all going? Check out the list below!
St Paul's Primary School, Mildura - 25 hp staff laptops and 88 chromebooks for students.
St Columba's Primary School, Ballarat - 90 ipads for students
Emmaus Catholic Primary School, Ballarat - 53 new ipads and also 100 due to be picked up and reconfigured!
Siena Catholic Primary School, Lucas and St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal - 10 ipads and 20 chromebooks
Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2025 - Shine a Light on Your Outstanding Colleagues!
Shine a spotlight, nominate your colleagues!
DOBCEL will continue to sponsor the awards program that honors outstanding service and leadership within our Diocesan school communities and the Catholic Education Office.
In 2025, have unveiled refreshed awards that align with our DOBCEL Strategy 2035.
This strategic alignment underscores our commitment to our vision: “As partners in Catholic Education, open to God’s presence, we pursue fullness of life for all.”
We encourage all staff to participate and help us recognise the remarkable contributions of our colleagues. Together, let's celebrate the dedication and excellence that enrich our community!
For all the information, please visit the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2025 page on our website.
Event Recap: Sharing Our Voices, Choir of Hard Knocks
On Sunday, Sharing Our Voices took place, an inspiring afternoon of music, community, and resilience. The event showcased a remarkable collaboration between the local organisation, Jimmy’s Allsorts, and the award-winning Choir of Hard Knocks, reinforcing the powerful message that "adversity will never win."
Held at the state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre at St. Patrick’s College, Ballarat, the concert featured an incredible lineup of performers, including a combined choir from our local DOBCEL schools: Siena Catholic Primary School, Lucas; St. Patrick’s Primary School, Ballarat; and Lumen Christi Primary School, Delacombe. Now in its 19th year, the Choir of Hard Knocks continued to inspire attendees with its powerful message of humanity and connection.
The choir has earned a distinguished place in Australian music history, being the only artist to win a Logie, ARIA, and Helpmann Award in the same year. The event not only provided a platform for incredible talent but also sought to raise funds for two important organizations dedicated to transformative work: the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute and the Choir of Hard Knocks. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this uplifting experience.
It was so great to see many CEB staff members at the event!
We look forward to seeing you at future events.
People & Development Updates
CEB Staff Engagement Survey - Opens 11 March
Have YOUR Say…Staff Engagement Survey March 2025
We are excited that our 2025 CEB Staff Engagement Survey will open soon!
We have once again partnered with Culture Amp to facilitate this survey for many reasons, including a 100% guarantee of confidentiality and the ability to complete the survey via a PC, laptop, or mobile phone.
The Engagement Survey will offer an opportunity for all staff across CEB, to pause, reflect and provide input into what we are doing well and focus on areas for improvement to support engagement and continue to create a positive workplace culture.
In 2023, our Engagement Survey saw a 92% participation rate, highlighting a CEB-wide emphasis on strengthening communication. Via feedback and debrief sessions and the 2024 Pulse Survey you shared the need for focus on communication, specifically –
- Having Crucial conversations (including the giving and receiving feedback)
- Improving the flow and connection of information
- Fostering a spirit of communication, including partnering and presumption of good intent
These insights have guided us all at CEB to focus on transparent communication within and across teams over the past two years.
You can read more about some of the key organisational activities as a result of the 2023 Staff Engagement Survey and 2024 Pulse Survey in the attached FAQs document.
Key Dates
The survey will open on 11 March and close on 24 March.
How will I receive a copy of the survey to respond to?
Survey links will be emailed to you with a link to access in your Culture Amp account.
The link will take you to the survey, however, the survey can also be accessed on the Culture Amp home screen under tasks.
When will the results of the Survey be shared?
You can expect the results to be shared during Term 2. Teams will experience similar debrief session to the 2023 survey debriefs.
2025 Staff Engagement Survey FAQs
Click here to answer any frequently asked questions
Who can answer questions about the Survey?
If you have any questions about the Engagement Survey please contact Fiona Murphy or Emma Baldwin.
Crucial Conversations - 29 & 30 May, Ballarat Location
| Time & location | Time – Day 1 9:00am-4:00pm and Day 2 9:00am – 3:30pm Glowery Room, St Patrick’s Cathedral, 3 Lyons St, Ballarat |
| Program overview | Crucial Conversations teaches a model for effective communication, that can be applied to any situation, but particularly difficult or high-stakes situations. It focuses on fostering dialogue, managing emotions, and achieving mutual understanding. The model helps to navigate high-stakes discussions with openness, respect, and skill, enhancing relationships and driving positive outcomes. This program is designed for anyone who would like to develop skills in providing effective feedback and fostering open dialogue. The skills can be transferred across a range of situations including providing feedback and fostering open dialogue with colleagues, parents/carers and the community. It is relevant for people working in schools as well as the CEB office. Crucial Conversations will be run each term on the following dates:
*Minimum participant numbers apply for programs to run. Further information on additional leadership development opportunities for 2025 will be provided in next week's newsletter. |
| Query?Contact | If you have any queries about the program please contact Fiona Murphy or Emma Baldwin |
| Booking Link | Try booking registration – https://www.trybooking.com/CZNTC |
| Cost | $500 (inclusive of learning materials (3 x books), morning tea and lunch) |
Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
CEB Positions
- Education Officer: Positive Behaviour Specialist – Ballarat or Horsham office – fixed term position at 1.0 FTE (closes 9 March)
- Education Officer: Secondary – Ballarat office – ongoing position or secondment by agreement at 1.0 FTE (closes 16 March)
Principal Vacancies
- Sacred Heart Primary School, Casterton (closes 23 March)