CEB Staff Newsletter #53 - 2 May 2025
- Staff News
- Ballarat Marathon - Event Participation!
- We’re excited to be in market with our major 2026 enrolment campaign!
- Dancing with Our Stars 2025: Foundation Teacher, Gemma Snibson, Dances for a Cause!
- SOCIAL JUSTICE UPDATE: Continuing Pope Francis’ Legacy Through Laudato Si’ Action in the Workplace
- Catholic Identity and Mission Updates
- Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
Staff News
Welcome Aboard, Ranjay Manivasagasivam!
We are thrilled to welcome Ranjay Manivasagasivam as our new ICT Support Administrator.
Ranjay will join the team on Monday 5 May. Ranjay comes to us from GWMwater, Horsham where he was the ICT Security Officer.
Prior to this he has worked in many ICT positions during his career such as ICT Officer at Northern Grampians Shire Council in Stawell where we worked for 10 years, and numerous System and Network Administrator positions in Sri Lanka. Ranjay will be based in the Ballarat Office. If you see him around, please make him feel welcome.
Footy Tipping 2025
Joker rounds are back for Rounds 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21!
If you haven’t submitted your payment yet, please see Nadia.
Ballarat Marathon - Event Participation!
Over the weekend, the Ballarat Marathon and the smaller running events took place. A small group of CEB staff members and two staff members from the SIMON team participated and we would like to congratulate the following individuals:
Tim O'Farrell - (10km)
- Fiona Murphy - (Half Marathon)
Matthew Le Nepveu - (Half Marathon)
- Mark Vanderkley - (Half Marathon)
- Donna Mason - (Half Marathon)
- Ruth Appleyard - (10km)
- Tara Lupus - (5km)
We can't wait for next year's Ballarat Marathon and we hope to see more participation in 2026!
We’re excited to be in market with our major 2026 enrolment campaign!
We’re excited to be in market with our major 2026 enrolment campaign, now live across TV and radio, and with digital platforms. This campaign celebrates the unique value of Catholic education and invites families to discover what makes our schools so special.
Our television commercial (TVC) is a powerful centrepiece of the campaign — you can watch it now on our https://dobcel.catholic.edu.au/our-schools/. We encourage everyone to take a look and share in the message.
To help amplify the campaign at a local level, we’ll be sending a package of social media assets to schools next week. These are designed for easy sharing and will help strengthen our collective voice during this key enrolment period.
Keep an eye (and ear!) out for our promotions and thank you for your support!
Dancing with Our Stars 2025: Foundation Teacher, Gemma Snibson, Dances for a Cause!
We’re thrilled to announce that St Francis Xavier Primary School’s very own Foundation teacher, Gemma Snibson, is taking the spotlight in this year’s Dancing with Our Stars, proudly supporting the Ballarat Foundation.
Gemma is one of the local Ballarat “stars” swapping school shoes for dancing heels - as she trains hard for the big event. This glamorous charity fundraiser aims to raise over $200,000 for vital programs supporting the Ballarat community. Each star has a personal target of $10,000.
We are incredibly proud of Gemma’s dedication, generosity, and willingness to take on this enormous challenge. Let’s get behind her with our cheers, votes, and donations as she dances her heart out for a great cause.
So far, Gemma has raised $3,620! Please click here to view Gemma's fundraising page.
Stay tuned for how you can support Gemma on her fundraising journey!
The Ballarat Foundation's Dancing with Our Stars is more than just a night of entertainment, it is a vital fundraiser that directly supports programs aimed at breaking the cycle of disadvantage in the Ballarat community.
Each year, local personalities partner with professional dancers to deliver dazzling performances while raising funds for important initiatives such as:
- TAC L2P Learner Driver Program: Helping young people without access to a supervising driver or vehicle to achieve their probationary licence.
- Back to School Vouchers: Providing essential items like uniforms and stationery to students in need.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Delivering free books to children to foster early literacy.
- Volunteering Ballarat: Connecting volunteers with organisations to strengthen community engagement.
This year, the Ballarat Foundation is aiming to reach a major milestone of $1 million raised since Dancing with our Stars began! That’s $1 million going directly to local programs and projects that help disadvantaged people in the Ballarat community.
SOCIAL JUSTICE UPDATE: Continuing Pope Francis’ Legacy Through Laudato Si’ Action in the Workplace
Pope Francis greets faithful during his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Vatican, on September 13, 2023. Franco Origlia/Getty Images
“Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth,” said Pope Francis in Laudato Si' Work is “where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God.”
22 June 2015
Laudato Si', Pope Francis's encyclical on climate change, can be applied in the workplace through a focus on integral ecology, emphasising the interconnectedness of social and environmental issues. This means incorporating environmental awareness and action into business practices, promoting sustainable lifestyles, and fostering a sense of responsibility towards the planet and its inhabitants.
Care for Our Common Home is one of the Catholic Social Teaching principles, which is interwoven throughout Laudato Si’. The video included in today’s article, which we were unable to view during our meeting on Thursday, April 11 at Damascus College, explains how caring for all creation is caring for each other. “Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” (Laudato Si’ n 49)
Please click this link to view the video → CST Care For Our Common Home Video
Upcoming Key Social Justice Dates:
World Fair Trade Day - Saturday 10th May 2025
Laudato Si’ Week - Friday 16th - Saturday 24th May 2025
Catholic Identity and Mission Updates
How is the Pope Elected?
This coming Wednesday, 7th May, The Papal Conclave commences. Through the process of a Papal Conclave a new Pope is elected.
What is a Papal Conclave? The following clip gives an insight into the process.
If you're interested in finding out more, please watch the YouTube video below.
ECSI Masterclass: Sacred Spaces (Online) - Save the Date and Register
| Date | Wednesday 21 May 2025 |
| Times | LIVE ONLINE AET 15h30-17h00 NSW 15h30-17h00 QLD 15h30-17h00 VIC 15h30-17h00 SA 15h00-16h30 CET 07h30 – 09h00 |
| Masterclass overview | You are warmly invited to join us this 21 May for the third ECSI Masterclass! Building on the success of our Masterclass last April and November, the third offers you and your colleagues a deep theological and architectural dive into the question of sacred spaces and the Catholic dialogue school. The Masterclass event is free of charge and open to all those invited by their Catholic Education Office. More information about the entire series of ECSI Masterclasses can be found at this page. We look forward to seeing you online! |
| Presenters and Facilitator | Presenters: Prof Dr Didier Pollefeyt, Dr Jan Bouwens Facilitator: Dr Michael Richards |
| Registration link | https://ecsi.site/au/masterclass-registration/ Registration also includes an (optional) request for input and examples. One week prior to the Masterclass, the specific link and login details will be sent to all those registered online. |
Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
CEB Positions
- Education Officer: Learning and Diversity – Swan Hill or Mildura – Ongoing (or secondment by agreement) at 0.6-1.0 FTE (closes 4 May)
- Education Officer: Learning and Diversity – Horsham – Ongoing (or secondment by agreement) at 0.6-1.0 FTE (closes 4 May)
- ICT Systems Administrator – Ballarat – Ongoing at 1.0 FTE (closes 4 May)
Payroll Officer - Ballarat – Fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 18 May)