CEB Staff Newsletter #57 - 30 May 2025

Staff News

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Staff Formation, Pilgrims of Hope Preferences

Thank you for the time you have taken in considering preferences for our Catholic Education Ballarat Staff Formation that is taking place in October. Today is the day to nominate your preferences! Please indicate your preferences HERE. 

Every effort will be made to ensure that you participate in one of your first three nominated preferences. 

Don't forget another very exciting and important part of this year's formation is the establishment of Pilgrim Accompaniment Teams. These teams will be made up of colleagues from across CEB. The purpose is to assist pilgrims on the journey and during the experience.  Please indicate in the survey if you would like to be a part of a Pilgrim Accompaniment Team. Your skills and experience are needed and are very welcome! 

From here, groups will be organised in the coming weeks, according to preferences. You will be notified of your pilgrimage group before Friday 4th July 2025.

To further explore Jubilee and Pilgrimage here is a summary from The Catholic Christian perspective of these two concepts.  Pilgrimage

The following clip also picks up on some of the major themes and purposes of pilgrimage and may be useful in exploring the question of What is a pilgrimage? It is from the UK therefore, the context is different to the pilgrimages that will be a part of  CEB Formation in October. What it does offer us is a snapshot of the ancient practice of pilgrimage (a seven-minute watch) The clip is based on actual physical pilgrimages. The themes explored are also relevant to our metaphorical pilgrimages taking place at all of our October formation experiences. Enjoy!

Pilgrimage and the Old Way on BBC1's Sunday Morning Live

Northern Zone Network Collaboration Day - A Celebration of Shared Purpose

On Tuesday this week, schools from across our Northern Zone gathered in Euston for their Network Collaboration Day - a powerful reminder of the strength and potential that comes from working together.

These gatherings are a vital part of our shared mission, providing time and space to connect, exchange ideas, and explore how DOBCEL 2035 Strategy is taking shape in our classrooms and communities. Throughout the day, there was a real sense of energy, collaboration, and purpose, with rich conversations and practical insights shared among colleagues.

It was also wonderful to have staff from the Catholic Education Ballarat (CEB) team attending, strengthening the partnership between schools and CEB and contributing meaningfully to the dialogue and shared learning.

The success of the day is a credit to everyone involved - thank you to all who contributed, participated, and helped bring our collective vision to life.

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On behalf of Tom and Julia, a big thanks to all involved in the Network Collaboration Days across the four zones. We have provided the opportunity for about 1300 people to participate in DOBCEL Strategy 2035 sense-making activities. Having looked at the role of student and school characteristics through Pasi's exploration of the case for change, we asked people to consider what they would like to Grow and Let Go in their schools. The Practical Principles were also introduced, and we ended the day by asking people what they are excited about, challenged by and hopeful for. We are compiling and analysing the data which we'll share in the coming weeks. 

Thanks again – the overwhelming feedback has been that people appreciated the opportunity to learn new ideas, discuss future possibilities and feel part of our system community.

Learning & Teaching Senior Education Officer - Congratulations to Lauren Gould!

After a substantial process, we are pleased to announce that Lauren Gould has accepted the position as Learning & Teaching Senior Education Officer.

Lauren has brought a valued level skill set and professional knowledge to a number of projects in her time at CEB including leadership and codesign of ILSY and Teachers as Co Learners. She has exceptional insight into structural and organisational elements to her work, and this will be of great ongoing benefit to the Learning & Teaching Team.

We thank Sam Meerbach for her work as Learning & Teaching Senior over the past years. Sam has chosen to step back from this role but has brought great support to the L&T team through her leadership of specific projects such as Coaching and Primary Leaders of Learning. Sam has shown great generosity in her support of individuals on the team and in the way she has stepped up to support schools in the North.

Catholic Education Week Celebrations Continue!

In this week's weekly newsletter, we featured a few schools who had some wonderful Catholic Education Week celebrations...and the celebrations continue! In today's staff newsletter, take a look at some great photos from St Brendan's - Coragulac, St Francis Xavier - Ballarat East and St Mary's Primary School - Colac. 

Check out some great videos on Facebook too!

St Patrick's Primary School - Koroit also recently shared a lovely video on their Facebook page. Yesterday, their principal (Tegan McDonald) was on the lookout for acts of kindness as part of their Kindness Krew initiative - spreading joy, compassion, and connection during Catholic Education Week.

Head over to St Pius X Parish School, Warrnambool's Facebook page to view their fun Catholic Education Week video!

2025 Spirit of Catholic Education Awards - Tonight!

Tonight, we come together to celebrate the outstanding dedication and achievements across our Catholic Education community at the 2025 Catholic Education Awards Dinner at Damascus College, Ballarat.

We look forward to honouring all those who were nominated for an award – your passion, service, and commitment truly inspire us all. A special recognition also goes to the incredible individuals marking 30 years of service to Catholic Education. Your lifelong dedication is a shining example of faith in action.

Let’s enjoy this evening of celebration, connection, and gratitude. Please click here to view the list of nominees for 2025 on our website. 

Reconciliation Week - St Alipius Parish School's visit from Aunty Brenda Matthews

This week, we mark National Reconciliation Week, a time to reflect on our shared history, deepen our understanding, and take meaningful steps toward reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme "Bridging Now to Next" reminds us of the importance of ongoing commitment and action.

We highlighted Reconciliation Week in this week's Weekly Newsletter, where we also featured inspiring photos from schools across the Diocese engaging in thoughtful and creative activities to honour the week. 

A special highlight was the visit from Aunty Brenda Matthews to St Alipius Parish School – Ballarat, where she shared her powerful story of hope, forgiveness and love with students from both St Alipius and St Michael’s Primary School, Daylesford. Following her keynote, students had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful Q&A session. We’re incredibly grateful to Aunty Brenda for her generous presence and storytelling.

It was great to see such wonderful dedication to fostering respectful relationships and inclusive communities. 

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Acknowledging Country: A Shared Reflection

We are pleased to share a powerful video co-created by CEB staff, naming the Country on which they live, work or were born. The video features Solid Rock, performed by Goanna and written by Shane Howard, who was educated in schools in the Ballarat Diocese.

Solid Rock is a moving reflection on modern Australia, acknowledging that our lives are built upon lands cared for by Australia's First Peoples for tens of thousands of years. We invite you to watch and reflect.

👉  Watch the video here

Celebrating Outstanding Leadership: Cathy Duynhoven Receives 2025 Dunlop Sisters Award

DOBCEL is delighted to share the wonderful news that Cathy Duynhoven, Business Manager at St Joseph’s Primary School, Warrnambool, has been named the winner of the 2025 Dunlop Sisters Professional Development Award, presented by Enquiry Tracker.

Now in its second year, the Enquiry Tracker Dunlop Sisters Award recognises the leadership, service, and professional growth of women in education across Australia. The award honours the legacy of the four Dunlop sisters – lifelong educators and the inspiration behind Enquiry Tracker founders Antony and Gregory Campitelli.

Cathy’s recognition is a testament to her unwavering commitment to Catholic education, her deep care for her school community, and her leadership that consistently reflects the values of integrity, compassion, and excellence. We are immensely proud to see her contributions celebrated at a national level.

As the 2025 recipient, Cathy will receive $2,000 towards travel and accommodation from Enquiry Tracker along with a delegate ticket to attend a national or international education conference in 2026, supporting her continued growth and professional development.

Learn more about the Dunlop Sisters Award here: enquirytracker.net/about/excellence-awards

People and Development Updates

6-Month Self-Reflection/Annual Review Process - Goes Live Tuesday 10 June 2025

The 6-month self-reflection process for the CEB office opens on Tuesday 10 June 2025. The self-reflection process aims to ensure an opportunity for conversation to affirm and reflect on your achievements to date in 2025 and provide space to discuss and capture any support or growth and development opportunities for delivering on the goals you set for 2025.

Each person will receive an email from Culture Amp (notifications@cultureamp.com) containing a link to complete the self-reflection. You can access your self-reflection via the email or by logging into your Culture Amp account. The link to the self-reflection is located on the home page.

Before completing your self-reflection, you should update the status of your goals. Once you’ve completed the self-reflection, submit it to your team leader; and expect to have a meeting to discuss your reflections.

6-month self-reflections and meetings should be completed by Friday, 17 July 2025.

Instructions for updating the status of goals and completing the self-reflection can be found here.

If you have any questions about Culture Amp please speak with Fiona Murphy or Emma Baldwin.

2025 Employee Engagement Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent 2025 CEB Employee Engagement Survey. 118 staff provided feedback and shared almost 400 comments on their experiences working at CEB.

This feedback will be integral to help guide the year of ‘strategy sense making’ and continuing in the development of a system of high performing Catholic Schools.

Some result highlights –

• The CEB overall engagement scores is 78% (up from 72% in 2023)
• 93% of people responded to the survey
• 399 comments provided
• Biggest increases in category scores are Action (up 16%), overall Engagement (up 6%), leadership: Team Leader (up 5%) and Feedback and Recognition (up 5%).

To provide everyone the opportunity to see the high-level organisation results, there will be a presentation held in the Ballarat conference room, with the opportunity to join online. This presentation will also be recorded for those unable to attend and the recording will be shared in the staff newsletter.

Results presentation details –

Friday June 6, 9:30 – 10:30, Ballarat office Conference room or MS teams

This meeting is a great opportunity for everyone to gain insight into the feedback provided and understand the key areas of focus moving forward.

All teams will be provided with detailed results of their overall team responses and will have the opportunity to debrief team results over the coming weeks and months.

If you have any questions regarding the Engagement Survey, please contact Fiona Murphy.

Have Your Say – Help Shape the Next Enterprise Agreement

As we move towards the preparation for shaping the next Agreement, we want to hear from you.

All CEB staff are invited to a short online session (30–40 mins) to:

• Hear an update on the consultation process,
• Have an opportunity to discuss key priorities with colleagues, and
• Nominate your personal top 3 priorities via a quick poll.

These optional sessions are grouped by role/job type. Your insights will directly inform DOBCEL’s bargaining approach.

Session Schedule:

No need to register – just click the MS Teams link.

Attendance is optional.  These sessions are for CEB staff only. DOBCEL School staff consultation sessions have been scheduled and promoted via the Weekly (Wednesday) newsletter.

We value your voice and look forward to your contribution.

Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community

CEB Positions

• Case Coordinator – Complaints Resolution – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 8 June)
• Speech Pathologist – fixed-term position at 0.5 FTE (closes 15 June)

Principal Recruitment

• Principal – St Brendan’s, Coragulac – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 15 June)
• Principal – St Patrick’s, Port Fairy – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 15 June)