Weekly Newsletter #30 - 6 Oct 2021
Reflection
Plenary Council
This week, the Catholic Church in Australia began the 5th Plenary Council, this is an opportunity for deep reflection and discernment and may invite us to imagine ways to be in our current context.
At the opening, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference read a letter that had been sent to Pope Francis marking the opening of the Council:
‘The Church in Australia is at a point where we will have to face the truth of our situation with eyes wide open and make bold decisions to ensure the future is according to the mind and heart of Christ. At a time when we are under pressure and in some ways diminished we will have to imagine and enact new ways of mission …’
Pope Francis also sent his greetings via a letter from the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. These greetings were read at the opening plenary and began with recognition as to the significance of the Plenary event.
Here is a brief portion of it:
“In this conciliar process, the Church in Australia is challenged to listen to the voice of the Spirit and to bear renewed witness to the perennial truth of the Gospel and to develop new and creative expressions of evangelical charity. In this way, building on the solid foundations laid by past generations, it will become increasingly a home with open doors, ‘a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach’.” (EG §28)
The Plenary Council is a hope filled event, being open to the movement of The Spirit. Let us pray
Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future, that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
From the Executive Director
Welcome back to Term 4. As everyone would be acutely aware the COVID directions for schools continue to change notably the return to school schedules and mandatory vaccinations. We will continue to provide updated advice and information as soon as it is available. Once the Victorian Government’s vaccination targets are met I look forward to the gradual return to a more normal life! Please continue to look after one another as we navigate our way through this term.
Appointment of Education Consultant: Northern Zone
After a long and exhaustive search, I am very pleased to announce that Murray Macdonald has accepted the role of Education Consultant: Northern Zone (read official announcement).
Murray has extensive experience in Catholic Education, having worked in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Dioceses of Sandhurst, Lismore and Ballarat. Over his 40 years in Catholic Education Murray has been a successful Principal at St Mary’s Primary School, Cohuna (1991-1995), St Patrick’s Primary School, Tongala (1999-2010), St James’ Primary School, Yamba (2011-2013) and Lumen Christi Primary School, Delacombe (2014-2021). Murray was also Deputy Principal at St Augustine’s College F-10, Kyabram (1996-1998).
Murray holds the following qualifications: Bachelor of Education (ACU), Master of Educational Leadership (ACU) and Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching Studies of Asia (University of Melbourne).
Murray originates from Mildura and is a former student of both Sacred Heart Primary School and St Joseph’s College, Mildura. He is looking forward to working in the Northern Zone and learning about the individual context to each school. Murray will be regularly working out of the Mildura and Swan Hill CEB Offices.
Murray will commence his new position at the beginning of next year. I offer him our congratulations on his appointment.
Further CEB Staff Announcements
Emma Rutherford
I am delighted to advise that Emma Rutherford, Senior Education Officer: Learning and Teaching, has been seconded to St Paul’s Mildura for the 2022 school year. This will provide mutual benefit to both parties, giving Emma the opportunity to reconnect with a school community and put her learnings from the past 4 years as an Education Officer into practice in a classroom setting, as well as provide St Paul’s with some onsite expertise.
Thank you to Vince Muscatello and St Paul’s for willingly accommodating this secondment.
A 12 month Education Officer secondment position for the Northern Zone is currently advertised.
Trish Wilson
Trish Wilson, who has worked with the CEB payroll team since September 2019 has recently announced her resignation to pursue other career ambitions. Trish has been a wonderful personality and contributor within the Business Services team and will finish on 15 October. We wish her all the best for the future.
Tom Sexton
Executive Director, Catholic Education Ballarat
From the Office of the Executive Director
Schoolzine Website and eNewsletter EOIs Invited
The opportunity to secure a new Schoolzine website and eNewsletter solution at a special Diocesan price of approximately 50% off is currently available. See our information page and FAQ document for more information on increasing your school’s digital engagement with existing and prospective families in 2022.
Expressions of interest for Phase 3 are now open until Friday 5 November. To request a quote and initiate the process for your school, please submit an EOI form or contact Emma Newman via email.
New staff commencing in Term 4
If your school has any new staff commencing in Term 4, please contact Emma Newman to add their email address to the Weekly Newsletter mailing list.
Updated Directory and Organisational Chart
An updated DOBCEL Directory and CEB Organisational Chart are now available.
Catholic Identity and Mission Updates
Laudato Si’ Action Plan
The full launch of the Vatican’s major initiative to implement Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and creation care throughout the global Catholic Church has been pushed back to mid-November.
Originally set for 4 October, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is now scheduled to begin its enrollment period on 14 November. By that time, planning guides and related materials for the program – a type of sustainability road map guided by church teaching – are expected to all be completed and made available on the initiative’s website.
This information has been sourced from the EarthBeat website.
Christian Faith and World Religions: Inter-religious Dialogue in Australia
Catholic Theological College is offering the unit Christian Faith and World Religions: Inter-religious Dialogue in Australia. This unit is designed for all who wish to contribute in a practical way to the multi-faith and multi-cultural society which Australia has become. See flyer for more information.
If you are interested in finding out more there is a free information session on Wednesday 20 October, 7-7.30pm. Register here.
System Improvement Updates
Student Free and School Closure Days
Please find attached the notification template for school student free and school closure days (Word document). We ask that all DOBCEL schools please complete the template for 2022 and return to Sarah Quinn by Wednesday 27 October. We have attached the DOBCEL School Year policy for your reference and convenience.
Cancellation of Graduate Days
Please be advised the Graduate Days due to be held in October have been cancelled.
Reminder: Study Sponsorship Applications Open
Applications are now open for the Diocesan Sponsorship for 2022 with applications closing on Monday 1 November. Sponsorship is on the basis of:
- 1/3 CEB contribution;
- 1/3 School contribution and
- 1/3 Participant contribution
except where Accreditation to teach Religious Education is the reason for the study. In these cases, CEB contributes 2/3 of cost and the school contributes 1/3. Sponsorship is for the cost of unit fees and does not include student amenities fees. See further details and the application form.
Learning and Teaching Updates
PAT Assessments
There is no mandated requirement for assessment of students post remote learning this term. However, schools may choose to complete the usual PAT Maths and PAT Reading assessments in order to gain current information for each student about their learning. The recommendation is that for 2021, the usual linear PAT assessment is undertaken so that results can be accurately compared to previous years.
We encourage the use of PAT assessment data to prioritise learning for the remainder of the term and 2022.
The following school support webinars are available via the ‘Help’ tab > Webinars and Professional Learning of all schools’ individual OARS accounts and may be useful for analysing PAT data:
F-2 Assessments
There is no mandated requirement this semester for schools to undertake the usual Text Level assessments for F-2 students using Alpha Assess, however schools are still free to do so if it is within their capacity.
The CECV Foundation -Year 2 Literacy Data Collection Guide outlines all necessary information on when to administer the assessment and how to upload data.
Term 4 Mathematics newsletter
The Term 4 2021 Mathematics newsletter is now available for our Ballarat Diocesan Mathematics educators, including an invitation to complete a short survey for Professional Learning looking forward into 2022 and beyond.
Learner Agency Professional Learning
Increasing Learner Agency and moving to a more student-centred approach to learning and teaching has been identified by many of our schools as a school improvement priority over the next few years.
To assist with this, there have been some initial discussions with Dr Jayne-Louise Collins and Ed Partnerships regarding co-designing some professional learning for 2022 in the area of Learner Agency. There are possibilities for schools to partner in this work in clusters across our diocese and the learning will be co-designed to ensure fidelity to individual and local contexts.
If you would be interested in learning more about this possibility, please contact Sue Paulka.
People and Development Updates
Emergency Management Update
In preparation for the forthcoming Fire season, new DOBCEL Emergency Management Plans and Emergency Response Guidelines have been finalised. These documents were developed in consultation with School Principals, Compliance Officers and the DOBCEL Health and Safety Commmittee during Terms 2 and 3, and have ensured that the documents are easy to read and complete. As per our VRQA requirements, each school must complete and provide to Catholic Education Ballarat an updated Emergency Management Plan for their school by 29 October.
Please note: The revised EMP template replaces the existing EMP template used prior to 2021.
This week, the following documents will be loaded onto e-sort for Schools to read and complete:
- Emergency and Critical incident Management Policy, including the Incident Escalation flowchart;
- Emergency Management Plan (EMP) template;
- Emergency Management Plan Response Guides.
Each Principal and CARSO should receive a notification when these documents can be accessed.
What needs to be done:
- All Schools must complete a School EMP plan and provide to Simon O’Brien at CEB by 29 October 2021
- Ensure that the local staff manual/handbook, induction processes are updated to reflect the new documents
Emergency Management Training
As part of the rollout of emergency management training, all schools have been asked to confirm arrangements for a local briefing session for all staff and training for emergency wardens in either Term 4, 2021 or Term 1, 2022. Schools are invited to select from Specialists on Safety or Dynamiq Fire Services to deliver a 20-30 minute briefing on the critical incident escalation process for all staff, and a 1.5hr training session for Emergency Wardens. The choice of training provider can be made by the Principal and contact can be made using the following details:
- Specialists on Safety: Chris Tasic (e) chris@sosaustralia.com.au or (m) 0401 018 696
- Dynamiq Fire Services: Emma Gladman (e) Emma.Gladman@dynamiq.com.au or (m) Mob: 0400 526 207
Please note: This training will need to be completed on an annual basis to coincide the annual attestation to CECV that we are compliant with the VRQA Emergency Management requirements (in October each year).
Nominating a training date
Principals are asked to nominate a training provider, date and times on the attached spreadsheet: Emergency Management Training to ensure we minimise the travel and facilitation costs. Principals are asked to work in with their neighbouring schools to ensure that where possible 2-3 sessions can be facilitated per day.
What needs to be done:
- Nominate a preferred date for your briefing and training session
- Update the attached spreadsheet with the details
- Select a preferred supplier
- Confirm the arrangements for this training with Grant Victor-Gordon by: 15 October 2021
Emergency Management Budget
Training will be paid for by Catholic Education Ballarat for DOBCEL schools who lock in their training to occur in Term 4 (2021) and Term 1 (2022). A budget provision for Emergency Management Training will be made in every DOBCEL school budget to provide this training in the later part of 2022.
Further information
For more information, please contact the Catholic Education Ballarat OHS Coordinator, Grant Victor-Gordon on 0410 261 338 or by email at gvictor-gordon@dobcel.catholic.edu.au
Flourish Wellbeing eMag – October edition
The October edition of the Flourish Wellbeing eMag is now available.
In this issue:
- Screen Fatigue
- Wellbeing in a time of social distancing
- Yoga Nidra
- Pets & the pandemic
- Growing your own fruit & vegetables
- Loneliness
- Sleep Mindfulness, and
- more
Business Services Updates
Earthquake Damage
CCI has been contacting all clients that may be impacted by the recent earthquake and reports of damage across parts of Victoria.
Please see attached letter regarding lodging a claim and risk and safety considerations after an earthquake.
CCI Insurance
CCI have advised that from 30 September they have a new phone number - 1800 011 028 - for all enquiries regarding claims or policies.
This number will direct you to the right person in their service teams and provides a call back option if required.
Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
Principal Vacancies
- St Mary’s Primary School Warracknabeal – to commence January 2022 (closes 25 October)
Catholic Education Ballarat Vacancies
- Education Officer: Learning & Teaching (Primary) – 12-month secondment opportunity or fixed-term at 1.0 FTE – based in Mildura or Swan Hill (closes 11 October)
- Payroll Administration Officer – Ongoing position at 1.0 FTE in the Ballarat Office (closes 18 October)
School Vacancies
- Classroom Teacher – St Joseph’s School, Warrnambool – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 8 October)
- Classroom Teacher – St Mary’s School, Sea Lake – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 8 October)
- Classroom Teachers – St Mary’s School, Hamilton – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE and part-time (closes 11 October)
- Classroom Teacher – St Patrick’s School, St Arnaud – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 11 October)
- Classroom Teacher – Sacred Heart Primary School, Colac – fixed-term at 1.0 FTE (closes 22 October)
- Casual Relief Teachers – St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballarat East (closes 10 December)
From Other Dioceses and Beyond
NCEC Conference – Save the Date
After being postponed in 2020, the next NCEC Conference will be held on 4-7 September 2022. See flyer here and register your interest here.
Faith in the Future updates
Commemorative magazine
The third edition of the Faith in the Future commemorative magazine is now available This edition highlights stories and coverage of the Bicentenary of Catholic education in Australia, including:
- Celebrating Family Week
- Historical: Goulburn schools strike and the impact on Catholic school funding
- Historical: The first religious orders to establish Catholic schools in Australia continued
- New commemorative book, From Humble Beginnings
- Your stories: Reflections from our bicentenary partners and more…
Virtual Symposium
To mark World Teachers Day and the Bicentenary of Catholic Education, the Faith in the Future Virtual Symposium will be held on Wednesday 27 October from 3:00pm-4:15pm (AEDT).
This is a free ticketed event for educators and leaders in Catholic schools, education offices and universities, which offers an opportunity for the Catholic educational community to gather and participate in professional learning and engagement.
The program will feature keynote speaker Dr Lyn Sharratt, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Australian broadcaster Geraldine Doogue.
Register for Virtual Symposium here.
The following resources are available to share:
- Virtual Symposium Flyer (PDF)
- Website & Social media banners (GIF)
- Virtual Symposium banners (JPEG)
- Social media square tile (JPEG)
Please note all files are saved in the 200 Years Branding file - Virtual Symposium folder.
Recruitment Opportunities in Other Dioceses
The following recruitment opportunities are currently available in other dioceses:
- Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd
- Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong
- Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes
- Brisbane Catholic Education
CatholicCare Victoria - Free Mental Health & Wellbeing Guide
CatholicCare Victoria has been supporting the Ballarat community for almost 45 years. To help in these tough times, we’ve developed a free guide to mental health and wellbeing, created by regional Victorians, for regional Victorians. Download your copy today.
Liturgy on the Margins - Australian Diaconal Ministry, Present and Future
Elizabeth Young RSM has launched an online community for Catholics in Australia who are drawn to diaconal ministry or who may already be leading liturgy on the margins as an ordained or consecrated person, chaplain, pastoral worker or catechist.