Weekly Newsletter #20 - 13 July 2022
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Reflection
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From the Executive Director
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DOBCEL Board Meeting at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School, Merbein
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Principal Appointments
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Principalship Re-advertisement
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2022 National Catholic Education Conference - Early Bird Registration Extended
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Catholic School Parents Australia - Upcoming Survey
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Catholic Education Update
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Learning & Teaching Update
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Wellbeing Update
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Staff News
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Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
Reflection
The Call of Jesus
Our schools exist to continue the ministry of Jesus. At the beginning of a new term, amongst the ongoing struggles of the pandemic - What is at the core of our work?
There are many things we need to deal with on a daily basis in the great adventure of Catholic Education. We continually face items that require our attention and immediate priority. If we contemplate for a moment what is at the heart of our work and calling, I wonder what comes into focus for you?
The following reflection by Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, articulates a clear vision for what we are called to do in the ministry of Catholic Education.
A Bias Toward the Bottom
Another of Jesus’s non negotiables is the work of justice and generosity toward the poor and outsider. That’s quite clear, quite absolute- in page after page of the Gospels. Yet Christian history, even at the highest levels of church, has shown the church as thinking nothing of amassing fortunes and living grandly (while others starved), thus rather totally identifying with power, war, and money (which tend to go hand in hand)
At this point in history, when most people can read Jesus’s (and the bible’s) clear and consistent bias toward the poor, the foreigner and the marginlised, it can only be ignored with culpable blindness and ignorance. Most Christians have indeed been “cafeteria Christians” in this regard. Usually they will markedly emphasise something else (often a sexual issue) to divert attention from what Jesus emphasised. As Jesus himself put it “You strain out gnats and you swallow camels!” (Matthew 23:24). The issues never change in any age, as long as the same old ego is in charge. (p. 346)
Rohr R. (2021) Yes, And.....A Year of Daily Meditations SPCK Publishing London
Let us pray…..
Christ has no body now but ours.
No hands, no feet on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.
Ours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Ours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes, we are his body.
Christ has no body now on earth but ours.
Amen
(Adapted from The Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila)
From the Executive Director
Welcome back to Term 3. I hope and pray that our staff have been able to rest and recharge for the coming term. Whilst most staff were on a holiday break, the Second General Assembly of the Plenary Council took place in Sydney.
"The nine-month celebration phase of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia ended on Saturday, with Council Members standing and applauding as president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB formally declared the Council closed.
Almost four-and-a-half years after preparations for the Council began, Members met for a final session to bring to a conclusion the second general assembly, held across six days in Sydney.
In addition to celebrating the final Mass on Saturday morning, Members also approved a concluding statement signed by all Members of the assembly, reflecting on the discernment that took place over those days."
For more information about this event, please view this link here.
This was an historic meeting of all Australian Bishops and representatives of religious and laity from across Australia. During this assembly, approximately 30 motions that emerged from the four-year Plenary Council journey were discerned and approved, including a number of motions relating to the role of women in our Church. If you have been following the Plenary Council last week you would know that on Wednesday, the motions relating to the role of women in our Church did not, again, gain the support of the majority of the Bishops. By Friday, following rigorous discernment and commitment to the Plenary Council Theme of “Listen to what the spirit is saying”, all motions relating to the role of women in our Church were passed by an overwhelming majority of the Bishops. This is a significant moment for the Australian Catholic Church, as outlined here by Christopher Lamb in his article in The Tablet via this link.
For further information on this Plenary Council, please see the following links:
The DOBCEL Board met at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School, Merbein yesterday. The Directors visited our local Catholic schools on Monday, followed by a dinner with Parish Priests, SAC representatives and Principals. This visit continues the Board’s commitment to be visible across our Diocese and to get to know each of our schools in order to build strong relationships and to provide exemplary governance to our DOBCEL schools.
I am delighted to inform you of four Principal Appointments, as detailed below. I know that you will join with me in congratulating Ethan Corfee, Emily Clarke, Narelle Cox and Nerrida Holland on their respective appointments and will offer them every support.
Tom Sexton
Executive Director, Catholic Education Ballarat
DOBCEL Board Meeting at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School, Merbein
Principal Appointments
Mr Ethan Corfee - Principal of Emmaus Catholic Primary School, Mt Clear.
Ethan is currently Principal at St Michael’s Primary School, Daylesford, a position he has held for the past six years. Prior to this, Ethan was Deputy Principal and Learning Diversity Leader at Emmaus Catholic Primary School and has previously held Deputy Principal positions at St Scholastica’s Catholic Primary School in Bennettswood and St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School in Glen Iris.
Ethan holds a Master of Education, a Bachelor of Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts. I know that you will join with me in congratulating Ethan on his appointment and will offer him every support as he leads the school as Principal from Monday 29 August, 2022.
Eileen Rice, the current Interim Principal at Emmaus, will conclude her time on Wednesday 7 September. Ethan and Eileen will have the opportunity to co-lead the school between 29 August and 7 September to support the transition process.
We are tremendously grateful to Eileen for her willingness to step into this important role and lead the school community during this transition period. We wish her well for her second attempt at retirement.
Ethan’s last day at St Michael’s Primary School will be Friday 26 August. During his time at St Michael’s, Ethan has supported the ongoing development of the school’s Catholic Identity. He has also enhanced the learning opportunities in order to improve student outcomes. In more recent years Ethan has overseen significant building works as part of the school’s master plan.
Tim Hogan, the current Assistant Principal of St Michael’s Primary School, Daylesford, has generously agreed to undertake the role of interim Principal for the remainder of the 2022 school year. Advertising for a new Principal at St Michael’s Primary School, Daylesford will occur in the coming weeks with a view to making an appointment for the beginning of the 2023 school year.
Ms Emily Clarke - Principal of St Alipius Parish School, Ballarat East.
Emily is currently Interim Principal at the school and has been teaching at St Alipius since 2015. Prior to this, Emily worked with the Ballarat Youth Justice Community Support Service and taught in Mildura and the Northern Territory.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Education and Graduate Certificate in Loss, Grief and Trauma Counselling (Interventions for children). I know that you will join with me in congratulating Emily on her appointment and will offer her every support as she leads the school as the ongoing Principal from the beginning of 2023.
Ms Narelle Cox - Principal of St Aloysius Primary School, Redan.
Narelle is currently Deputy Principal at the school for four days per week and Principal for one day per week. She has also been a teacher at St Aloysius since 2019. Prior to this, Narelle was Lead Teacher at St James’ Parish Primary School, Sebastopol.
Narelle is currently undertaking the Master of Educational Leadership at Australian Catholic University and holds a Bachelor of Education (Primary). I know that you will join with me in congratulating Narelle on her appointment and will offer her every support as she leads the school as the full time Principal from the beginning of 2023.
Ms Nerrida Holland - Principal of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal.
Nerrida is currently Interim Principal at the school where she is also Learning Diversity and Religious Education Leader. Prior to 2022, Nerrida was the Inclusion and Diversity Coach at Sacred Heart College, Geelong and has taught in both the primary and secondary school sectors for over 30 years.
Nerrida holds a Master of Educational Leadership, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Religion), a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education. I know that you will join with me in congratulating Nerrida on her appointment and will offer her every support as she leads the school as the ongoing Principal from the beginning of 2023.
Principalship Re-advertisement
The position of Principal will be re-advertised at the beginning of Term 3 for a January 2023 commencement date for St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballarat East. This decision has been reached after much consideration. The intention is to provide an opportunity to attract a broader pool of candidates with experience that best suits the needs of the school.
Acting Principal, Jane Clark, has generously agreed to continue in this role for the remainder of the current school year. Jane is being well supported by staff, students and families, as she leads the school so capably during this period of transition. We are grateful to Jane for her dedication and commitment to this important role.
2022 National Catholic Education Conference - Early Bird Registration Extended
Catholic School Parents Australia - Upcoming Survey
The Australian government has asked CSPA to enter into an agreement to inform them of existing and emerging issues that are of concern to Catholic school families, especially those issues that impact their children’s health, wellbeing and/or learning. In particular, they are keen to hear the perspectives of parents and carers from families of children with challenges around learning, and from families with children in remote school settings.
School changes resulting from the pandemic have placed formidable challenge on some school communities and this no doubt will dominate the perspectives of many. On behalf of families, CSPA would like to thank Catholic schools for their overall response to COVID during this ongoing period of teaching/learning and wellbeing challenge for staff, students and families. Many stories have been shared of how schools have positively responded during this time.
CSPA represents and advocates for all families with children and young people in Australia’s 1762 Catholic schools. CSPA works through the State and Territory Catholic parent bodies, in collaboration and consultation with the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), and is recognised by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference through the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education.
The survey is scheduled to go live on 25 July and a way it could be accessed will be through a link on CSPA's ENGAGE website, which currently has a story about the survey. There you can also find a story about the new CSPA Chair Madonna King.
Catholic Education Update
Religious Education and Pedagogy (REAP).
The Religious Education and Pedagogy (REAP) program will be offered again in 2023 for another 2-year cycle and this time we’ll be offering it in Ballarat and Mildura.
Please view the letter below for more information and register your schools’ interest in this via this link.
For further information, please contact Gina Bernasconi.
Learning & Teaching Update
Expressions of Interest - Learner Agency Professional Learning 2023.
Schools interested in undertaking the Learner Agency Professional Learning program, in partnership with Dr Jayne-Louise Collins from Ed Partnerships, are asked to register their interest via this form.
Please see the attached information or contact Sue Paulka for further information.
2023 Teaching Excellence Program.
The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership aims to improve student outcomes by increasing the effectiveness and impact of teaching and school leadership practice in our schools through the design and delivery of specialised professional learning programs. The Academy’s flagship offering is the Teaching Excellence Program, a one-year initiative aimed at further developing exceptional teachers from Victorian government, Catholic and independent schools.
Teachers can now view the eligibility requirements and register their interest in the program via the Academy’s website. Those who register will be notified when applications for the program open and will also receive information about the selection process. Places are available for both primary and secondary teachers in the following discipline areas:
- English, including English as an additional language
- Mathematics
- Health and Physical Education
- Languages
- Science
- Technologies
- The Arts
- Humanities
The program is a unique professional learning opportunity that includes access to experts in discipline areas, participation in master classes, membership of a Teaching Excellence Learning Community, support to conduct practitioner inquiries in classrooms, and a focus on enhancing and demonstrating dispositions that support development and growth as a teacher.
The program will consist of a combination of face-to-face professional learning, online and in class learning. Through the Teaching Excellence Program, teachers will have the opportunity to deepen teaching excellence and advance their professional practice through disciplinary knowledge, the science of learning and contemporary pedagogies.
Eligible teachers are invited to register their interest in the Teaching Excellence Program via the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership website. Applications close August 31.
Country Education Partnership.
DOBCEL is in partnership with Country Education Partnership (CEP).
Bush Voices, their online newsletter, provides an update on progress of programs and opportunities available for all our educators and leaders.
NAPLAN Proficiency Standard expert panels.
ACARA will be conducting a standard-setting exercise to assist with setting new proficiency standards for NAPLAN. They are seeking nominations from teachers, curriculum and/or assessment experts to participate in expert panels for each of the NAPLAN domains and year levels.
To conduct the exercise, ACARA will convene 20 expert panels to cover:
- 5 domains (Reading, Numeracy, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, Writing)
- 4 year levels (Year 3, Year 5, Year 7, Year 9)
Each panel will be responsible for setting the Proficient and Highly Proficient standards for that year level and domain, as well as reconsidering the expectations of the National Minimum Standard.
Panelists will be experienced teachers with high expertise in the relevant subject area at that year of schooling, or experts in curriculum and/or assessment.
Please contact Sue Paulka by this Friday (July 18) if you would be interested in nominating yourself, and/or if you could identify any of your school colleagues who you feel would be interested and able to contribute. Please nominate the domain and year level you would like to nominate for.
Further information is available in the flyer below.
Professional Learning.
On Friday August 5th the CEB Mathematics team will facilitate an online professional learning day. There will be three workshops throughout the day and each will go for approximately 90 minutes. As the learning is online, there is the flexibility to move in and out of sessions as you are able. All teachers within your school are invited to participate in any sessions which may be of interest to them.
There is no charge for this professional learning.
Workshop 1 - Leading Learning
This session will be facilitated by Matt Sexton, Director of the Mathematics Teaching and Learning Centre at ACU.
The focus for this session will be to:
- Build capacity as a leader
- Explore meeting protocols
- Structure engaging meetings which support a range of learning styles
Workshop 2 - New Australian Curriculum
This session will be facilitated by Rachael Whitney-Smith from ACARA.
The focus for this session will be to:
- Provide an overview of the new Australian Curriculum, with an emphasis on the Mathematics Curriculum.
Workshop 3 - Unpacking Data
The focus for this session will be to:
- Explore data tools
- Discuss the use of Mathematical data to plan for teaching and learning.
A registration link will be available soon.
Wellbeing Update
Youth Mental Health First Aid Accredited Training.
This 2-day accredited Youth Mental Health First Aid training equips people with the knowledge and confidence to approach or respond to students who may need information or support. The impact of that first supportive conversation for any individual, and in particular a young person, in a time of need can be profound. For further information please contact Brooke Nester or register for the event at Eventbrite using the following links for Term 3 and Term 4.
Family and Community Engagement.
On behalf of The Sunshine Cluster of Family and Community Engagement (St. Peter's, Sunshine West and St. Bernadette's, Sunshine North) the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education is invited to join Professor Janet Goodall in contemplating how schools can support parent engagement in learning. Please see the flyer below for more information.
Contact Gillian Baxter or Liz McIntyre.
Hour of Power - Strengthening Student Attendance.
Please see the flyer below for more information.
Staff News
We welcome:
Jordan Smith
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Jordan to the position of Financial Accountant at CEB. Jordan will be based in the Ballarat Office and commences 25 July. Jordan comes to us from Ballarat Grammar where he has been Acting Finance Manager and Accountant. Prior to this, Jordan was an Auditor with Countpro Audit (formerly PPT Audit).
We farewell:
David Bourke
David has resigned his position as Manager: Office and School IT, effective 31 July. David commenced with CEB back in June 2006 and has been a great resource for schools and valued member of the ICT team during this period. David leaves us to join PETstock and goes with our thanks and very best wishes for this new opportunity.
Jeanette Goon
Jeanette has resigned her position as Payroll Officer to take up the role of Remunerations and Benefits Manager with the City of Ballarat. Jeanette joined CEB in June 2020 and has been instrumental in payroll’s move to ELMO over the past 12 months. We wish her well in her new role and are really appreciative of her contribution to the Finance Team.
Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community
School Vacancies.
- Classroom Teacher – St Mary’s School, Donald – fixed-term position at 0.6 FTE (closes 11 July)
- Positions of Leadership – Loreto College, Ballarat – ongoing positions at 1.0 FTE to commence 2023 (closes 15 July)
- Classroom Teacher (F/1/2) – St Joseph’s School, Penshurst – fixed-term position at 1.0 FTE (closes 18 July)
- Director of Student Wellbeing (Teaching OR Non-teaching) – Monivae College, Hamilton – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 18 July 2022)
- Director of Students – Monivae College, Hamilton – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 18 July)
- Director of Learning and Teaching – Monivae College, Hamilton – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 18 July)
- Assistant Principal – Catholic School Culture – Damascus College, Mt Clear – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 20 July)
- School Officer: Reception/Administration – Siena Catholic Primary School, Lucas – ongoing position (FTE to be confirmed) to commence Term 3 (closes 20 July)
- Classroom Teacher – St Mary’s School, Swan Hill – fixed-term position for 2023 at 1.0 FTE (closes 22 July)
- Classroom Teacher Roles – expressions of interest for 2023 – Marian College, Ararat – (closes 25 July)
- Head of Staff Development (new Senior Leadership role) – Marian College, Ararat – fixed-term position at 1.0 FTE (closes 25 July)
- Drama/Production Coordinator – Marian College, Ararat – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 29 July)
- Director of Faith and Mission (POL 4) – St Mary MacKillop College, Swan Hill – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 8 August)
- Classroom Teacher with POL 2 – St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal – fixed-term position at 1.0 FTE for Term 4 initially (closes 30 August)
- Class Teacher (T4 Parental Leave Replacement/Acting POL 2) – St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal – 1.0 FTE (closes 30 August)
- Casual Relief Teachers – St Francis Xavier, Ballarat East (closes 9 December)
- Casual Relief Teachers – St Columba’s School, Ballarat North (closes 18 December)
- Casual Relief Teachers – St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal (closes 18 December)