Weekly Newsletter #18 - 12 June 2024

Reflection

From the Executive Director

Greetings from St Joseph’s, Coleraine where the DOBCEL Board is meeting this week.

Along with Matthew Byrne, Megan Ioannau and Nadia Warnes from our CEB office, the Board has also taken the opportunity to visit Sacred Heart,Casterton, St Malachy's,Edenhope and St Marys, Hamilton. We have greatly appreciated the welcome received from Principals, staff and students, and been impressed by the vibrancy of these communities, and the excellent teaching and learning that is happening.

In addition to a full ‘business as usual’ agenda, the Board continues to refine the DOBCEL strategic plan, with guidance from Professor Pasi Sahlberg and Dave Runge. 

It is pleasing to see the National and Liberal Parties of Victoria have picked up the baton to campaign in support of Catholic school families receiving equitable access to the $400 per child 'school bonus' announced in last month’s State Budget. This support is available to all families in government schools, regardless of income, but only available to families holding health care cards in Catholic and Independent schools. We thank Carmel Hanley, Principal, Lumen Christi, Delacombe and a parent representative, who joined Nationals Deputy Leader and Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, to speak to WIN TV Ballarat about the inequity of this policy today. Find out more about The Nationals campaign at ‘A fairer $400 school saving bonus. 

Congratulations to the St James’, Sebastopol community who yesterday marked the first-ever International Day of Play with a wonderful day filled with rich learning activities. We know that play is a powerful tool that not only fosters resilience, creativity, and innovation but offers a gateway for children to build relationships, improve control, overcome trauma, and hone problem-solving skills. This week’s stimulus piece is an article from the ABC “Risky play and teen mental health”.

Please take care as reporting and assessment responsibilities add to workloads as the Semester draws to a close.

With best wishes

Tom Sexton
Executive Director, Catholic Education Ballarat

Images from St Joseph's, Coleraine.

Carmel Hanley, Principal of Lumen Christi, Delacombe joined parent leader, Jess Mason, and Nationals Deputy Leader and Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, to speak to WIN TV Ballarat about the unfairness of the State Government’s $400 school bonus policy today.

Professional Learning Program

Please click the 'Download Here' button below to open the flyer.

Supporting Classroom Behaviour Workshop

Strengthening Universal Practices to support Classroom Behaviour: Essential Strategies for Teachers and School Leadership with Dr Shiralee Poed.

There are many elements to being an effective teacher and understanding behaviour support is one of them. Transform your teaching practice and enhance your students' learning experience through this practical workshop on strengthening our universal approach to behaviour management in the classroom.

Guest speaker for this full day session is Dr Shiralee Poed. Shiralee is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, bringing over 30 years of experience including her role as Chair of the Association for Positive Behaviour Support Australia and co-author of SWPBS Handbook (Australia). 

This session promises to provide teachers and leaders with valuable universal strategies and insights to enhance their approach to supporting positive behaviour in the classroom. 

It is highly recommended that teachers and school leaders attend in teams wherever possible.

• Time and date: 30th August
• Venue: Church of Christ - Horsham
• Register here

Article submitted by Lisa Templar.

Commission For Children and Young People update + livestream event

Please refer to the Commission for Children and Young People’s June update which refers to Changes made to the Reportable Conduct Scheme from 1 July 2024.

Also of note in the June update is the Child Safe Standards Community of Practice livestream event on Wednesday 19 June 2024.

The focus of this event will be Child Safe Standard one:

Organisations establishing a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

Feedback from the recent Child Safe Standards Professional Learning delivered by Sarah Morgante highlighted a need for additional support for schools in relation to this standard.

Please consider yourself or one of your team attending this session.

Alternatively, the recording of the session would be a valuable focus and resource for future staff meetings.

Article submitted by Jacinta Cook.

People and Development Update

Federation University students need your feedback!

The DOBCEL People and Development team is working with students at Federation University who are currently undertaking an industry-based project as part of the Work Integrated Learning Unit.

The work-integrated learning unit allows students to work with organisations on real-life work scenarios, where the students are required to research and deliver suggested outcomes. Fed Uni is working with DOBCEL to help us better understand why people choose to come and work in DOBCEL schools or offices and how we can best ‘attract and compete’ in a competitive job market. By better understanding the reasons people choose to work and stay with DOBCEL, we can focus our efforts on delivering more of the things that are important to our people.

Together with the P&D team, Fed Uni students have devised a short survey to gather your feedback and we encourage as many people as possible to share their thoughts and experiences. Your feedback will help the students devise suggestions and present findings designed to enhance our unique offerings and create an employee experience tailored to what our people want.

The survey has 14 questions and will take around 5 minutes to complete; and can be accessed here. Survey responses are anonymous.

The survey is open now and will remain open until Friday 28 June 2024.

If you have any questions regarding the project please contact Sarah Hanley, Talent Acquisition Partner.

Crucial Conversations – Swan Hill 3 & 4 September 2024 

• Time - 9:00-4:00 (both days)
• Location – Swan Hill -   Murray Downs Resort, Swan Hill
• Cost $500 (inclusive of learning materials (3 x books), morning tea and lunch) 
• Trybooking registration

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. 

Future workshop dates - 

Crucial Conversations will also be run on the following dates -   12 & 13 Nov - Ballarat . Trybooking links will be supplied for bookings soon. 

If you have any queries about the program please contact Fiona Murphy via email (fmurphy@dobcel.catholic.edu.au) .

Catholic Identity and Mission Update

Ignatian Spirituality Reflection Day

An opportunity to stop, rest, refresh and connect with others.

Join a guided prayer, reflection, journaling, sacred listening and spiritual conversation. Facilitated by the First Spiritual Exercises Ministry (Vic Regional Team) and supported by local Christian Life Community (CLC) members.

• When: Sunday 23 June 2024
• Time: 10am – 3pm. Please sign in at 9.45am.
• Venue: The MacKillop-Glowrey Room, St Patrick’s Cathedral, 3 Lyons Street South, Ballarat
  
• Cost: Free to Participants
• RSVP: Sunday, 16 June
  • Doreen Roache:
    • Ph: 0417 117 382
    • E: doreenroache@bigpond.com
  • Anne Slingo
    • Ph: 0417 854 540
    • E: anneslingo@bigpond.com

Lunch & refreshments provided.

Article submitted by Kate Lawry.

Invitation to Nurture the Heart of Ballarat - Planting Seeds of Compassion

Recently Mary Darcy (Educational Psychologist) and Lynne Reeder (Adjunct Research Fellow School of Science and Psychology) approached Kate Lawry, Leader: Catholic Identity and Mission, on behalf of Ballarat City Council, outlining the concept of “Planting Seeds of Compassion” that now has become a Ballarat project that harnesses a community’s wellbeing.

It is a loving and hoped filled response to a city and region’s people who have experienced duress and stress. The Ballarat initiative has tapped into the world-wide project of “Compassionate Cities” – Ballarat is one - that fosters the place of well-being for all including the other-than - human and environment.

Article submitted by Kate Lawry.

Environmental Champions Celebrated across our Diocese

Sustainable school winners celebrated at 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards

This year, Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Schools Awards marked 15 years of celebrating sustainability leadership and action in Victorian schools. The annual ceremony is Victoria’s largest sustainability awards for schools, applauding their efforts to create a lasting impact on campus and in their local community through environmentally considered initiatives and learning opportunities.

On the 4 June,  around 125 students from across Victoria attended an awards ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to hear the winners across the 12 award categories. Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos and Matt Genever, CEO at Sustainability Victoria, were amongst the presenters. We are very proud to acknowledge two of our outstanding DOBCEL schools, who were nominated and attended the awards ceremony, St James’ Parish School, Sebastopol and St Patrick’s Primary School, Port Fairy, for their outstanding efforts and commitment to environmental sustainability. 

We are thrilled to congratulate the following 2024 ResourceSmart School Award Winners, the students, staff, parents and school communities on their outstanding efforts and involvement:

• Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary): St Patrick’s Primary School, Port Fairy
• Primary Photography Award: Sam, St James Parish School, Sebastopol

St Patrick’s Primary School took out the 2024 Community Leadership School of the Year Award in relation to the outstanding community leadership their sustainability team leaders have been involved in, which includes producing a video about our Water Conservation Day (run by the students) that was sent to local ResourceSmart schools.  

St Patrick's second sustainability project they are involved in is using discarded clothing (fast fashion) to make pencil cases to send to a school for poor and disadvantaged children in Tanzania. This school is supported by the Bandari Project, started by a parent from our school who came from Tanzania. They wanted to link our sustainability project with the Catholic Social Teachings. Volunteers from the local community go to Tanzania twice a year to help with buildings and infrastructure needs, and they deliver the pencil cases personally.

The third project St Pattrick’s run is a Beach Monitoring project, which they do each month at the local south beach in partnership with Deakin University. This involves measuring the sand erosion on the beach which as a result has had rocks placed along the dunes to prevent further deterioration of the beach.

The annual ResourceSmart Schools Awards are made possible with the generous support from sponsors Bank First, the Victorian Department of Education, and Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic).

2024 BREAZE Children’s Writing Competition

On Wednesday June 5, World Environment Day, Ballarat’s budding young environmentalists gathered to receive their certificates and prizes as winners in the 2024 BREAZE Children’s Writing Competition.

A group of students from both Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, Wendouree, and St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballarat East,  proudly gathered to receive their accalades. The event, held at the beautifully renovated Central Library, was a memorable occasion where Juliana Addison MP presented certificates and prizes to the talented winners. Our students' impressive work on "What I can do to help the environment" showcased their dedication to responsible actions and waste management.

Out of 132 remarkable entries, 22 received accolades, including certificates and book vouchers. We are thrilled to congratulate the following students on their outstanding efforts and involvement:

The support from Collins Booksellers added to the excitement of the day. Congratulations to all our students for their passion, creativity, and commitment to making a difference, and to our wonderful teachers and parents for supporting this marvellous initiative!

World Day Against Child Labour - 12 June 2024

The theme of World Day Against Child Labour 2024 is 'Let's act on our commitments: End Child Labour.' It’s time for us to commit to promoting the safe and healthy conditions of all children, in particular those facing the risk of child labour.

“Tens of millions of children are forced to work in degrading conditions, and are victims of slavery and abuse, harassment and discrimination. I truly hope that the international community will extend children's access to social protection to eradicate this curse.”

“We all need to renew our commitment, especially families, to protect the dignity of every boy and girl and to offer them the opportunity to grow in a healthy environment. A peaceful childhood allows children to look at life and the future with confidence." 
- Pope Francis, general audience at The Vatican, 11 June 2014

World Day Against Child Labour
Article by Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace- https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/

The Catholic Church teaches that child exploitation is a serious violation of the dignity of the human person, with the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church n 296 stating that “Child labour, in its intolerable forms, constitutes a kind of violence that is less obvious than others, but it is not for this reason any less terrible”. In an address from the Vatican on the 2014 World Day Against Child Labour, Pope Francis urged all people to renew their commitment to protect the dignity of every child, offering children the opportunity to grow in peaceful, healthy environments that foster hope and confidence.  

According to the United Nations, children are are classified as child labourers when they are: 

“…either too young to work, or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their physical, mental, social or educational development. In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development.” 

Almost nine out of every ten children in child labour worldwide can be found in Africa, Asia and the Pacific regions, with the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million) also having some form of child labour.  Child labour effects 5% of children in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States. 

The impact of COVID-19 affects the poorest countries and those in already disadvantaged or vulnerable situations. These include children, particularly women and girls. In 2019 it was estimated that there were 152 million child labourers with 7 out of every 10 of these children working in agriculture. The UN asks all nations to work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal Target that seeks an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025.  

Going Deeper: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-day-against-child-labour 

Prayer:
For An End to Child Labour 

God of freedom, 
we pray for all your children around the world 
who are bound by unjust child labour. 
Free them from their work so they can learn and grow. 
Heal their physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds, 
and protect them from further harm and exploitation.  

We ask that you sustain child labourers with hope 
for new beginnings in safety and peace. Amen. 
- Fiona Dyball 

Music: Let them Fly by Ridma Weerawardena and Charitha Attalage
Sourced from https://www.musicagainstchildlabour.com/songs

Here are a few tips for helping end child labour:

1. Educate yourself.
   Find out where products you commonly purchase are made, and who makes them.
2. Contact retail stores, manufacturers, and importers.
   Kindly ask them questions about the origins of their products. Let them know you want to buy products that don’t involve child labour, and give them suggestions for ethical products and services they can offer instead.
3. Buy fair trade and sweatshop-free products whenever possible.
   Buy used when you can’t, or borrow, share, trade, make it yourself, etc. Look for certified fair trade labels such as Fairtrade Australia, and the Goodweave label to ensure that you’re supporting positive practices that don’t involve child labour.
   Also be sure to use Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List to ensure that the chocolate you’re purchasing wasn’t made using child labour.
4. Grow more of your own food.
   Buy from farmer’s markets (verify their labour practices first), Community Supported Agriculture, and Pick Yourself farms.
5. Educate others.
   Give presentations at schools, or get experts in from nonprofits and other groups to educate your school community about child labour issues and encourage positive action.

Upcoming significant Ecological Events:

• Wednesday 12 June World Day Against Child Labour
• Monday 17 June 2024  World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 
  •  UN World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
• Sunday 16 June to Saturday 22nd June 2024 World Refugee Week
  • Refugee Week 2024 Ballarat Program
  • Refugee Week Educational Resource Pack
• Thursday 20 June 2024 World Refugee Day
• Sunday 7 July to Sunday 14 July 2024 NAIDOC Week
  •  NAIDOC Week 

Article submitted by Sarah Page.

Learning and Teaching Update

2024 Early Career Teacher Retreat - "There Where You Are"

Early Careers Teachers Retreat – years 1, 2 and 3 and any pre-service teachers. 
August 14 and 15 2024

The 2024 Early Career Teacher Retreat in Halls Gap is back in term 3. The retreat is run on a three-year cycle and this year is titled “There where you are.”

The two-day retreat will provide content and experience on –

1. Nurturing your own spirituality
2. Caring for my spirit
3. Making connections with other early career teachers in The Diocese of Ballarat. 
4. Why be ecological?
5. Sacred Ground
6. Caring for our common home.

There will be the opportunity to explore nature as a component of the retreat, reflecting on scripture and Tradition in the process.

Click here to view a little more on the retreat.

Additional details –

Wednesday August 14 and Thursday August 15 2024

• Timings - August 14 - 9:30 to 4:00pm and August 15 - 9:00 – 1:00pm 
• Venue –  The Country Plaza, 141 Grampians Rd, Halls Gap, VIC 3381 - Web link
• Cost –  $200 per person  
• meals provided include – 
  
  • Day 1 – morning tea, lunch and dinner
  • Day 2 -  morning tea and take-away lunch. 
• Trybooking link

Travel and accommodation are to be organised by participants. A limited number of rooms have been reserved for participants to book at the Country Plaza. 

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 (F-10) 

All schools will be aware of the continuing update to the Victorian Curriculum, with Mathematics and English as the first updates.

School leaders are encouraged to register for ongoing updates for future curriculum and related resources:

• Register for F–10 newsletter update
• Subscribe to VCAA Bulletin, Early Years update and Senior Secondary update

ACER PAT Professional Learning 

ACER is pleased to offer a series of webinars targeted to schools using, or about to use, the PAT Progressive Achievement suite online. Here's the schedule for terms 2 & 3.

Term 2 2024 

• Unpacking ACER’s Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools (2nd ed.) [12 June] 

Term 3 2024 

• Coping, resilience and fortitude: Supporting adolescents in schools [24 July] 
• Understanding and making comparisons using PAT norm data [7 August] 
• Analysing data using ACER's Bands, Group and Student reports (Linear assessments) [17 September] 
• Analysing data using ACER's Data Explorer (Adaptive assessments) [18 September] 

PAT CEB Webinar Recording (May 17 2024)  

The recording of last week’s CEB PAT Webinar PAT Assessment to Support Mid-Year Reporting has been uploaded and can be found on the DOBCEL Schools’ Hub’s PAT Assessments & Resources site, under the newly-added Recordings banner. On this site you will also find the Reporting Alignment Tool discussed in the webinar, under the new drop down heading Reporting.

Please contact the PAT Team (Breeana Wade, Teresa Hadden and Lisa Templar) with any questions.

CEP Small Schools Forum

CEP will be hosting the Small Schools Forum on Thursday, June 20, in collaboration with the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership. This event promises to be an enriching experience for all involved, offering valuable insights and opportunities for networking.

Taking place across 7 live sites in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Moe, and Shepparton, the Small Schools Forum will feature inspiring speakers and presentations from practicing small school principals. Attendees will have ample opportunities to connect with peers and delve into discussions on topics relevant to small schools.

One highlight of the event will be the presentation of the latest research findings on teacher retention in rural schools, providing valuable insights for educators.

All interested individuals, including representatives from small schools across sectors, are welcome to join CEP for this cross-sectorial event. Whether you come as part of a cluster or as an individual, your participation is invaluable. Best of all, this event is completely free!

To learn more about the day download the flyer or to register your interest, please click here.

The Winter Series, CEP’s PD Online, will commence on the 5th of June. Specifically designed by educators for all educators, this season consists of 4 interactive sessions: Sign up at here. 

• Addressing Workload for School Leaders: 12 June, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• AI in Education: 19 June, 4:00 - 5:00 pm 
• Retention of Staff: 26 June, 4:00 - 5:00 pm 

Stay informed on the latest industry trends and research, hear inspiring leadership stories, acquire strategies to help balance demanding workloads, learn how to manage AI technology in the education space and gain an understanding of how to retain and engage your team.

Each session is highly interactive, providing participants with the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from educational industry experts. Sign up now and take a significant step towards advancing your career and personal well-being.

Digital Technology - Apple Professional Learning 

The latest Apple Professional Learning Live schedule is now available. These are free online webinars hosted by Apple to support schools and educators using Apple devices.

There are sessions still to come in June that would be valuable for schools using iPad and/or Mac.

June 

• Personalize Professional Learning with Apple — Wednesday 12 June —4pm AEST 
• Focus Learning with Classroom — Tuesday 18 June — 4 AEST 
• Deploy and Manage Devices with Apple — Wednesday 19 June 4pm AEST 

More information on dates and how to register click here. 

Richmond Emerging Aboriginal Leadership (REAL) Program - Expression of Interest

REAL Schools is a school-based program that introduces Indigenous students to the work of the Korin Gamadji Institute. Within this program, students will learn about the Richmond Emerging Aboriginal Leadership (REAL) program, including an introduction to the three key pillars of the program: Leadership, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, and Culture.

This interactive program includes cultural games, content from Richmond Football Club Indigenous players and practical social and emotional wellbeing exercises, governed by subject matter experts by our  Indigenous psychologist employed by KGI. At the end of the session, students will find out how to enrol in the REAL programs and stay connected with the KGI Team.

About REAL Program
REAL journey is designed in three stages.

• First stage is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 7 & 8. 
• Second stage is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 9 & 10. 
• Third stage is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 11 & 12. 

Where from here? 
If you or a support staff member, who are in contact with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, are interested or wanting to know more about the 2 hour FREE workshop, please email Brady Cooper, Programs Manager - bcooper@richmondfc.com.au to organise a date and time.

Expressions of Interest for Face-to-Face Sounds-Write Training

One of our Central Zone schools has been offered the opportunity for Face-to-Face training in the ‘Sounds-Write’ systematic synthetic phonics program, provided there is sufficient interest for feasibility purposes. We are currently seeking expressions of interest from schools in our diocese wishing to partner in this training.

The four-day course will be held in Ballarat from Monday August 26 to Thursday August 29 

Course fees are approximately $1000 per participant, with a small additional percentage of the facilitator's overall fee to be paid by participating schools. The course will cover all theoretical and practical aspects of the ‘Sounds-Write’ approach, with the addition of tailored advice for implementation in Grades 3-6. Further information on course content can be found by following the link to the Sounds-Write webpage. 

Please contact Julie Cooper (jcooper@dobcel.catholic.edu.au) or Susan Vowles (svowles@scballarat.catholic.edu.au) to express your interest NOW. 

Maths Bites - Unpacking The Victorian Mathematics Curriculum V2.0 

Throughout Term 1 some primary learning leaders took part in familiarisation workshops on the revised Victorian Mathematics Curriculum. During Term 3 we will provide another opportunity for  Primary Leaders of Mathematics and classroom teachers to engage in introductory workshops on the F - Year 6 Victorian Mathematics Curriculum V2.0 in preparation for full implementation in 2025.

 These ONLINE sessions will be facilitated by Teresa Hadden and Sarah McKnight, Primary Education Officers from CEB.

Please note: The content presented will be an online version of the face to face days offered in Term 1. 

The online sessions will take place on: 

• Tuesday 30 July, 2pm - 3pm 
• Tuesday 6 August, 2pm - 3pm 
• Tuesday 13 August, 2pm - 3pm 

The content will include:   

• The structure and introductory documents for the Victorian Mathematics Curriculum V2.0  
• The similarities and differences between V1.0 and V2.0  
• The connections between the Achievement Standard, Content Descriptions and Elaborations 
• New reporting requirements 
• Mapping a Scope and Sequence for the year demonstrating the interconnectedness of concepts. 

Please use this link to register.

Structured Literacy Project PL Registration for Term Three

• Level 3 Face to Face Network: Monday 15 July 10am - 3pm
• Country Plaza Inn, Halls Gap. Register here.

This event is recommended for school leaders and places are limited to a maximum of six attendees per school (unless otherwise negotiated).

Please note: There are a small number of tickets left to this event, so we are opening it up to ALL interested participants, whether your school is currently in the Structured Literacy Project or not.  

This would be a great opportunity to find out more about Structured Literacy and to do some strategic planning around Literacy improvement in your own context. The agenda for the day is as follows: 

 If you have any questions about this event, please speak to your local Ed. Officer or contact Emma Rutherford.  

Level 1A Day Two

Level 1B Day Two
These events do not require Trybooking registrations. We will be in touch shortly about arrangements.

DIBELS Digital Resource & Workshop Availability 

A suite of online DIBELS workshops has been developed to support DIBELS Professional Learning and administration in ALL DOBCEL Schools. 

The suite contains:

Workshop 1 (Part 1): The What, The Why and The How of DIBELS (40 mins)

• The Principal Uses of DIBELS
• Administration Fidelity & Approved Accommodations
• Administration Timelines
• Benchmark Goals & Rapidly Progressing Achievement Scales 
• DIBELS & the Five Pillars of Reading
• Scoring Conventions

Workshop 1 (Part 2): The Subtests (Between 10 and 25 mins per subtest, all recorded individually for flexible use)

• Administration Procedures
• Administration Practises with Mock Student Scripts
• Moderated Scoring Opportunities 

Workshop 2: The DOBCEL DIBELS Data Tool (35 mins) 

• Baselining Data Terms
• Data Entry
• Composite Scores, Percentiles & Normative Descriptors 
• Effect Sizes (Cohort and Student)
• DIBELS Dashboard 

Workshop 3: We’ve got the Data. Now What? Responding with Instruction and Intervention. 

• RTI in a Structured Literacy Methodology
• Data Informed Decision Making
• Priority Sub Skills for intervention 
• Instruction and Intervention planning
• Progress Monitoring
• Supported Decision Making: Intervention Prescriptions

Level 1 Structured Literacy schools will access these resources as part of their Online Module schedule in Term Three. All other schools are able to access these recordings at any time to support staff learning. 

Access to these workshops can be found by navigating through the following path: 
www.dobcel.com - Resources - DIBELS - DOBCEL DIBELS Workshops - Online Modules: Asynchronous Delivery

DIBELS Face to Face Workshop Availability: The following workshops are available for schools who wish to undertake Face to Face learning instead of utilising the above online workshops. These dates, and their corresponding registration links, are as follows:  

If you have further questions about these resources, please contact Breeana Wade at bwade@dobcel.catholic.edu.au

Michael Ymer Yearly Overview Documents 

Michael Ymer’s yearly overviews have been thoughtfully designed to align with the Victorian Mathematics Curriculum version 2.0, which reflects the educational priorities and standards set for Victoria. The content for each term has been divided into distinct content strands. There are direct connections made between the strands to enable for deeper learning experiences. 

These documents align with the new Mathematics Reporting Guidelines. Schools who attended the recent Professional Learning with Michael received these planners. 

If you didn’t attend and would like to access the planners the cost is $150 for the set and involves a PLT on how to use them effectively. 

 To order the planners and book  a PLT please contact Julie Cooper or Teresa Hadden.

2024 reporting advice for primary language specialist programs 

2024 reporting advice for primary language specialist programs is now available here. Reporting examples and wording are provided on pages 2 & 3.. Two of the most frequently asked questions are:  

Does my school need to report on F - 6 Languages? 

Yes. All schools registered in Victoria must ensure they: 

• monitor and report on students’ performance, in accordance with the minimum standards for school registration; and  
• implement and report against the Victorian Curriculum’s achievement standards for Languages 

Does my language teacher need to provide a progression point for Languages reporting? 

No. Schools are not expected to report against age expected levels in the Victorian Curriculum for Languages. However, schools are required to display student achievement using a five point scale.  

Note: Teachers as Co-Learners schools have been provided with separate reporting advice.  

Micro-credentials in higher Education Courses for Primary and Secondary  teacher professional development and leadership upskilling. 

10 fully sponsored places available to CEB teachers for 2024  from low SES, Rural, Regional and Remote schools for semester 2 commencing July 29 . 

 Applications for Semester 2 close on July 15. 

This learning is online and primarily asynchronous with synchronous non-mandatory course engagement sessions.  

Course outlines 

• Maths iSTEM,  
• Science iSTEM: 
• Phonics: Theory, Research, Differentiated Instruction, and Assessment.   

Applications close on July 12th  so if you are interested please contact Teresa Hadden (thadden@dobcel.catholic.edu.au) ASAP 

Career Opportunities in the Diocesan Education Community

Catholic Education Ballarat Vacancies

• Manager: Employee Relations

School Vacancies    

• Drama Teacher – St Mary’s School, Swan Hill – fixed-term position at 0.4 FTE (closes 12 June) 
• Math Teacher – Emmanuel College, Warrnambool – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 12 June)   
• Loreto Rowing Opportunities – Loreto College, Ballarat – casual position (closes 14 June) 
• Service Desk Support Officer – St Patrick’s College Ballarat – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 16 June)  
• English/Humanities/Indonesian Teacher – Trinity College, Colac – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 17 June)
• Specialist Teacher - Visual Arts – St John’s School, Dennington – fixed term position at 0.45 FTE (closes 21 June)  
• Casual Relief Teachers – St Patrick’s College, Ballarat (closes 28 June) 
• 2025 Teaching Expressions of Interest – Loreto College, Ballarat – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 5 July)  
• Casual Relief Teachers – St Paul’s Primary School, Mildura (closes 12 July) 
• Expressions of Interest for all Subject Areas commencing 2025 – St Patrick’s College, Ballarat – ongoing position at 1.0 FTE (closes 17 July)  
• Casual Relief Teachers – St Columba’s School, Ballarat North (closes 30 August) 
• Casual Relief Teachers – St Aloysius’ School, Redan (closes 30 November) 

Article submitted by Sarah Hanley.