School Leaders Edition, Week 2, Term 1, 2025

You are welcome to join us for our annual Education Mass as we celebrate the Jubilee Year – Pilgrims of Hope.

Tuesday 25 February 2025
Mass at 6 pm, followed by light refreshments

St John Vianney Co-Cathedral
1 Cabbage Tree Lane, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

No RSVP is required; however, we recommend arriving early.
(Principals will be asked to confirm the attendance numbers from their school closer to the event.)

K-12 REC/Leaders of Mission Meeting 2025

For: Principals, RECs and Leaders of Mission
Due: 20 February 2025
Contact: Matt Turner (0448 802 739) at turnerm12@dow.catholic.edu
First notice

A reminder that the K-12 REC/Leaders of Mission Meeting will take place on Thursday 6 March 2025 at the Xavier Centre, 38 Harbour St Wollongong, commencing at 8.45 am and concluding at 3 pm. Hospitality will be available from 8.30 am. Plan to arrive at or after this time, as early access may not be possible. Note: Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission will be relocating to a venue within walking distance before lunch.

Visitor parking is available in the grassed overflow area at the Xavier Centre. Please avoid parking in designated spaces.

Action: Please register your attendance by completing this form no later than Thursday 20 February 2025.

Primary REC Information Survey and Education Officer Visits

For: Primary RECs
Due: 21 February 2025
Contact: Jean-Marie Morris (0438 206 466) at morrisj01@dow.catholic.edu.au or Kate Jennett (0447 995 702) at jennettk01@dow.catholic.edu.au 
First notice

Action: Please use this link to complete the REC Information survey. This information helps us to support you within your role. Please complete the survey by Friday 21 February 2025.

Please click here to book an appointment with your Education Officer. If there are no dates that suit please email or call your designated Education Officer so we can negotiate a more suitable time.

Please find below a summary of the key CLEM Term 1 dates relevant to CEDoW primary schools and please see here a calendar of all the relevant dates in 2025.

Calendar invitations have been shared for most events with the relevant personnel, however, please check your calendars to ensure that necessary preparation takes place for all those attending the events/PLs.

The Catholic Life, Education & Mission (CLEM) Gateway site has been updated for 2025.

Summary of Key Primary CLEM Term 1 2025 Dates:

• Education Mass - Tuesday 25 February (Week 5)
• Project Compassion Launch - Tuesday 4 March (Week 6)
• K-12 REC/Leader of Mission Meeting - Thursday 6 March (Week 6)
• Catholicity STUFF (K-6) - Tuesday 11 March (Week 7)
• Primary student WEN Day - Thursday 20 March (Week 8)

Please do not hesitate to contact Jean-Marie Morris or Kate Jennett with any questions regarding the above.

Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction 2025

For: Principals
Due: Now
Contact: Anna Jones, Team Leader - Leadership and Professional Growth, or Vanessa Taylor, Early Career Teacher Support at taylorv01@dow.catholic.edu.au 
First notice

Action: Principals, Assistant Principals, ECT Coordinators, Mentors/Supervisors are required to read the full scope of CEDoW ECT Induction here, which outlines details, key dates, and role-specific expectations.

Principals should:

• Select a suitable mentor for every ECT in their first year and second year of teaching
  
  
• Timetable regular formal meetings between the ECT and mentor
  
  
• Assign an Accreditation Supervisor in eTAMS (may be the mentor) for all ECTs upon entering their second year of teaching
  
  
• Ensure ECTs continue to work with their mentor in their second year of teaching, refining their professional practice and collecting evidence to satisfy their full registration requirements
  
  
• Nominate an ECT Coordinator with responsibility for the following immediate actions:
  
  • Contact CEO Leadership and Professional Growth Team to discuss induction support and pro rata funding allocations for part time ECTs: hidesc01@dow.catholic.edu.au or taylorv01@dow.catholic.edu.au
  • Coordinate all support for ECTs in their first and second year of teaching at the school
  • As part of school workforce planning, schools should consider how they can best facilitate regular, timetabled release for their ECTs and mentor teachers to work together during the induction period
  • Create and manage a school ‘Induction & Accreditation’ folder for every ECT and provide access to the ECT, nominated supervisor, school based mentor, principal, Professional Officer - Early Career Teacher Support and Professional Officer - Teacher Accreditation
  • Facilitate ECT and Mentor attendance at CEO ECT Induction Network Schedule 2025
  • Ensure school Accreditation Supervisors complete the NESA Online Learning ‘Accreditation Supervisor Orientation’ online course and recommend the completion of the ‘Making Consistent Proficient Teacher Accreditation Decisions’ course

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Anna Jones, Team Leader - Leadership and Professional Growth, or Vanessa Taylor, Early Career Teacher Support at taylorv01@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

February 2025 Census

For: Principals and SSSOs
Due: 14 February 2025
Contact: CEDoW Census Officers Nikki Sartor or Nadia Panto, or email census@dow.catholic.edu.au 
Second notice

The date for the upcoming 2025 Census for the collection of student and staff data is Friday 14 February 2025.

This Census is critical for the State Per Capita funding to be released through Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW). The Census data is also used as the basis for the per-student Operating Cost Allowance which is allocated to each school.

Action: All Census information should be checked for accuracy prior to Census day. Any changes to staff data are to be emailed through to Payroll at payrolladmin@dow.catholic.edu.au. Please ensure you include CENSUS in the subject line so that Payroll can action the request as a matter of priority.

On Census day, all data is to be checked to ensure that it is correct and the final reports are to be generated and emailed through to the Census team at census@dow.catholic.edu.au by 12 noon.

The Census Guidelines and Checklist can be viewed by following the link below:

Census February 2025

If you have any queries regarding the Census, please do not hesitate to contact the CEDoW Census Officers, Nikki Sartor (02) 4250 9625 or Nadia Panto (02) 4250 9626 or by emailing your enquiry to census@dow.catholic.edu.au.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation in completing the Census this year.

2025 School Enrolment Campaign advertising materials now available for use

For: Principals, Assistant Principals and SSSOs
Due: At your school's discretion
Contact: Strategy and Communications at communications@dow.catholic.edu.au 
Second notice

Reminder Notice: Your 2025 Enrolment Campaign marketing material can now be accessed via the CEDoW Staff Gateway under the News and Communication section. 

Please read the short briefing note below, which includes instructions on using the materials to support your school's enrolment advertising efforts. We have also included a link to the 2025 Enrolment Campaign Principal Selection Form for your reference. 

Click here to read the 2025 enrolment advertising briefing note.

Posters and flyers

Your school’s tailored 2025 enrolment advertising material (flyers and posters) will be delivered between Tuesday 4 February and Friday 7 February 2025. If you do not receive your expected delivery during this time, please contact Elizabeth Holder-Keeping at holderkeepinge01@dow.catholic.edu.au for assistance.

Social media tiles

If your school requested a social media tile it can be accessed below. Please note: Your social media tile can now be used for both Facebook and Instagram.  

Click here to access social media tiles for your school.

Creating your social media post. 

To make the process easier we have developed some suggested text for you to use in your social media post, alongside a website link to your school’s enrolment page. Please click here to access the suggested text and the website link for your school. 

If you require a little help creating your post please click here for a video tutorial which can be found on the CEDoW School Marketing Guide. 

Digital image for reception screen and newsletter banner

If you requested a digital image for your reception monitor/screen or school newsletter banner for promotional purposes, you can access these below.

Digital images for reception monitor/screen.

School newsletter ‘Enrolling Now’ banner/image.

Promoting our secondary schools

To help promote the continuous enrolment of students within the CEDoW system of schools, we are encouraging primary schools to promote their nearby secondary schools through their social media and/or school newsletters, etc., which can be accessed below. 

Secondary school digital promotional material for feeder primary schools.

If you are unsure about how best to use these materials to promote your school during the enrolment period or have any other questions or concerns, please contact the Strategy and  Communications Team at communications@dow.catholic.edu.au

__________

Alternative School Captain template 

As you are aware, the Illawarra Mercury (and other publications) often reach out at this time of year to invite schools to participate in the ‘School Leaders’ special lift-out feature. Several schools have contacted us regarding this offer and whether they should participate. We understand that schools don’t want to disappoint students and their families by not being included in the lift-out, however before you make your decision, we ask that you consider the following information. 

Data collected over the years indicate the return on investment for a print ad is much lower than digital advertising. Based on the information provided, if you do wish to participate in the School Leaders lift-out, we ask that you do not consider the ad as part of your school enrolment campaign marketing mix, but purely as a way of acknowledging your school captains. 

As an alternative, we have provided a template that schools can use to create a social media post to acknowledge your 2025 school leaders which can be accessed via the CEDoW School Marketing Guide, along with instructions on how to use the template. 

Optional: You may also wish to promote your post. As little as $50 may help it be seen by a much wider audience. For help promoting a post, please read this guide.

If you have any questions, please contact the Strategy and Communications team at communications@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Update for WEN Contact 2025

For: Principals and SSSOs
Due: Friday 7 February 2025
Contact: Beth Riolo at riolob01@dow.catholic.edu.au
Second notice

As we begin a new year, across our schools we continue our ecological conversion journey of caring for our common home. In each of our schools, we have a nominated WEN Teacher Contact who coordinates the environmental education and action initiatives at their school and participates in Diocesan WEN meetings and Diocesan Environmental Education professional learning and development.

Below is a link to the list of Teacher Contacts for the Wollongong Environment Network (WEN):

WEN Teacher Contacts 2025

Action: Please check that your school's contact information for 2025 has been updated and indicate that this has been done on the WEN Contact List by Friday 7 February 2025.

Diocesan Launch of Project Compassion 2025

For: Principals and SSSOs 
Due: 24 February 2025
Contact: Helen Moon at moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au  
Second notice

The Diocesan Launch of Project Compassion will take place on Tuesday 4 March 2025 at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish Primary School, 95 Flagstaff Road, Warrawong.

Action: Please read the invitation below and RSVP by Monday 24 February 2025.

View the invitation including a link to RSVP here.

The RSVP form can also be directly accessed here.

*Please limit to two students per school.

Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Learning Management System E-Learning All Staff Training

For: Principals and SSSOs
From: Start of Term 1, 2025
Contact: Workplace Safety and Wellbeing at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au.
Second notice

The safety of students, staff, and the school communities is a priority for all CEDoW staff. The WSaW team has been working closely with schools since a review of Emergency Management in 2023, to support schools in creating clear and comprehensive emergency plans, to respond to potential incidents effectively.

WHS – Fire Safety in Schools

This short course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Training of staff Fire Safety is a legislative requirement and supports a safety culture in school and office sites.  

Action: It is expected that this self-directed training will be completed by all staff no later than the end of Term 1, 2025.

As a reminder the resources below have been developed and reviewed in line with the requirements under the NSW Work Health and Safety Act (2011), the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulations (2017), and the Australian Standard - Planning for Emergencies in Facilities (AS 3745-2010).

Action: You are encouraged to review, update, and familiarise your Emergency Planning documentation with returning and new staff as early as possible into the term and before completion of the school’s scheduled evacuation exercises, which are to be undertaken before the end of Term 1, 2025.

• Emergency Management Plan (EMP) Manual
• Emergency Management Plan - Template
• Emergency Management Plan Audit Checklist
• Supporting Material

If you have any questions regarding the resources or require onsite support, please contact your relative Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Officer at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

For CEDoW’s full range of workplace, safety, and wellbeing resources please visit the Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Hub on Gateway.

What to Do If You Get Injured at Work – SIRA Approved Poster

For: Principals and SSSOs
From: Now
Contact: Workplace Safety and Wellbeing at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au.
Second notice

We have recently been notified by our workers’ compensation insurer, Trinity Insurance, of a change to our claims manager contact.

Our new claims manager contact is:
Allegra Serra
Phone: 02 8251 9302
Email at allegra@trinityinsurance.au

The Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Team has adjusted the SIRA-approved ‘What to Do If You Get Injured at Work’ poster with the new claims manager's contact details.

Action: Please remove any ‘What To Do If You Get Injured at Work’ posters that have been placed around your site and replace them with the most current poster accessible here.

If you have any questions regarding the resources, please contact Workplace Safety and Wellbeing at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

For CEDoW’s full range of workplace, safety, and wellbeing resources please visit the Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Hub on Gateway.

Annual Hazard Inspection Calendar

In response to feedback received following WHS onsite visits, Workplace Safety and Wellbeing has developed an Annual Hazard Inspection Calendar, to support ongoing safety and efficiency within CEDoW schools.

Can you find all the hazards?

To help identify some everyday safety hazards within the workplace why not try Safework’s Interactive Activity?

If you have any questions regarding the Annual Hazard Inspection Calendar, please contact the Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Team at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au.

For the full range of CEDoW’s workplace, safety, and wellbeing resources visit the Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Hub on Gateway.

DOW Lenten Program – 50% discount available for CEDoW 

For: Principals and RECs/Leaders of Mission

The Diocese of Wollongong's 2025 Lenten Program book and CD, METANOIA, are now available for purchase via the DOW website.

As in previous years, the book and CDs are available at 50% off for DOW parishes, schools and religious communities.

To take advantage of the special price on the website, select the purchase option Australian Catholic Religious Group, enter ABN, and then apply the coupon code: dowspecial during checkout.

Any questions please email orders@dow.org.au or call (02) 4222 2411.

CEDoW 2025 Timeline: NCCD and Personalised Planning

Key dates and activities are noted in the linked CEDoW 2025 Timeline: NCCD and Personalised Planning document. School NCCD teams are invited to make a copy of the document and store it with their NCCD data to guide the 2025 NCCD process.

Changes may be made to the master copy throughout the year. CEDoW will inform schools of these changes via Gateway.

Please note two significant activities in Term 1:

• Schools should communicate the commencement of the 2025 NCCD to the broader school community. A National Fact Sheet is available in the NCCD portal should schools choose to direct parents to this resource and/or use some or part of the content in school newsletters.
• Staff should engage in professional learning related to the Disability Standards for Education (DSE). Every three years, staff should complete the 8 DSE lessons appropriate to their role, located in the Professional Learning section of the NCCD portal. (registration is required) Refresher training is available in LMS for years two and three of the three-year professional learning cycle under the following titles -
  • Disability Standards for Education Refresher Module - Teaching Staff
  • Disability Standards for Education Refresher Module - Non-teaching Staff

As School NCCD teams commence this year’s process they should also familiarise themselves with the 2025 NCCD Guidelines now available in the NCCD portal.

Expression of Interest – Principal Representative for Support Class Placement Panel

For: Principals

Link: Expression of Interest

As you are aware, a new CEDoW Support Class Procedure is in the final stages of review. It is intended that semester one of 2025 will be used as a familiarisation phase for this procedure. With this in mind, we have a perfect opportunity to begin to work with the structures outlined in the procedure, allowing time to make any final necessary adjustments prior to its date of implementation.

Therefore, we are seeking support from our principal colleagues. As part of the procedure, principal representation is required for the Support Class Placement Panel. Panel meetings are scheduled in weeks 3 and 7 of each term, with additional panel meetings being scheduled (if required), during the peak enrolment period. If you are interested in this role, we are asking for a commitment of one semester (either Terms 1 and 2 or Terms 3 and 4).

Sections 5.4 and 5.5 of the Procedure (still in draft) provide an overview of the responsibilities of the Support Class Placement Panel and have been extracted below:

5.4. The Support Class Placement Panel, upon receipt of a placement request, must consider the placement request and assess:

(a) whether there are any available places within the support class (see further, section 5.6) [section 5.6 sets out the general maximum places for each category of support class]

(b) the student’s individual needs and support preferences;

(c) whether the student’s needs are reasonably likely to be met by placement in the support class having regard to, amongst other things, the size and composition of the support class;

(d) the complexity of needs of all support class students, prospective and current; and

(e) the context of the school as a whole.

5.5. The Support Class Placement Panel must determine the outcome of a placement request on the basis of the assessment carried out under section.

5.4. The possible outcomes of a placement request are that the request is supported, deferred or declined.

You are welcome to contact Katie Carroll for additional information via email or phone at carrollk02@dow.catholic.edu.au or on 0418 620 219.

Wellbeing Webinar with Dr Helen Street – Educating with Resilience

One of the most fundamentally important drivers of student wellbeing, positive behaviour and learning engagement, is the quality of staff: student relationships. The more effectively and meaningfully teachers connect with their students, the more their students feel well, behave well and learn well. Dr Helen Street will deliver this online webinar on Wednesday 12 March from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm ADST.

It is, however, undeniably difficult for teachers to invest in healthy relationships with their students, if their own wellbeing and capacity for resilience is constantly challenged.

In this online presentation, Helen will explore the notion of what it means to be a resilient educator in Catholic schools, in 2025. In so doing she will offer ideas and strategies to help educators build both their capacity for resilience and their ongoing wellbeing.

Most notably, Helen will propose four key approaches to day-to-day educator life.

These approaches will focus on:

1. Developing inner calm and a strong sense of ‘who you are’ as an educator.
2. Learning to differentiate daily classroom goals from long-term measures of success.
3. Understanding healthy staff: student relationships with boundaries.
4. Trusting your ability to teach well in an uncertain world.

Click here to register for this webinar.

Free online staff training to recognise and respond to anaphylaxis

Free online courses for all primary and secondary school staff have been developed to provide nationally consistent training in recognising and responding to anaphylaxis.

We encourage all school communities to participate in this training, developed by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and endorsed by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

The training aligns with the requirement under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Focus Area 4.4, that teachers maintain student safety within the school system.

Learn more on ASCIA's website.

K-6 Curriculum Support

The K-6 Curriculum Support page contains:

• Important links to external and internal sites
• Professional learning
• Planning and programming support
• Assessment and reporting
• Professional reading

For enquiries please contact learningk-12support@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Literacy Teaching Toolbox

The Literacy Teaching Toolbox contains a range of syllabus aligned information, teaching strategies, curriculum support material, and professional readings to support you in teaching English across K-6.

The following sections of the Literacy Teaching Toolbox were updated during the pupil vacation period:

• Pedagogy - High-Impact Teaching Strategies (Learning and Wellbeing)
• Programming and planning - Information on scope and sequencing; backward by design approach to planning and programming; making connections across focus areas of the K-10 English syllabus, plus a range of curriculum support material
• Creating written text - encompasses information to support planning and programming within and across the focus areas related to creating written texts including oral language, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting and digital transcription and embedded components of grammar and punctuation.

The Literacy Teaching Toolbox will be regularly updated throughout the year. For all K-6 enquiries please contact learningk-12support@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

2025+ Programming Resources

A whole school approach maximises learning by providing students with a highly-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum that presents new material incrementally, connects new content to what’s come before, and gives students ample opportunities to practice. (Grattan, 2023)

The 2025 programming folders have been released to all schools. These folders contain updated CEDoW Sample Program Templates and CEDoW Sample Scope and Sequence Templates, aligned to the NESA requirements for programming and CEDoW Programming Guidelines.

As schools continue to embed the K-10 English and Mathematics syllabuses, the revised scope and sequence templates are designed to support a coordinated whole-school approach to planning through the design of whole school scope and sequences.

Teachers may modify layouts of sample unit templates or choose to develop their own in line with school agreed practices. It is a teacher’s responsibility to ensure program documentation meets minimum  NESA requirements. Schools must have processes in place to support teachers in meeting these requirements.

These resources can also be found on the K-6 Curriculum Support page.

Additional resources to support the development of teaching and learning programs include:

• Sample scope and sequence templates can be found here.
• Sample program templates can be found here.
• CEDoW programming guidelines can be found here.
• CEDoW Religious Education programming guidelines can be found here.
• Class curriculum compliance self-review checklist can be found here.
  
  
• NESA’s fact sheet: Curriculum - school registration requirements can be found here.
• NESA's advice on differentiated programming can be found here.
• AERO (2023): How students learn best
• AERO (2024): A knowledge-rich approach to curriculum design

For further information please contact learningk-12support@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

2025 Australian Maths Teachers Online Conference 

"The best piece of advice I can share about teaching maths in 2025..."

The Numeracy Teachers Academy is offering access to its free online conference. All sessions of the conference are asynchronous and are ready for you to watch at any time between 20 January and 17 February 2025.

Some sessions include:

• Practice makes permanent, Dr Ange Rogers
• You don’t need to differentiate everything - it’s the Big Ideas that make a difference! Emeritus Professor Dianne Siemon
• Establish routines, Dr Paul Swan and Narelle Rice
• Make reasoning part of every lesson!, Dr Aylie Davidson
• Embrace flexible planning approaches to spark interest in every student!, Dr Sara Gaul-McKee
• Supporting students in the transition from primary to secondary maths. It’s all about working together, Stephanie Watts and Nicola Kovacs

Recordings of these sessions are available from 20 January to 17 February 2025 (4 weeks). Register here to access all the videos.

Teaching Phonics: Embed systematic synthetic phonics instruction through online professional learning

The Australian Government Department of Education is funding online micro-credential courses with the University of Adelaide for all Australian teachers. The research-grounded Teaching Phonics course provides insights into the teaching of phonics for both primary and secondary teachers, and identifies the critical evidence-based strategies and practices that support student learning, using the latest research.

Duration: 48 hours of self-paced learning
Delivery mode: Online
Start date: 28 January 2025 onwards
Cost: Free

This course forms part of a suite (Classroom Management, Explicit Teaching and Teaching Phonics) of free, evidence-based expert-informed courses provided by the University of Adelaide. Each self-paced, practical course supports schools/teachers build their capability through professional learning on a flexible, digital platform.

To register your interest and for further details, click here.