School Leaders Edition, Week 2, Term 2, 2025

Contract Extension – Wayne Marshall, Acting Principal, Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats

I am pleased to announce that Wayne Marshall will continue in the position of Acting Principal at Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats for the 2026 school year. Wayne is an experienced leader of Catholic schools and has held the role as Principal at St John the Evangelist Catholic High School, Nowra (2023-current), John Therry Catholic College, Rosemeadow (2018-2022), Mount Carmel Catholic College, Varroville (2012-2017).

Read the full announcement here.

Tim Gilmour
Acting Director of Schools
Diocese of Wollongong

2025 CEDoW Employee Engagement Survey – Now Open

For: Principals and CEO Leadership Team
Due: Now, from Monday 5 May 2025
Contact: Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Team at whs@dow.catholic.edu.au
First notice

The 2025 CEDoW Employee Engagement Survey opened yesterday Monday 5 May 2025. Email invitations to complete the survey were sent out to eligible* staff members at 8 am by Xref Engage. 

The survey has been developed in collaboration with Xref Engage, is research and evidence-based, designed to take around 20 minutes to complete. 

It will remain open for three weeks, closing on Friday 23 May 2025.

Your role as a leader is instrumental in encouraging participation across your school or service area. The survey offers staff a valuable opportunity to share honest and thoughtful feedback about their workplace experience.  The feedback received via the survey will be used to enable continuous improvement of staff engagement and wellbeing, organisational culture, and performance over time. 

Action: We ask for your support in promoting the survey and encouraging your staff to complete the survey. To help you communicate the details of the survey, we have developed some resources:

• 2025 Engagement Survey: Leaders Talking Points
• 2025 Engagement Survey: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
• 2025 Engagement Survey: Poster 1
• 2025 Engagement Survey: Poster 2

Your support makes a difference. By actively promoting the survey and encouraging participation, you help ensure that every voice is heard and that the insights we gather genuinely reflect the experiences of our staff.

*Eligible staff: *Permanent, temporary, and eligible casual (casuals who have worked 60 days since November 2023).

If you have any questions regarding the Engagement Survey, please contact Rochelle Borg or Susan Phillipson, Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Team, 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.

Secondary Principals’ Term 2 Zoom Catch-ups with Jo Kenny – Assistant Director, Catholic Life, Education and Mission

For: Secondary principals
Due: Wednesday 14 May 2025
Contact: Jo Kenny at kennyj02@dow.catholic.edu.au
First notice

Action: Please read the correspondence from Jo Kenny, Assistant Director, Catholic Life, Education and Mission, in which secondary principals are asked to nominate a suitable time for a one-hour Zoom meeting during Term 2.

Confirm your school’s ClickUp users

For: Principals/SSSOs
Due: Tuesday 20 May 2025 (two weeks’ time)
Contact: Assistant Director - Strategy and Communications at matthew.baxter@dow.catholic.edu.au 
First notice

ClickUp member licences are intended for school leaders who actively contribute to the ongoing oversight of your SSIP and AIP. This is typically your core leadership team.

Action: Please review your school’s ClickUp members and confirm who needs a licence. When complete, please notify matthew.baxter@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Why? We have a limited number of licences so making sure that only staff actively using ClickUp are registered will ensure we make the most of our licences and keep unnecessary costs down.

Reminder: Shape the CEO’s 2026 priorities

For: Principals/APs/RECs/CEO leaders
Due: Monday 12 May 2025
Contact: Assistant Director - Strategy and Communications at matthew.baxter@dow.catholic.edu.au 
First notice

Principals, APs, RECs, and CEO leaders received an email on Monday 28 April, inviting you to contribute to a short survey that will directly inform the CEO’s 2026 priorities.

Action: Take 5 minutes to complete the survey (using the link in the email from Matt Baxter on 28 April).

Why? Without your input, the CEDoW Leadership Team risks missing key insights during the annual planning process. This is a great opportunity to get your ideas and feedback on the table.

Australian Catholic Youth Festival Update

For: Secondary Principals & RECs/Leaders of Mission
Due: End of May
Contact: Matt Turner at turnerm12@dow.catholic.edu.au, or Claire Cooney at cooneyc02@dow.catholic.edu.au 
First notice

The Catholic Life, Education & Mission team continues to work with Harvest Journeys to determine arrangements for a CEDoW student delegation to the ACYF in Melbourne (30 November – 2 December 2025).

Action: Please read the detailed update here.

After reading the update, it would be appreciated if, by the end of May, each school could advise Claire Cooney of the staff member who will be accompanying the student group to the ACYF. Claire will then share a calendar invitation for the Zoom briefing session on 3 June, along with all other events leading up to ACYF. This nominated staff member will be considered the primary point of contact for all ACYF-related arrangements. RECs and Leaders of Mission will continue to be copied into all communications.

Parable of the Lost Sheep: A book reading by Bishop Brian Mascord

For: System leaders and SSSOs
Due: Tuesday 27 May 2025
Contact: Mark Rix - Manager, Improvement, Learning and Wellbeing at rixm02@dow.catholic.edu.au
First notice

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) warmly invites all families to join Bishop Brian Mascord in a very special online reading of the classic Bible story ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.

This unique online event, organised as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, will take place on Tuesday 27 May from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm. A flyer promoting the event is linked here.

Action: Schools are asked to promote the event with parents and carers via your usual channels.

The first 100 registrations for the reading will be posted a free copy of the book to read along with Bishop Brian!

A link to Bishop Brian’s statement on the passing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is also available here.

Year 8 Catholic Student Leadership – Illawarra Cluster

For: Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission (Illawarra and South Coast)
Due: Today
Contact: Matt Turner at turnerm12@dow.catholic.edu.au
Third notice

The Student Leadership Formation Program has been extended this year to include Year 8 students. Participants are selected based on their commitment to their school’s mission statement, as well as their demonstrated relational qualities, such as teamwork and leadership potential. Attendance is not limited to members of a Student Representative Council.

A teacher or year coordinator from each school who works most closely with the Year 8 cohort is invited to attend the day, along with 6–8 student representatives. The event will challenge students to create and plan a project that will benefit their year group at their school or contribute to a broader Macarthur/Illawarra initiative launched on the day. One example of such a project is a "digital discipleship" initiative.

This day has been rescheduled for the schools in the Illawarra Cluster—St John’s, Nowra, Corpus Christi, Oak Flats, St Joseph’s, Albion Park, and Holy Spirit, Bellambi.

The new details are as follows:

Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025
Venue: The Xavier Centre, 38 Harbour Street, Wollongong
Time: 9.30 am - 2.15 pm.

Action: Please register using this form by today, Tuesday 6 May 2025.

Clergy and Principal Day – Thursday 29 May 2025

For: Principals and CEDoW Leadership Team
Due: Friday 16 May 2025
Contact: Tim Gilmour at gilmourt01@dow.catholic.edu.au or Jo Kenny at kennyj02@dow.catholic.edu.au  
Second notice

The first Clergy and Principal Day for 2025 will be held on Thursday 29 May 2025 at the Campbelltown Catholic Club (10.00 am - 4.00 pm). Calendar invitations were shared with all principals at the end of last year.  

Bishop Brian has invited Richard Rymarz, PhD, EdD, Professor of Education at the University of Notre Dame, to be the guest speaker. Professor Rymarz has a long-standing interest in how Catholic schools situate themselves in secular cultures with a particular focus on religious education.

➤ New Action: Since last week’s communication, Professor Rymarz has provided two readings (available here) that clergy and principals are asked to read in preparation for the day.

Morning tea will be made available on arrival between 10.00 and 10.30 am, with registrations being open from 10.15 am. We would greatly appreciate it if all participants would sign in and be seated at the allocated table, ready to commence at 10:30 am.

It is an expectation that principals will prioritise this day and be in attendance. If you are unable to attend for a necessary reason, please contact Tim Gilmour or Jo Kenny.

Action: Please RSVP here by Friday 16 May 2025.

This week, the following leadership vacancy is available:

St Benedict's Catholic College, Oran Park
Principal

Your Voice. Your Story. Your Stand Against Bullying

Be part of CEDoW’s “Fix You” Student Anti-Bullying Campaign!

“Fix You” is back—bigger, bolder and student driven. This exciting initiative invites all schools across CEDoW to take a stand against bullying through creativity, compassion and courage.

Inspired by the original 2012 “Fix You” campaign, this reimagined project is designed for today's world—bringing fresh energy and student voice to the forefront. Grounded in Catholic Social Teachings like Human Dignity and the Common Good, the campaign supports Respectful Relationships, a key priority in our Life to the Full Framework.

Primary and secondary schools are invited to create an anti-bullying campaign that meets the specified criteria below.

Primary campaign:

The campaign should:

• Be bold, creative, and student-led
• Be uniquely Catholic, linking to Catholic Social Teachings
• Have a clear message
• Be targeted to children (5-12 years)
• Be presented through any mode (e.g., poster, collage, PowerPoint, video, podcast)
• Refer to prevention strategies to support the target audience.

Note: Teachers may assist with the guidance and supervision of the project, however, it should remain student-led.  

Secondary campaign:

The campaign should:

• Be bold, creative, and student-led
• Be uniquely Catholic, linking to Catholic Social Teachings
• Be contemporary, have a clear message and an original name ~ “Fix You” is optional!
• Be targeted to young people (12-18 years)
• Be an audio-visual presentation
• Refer to prevention strategies to support the target audience
• Use current research and evidence to guide the project.

 Additional information:

• Participation will require full consent from students and guardians for public sharing of content.
• Students of all ages are invited to participate in the project.
• Schools can submit up to two entries
• → Entries close: Week 9, Term 2
• Please email sharpj05@dow.catholic.edu.au with the final product (e.g., link to audiovisual presentation) or hand it in to your school’s CEDoW Education Officer (for hard copy). This should include a brief introduction to the campaign and the students who were involved in the development of the project.
• Each school may choose an appropriate time for students to work on this project. E.g., pastoral time, lunchtime, or class time if there are specific links to curriculum outcomes.
• Chosen entries will be promoted through CEDoW’s official social media platform during Bullying No Way: National week of action (11–15 August 2025).

Need some inspiration?

Check out the original “Fix You” 2012 resource to see where it all began.

Questions?

Please reach out to:

• sharpj05@dow.catholic.edu.au
• nichollsl02@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Term 2 Update – Secondary RECs and Leaders of Mission

Attention: Secondary RECS/Leaders of Mission
Contact: John Coppola at coppolag01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Please refer to this document for the Term 2 update for Secondary RECs and Leaders of Mission.

Raising Hope – Laudato Si' Week 2025

Attention: Principals and RECs/Leaders of Mission

Join the global Catholic community in celebrating Laudato Si’ Week, marking the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ which Pope Francis signed on the day of Pentecost, 24 May, 2015.

This special week commemorates Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on climate change and care for our common home—rooted in centuries of Church teaching on creation. With this year’s theme "Raising Hope", we come together in faith and action, continuing the legacy of Pope Francis and renewing our commitment to ecological justice and a sustainable future for all.

Please note the global celebration is 24–31 May, but in Australia, many choose to acknowledge Laudato Si’ Week from 16–24 May, so as not to clash with Reconciliation Week.

The following resources may be helpful for you in marking Laudato Si’ Week with your school communities:

• Laudato Si’ Movement Laudato Si’ Week 2025
• Catholic Earthcare Caritas Australia Laudato Si' Week 2025 Resources
• Liturgy for Celebrating Laudato Si’ Week 2025 Word doc and PDF doc.
• Laudato Si’ Week Bookmark and Daily Reflection Posts
• Pope Francis’ Ecological Legacy.

“Let us sing as we go.
May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.”
Laudato Si’ n244

Modern Slavery – World Fairtrade Day

Please see the latest message from the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network (ACAN) regarding World Fair Trade Day, on 10 May 2025. 

Ethical Purchasing Resource for School Leaders – World Fairtrade Day.

Tell Them From Me® Survey Window 2025

Attention: Principals and Assistant Principals

The survey window for participation is open: Monday 5 May to Friday 30 May 2025. 

1. How to access the TTFM platform  

Your login details to the TTFM platform will utilise your full school email as your username and password. When you first log on to the platform, we recommend that you take the opportunity to change your password to something secure and easy for you to remember. If at any time you forget your password, simply click on ‘forgot password’ from the login screen, and an automatically generated password will be emailed to you.  

2. Survey window resources  

To support your school, survey resources can be accessed from our Knowledge Base within the TTFM platform. These resources include answering students’ frequently asked questions, Preparing Parents, Teachers and Students for the Survey, Tell Them From Me Presentation [template]. 

3. Webinar Demonstration   

The Learning Bar invites you to join our Module 1 webinar, which is dedicated to answering all your questions on ‘how to’ set up your surveys, Monitor Progress, in a live 30-minute demonstration of the TTFM platform. Session: Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 8:30 am. 

Contact details for any enquiries. The Learning Bar at support@thelearningbar.com. 

Save the Date: CEDoW NCCD Cross School Moderation

Attention: School Leaders of Diverse Learning and Pastoral Care and NCCD Teams K-12

To support accountabilities relating to NCCD, an online cross school moderation opportunity has been scheduled.

Focus: Imputed Substantial/Extensive or SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL.

Date: Monday 12 May 2025
Option One: 9:30 - 11:30 am via Zoom
Option Two: 1:00 - 3:00 pm via Zoom
Please note that these sessions are being offered instead of the usual network meetings.

Why moderation is important?

When moderating school-based decisions for the NCCD, teachers engage in professional dialogue about students’ level of adjustment and category of disability to make decisions that are consistent, reliable and defensible. Professional dialogue is characterised by interactions that are collegial (eg value the input of all), respectful (eg, resolve differences professionally) and draw on evidence (eg, informed by data to support decision-making).

Prior to attending this event:

• ONE de-identified student Personalised Plan per participant must be submitted
• Please consider the FOCUS provided above when considering the PP being submitted
• De-identified PPs for moderation are to be included here by 8 May 2025
• Please upload each plan individually and label with the school name and a number per plan (eg, St Nicholas #1, St Nicholas #2)
• Please submit one plan per person who will attend the moderation session.

Leaders of Diverse Learning will have received more information regarding the focus LOA/Category of Disability and timeframes for providing this information in readiness for moderation.

The following link will provide access to the NCCD Moderation Resource for schools. School NCCD Teams are encouraged to review this in readiness for school based moderation.

PB4L K-12 Training Day

Curriculum Reform – Did you know?

Through the NSW curriculum reform, NESA’s Statement of Equity Principles are reflected in all new K-6 syllabuses, ensuring they are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all learners. Each syllabus is designed to support diverse teaching approaches that cater to:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Students with disability
• Gifted and talented students
• Students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D).

The Statement of Equity Principles underpins a commitment to high expectations and quality learning outcomes for every student. 

The equity principles include:

• Excellence
• Respect and responsibility
• Equity and justice
• Inclusivity.

CEDoW's Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework further strengthens our commitment to high expectations and quality learning outcomes for all students. It does so through five essential elements, supported by the High Impact Strategies.

Through the careful discernment of teaching practices, support material and resources, schools are encouraged to draw on the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework to refine teaching and learning and select materials that not only align with the reformed curriculum but also are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all learners.

Key reflective questions to guide decision-making include:

Promote equity: Does the learning provide inclusive, high-quality opportunities for every student, acknowledging diversity and ensuring cultural safety?
Foster agency: Does the learning empower students to make choices, set goals, and take ownership of their learning?
Establish relevance: Do the resources connect learning to students' goals, needs, interests, and real-world experiences?
Enhance the environment: Does the learning activity support a positive, safe, and supportive learning culture?
Ensure rigour: Do the resources offer challenging, in-depth educational experiences that promote high expectations and critical thinking?

Curriculum Implementation Support – Professional Learning 2025

To ensure new practices are strengthened and sustained with the aim of improving student learning outcomes, ILW Learning K-12 will continue its ongoing support of schools throughout the ‘Embed’ phase of implementation in English and Mathematics. Schools can access optional system-wide professional learning and in situ support for effective curriculum implementation throughout 2025.

Primary Curriculum Implementation Support: English K-6 English Professional Learning

Facilitators: Alexandra (Lexie) Hingston at hingstona01@dow.catholic.edu.au and Joanne Treffone at treffonej01@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Targeting Instructional Leaders supporting teachers in planning and programming (including Principals, Assistant Principals, Middle Leaders and/or Instructional Coaches).

Week 4, Term 2 – Thursday 22 May 2025
Course venue: St Paul's, Albion Park (school hall)

Learning Intention: This professional learning will deepen participants' understanding of evidence-based practices that create dialogic, language rich classrooms, fostering authentic vocabulary acquisition and oral language development. The focus will be on explicit instruction of Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary, using quality literature to support the programming and planning of English in their school context.

In response to your feedback, Day 2 will shift its focus to the application of content and pedagogical knowledge to support English programming and planning at your school. Building on this, we will place a strong emphasis on strategies that support oral language and vocabulary development. The day will be hands-on and practical, offering participants the opportunity to analyse existing planning and programming through the lens of language development.

We will explore how oral language and communication skills can be intentionally and effectively addressed alongside other focus areas by embedding structured opportunities that foster student engagement, encourage authentic communication, and increase the desire to express ideas. Participants will work with mentor texts, explore a variety of classroom strategies, and contextualise a unit of work to ensure oral language and vocabulary development is seamlessly integrated into everyday learning.

We request that all participants select one sequence of learning/unit of work that will be taught in Weeks 5-10 of Term 2. This could be a unit you are teaching or a unit of work from the stage/grade you are leading that will be taught in the second half of this term. Please also bring a hard copy of the mentor text.

*Additional participants to be funded by the school

Click here to register your attendance. Registrations close on Thursday 15 May 2025.

Primary Curriculum Implementation Support: K-6 Mathematics Professional Learning

Contact: Kate Thomas at thomask04@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Targeting Instructional Leaders supporting teachers in planning teaching and learning (including Principals, Assistant Principals, Middle Leaders and/or Instructional Coaches)

Week 5, Term 2 – Monday 26 May 2025
Course venue: St Therese Parish Centre, 2 Powell Street, West Wollongong

Day 2: Effective Pedagogical Practices in the Mathematics Classroom

This professional learning day is aimed at enhancing instructional leadership, where participants will be equipped to strategically support teachers to embed the NSW K-10 Mathematics Syllabus. Participants will engage in practical and relevant professional learning that enables them to:

• Explore the elements of effective practice and analyse pedagogical approaches within a Mathematics session.
• Establish the alignment between effective pedagogical approaches and the essential elements of the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework.
• Deepen understanding of syllabus content, its connections, and the continuum of learning.
• Reflect on the application of NESA's Principles of Assessment to effective formative assessment practices across a learning sequence.

*Additional participants to be funded by the school.

Click here to register your attendance. Registrations close on Wednesday 21 May 2025.