School Leaders Edition, Week 2, Term 3, 2025

On behalf of the Executive Director of Schools, I wish to announce the following:

Following a recruitment and discernment process, I am pleased to announce that Lindsay Burns has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal at Holy Cross Catholic Parish Primary School, Helensburgh. As Lindsay is currently performing the position of Acting Assistant Principal, he will commence in the role immediately. 

In addition to his time in the role of Acting Assistant Principal at Helensburgh throughout 2025, Lindsay has also held the senior leadership positions of Acting Assistant Principal at Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish Primary School, Eagle Vale from August 2023 to December 2024 and Assistant Principal at Ss Peter & Paul Catholic Parish Primary School, Kiama from 2017 - August 2023.

Lindsay’s qualifications include a Master of Theology from the University of Newcastle and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Wollongong. Lindsay is an active member of the St John’s Catholic Parish in Dapto.   

Please join me in congratulating Lindsay on his appointment to this position. 

A recruitment process for the substantive position of Assistant Principal at Ss Peter & Paul Catholic Parish Primary School, Kiama, will commence shortly. 

Natasha O’Donoghue
Director – People and Culture

Message of Condolence

Michelle passed away peacefully on Thursday 24 July, surrounded by her loving family, following a brief and unexpected illness.

Michelle was a cherished member of the Nazareth Catholic Parish Primary School community since its foundation in 2000. In her role as School Support Officer and Librarian, she served with exceptional dedication, warmth, and quiet strength. Her care and commitment have left an enduring legacy in the lives of countless students, families, and colleagues.

We give thanks for Michelle’s life and the many ways she contributed to the life of the school with grace, generosity, and kindness. Her presence will be deeply missed across the community.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

This week, the following leadership vacancy is available:

Magdalene Catholic College, Narellan
Religious Education Coordinator (Secondary)

Protecht – Risk Review

For: Principals and CEO Risk and Control Owners and Risk Administrators
Due: 1 September 2025
Contact: John Barrington (barringtonj01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

It is now time to conduct the second Risk Enterprise Review for 2025.

This week, an automated email reminder will be sent by Protecht to all Risk and Control Owners and Risk Administrators. 

Action: When completing the review, please remember to change the Risk Review Due Date and the Control Next Test Date to 1 March 2026 as an indication that you have completed the review.

Please access this Resource Sheet to assist your completion of the review in the Protecht database tool.

CEDoW Step into Teaching Scholarship Program

For: Secondary and K-12 principals 
Due: Now
Contact: Sherryn Moore (sherryn.moore@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Attention: Year 12 students considering a career in teaching.

“Teaching is a noble profession that shapes the character, calibre and future of an individual.”
— Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Action: Principals are asked to share the following information with staff for promotion to students and inclusion in parent/carer communications.

Applications open Week 3.

Students may apply for one of the following:

• CEDoW Step into Teaching Scholarship Program
• CEDoW Step into Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship Program

For more information, students are encouraged to speak with their TAPs Coordinator. Further details are also available on the Catholic Education Office website.

Applications close on Friday Week 9 — 19 September 2025.

ESS Leave Approvals Refresher

For: Principals and CEO leaders
Due: Now
Contact: Pat Murray (patrick.murray@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Action: Principals and CEO leaders are asked to read the information below.

Most leave is submitted by staff through our Employee Self Service (known as ESS). Some complex leave types, such as parental leave or leave cashout requests, require a form. This year, these are being digitised as part of changes we are making to improve the employee and manager experience, but for now, they reside in Gateway as PDF forms.

If you receive leave requests via ESS, there are some key things to be aware of when you consider approvals.

Dates and leave types — As the manager/approver it is critical that you review whether the employee applied for the correct type of leave and was/is planned to be absent on the dates requested.

Retrospective LWOP — Backdated or retrospective leave without pay causes an overpayment to the employee. As this is an employee benefit, Payroll will notify the employee when the leave is processed, but will not undergo a formal overpayment process unless the overpayment exceeds one fortnight's pay.

Sufficient balances — Requests and approvals will error if an employee does not have sufficient balance at the time of the leave. Employees cannot wait until more leave is accrued. The system will always refer back to the balance at the time the leave was taken. If you would like to request an exception, please send it to payrolladmin@dow.catholic.edu.au for review.

Other errors — From time to time, other errors or issues can occur. Please contact payrolladmin@dow.catholic.edu.au with a screenshot if you receive an unexpected error. The most common are:

• The leave already exists — please reject the request as this means Payroll has processed a manual request for these dates; or
• Leave is beyond the 'planned termination date' — this means a contract expiry date exists that needs to be actioned by Payroll before leave can be approved. Please contact payrolladmin@dow.catholic.edu.au with details of the request.

What happens after leave is approved — Most leave types are processed directly in Payroll when you approve them. This includes special leave, sick leave, annual leave, community service leave, time in lieu and compassionate/bereavement leave. Complex leave types like long service leave, unpaid leave, jury leave, renewal leave, parental and examination/study leave require further review and processing by Payroll

Pay Processing Lockout — Approvals are locked from pay cutoff until the pay is closed (usually Saturday to Tuesday of pay week). In that period, the 'approve' button will not appear.

If you have any questions about leave approvals, entitlements or this article, please contact Pat Murray, Payroll Manager, at patrick.murray@dow.catholic.edu.au or on 0457 216 318.

Religious Literacy Assessment (RLA) - Term 3 Week 3

Attention Primary Principals and RECs

A reminder that Year 4 students across the Diocese will sit the Religious Literacy Assessment (RLA) via Google Form on Monday 4 August with Tuesday 5 August being the backup date for absent students.

Could RECs please ensure that Year 4 teachers have all necessary information and documentation. The Administration Guide for the Religious Literacy Assessment can be found here.

For further information regarding RLA please email Kate Jennett or call her on  0418 611 266.

Invitation to the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop Mass 

For: Principals and RECs 
Due: Friday 1 August 2025
Contact: Helen Moon (moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Second notice

On behalf of Bishop Brian, I invite representatives from your school to attend the Mass celebrating Saint Mary MacKillop, to be held at St Francis Xavier Cathedral on Friday 8 August 2025, at 12:10 p.m.

Action: Please RSVP via this Google Form by Friday 1 August 2025.

Sr Monica Barlow RSJ
Liturgy Coordinator
Office of the Bishop

Day Two: 2025 System-Wide Strategic Professional Learning

For: Principals
Due: Now
Contact: Anna Jones (annalouise.jones@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Second notice

Link: System-Wide Strategic Professional Learning site.

Action: Leaders are to ensure they have tested the validity of their Stage 2 causal hypotheses. This will ensure accuracy of progression when moving through stages 3-5 of Collaborative Complex Problem Solving, rather than working from an inferential perspective.

The second day of collaborative professional learning will be held on Monday 11 August 2025 at St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Albion Park.

The day will continue our focus on instructional leadership and complex collaborative problem solving, and will be led again by guest facilitator Dr Jacqui Patuawa. As Day 2 activities will build on skills developed during our first session with Dr Jacqui, we strongly encourage schools to bring the same team of staff as Day 1.

Day 2 Pre-reading:

• Chapters 9, 11, and 12 of Viviane Robinson's Virtuous Educational Leadership.
• Student Centred Leadership pre-reading for Stage 3

For more information, please visit the System-Wide Strategic Professional Learning site linked above. For any inquiries, contact Anna Jones, Team Leader – Leadership and Professional Growth.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 12 Student Mass and Lunch

For: Principals and SSSOs
Due: Friday 22 August 2025
Contact: Karan Taylor (taylork01@dow.catholic.edu.au) or Lyndal Murphy (murphyl11@dow.catholic.edu.au) 
Second notice

Principals and Aboriginal Education Assistants (AEAs) from secondary schools are invited to attend the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 12 Student Mass on Tuesday 2 September 2025, commencing at 10.30 am at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Wollongong.

Action: Please refer to the official invitation here, which includes the RSVP link. Principals are asked to include the names of any attending AEAs in their response.

Invitations to students will be distributed by AEAs and your School Contact.

For further information, please contact Karan Taylor or Lyndal Murphy directly.

Term 3 Dates for Primary Religious Education Coordinators

Please find here a list of important Term 3 dates for Primary Religious Education Coordinators.

Term 3 Information for Secondary Religious Education Coordinators and Leaders of Mission

Please find here a summary of important Term 3 initiatives and dates relevant to Secondary Religious Education Coordinators and Leaders of Mission.

Tap for Teacher update

Tap for Teacher has introduced a new feature: Schedule a Booking. If you're using this app, please update it as soon as possible to access the latest features.

How does Schedule a Booking work?

Use it when you want to set up a booking now, but have it go live later, such as after the school day ends, so all invited teachers get an equal chance to accept.

Click here for more information and instructions.

Term 3 August 2025 Census

Attention: Principals and SSSOs

The date for the upcoming 2025 Census for the collection of student and staff data is Friday 1 August 2025.

Essential information for principals and SSSOs is available here: Census August 2025.

Tickets to the Council of Catholic Schools Parents Conference (CCSP) now on sale

Attention: Principals and SSSOs

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) has announced that tickets to the 2025 CCSP Parents and Carers’ Conference on 25 October are now on sale!

This year’s conference celebrates 30 years of CCSP supporting and advocating for parents and carers of children in Catholic schools. It also marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Committee.

The conference theme for 2025 is SUPPORTING FAMILIES: WORKING TOGETHER IN A MODERN WORLD.

Keynote speakers at the one-day conference include:

• Dr Justin Coulson - one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. He is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9’s Parental Guidance, the founder of happyfamilies.com.au.
• Michelle Mitchell - author and speaker, sought after for her compassionate and grounded advice for parenting tweens and teens.
• Daniel Principe - passionate youth advocate and educator. Through his work, Daniel encourages young people to recognise and resist distorted attitudes towards bodies, relationships and sex.

The conference which is being held at the Novotel, 350 Church Street, Parramatta is a one-day event and is only $30 to attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear and engage with some of Australia’s leading experts on raising young people in our complex society.

Please share this information, as well the accompanying flyer, with your parents and carers via your communication channels. Please also share it with your school P&F representatives.

Included in also is a digital asset you can use on your Facebook or Instagram pages or your website to promote the event. There is also an A4 version of the flyer. Quality parent engagement is critical for schools to thrive. Please do what you can to promote this event within your community.

For further information about the conference, go to the CCSP website or contact Mark Rix at rixm02@dow.catholic.edu.au or via mobile at 0461 544 105.

National Child Protection Week - Parent Information Sessions offered by CatholicCare - Expressions of interest

Attention: Principals

In support of National Child Protection Week (7–13 September 2025), CatholicCare’s School, Student and Family Program (SSFP) is once again offering a range of engaging parent education sessions tailored for school communities across the Diocese.

This year’s theme is “Shifting Conversation to Action,” and CatholicCare is available to provide one-hour presentations designed to help families build safer, more connected environments for children and young people.

Schools are invited to host one or more of these sessions and express their interest in doing so by Friday 15 August 2025 by contacting: Rita Maher Senior Practitioner, School Counsellor – CatholicCare ritam@catholiccare.dow.org.au

Click here for more information.

Connected Catholic Communities: A day dedicated to family and community engagement: Free tickets!

Attention: Principals and School Leaders

School leaders or staff working in the area of family engagement or parent partnerships are warmly invited to attend a Symposium titled - Connected for Impact - to be held on 14 August 2025. The focus of the symposium is on the “how” of creating partnerships - within the school as well as outside it - to support students and their families. The details of the Symposium are below:

Date: Thursday 14 August 2025, 9am – 4pm

Venue: Amora Hotel Jamison, Sydney

Cost: No cost with the promocode: Partnerships 2025

Registration: Register here.

Speakers at the Symposium include Anne Henderson, a renowned family engagement expert from the USA, who will also lead a workshop on ways to strengthen relationships between schools and families.

Aunty Sharon Cooke & Aunty Roz will share their cultural expertise in a "Campfire Chat," exploring the rich history and modern application of yarning circles and how these build connection and trust.

Paul Milgate from the Diocese of Lismore has developed a powerful framework for how schools can partner with external agencies to support students and families that allows teachers to focus on their core work. A panel session will highlight how community collaboration creates social impact and positive change.

Schools from across NSW will also share their stories about what they are doing in their communities to strengthen connections with families for the benefit of their students.

This is a unique opportunity to gain research-backed insights, practical tools, and culturally informed approaches to build stronger relationships and drive positive change! Registration is free so get in quick!

To learn more, go to the Symposium website. For inquiries, contact Mark Rix at rixm02@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Life to the Full: Semester 1 Success & Semester 2 Preview!

What a fantastic first semester it's been for relaunching the "Life to the Full" Framework, a continuing priority that provides a system-wide approach to fostering respectful relationships within schools.

Semester 1 Highlights:

We successfully updated our framework and revamped the former Module A presentation, enhancing the relevance of the Child Safety training to all staff. We have created essential anti-bullying support materials in line with the amended procedure and launched the impactful, student-led "Fix You" campaign. School leadership teams are now familiar with the framework and we continue to provide opportunities for all staff members to engage with the framework in meaningful ways, so they can recognise its relevance in their daily practice and interactions with students.

What's Coming in Semester 2:

We're excited to announce a Student roundtable event on Friday 28th November for Secondary students, with an invitation to “save the date” coming soon. We're also developing a new Google Site packed with content and resources to build staff capacity in supporting respectful relationships through Faith, Learning and Wellbeing. A1 posters can be requested from our team for display within each school.

Upcoming Professional Learning opportunities:

CCSP Parent Conference: 25th October, 2025

 eSafety Parent and Carer series: AI-assisted image based abuse: 21st August 2025

Bullying No Way; National week of action - Register via the link: 11-15th August.

Kids Helpline online learning: virtual classrooms

Please email Jennifer Sharp and Liam Nicholls at respectfulrelationships@dow.catholic.edu.au with any questions or feedback.

NESA NEWS   

1. NAPLAN Student Reports 

Printed copies of NAPLAN student reports have been sent to schools. Please distribute the reports to parents / carers within 1 week of receiving them. Digital copies are also available to download from Schools Online. 

Read more about NAPLAN results and reports here

2. Strengthened eTAMS security

NESA is making eTAMS more secure over the coming months. From Term 4, signing in will require multi-factor authentication, introduced to keep your account secure. 

To prepare for the change: 

1. sign in to eTAMS using your current credentials
2. check your personal details
3. use an up-to-date personal email address and mobile number
4. confirm any changes. 

From Term 4, you will need to:

• sign in to eTAMS with your email address, not your NESA number
• reset your password in line with our updated password policy
• set up multi-factor authentication for added security. 

Further updates will be provided to you via email from NESA to assist you with the change.

3. Install the new HSC lockdown browser

A new lockdown browser is now available. Schools must ensure the browser is installed on devices that are student-owned or managed by the school for:

• HSC minimum standard tests
• HSC online exams  
• HSC ExamWriter. 

An updated installation guide and list of supported devices are available on Schools Online > Memos and Documents. School sectors will install the lockdown browser on centrally managed devices. 

Refer to the email sent to principals from NESA in the last week of Term 2 for more information.

4. New Science and Engineering 7-10 resources

New resources are now available for Stage 4 and Stage 5 Science and Engineering courses, including teaching advice for Developing talent in Science, and advice on writing for Engineering 7–10. 

Visit the NSW Curriculum Website here

5. Looking for a syllabus? You can now locate any NSW syllabuses by stage or learning area on the NSW Curriculum website. 

NESA has a new navigation tool that makes it easy to find either a current syllabus or new syllabus, as well as implementation information. 

View the NSW Curriculum Reform timeline to see when remaining syllabuses will be released.

6. HSC exam resources now easier to access 

You can now find HSC exam papers and HSC standards materials in one place at nsw.gov.au/NESA

Bookmark our new Resource Finder to quickly search and access all exam resources. Existing web addresses will automatically redirect to the updated location.

Reminder: Invitation to School Leadership Retreats

CEO and School Leadership Retreats will be held this term at The Hermitage, Mittagong (843 Old South Road, Mittagong).

This year’s retreats are entitled “Pilgrims of Hope” and will be facilitated by the Spiritual Formation Team.

During the retreat, there will be opportunities to explore your understanding and experience of hope within our Catholic context, reflect on your life as a pilgrim through prayer and shared conversations, and consider how hope is given expression in your life.

CEO leaders, principals, assistant principals, Religious Education Coordinators and Assistant Religious Education Coordinators, please read the flyer here and register through LMS as soon as possible.

If you require further information, please contact Gary Quinn.

ACER PAT Webinars

CEDoW PAT Assessment window is Term 4, Weeks 3–6. As has been the practice in previous years, primary schools will administer the PAT Adaptive assessments and secondary schools will administer PAT Linear assessments.

This assessment window is aligned to the collection of samples used to calculate Australian norms which are an important part of the PAT Maths and PAT Reading reporting as they help to contextualise students’ levels of achievement.

Webinars relevant to leaders and teachers:

Within these webinars, the ACER team will demonstrate how to generate and navigate the reports and make the task of understanding the PAT results data more accessible, meaningful and practical. The registration link will also provide immediate access to the recording of the webinar if participants are not able to join on the day. Within a few weeks of the scheduled webinars, the ACER team will also publish the recording on the School Support Centre website here.

Primary Curriculum Implementation Support: English K-6 English Professional Learning Day 3

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

Date: Week 5 Term 3 - Friday 22nd August, 2025

Time:  9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Course Venue: Emmaus Centre, Campbelltown
  Level 3: 4 Hyde Parade, Campbelltown NSW 2560

This professional learning day will deepen curriculum and pedagogical knowledge through moderation and the analysis of essential knowledge, skills and understanding required for skilled writing.

As part of this professional learning, participants will engage in a cross-school moderation task. As such, we ask that all participants bring a writing sample that meets the following criteria: 

• One draft, Tier 1 writing sample, feel free to bring more than 1 sample for you to refer to during discussions.

• The writing sample should be completed independently, during Term 3, Weeks 1 - 4. 
• Please photocopy onto A3 paper for ease of use.
• Please provide basic details of the writing task. This may include the learning intention, success criteria, prompt, student instructions and time allocated.
  
  

Note: If you are a leader who is not on class, please bring a writing sample that meets the criteria, from a grade you are working with. 

*Additional participants to be funded by the school

Click here to register your attendance. 

Registrations close on Thursday, the 15th August, 2025.

Facilitators: Alexandra (Lexie) Hingston (hingstona01@dow.catholic.edu.au) & Sharyn Stafford (staffords01@dow.catholic.edu.au ) 

Primary Curriculum Implementation Support: K-6 Mathematics Professional Learning Day 3

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

Date: Week 4 Term 3 - Wednesday 13th August, 2025

Time:  9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Course Venue: Emmaus Centre, Campbelltown
  Level 3: 4 Hyde Parade, Campbelltown NSW 2560

This professional learning day is aimed at enhancing instructional leadership, enabling school leaders to provide strategic support for teachers as they work towards  the embedding of the NSW K-10 Mathematics Syllabus. 

Participants will explore the elements of effective practice and analyse pedagogical approaches to enhance student challenge and engagement. They will continue to build deep knowledge of the syllabus through the progression of content and make connections between highly effective teaching and the essential elements of the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework. 

Participants will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the high impact strategy of ‘explicit teaching’ and other effective pedagogical approaches to enable opportunities for challenge for all students. They will build a collective understanding of how to develop effective learning intentions and success criteria that drive the differentiated teaching and learning experiences.  

There will be an opportunity to network with other instructional leaders, share effective strategies to support teachers and engage in collaborative planning to strategically plan for actionable next steps in their own school context. 

Please bring a copy of the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework

*Additional participants to be funded by the school

Click here to register your attendance. 

Registrations close on Wednesday, the 6th August, 2025.

Facilitators: Kate Thomas (thomask04@dow.catholic.edu.au) & Dr Christine Mae

Expression of Interest: Reconnect SPOT

ILW Learning K–12 is pleased to share details about an upcoming professional learning opportunity for Kindergarten teachers who completed the KinderSPOT training in 2023–2024 and are currently teaching Kindergarten.

Reconnect SPOT is a one-day, optional professional learning session designed to deepen teachers’ understanding of key executive functioning and self-regulation skills—such as working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. These foundational skills are critical for the early development of both cognitive and social capacities in young children, as supported by current research.

This session will be co-facilitated by an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist. Drawing on evidence-based research, they will support teachers to recognise common student behaviours that reflect executive functioning development within the Kindergarten classroom. Educators will also be provided with practical strategies and classroom-ready resources to support and enhance student growth in these essential areas.

If you are interested in attending, please first seek approval with your Principal, then complete the Google Form linked below to register your expression of interest:

Expression of Interest Form

If there is sufficient interest, the course will proceed, and the ILW – Learning Team will coordinate registrations for participants through LMS.

Please submit your response by August 8, 2025. 

Course:  2025 Reconnect SPOT 

Date: Thursday, 28 August 2025, 9:00 - 3:00

Venue: Emmaus Centre, Building B, Lvl 3, Hyde Parade, Campbelltown

Funding Code:  F02

Should you require any further information, please contact Joanne Treffone treffonej01@dow.catholic.edu.au