School Leaders Edition, Week 3, 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 Kimberley Logue has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal - Religious Education, Identity and Mission at St Francis Catholic College, Edmondson Park. Kimberley will commence at the beginning of Term 4, 2025. 

Kimberley brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role, including her current role as Religious Education Coordinator at St Benedict’s Catholic College, Oran Park which she commenced in 2019. Prior to this, she worked at Holy Spirit Catholic College, Lakemba, as Religious Education Coordinator (2014 - 2018), Acting Religious Education Coordinator (2013), as well as Assistant Religious Education Coordinator and Youth Ministry Coordinator (2011 - 2012). 

Kimberley’s qualifications include a Master of Theological Studies from the Australian Catholic University, a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)/Graduate Certificate in Religious Education from the Australian Catholic University and a Bachelor of Economics (Social Sciences) from the University of Sydney. Kimberley is an active member of the St Paul’s Parish in Camden.   

Please join me in congratulating Kimberley on her appointment to this position. 

A recruitment process for the substantive position of Religious Education Coordinator at St Benedict’s Catholic College, Oran Park, will commence shortly. 

Natasha O’Donoghue
Director – People and Culture

This week, the following leadership vacancy is available:

Brisk AI tool temporarily blocked across CEDoW

For: Principals
Due: Now
Contact: help@dow.catholic.edu.au
First notice

Action: Please read the important information below regarding the Brisk AI tool.

We understand that many staff are exploring Gen AI tools to enhance efficiency and to support their teaching practices, and we appreciate the dedication to finding innovative solutions. One solution being explored by teachers is BRISK Teaching.

It has come to our attention that the Brisk AI plugin has the capability to scrape, or automatically collect data from web pages you visit. This creates a risk that sensitive and confidential data could be inadvertently accessed, stored, or transmitted by the plugin to external servers overseas, outside of our system's secure environment.

This poses a serious breach of student privacy and our data security protocols. We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all student data, and any tool that compromises this commitment cannot be used within our systems. 

In concert with CEnet, the ICLT team is conducting an investigation into the use of the BRISK plugin and completing a risk assessment as to whether it can be used safely within our network.

We have actioned an immediate block on the use of the Brisk AI until this in-depth investigation is completed.

We understand that this may be an inconvenience, and we sincerely apologise for any disruption this may cause; however, our priority is always the safety and privacy of our students' information.

If you have any questions, require assistance with uninstalling the plugin, or need clarification on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact help@dow.catholic.edu.au for support.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter and for your continued commitment to maintaining a secure learning environment.

2026 Enrolment Campaign Marketing Support | Principal Selection Form

For: Principals (or delegate)
Due: 15 August 2025
Contact: Strategy and Communications team (communications@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Action: Building on the success of recent enrolment marketing campaigns, the Strategy and Communications team is once again inviting schools to opt in to centralised marketing support for the 2026 enrolment period by Friday 15 August 2025.

What you need to know:

• Every school will receive a tailored poster, flyer, and social media tile
• The Strategy and Communications team will fund paid ads for every school
• Principals have the option of contributing further funds and (if applicable to your school) selecting additional marketing products

2025 enrolment marketing campaign highlights:

Launch of Social Justice Statement 2025-26

For: Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission
Due: Now
Contact: David Gearin (gearind01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Action: Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission, please share this information with your Youth Ministry Coordinators.

Each year, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference releases a Social Justice Statement that addresses a significant social concern and explores our collective and personal response to it.

The Statement theme for 2025-26 is Signs of Hope on the Edge: Serving Homeless People with Mental Ill-Health.

This year’s launch of the Social Justice Statement will be held online on Wednesday 13 August 2025, from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

Action: Please register via this link.

Keep an eye out for upcoming details about the 2025 Student See, Judge, Act Workshop, which will be shared in the coming weeks.

For more information, contact David Gearin.

Diocesan Launch of Catholic Mission Month 2025

For: Principals
Due: Monday 1 September 2025
Contact: Helen Moon (moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Principals and representatives of their school community are invited to attend the 2025 Diocesan Launch of Catholic Mission Month.

Date: Thursday 11 September 2025
Time: 10 am - 12 pm
Location: Magdalene Catholic College, 101 Smeaton Grange Road, Narellan

Action: Please access the invitation here and RSVP via the link provided.

For more information, contact Helen Moon. 

CEDoW Step into Teaching Scholarship Program

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

For: 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

Applications are now open.

Action: Principals are asked to actively share the following information with staff, promote it to students, and include it in parent/carer communications.

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 19 September 2025 (Week 9). 

Invitation to the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop Mass 

For: Principals and RECs 
Due: Wednesday 6 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 6 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)
Final 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.

Next week, on Monday 11 August 2025, we will come together for the second System-Wide Professional Learning Day for 2025. To be held at the same location, St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Albion Park. Please refer to the parking instructions and seating plan, as tables will change based on your problem statements.

The day will continue our focus on deepening our engagement with the OCI process, instructional leadership and collaborative complex 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. If there are any changes to enrolments, please contact Anna Jones as a matter of priority.

Day 2 Pre-reading:

• Chapters 9, 11, and 12 of Viviane Robinson's Virtuous Educational Leadership
• Extract from Student Centred Leadership pre-reading for Stage 3. Please note that this is not the full text, but a five-page extract from the book.

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.

National Child Protection Week – Parent Information Sessions by CatholicCare 

For: Principals
Due: Friday 15 August 2025
Contact: Rita Maher (ritam@catholiccare.dow.org.au)
Second notice

Expressions of Interest

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

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

Action: Schools are invited to host one or more of these sessions and express their interest by Friday 15 August 2025, by contacting Rita Maher, Senior Practitioner, School Counsellor – CatholicCare.

See here for more information.

Tickets to the Council of Catholic School Parents Conference 

For: Principals and SSSOs
Due: Now
Contact: Mark Rix (rixm02@dow.catholic.edu.au) 
Second notice

The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) has announced that tickets to the 2025 CCSP Parents and Carers’ Conference on Saturday 25 October 2025 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 Islander Committee.

The 2025 conference theme is Supporting Families: Working Together in a Modern World.

Keynote speakers at the 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, and 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.

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

Included 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 conference website or contact Mark Rix at rixm02@dow.catholic.edu.au or via mobile on 0461 544 105.

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 titled "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.

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 at quinng01@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Repeated: Primary Curriculum Implementation Support: 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 22 August 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
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 one sample for reference 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.

Registrations close on Thursday 15 August 2025.

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

Repeated: 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 13 August 2025
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
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.

Registrations close on Wednesday 6 August 2025.

Facilitators:
Kate Thomas – thomask04@dow.catholic.edu.au
Dr Christine Mae.

Who Am I? Scriptural Foundations for Our Search for Meaning and Purpose

For: Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission
Date: 19 September 2025
Venue: The Emmaus Centre, 4 Hyde Parade, Campbelltown

Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission, please share this information with your relevant staff.

Are you a Secondary RE teacher, Pastoral Care, or Wellbeing leader seeking to deepen your understanding of meaning and purpose within a scriptural framework?

This professional learning day, Who Am I? Scriptural Foundations for Our Search for Meaning and Purpose is designed specifically for you.

We'll explore how foundational scriptures can empower you to:

• Enrich your Religious Education curriculum: Discover new ways to connect biblical narratives with students' personal journeys of self-discovery.
  
  
• Enhance pastoral care and wellbeing initiatives: Equip yourself with scripturally-grounded insights to guide students through life's big questions.
  
  
• Foster a deeper sense of identity and belonging in your students: Learn how to help students explore their unique purpose through the lens of faith.

Join us for a day of insightful discussion, practical strategies, and renewed inspiration as we collectively explore the profound question, "Who am I?" and its scriptural answers.

Please register here.

Blended Online Learning – Semester 2

How can Blended Online Learning be used as a response to NCCD Data?

If you are interested in a BESPOKE course in Term 3 or 4 (delivered on-site at a time that works for you), please email wssadmin@dow.catholic.edu.au. You may also like to consider partnering with neighbouring schools that have similar interests or needs.

All courses can be offered as BESPOKE courses with a minimum participant cohort of eight.

Upcoming courses in Term 3 – Flyer link here.

Enrolment in only one course at a time.
See flyer for registration links.