School Leaders Edition, Week 6, Term 3, 2025

Principal – St Brigid’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Gwynneville

I am pleased to announce that following a recruitment and discernment process, Amy-Louise Sammut has been appointed to the substantive position of Principal at St Brigid’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Gwynneville. Amy will commence in the role at the beginning of the 2026 school year. Read the full announcement here (26 August 2025).

Principal – St Anthony’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Picton

I am pleased to announce that following a recruitment and discernment process, Vicky Davidson has been appointed to the substantive position of Principal at St Anthony’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Picton. Vicky will commence in the role at the beginning of the 2026 school year. Read the full announcement here (26 August 2025).

Peter Hill
Executive Director of Schools

This week, the following leadership vacancies are available:

St Brigid's Catholic Parish Primary School, Gwynneville
Assistant Principal

St Michael's Catholic Parish Primary School, Thirroul
Assistant Principal

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish Primary School, Warrawong
Principal

St Francis Catholic College, Edmondson Park
Deputy Principal (K-12) 

Bishop Brian’s Mass and Lunch with 2025 Year 12 Captains and Vice Captains

For: Secondary Principals 
Due: Friday 29 August 2025
Contact: Claire Cooney (cooneyc02@dow.catholic.edu.au)  
Third notice

On Tuesday 9 September 2025, Bishop Brian Mascord will celebrate a special Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong, followed by lunch at the Xavier Centre for the 2025 Year 12 Captains and Vice Captains.

Bishop Brian’s dedication to, and support of, our student leaders has played a vital role in helping form them into exemplary Catholic leaders. With the mission of being Bearers of Christ’s Love, our student leaders are encouraged to influence, shape and serve their communities in meaningful ways.

This event serves as an opportunity to recognise and celebrate their commitment to these values over the past twelve months.

Date: Tuesday 9 September 2025 (Week 8, Term 3)
Time: 10 am to 2 pm
Location: St Francis Xavier Cathedral and Xavier Centre, Wollongong

Action: Please provide details of all staff (a maximum of two per school) and students attending here by this Friday 29 August 2025.

School Captains, Vice Captains, Principals, and the staff member who has been most connected with the student leaders are invited to attend this celebration. Students are required to be in full school uniform. Any questions regarding the Mass and lunch should be directed to Claire Cooney. 

Social Justice Statement 2025–26: SEE | JUDGE | ACT Workshop

For: Secondary Religious Education Coordinators and Leaders of Mission
Due: Wednesday 3 September 2025
Contact: David Gearin (gearind01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Fourth notice

Action: Secondary Religious Education Coordinators and Leaders of Mission, please share 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.

Our Diocese has a rich tradition of celebrating the release of this document by gathering as a group of secondary students and teachers to unpack the Statement.

This will take place on Friday, 12 September 2025 at Holy Spirit College, 2 Bond Street, Bellambi.

Action: Youth Ministry Coordinators are required to RSVP by Wednesday 3 September 2025 here. Four students from each secondary school are invited to attend.

Please note: students are required to bring their own lunch. Morning tea will be provided.

Resources for the 2025-26 Statement are now available on the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference website.

Please contact David Gearin for further information.

AWE HUNTERS 2025: A Faith Encounter in Nature

For: Secondary Principals, RECs/Leaders of Mission, Year 10 Coordinators 
Due: Friday 19 September 2025
Contact: David Gearin (gearind01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Second notice

Year 10 Immersion | AWE HUNTERS: A Faith Encounter in Nature | 14–15 October 2025 – The Tops, Stanwell Park.

Action: Principals and RECs/Leaders of Mission – please ensure this information is shared and discussed with your Year 10 Coordinators.

Following last week’s communication, secondary schools are invited to nominate up to four male Year 10 students to participate in this year’s Awe Hunters Immersion.

For further details, please refer to the letter from Jo Kenny, which outlines how to identify and register suitable students. The letter also includes draft communications and permission notes for parents and guardians.

To gain an insight into the experience, we encourage you to watch the promotional video created from last year’s immersion.

A direct link for parents/guardians to register students can be found here.

A direct link to draft comms/permission notes for parents/guardians is here.

Action: Please email Helen Moon at moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au by Monday 1 September 2025, providing the name and email address of the teacher who will be responsible for selecting students from your school.

For any questions or further information, please contact David Gearin on 0402 018 162.

CatholicCare Counsellors Staff Development Day – 24 September 2025

A message from CatholicCare

CatholicCare will be hosting our annual Staff Development Day on Wednesday 24 September 2025. All school counsellors rostered to work on this day will be attending the event, and therefore, there will be no counsellor coverage in schools on that date. We appreciate your understanding and support, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Tina Acevska, Manager, School, Student & Family Program (SSFP), mobile: 0419 462 621.

Positive Behaviours for Learning

Victorian Education has produced a series of Positive Classroom Management Strategies in ‘placemat’ format.

Each of the eight placemats presents evidence-informed practices that create safer, more purposeful learning environments supporting student learning, wellbeing and behaviour.

Classroom Behaviour Expectations and Rules

Help your students thrive! When students know exactly what is expected of them, they are more likely to demonstrate those behaviours. This placemat provides a simple, effective framework for creating and teaching classroom rules that are observable, measurable, positively stated, understandable, and always applicable (OMPUA). Give students the structure they need to succeed academically and behaviourally.

Classroom Procedures and Routines

Free up your students' working memory and reduce their cognitive load! Well-established routines help create predictability and structure, which is critical for the success of all students, especially those with diverse learning profiles. By clearly defining and teaching procedures, you can increase instructional time and create a positive, collaborative classroom culture.

Encouraging Expected Behaviour

Build stronger teacher-student relationships and promote student motivation. The placemat on encouraging expected behaviour provides a menu of techniques to acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviour. Learn how to use specific, positive feedback frequently and immediately, with a goal of a 4:1 ratio of positive to corrective feedback.

Discouraging Inappropriate Behaviour

Turn behaviour errors into teaching opportunities. This placemat provides a continuum of instructional responses to address inappropriate behaviour, just as you would with academic errors. The educative approach focuses on using brief, calm, and respectful corrective feedback to re-teach expectations and guide students toward the desired behaviour.

Active Supervision

Be present and purposeful in your classroom. Active supervision involves moving, scanning, and interacting with students to create opportunities for teaching, prompting, encouraging, and correcting behaviours. This simple yet powerful strategy reduces inappropriate behaviour, increases student engagement, and helps pre-empt escalations.

Opportunities to Respond (OTR)

Boost student engagement and academic outcomes! Opportunities to Respond (OTR) are instructional questions or cues designed to elicit a student response. By presenting varied OTRs at a brisk pace, you can increase on-task behaviour, make learning visible, and provide immediate feedback to students.

Activity Sequence and Choice

Empower your students and increase task completion. For students who can do a task but are reluctant to start, offering choices and strategically sequencing activities can be a game-changer. This placemat provides guidance on how to offer choices in tasks, materials, or even the order of work to build independence and create more equitable learning environments.

Task Difficulty

Ensure your work tasks are a perfect match for student skill levels. When work is too difficult, it can lead to disengagement and problem behaviour. Learn how to adjust task length, time, or response mode to ensure more students experience success and promote on-task behaviour and task completion.

World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and Season of Creation 2025

Audience: Religious Education Coordinators

Resources are available to assist schools in celebrating the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (1 September 2025) and the Season of Creation (1 September–4 October 2025).

This year’s theme is Peace With Creation.

Liturgy World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2025

Season of Creation Resources 2025

Pope Leo XIV’s Message

For K-2 teachers, there is also the Creation Corner episode WDOP for the Care of Creation from Pray School that can be utilised with students.

Gotcha4Life Mentally Fit Primary School Program

Audience: Primary School Leadership

Gotcha4Life is offering limited fully funded places for eligible primary schools in their 2026 Mentally Fit Primary Schools Program.

What is Mental Fitness?

Mental fitness is our capacity to navigate life’s ups and downs, foster a sense of connection and belonging, and seek help when needed. Like physical fitness, it’s something we can build over time with regular practice, and the earlier we start, the better prepared we are for whatever life throws our way.

Gotcha4Life’s approach is built on strengthening three evidence-based mental health protective factors: emotional adaptability, social connectedness, and help-seeking behaviour.

The Program adopts a prevention-first, whole-of-school approach to enhance mental fitness and wellbeing. It aims to empower staff, students, parents, and caregivers to proactively build their mental fitness both in and out of the classroom. They partner with the school to create a lasting, mentally fit school climate.

It is grounded in an evidence-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework and developed with input from educators, psychologists, and wellbeing experts. It provides the tools, language, and supports the school to take practical, whole-community action. It offers:

• A three-year partnership with a dedicated Educator providing coaching, support, and guidance tailored to your school.
  
  
• Personalised Mental Fitness Action Plan aligned to your school’s needs, complementing existing wellbeing programs.
  
  
• Workshops, presentations, and training for staff, students, and families to build shared language, knowledge, and skills.
  
  
• Curriculum-aligned resources and evidence-based practical tools for classrooms and at-home use.

What’s the time commitment for staff?

The program is designed to integrate seamlessly into school life - not add to the workload, with professional learning and classroom resources that support everyday practice. Staff sessions are delivered during existing professional learning time, and student activities align with your calendar. Each year looks different and includes a mix of workshops, planning sessions, and optional extras, such as webinars and Mental Health First Aid, depending on your school’s goals.

The program aligns with the 2023 Australian Curriculum Content Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing. It is suitable for inclusion in NESA professional development logs, contributing to teacher maintenance of professional development hours.

How can you get started?

To explore your school's eligibility for one of the fully funded places in the 2026 program, please apply before the end of Term 3 by clicking the 'Apply for 2026' link below. The team at Gotcha4Life will then set up a meeting to discuss your school's specific needs, review the program details, your school’s suitability to participate in the program, and outline next steps.

This program is a joint initiative from the Workplace Safety and Wellbeing
(WSaW) and Wellbeing and Student Support (WSS) teams. For more information about the program, please visit Gotcha4Life Mentally Fit Schools, view Gotcha4Life Mentally Fit Schools Program FAQ’s, or contact Joanne Matuschka (WSaW) on 0447 481 213 or Katie Carroll (WSS) on 0418 620 219.

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

K–12 NCCD 2026 Resourcing Workshop via Zoom

Audience: Principals and Leaders of Diverse Learning and Pastoral Care K–12

Two sessions will be offered in Week 7, Term 3, to unpack the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) Resourcing Model for 2026.

Leaders are encouraged to prioritise attendance at one of these workshops to ensure a deep understanding of the model and how it can be used to effectively support students with diverse and wellbeing needs.

A calendar invitation will be sent for both sessions to provide flexibility for schools about schedules and needs.

Session Dates and Times

Option 1 – Thursday 4 September 2025 (9:30 am – 11:00 am)

Or

Option 2 – Friday 5 September 2025 (12:00 pm – 1:30 pm)

Any questions can be directed to Kerryn Barnett at BarnettK01@dow.catholic.edu.au or Katie Carroll at CarrollK02@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Religious Liberty Lecture and Conference

Audience: Principals and CEDoW Leadership Team

The University of Notre Dame Australia’s School of Law and Business will be holding its 11th annual Religious Liberty Lecture and Conference on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September 2025 at St Benedict’s Hall, 104 Broadway, Chippendale.

The lecture will be delivered by Professor Keith Thompson and is entitled “Why not protect religious liberty? Why should ‘harmless’ religious belief and action be proscribed by general law?”

RSVPs are due by 29 August 2025. You can register by emailing l&bevents@nd.edu.au.

See the flyer here for more details.

Connect and Collaborate: Primary Programming Workshops for Teachers

Are you a primary teacher looking for an excellent opportunity to network and collaborate with colleagues from other CEDoW schools?

The Learning K–12 team is excited to offer a series of voluntary programming workshops designed specifically for you! Imagine working alongside fellow educators to plan and refine your English and Mathematics units, sharing your best ideas, practices, pedagogy, and quality resources from across the Diocese.

Workshop Options

We've designed flexible scheduling to suit your availability, with workshops held across various dates and venues during the second half of Term 3 and throughout the September pupil vacation period.

You can choose from:

• Afternoon Workshops: Four 1.5-hour, one-off sessions available in:
  • Macarthur
  • Southern Highlands
  • Wollongong
  • Far South Coast
    
    
• Full-Day Workshop Session: Two sessions, delivered over two separate weeks (one day per week) during the September pupil vacation period.

Don't miss this chance to connect, create, and experience the power of shared expertise! 

Complete the Google Form here to register your interest.

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. 

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.

Introduction to K-6 PDHPE and Science and Technology via Zoom

School instructional leaders and teachers are invited to engage in two professional learning opportunities: Introduction to the PDHPE syllabus and support materials (via Zoom), and Introduction to the Science and Technology syllabus and support materials (via Zoom), which will provide an introduction to each syllabus, NESA support material and CEDoW support material.

Registration for both professional learning opportunities can be accessed here.

PDHPE Date: Thursday 4 September 2025 Time: 3 pm - 5pm Location: Zoom Registered participants will receive a calendar invite with a Zoom link prior to the day.

Science and Technology Date: Wednesday 17 September 2025 Time: 3 pm - 5pm Location: Zoom Registered participants will receive a calendar invite with a Zoom link prior to the day.

Schools can also request in situ support in collaboration with the CEDoW - ILW Learning K-12 Team in preparation for the implementation of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education and Science and Technology in 2025 and 2026.

To register your interest, please complete this form.