School Leaders Edition, Week 9, 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 Lisa Murphy has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal at St John the Evangelist Catholic High School, Nowra. As Lisa is currently performing the position of Acting Assistant Principal, she will commence in the role immediately. 

In addition to her time in the role of Acting Assistant Principal at St John the Evangelist throughout 2025, Lisa has also held a number of leadership positions, teaching and leading in our Diocese since 1999.

Lisa’s qualifications include a Graduate Diploma (Education) from the University of Wollongong, a Bachelor of Mathematics and Geography from the University of Wollongong and is currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Religious Education at the Australian Catholic University. Lisa is an active member of the St Michael’s, Nowra Parish.   

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

Natasha O’Donoghue
Director - People and Culture

Priestly Ordinations

Deacons Joseph Nguyen, Sinh Le, and Darren McDowell have been accepted for Ordination as Presbyter. Their Ordination will take place on Saturday 13 December 2025, at 10.00 am at All Saints Catholic Church, Shellharbour. Read the full announcement from Bishop Brian Mascord here (12 September 2025).

This week, the following leadership vacancy is being advertised:

St Paul's Catholic Parish Primary School, Camden
Principal 

New OCI + AIP tool for school leaders

For: Principals 
Due: Before Term 4
Contact: Matt Baxter - Director Strategy & Communications (baxterm04@dow.catholic.edu.au) 
First notice

In early Term 4, principals will be provided with a new resource to assist with Ongoing Cyclic Inquiry (OCI) and the development of Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) goals.

The LTW Contextual Target Tool links school-level improvement to the five strategic focus areas of Lighting The Way by helping school leaders understand our shared system-wide improvement aspirations, review your own school's results, and test local improvement targets for 2026.

LEARN MORE

A short How-To Guide describes the purpose of the tool and how it can be used, and includes FAQs and suggested school-level data to complement the 14 Lighting The Way improvement indicators.

• Purpose: To support, not replace, existing Continuous Catholic School Improvement processes like OCI, by providing a way to test specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant AIP goals.
• Development process: This tool was previewed at principal networks meetings in early Term 3, refined based on feedback from 36 principals and assistant principals, and tested with the Heads of CCSI, Head of Learning K-12, and a broad group of principals.
• Ongoing support: The tool is simple to use and the How-To Guide provides basic instructions. The Heads of CCSI will also support school leaders to incorporate the tool into AIP development.

Reminder: ONE LICENSE Reporting 

For: Primary and Secondary RECs/Leaders of Mission
Due: Thursday 25 September 2025
Contact: Helen Moon, Administrative Officer (moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Action: This is a reminder to report your school’s usage of religious music and lyrics via the One License site, linked here.

For further information, visit the Catholic Life, Education and Mission Gateway site under the heading “Liturgical Music.” If you require any assistance with access, please contact Helen Moon.

CEDoW Length of Service Awards

For: Principals and SSSOs 
Due: Friday 24 October 2025
Contact: Sharon Anderson, Administrative Officer (andersons04@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

The collation of ‘Length of Service Awards’ for staff achieving 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40 years of service with CEDoW is currently in progress. Staff will be advised of this in Thursday’s Week 9 edition of Gateway News.

A Google folder will be shared later this week with all principals and SSSOs to access their school’s information and to verify the length of service for staff achieving these milestones.

Action: Once the folder is shared, please check the information with the relevant staff member and confirm its accuracy.

If a staff member has a query about their years of service, particularly if they have previously worked in Catholic schools outside CEDoW, please contact Sharon Anderson.

CEDoW Year 8 Religious Literacy Assessment (RLA)

For: Secondary Religious Education Coordinators/Leaders of Mission  
Due: Before 11 November 2025
Contact: John Coppola (coppolag01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

Action: Please ensure that Year 8 RE teachers have the relevant information required for the RLA, which will be held from 11 to 13 November 2025. This assessment will be administered via a Google Form and will take 50 minutes, plus 5 minutes for administration and instructions.

RLA 2025

An administration guide for the RLA can be found here.

Step into Teaching Graduation Ceremony

For: Principals  
Due: On or before Wednesday 3 December 2025
Contact: Sherryn Moore, Talent Pathways Officer (sherryn.moore@dow.catholic.edu.au)
First notice

CEDoW is delighted to announce a Graduation Ceremony to celebrate a significant milestone for 33 students from our first three cohorts who have now completed the Step into Teaching Scholarship Program.

At this special event, graduates will be formally acknowledged and presented by Bishop Brian Mascord and Executive Director Peter Hill, marking their transition from scholarship recipients to valued members of our CEDoW teaching community.

Event details:
Date: Wednesday 3 December 2025
Time: 4:00–5:00 pm
Venue: Xavier Centre, 38 Harbour Street, Wollongong

Action: Scholarship graduates will be invited to attend this important celebration. Principals employing these teachers may receive requests for them to leave school slightly earlier on the day, and we sincerely appreciate your support in making their attendance possible.

Launched in 2020, the Step into Teaching Scholarship Program was established with a clear vision: to nurture, support, and inspire future Catholic educators, individuals who not only hold a passion for teaching but also embody a deep commitment to the mission and values of our Diocese.

We look forward to celebrating these young teachers at this important occasion.

Notes of Hope: Class of 2025

For: Principals
Due: Now
Contact: David Gearin (gearind01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Second notice

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.” — Matthew 18:20

Action: Principals, please share the information below with your school community.

As our Year 12 students come to the end of their Catholic education in our schools, Matthew’s gospel reminds us that the Holy Spirit is in our midst when we gather in community and between the lines when we communicate in writing.

Our senior students will be facing the challenge of final exams early next term, having navigated a range of disruptions and pressures throughout their high school years. As a school community and broader diocesan community, we stand with them in solidarity as they approach this important milestone in their learning journey. They remain in our thoughts and prayers.

The HSC starts on 16 October 2025 (Week 1, Term 4).

As a Catholic community THE7 Miles to Emmaus Outreach Challenge is to create a Note of Hope for a Year 12 student.

This challenge is being offered to school students and staff and the broader CEDoW community.

This Note of Hope is designed to remind our senior students that we are a broad and diverse community, even if at times our connections have been shaped by distance, changing circumstances, and new ways of learning. It is also intended to motivate and encourage them as they begin their HSC and prepare to graduate in Term 4.

“To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow.” — Pope Francis, 2017

Our beloved Pope Francis’ message in 2017 is still relevant today for our current Year 12 students. If he were with us today, the same message would include a slight addition –

“The future does have a name, and its name is Hope”… and its name is the Class of 2025.

Instructions regarding involvement in the outreach to the class of 2025 are provided in the links below:

• Primary – The Class of 2025: Notes of Hope
• Secondary – The Class of 2025: Notes of Hope

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Life to the Full | Consent and Respectful Relationships Education (CRRE) Support Resources

The Life to the Full framework remains a strategic priority of our Diocese, to assist schools in creating an environment that builds and fosters respectful relationships, within a living Catholic faith. Our mission is achieved through our core work of explicit education in faith, learning, and wellbeing, alongside a focus on building staff confidence and formation.

As previously communicated, as part of the updated K–10 PDHPE syllabus, mandated from 2027, consent and respectful relationships education (CRRE) is now a core part of the learning entitlements. 

Our Life to the Full team is pleased to announce a suite of curriculum support materials that will soon be made available (for all Catholic schools in NSW). The support materials are designed to help classroom teachers deliver high quality, age appropriate, evidence-based CRRE content, aligned to the NSW curriculum.The materials promote the beauty of Catholic social teaching and allow for delivery of content through a Catholic lens.

The resources, at no cost to schools, are funded under the 2024–2028 CRRE Federation Funding Agreement (FFA) and include: 

• Choicez Media – Live Life to the Full
• Things are Changing (puberty resource)
• The Men We Need 

This announcement follows an extensive consultation process across NSW Catholic Education, led by Catholic Schools NSW. Importantly, the resources are endorsed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Our Life to the Full team, along with Bishop Brian Mascord, supports the use of these resources in our schools. 

Critically, the adoption of these resources are considered complementary to existing approaches, not intended to replace or negate the value-add of the teacher and good pedagogical practice. These resources should be used to encourage conversations and open dialogue in class, that assists students to navigate life decisions towards flourishing and support discernment and moral decision making (e.g, using our Model For Growth tool). We acknowledge and respect the professional knowledge and expertise of our teaching staff when engaging with this material.

Timeframe for release is expected to be in early Term 4, 2025, and the release will be accompanied by professional learning support and formation material for teachers and parents. These resources may be used in cross-curriculum planning in other Key Learning Areas, as well as for pastoral care and wellbeing activities.

Our philosophy remains that all endeavours of Catholic system schooling in the Diocese of Wollongong are inspired by the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through the witness of his every word and action, Jesus provided a radical model for how we are to be in the world. His life and teachings espoused the depth of catholicity - universal acceptance of all people - in the richness of their diversity, but united by their humanity made in the image of God (imago dei).

Questions can be directed to our CEDoW Life to the Full team at respectfulrelationships@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

Fundraising for Catholic Mission Month

Attention: Principals, Religious Education Coordinators, and Leaders of Mission

This year, during the Mission Month of October, schools and parishes are asked to raise money to support families in rural Zambia who are grappling with malnutrition and food insecurity. Please read more about Catholic Mission’s Socktober fundraising initiative for schools here.

The Bishop’s Annual Appeal

The Bishop’s Annual Appeal will be promoted in our diocese during September.

To find out more or make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.dow.org.au/giving, scan the QR code above, or call (02) 4222 2400 to make a donation over the phone.

“Our faith calls us to help one another through prayer and action. Offering dignified support and care for our retired clergy, who have always cared for us; and the sound and holistic formation of our Seminarians, our future priests, are my responsibilities as your Bishop. I seek your prayers and practical support to help me ensure that I can do this. Your donation to this appeal is very much appreciated.” — Bishop Brian Mascord

Anti Bullying Professional Learning Webinars

You are invited to a professional development webinar to discuss the recent updates to our anti-bullying procedures. For more information, please see the flyer below.

Webinar Details
Date: Wednesday 22 October 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Audience: All primary and secondary staff

Add this session to your calendar: You can add this event to your calendar directly from the link in the flyer.

You can view the flyer, including a direct link to add the professional learning session to your calendar, here.

K-6 Curriculum Support

The CEDoW 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 any enquiries, please contact: learningk-12support@dow.catholic.edu.au.

New: K–6 CHPS Curriculum Advisor

CEDoW primary schools are strongly encouraged to appoint a teaching staff member as a Curriculum Advisor for each CHPS KLA to support the implementation of new syllabuses in 2026–2027.

The role of a KLA Curriculum Advisor is to support their school as an in situ knowledgeable other and to maximise the contextual understanding of changes to the curriculum brought about by NSW curriculum reform.

• 2026 – Science and Technology Curriculum Advisor and a PDHPE Curriculum Advisor
• 2027 – HSIE Curriculum Advisor and a Creative Arts Curriculum Advisor

Please see the CHPS Curriculum Advisor Role Description for more information.

Principals are asked to complete this Curriculum Advisor Nomination Form by Monday 17 November 2025 (Term 4, Week 6). If you have any questions, contact Learning K-12 Support at learningk-12support@dow.catholic.edu.au.