Updates

Election Statement 2025: Called to Bring Hope in the Year of Jubilee

Linked is a PDF of the Election Statement 2025: Called to Bring Hope in the Year of Jubilee, released by the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement.

2024 HSC Provisions Data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students

Attention: Principals and SSSOs

Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) are asking for feedback around Disability Provisions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HSC students for 2024. Please complete the linked Google form to advise us of the 2024 HSC Provisions for your school.

Contact: Danielle Grados at gradosd01@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

CSSA – Catholic Trial Examinations

The CSSA, a division of Catholic Schools NSW, creates premium CSSA Trial HSC Examinations developed by education experts. Our writers and assessors have expertise in the syllabus and extensive teaching experience to design these examinations. In 2025, the CSSA will offer three online Trial HSC Examinations.

Technological Assistance for Principals/Main CSSA Contacts:

If a principal / main CSSA contact requires technological assistance with signing into their registered school account on the CSSA website, please email service@csnsw.catholic.edu.au.

A CSNSW verification process is in place to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of each principal and their registered school account with the CSSA.

CSSA Website and Individual School Accounts:

School data in individual School Accounts with the CSSA must be kept up to date via the CSSA website under Account Settings.

Relevant personnel in CSSA-registered schools should ensure that school data and fields of information on the CSSA website are checked, updated, and completed as necessary. This will ensure that your school’s address, phone number, email address, and contact details are correct. Accurate information is critical for communication with schools and the secure delivery of CSSA Trial HSC Examinations. Finally, remember to click the “SAVE” button at the end of the process.

For your convenience, the link to the CSSA website is here.

2025 ACARA Key Curriculum Opt-In Online Assessments Available – Term 2

2025 ACARA Key Curriculum Opt-In Online Assessments Available: Monday 5 May – Friday 30 May 2025.

Australian schools can enrol Year 6 and Year 10 students to participate in NAP Opt-in assessments in key curriculum areas. Schools are not required to enrol full cohorts of Year 6 or Year 10 students.

These assessments are part of the National Assessment Program (NAP) NAP website and are entirely optional for schools. The assessments are being phased in over three years, starting with science literacy in 2024. Civics and citizenship will be added in 2025, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) literacy will be introduced in 2026.

In May 2024, the first optional assessment in Science Literacy was successfully completed. The feedback collected from participating schools was positive and informative, helping to improve the second rollout of the NAP Opt-in assessments in 2025.

In 2025, the two domains available for school participation are:

• Science literacy
• Civics and Citizenship

Registration Opens: 25 March 2025
Registration Closes: 29 April 2025
There is no fee for schools registering to participate in the assessments.

Key Dates:

• School Registration and Enrolment Window: Tuesday 25 March 2025 – Tuesday 29 April 2025
• Test Window: Monday 5 May – Friday 30 May 2025
• Results Window: July 2025 – August 2025

ACARA Will:

• Mark the assessments and analyse the assessment data for schools
• Provide principals with school-level reports accessible from the platform

Registration:

Principals can register their school here by clicking on the ‘NAP Opt-in’ tile on the home page. Each school should only register once via the principal (preferably using the same principal email address as used for NAPLAN 2025, if applicable).

Student Enrolment Destination Unknown

The Department of Education (DoE) has set up an automatic reply to any emails sent to attendance@det.nsw.edu.au that states that they only support DoE schools. This reply is misleading as there has been no change to the process.

Please continue to follow the processes on the Compass template and send all Enrolment Destination Unknown Forms to this address, ignoring the automatic reply. DoE will still receive and process the forms as usual.

Student Attendance (CEDoW) are automatically notified through the notification chain of the Student Enrolment Destination Unknown template on Compass.

Exciting Update to the Parent Experience: Streamlined Notification of Extended Absence form

What's New?

We're thrilled to announce the launch of our new online Notification of Extended Absence form. This user-friendly form simplifies the process for parents, eliminating the need for printing or downloading documents. Now, parents can conveniently complete the application entirely online.

Parents can also notify multiple schools simultaneously with a single upload of supporting documents. Parents are also required to notify your school if their student has siblings attending other CEDoW schools.

How This Benefits Parents

Accessing the application form is now easier than ever with the form working on both mobile and desktop platforms. Parents can complete the application electronically and can also send the application for multiple students across CEDoW schools.

How This Benefits Schools

Your school's information email (info@) from student.attendance@dow.catholic.edu.au will now receive the completed extended absence application, along with all supporting documentation, as a PDF attachment.

Notification of Extended Absence Submitted by Parent Name

Please find attached a Notification of Extended Absence form as completed by Parent Name for Student(s) between 2025-03-04 and 2025-03-03.

Any supporting evidence will also be attached to this email.

Please append all attachments to the Principal Consideration Template in Compass for Extended Absences.

This streamlined delivery ensures you have all the necessary information in a single email. Simply download the PDFs and upload them to the "Principal Consideration - Acknowledgement of Extended Absence" template to process the application.

Access to the New Form

If parents attempt to enter an absence note exceeding five days in your school's Compass portal, they will be directed to the parent attendance information document that has a link to the online form.

Alternatively, if you send the communication from Compass they may access it through the link provided in the "Communication - Notification of Extended Absence" template.

Your school may also provide a direct URL for parent access to the form via your website, newsletter, or other communication channels. The URL for the new online form is https://forms.dow.catholic.edu.au/to/yVv9DA.

Marketing Opportunity

Hop Into Community: Inviting Local Pre-Schools to Your Easter Hat Parade

Attention: Primary School Principals and SSSOs 

Easter is a time for joy, creativity, and community spirit! It's also the perfect opportunity to extend that spirit beyond your school gates by inviting local pre-schools to participate or view your annual Easter Hat Parade.

Why Invite Pre-Schools?

• Building Community Connections: Fostering strong relationships with local pre-schools creates a seamless transition for children into primary school, while also cultivating valuable, collaborative relationships between CEDoW school staff and your local pre-school staff. 
• Opportunity to showcase your school: An Easter Hat Parade is a vibrant and fun event that highlights your school's welcoming atmosphere and engaging activities.
• Early exposure to school life: Pre-schoolers get a glimpse of what primary school is like, helping them feel more comfortable and excited about their future education.
• Creating Memorable Experiences: Children love parades and creative activities. By sharing this joyful experience, you’re creating positive memories and building an emotional connection that will resonate with them for years to come. 

So hop to it. Reach out to your local pre-schools today and extend an invitation to your Easter Hat Parade - The more, the merrier!

Have an Ethical Easter in 2025

“Every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act.” – Pope Francis

A significant portion of chocolate available in Australia is produced using cocoa beans harvested by child labourers, many of whom endure enslavement and exploitative working conditions.

Indulge responsibly, select ethically sourced chocolate, and support companies working towards eliminating slavery from their supply chain this Easter and beyond.

Click on the links for tips and further information.

Slavery Free Easter Chocolate – Catholic Earthcare

Indulge Responsibly Easter Poster

Also, consider not buying something that is overly packaged. Lots of Easter eggs come encased in several layers of foil, cardboard and plastic - each of which come with an environmental and often human cost of their own. Remember to recycle your foil…

“The knowledge about what we buy is the first act in not being complicit. Look at where those products come from.” – Pope Francis