Updates

Bishop Brian's statement on the passing of Pope Francis

For: Principals/SSSOs
Due: Now
Contact: Strategy and Communications at communications@dow.catholic.edu.au
First notice

Bishop Brian Mascord on the passing of Pope Francis

We join Bishop Brian Mascord and the entire Catholic Church in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. We give thanks for his compassionate leadership and unwavering commitment to the Gospel, which continue to inspire the mission of our Catholic schools here in the Diocese of Wollongong.

Resources to Celebrate a Millennial Saint

Did you know that Carlo Acutis, the inspiring teenager who used his computer skills to share his faith, will be officially canonised as a saint in 2025? The original date of 27 April has been postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

To mark this special celebration, CEDoW has developed digital resources that embrace Carlo's tech-savvy spirit and his passion for evangelisation. Created using apps and AI, these resources are perfect for exploring Carlo's life with your students:

• For primary students: An interactive digital school magazine. Access the magazine via Publuu here.
• For secondary students: A thought-provoking podcast and discussion guide. Access the guide via Publuu here.

These resources, inspired by Carlo's own use of technology to spread faith, demonstrate how to engage with and share faith in the digital age and can be explored for learning activities across Religious Education, English, ICLT, HSIE, Music and Art, and Civics and Citizenship.

The CEDoW resources for Carlo Acutis can be accessed here.

Make your vote count this weekend

Before you cast your vote this Saturday, it’s important you know where the political parties stand when it comes to Catholic education. While both Labor and the Coalition support Catholic schools and our priorities, that’s not true of all candidates running in this election.

To help you understand the views of the major parties, the National Catholic Education Commission has prepared this helpful scorecard.

The Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework

Audience: All Staff
For immediate action

At the Education Mass on 25 February 2025, the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework was launched. A companion document to ‘The Core Work of Teaching’, the framework is an operating model for how to deliver continuous Catholic school improvement in our schools.

The main features of the framework are:

• The identification of the five ‘Essential Elements’ - Agency, Environment, Equity, Relevance and Rigour - needed to deliver high quality outcomes for all students
• A set of shared commitments that underpin each Essential Element
• Identification of the research-based High Impact Strategies needed to deliver the Essential Elements.

The document has been designed to support leadership teams and school and office staff in goal-setting, planning, professional learning, teaching practice, assessment and reporting.

A hard-copy version for every member of staff in every school (teachers and support staff) is being delivered to schools this week. Additional copies are also included in each delivery which can be provided to casual staff. Also included in the delivery is a set of A2 display posters.

Please familiarise yourself with the framework and make it a key document in your work together supporting students to grow in their faith, learning and wellbeing.

If schools require further copies of the Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Framework, please contact Talia Raschilla at raschillac02@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Staff Flu Vaccination Reimbursement Program 2025

As part of CEDoW’s ongoing commitment to health and safety, the Staff Flu Vaccination Reimbursement Program will run again in 2025.

All staff will need to source their own vaccinations and then submit the receipt to whs@dow.catholic.edu.au for reimbursement.

How Do You Receive Reimbursement from CEDoW for Your Flu Shot?

CEDoW will reimburse up to $30.00 for your vaccination only. CEDoW’s reimbursement does NOT cover medical expenses incurred for the administration of the vaccination or for visiting the doctor.  

To receive the reimbursement, follow the steps below:

1. Claim the Medicare component (if applicable)
2. Scan or take a photo of your vaccination receipt and send a copy to whs@dow.catholic.edu.au
3. Provide your name, employee number, and school/office in the email, and make sure the cost of the vaccination is visible.

What Is the Flu?

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. While it can occur year-round, flu activity typically peaks during the winter months.

How Can the Flu Be Prevented?

The most effective way to protect yourself from the flu is by getting a flu vaccination. In addition to safeguarding your health, vaccination helps protect others, particularly those who are more vulnerable. A higher rate of vaccination in the community reduces the likelihood of the flu spreading.

CEDoW encourages all staff to consider getting vaccinated to help maintain a healthy workplace and school community.

If you have any questions regarding the resources, please contact Workplace Safety and Wellbeing on whs@dow.catholic.edu.au.

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

Workplace Gender Equality Committee – Seeking Members

The organisation's Workplace Gender Equality Committee is seeking new members to join us in our important work of fostering gender equality, inclusion, and diversity across our CEDoW workplaces.

Some of the key topics we’ll be exploring include:

• Updating our Sexual Harassment Policy in line with recent legislative changes
• Improving communication and understanding around flexible working arrangements
• Considering the Gender Pay Gap in light of new guidance from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency

If you’re passionate about these areas and would like to be involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Sharon Anderson at andersons04@dow.catholic.edu.au to express your interest.

The planning day is scheduled for Wednesday 7 May 2025, and ongoing committee meetings are held once per term for two hours, either in person at the Catholic Education Office or via Zoom.

We look forward to welcoming new members and working together to make a meaningful impact.

Natasha O'Donoghue
Assistant Director - People and Culture

Reminder: Booking of Casual Teachers and School Support Officers

All bookings of casual teachers and school support officers should occur via the Tap For Teacher system. This system is the source of truth for managing an active list of approved casual candidates and contains important information about the roles that each casual candidate is approved to perform (e.g., teacher, administration, SSO classroom).

Upon engaging a new casual candidate, it is important to remember that the person booking the new casual should review the file on the Tap for Teacher system to ensure the casual candidate has the necessary approval. This should be verified by reviewing the casual approval letter within Tap For Teacher and the person’s identification upon arrival.

If a candidate cannot be found on Tap For Teacher it is likely that they are not approved for casual work.

Over the past few years, the Recruitment Team has prioritised approving additional casual teachers to ensure there is an appropriately sized pool of candidates available and this continues to be a priority.

Please contact your Recruitment Officer if you have any concerns in relation to accessing the casual list. If you would like some support or training on the Tap For Teacher system, please contact Yvonne Sweet via sweety01@dow.catholic.edu.au.

2025 National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA)

Attention: Principals, school leaders and teachers

The 2025 National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) are now open for nominations. The National Excellence in Teaching Awards is a community-centred awards program, started by NEiTA Foundation in 1994. Supported by Futurity Investment Group, the awards honour exemplary teaching in Australia and New Zealand. Parents, students, principals and teachers are encouraged to nominate CEDoW’s exceptional educators who are deserving of this recognition - see award categories below. Schools are encouraged to share this information with their school community and promote the awards program.

How do I nominate? Follow the link here and register. It takes 3-4 minutes to complete your nomination form. Nominations close on 27 June 2025.  

Categories

Seed Teams Award
Awards early childhood teams from Australia and New Zealand for foundational teaching, providing $10,000 for a professional development grant.

Apple Award
Recognises Australian and New Zealand primary and secondary teachers who exceed expectations, with the winners receiving a $5,000 professional development grant.

Leadership Award
Honours outstanding leadership by a principal or school leader awarding a $10,000 grant for advancing educational excellence.

The Terry O’Connell Regional and Remote Teachers’ Award
In memory of former NEiTA Foundation Chairman, this award is given to those who go the extra mile for their students in remote and regional areas of Australia.

NEiTA Trustees’ Alumni Award
An opportunity for a NEiTA past winner to win a further $10,000 professional development grant.

Powering Potential Award
In partnership with The Smith Family, awards teachers from The Smith Family partner schools who aide students experiencing disadvantage. A prize of $10,000 is awarded to the winner.

Please contact Anna Jones, Team Leader, Leadership and Professional Growth at annalouise.jones@dow.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions regarding the program or how to nominate. 

NCCD Reminder: Date for Adjustments to be in Place

Friday 9 May 2025, is a key date in the 2025 NCCD and Personalised Planning timeline. This is the date by which adjustments need to be in place to ensure that students receive 10 weeks of adjustments.

Consultations with parents about adjustments need to take place up to and including this date if students are to be included in the 2025 NCCD.

PPSD Phase 2 Continued Improvements

Signature on Goals and Adjustments/Summary

• You will notice that there is an optional signature on the 3 PPSD reports when they are printed.
• Please note that for our diocese, we DO NOT require signatures.

Goals and Adjustments/Summary Reports: Print Out

• Please note that only current or achieved goals in the current census period will print.
• Archived goals will not be printed unless you select unarchive.

Edit Plan Button

• This button is a new feature of the plan
• The feature has been added to stop the apparent loss of data and to reduce the risk of  overriding of data
• See the linked document for the Edit Plan Button.

Troubleshooting

Please remember to contact the DLN contact from your school if you have any issues with the tool.

Reporting to Parents Semester 1 2025 (Primary)

School reports are now available to access via Compass for all primary schools. Reports available include:

Kindergarten: An academic report with a three-point scale for each KLA with a comment section for Religious Education, English and Mathematics.

Years 1-6: An academic report that uses the Common Grade Scale for each KLA with a comment section for Religious Education, English and Mathematics. The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of five grade levels.

Off-level reporting: An academic report for off-level reporting will be available, where appropriate, for students with a diagnosed or imputed intellectual disability that inhibits them from accessing outcomes at their stage level.

This applies when:

• Students are accessing outcomes in SOME or ALL Key Learning Areas (KLA) below the stage level of their cohort
• Students are accessing outcomes below the stage level of their cohort in most focus areas/strands within a KLA.

Note: The use of an off-level report must be a collaborative decision made between the school and parents/carers of the student. For further information on Off-Level Reporting, see here.

Schools are to complete the Reporting Adjustment Spreadsheet for off-level reports by Monday 5 May 2025.

Partial or Non-graded reporting: These reports are available in exceptional circumstances and in consultation with the school principal and parents. For further information on partial or non-graded reporting, see here.

A Guide for Schools: Assessment and Reporting (updated April 2025) has been created to support schools in developing consistency across their school in assessment and reporting.

CEDoW Off-Level Reporting Guides:

1. How to record off-level reports for students
2. How to enter students' off-level results into Compass
3. Off-Level Reporting Quick Reference Guide PDF.

For further information, contact Genevieve Cook or Patricia Foster, ILW Learning K-12.

For Compass support, contact Michael Norris or Anthony Rooskie.

NESA: Update to the Glossary of Key Words

Updates have been made to two key words in the glossary, effective immediately (Reference: NESA 11/25). Updates have been made to the following Glossary of key words:

• Apply
• Critically evaluate/analyse.

NESA: Changes to Some Assessment Certification Examination Rules

NESA has made changes to some Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) Rules that are effective immediately.

NESA has made changes to the ACE Rules for:

• Achieving the RoSA
• Formal assessment programs and tasks
• Retaining student work samples and assessment activities
• Course eligibility
• Course entries, changes and exclusions
• Requirements for SDBECs and UDBECs
• Life Skills in Stage 5
• Life Skills in Stage 6
• VET entries and exclusions
• VET assessment activities
• VET credentialling.

2024 AEDC Data Release Update

A summary of the changes for each of the above ACE Rules themes can be found in the ACE Record of Changes.

NESA will continue to update the ACE Rules periodically, including for obvious clarifications and corrections.

The 2024 national data collection for the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) was completed between 1 May 2024 and 31 July 2024. It included 288,483 children and 16,723 teachers in 7,368 schools. The 2024 AEDC was the sixth national data collection. Over 1.7 million children have been included in the AEDC since it began.

Results from the 2024 AEDC collection will be shared in the coming months. AEDC results provide vital information for educators, government, researchers and communities to pinpoint the services, resources and support needed to bring lifelong benefits to children and the whole community.

This important public release will include: 

• A new look AEDC website
• The AEDC National Report 2024
• 2024 AEDC Community Profiles
• Additional 2024 data products.

Eligible participating schools have already received their 2024 AEDC School Profile. Following the public release of national and community results, the 2024 School Profile Addendum will be emailed directly to school principals. This Addendum includes supplementary information to the School Profile, including state/territory and national comparison data.

For information on AEDC reports, see the AEDC Reports fact sheet. If you require further information or support, please contact the AEDC Helpdesk or your AEDC State/Territory Coordinator.

Council of Catholic Schools Parents Launches New Website

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) has launched its new website. The  main goal of CCSP is to advocate for families of young people in NSW and ACT Catholic schools. 

The new CCSP website honours its commitment to creating a new multilingual and easily accessible website that allows parents and carers to become aware of the work of CCSP and get in touch easily. The text on the site can be translated into over 140 languages which will assist families from language backgrounds other than English. Also included are  interactive maps that link to information about each diocese and resources and links to services that support families and schools.

Please promote the new CCSP website widely within your community through your newsletters and other parent communication channels. 

Making a Difference with STEM and Coding – A STEMMAD Opportunity

Making a Difference with STEM and Coding is a comprehensive project designed to inspire and empower students and educators through STEM thinking and app development.

The project includes a series of workshops and events focused on coding, app design, and digital technologies, featuring industry experts and successful entrepreneurs.  Students will have the opportunity to design, prototype, and present an app that Makes A Difference in their community, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to create impactful digital solutions.

Click here to see all the sessions, descriptions, dates, and target audiences.

Session links will be sent a week before commencing. A recording of each session will also be made available following the workshops. See here for more information and to RSVP here.

If you have any questions, please contact:  

• Mark Woolley at mark.woolley@dow.catholic.edu.au  
• Ben Woods at benjamin.woods@dow.catholic.edu.au 
• Russ Flannery at russell.flannery@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

So, You’ve Watched Adolescence... Where to Turn for Advice

Image courtesy of Netflix

For any parent who has watched the Netflix drama Adolescence and was left highly disturbed by the harmful impact that social media is having on young men and boys, you are not alone. 

It’s hard to think of a show that has captured the world’s attention so fully and shone a much-needed light on the dangerous impact of misogynistic content, algorithms and influencers on the minds of young men and boys.  

Shockingly, despite our best efforts as parents to raise great kids, it is not a fair fight when tech companies and algorithms can influence our teenagers within seconds.  

As Australia’s national online safety educator, nothing is more important to us than ensuring young people are safe to create, connect and explore the wonders of technology and the internet.

It’s what motivates us in every aspect of our work, whether we’re connecting with educators, parents and young people to develop digital literacy and resilience resources, encouraging the tech industry to take a Safety by Design approach by putting safety at the forefront of the design, or developing guidance to prevent under 16-year-olds from having accounts on certain social media services.

eSafety Resources

eSafety resources to help you and your community navigate the risks facing young people online:

• Register for our free 45-minute parent webinar, exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, to understand the impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on attitudes, behaviours and sense of identity 
   
• Listen to ABC Fran Kelly and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant unpack the themes of Adolescence, including toxic masculinity and the online manosphere
   
• Listen to ABC Big Ideas! to hear eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant and other experts in their fields discuss how parents can better support young people to navigate the risks and threats online
   
• Read our blog about how eSafety is shining a light on the dark forces manipulating our teenagers
   
• Read eSafety's young men online research series which explores young men's experiences and how they can be supported to develop healthy and positive masculinities 
   
• For the young person in your life: explore our resources for young people.

NSW Veterans Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030 with student resources

The NSW Government has launched the NSW Veterans Strategy 2025–2030, which sets out a whole-of-government approach to support the wellbeing of veterans and their families and acknowledge their vital contribution to NSW.

Its suite of programs and initiatives aims to ease transition into civilian life and honour service for veterans and their families, including providing educational resources and programs to students across NSW.

Download the strategy here. 

Cultivate Lifelong Learning: Free Smart Farming Virtual Sessions

Smart Farming Virtual Classrooms offer free, interactive 30-minute sessions for students in Kindergarten to Year 6. These curriculum-aligned experiences immerse students in the world of Australian agriculture, exploring topics such as who works on a farm, how animals grow and change, and the innovations driving sustainable farming.

Sessions are tailored for Lower and Upper Primary students:

• Kindergarten to Year 2: Life on the Farm introduces students to the people and animals on a farm, along with sustainable farming practices.

• Years 3 to 6: Future Farming explores how farmers care for animals, use cutting-edge technology, and support sustainability.

Each session includes engaging discussions, quizzes, and live Q&A with real farmers—bringing farming to life in the classroom.

To book your sessions, click here.

CEDoW Library

ACEN eBook of the Week

This week’s Sora eBook theme is His Holiness Pope Francis. 

See the link here to explore the eBook titles for primary, secondary, and staff through the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN). Click on each image or use the QR code to access further information. To sign in to Sora, select "ACEN" as your school. 

This week from the CEDoW Resource Centre