Updates

Bishop Greg Homeming’s Mid North Coast Flood Appeal

Over the past week, it has been deeply distressing to witness the devastating impact of the floods on communities along the NSW Mid North Coast.

In response to this crisis, Bishop Greg Homeming of the Diocese of Lismore has launched an appeal to assist those affected – to help rebuild homes, support families returning home, provide feed for farmers’ livestock, and offer people in the diocese the opportunity to recover, endure the hardship of the floods, and look forward to a new day.

Please click here to find out how to donate to Bishop Homeming's Flood Appeal.

Year 8 – Illawarra Catholic Leadership 2025

Year 8 students from Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats; St John the Evangelist Catholic High School, Nowra; St Joseph’s Catholic High School, Albion Park; and Holy Spirit College, Bellambi gathered at the Xavier Centre for the second day of the Digital Discipleship Project.

The video here highlights the projects students have developed and will continue to work on within their respective schools during this special Jubilee Year of the Church. The life and witness of the soon-to-be-canonised Carlo Acutis has served as a powerful inspiration for our young people as they explore ways to share the Gospel in today’s digital culture.

Attendance update 

Minor amendments to the Attendance Procedure 

Minor amendments have been made to section 8 of the Attendance Procedure. These reflect Principals’ requests to have a uniform process for parents and schools to follow in relation to the exception to compulsory school-age requirements. These amendments are supported by:

• a new ‘Exception to compulsory school-age’ form
• two template letters to parents (documents accepted / not accepted by the Principal) 

The amendments will come into effect on 2 June 2025. 

Actions for secondary schools: Please take the time to familiarise yourself with these changes. 

Additional amendments

Extended absences - Stage 6

Optional letters have been added to the Attendance - Extended Absence templates in Compass, reflecting Principals’ requests. The templates are:

• 04 Communication - Accepted - Stage 6 Acknowledgement of Extended Absence
• 04 Communication - NOT Accepted - Stage 6 Acknowledgement of Extended Absence

Exemption from Attendance form 

Details of ‘exceptional circumstances’ (from the Attendance Policy section 3.1(b)) have been added to the Application for Exemption from Attendance form. 

A Notes/Details box has been added to PART D Head of Wellbeing and Student Support to complete in 02 Principal Consideration - Application for Exemption from Attendance, which will provide information to the school about the approval process.

Actions: Please take the time to familiarise yourself with these changes.

Questions? Please contact CEDoW Attendance Team: Samantha McGarrity - samantha.mcgarrity@dow.catholic.edu.au, Stacey Walsh - stacey.walsh@dow.catholic.edu.au, Sandra Michielin - sandra.michielin@dow.catholic.edu.au or Anthony Kenna - anthony.kenna@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Catholic Education Office Strategic Planning Procedure 

The new Catholic Education Office Strategic Planning Procedure will come into effect on 2 June 2025. It can be accessed here.

The document was developed as a codification of current practice and includes procedural direction related to overarching CEO and service area level annual planning. The Strategy and Communications team will continue to support staff during its implementation.

If you have any questions about the Catholic Education Office Strategic Planning Procedure, please contact Matt Baxter, Assistant Director - Strategy and Communications (baxterm04@dow.catholic.edu.au).

Library Resource Management Procedure 

The Library Resource Management Procedure and supporting Information Sheet: Library Resource Management will come into effect on 21 July 2025.

The documents were developed to replace the Learning Resource Management Policy and its five supporting procedures. The review was driven by a need to align our documents with current practice and to reduce the compliance burden for staff. There is no anticipated change to current practice.  

The Library Services Manager will continue to support the library network to implement the procedure.

If you have any questions about the Library Resource Management Procedure, please contact Jim Gallagher, Library Services Manager, at gallagherj01@dow.catholic.edu.au.

NESA News: Closure of the Up2Now Website

Due to a low number of users, NESA is closing the Up2Now student portfolio website next month.

NESA is communicating directly with all recent users to advise them to remove their portfolios before 20 June 2025. 

What is Up2Now? 

Up2Now is an online platform where high school students can record their extracurricular and other achievements in a portfolio. Students are registered by their teachers upon request. 

What do registered users need to do? 

High school students and school coordinators will need to log in to Up2Now and export their portfolios and documents by 20 June.

Premier’s Vocational Education in Schools Scholarships – Apply by 30 May 2025

Applications for the NSW Premier’s Vocational Education in Schools Scholarship close on 30 May 2025. The successful applicant will receive $15,000 to undertake a 5-week study tour in Australia or overseas, exploring best practice in one of 13 focus areas.

The scholarship is open to permanent and temporary teachers in NSW non-government schools, TAFE NSW, and early childhood education and care services. 

Scholarships are awarded in the year prior to the study tour. 

The majority of scholarships are for school-based teachers to explore best practice in their chosen focus area. The program delivers significant outcomes for scholarship recipients, students, teacher colleagues and school communities. 

For more information, visit the NSW Premier's Teacher Scholarships webpage and read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Contact: premierscholarships@det.nsw.edu.au.

Share Your Top Texts: Recommend Quality Texts for English K–10

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) wants to hear about the quality texts that students read as part of their study of English K−10. You are invited to share with NESA the quality texts that you consider to:

• support the teaching of content and demonstration of outcomes of the Understanding and responding to literature (K−6) or Understanding and responding to texts (7−10) focus areas
• be powerful tools for teaching and learning.

Part A collects general information. Part B asks for your suggested texts. The survey should take approximately three minutes to complete for each text suggestion in Part B. Please note that questions marked with an asterisk (*) require a response.

Access the survey here.

Closing date: 23 June 2025.

For more information or enquiries, contact: curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

2026 Annual RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Art Competition

Entries for the 2026 Annual RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Art Competition are now open!

The annual RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration began in 1953 as a collaborative event between the RSL and the Department of Education. It has since expanded to include Catholic Schools NSW and the Association of Independent Schools NSW.

The art competition was introduced in 2023 to mark the 70th anniversary of the ANZAC Commemoration and has been held every year since.

The service is held to educate students about Australia’s military history while paying respect to the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. The service is delivered entirely by students, including the master of ceremonies, keynote address, readings, and musical accompaniment.

Students have the chance to have their artwork displayed at the ANZAC Memorial in April 2026 and included in the 2026 service program. Past programs have featured poppies, the Cobbers sculpture at the Australian Memorial Park, and ANZACs at Gallipoli.

Entries close on 31 October 2025, and finalists will be announced on 14 November 2025.

• For more information on the art competition and memorial service, click here.
• To submit entries, click here.