Verbal Intervention Training

Targeted Audience: School Support Officers

School Support Officers (SSOs) are offered a one-day professional learning opportunity during one of the following two pupil vacation periods (PVP) to provide strategies for supporting students exhibiting escalated levels of behaviour in order to ensure student learning is minimally disrupted by crisis behaviours.

Teachers and SSOs will be trained to respond to crisis situations with a focus on prevention using verbal de-escalation skills and strategies where restraint is inappropriate.

Participants will unpack the Crisis Development Cycle and develop skills in crisis management, emphasising:

• Early intervention
• De-escalation
• Non-physical methods for preventing or managing disruptive behaviour

The course will support staff to ensure students’ wellbeing and safety within the school by implementing school and system safety requirements.

Student learning outcomes will be supported by the safe and professional handling of a crisis situation.

Term 2 (PVP): Monday 14 July 2025
Venue: Emmaus Centre, Campbelltown
Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Term 3 (PVP): Monday 29 September 2025
Venue: Wollongong venue TBA
Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Note: While this course is targeted at SSOs, casual teachers who are interested in this course are welcome to attend.

Please register your interest on LMS.

Pathways to Flourishing: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners K–12

We are pleased to extend an invitation to a wider audience for this valuable professional learning day, recognising its relevance across the interconnected areas of student faith, learning and wellbeing. While this day is a mandatory learning opportunity for Primary Leaders of Diverse Learning and Primary Support Class Staff, it will also offer significant value for colleagues in primary and secondary settings across wellbeing, pastoral care and curriculum leadership.

By bringing together leaders from both primary and secondary settings, this day provides a unique opportunity to deepen collaboration, strengthen shared understandings and bridge the gap between diverse learning, curriculum and wellbeing support. We encourage Leaders of Wellbeing/Pastoral Care and Curriculum to attend alongside their Diverse Learning colleagues, as we collectively work to respond to the complex and evolving needs of the students and staff in our care.

Audience: K–12 Diverse Learning, Support Class Teachers, Pastoral Care/Wellbeing Leaders (Optional), and Curriculum Leaders (Optional)
Mode: Face to Face
Date: 24 July 2025
Time: 9.00 am–3.30 pm
Venue: Nazareth Catholic Primary School, Shellharbour

Special Guests

Marina Bailey – Click here for an overview of Marina’s experience and areas of expertise.

Dr Matt Capp – Click here to visit Matt’s website.

Key Topics

• Executive Function
• Universal Design for Learning
• Collaborative Curriculum Planning
• Reporting K-10 and the Implications for Stage 6

Please click here to RSVP.

Repeated 

Catholic Social Teaching – Scriptural and Theological Foundations

Please register via the LMS link by Friday 18 July 2025.

Date: Wednesday 30 July 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Venue: Xavier Centre, 36 Harbour Street, Wollongong

Targeted Audience: K-12 Religious Education Coordinators, K-12 Classroom Teachers, Team Leaders (e.g., Stage Leaders, Subject Leaders), CEO Staff, School Leadership, Middle Leaders, Student Wellbeing/Pastoral Care.

Facilitator: Professor Gerard Moore, Broken Bay Institute.

Outline

This professional learning day explores the Christian call to cooperate with all people in promoting human flourishing, right relationships, and the common good—key themes that connect deeply with the study of God, religion, and life. Central to the day are the guiding questions: Who ought I be? and How must I respond?

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the scriptural and theological foundations of Catholic Social Teaching. The day will also offer a solid introduction to the Life to the Full Framework, supporting those seeking to integrate it into curriculum design and pastoral care initiatives.

Additionally, this professional learning experience will enrich the teaching of Religious Education Strand E across Stages 4 and 5, while also providing valuable insights and practical support for those involved in social justice initiatives and youth ministry coordination.

Contact: John Coppola, Education Officer – Secondary at coppolag01@dow.catholic.edu.au.

Blended Online Learning – Semester 2

Upcoming courses in Term 3 – Flyer link here.

• Understanding and Supporting Behaviour [Zoom]
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs [Zoom]
• Understanding Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [Zoom]
• Supporting Student Wellbeing and Mental Health [F2F]
• Attachment and Trauma Theory [F2F]

Enrolment in only one course at a time. See the flyer above for registration links.

Reminder to participants who undertook Semester 1 courses: Understanding Autism, Understanding Behaviour, and Dyslexia & Significant Difficulties in Reading — the completion date is 3 July 2025.