Updates
Shining a Light on Creative Excellence at CEDoW
After the overwhelming success of last year's inaugural event, ILLUMINATE will return in 2025.
This Creative and Performing Arts Showcase will be held at the University of Wollongong’s Great Hall on Wednesday 26 November 2025.
Show 1 (school students and staff):
Visual Arts Display | 10.00 am - 11.00 am
Show 1: Matinee | 11.00 am - 1.30 pm
Show 2 (family, friends, and CEDoW staff):
Visual Arts Display | 4.30 pm - 5.30 pm
Show 2: Evening | 5.30 pm - 8.00 pm
The opportunity to reserve tickets will be communicated in Term 3.
Sent Forth in Strength and Hope – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
Attention: Principals, RECs, AEAs and Aboriginal Contacts
6 July 2025 marks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday and the beginning of NAIDOC Week.
This year’s theme, “Sent Forth in Strength and Hope,” resonates deeply with the Jubilee Year of Hope’s overarching theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) has prepared a range of liturgical and other resources to support the celebration, which can be accessed HERE.
The journey of hope is beautifully captured in the Dharawal Dreaming story of Wiritjiribin, the First Lyrebird. To learn more about Wiritjiribin and the spirit of hope, explore pages 6-7 in the CEDoW Guidebook for the Celebration of the Year of Jubilee.
Preparation for Year 6 Masses – Rehearsal Resources
Attention: Primary Principals, RECs, and Year 6 Teachers
As we move closer to the Year 6 Masses in early Term 3, a reminder to continue engaging students with the available resources to support their preparation, particularly in singing, which is a key part of our shared celebration.
Our Bishop truly values hearing the voices of our students in song, and your support in encouraging enthusiastic participation makes a significant difference.
Please continue to make use of the following resources:
- Google Rehearsal Site – A simple, accessible space for students to learn and practise the songs
- Classroom Activity Task Cards – Ready-to-use ideas for integrating the songs into learning and prayer
These tools have been created to support consistent and meaningful engagement. Regular use over the coming weeks will help ensure students are confident and ready to fully participate.
Visit the Tour Blog HERE located at the bottom of the rehearsal site to see how schools are getting involved.
To book a Year 6 Vocal Warm-up Tour session, please email Tim Hart at hartt02@dow.catholic.edu.au.
Thank you for all you do to prepare students for this special diocesan celebration!
2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency Report
Annually CEDoW submits a report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), reporting on the organisations’ policies, strategies and actions on gender equality, along with data on workforce statistics and workforce composition.
CEDoW’s Report was submitted to WGEA on 30 May 2025.
The Report can be accessed HERE.
Any feedback can be submitted to Sharon Anderson at andersons04@dow.edu.au.
Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong VET Re-Registration
Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong, RTO 904876, has been successfully re-registered until 2032.
This significant achievement reflects the consistent commitment, professionalism and collaboration demonstrated across all delivery sites. It also reflects the trainers' efforts in maintaining compliance, providing quality training and assessment, and supporting student success - all integral to this outcome.
Looking ahead, CEDoW remains committed to continuous improvement and will continue to work closely with VET teams to implement the new 2025 Standards for RTOs as they come into effect on 1 July.
Important Updates: Amended Student Anti-Bullying Procedure
Familiarisation of the amended Student Anti-Bullying Procedure and relevant section of the Student Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Policy will commence in Term 3.
The new Compass ‘Suspected Bullying: Review and Outcome template’ will be released for use from the commencement of Term 3, 2025. This template will be accessed by the delegated staff member at each school who is responsible for reviewing cases of suspected bullying.
Why the change?
The revisions were driven by a need to make the procedure practically workable whilst reflecting internal changes to positions. The changes also aim to enhance school processes for the review and response to suspected bullying.
The amended procedure includes:
- Revised position titles.
- Refined requirements and workflows.
- Consolidation of the two existing Compass templates (Bullying Investigation and Bullying Findings and Actions) into a single, streamlined template with refined content.
It's also important to note that the Commonwealth and state governments are working on a national standard for addressing student bullying. We anticipate further updates to CEDoW policy once this national standard is released.
What resources are available to help with the implementation?
- Support materials ~ Draft support materials are available HERE to assist schools in the prevention and response to bullying.
- Information for school leaders ~ CEDoW is hosting an information session for school leaders. This session will also prepare the staff member responsible for reviewing cases of suspected bullying.
Need further help?
The Wellbeing and Student Support team will continue to provide ongoing differentiated support as schools transition to the requirements of the new Procedure. It’s expected that schools will be ready to fully implement the new Procedure by the commencement of Term 4 (13 October 2025).
If you have any questions about the Student Anti-Bullying Procedure, please contact:
- Liam Nicholls - nichollsl02@dow.catholic.edu.au
- Jennifer Sharp - sharpj05@dow.catholic.edu.au
If you have any questions about the new Compass template, please contact:
- Compass Support - compass@dow.catholic.edu.au
- Nicole Jones - jonesn09@dow.catholic.edu.au
Staff Reminder – Sign-In Procedure When Visiting Schools
All staff are reminded that when visiting a school in your capacity as an employee of Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW), you are required to sign in as a CEDoW staff member, not as a visitor.
This applies to all staff, including those visiting from other schools or office-based roles within our system. Whether you are attending a meeting, supporting an event, or providing onsite assistance, it is essential that you sign in upon arrival.
Signing in as a staff member is a compliance requirement and forms part of our commitment to maintaining a safe, secure, and accountable environment for students, staff, and our wider school communities.
To sign in correctly, you will need to select the Staff option and fill in all mandatory fields. This includes your Employee ID, which is available on both ESS and your payslip. Please ensure you have this ready before your visit.
There are two options for signing in via the iPad at a school’s front office:
- QR Code via App
It is recommended that you install the Quick Sign In app on your phone if you haven’t already done so. This app enables a quicker and more efficient sign in process. Please ensure you fill in your name, phone number and “CEDoW Employee Number”. Most schools will display a QR code which you can use to download the app if you don’t have it. - Manual Sign-In
Enter your details directly on the screen.
Thank you for your cooperation and for playing your part in keeping our schools safe.
End of Financial Year Payroll Update
As the financial year draws to a close on 30 June 2025, it's an important time for all employees and our payroll team. This update provides essential information regarding upcoming superannuation changes and key ATO deadlines to ensure a smooth transition into the new financial year.
- Superannuation Increase: From 1 July 2025, the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate will increase from 11.5% to 12%. This means CEDoW will be contributing a higher percentage of your ordinary time earnings to your super fund each fortnight. Our payroll system will be updated to reflect this change for all salary and wages paid on or after 1 July 2025.
- Super on Government-Funded Paid Parental Leave (PPL): A significant new initiative, from 1 July 2025, superannuation will be paid on government-funded Paid Parental Leave (PPL) for eligible parents. This aims to reduce the impact of career breaks on superannuation balances. The ATO will make these super contributions as a lump sum, including interest, after the financial year in which the parental leave pay was received (with payments starting from 1 July 2026). At CEDoW we already pay superannuation on all CEDoW funded paid parental leave and we welcome this initiative from the government to match us.
- Contributions Cap: For the 2025-26 financial year, the concessional contributions cap will remain at $30,000. This means you may need to consider any superannuation salary packaging arrangements or additional contributions - we recommend speaking to your accountant or financial advisor.
- Finalisation of Income Statements (Single Touch Payroll - STP): For all CEDoW employees, your income statement (previously known as a payment summary or group certificate) will be finalised and available through myGov via Single Touch Payroll (STP). Employers have until 14 July 2025 to finalise their STP data for the 2024-25 financial year. It's crucial for us to meet this deadline so your pre-filled tax return information is accurate and readily available.
We encourage all employees to familiarise themselves with these changes and consider how they might impact their personal financial planning. If you need some advice and support you can contact UniSuper via unisuper.com.au/superbookings or call them on 1800 823 842. Appointments are fee-free and open to both members and non-members.
Should you have any questions regarding these updates or your individual payroll circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact Payroll via payrolladmin@dow.catholic.edu.au. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate the End of Financial Year.
Pat Murray
Payroll Manager – People and Culture
Digital Forms – Private Vehicle Travel Claims Forms
From Monday 16 June 2025, the Private Vehicle Travel Claim form is now entirely digital, replacing any previous paper-based or Google Sheets forms. This means there will be some minor changes to how these forms are completed and approved.
The new version of the form is available to be accessed from the same location as the previous version via Staff Gateway.
The form can be completed online and updated at any time throughout the month.
The new form uses a digital approval workflow. Once submitted, it will be automatically forwarded via email to your manager for approval. After your manager approves it, the form will be submitted to the Payroll team for review and processing in the next pay period.
See the instructions for approving a travel claim HERE.
If you have team members who travel in their private vehicles for work purposes, the Private Vehicle Travel Claim form will now be sent to you via email for approval. Follow the prompts in the email to approve or decline the request. Once approved, the form will be automatically forwarded to the Payroll team through the digital workflow.
If you have any queries, please contact help@dow.catholic.edu.au.
2025 NCCD Update: NCCD Lockdown is Coming
Audience: Principals and Leaders of Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
Have you clicked the NCCD button yet?
From 4 July 2025, the NCCD Section of the Online Tool will be locked down.
This section will appear as read only for all users from this date, except for Diocesan NCCD Moderators.
The PPSD section will remain open.
If any changes are required after lockdown, please contact one of the system moderators for support: Katie Carroll, Louise Brown, or Rebecca Gibbs.
Early Scholars Program – Campion College Australia
Are your students curious about Ancient Greek Philosophy? This year, Campion College invites Year 11 and 12 students to apply to the 2025 Early Scholars Program.
The Early Scholars program is a philosophy intensive that allows students to complete a First-Year (Level 100) university unit that can be used as an alternative admission pathway into Campion College's Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts.
Focusing on PHI101: Socrates and the Examined Life, this unit will explore Plato's Apology and the fundamental human questions posed by Socrates, the foundational philosopher of Greek Philosophy.
Students will attend classes on campus over four days during the September school holidays, getting a taste of university life in Campion's unique academic setting.
The Early Scholars Program gives students the opportunity to learn from expert academics, to connect with like-minded peers, and to take the first steps in their university education.
Expressions of interest are due by 21 July 2025.
For more information on what is involved, click HERE.
To submit an expression of interest, click HERE.
Review of CEDoW's Instructional Coaching – Survey
The Improvement, Learning and Wellbeing (ILW) service area of CEDoW has announced an evaluation of its current model of instructional coaching within its primary, secondary and K-12 schools.
CEDoW recognises the dedicated efforts of Instructional Coaches (ICs) and remains committed to the methodology of contextualised peer-coaching in pedagogy. It is envisaged that feedback resulting from our evaluation will provide further strength and purpose to the role of the IC and their continued support.
The review of the instructional coaching model will commence in the final weeks of Term 4, 2024, and conclude at the end of Term 2, 2025, to capture the feedback of past and present ICs and broader CEDoW personnel.
All stakeholders now have an opportunity to contribute to our inquiry through a range of processes, including this survey.
In an effort to establish a thorough understanding of our model of instructional coaching, we welcome honest and transparent feedback. For this reason, we are not collecting respondents' email addresses.
Contact: Sharon Gilbert, K-12 Instructional Coach Lead at gilberts02@dow.catholic.edu.au.
CEDoW Library – Resource of the Week
ACEN eBook
This week’s Sora eBook edition is Manga Reads.
Use the link HERE to explore the eBook titles for primary, secondary, and staff through the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN). To sign in to Sora, select "ACEN" as your school.
ClickView Highlight
This week’s ClickView highlight is Disney Songs and Comedy Movies. Access the series using the link HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact Jim Gallagher, Library Services Manager, at gallagherj01@dow.catholic.edu.au.