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Updates

Revised Standards for RTOs, 2025 and Policy Updates

In response to the revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2025, CEDoW has reviewed and updated its policies and procedures to ensure continued compliance in the delivery of Vocational Education and Training (VET). The revised Standards come into effect on 1 July 2025.

The concern CEDoW as an RTO. The need for structural changes has also been identified, resulting in the development of standalone procedures for School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships/Externally Delivered Vocational Education and Training (SBATs/EVET) and Workplace Learning (Work Experience). There is, however, no anticipated change to current practice.

The updated documents will take effect from 1 July 2025, to align with the legislative changes, and can be accessed here:

The VET team will continue to support schools to implement the amended VET/RTO Policy and SBATs/EVET Procedure. The amendments were previously communicated by the RTO Manager through the VET Notices and Secondary Leading Learning Network Meeting.

If you have any questions about the VET/RTO Policy or SBATs/EVET Procedure, please contact Jennifer Callaghan (VET Senior Administrator) at callaghanj01@dow.catholic.edu.au or Christina Desmond (RTO Manager) at desmondc01@dow.catholic.edu.au.

If you have any questions about the Workplace Learning (Work Experience) Procedure, please contact Nicole Grubb (Education Officer - TaPS/VET) at grubbn01@dow.catholic.edu.au or 0497 927 235.

Rescission of People and Culture Policies

To ensure our operational documents are up-to-date and their content remains relevant, the Director, People and Culture has conducted a wide review of People and Culture’s policies and determined that the following policies will be rescinded, effective 3 July 2025.

Document	Contact	Additional information
COVID-19 Vaccination Policy	peopleandcultureenquiries@dow.catholic.edu.au	No longer applicable.
COVID-19 Working Remotely Policy	peopleandcultureenquiries@dow.catholic.edu.au	No longer applicable.
Employee Exchange or Temporary Transfer Policy	psarrise01@dow.catholic.edu.au	Any requests for employee exchange or temporary transfer are to be considered independently by the Team Leader - Employment and Industrial Relations, People and Culture.
Exit Feedback Policy	peopleandcultureenquiries@dow.catholic.edu.au	While this policy will be rescinded, the practice of providing exit feedback will be maintained.
Overseas Teacher Exchange Policy	psarrise01@dow.catholic.edu.au	Any requests for overseas teacher exchange are to be considered independently by the Team Leader - Employment and Industrial Relations, People and Culture.
Renewal Leave for Teaching Staff Policy	peopleandcultureenquiries@dow.catholic.edu.au	Not current.
Supporting Teachers in Global Mission Work Policy	psarrise01@dow.catholic.edu.au	Any requests for global mission work are to be considered independently by the Team Leader - Employment and Industrial Relations, People and Culture.

For further information, please see the relevant contacts.

NESA News

1. Confirmation of Entry: implementing digital signatures and verification
Effective: From 4 November 2025
Reference: NESA 27/25

From 2026, students enrolled via Schools Online will be able to digitally sign their Confirmation of Entry through Students Online. Schools will also be able to verify whether Confirmation of Entry documents have been signed manually via Schools Online.

New system functions and reports will indicate whether students have signed their Confirmation of Entry through either Schools Online or Students Online. This enhancement supports accurate and timely recording of Confirmation of Entry signatures following ACE 3.3 Course Entries, Changes and Exclusions.

A comprehensive step-by-step instructional guide for staff users of Schools Online will be available in Schools Online from 30 June 2025. This will help students and schools to use the new function when it becomes available on 4 November 2025.

More information regarding professional support for schools will be provided in a future NESA News item.

CSSA Online Trial HSC Examinations and School Readiness Guide

The CSSA School Readiness Guide is the single source of truth to ensure each relevant school is prepared for the CSSA Online Trial HSC Examinations. Schools have received information about how to access the CSSA School Readiness Guide.

Information has been emailed to the Main CSSA Contact person in each relevant school, other than the principal, as registered in each school account with the CSSA.

The CSSA School Readiness Guide includes:

Key dates and important instructions
Safe Exam Browser Launcher Files
Step-by-step guides for students, teachers, and IT staff
Troubleshooting tips for Exam Day
Recordings of the information session, webinars for teachers, test supervisors and principals and IT coordinators

To support school preparation, review all checklists and reference materials to ensure that every required step is covered in advance.

CSSA Familiarisation Activities

Schools can support and prepare their HSC students for the 2025 CSSA Online Trial HSC Examinations by engaging in the CSSA Familiarisation Activities unique to Enterprise Computing, Science Extension and Software Engineering.

CSSA Familiarisation Activities are available to schools in Week 1, Term 3 (only).

Again, information has been emailed to the Main CSSA Contact person in each relevant school, other than the principal, as registered in each school account with the CSSA.

It is the responsibility of each school to keep information in their school account with the CSSA up-to-date and accurate.

Final Reminder: Review of CEDoW's Instructional Coaching – Survey

Thank you to all who contributed so far. The survey window is closing this Friday 4 July 2025.

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.

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.

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.

2025 NCCD Update: NCCD Lockdown is Coming

Attention: 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.

CatholicCare’s ‘Ageing with Confidence’ Initiative

Action: Schools may wish to share this information with parents and carers before the pupil vacation period.

Wednesday, 23 July | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Campbelltown Catholic Club

Join Robert Fitzgerald AM, Age Discrimination Commissioner, as he explores the critical issues facing older Australians today - including elder abuse and ageism - while offering practical insights and strategies for ageing with dignity, purpose and positivity.

To register for this free community event, including morning tea, please call 02 4227 1122 or click on the link HERE.

Questions? Contact Jane Hollier on 0417 018 152 or janeh@catholiccare.dow.org.au.

CEDoW Library – Resource of the Week

ACEN eBook

This week’s Sora eBook edition is Sora Sweet 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 Olympics Unleashed. 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.

80th Birthday Celebrations of the Children’s Book Council of Australia

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) invites you to join them for the 80th birthday celebrations of CBCA. This significant milestone marks eight decades of dedication by their volunteers, who nurture a love for literature among young Australians in NSW.

Birthday Book Adventure

Date: 23 August 2025
Time: 2.30 – 5 pm
Venue: The auditorium, State Library of NSW
RSVP: Confirm attendance by 30 June to Paul Macdonald at cbcansw@outlook.com

The afternoon will feature a reflection on CBCA's journey, including presentations, panel discussions with celebrated authors and illustrators, a parade of “Living Legends,” and networking opportunities with current authors, illustrators, educators, and fellow advocates of children's literature, all followed by refreshments.

The State Library NSW has coordinated further child-centred activities planned to celebrate the impact of storytelling on young minds with a Family Day on Sunday 24 August 2025.

We encourage you to join CBCA in celebrating this remarkable milestone and the ongoing mission to inspire and educate future generations through the magic of books.

To find out more about this, see HERE.