Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle eNewsletter

Dear Colleagues,

As we gather for today’s liturgy, our hearts fill with joy and anticipation.

This celebration marks the start of Catholic Schools Week—a time to reflect on the gift of Catholic education, thank our schools, teachers, families, and students, and renew our commitment to the values of faith, knowledge, and service.

Today’s liturgy invites us to pause and recognise God’s presence in our community. It is a sacred opportunity to pray together, give thanks, and look ahead with hope. Let us open our hearts to the Gospel's message and allow this celebration to inspire us as we embrace the spirit of Catholic Schools Week.

May this liturgy strengthen our unity, deepen our faith, and remind us of the blessing of being part of a Catholic school family.

2025 Awards Evening Friday 30 May 2025 at NEX Newcastle

This evening marks the first Awards Evening for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle. It’s our community's inaugural event of this kind, and I am genuinely excited about it.

Tonight is about celebrating excellence—the excellence that shines through in our schools every day. The 2024 HSC students have demonstrated not only academic talent but also resilience, creativity, and a deep commitment to their education.

We also honour staff members who have dedicated 25 years of service to Catholic education. This milestone represents more than just time; it embodies steadfast dedication, resilience, and unwavering support for students, colleagues, and school communities.

The Emmaus Awards formally recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals striving for excellence in Catholic education within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. Each recipient has been nominated by their peers and school communities, highlighting the deep respect and admiration they've earned through their dedication and service. These awards not only acknowledge individual achievements but also underscore our joint effort to foster a vibrant and faith-centred educational environment.

We are especially excited to have our ASPIRE students presenting their remarkable musical and vocal talents throughout the evening. They exemplify the creativity and spirit that flourish in our schools.

Messages of Hope for the Manning

The recent flooding event has had a profound impact on many in our Manning Valley school communities. Considering this, I wanted to invite our Catholic school community to write a message of support and solidarity for our school communities directly and significantly affected by these events.

Please find a link below, inviting messages of hope.

Message of hope for the Manning

Any students and staff who wish to submit artwork, video, or any other type of content are also welcome to do so via the form.

Submissions are due Thursday, 5June. Message submissions will be transformed into a heart-shaped word cloud and shared with the Manning schools to demonstrate our support.

Sincere thanks to the RE&S team for their coordination of this heartfelt initiative.

Bishop Michael Kennedy has also launched the Bishop’s Flood Appeal – Manning Community to provide direct assistance to those most affected in our Diocese.

Please find the flyer attached with more information or make a donation here: https://mn.catholic.org.au/bishopsappeal/

Your generous donation will go directly to local Catholic Parishes to distribute on-the-ground, practical support to those in need.

I encourage you to share this with your school community. I know so many of our schools are already offering support and acts of kindness to those impacted, such as the messages of hope noted above.

I encourage to consider how you can further engage your school community and offer donations to the Bishop’s Appeal. The Appeal will end on Sunday 16 June so please consider opportunities relevant to your context before then.

Bishops Appeal - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Your financial contribution helps us to bring practical, pastoral and spiritual assistance to people in our region.

Bishop_s_Flood_Appeal_flyer.pdf

Bishop_s_Flood_Appeal_flyer _pdf 474.44 KB

Diocesan Mental Health Resources

I understand that the recent flooding has had a profound impact on many individuals and families in our school communities. In challenging times like these, it’s essential to prioritise our mental health and well-being and to remind ourselves that support is available.

Please find a well-being resource linked here on the CS website, which includes helpful information and links to national mental health services, including options for telehealth and in-person appointments. These services are available not only for families, but also for you, our dedicated teachers and staff, who may be navigating emotional, practical, or logistical challenges at this time as well.

Whether you’re already connected with support or exploring options, I encourage you to take a look and share with your school communities as appropriate.

With my best wishes,

Jacqui

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Plant Hope with Red Cedar Trees

To recognise 10 years of Laudato Si, we're giving you the opportunity to help heal the planet and give hope to others by planting one or more red cedar trees across the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. With thanks to the Tighes Hill Community Garden, St Benedict’s Inner Newcastle Catholic Parish and the Sisters of St Joseph, Lochinvar you can reserve, receive and plant your tree now - Laudato Si – Plant Hope with Red Cedar Trees - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Storytime @ the Diocesan Resource Centre
Fri 6 June 2025 – 10am

Suitable for 3-5 year olds. Bookings call Mary on 0409 033 449

Formation Friday – What does it mean to have an Augustinian Pope?
Fri 6 June 2025 – 1pm

In Person or via Zoom meet with other community members in the Diocesan Resource Centre Library for a chance to reflect and discuss the Augustinian order that has shaped our new Pope Leo XIV. Bookings: https://forms.office.com/r/Y30LiPgYLg

Join the aMeN caMiNo in 2025!

Saturday, 14 June - Walk & Talk Information Session

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Mission & Evangelisation are offering two unique local aMeN caMiNo pilgrimage experiences. One over 2 days and the other over 5 days.

To learn more, register via our website: aMeN caMiNo - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

NAIDOC Week Prayer Service

Sunday 6 July – 1:30 for 2pm

Sacred Heart Cathedral will host the NAIDOC Week Prayer Service celebrating the theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy”. This is the 50th year of NAIDOC Week and will feature the burial of a time capsule, a symbolic gesture preserving this legacy for generations to come. For more information and to register visit - 2025 NAIDOC Week Prayer Service - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

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The Diocese has signed a new waste services contract with Veolia. Many schools already utilise Veolia and there will be no immediate changes. For schools, who don’t currently utilise Veolia, the Property team will be in touch in June to communicate specific information for your site.

Key contacts

Please contact Drew Ashworth at drew.ashworth@mn.catholic.org.au or Mathew Wilson-Schofield (Veolia Account Manager) at mathew.wilson-schofield@veolia.com.

For all ADHOC requests eg: skip bin hire, please contact Property via Drew on email or raise a request in Service@MN.

Why the change?

This partnership will enable the Diocese to capture real-time data and enable on-site auditing of our waste. The main objective, as outlined in the Sustainability Plan, is to increase the waste diversion rate to 70% - meaning that 70% of general waste, including plastics, will be recycled, while food and plant waste will be processed through state-of-the-art waste facilities, instead of ending up in landfill.

Appointing one provider allows us to standardise and improve data integrity, improve service consistency, and ensure equity and accountability in delivering high quality services across our organisation. This initiative not only benefits the environment but delivers significant and ongoing cost savings for the Diocese.

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As our newsletter goes to print, many Year 11 students across our Diocese will be working towards or have recently completed mid-course assessments. Our educators will be marking these assessments and writing reports, as well as for our year groups 7-10.

Year 11 is a significant period of growth for students, especially in their learning. Classes are often smaller, the content heavier, and the mastery of skills is challenging. At times, our young people can have a fixed mindset of achievement, and there is an awakening when their achievement is different from prior results.

When considering the Year 11 Common Grade Scale, it is a shift of paradigm from Stage 4 and 5. An “A” achievement requires “students to demonstrate extensive knowledge of content and understanding of course concepts and applies highly developed skills and processes in a wide variety of contexts. In addition, the student demonstrates creative and critical thinking skills using perceptive analysis and evaluation. The student effectively communicates complex ideas and information.”

It is a wonderful opportunity to review the Year 11 Grade Descriptors and talk through this with colleagues and mentors. Ensuring quality work samples are retained and used for future learning is also a robust practice.

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/Understanding-the-curriculum/awarding-grades/monitoring-grades/common-grade-scale

Extensive knowledge and understanding of one outcome is a wonderful achievement, so the achievement of these skills across a number of outcomes and a number of courses is a true celebration. Maintaining high expectations and the belief that all students can achieve and improve is essential.

Enjoy Catholic Schools Week during Week 6. I am sure that many schools have wonderful activities planned.

Sincerely,

Liz Stokes

System Lead – Curriculum and Pedagogy Secondary

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School Improvement Plans (SIP)

Approximately 85% of our schools have PB4L related goals set as part of their School Improvement Planning, which is brilliant. If you would like me to meet with the relevant staff in your school to support you in actioning your strategies for achieving these goals, please get in touch. I am happy to come and visit your school, or to arrange a meeting over TEAMS.

Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI)

In Term 3 we will be visiting schools and readministering the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). This will give us some great data on the progress schools have made in the last 12 months in establishing or refining components of their Tier 1 systems and practices. It will help us in knowing where to direct attention and support in 2026.

This year, as part of this process, we will also be administering the Tier 2 section of the TFI to support schools in reviewing this area of their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

2025 PB4L Professional Learning Opportunities

The first planned PB4L PL day of the year (Tier 1 in the Classroom) was postponed due to the weather events last week. It has been rescheduled for later this term, Wednesday the 2^nd of July in Week 10.

This PL day is aimed at those teachers who would like to work on their behaviour support practice in the classroom. You may be early in your career and still developing these skills, or you may simply want to review what approaches you are currently using and refresh your toolkit. We will focus on setting up personal practice habits and draw from the evidence base of effective classroom practices. The day will be interactive and provide many opportunities to work with your peers.

Registrations are open on MNLearn (link below).

2/7/25: PB4L - Tier 1 in the classroom - Effective classroom systems and practices

https://cdmn.elmotalent.com.au/learning/courses?courseview=329

The system-wide PB4L Information and Networking Days that many school representatives attended last year will be held in August.

These days provide important annual opportunities for school staff members to come together and share the work they are doing in PB4L within their school with their colleagues, to exchange ideas and resourcing, and to refine their action plans. It is also an opportunity to extend work currently being done within schools. There will be separate days for primary schools and secondary schools. Ideally, one or two members of your PB4L teams will attend.

Registrations are open on MNLearn (links below).

08/8/25: PB4L Primary Schools Information and Networking Day

https://cdmn.elmotalent.com.au/learning/courses?courseview=334

13/8/25: PB4L Secondary Schools Information and Networking Day

https://cdmn.elmotalent.com.au/learning/courses?courseview=325

If you would like me to provide school-based PL, or work with your executive staff or PB4L teams, please contact me and I am happy to book something in with you.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Craig Moore

Education Access Officer – Positive Behaviour

0407723744

craig.moore@mn.catholic.edu.au

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ASPIRE Scriptwriters Final

Date: Monday 2^nd June 2025

Time:⏰ 6 pm

Tickets available https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au/what-s-on/all-shows/secondary-scriptwriting-final