Dear Colleagues,

Catholic Schools Week

In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, the RE & Spirituality Team invited schools to showcase student artwork inspired by their Religious Education lessons. This initiative highlights the creativity and critical thinking of our students as they explore the new curriculum and engage with the theme of “Encountering the Mystery of God”.
We invite you to celebrate their gifts by exploring our Virtual Gallery, a beautiful reflection of faith, learning, and imagination.

View full gallery here:

Catholic Schools Week Virtual Art Gallery | Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle

Inaugural Awards Evening

On Friday, May 30, the Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle community gathered at NEX in Newcastle to honour excellence in Catholic education.

The evening commenced with the recognition of top-performing HSC students from across the Diocese. Acknowledged for their outstanding results, Bishop Michael Kennedy and Director of Catholic Schools Jacqueline Wilkinson presented these awards. The broader community congratulated them on their exceptional academic achievements in the 2024 HSC. A highlight was the recognition of the Dux of the Diocese, Anya Bacic Wilson.

The 25 Years of Service Awards acknowledged staff members who have devoted 25 years to Catholic education.

The Emmaus Awards recognised staff members who made significant contributions to Catholic education within the Diocese. A key moment of the night was the Sisters of St Joseph Education Award, which honoured outstanding leadership in faith, equity, and justice, awarded to Liz Stokes.

Meg Southcombe, the former School Captain of St Joseph’s Catholic College in Aberdeen, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the importance of youth mental health, equitable education, and representation for rural communities.

Congratulations to all award recipients for their passion, dedication, and commitment to Catholic education.

View all award winners and photos by clicking the link below:

Catholic School Awards Night | Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle

Celebrating Reconciliation Week Liturgy at St Brigid's Primary School, Raymond Terrace

This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week, Bridging Now to Next, calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us. At a time when Australia faces uncertainty in its reconciliation journey, this theme encourages Australians to come together.

Early this week, I had the great pleasure to join the community of St Brigid’s to acknowledge Reconciliation Week and to celebrate the official unveiling of the mural created by Worimi artist Jason Russell. The artwork reflects the resilience and strength shown by the people removed from Country, language, family, and culture.

The liturgy invited all participants to engage with the theme of reconciliation and the role we all to play in collectively building relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

It is fitting that the diocesan theme, Pilgrims of Hope, calls us all to a ministry of reconciliation. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

Celebrating World Environment Day with Solar Power 

World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5, promotes global awareness and action for environmental protection. Locally, we’re actively contributing by installing 1.6 megawatts of solar panels across 29 of our Catholic schools, spanning from Aberdeen to Taree and Merriwa to Swansea. Currently, our solar initiative encompasses a total of 39 schools.

This project represents a crucial advancement toward a greener, more sustainable future, lessening our dependency on grid-supplied power. 

Click here to read more about the project and view aerial images of each school’s solar panels. 

Annual School Visits – St Joseph’s Primary School, Merewether and St Joseph’s Primary School, Charlestown

I sincerely thank Karen McGinlay of St Joseph’s Merewether, and Kathryn Hill of St Joseph’s Charlestown, and their staff for their commitment to our students and their school communities.

Our visit to Merewether/The Junction during Catholic Schools Week, highlighted the Josephite value of hospitality, identified by the very warm welcome (on a bitterly cold day) and inclusion in their morning prayer service. Students shared their pride in the school and what it means to belong to a nurturing catholic school environment. Sustained efforts to meet the individual learning and well-being needs of students were obvious. The staff of St Joseph’s are engaged in professional conversations to comprehensively and systematically analyse data and provide timely feedback to students. St Joseph’s is commended for their focus on enhanced student voice and commitment to backward mapping processes to creatively design units of work and learning experiences, to challenge and extend students.

St Joseph’s Charlestown benefits from its stunning natural, tree-filled environment. There is little doubt that the natural and built environments contribute to a sense of well-being and peace. The St Joseph’s school community prioritises relationships with their parish community and is commended for their outward focus as missionaries, actively supporting parish initiatives. A positive collaborative school culture is enhanced by the effective use of PLTs, implementation of co-teaching strategies in open plan classroom settings, and shared ownership of outcomes. Our visit highlighted a focus on consistent attention to agreed teaching practices, with students confidently and capably sharing their learning goals and self-assessment of growth. Of note is the incredible work being undertaken to enhance cultural and learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the authentic connection with local schools and the broader community.

St Joseph’s Primary School Wingham - 90th Birthday Celebrations

St Joseph’s Primary School in Wingham is joyfully celebrating its 90th anniversary today. This special event features a heartfelt liturgy to honour the school's remarkable history and role in the local Catholic Community. The open classrooms, history walk, dress-ups, and a picnic lunch will be featured events to conclude the celebrations.

Special guests included Fr Kevin Corrigan and previous principals, Mark Mowbray and Justin Hutchens.

With my best wishes,

Jacqui

Praise & Worship

Sunday 22 June, 3-5pm – Trinity College Adamstown, Factory Theatre

Supported by MacKillop Parish Charlestown and the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle you are invited to experience an encounter of Praise and Worship - a beautiful opportunity to express our Catholic faith through music, led by local worship leaders. Whether this is something new and unfamiliar to you, or already a rich part of your prayer, this event is for you. We extend the welcome to all people from around the Diocese to come and see, and to worship together with us! For more information and to register – Praise & Worship Evening - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Diocesan Young Adult Retreat

27– 29 June

Calling all young adults in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. You are invited to come away on retreat together, stepping into a weekend of community, praise, Adoration, inputs by expert speakers, and an opportunity to encounter Christ's personal love for you.

For more information and to register - Young Adult Retreat 2025 - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Australian Catholic Youth Festival, Melbourne

29 November – 3 December

Expressions of interest have opened for 100 young people across the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to join Bishop Michael for ACYF25 - a national gathering of Catholic youth, from Grade 10 through to 25 years old. The experience provides young people an opportunity to come together and connect whilst deepening their faith and relationship with Jesus. It’s not a conference; it’s a Catholic festival. For more information and to register visit - Australian Catholic Youth Festival - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

NATSICC Assembly – Hunter Valley

29 September – 3 October

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is incredibly proud to host the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Assembly. Themed ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ it will welcome hundreds of delegates and bishops from across Australia alongside a keynote presentation from Stan Grant. This will be a powerful moment in our diocesan journey towards reconciliation – not to be missed. For more information and to register visit - 2025 Assembly

SRE Reflection Day with Bishop Michael

Thursday 10 July

Are you a teacher of Special Religious Education or someone eager to explore this vital ministry? Come and be inspired at Bishop Michael's Reflection Day—a special gathering to reflect, learn, and connect. Join us 9:30am – 12:30pm at St Stephens, Tea Gardens. Deepen your understanding, share experiences, and be encouraged in your role. For more information and to register - SRE Reflection Day with Bishop Michael Kennedy - 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

NAIDOC Week Community Festival

Monday 7 July – 9am

Be a part of this year's NAIDOC Week celebrations, which coincides with its 50th anniversary. Hosted by Awabakal Ltd, and sponsored by the Catholic Diocese Maitland-Newcastle, the event starts at Civic Park, with a flag raising ceremony at 9am before a united procession to Foreshore Park where the festival is held. For more information and to register - 2025 NAIDOC Week Community Festival - Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Children’s Ministry

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is offering an opportunity for those interested in facilitating faith formation of children aged 3-12. The training enables children to experience and form an authentic relationship with God using sensory rich materials. The course will be hosted at Beresfield July 3-6 and August 29-31, 2025. For further details and to learn more contact Siubhan Sadler on 0432 477 181 or email chisholm.atrium@gmail.com

The Aspire Song Competition is in its 13th year and provides students across the diocese with the opportunity to create and share their original music. Students were invited to create music in the themes of the Aspire production for 2025- Emotions, Rebellion and Artwork. The Song Competition allows for individual students to submit their work but also gives teachers the option to integrate the competition into school Creative Arts programs.

Over 120 students were involved in the competition, with 14 finalists chosen to workshop their compositions with Ben Leighton- musician, song writer and producer, Jessica Lopez- Musical Director (Aspire) and fellow finalists.  Students performed their completed creations at the showcase concert held at The Factory, Adamstown. 

WINNERS:

Hangry  

5 Gold- St Mary’s Primary School, Warners Bay 

Rough Days by Jack Wilson 

St Joseph’s Primary School, Merewether 

What You Want by Lily Dyer 

All Saints’ College, Maitland 

Paint My Own Way by Lara Bosworth, Ivy Jones, Isabella Robinson, and Mary Tutman  

Trinity Catholic College, Adamstown 

FINALISTS:

Wandaang Bayami ('Spirit')  

Year 3-6 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Group- St Joseph’s Primary School, Dungog 

How are You Feeling?  

3 Blue- St Joseph’s Primary School, Kilaben Bay 

Feel It All by Allegra Butler 

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Tarro

Steel and Thunder by Madeleine Horton 

St Mary’s Primary School, Warners Bay 

Happy Vibes by Sophie Marmont 

St Mary’s Primary School, Warners Bay 

Hope by Ivy Sherman and Isla Wall 

Holy Family Primary School, Merewether Beach 

Burning Wires by Cornea (Cameron Jeans, Bastian Nolen and Chelsea Wood) 

Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie 

Dear Mona Lisa by Macy Nash 

St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead 

The Artwork of Our Love by Matilda Knowles, Nathalie Mislos, Xanthia Wadwell, and Kate Whitby  

St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead 

Looking Back Now by James Bernasconi 

St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead 

Feedback:

“The collaborative environment was very beneficial to the workshopping process, and I liked how everyone was involved in supporting each other on the performance day”

“Everyone was so supportive, and I really enjoyed the helping each other out (and was so grateful to those who helped me)”

“Thank you for such a fun experience!!! The whole competition process was so fun, and it was great to make new connections with other musicians”

Jessica Lopez- Education Officer, Musical Director ASPIRE

To help your finance staff keep up to date with messages and process information from the finance team, we are introducing a new Microsoft Teams site.

The Catholic Schools team and finance team have been working together and information has been sent to all Principals to share with your Senior School / Finance officers.

We hope that this Teams site will streamline communication and information sharing with school finance teams.  

What’s happening?

The new Teams site is a central hub providing easy access to finance information and processing requirements, helping primary and secondary school teams to stay connected and up to date with the Shared Services Finance Team.

Who will this impact?

Shared Services Finance Team will add and maintain appointed school finance staff and finance casuals with access in Techone to this new Teams site.

When is this happening?

The Teams site will be active from Tuesday, 10 June 2025. 

Thank you for supporting this new process. If you or your staff have any questions, please log a ticket for the finance team through Service@MN. 

In 2016, Professor George Conney and Dr John DeCourcy authored a paper entitled “Choosing Wisely, Choosing Well,” designed to provide overarching advice to students and families when considering a pattern of study for the HSC.

Over the course of the last seven years, whilst analysing many HSC results, as well as working with Year 10 students on their chosen pattern of study, the advice provided by DeCourcy and Cooney, as well as the ATAR Report for each year, demonstrate the importance of choosing a pathway that peaks a student’s interest, presents a level of challenge and is grounded in realism. This triangle of considerations remains, even nine years later, as a baseline of good decision-making and guidance. 

Teachers play a pivotal role in guiding students in their subject offerings. Teachers are best placed to provide subject-specific knowledge and outline the skills required to study a course. As always, it is also important to ensure the advice you are offering is considered and is not based on a perception of “scaling well.”  The advice offered from UAC busts some of the myths around scaling, and it is important to recognise the number of variables related to success within any one subject, in one year, by any individual student.  As always, the UAC Preliminary report on the Scaling of the HSC report for each year is a great source of truth about the realities existing for each cohort and contributes to a deeper understanding of this complex process. 

Currently, many of our students are in the process of making selections or awaiting the final lines to be published by their schools. This is such an exciting time of year, one filled with hope and possibility for the many young people who are making decisions and finding their exact path. Watching students successfully navigate into the world of work, school-based traineeships and Stage 6 study is a deeply rewarding part of teaching.

Further reading:

Liz Stokes

System Lead – Curriculum and Pedagogy Secondary

Headspace National Response and Recovery Team have developed two webinars to support communities impacted by the recent extreme weather events:

1. Supporting staff wellbeing following extreme weather events

Developed in partnership with NSW Education, this 40 min session will cover:

• Understanding stress responses and self care strategies
• Supporting yourself during school holidays and into Term 3
• Practical tips and strategies
• What to do if you are worried about yourself or a colleague.

Dates and times: Mon 23 June 4pm; Mon 30 June 4pm; Tues 1 July 4pm; Thurs 3 July 4pm

2. Supporting children and young people following extreme weather events

Parents, Carers and Community members are invited to attend this 30 min webinar on practical strategies to support school aged children who have been impacted by recent extreme weather events. The webinar will cover:

• Understanding stress responses in children and young people
• Practical tips and strategies over these school holidays and into Term 3
• How to manage helpful conversations and promote good communication
• What to do if you are worried about your child or young person and seeking support

Dates and times: Mon 23 June 6pm; Tues 24 June 6pm; Mon 30 Jun 6pm; Tues 1 July 6pm

Please see attached for a flyer for each webinar with registration details.

June 2025 - Staff wellbeing following extreme weather events

June 2025 - Supporting children and young people following extreme weather events