eBulletin3_2011 - Catholic Education Office

03/11BULLETIN2011Catholic Schools WeekTake the journey with usWith Bonus PulloutSchools Activity PosterDo what you can with the means at your disposal and leave all the rest calmly to God (7 August 1888)

ArticleTitleDirector’sLetter03We certainly know when Term Two is upon us in schools:the leaves are turning, the nights are crisp, the skies clearblue and everywhere there are posters and messages toremind us that Catholic schools should be celebrated andit is time to Enrol Now.Catholic SchoolsEnroling Now9-27 May 2011Catholic Schools WeekThis year Catholic Schools Week coincides with thebeginning of the enrolment period in our Archdiocese,so we are fortunate to be able to celebrate and showcaseour schools just at the stage that new parents may well belooking at what they have to offer. And there is a lot on offeras the pages of this Bulletin will show.Staff at the CEO have been fortunate to have been involvedin a number of CSW activities and we congratulate thePrincipals, staff and students for their creativity, their energyand their pride in their schools.(More fun school photos in this issues bonusCatholic Schools Week Activities Poster!)1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 2011

Please submityour articles for thenext Bulletin byArticle10 June 2011TitleBER OpeningsThroughout this year I have been delighted to attend anumber of openings of Building the Education Revolution(BER ) projects. At each of these openings I have made thepoint that our schools could not be more pleased with theboost that the BER has given them. As students proudlyshow me around their new hall or their new library orperhaps their newly refurbished classrooms I am in awe ofhow well spent every dollar has been and how far every lastcent has been stretched. The media has sought to malignthe BER as a waste of funds and a rort, but I invite anyreporter or politician or skeptic to step through the doorsof a Catholic school in the Archdiocese to see how well thePlanning and Facilities Team at the CEO, School Principalsand Staff, School Boards and Councils and the relevantarchitects and builders have efficiently and economicallydesigned and built facilities for school life and learning inthe 21st century.NAPLAN 2011May also sees the advent of NAPLAN and our schools arenow well used to the regimen of testing that applies tostudents in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. We rely very heavily on thedata from NAPLAN and particularly on the longitudinaldata to inform the professional learning that teachers needin order to improve educational outcomes. NAPLAN is justa small and incomplete picture of an individual student’sachievement but it is a very important picture when wholecohort and whole school results are analysed.CEO Strategic PlanningJust as schools are already looking to enrol students for 2012,so too is the CEO looking to 2012 and beyond. The nextstage of Strategic Planning, 2012 – 2014, has commencedand we will be seeking input from members of the Catholiceducational community. One aspect that we will be refiningover the next few years is the Religious Accreditation ofstaff teaching in our schools. With the other Dioceses inNSW we will be seeking to institute a common baselineof expectations and qualifications for everyone involvedin a Catholic school and then a progressive standard of REqualifications for teachers seeking promotion positions.Throughout May we celebrate Mary, Mother of God. Manyschools held special mother and grandmother breakfastsand morning teas during Catholic Schools Week and intheir prayers they remembered all mothers but particularlyMary. Jesus, dying in agony on the Cross, said to St John,“This is your mother”, and in doing so he was not merelyentrusting Mary to John’s care but also making Mary thespiritual mother of all followers of Christ.In our Catholic Schools Prayer we pray to Jesus, that :May our Mother, Mary,guide our footsteps as sheguided yours.and in this month of Mary we echo these words that wemake in faith, in trust and in hope.Moria NajdeckiDirectorTHE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 2011 12

ArticleSchool Title OpeningsTrinity Catholic College, GoulburnThe Official Opening and Blessing of new and refurbishedfacilities at Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn was heldon 2 May. The projects were funded by the Building theEducation Revolution (BER) Stimulus Package, the CatholicBlock Grant Authority and the Australian Government’sScience and Language Grant, totalling $9.1 million.The projects enabled the building of the new McAuleyScience Centre, Wellbeing and Fitness Facility and therefurbishment of the Boarding Facilities into a new library,technology resource centre and classrooms.The College Principal, Mrs Mary-Jane Carroll-Fajarda,called the occasion ‘a significant one that will foster a reimaginingof pedagogy and curriculum designed aroundflexible learning spaces’. Among the invited guests wererepresentatives of the three Religious Orders who havebeen associated with the previous St Patrick’s College andMarian College over a long period of time – the Sisters ofMercy, Sisters of St Joseph and the Christian Brothers.Golden and Associates and the builders G & A Hewson forcreating 21st century facilities for the students and staff at StMary’s. Many present at the ceremony, including a numberof past Principals and ex-students who had attended StMary’s in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, etc recalled that the previouslibrary and staff room were located on the verandah- which was also a thoroughfare. The administrationoffices were small, remote, poorly equipped and locatedin an old transportable. The shelter shed provided littleprotection from the bitter Batlow winters! Now the newfacilities are cleverly linked to the existing building and thisenables students and staff to move with ease between theclassrooms, library and staff spaces. Thanks to the NationalSchool Pride program the students can play and eat lunchin comfort even when it snows. Of great excitement to thestaff is that they now have a toilet inside! Three camelliaswere planted by Sr Bernadette Walsh, Sr Carmel Pifferoand Mrs Kerrin Henderson at the end of the ceremony,representing the school motto of Love, Peace, Joy. Thisopening and blessing provided a wonderful opportunityfor many present and former locals to come together, toreminisce, and to celebrate.St Mary’s Primary School, BatlowOn 4 April Monsignor John Woods, Vicar General, officiatedat the Blessing Ceremony for the new and refurbishedfacilities at St Mary’s. Mrs Trina Thompson, Tumut Mayorand Mrs Jan Knott, Tumut Shire Councillor opened thebuildings and unveiled the plaque. Everyone spoke highlyof the wonderful changes in the facilities brought about bythe BER project, enabled through funds totalling $495,000.Congratulations were relayed to the project’s architects MarkSt Bernard’s Primary School, Batemans BayTuesday 5 April saw the opening of a wonderful new multipurposehall at St Bernard’s Primary School Batemans Bay.In addition, the toilets were refurbished and a covered areaconstructed which is now called ‘Bandur’s Barn’ in memoryof Ivan Bandur who taught at St Bernard’s. ArchbishopMark Coleridge officiated at the ceremony which was alsoattended by Dr Mike Kelly, Member for Eden-Monaro.Archbishop Mark in his welcoming remarks congratulated13 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 2011

ArticleTitlethe Josephite sisters who had worked so hard over theyears to bring Catholic education to the South Coast. ThreeJosephite sisters were present, Sisters Beryl, Paulinus andJudith and they were justifiably proud of the developmentsat St Bernard’s. The architect, Gary Dutaillis and builderJohn White worked with the staff and community, and theresult is a new facility which will be used by the children in allweathers and for many teaching and learning activities. Allthis has been made possible by the Building the EducationRevolution (BER) funding.Many of the key people involved in the project were presentfor the occasion and were congratulated by Mr Phil Stubbs,Principal of St Patrick’s Parish School, for an efficient andsmooth project that came in on time and substantially underbudget. The architect Garry Dutaillis, the project managersPaintrite Constructions and the Catholic Education Office’sPlanning and Facilities Section played an integral and majorrole in the success of the project.St Patrick’s Parish School CoomaThe official opening and blessing of the new andrefurbished facilities at St Patrick’s Parish School Coomaon Tuesday 8 March 2011 was a wonderful celebrationand a significant occasion for the community. Now theschool’s Infants, Primary and Secondary facilities arelocated together, adjacent to the Parish church, in a centraland cohesive education precinct. The school facilities andgrounds looked stunning for the ceremony, with guestsable to appreciate the school’s rich history dating fromthe building of the Brigidine Convent in 1884 to today’smodern, technologically smart school for students fromKindergarten to Year 10.As Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Dr Mike Kelly MPperformed the blessing and plaque unveiling, the school’sstudents, staff and parents agreed that the inconveniencesof the construction time were definitely worth it. Studentswere delighted with their classrooms and wonderfulplayground facilities, and teachers appreciated theimprovements which have allowed them to be creative andflexible in their teaching.St Joseph’s North Goulburn BER OpeningThe official opening and blessing of the St Joseph’sPrimary School, North Goulburn Primary Schools for the21st Century and National School Pride projects tookplace on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March. Staff and studentswere appropriately resplendent in green for the occasion.Monsignor John Woods represented Archbishop Coleridge,opening the ceremony in prayer and officially opening andblessing the new and refurbished facilities. Other specialguests included Father Dermid McDermott, Parish Priest,Mrs Sue-Ellen Nell Acting Principal, Mrs Gaye McManus,past Principal, Ms Pru Goward, State Member for Goulburn,Mr Geoff Kettle, Goulburn Mayor and several Sisters of StJoseph.The project transformed the former Marian Residence,generously donated to the school by the Sisters of StJoseph, into a purpose built learning environment. Itcreated classrooms from dormitories, break-out spacesfrom shower blocks and multi-purpose spaces from diningrooms. The opportunity provided by the Building theEducation Revolution Program to re-develop and refurbishthe facilities is most welcome and very much appreciated.Helen CaseyHead of School Services CEOTHE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 201114

Article Trinity Catholic CollegeTitle CelebratesOn Monday 2 May, staff and students at Trinity CatholicCollege Goulburn celebrated the official opening andblessing of their new building and facilities in the College’sGreat Hall. The facilities were blessed by Monsignor JohnWoods and opened by Senator the Honorable UrsulaStephens.Over the past two years Trinity Catholic College hasundergone significant building and refurbishment inpreparation for its consolidation of two campuses onto asingle site.After demolition of abandoned dormitory and storagebuildings, the College now takes pride in the new McAuleyScience Centre. Refurbishment of existing buildings thatwere part of the previous boarding facilities has provideda Wellbeing and Fitness Facility; a new Commercial Kitchen;Food Technology and Textiles classrooms; a new Library –The MacKillop Resource Centre; new classrooms; the newSophia Open Learning Centre; a Year 12 Study Common; anew Administration and Reception area and much neededstaff facilities.These projects have been funded by the AustralianGovernment’s Science and Language Grant, the CatholicBlock Grant Authority and the ‘Building the EducationRevolution Stimulus Package’.Principal of the College, Mrs Mary-Jane Carroll-Fajarda saidthat the day was ‘an occasion of great significance’, and thatthe College was ‘acknowledging and celebrating anotherbeginning for Trinity, one whose aspirations will servestudents and parents well into the future’ and that the workthat had been carried out ‘represented the first step of amuch bigger plan to transform the physical environment ofTrinity so that it will support the needs of education in the21st century’.Where Mrs Carroll-Fajarda stressed the need for gratitude tothe many people who had worked hard to assist the Collegein getting to this significant point in its history. Mrs Carroll-Fajarda went on to say that the building achievements, fromwhich the college now benefits, demonstrate the powerof cooperation between institutions, organisations andindividuals whose work made these achievements possible.She acknowledged the significant financial contributionmade by the Austrlaian Government, and added thatthe financial assistance received made the dream of newlearning environments and consolidation onto one campusa reality. This assistance was an investment in our nation’sfuture.On behalf of the College, Mrs Carroll-Fajarda thanked themany people who assisted with the planning and supportof the building initiatives, some of whom were Mrs MoiraNadjecki and the staff of the Catholic Education Office ofCanberra and Goulburn; Mr Garry Dutaillis and his team atDutaillis Architects; John and Symon White of J & H WhiteConstruction along with their builders and tradespeople;Fr Dermid McDermott; Members of the College Board andalso the staff, students and parents of Trinity College.Also of significance on the day was the support shown byso many who joined staff and students to celebrate thissignificant milestone in Trinity’s history. Among the guestswere representatives from the Sisters of Mercy, the ChristianBrothers, Sisters of St Joseph’s, past students of Our Ladyof Mercy, St Patrick’s College, St Joseph’s College, MarianCollege and Trinity. The College also hosted representativesfrom the Catholic Education Office, parents, past staffmembers, including Trinity’s first Principal Mr Joe Steyns,Principals from other Diocesan Secondary and PrimarySchools and School Captains from St Mary of the CrossMacKillop College. Also present were members of Federal,State and Local Government as well as members of the localCatholic and Goulburn communities.In acknowledging their presence, Mrs Carroll-Fajardahighlighted the significance of having all the key players inTrinity’s rich history together at one time. She gave thanksfor their support and looked forward to a future full ofpossibility.The refurbishment to further classrooms, exterior ofthe buildings and grounds will continue with Stage 2refurbishments now underway.Mary-Jane Carroll-FajardaPrincipal,Trinity Catholic College1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011

A new era Article forSt Mary’s Batlow TitleSt Mary’s Primary School Batlow held their Official Openingand Blessing of the new school buildings on Monday 4thApril. This was able to be done thanks to the Building theEducation Revolution Program.Acting Principal Mrs Chris Baron commenced theproceedings by welcoming everyone to this special occasionwith mention of the special guests who included MonsignorJohn Woods, Vicar General, Helen Casey, Head of SchoolServices CEO, Trina Thomson, Mayor of Tumut Shire Council,Kerrin Henderson, Principal, Sister Bernadette Mary Walsh,Sister Carmel Piffero, Jan Knott, Tumut Shire Councillor andSue Bulger, Elder of the Aboriginal Community. Mrs Baronalso acknowledged present and past teachers and studentsas well as members of the parish and school families whowere in attendance stating that it was wonderful to see somany people sharing this ocassion for the school.Sue Bulger then offered the Acknowledgement of Countrybefore the National Anthem was sung. Monsignor Woodsled the congregation in the Blessing Liturgy before leadingthe official party to bless the new buildings and the gardenwhile the children of St Mary’s entertained the visitors withsongs. Addresses were then made by the official guestsbefore Mayor Trina Thomson unveiled the offical plaque toconclude proceedings in the church.Outside, Sister Bernadette Mary Walsh, Sister CarmelPiffero and Principal Kerrin Henderson planted camellias inthe school’s new dedicated garden with the assistance ofstudents from the environmental leadership group. Eachcamellia represented the school’s emblem signifying Peace,Love and Joy.Former student of St Mary’s, Mr Bruce Wilkinson had thehonor of cutting the cake alongside his grandson Jack whois now a student at the school. The St Mary’s students thensang the St Mary’s school song.Mrs Baron concluded the celebrations by thanking everyonefor coming with a special thank you to the wonderful staffand families of the school who had helped make this daysuch a great success.Chris BaronPrincipal (Acting),St Mary’s Primary SchoolTHE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 201116

Article St Thomas theTitle Apostle SpectacularMothers Day Breakfastat St Michael’s KaleenSpectacular use of timber, glass and colour feature in thenew learning spaces at St Thomas the Apostle PrimarySchool KambahThursday, 2 December 2010 marked the conclusion of ajourney which our school community had been undertakingfor over 21 months. We celebrated the opening of ourrefurbished school facilities with an official opening by MsGai Brodtmann MP and blessing by Monsignor John Woods.Catholic Schools Week Community / Mothers Day Breakfast– what a morning we had!! On Thursday morning the StMichael’s school community was an Easter light for all.Our special guests included Fr Peter Doai; Mr Zed Seselja,Leader of the Opposition; Mr Steve Doszpot, ShadowMinister for Education & Training; Mrs Mary Porter, Memberfor Gininderra; Mr Alistair Coe, Member for Belconnen,Nicholls and Hall; CEO representatives Mrs Helen Casey,Mrs Mary Dorrian, Mrs Lyn Smith, Mrs Therese Nolan,Mrs Madonna Pianagonda and Mrs Tracy Sinclair; ourcommunity sponsors Jenny White & Bruce Husking fromBunnings; and Sue Briskey from Jacaranda. All were verypleased to be part of our celebrations.Stage One of the refurbishment was made possible by aBlock Grant Authority grant, supplemented by the CatholicSchools Building Fund and with a contribution by the schoolcommunity of $400,000. Stage 2 was made possible withfunds from the Federal Government initiative Building theEducation Revolution and National Pride grants. In all a totalof $3,573,470 was invested in remodelling and preparingour school for the years ahead.We would like to thank the Australian government for thisgenerous contribution to the future of Australia growinghere at St Thomas. A dedicated and talented team from theschool community, CEO staff, architects and builders havemade spectacular use of timber, glass and colour to createindoor and outdoor environments which have truly movedour school into the 21st Century.Working in half a school, without storage rooms, offices,staffrooms and libraries proved challenging at times, butwas handled with good humour by the dedicated staff, whocontinued at all times to engage our students in excitinglearning programs. Students and teachers are pleased tosay goodbye to the regular task of packing and moving andare now enjoying the benefits of our beautiful new school.David ThielePrincipal, St Thomas the ApostleMany of our wonderful families also attended, enjoying asatisfying breakfast and impromptu entertainment fromthe children. What better combination could we havehad, than to celebrate the importance of mothers in thelives of our students, with the importance of families in theoperation of a Catholic School.The staff of St Michael’s showed an amazing generosityof spirit and time in preparation, cooperation and gettingup early to assist with the presentation of breakfast forour community and guests. A fitting continuation of thiscelebration occurred when the mothers were presentedwith a flower during our Mothers Day Mass led by Fr PeterDoai.Judy WalshPrincipal, St Michael’s Primary School1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011

Marvellous MaySt John Vianney’sHennessy ArticleCelebrates TitleTerm 2 looks like another action packed term at St JohnVianney’s Primary School in Waramanga! Last week thestudents enjoyed a visit from the Life Education van.Healthy Harold shared important information that willsupport the Personal Development and Health program.For Catholic Schools Week, St John Vianney’s held a “Mathswith Mums” afternoon where visiting mothers were keptbusy testing their mathematical skills! For the marvellousMum’s a Chicken and Champagne event was then held onFriday after school to help celebrate Mothers Day.At Hennessy Catholic College we have been very busyduring CSW.We have undertaken several initiatives to promote ourschool and Catholic education in our region. Pamphletdrop to homes in Young, Harden and Boorowa. Signagescreens prominently displayed within our Collegegrounds. Advertising on the radio and in local and regionalnewspapers.We held a magnificent Mass with St Mary’s Primary Schoolcelebrated by Fr Richard Thompson.We conducted school visits to St Mary’s Young, St Joseph’sBoorowa, Trinity Harden/Murrumburrah and St Joseph’sGrenfell.St John Vianney’s also held a very successful Book Fair as afundraiser for the Library. All this and more in one week –we can’t wait to see what St John Vianney’s has in store forthe next 9 exciting weeks!The most significant promotion of the College was theundertaking of School Registration. The opportunity for ourcommunity members to reflect on our past and to beginthe process of strategically moving forward is priceless.Pictured above: Hennessy community members and staffwith the Registration Panel.Vicky van der SandenPrincipal, St John Vianney’sPeter WebsterPrinicipal, Hennessy Catholic CollegeTHE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 201118

Article Prime Minister VisitsTitle Holy Trinity CurtinThe Prime Minister’s Visit to Holy Trinity CurtinLate in 2010 a small boy from our school had the opportunityto ask the Prime Minister of Australia a question. He asked,“Can you come and visit my school?”The Prime Minister said that she would come and visit HolyTrinity. After much dialogue and preparation, cleaning,unpacking and making the school shine, the day arrived.On Monday, 28 March 2011, the Honourable Julia Gillard,Prime Minister of Australia arrived at our school. She waswarmly greeted at the front door by Jonty, Clancy, Bronteand Molly and representatives of the Holy Trinity teachingand parent community. The children guided her throughour new classrooms, chatting and meeting many veryexcited parents.She visited our new Early Learning Centre, admiring thisnew learning facility. She got down on the carpet andtalked to several 4 year olds and even had an attempt atcompleting a puzzle.At the end of her walk she attended our morning assemblyand addressed the school community. She asked thestudents for their suggestions to make education betterin Australia. The answers given by the children were variedand amusing. One thoughtful student volunteered goodteachers and this was met with great affirmation. Otheranswers included swimming pools, and finally caring foreach other. She graciously thanked the students and thestaff for their warm welcome.It was a very special day for our community. We have manyphotos to remind us that the Prime Minister took time outof her very busy schedule to visit our small local primaryschool.Judy SpencePrincipal, Holy Trinity Primary School1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011

Learning Adventure ArticleSt Joseph’s Eden TitleNow in its third year, in our Archdiocese, Catholic SchoolsWeek was a celebration of Catholic education across NSWand ACT, involving 615 schools and more than over 258,000students.sporting activities. A barbeque lunch was prepared by theLumen SRC students and enjoyed by all.In 2011, Catholic schools again showcased for parents andlocal communities the many opportunities that exist in theirschools. The theme for this year was: ‘A Learning Adventure,a Journey of Faith’. It was an opportunity for schools tofocus on strengthening relationships between all who havea stake in our schools – students, staff, families, priests,parishioners, and members of the wider community.This year’s theme of “A Learning Adventure – A Journey ofFaith” was enlivened locally through a range of events. Herein Eden, students, families and staff at St Joseph’s School,celebrated a very busy week.On Wednesday, St Joseph’s students showcased theirmusical talents at a special assembly. Ms Janice Bool, themusic teacher, led the students in percussion, dance,singing and instrumental presentations. This was followedby drama workshops with drama students from LumenChristi Catholic College.On Thursday students from South Coast Regional CatholicSchools, from as far as Batemans Bay and Cooma, met atWolumla Sports Ground for the Regional Cross Countrytrials. St Joseph’s will be represented at the Archdiocesanlevel, in Canberra, by Drew Walker and Blake Mylan.On Tuesday Stages 2 and 3 students and staff joined withSt Patrick’s Bega and St Joseph’s Bombala at Lumen ChristiCatholic College, Pambula, for a special liturgy and day ofactivities. The events included drama, art, woodwork andFriday morning was a special event, with the Mother’s DayLiturgy and morning tea. Students shared their reflectionsabout their mothers and the mums and nans present weregiven a special blessing and gift from the school. The newpriest for the parish, Father Constantine, dropped in also, toget to know the children at St Joseph’s. He is very keen to beinvolved in all aspects of Catholic education.Anne MaddockPrincipal, St Joseph’s SchoolTHE BULLETIN EDITION 3, 1, 2011101

Article Merici’s HealthyTitle HabitsMerici College in Braddon welcomed TV personality CostaGeorgiadis, host of the SBS gardening show ‘Costa’s GardenOdyssey’ and Mr Andrew Barr MLA, Minister for Educationand Training on Friday 6 May 2011 at 8.00am at the College’sGarden opening.This year Merici College is moving forward with itssustainability plan with Year 9 and 10 students working inthe College’s garden. Students are learning to grow organicfruit and vegetables with an aim to provide the Canteenand the Hospitality classes with as much home grownfruit, vegetables and herbs as possible to be used in thepreparation of the Canteen’s daily homemade meals.ACT Health is supporting Merici through the HealthPromotion Grants Program to help set up the garden,working with Black Mountain School and other partners.This project also assists students to identify barriers andincentives to eating healthy foods. Research findings will bedisseminated to other interested groups.• Father David Callaghan• Ngunnawal Elder Mrs Jannette Phillips• Mr Zed Seselja MLA• Mr Steve Doszpot MLA, Shadow Minister for Educationand Training• Mr Jeremy Hanson CSC MLA, Shadow Minister forHealth• Ms Caroline Le Couteur MLA and Mr Shane Rattenburyrepresenting the ACT Greens• Ms Merryn Hare, Director of Health Promotion Branch,ACT Health• Ms Rosemary Urquhart, Health Promotion Branch, ACTHealth• Mr Mark Hogan, Deputy Director Catholic EducationOffice• Mrs Helen Casey, Head of School Services,CatholicEducation Office• Dr Phil Pettit, Assessment, VET and Staffing, CatholicEducation OfficeIn 2009 Merici College decided to take over the running ofthe school Canteen in order to provide a healthy alternativefor students and staff and incorporate it into Merici’s visionof a more sustainable school. The key objectives of Merici’sHealthy Canteen Project are to:• provide cheap healthy food• enable vocational students to get industry experiencewhilst studying• encourage girls to sit and eat in a social environment• reduce the amount of processed and packaged foodsand drinks consumed by students• enable the College to take positive steps towardssustainable practices to reduce, reuse and recycle.The Healthy Canteen Project has been a catalyst forother sustainability initiatives within the school. Theseinclude the establishment of a vegetable garden and thedevelopment of a Sustainability Elective for Year 9 and 10students who will work in the garden and will learn to groworganic fruit and vegetables. The College is also workingon ways to improve waste management in the school.All these activities are integrated and are either driven bystudent groups or part of the school curriculum to ensuretheir sustainability.Guests at the gala opening included:• Mrs Moira Najdecki, Director of the Catholic EducationOffice• Mr Andrew Barr MLA, Minister for Education andTrainingCatherine ReyPrincipal, Merici College1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011

Three Colleges Article and a21st Century Learning Experience TitleKeen students, but too few for a class?No problem!Keen students, but no teacher?No problem!Can’t fit the course into the timetable?No problem!Teacher available, but too far way?No problem!The spirit is willing but the coffers are empty?No problem!Problems such as these have been overcome by theinitiatives of three Catholic Colleges in the ACT, in triallingan innovative, cost-effective and collaborative approach toteaching and learning.As a result of a successful cluster group application for anAsia Education Foundation Becoming Asia Literate Grantsto Schools Program in 2010, students from three ACTsystemic colleges, the lead school, Merici College, St Clare’sCollege and St Mary Mackillop College have been given theopportunity to undertake study of the ACT BSSS TertiaryAccredited Beginning Chinese course.At this stage, there are insufficient students for the courseto be viable at each individual college. However, a groupof eleven students across the colleges has benefited fromthe development of a high quality teaching and learningprogram, whose flexibility overcomes the limitations of,and extends beyond the boundaries of the schools. Theimplementation of the program was made easier by the factthat a highly qualified and enthusiastic teacher, of Chinese,Miss Bronwyn Griffin is already employed at St MaryMacKillop College. Strong support of the program by thecolleges and close collaboration enabled financial supportfor the employment of the teacher in this new capacity forthe duration of the program.All the participating schools already had strong languageprograms and were keen to introduce an additional Asianlanguage. This program was regarded as a catalyst toinitiate interest in Mandarin, with the hope that in futureyears increasing numbers of students would enrol inMandarin courses both at the junior and senior level.In this exciting new venture, students learn through the useof both ICT and face-to-face teaching. The grant allowedMerici College to purchase the site licence for Elluminate, asoftware program which enables online teaching of all thestudents together twice a week, before and after school.With the use of cameras, microphones and InteractiveWhite Boards set up in a designated area in each school,the students and the teacher are able to see and hear eachother in a virtual classroom. Each student has a laptop ontowhich software to enable Chinese script has been loaded.Textbooks and relevant websites are also used.St Clare’s has enabled students at the two other collegesto access their Studywiz as a common platform so thatlessons videoed by the teacher, exercises and resources arecentrally available to all the students and they are able tointeract with each other and with the teacher at any time.The teacher attends each school on a rotating basis oncea week to present lessons and already the students havehad a day together at St Clare’s College to complete someassessment items, to get to know each other better as aclass and to enjoy some cultural experiences, including aChinese lunch. Similar excursion days are being planned forlater in the year, including visits to the Australian NationalUniversity and the Chinese Embassy.The Language Coordinators, Principals, IT Support Staff, theChinese teacher and the Program Coordinator meet on aregular basis to review the progress of the course, addressany concerns and ensure that Board of Senior SecondaryStudies requirements are being met.The eleven students enrolled in the course have beenmost receptive to the new approach and have adaptedto the online learning environment with ease. They areenthusiastic and engaged in their study and unfazed bythe occasional glitches which occasionally occur whenusing technology. The students and the staff involved inthis project are confident that this sort of flexible learningapproach will open the doorways to many more studentsin Australia in the near future. We are grateful to the AsiaEducation Foundation for giving us this opportunity to betrailblazers in this area.Heli DavisProgram Coordinator,Merici CollegeTHE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 3, 201112

Article IDEASTitle 2011IDEASInspiring schools to engage in a journey of self discovery,building capacity for sustainable pedagogical excellence.In 2011 several schools in the Archdiocese began the processof engaging in creative and future-focused explorations ofteaching and learning. Teachers have begun “rethinking”every dimension of their work and in doing so they are ableto create better futures for students, teachers and schoolcommunities. These teachers have enhanced not only theirown professional lives but those of their colleagues.Islands of hope existed in each decadeyet even these remarkable islands dropbelow sea level when founders, principalsor key teachers, leave. As long as any oneindividual is indispensible, sustainability isa distant dream.(Linda Lambert 2007, p. 311)IDEAS for Trinity Catholic School Murrumburrah hasmeant a re-visioning of its mission and purpose. Staffmembers have delved into the past, analysed the currentsituation and looked forward to where they want to be in2020. The IDEAS journey started in 2008 with a survey ofparents, staff and students. Using the data collected theywere able to discern some positive attributes and someareas that could be improved.Following this, they attempted to reenergise their visioninto a simple, futuristic phrase that students could relateto, and one that encapsulated their close proximity to themain southern railway line. Undertaking this trek involvedtapping into local history, school history, the influence andfoundations of the Sisters of Mercy and the contributions ofpast generations who had attended Trinity Catholic School.Other considerations included the rural location and thedress circle of cropping land in NSW. After several attemptsand many discussions about a vision, staff went back to thedrawing board to start again.The railway came through strongly and persistently. As theydreamed, constructed, manipulated and reconstructedthey realised that there was and is a powerful correlationbetween education and the railway. Education is aboutsetting goals (destination); it’s about how the communityreach those goals (journey) and it’s about celebratingreaching those goals, those milestones (success). So a newvision emerged as DESTINATION ~ JOURNEY ~ SUCCESS!The community can now begin to plan the next leg of theirjourney. The vision can be opened to form the umbrellafrom which curriculum, pedagogy, teaching and learningand living will emanate.Staff members at Ss Peter and Paul’s School Goulburnre-commenced their IDEAS journey in 2011. Afterattending the first 2011 IDEAS meeting it was decided touse Professional Conversations as our starting point. Eachweek at the Monday morning administration meeting,the staff members focus on an element of ProfessionalConversations. This enabled staff to think about how theydialogue in conversations and professional discussions witheach other. These elements are visually displayed in thestaffroom for all to see, to remind and direct staff to keep anopen and professional mind, and foster a collaborative andcollegial school environment.Good work is done with heart as well asknowledge and skill, done with a depthof commitment that brings integrity andcourage to the workplace.(http://www.couragerenewal.org)With the USQ Diagnostic Inventory (DI) link ready to go,the staff will complete the DI online during the next staffmeeting. The link has been pasted on the school intranet,for staff, parents and students to complete. They’re lookingforward to the results of the DI as many changes haveoccurred in the school community since they first startedIDEAS, back in 2005.Other schools involved in IDEAS in 2011 include SacredHeart Cootamundra, St Joseph’s Grenfell and St Joseph’sO’Connor. In Term 3, St Francis of Assisi Calwell, St Matthew’sPage and St John Vianney Waramanga will begin theprocess.Lyn SmithSenior Officer,Teacher Formation and Accreditation CEO1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011

2011 CEC/CEO Teaching ArticleScholarships at ACU Signadou Title2011 marks the fourteenth year that scholarships have beenawarded by the Catholic Education Commission and theCatholic Education Office to selected students studyingthe Bachelor of Education course at the Canberra Campus(Signadou) of Australian Catholic University.With the successful commencement of the GraduateDiploma in Education (Secondary) course at the CanberraCampus (Signadou) in 2005, the Catholic EducationCommission and the Catholic Education Office introducedscholarships for selected students in this course who studyReligious Education as one of their teaching specialisations.A selection panel interviewed the scholarship applicants aspart of the selection process. Six scholars in this course werepresented with scholarships:• Sarah Box• Catherine Fulton• Peter Igoe-Taylor• Jessica Pollard• Stephanie Sergeant• Daniel VieiraFrom 1998 -2003 scholarships were awarded to students inthe 4th year of their Bachelor of Education program. Since2004 the focus has been on graduating Year 12 students.Scholarships are offered to one eligible student from eachof the eight Archdiocesan secondary colleges (four in theACT and four in NSW) who commenced full time study atSignadou in the Bachelor of Education program containingapproved Religious Education subjects. On 3 March, wehonoured and congratulated four scholars in this course:• Stephanie Bambach from Merici College, Braddon• Benjamin Grima from Carroll College, Broulee• Lucy McMillan from Hennessy Catholic College, Young• Patrycja Nowak from St Mary MacKillop College,TuggeranongThe scholarships for the Bachelor of Education program andthe Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) programare each valued at $3,000.• $1,000 is given to recipients on confirmation of theirenrolment in respective programs;• $1,000 is given at the end of Semester 1, subject tothe satisfactory completion of all subjects for thatsemester; and• $1,000 is given at the end of Semester 2, subject to thesatisfactory completion of all subjects for that semester.Mark HoganDeputy Director,Head of Human Resouce Services CEOTHE BULLETIN EDITION 3, 1, 2011141

ArticleTitle Interacting with studentsTeachers frequently express concern about touchingor restraining students. They are both forms of physicalcontact. Inappropriate touching can be assault or battery.It can potentially end up as a criminal charge, and possiblyalso civil action for trespass. To avoid either, physicalcontact has to be appropriate in the circumstances.Touching studentsPhysical contact with students should be approached withcaution, but there are several instances where it might beappropriate:• Restraining them in situations where they mightpresent a danger to themselves or others.• Saving them from impending harm.• If a student asks you to assist them in a way thatlegitimately involves contact (such as getting off ahorse).• Administering first aid.• Coaching them in certain sports.• Incidental touching (brushing past them in acrowded corridor).• Legitimate guidance (especially for very youngstudents).• Legitimate comforting of upset students.• Acceptable touching (such as shaking their handwhen they win an award).• You may find that students, particularly youngerones, will come up and hug you. You don’t have torecoil in horror, but be professional about it.• If students consistently do this, tell them it is not OK.You have a right to personal space too.• If a student appears uncomfortable with anytouching – back off immediately unless it is a genuineemergency.• Be aware of cultural differences.Restraining studentsHere is an interesting case note about a school fight:Moran v Victorian Institute of Teaching (Occupational andBusiness Regulation) [2007] VCAT 1311A fight broke out at a school, involving up to eight girls. Theteacher on duty, Mr Moran, had his teacher registrationcancelled due to his handling of the event. It was alleged:• He failed to intervene appropriately at the start, when thefight was just verbal.• He failed to intervene during the altercation.• He failed to render assistance to a student after the fight.He appealed.Tribunal’s findings:The teacher should have asserted his authority at theearly stages of the altercation, but not doing so was notserious misconduct. Not intervening during the fight wasnot incompetent but was an ‘error of judgment’. Failure toapproach [student B] after the fight to ascertain the extent ofher injuries amounted to serious incompetence.The Tribunal noted: ‘there is no immutable rule that a teacher shouldphysically intervene in a fight between students.’ Teachers should notplace themselves or other students in harm’s way. The Tribunal alsocriticised the school’s yard duty rosters, as another teacher failed toturn up for duty (sound familiar?).Result for the teacher:The cancellation of his registration was reversed, however a period ofsuspension was imposed. He was ordered, at his own cost, to attendcourses on professional development and student discipline.The above case is not a definitive statement of the law, andno criticism of the teacher concerned is intended. But wecan learn from such cases.What do we learn from cases like this• If you see a fight brewing, do something about itearly. You should do what you are reasonably capableof doing. Safety is your first concern (yours and yourstudents’).• A fight between small children will require a differentresponse from a fight between burly Year 12 ‘blokes’.• You don’t have to be on playground duty to beresponsible for the situation.• Start with a verbal warning to desist.• Send for help. A witness can never go astray.• If you can physically intervene, do it appropriately.• Make sure those around are as safe as possible.• If it looks really serious, call the police, and tell thestudents you are doing so.• If someone is injured attend to them and get medicalhelp if necessary.• If you know a fight will take place, do something aboutit before it happens.• Playground duty rosters should reflect the relativeneeds of the school.• The CEO has a policy on restraining students: http://www.ceocg.catholic.edu.au/policies/restraint.htmJohn AlatiSenior Officer, Human Resources CEO6234 5465, john.alati@cg.catholic.edu.au1 THE BULLETIN EDITION 1, 2011