CO_November16

CATHOLIC EDUCATION
www.parra.catholic.edu.au @CatholicEdParra CatholicEdParra
More than 100 second-year teachers took part in the two-day retreat.
Beginning teachers’ retreat enriches faith
From 12-13 September, more than 100
second year beginning teachers from the
Diocese attended a two-day retreat at the
Benedict XVI Retreat Centre, which offered
an opportunity for deep reflection, prayer
and peer networking.
Director Mission Ian Smith said the days
provided an opportunity for beginning
teachers to deepen their own prayer life and
The Way of Mercy Cross and Relics at St Bernadette's Primary, Lalor Park.
Pilgrimage of the Way of Mercy Cross and
Relics across the Diocese of Parramatta
On 8 August, hundreds of students, parish
members and Catholic Education staff
from around the Diocese gathered in St
Patrick’s Cathedral for the official Way of
Mercy launch.
to resource strategies that might assist in
building up the faith experiences of their
school communities.
“The beginning teachers were invited
to reflect on ways in which they could
enrich the sacramental lives of their
students and to think about the deeper
questions around faith and culture,”
Ian said.
St Oliver’s Primary, Harris Park, Principal
Barbara Young said the ceremony provided
students, teachers and parents with a
valuable opportunity to share stories about
how they live their faith.
Ready, set … read! St Agnes’ 2016 Reading Relay
On 1 September, Year 7 students from
St Agnes Catholic High School, Rooty
Hill, participated in the school’s annual
Reading Relay.
Initiated in 2015, the relay involves
students working in teams to read and
summarise a set topic. With the topic for
this year’s relay being ‘Australia’, students
were required to read and analyse a
paragraph about Australia, move to
the other end of the field and provide
a summary of what they read before
tagging their teammate to complete the
next paragraph.
St Agnes’ Literacy teacher Linda Hicks said
the Reading Relay was an excellent way to
make reading fun and interactive.
“We had overwhelmingly positive
feedback from the students who
participated in last year’s relay,” Linda
said. “It is a great way to get students
excited about reading and to help engage
them in literacy.”
Students had to read, run and summarise each paragraph before tagging their teammate to complete the
next paragraph.
Maths teachers deepen their learning
In August and September, a number of
teachers from schools across the Diocese
participated in Extending Mathematical
Understanding (EMU) program
professional learning workshops as part
of the ongoing commitment to improve
student learning outcomes.
The EMU program supports vulnerable
students at risk of falling behind
in Mathematics.
Year 1 EMU specialist teacher, Fiona
Lambert from St Paul the Apostle Primary,
Winston Hills, said the program was not
only professionally rewarding, it also
produced great results for students.
“Throughout the program you can really
see the students’ confidence start to grow,”
Fiona said. “As a Year 1 teacher the EMU
training has been great for my professional
development and the support that has been
offered has been outstanding.”
A key part of the learning for teachers
is participating in a ‘Behind the Screen’
lesson, where teachers observed an EMU
lesson and then provided feedback on what
they observed.
The launch marked the beginning of a
three-month pilgrimage (8 August -
13 November) of a Mercy Cross and the
Relics of our diocesan patron, St Mary
of the Cross MacKillop, and St Teresa
of Kolkata from the Cathedral to the
churches, schools and communities
across the Diocese.
Meet the new Principal of St Luke’s, Greg Miller.
“A representative from each class brought
forward their class candle, which was lit
from the Way of Mercy candle and placed
in front of the Cross,” Barbara said. “At
the conclusion of the ceremony, each
student, teacher and parent was given the
opportunity to come forward to venerate
the Cross.”
Meet the Principal of St Luke’s College, Marsden Park
With 28 years in Catholic education across
five dioceses in Sydney and regional NSW,
and more than 14 years as a senior leader,
Greg Miller said he feels “well placed to
take on the exciting and privileged role”
of founding Principal Leader at St Luke's
Catholic College, Marsden Park.
“In a place where ‘Learning = Infinite
Possibilities’, St Luke's will soon engage
with parents, students and teachers of the
Learning Community to explore, discover
EMU teachers at the Aengus Kavanagh Centre after the ‘Behind the Scenes’ lesson.
and establish the ‘new normal’ for pre- to
post-school learning in an environment
which prepares students for a changing
world,” Greg said.
“From day one, St Luke’s will nurture
and grow faith-filled, curious children
to become critical thinkers and creative
problem solvers.
“Literacy and numeracy will be strong
enablers for each student to engage
with a flexible curriculum, which will focus
on preparing students with
21 st Century skills.
“Part of my role will be to collaboratively
nurture and develop the leadership
capabilities of leaders and teacher leaders
so they can have the greatest impact on
students’ learning.”
Meet St Luke's New Principal
https://youtu.be/nAeX9_nfSAo
16 CatholicOutlook NOVEMBER 2016 www.catholicoutlook.org