Term 4 Week 9 / 27 Nov – 1 Dec (PeB 256)

From the Executive’s Desk

The end of the year draws inexorably closer. Year 12 students have finished, secondary colleges are farewelling their students, and our primary schools are on the final straight. Tiredness seems to be a common theme, and rightly so, as it has been an extremely busy year for all.

In all the busyness of the end of the year, it is important to take some time to think about what Christmas is all about. It is easy to get caught up in the rush around Christmas, the shopping, our efforts to make this family celebration so special. We can lose the real message – the story of the birth of Jesus taught us that we each have a great capacity to love, that love transforms not just people but situations, events. In the space of a few lines, Luke tells us that this is a story with ‘a message of great joy’ for everyone, a story that reminds us not to be afraid, a message about where peace can be found in our lives. Perhaps there is a message in all of that for us at Christmas time.

This might be just the right time to take stock too, to conduct our own census, to count our blessings, to give thanks for our loved ones, the people we have encountered this year, to remember those who have travelled with us on our journey, new friends and old, those who have been there when we needed them. It is easy to take so much for granted yet we owe so much to so many. There is no such thing as a self-made person. We did not get to this point unaided. It might just be the time to ask ourselves where have we  found joy this year, in fact what brings happiness and contentment into our lives. That can be quite confronting as sometimes we can come to see that we have been looking in the wrong places or that times of peace and contentment have been rare.

Where have the moments of peace been in my life this year? Have I been looking for the acts of love I might see around me every day? Have I been a carrier of love, one who seeks to bring love to others, to my situation? Have I been a messenger of joy this year, a person of good news resisting the urge to spread the rumour, the fake news, the doom and gloom?

Dr Andrea O'Brien
Assistant Executive Director

ACTION

Support: Implement Improvement 2nd Year ECT Program

Thank you for the response we have received to the request for schools to host Second Year Teachers for one morning as a part of the ECT (Early Career Teachers) program in 2024.

It is not too late to be a part of this initiative to both develop ECTs and highlight the wonderful work of our proficient teachers.

The pre and post work for the observation will be done by the directorate and ECTs will be accompanied on the day by a consultant for coordination, etc.

ACTION: If you are a school located between Gordonvale and Trinity Park and are willing to host 2 – 3 teachers on the morning of Tuesday 20 August (Term 3 Week 7) so they can observe other teachers in practice, please email me. Thank you for your continued support.

Rebecca Burns 
Consultant – Workforce Capability 

INFORMATION

2024 EAP Changes - SWD Funding

Please refer to the memo attached for information on changes to 2024 funding for Students with Disability (SWD). 

Brooke Daniels
Director Engagement - Wellbeing & Learning

2024 Start of the School Year - Systems Access

​Please refer to the 2024 Start of the School Year - Important Information page on Veritas for details of when systems data becomes available next year. The page outlines when products will be available, as well as account provisioning for students, staff and parent accounts at the start of the new school year.​​​​​​​   

Please ensure that key staff are aware of these timelines and any impacts they may have on their planning for Week 0 and Week 1.

Kerryn Callaghan
Manager, School Information Systems  

Daradgee Environmental Education Centre - Camp Opportunities

Daradgee Environmental Education Centre offers a range of opportunities for School camps. Below is a short presentation. Round 4 is now open.  To book please use this link https://daradgeeeec.eq.edu.au/planning-your-visit/booking-information

Amanda Matthews - Principal 
Daradgee Environmental Education Centre

PAT Testing, Linear and Adaptive

PAT Linear tests in reading comprehension and mathematics are to be conducted for students in Term 4 and the first four weeks of Term 1. This is for all students new to the diocese and those who didn't sit the Linear PAT test in the previous year.

PAT Adaptative is now also available for schools to utilise. 
This tool is useful to further explore a student's reading comprehension or maths skills.  Ideally, PAT Adaptive is best used for students who achieved low-scaled scores or high-scaled scores on their on-level PAT test.  PAT Adaptive testing for these students can provide teachers with further information for targeted teaching across the year.

All new students who come into the diocese throughout the year can sit a PAT Adaptive test. The results from Adaptive tests can be utilised to confirm grade level for the Linear PAT test.

Please note: PAT Adaptive data cannot be viewed in BI. The results can only be accessed via the OARS platform. 

For further queries please contact the Learning Performance & Analytics Team, Terri Cornish-Allen, Tammy Pickup, or me.

Tanya Albert  
Manager Learning Performance & Analytics   

CATHOLIC ED. ANNOUNCEMENTS ALL SCHOOL/CES STAFF

Changes to Planning Events in CES & Schools

The CES Professional Learning Calendar has traditionally been the place to go to find out what PD is being offered by CEDC.

From 8 December 2023 this calendar will be replaced by the iCat Calendar, which provides an excellent resource when choosing a date and maximise attendance.

The CES Master Calendar will continue to list all events that will affect CES or School Leadership Teams.  

We have prepared this handy PDF workflow to help you choose a date and plan your event.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding iCat, please do not hesitate to contact Tammy Angel.

Marissa Clark
Workforce Capability

First Nations Education - Mina Koey Eso Ngitha Mulpa Mura

As we close out the 2023 school year, on behalf of the Directorate First Nations Education, I would like to thank you for your patience, support and guiding hand as we created our path on the journey to weave the vision of First Nations education into the rich fabric of Catholic Education - Diocese of Cairns.

If you would like to connect with the team, please email: FirstNationsEducation@cns.catholic.edu.au 

Kylie Agale 
Director First Nations Education      

Multi Factor Authentication - Change to support School Information Systems

Please find attached memo for an upcoming change for Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) to support the School Information Systems.

This change is scheduled for 3:30PM Thursday 7th December 2023 and will include a requirement for MFA to all of the School Information Systems, including WSS, iLearn, eMinerva, SRS, Engage and the Guidance Counsellor System. 

Michael Norman
Manager Information Technology  

STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Find your next career change with the Cairns Diocese. 

To explore opportunities in other Dioceses go to Catholic Education Announcements, on the Staff Portal.   

QCEC UPDATES

Click here for the latest QCEC Communiques, Circulars and Education Updates.  

Catholic News

CathNews                                                                   Australian Catholic New
20 November  21 November   22 November                 22 November

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES!

CES offers professional learning workshops, retreats and networks along with tools and resources to support your growth and development as an educator.   

iCat is our online Professional Learning catalogue. It is available now for you to browse professional learning opportunities.

This short 3 minute ‘how to’ video will help you use iCat.

How to enrol in a course
1. Click on the copy icon beside the ilearn code
2. Click on the link to go to “ilearn” and log in
3. Paste the course code into the search box
4. Open course details then click on enrol

We welcome any feedback or observations as you engage with iCat, especially during this initial period to Tammy Angel tangel@cns.catholic.edu.au

So we can meet your dietary needs watch this short video to show you how to add them to ilearn.

2024 Professional Learning Programs - CEDC

We are excited to launch the Catholic Education - Diocese of Cairns (CEDC) suite of professional learning programs offered in the newly upgraded iCat!

You can now view, sort and filter all offerings for 2024. We have included a new ‘Reporting’ tool where you can download course lists in pdf or excel formats. 

You can also view all courses in the iCat Calendar in monthly and annual views.

We hope you find this new and improved iCat release helpful for browsing learning opportunities within CEDC.

Marissa Clark
Workforce Capability

First Nations Eduction Networks 2024

Before the door closes on 2023, I would like to confirm the following dates for the First Nations Educator network days (formally ILO network) and to extend an offer of support to school leadership teams to develop position descriptions and assist with recruitment of Indigenous Liaison Officers - noting to perform this role it is essential that the person is First Nations under section 25 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

The network dates for 2024 are as follows and will be available in iCat/iLearn:
Term 1: March 13                        Term 3: August 7 
Term 2: May 7 & 8                       Term 4: October 24 

First Nations Community and Elders lunch - Friday 8 November 2024.

If you would like to connect with the team, please email: FirstNationsEducation@cns.catholic.edu.au 

Kylie Agale 
Director First Nations Education