Message from the

Director

Dear Colleagues, 

It is great to have all our staff and students back at school now, as the Western schools returned to school last week. It was wonderful to spend two days at the Western Conference and to connect with the primary schools in our western area. A big thank you to our principals for organising such a worthwhile conference. 

Western school principals

Non-Negotiables of a Catholic Professional Learning Community

At the start of the year, it is important to centre our work on our vision and to explore how we can work towards making this vision a reality for our young people. How do we as staff in our Catholic schools system work towards creating a Christ-centred, inclusive learning community that supports young people to realise a hope-filled future? The answer is through strong teams working together to enhance learning and teaching. Our non-negotiables outline the work that needs to happen in these strong teams. 

Our Non-Negotiables of a Catholic Professional Learning Community have been revised and updated for 2024 - 2026. They show a clear line of sight from our mantra ‘Literate, Numerate Students for a Hope-Filled Future’ to evidence of impact being improved ‘faith, learning and wellbeing outcomes’ through evidenced-based practices. The foundation documents that underpin the Non-Negotiables include our Catholic Principles and Values, Living Well Learning Well and 14 Parameters. At the start of a new school year it is important to take the time to familiarise (or re-familiarise) yourself with these key documents. On the CSO Staff Portal you will find a tile ‘CSO Key Documents’ where all these documents can be found. 

School Visits

During Term 1, I will be visiting all our schools across the Diocese. I began my visits last week at St Joseph’s Walgett. It was great to be there on the first day of school for students. Walking around the school, the care for the children was obvious in all the ‘skilled, helpful adults’. Donna Fiechtner and the whole team at St Joseph’s Walgett continue to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes for the students in their school, supporting all students to attain the life skills needed for a hope-filled future. Thank you for the work you do each and every day for our young people. 

I look forward to visiting St Joseph’s Tenterfield, St Joseph’s Glen Innes and Holy Trinity Inverell this week. 

Regina