Election 2007
Catholic schools have been educating Australian children for over 180 years. The Catholic Church, today, is still a significant provider of education in this country: over 675 000 children attend Catholic schools and it employs over 43 000 teachers.
Catholic schools contribute to the diversity and strength of our pluralist society.
Ensuring that the community has accurate information about how non-government schools are funded is crucial. Catholic schools are accountable, for the funds they receive and the service they provide, to the Australian public, the state and federal governments, the Church and parents and families.
The Council has a number of brochures and fact sheets that can be downloaded and copied. Other useful documents include:
The Election Toolkit (sent to schools in Novemeber 06 - click here
2007 Election Issues for Catholic Schools - click here
Briefing paper No1: Meetings with MPs
Briefing paper No 2: Summary of Election Issues
Briefing paper No 3: Questions for MPs and Political Parties
Briefing Paper No 4: How Education Policy is Made
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Catholic Schools Week 2008
Catholic Schools Week 2008 is planned for 30 March - 4 April
Visit Catholic Schools NSW here:
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Catholic Schools at a Crossroads
- A pastoral letter of the NSW/ACT Bishops
The Bishops of NSW and the ACT have released a pastoral letter inviting Catholic educational leaders, staff, parents and the broader Catholic community to reflect on the nature and role of Catholic schools and where they are headed.
Speaking at the public launch of the document at the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel at North Sydney on 7 August, the Bishop of Broken Bay, David Walker said the world of the 21st century is very different from that of the past and that the time had come to reassess the future of Catholic schools.
"Our Catholic school system is one of the 'jewels in the crown' of the Catholic community in our region and has few parallels overseas," Bishop Walker said.
Catholic Schools at a Crossroads
2587 Kb, 8/08/2007
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World Youth Day
It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience this great gathering of young people from around the world on our own shores, in our own homes and in our parish communities.
Activ8 is the name given to the pastoral programme of events, activities and materials developed by WYD08 to prepare our young people across the Dioceses in our parishes, youth groups, schools and homes for World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney.
For More Information >
Parent Voice Online
- Respond to topical issues
- Request permission to post an issue/topic
(Click here: type "Parent Voice Online Request" in the subject line)
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Family School Partnership Framework
The national Family-School Partnerships Framework helps school communities build effective partnerships with families to support student learning.
The Family – School Partnerships Framework is based on existing good practice and provides an agreed national approach to guide schools and families working on these issues. It recognises that many positive developments and innovations are already occurring in schools and that a "one size fits all" approach to partnerships is not feasible. Partnerships need to be underpinned by broad principles and strategies but remain specific to school context, including family/community characteristics, school size, levels of schooling and student needs.
DEST's Draft Family School Partnership Framework can be downloaded here.
The evaluation report on the Draft Framework is also available here.
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Healthy Canteen Strategy
The Healthy Canteen Strategy is a NSW Government Strategy for School Canteens, supported and endorsed by the NSW Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Commission, the Association of Independent Schools and NSW Health.
Other organisations and groups who have been active members in developing the strategy are; The NSW School Canteen Association, SRC (Student Representative Council), NSW Secondary Principal's Council, NSW Primary Principals' Council, Federation of Parents and Citizens' Association, Council of Catholic School Parents, Canteen Managers and Independent nutritionists.
The Fresh Tastes Newsletters can be downloaded from the NSW Canteen Association Website (another great resource!) Click here >
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Parenting in Practice
Parenting in Practice is a simple and straight forward book that is based on common sense principles of parenting. It is clearly divided into two sections, which reflects the strong emphasis that is placed on ‘here and now parenting’, and ‘parenting for the future’. Here and now parenting details the three main ingredients of everyday parenting: boundaries, consequences and consistency. It also explores some common sense strategies for use in certain situations. It has a strong focus on recognising good behaviour and rewards, but also talks about consequences when things don’t go to plan. The second distinct section, ‘parenting for the future’, looks at the relationship between parent and child with detailed discussion about nurturing the relationship, as well as the importance of being both approachable and flexible. It invites parents to remember about the relationship that they are building with their child for the future – the relationship they are building now is an investment for the future. The book also maintains that a good relationship between parent and child, while not preventing all problems, will be protective against stress, behaviour problems and further relationship difficulties in the future. The book also provides a list of selected referral points that parents may turn to if experiencing particular difficulties.
Parenting in Practicehas a positive and affirming approach, building on the strengths inherent in its readers. It aims to facilitate simple solutions to the common and everyday challenges of parenting.
Parenting in Practice has been sponsored by the CCSP, the Sydney Archdioceses' Federation of Catholic School Parent Associations and the Parramatta Dioceses' Parents Representative Council.
An order form can be downloaded here.
Talking with your children about drugs
Resources
The following are some useful resources for parents, and schools, on talking to young people about drugs. They also contain advice about how to handle suspected drug use.
The Australian government has just launched the third phase of its National Drug Campaign, targeting parents.
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The Drug Education Program in Catholic Schools is delivered through the Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) Key Learning Area, in particular, and other Key Learning Areas of the curriculum as appropriate. Schools also provide drug education through initiatives affecting the entire school.
Towards Wholeness is a document that provides teachers in Catholic schools with a Catholic perspective on the NSW Board of Studies Syllabus for Personal Development, Health and Physical.
More information can be downloaded from the CEC Drug Education Website Click here >
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