From 22 April – 19 May, Catholic education in the Diocese of Ballarat is running a diocesan-wide TV and radio advertising campaign to let more families know about the wonderful opportunities a Catholic education can offer for their children. The campaign invites prospective families, including those who may not have previously felt they could/would consider a Catholic education, to take a closer look at our Catholic schools, and ‘discover affordable, contemporary Catholic education’. Watch out for the ‘ad’ across regional Ch 7, 10, WIN TV, and FM radio. Big thanks to the talented students, teachers, and parents who participated in the production! Check it out below!

Mother and daughter teachers, Sharon, and Eliza Dwyer, are among the 17 nominees for this year’s Spirit of Catholic Education Awards, recognising outstanding contribution to Catholic education in the Diocese of Ballarat. Sharon, who teaches Prep at Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC), Warrnambool and daughter Eliza, who is Religious Education Leader at St Patrick’s, Port Fairy, are nominated for the awards in the categories of ‘Empowering all to flourish’ and ‘Building Inclusive Catholic Learning Communities’, respectively. Described by Principal Steve Madden as a ‘true legend of teaching’, Sharon commenced teaching at OLHC in 1980, fresh out of Aquinas Teachers College. Reflecting on her approach to teaching, Sharon says while…

Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) School, Wendouree teacher and author, Jodi Toering, is passionate about inspiring children to write creatively and has collaborated with fellow author, Sue Lawson, to publish a practical guide for teachers and students. ‘Titled ‘Inside Story’, the guide aims to introduce young writers to the different approaches to storytelling and help them gain the confidence to put pen to paper. ‘The idea came from a combination of hearing of the challenges experienced by teachers and wanting to support them, as well as nurture young writers,’ Jodi and Sue said. ‘We wanted to create an accessible, fun, but most of all, practical guide.’ Jodi says in…

With Auslan becoming an increasingly popular choice of second language for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat, more than 200 teachers and Deaf community members will come together today (Monday 15th April) for professional learning focusing on promoting inclusion through the Auslan Teachers as Co-Learners (TCL) program. Auslan TCL provides an innovative pedagogical approach to language learning in Victorian Catholic schools which is underpinned by research in best-practice languages programs and inclusive education programs. Catholic Education Ballarat Leader of Teaching and Learning, Joe Ewing says 17 Catholic primary schools across the Diocese of Ballarat now offer Auslan as their language program. ‘Learning both English and Auslan – one auditory…

Any student teachers enjoying the term break and thinking about where to begin their teaching career next year might want to take a look at the opportunities on offer in the Diocese of Ballarat. From the Murray river to the sea, a wide range of career and lifestyle opportunities are available across 63 primary and secondary school settings. Check out further information, and don’t miss the video where some of our recent graduate teachers identify COMMUNITY, OPPORTUNITIES, BELONGING, SUPPORT and GROWTH as key features of their experience joining a DOBCEL school community.

DOBCEL has now been awarded Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) certification recognising the high-level of safety and security standard of its SIMON platform. ‘The security of data across all 58 of our DOBCEL schools and offices is a very high priority particularly against the backdrop of the increasing number of data hacking and theft incidents occurring,’ Executive Director Tom Sexton said. ‘While we can never absolutely guarantee data security, this ST4S certification for our SIMON community is a rigorous process, and we are proud that it has met and exceeded the requirements.’ The ST4S program is a national initiative developed to enhance the security, privacy, interoperability, and online safety of…

February school census data has revealed more families in the Diocese of Ballarat are choosing a Catholic education with 2024 enrolments across 63 primary and secondary schools increasing by 273 students or 1.5%, representing more than 1 in 5 of all students in the region. The figures show increases of 110 primary students to 10,178, and 163 secondary students to 8,467, a total of 18,645, up from 18,372 in 2023. Executive Director of Catholic Education in the diocese, Tom Sexton, says with many Catholic schools in smaller communities where population and schooling demand can be variable, the overall increase in enrolments is pleasing. ‘Research shows families value the holistic approach…

Around 30 beginning teachers from around the Diocese gathered today for the first of our early career teacher program days – a three-year integrated program designed to support early career teacher induction into the diocese and the teaching profession, within the context of Catholic education. In welcoming the early career teachers, Executive Director, Tom Sexton reminded them of their vital role and responsibility in the lives of their students. ‘You will have already experienced the joy of seeing children learning and growing in your classes but be assured your influence and impact will be lifelong and may not be realised until many years down the track.’ The early career teacher’s…

The Spirit of Catholic Education Award is aimed at continuing to recognise the outstanding service and leadership within Catholic education throughout our Diocesan school communities, and Catholic Education Office. It is with great pleasure that the nominees for the 2024 Spirit of Catholic Education Award are shared with our communities. Congratulations to the following nominees: Christina Sofis (Loreto College) – Fostering Inspiring Leadership Sharon Dwyer (OLHC Warrnambool) – Empowering all to Flourish Kevin Brodie (DOBCEL Ballarat Office) – Empowering all to Flourish Finance and Compliance Team (St Brigid’s College) – Enhancing Family Engagement, Governance and Stewardship Cynthia Maiden (St Joseph’s, Hopetoun) – Enhancing Family Engagement, Governance and Stewardship Olga Lyons (St Patrick’s, Port Fairy) – Fostering Inspiring Leadership…

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat are committed to delivering best practice approaches to supporting students with diverse requirements to fully flourish across their learning and wellbeing. Key among these commitments is having a dedicated leader responsible for learning diversity and inclusion in every school. These school leaders and DOBCEL Education Officers – Learning Diversity, come together in regional networks each term. The networks support collaboration and sharing of best practices and insights, through discussion of inclusive teaching strategies and resources, as well as empower leaders to enhance learning environments and address diverse requirements in schools effectively. The networks have now commenced their meetings across the diocese for 2024.…