12 CatholicOutlook August 2015
Witnesses of life
and hope
Each year, I have the opportunity to address
beginning teachers at their commissioning
ceremony at our annual Education Mass. This
ceremony recognises the commitment made by
our teachers to the special ministry of
Catholic education.
Teaching in a Catholic school is more than a job, it is
a vocation in service of the mission of the Church.
A Catholic school teacher is not only asked to be
a great teacher – knowledgeable in their subject
areas and in the practice of teaching; we also invite
them to be part of something greater – to share
in the work of Church to proclaim the gospel of
Jesus Christ; to support parents and pastors in the
formation of our students; and to be witnesses to
their own faith, and to model that with the children
and young people in their care. This is no mean
endeavor. It requires extraordinary commitment
to the needs of each individual learner and their
academic, spiritual and moral development.
As we celebrate National Vocations Week (2-9
August), I am reminded of the wonderful religious
and lay people who have provided exceptional
models for our young, and not so young, teachers,
particularly St Mary MacKillop who was a great
pioneer for Catholic education in Australia and the
Diocese of Parramatta. These pioneers have laid
great foundations for us to build on and have had a
powerful influence on the Catholic identity of each
of our schools.
Pope Francis, in his address to the Italian Catholic
Teachers Union (UCIIM) in March this year, said the
duty of a good teacher, especially if he or she is
a Christian teacher, is that of “loving with greater
intensity the more difficult, the weaker and the
more disadvantaged pupils”.
He called on teachers to be witnesses of life
and hope:
“I encourage you to renew your passion for man
– one cannot teach without passion! – in his
process of formation, and to be witnesses of life
and of hope. Never, never close a door; open all
of them wide, so that students will have hope.”
Year 3 students from St Oliver’s Primary, Harris Park, with teacher Alicia Sandersan.
Taking a deep dive into literacy
By Kim Brownlie
Across the Diocese of Parramatta, there is a clear focus on our system strategic intent to
improve learning outcomes for each student and to ensure our teachers and staff have
professional and rewarding working lives. In this issue, we will focus on the key priority area of
literacy and, specifically, how programs such as Focus160 and EM4 (English Mathematics
Stage 4) are achieving real results in the classroom.
In 2008, the Australian Government committed
to the National Partnership Agreement on
Literacy and Numeracy to improve national
literacy and numeracy outcomes across Australia.
In response to the National Partnership
Agreement, the NSW Government committed
$261 million over five years to the State
Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan to address
literacy and numeracy underperformance in
Australian primary schools.
Using the funding, the Diocese introduced two
key strategies that work together and are aligned
with the English syllabus:
1. Focus 160 (K-6)
2. EM4 (Years 7-8)
Focus160 – first wave teaching
The Focus160 program requires a