Bunsen burners, crazy chemical reactions, liquid nitrogen experiments and making slime… it’s all the best parts of science on offer for students in the St Joseph’s, Albion Park Science Club. A place where mistakes are all learning opportunities and all learning opportunities are fun, the fortnightly get-together is keeping students excited, engaged and educated about the wonderful world of science.

Read more about the St Joseph's Science Club and hear from students directly via video. 

mBots at the ready! School versus school, mate versus mate, it was game on for the regional rounds of CEDoW’s 2018 mBot Coding Competition. Students from Years 2 to 10 from across the Diocese have used the fun, competitive atmosphere as an opportunity to test out their coding abilities across a range of robotics challenges.

While many take for granted the Queen’s Birthday public holiday as a chance to enjoy a long weekend, a Kindergarten student from Ss Peter and Paul, Kiama certainly did not.

Young Harry McInnes was amazed that he received a whole day off from school on Monday 11 June and wanted to know more about this holiday.

Catholic primary and secondary schools across the Diocese of Wollongong have creatively and generously raised funds and donated goods to the Vinnies Winter Appeal over the past several months to help those in need in our region this winter.

Our school communities have dug deep to make a significant difference to local families struggling this winter and beyond. They’ve held collection drives, sleepouts, pyjama days, ‘winter woolies’ mufti days and walkathons to raise over $15,000 dollars for local Vinnies conferences and donate several thousand much-needed essentials, including blankets, warm clothes, toiletries, canned goods and other food items.

In a formidable coming-together of a school community, Good Samaritan Fairy Meadow students from Kindergarten to Year 6, former students, parents, grandparents and teachers have worked together to put on a spectacular stage performance of ‘Kids in Camelot’.

In early Term 3, over a thousand Year 5 and 6 students started with a blank canvas for the Christmas Story Art Competition. Now, after weeks of reflection, planning and work with a range of art materials and techniques, 50 talented young artists have had their artworks selected and celebrated at CEDoW's 2018 Christmas Story Art Exhibition.

In a wonderful gesture of kindness, Year 4 student Beau Hart from Stella Maris, Shellharbour recently donated to the Vinnies Drought Appeal his valuable ice-cream container of savings for an upcoming holiday.

In inspiring and uplifting celebrations, over 1,500 students from Year 6 classrooms around the Diocese have gathered together as communities of faith with Bishop Brian Mascord to mark their final year of primary school.

The series of Year 6 Masses with the Bishop saw students, staff, clergy and guests from 30 school communities congregate in three regional clusters across the Diocese of Wollongong.

In a room full of optimism for the promise of the rich teaching careers lying ahead of them, 77 CEDoW staff have been officially acknowledged as Proficient Teachers by Director of Schools, Peter Turner, Catholic school principals and CEDoW leaders at the annual Accreditation Recognition Ceremony.

Through a wonderful series of events, St Paul’s, Moss Vale have recently celebrated their 70th anniversary and also, 130 years since the official blessing of St Paul's Parish Catholic Church. Students have prayed, painted, sung, danced and gone ‘back in time’ on a history walk – all marking this significant milestone in the life of their community.

There’s nothing like a shuffleboard table to bring some of Macarthur’s oldest and youngest folk together. Magdalene Catholic High School, Narellan hosted Carrington Aged Care residents in an inaugural inter-generational shuffleboard competition on Tuesday.

Each Book Week, our Catholic schools come alive with costumes, characters, colour and creativity to celebrate Australian children’s literature. 

At Holy Family, Ingleburn, students and staff wholeheartedly embrace the occasion of Book Week. The school uses the week in August to bring books to life in a distinctly engaging and memorable way - threading their book parade into an exciting Book Week performance that gets the whole school community involved.

As the HSC approaches and Year 12 currently complete their trials, it is hoped that many of our CEDoW students have been able to sit their Studies of Religion (SOR) exams with an enhancement of knowledge, after attending enrichment days focused on a range of SOR syllabus topics - from bioethics to Aboriginal Spirituality, presented by experienced facilitators.

Each year across Australia, the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) brings children and books together to celebrate Book Week. During this time, schools, libraries, booksellers, authors, illustrators and children collectively acknowledge Australian children's literature.

Book Week, a highlight on the school calendar, runs this year from Saturday 18 August to Friday 24 August, themed "find your treasure", to inspire the celebration of Australian children’s books and reading.

With only a cardboard tent held together with duct tape to call home for the night, Nicole Van Ingen, Principal of St Mary’s Star of the Sea, Milton, joined 30 CEOs from around the Illawarra to brave the cold and ‘sleep rough’ for a night in support of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

CEDoW has long been a supporter of the St Vincent de Paul Society and when the call went out inviting our school principals to be involved, Nicole did not hesitate to volunteer.

A final event to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of Magdalene Catholic High School, Narellan is fast approaching!

Principal, Matt McMahon is reaching out to all members of our CEDoW community to invite them to join in the festivities of their 'Return to Magdalene Day' this Saturday, 18th August.

For more details and to read Mr McMahon's message, read on.

Aligned with our Faith in Action guidelines, Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong is heavily promoting and encouraging individual and school community support to be provided to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s - NSW major drought appeal in a coordinated approach, providing transparency about how our funding is being spent. Further, we are staying in close contact with Vinnies to determine and monitor local need for assistance required by families in our area.

Students at St Benedict’s Catholic College, Oran Park have fundraised at their annual College Celebration Day a remarkable $8,000 for CatholicCare Wollongong, with the funds raised to be put towards the development of a program to support students and their parent/caregivers to navigate the challenges and harness the strengths of technology in their daily lives. 

It is intended that the program will be built on evidence-based research and be tested for efficacy. Once established, it is hoped that the program will make a positive impact on the well-being of students throughout the Diocese and be a legacy of the goodwill and generosity of the St Benedict's school community.

Like many young girls, 11 year old Jade loved her long hair. Last week, it went all the way down past her elbows! But the St Patrick’s, Port Kembla student has since cut all her long locks off for a very good cause - to donate it to other children who have lost their hair due to illness.  

Jade decided to get the big chop for charity and send her hair to Variety - the Children’s Charity’s ‘Hair with Heart’ program.

American mathematician, William Thurston, said: "The real satisfaction from mathematics is in learning from others and sharing with others". That’s what Year 7 and 8 students from Catholic secondary schools across the Diocese experienced at the recent Stage 4 Mathematics Enrichment Days.

Over 200 students from our systemic secondary schools attended the events - the first at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the second at Western Sydney University (WSU).

Over 150 Year 6 students from Holy Family, Ingleburn; Mary Immaculate, Eagle Vale; and St Francis, Edmondson Park have been the first in the Diocese to participate in the Catholic Youth Ministry Wollongong team’s new ACTIVATE fire program.

Generously hosted by Holy Family, Ingleburn, in their new school hall, students from the three schools were all treated to a day-long immersive spiritual experience. A range of sessions were on offer throughout the morning and afternoon that included a mix of singing and prayer, discussion and reflection, games and workshops.

With the HSC just over 3 months away, Year 12 students are being encouraged to use the upcoming holiday break to plan effectively for their exams.

The 2018 HSC Study Guide is designed to help students in that preparation, providing useful advice for students for this year's exams and 'surviving Year 12 and beyond'. 

Read on for more information and a link to the guide.

Year 9 students at St John the Evangelist, Nowra have been given a valuable opportunity to immerse themselves in all things STEM for a day, taking on challenges designed to develop a range of useful science, technology, engineering and mathematics thinking and skills for their future.

Organised by the school, the day engaged over 160 students in four different STEM activities - each testing the students and exposing them to different STEM competencies.

Over 70 students from Catholic secondary schools across the Diocese have gathered together to participate in CEDoW’s Secondary Students Social Justice Forum.

The Year 9 and 10 students, many in social justice leadership positions at their schools, travelled to the Xavier Centre in Wollongong to discuss ideas and explore the themes around Catholic Social Teaching in contemporary society.

It’s not every day you get the opportunity to meet a princess however former John Therry Rosemeadow student, Tennille Vitagliano, did just that when she was awarded the prestigious Crown Princess Mary Scholarship from the University of Copenhagen for her research in the field of immunology.

You may have had an ultrasound or X-ray, an MRI or CAT scan...but do you know the science behind how this medical imaging equipment works? That’s what Year 12 Physics students from Corpus Christi, Oak Flats visited Wollongong Hospital to find out.

The group toured the hospital’s range of imaging facilities in order to further their understanding of how physics is used in medicine every day to detect abnormalities in the human body and save lives.

On Friday 22 June, the community of St Thomas More, Ruse gathered at their parish church for a Mass to honour the feast day of their patron saint and to celebrate the school’s significant 40th anniversary. A much anticipated event, shared with students, staff, families (past and present) and parishioners, giving thanks for the last 40 years.

If you want the most accurate, up-to-date research and information around alcohol and others drugs, Paul Dillon is your man. Holy Spirit College, Bellambi and St Joseph’s, Albion Park were fortunate to host the founder and director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) this week as he worked with local students, parents and staff on a wide range of alcohol and other drug issues among young people.

Chloe Brown, from St Joseph’s, Albion Park, is preparing to take a once in a lifetime pilgrimage as one of 20 Year 10 and 11 students from across NSW to win a Premier's Anzac Memorial Scholarship that will see her touring the battlefields of the Western Front in Europe. 

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” - Matthew 18:20

Thousands of Year 12 students from fourteen of our systemic and congregational Catholic secondary schools across the Diocese have gathered together in this Year of Youth to share their thoughts and ideas, and get to know our newly-ordained Bishop Brian Mascord.

Bishop Brian Mascord, Director of Schools, Peter Turner, several senior CEO staff and other local dignitaries have joined the Mary Immaculate, Eagle Vale school community for the official opening and blessing of their new learning space. Comprising six classrooms, a large general learning area, several small breakout rooms and an outdoor learning area and garden, this new facility caters for twenty-first century learning and teaching in a growing school. 

The school community of Holy Family, Ingleburn has gathered to celebrate the official opening of its new parish school hall. Joining them were many distinguished guests including Director of Schools, Peter Turner and Bishop Brian Mascord, who blessed the new facilities and unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion - the first under his leadership of the Diocese.

The Stella Maris, Shellharbour school community is celebrating their 60th Anniversary with week-long plans, including the involvement of past and present students, staff, parents, and invited special guests.

“Full STEAM Ahead”, the catchy theme of the 2018 Mathematical Association of NSW (MANSW) Wollongong Cluster Biannual Conference, was held on Saturday 19 May at the University of Wollongong with over 100 educators in attendance.

Students from Ss Peter and Paul Kiama have proven themselves worthy competitors in their first year at the Australian Aeronautical Velocity Challenge (AAVC) - a competition designed to encourage STEM skills across all year levels and education sectors, by building rockets, planes and drones to complete various challenges.

For Nicole Van Ingen and her family, homelessness has a face and it’s personal. That face is the birth mother of their adopted son David, who has had to call the streets home for much of the last 10 years.

National Families Week is held from 15-21 May 2018 (coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May).

Students from Stella Maris, Shellharbour and Corpus Christi, Oak Flats have played a key role in designing the new and improved playground area at Little Park in Shellharbour Village - officially opened by Shellharbour City Council last week. 

YMCA Youth Parliament is a unique program in which the best and brightest youth engage with national politics and present real bills to Parliament on issues that affect them. Youth Parliament is not just an exercise, since its beginning in 2002 over half a dozen pieces of YMCA NSW Youth Parliament youth legislation have been passed into NSW Law, including the recent Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

Ciao dall’Italia! (Hello from Italy!) 

Students from Holy Spirit College, Bellambi and St Joseph’s Catholic High School, Albion Park have enjoyed a trip together to Italy - touring the country, learning in an Italian school and even living with local Italian families - in a unique learning opportunity offered by the two Catholic schools.

The week-long inter-diocesan STEM challenge - Project Stay Afloat 2018 - has seen 1,700 students from over 60 classes in 30 schools across the Dioceses of Wollongong and Lismore use their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics skills to create in-class solutions to a global problem: rising sea levels.

Which Diocese of Wollongong school won the challenge?

Are you a student in Years 8-11? Enjoy creative writing? Have a passion for social justice, human rights and eco-justice? We have the competition for you! The Edmund Rice Centre invites you to take part in their 2018 Justice Literary Writing Competition.

See here for competition details, prizes and how to enter.

For details and to purchase tickets, continue reading. 

National Families Week, held from 15 to 21 May, aims to celebrate the vital role that families play in Australian society. 

Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. 

Community gathered on Sunday 15 April to pay their respects to the victims of the Appin Massacre at a memorial hosted by Winga Myamly Reconciliation Group, in remembrance of the massacre of Aboriginal people 202 years ago.

Grace Mulley, a Year 12 student at Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats, has won the prestigious Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award for 2018.