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News and Updates 

CSSC FOUNDATION PHASE WINTER SPORTS FESTIVAL – 11 MAY
Sixty teams participated in the soccer and netball festivals that were held at Sacred Heart College on Saturday 11 May.  There were sections for Grades 1, 2 and 3 and the competition was tough, showing tremendous potential for the future of these sports in our schools.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS SUNDAY – 12 MAY
Throughout the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria, schools and parishes united to acknowledge and celebrate the role of our schools in providing a faith-based education for thousands of young people.

GROWING LEADERS – 15 MAY

The fourth module of the CSO Leadership Course took place at St David’s Marist Inanda.  The day focused on Spirited Leadership and Financial and Strategic Planning.  The presenters were Raymond Perrier and Julie Stacey (Jesuit Institute) and Mike Greeff and Mike Boden (St David’s).

Events held in Pretoria
Child Safeguarding- Staff from St John's Convent in animated discussion at a Childsafeguarding Policy training which was held at St John's Convent on 19 April. It was led by Sr Maureen Yenson from CIE.
Bursars forum - the Pretoria Bursars Forum gathered at CBC on 5 March for a workshop on debtors control. The most instructive presentation was lead by Dr Rob Hurlin from Cornerstone College.
Principals retreat - BR Michael Burke led the retreat for the Pretoria Principals at Nazareth House on 25 April
Meditation workshop- RE teachers deep in meditation at the RE workshop held in Pretoria on 24 April at the Denis Adami Hall
Gr 11 Mass held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on 1 March. photos: 1) Archbishop Slattery was the chief celebrant. 2) Gr 11 pupils socializing after the Mass 3) Loreto Convent liturgical dancers

School Events
The residents at Nazareth House had a lovely Easter surprise when some of the Grade 6 Learners from Marist Brothers Linmeyer delivered Easter hampers to the home on Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013.
McAuley House is heading up a campaign to raise awareness regarding the scourge of abuse that is taking place in South Africa, particularly to women and children.  It is called the “KWANELE KWANELE” (Enough is Enough) -in Zulu.   If you’d like to know more, contact the school on 011 726 1310 or download the flyer.	Foundation Phase Cricket: Inclement weather forced a change in format for the festival resulting in everyone getting involved to ensure that all the participants enjoyed one full round of matches.  The CSSC is thrilled that participation has increased from 5 teams in 2012 to 23 teams this year.

Rugby 7s – Saturday 16 March
Five schools participated in the festival held at Marist Brothers Linmeyer on 16th March.  The matches were strongly contested and the competitive spirit was evident throughout the festival.  De La Salle Holy Cross College 1st and 2nd teams won both the bowl and cup events and Veritas College won the plate event.

Orientation session for newly appointed Board members – 16 March

Rosa facilitated an opportunity for new board members of Catholic schools to explore the philosophy and ethos of Catholic education, understand some of the structures operating in the network and be equipped to live out the vision of the founders of our schools.  The workshop also dealt with the mechanics of board functions such as the distinction between governance and management.  The handbook “Serving Catholic Schools  ” was made available.

Module 3 “Growing leaders” – Thursday 14 March

Marist Brothers Linmeyer hosted the third module of the Growing Leaders Course.  ‘Working with and through people’ was presented by Gary Norton, Principal of Marist Brothers Linmeyer, and Mike Thiel, Principal of Dominican Convent School.  The Spirited Leadership component was presented by Julie Stacey, an associate of the Jesuit Institute.  It was a successful and stimulating day, characterised by a great deal of interactive participation and networking.

Grade 12 Leadership Booster Evenings

As a follow up to the annual CSC Leadership Day, Grade 12 Leaders were invited to attend the Booster Evenings, in an effort to support them for their remaining term of office. These evenings were hosted by St David’s Marist Inanda on 11 March, and by De La Salle Holy Cross College on 12 March. We thank Nicci Glanville and Judy Werth for coordinating these evenings.

Diocesan Bursars Workshop – 9 March
Nathan Johnstone presented guidelines on Financial Administration to  the Bursars of the Diocesan Schools.   The workshop was hosted by St John Berchman’s Primary School.

Planning meeting Catholic Schools Week: Tuesday 12 March

The 2013 theme, CATHOLIC SCHOOLS RAISING STANDARDS IN THE YEAR OF FAITH, was introduced and ideas and suggestions were brainstormed and then shared for schools to consider.  Have a look at the introductory powerpoint presentation (download) and keep an eye out for the weekly updates that will be added to provide further ideas for consideration.

Restorative Justice: 5 March 2013

Eileen Young, Principal of St Mary’s College, Adelaide presented this seminar at Sacred Heart College.  Restorative Justice focuses on the needs of both the victim and offender in a situation and aims to restore relationships  in all situations.

Teachers Seminar - Pretoria: 22 February
Teachers Seminar held on 22 February at Dominican School for Deaf Children in Hammerskraal. Celebrant: Archbishop Slattery.

New Teachers Orientation Day - Johannesburg: 19 February
Held at Koinonia and led by Brother Michael Burke, this opportunity to gain knowledge and insight into the nature and identity of Catholic schools generally was well supported and successful.

CSSC High School Swimming Galas: 19 February

The CSSC Committee organised two galas this year.  The A gala was hosted by De La Salle Holy Cross College and St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls and was held at Ellis Park.  The B gala, which was held for the first time, took place at St Benedict’s College.

CSSC Primary School Swimming Galas: 15 February

Four well attended galas were held.  The host schools were St David’s Marist Inanda, St Teresa’s School, Brescia House School and Sacred Heart College/Dominican Convent School.

Johannesburg RE Workshop: 14 February
Br Mike Chalmers’ presentations explored how the Scripture came to be written down and what the authors were recording as well as the ten methods to “equip learners with appropriate skills for drawing on the Bible for their reflection, prayer and liturgy”.

Johannesburg Principals’ Session: 12 February

Catholic Schools Council Principals’ Representative, Gary Norton, led a session on Appraisal Systems at the meeting that was held at Holy Rosary School.

Radio Veritas: 8 February
Representatives from Dominican Convent, Holy Family, Holy Rosary, McAuley House, Maryvale and Sacred Heart participated in an interview at Radio Veritas about their experiences in a Catholic school, the history of their schools and how being in a Catholic school has contributed to their relationship with God.

CSC AGM - Saturday 2 February
A very well supported CSC AGM took place at St Teresa’s School, Rosebank on Saturday 2 February.  The theme of Raising Standards in Catholic Schools in the Year of Faith was communicated by means of a bright new banner and reinforced by an inspiring address by the keynote speaker, Archbishop Liam Slattery.  The Archbishop focused on the crucial role of RE in school ethos, the need for schools to go beyond the content of education and provide children with a sense of belonging, each one as an individual, and community in order to provide the motivational base to raise our overall standards.  A valuable networking opportunity was provided by tea.  This was followed by breakaway sessions for each of the groups and consisted of the following:  Principals and Board Members explored Performance Appraisal for Principals, presented by Gail Forsman (ISASA), RE Co-ordinators and staff were stimulated by new approaches and creative ideas for teaching lessons, presented by Mary Hyam (De La Salle Holy Cross College), Foundation Phase teachers attended a session presented by Bev Booker.  Juliet Ancer (Psychologist and Journalist with Sunday Times) presented an overview of Victor Frankl’s work, his philosophy, and how one can apply his insights in their own lives, coping with difficult situations and the value of finding meaning in these situations.

Pretoria Principals' Forum - Wednesday 30 January

On Wednesday 30 January, the Pretoria Principals gathered for the AGM of the CSC. It was hosted by Loreto Primary Queenswood. Members of the Council pose in front of the CSO Banner: Catholic Schools Raising Standards in the Year of Faith. On the left, Sherelle Myburgh represented the RE Coordinators Group, and next to her Lizle Ruffels who represented the Bursars Forum.   Marcello Pallozi thanks Stuart Shillinglaw for his commitment and good leadership as Chair of the Principals Forum in Pretoria. The new Chair was elected – Madeleen Gorst-Allman from St Paulus Primary.

Leadership Programme - 2013

The launch of the CSO Growing Leaders Course took place at the Good Shepherd Retreat on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 January. Friday's session focused on Spirited Leadership and was facilitated by Raymond Perrier from the Jesuit institute. Madeleen Gorst-Allman, from St Paulus Primary, and Sonja Swart, from Maties Business School, facilitated a session on Ethos and Ethics. There was lively interaction amongst the 29 delegates and everyone left looking forward to the March session at Marist Brothers Linmeyer.

St Goretti's Ethos Seminar - Friday 18 January
On Friday 18 January Sr Goretti and Renée d’Oliveira held a  workshop on Ethos and the Deed of Agreement in Mmakau for the staff of Tsogo Secondary, Morekolodi Primary, Mmahau Secondary and Mmahau Skills Centre.