TCE Connect

What is a Teaching Performance Assessment?

17 October 2024 | By Peter Stower

The Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) is an assessment of reflective practice completed by the pre-service teacher in the final year of their professional placement in a school. It’s an important step for both new teachers and principals to gain confidence in the teacher’s ability to

School Refusal: What Is It & How Can It Be Managed?

18 September 2024

Many children and young people will express a reluctance to go to school at different times during their education. For approximately 0.4 – 5.4% of school aged children this can lead to school refusal. There is no single “cause” for school refusal and the reasons for school refusa

Exploring Career Paths

11 September 2024 | By Jessica Brown-Kenyon

The landscape of life, learning, and work is constantly evolving. The concept of a "job for life" is a thing of the past, making it essential for schools to educate young people on how to navigate this changing environment. Whether through a career-focused approach or integrated within broader educa

JCU Student receives Townsville Catholic Education Award

9 September 2024

The 2023 Catholic Education Prize was awarded to Melissa Lovell, a graduating student from the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) program. This prestigious prize, established in 1997, recognizes a student with the highest overall achievement in both academic studies and professional e

Small Town, Big Impact: A Graduate Teacher's Passion for Teaching in her Hometown

13 August 2024 | By Olivia Licciardello

Born and raised in the small town of Ayr in far North Queensland, school has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up in a close-knit community meant that teachers and friends were a constant presence in my life. Imagine going from prep to grade 12 with the same group of friends and havin

The Future is Here: RoboSumo competition showcases tech-savvy students

1 August 2024

St Anthony's Primary School hosted an exciting and innovative competition on Tuesday 30 July, bringing together six primary schools from the Townsville Diocese for a day of technological challenges. The RoboSumo competition saw students from St Anthony's, Marian, St Benedict's, St Clare's, St Joseph

Founders Day 2024: A Celebration of Community in the Burdekin Catholic Schools

30 July 2024

The magic of faith, hope and love was shining bright across the Burdekin on Friday, 26th July as Burdekin Catholic High School, St Colman’s Catholic School, and St Francis Catholic School celebrated their annual Founders’ Day.  This cherished tradition honours those who laid the gro

Deus Caritas Est Award Recipients

26 July 2024

The Catholic Education Deus Caritas Est Award is our most prestigious student award and is presented during Catholic Education Week at the Catholic Education Week Mass. Each of our secondary schools nominated one representative (Year 12 student) who demonstrated a commitment to Christian living

Spirit of Catholic Education Awards

24 July 2024

Earlier this week, we celebrated our Spirit of Catholic Education Award nominees and winner! These awards highlight the important work being undertaken by staff, parents, carers and volunteers who support Catholic school students. Nominees, including teams, are recognised across a number of categori

Catholic Education Week - Bishop's Tim Homily

24 July 2024

On Tuesday 23 July, members of the Townsville Catholic Education community gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral to celebrate Catholic Education Week Mass. In his homily, Bishop Tim made a connection between Catholic Education Week's theme of Communities of Faith, Hope and Love and the distinctive miss

Do you have to be Catholic to attend a Catholic school in Australia?

12 July 2024

Does my child need to be Catholic? Short answer is nope! Our Catholic schools are open to all who want to bask in our stellar education! We are all about the families who want to share our educational goal, inspired by Christian values. Granted, baptised Catholics have a slight edge when it comes to

How to Develop Critical Thinking in Students

27 June 2024 | By Dr Timothy Smith

Critical thinking continues to be one of the most important skills that employers seek in the workplace. The leading global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company recently reported that cognitive skills, which include critical thinking, are essential to future-proof individuals’ ability to wo

The Benefits of Service Learning

20 June 2024 | By Anita Livingston

What is Service Learning? Service learning describes pathways for learning that are grounded in students’ experiences of service action, but include purposeful reflection to discern the inner transformation that results from encounters with others. These two intentional components of service a

Teaching and Regional Areas- Top Benefits and Rewards

6 June 2024 | By Chloe McLaren

Embarking on a teaching career in remote Australia has been one of the most rewarding and unique experiences of my professional and personal life. Mount Isa, in North West Queensland, where I now call home, is a place where community and collaboration intertwine with the beauty and tranquility of ou

A Guide to Catholic Education Disability Support Available

6 June 2024 | By Amanda Holden

Catholic schools are committed to fostering cultures of inclusion that respond to the educational needs of students regardless of their abilities, backgrounds and aspirations. This commitment to inclusive practices is supportive of both Catholic Church teaching and Australian Government legislative

Bringing Innovation and Functionality to Prep Classrooms at St Francis Catholic School, Ayr

31 May 2024 | By Amanda Jones

St Francis Catholic School in Ayr is proud to announce the completion of our newly refurbished Prep classrooms, designed by i4 Architecture and constructed by Simon Bell Construction.  The project, fully funded by the school, aims to create a modern and functional learning environment for our y

Mary Help of Christians Netball Carnival: A Day of Fun and Competition

29 May 2024 | By Lauren Dee

Thursday, May 9th, saw the annual Mary Help of Christians netball carnival take place at Townsville Basketball. This highly anticipated event, convened by Southern Cross Catholic College, brought together eight teams from various Catholic and Christian schools in the Townsville area. With participan

Celebrating Cricket in Schools Award

21 May 2024

Southern Cross Catholic College, Annandale has won Cricket Australia's and Queensland Cricket's 'Celebrating Cricket in Schools Award' for the 2023/24 season! This award is an amazing thrill for the many students and staff who have contributed to the growth and development of Cricket at the College

The Role of Catholic Schools in Moral and Ethical Education

15 May 2024 | By Mary Mudge

Catholic education supports families in their efforts to educate their children, not only academically but holistically so they may reach their full potential as compassionate, life-giving members of society who are inspired by the Catholic tradition.  The Importance of Early Learning on Morals

7 Reasons Why Teaching is Such A Rewarding Career Path

13 May 2024 | By John Nuttall

Like all professions, teaching has its challenges and rewarding moments. I began my teaching career in 1988, and I can honestly say that the profession's rewarding aspects outweigh any hardship. I feel blessed that I chose this career when I left school. For those who are considering becoming a teac

Vocation Enlightened the Radio Star

13 May 2024

The contemporary world of teaching is so much more than the Jackson 5 sang about in 1970. As well as A, B, Cs and 1, 2, 3s, teachers are increasingly responsible for the holistic care and development of students. Whether it is coaching sporting teams before school, running musical rehearsals on week

Empowering Teachers, Empowering Students

18 March 2024 | By Rebecca Lucey

Empowering Teachers, Empowering Students: The Benefits of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers in the Classroom When teachers grow and continue to learn both professionally and personally, so do your children in their classroom. This is evident as teachers progress through the different career stag

Tweens and teens and their skin

12 March 2024 | By Dana Zolli

Recently, I've received an influx of parents with tweens and teens seeking advice about their young daughters' 7-step skincare routines and obsession with all things Mecca and Sephora. Yes, you read that right, 7-step skincare routines! As a Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist with more than 25 years

Teaching in a Catholic School: Nurturing Faith, Wisdom, and Community

28 February 2024

The Catholic school is an educational community where learning, culture, faith and life find a meeting place. It is a place for learning and teaching that seeks to nurture and develop the faith of individuals in ways that are mindful of their cultural and religious identity. Making every child&rsqu

Student Wellbeing Spotlight: How the Love Bites Program Promotes Respectful Relationships

14 February 2024 | By Annette McCarthy

The Love Bites Respectful Relationships Program has been run in most of our Secondary colleges and is strongly supported by the TCE office and school staff. As the Manager of the Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Services (SW&PS) in the Townsville Diocese, I have strongly supported our Guidance C

Issuing advice to parents during Severe Weather Events

22 January 2024

During a weather event it is very important for parents/carers to be aware of school procedures in the event of school closures or affected access due to floods, cyclones or severe weather. Townsville Catholic Education (TCE) works closely with Education Queensland (EQ) in determining school cl

Safe School Travel: a Guide for Parents and Carers

19 January 2024 | By Krystal Stevens

Safe School Travel: A Guide for Parents and Carers As a new school year begins, many families are looking at safe school travel plans for their children. While allowing children to travel independently is a great way for them to develop confidence and new skills, it's important to ensure they are eq

Improving Reading Culture Among Students

8 January 2024 | By Amanda Banister and Rachael Hood

Townsville Catholic Education (TCE) believes that literacy is a human right intrinsically important for human development and well-being and works with school staff to develop a strong reading culture in all of our schools. Reading is fundamental to a student’s ability to engage and learn at

The Role of Technology in Modern Education

19 December 2023

It’s no secret that technology is now an integral part of the way we live, work and learn. Information has never been more accessible with the help of the internet and its vast sources of knowledge at the click (or tap) of a button. Naturally, the benefits of technology have transformed the wa

What's Catholic About Parental Engagement?

1 December 2023

Article source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19422539.2023.2276919 Introduction This article will examine the concept of parental engagement in young people’s learning, as it relates to practice within Catholic schools. This examination will utilise the lens of Catholic S