CON

NEC

TIO

NS

CONTENTS

Honour Roll: 2013 Awardees across the Diocese 2

From the Director/ Events 3

From the Diocesan CCD Coordinator 4

Preparing for 2014 5

Catechist Formation: Spirituality Year of Faith 6 & 7

Technology in the Classroom: SmartBoard Tips 8

For the Classroom: Welcome back Class! 9 & 10

From the Classroom 11

Noticeboard, Training Dates & CCD Directory 12

CCD Newsletter Volume 19 Issue 1 Term One 2014

Confraternity

of Christian Doctrine

Diocese of Broken Bay

The Lord made grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden.

Gen 2:9

Catechist Sunday 23 February 2014

© Susan Daily

Waiting…. A Holy Week Reflection

p10

Training & Formation Courses Term 1, 2014

For details see back page of Connections

Page 9

INSERTS:

Application for Service Award

CCD Calendar 2014 Project Compassion Lessons

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander:

Significant Dates 2014

2 Term One 2014

celebrating the work of Catechists

Susan Daily

Training Awards

Level 3 Diploma 35 years of Service Peter Lenehan Pymble

Sheila Evans Gosford Pam Gategood Frenchs Forest Stephanie Li Epping & Carlingford Margaret Lau Epping & Carlingford Bishop Patrick Murphy Award

(30 years of Service)

Glenys Love Frenchs Forest

Rita Malone The Entrance Jan McRae Pittwater

Meralyn Tarte Ku-Ring-Gai Chase Lorraine Anderson Toukley Andree Nash Pymble

Level 2 Certificate Margaret Burg Gosford Lynette Ridgewell Gosford

Preciousa Braganza Chatswood Barbara McCarthy Gosford Linda Taneja St Ives

Thomas Cheung Pennant Hills 25 years Dolly Too Warringah

Jane Crocombe Wyoming Lesley Highfield The Lakes Ken Whalen Warnervale

Maureen Diebold Frenchs Forest Maureen Rutlidge The Lakes 5 years of Service Judith Grenfell Gosford Maureen Vierboom Epping & Carlingford Michael Berman Lindfield & Killara John Hamilton Warringah Maureen Wooldridge Pittwater Melissa Chan Pennant Hills Elena Holmes Woy Woy

Papal Blessing (20 years of Service) Nora Cliff St Ives

John Hurrell Chatswood Chris Coape-Smith Frenchs Forest Heather Ingram Gosford Lina Chan St Ives Angela Cohen Pittwater Susan Jopling Wyoming Mary Holland Gosford Jane Crocombe Wyoming Ann Maitem Hornsby Jill Howcroft Pennant Hills Judith Croke Pittwater Lorrie O’Brien Toukley Celine Kok St Ives Ann Eade Manly Freshwater Bill Tango Manly Freshwater Raymond Laurendet North Harbour Clem Gorman Terrigal David West Pittwater (posthumous award) Giovanna Graziano Pittwater

Level 1 Certificate Norah Marland Wyoming Judith Grenfell Gosford

Suzy Caruso Pittwater Martin O’Brien Warringah Mary Anne Larkin Warnervale Eunice dal Busco Terrigal Donela Riley Kincumber Sandrine Leskovec Pymble Shevorne de Silva Pymble Valma Schmidt Kincumber Elizabeth Mackay Pymble

Maureen Diebold Frenchs Forest Margaret Woodward Woy Woy Trish Rodgers Lindfield & Killara

Excelsa Glinoga Lindfield & Killara 15 years of Service Sue-Anne Sherwood Lindfield & Killara

Elena Holmes Woy Woy Daniela Da Silva Pennant Hills Frank Soriano Pittwater Pauline Honor Arcadia Helen Rodriguez Hornsby John Walsh Gosford Mary Lee Epping & Carlingford Val Kennedy Toukley Micheline Yardin The Entrance

Pascalina Lu Epping & Carlingford Jim McCarthy Gosford Appreciation Certificates Sharon Kavallaris Frenchs Forest Maria Papandrea Warringah Certificates of Appreciation were presented to

students from the following high schools who assisted catechists in the classroom:

Josephine McMahon The Entrance 10 years of Service Katherine McMahon The Entrance Souad Camilleri Chatswood Therese Oakley Frenchs Forest Joan Chisholm Hornsby MacKillop Catholic College Bill Tango Manly Freshwater Debbie Cooper Pymble Warnervale Mabel Torres Woy Woy Alain Corne Wyoming St Edward’s Christian Brothers College Doris Turner The Entrance Terese Di Donato North Harbour Gosford David West Pittwater Belinda Gorham Warringah St Joseph’s Catholic College

Service Awards Mary Harrison Pymble Gosford Marybelle Ignacio Pennant Hills St Leo’s Catholic College

Retired Coordinators Nenita Jenik East Gosford Wahroonga

Sandra Hayne Pennant Hills Denise Jollye Hornsby

40 years of Service Tony Jollye Hornsby

Margaret Andersen Pennant Hills Christine Lawrence East Gosford Judith Thompson Hornsby Jean Lee St Ives

Congratulations to our 2013 Awardees

Papal Blessings

25yr Awards

30yr Awards 35yr Award

40yr Awards

3 Term One 2014

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Diocese of Broken Bay 3

from the director

Welcome back! I hope you have had the opportunity to have a well-deserved break, and feel rested and energised.

I salute our veteran catechists who so generously give of their time and talent year after year and warmly welcome those who have joined us for the first time in this wonderful ministry. I am sure you will find your being part of this ministry extremely fulfilling.

I am delighted to inform you of some of the plans that we have for the CCD ministry in 2014. Following the success of the first two releases of the interactive digital resources in 2013, the development of further supplemental resources for the Walking with Jesus and Pathways to Discipleship curriculums is well underway.

In conjunction with Catholic Conference of Religious Educators in State Schools in NSW-ACT (CCRESS), we are also developing an on-line induction / training program for catechists, making it easier for those wishing to become catechists to gain their accreditation and for catechists who would like to attend more training and formation to do so.

The Parish Support Unit offers various Biblical and other Adult Faith Formation opportunities. Did you know that some workshops and seminars can be counted towards your Levels 1, 2 and 3? Ensure you ask at the time of registration if the seminar / workshop you intend to attend could provide you with an exemption.

In this issue of Connections, you will find a number of handouts including the 2014 CCD calendar, Application for Service Award, Understanding the Old Testament course flyer, Project Compassion lesson plan and a calendar of important dates to the Aboriginal Community. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Ministry organises a number of Aboriginal themed Masses throughout the year and I encourage you to attend one or two of them if you are able.

I may not know some of you personally, but I do look forward to the small opportunities to meet with as many of you as possible throughout the year. I also encourage you to get to know your fellow catechists both from your own parish as well as neighbouring parishes so that we can build new friendships and support each other as the need arises.

I wish you every blessing and thank you again in anticipation of your service to the CCD ministry this coming year.

God Bless

Carole Gan,

Director, Parish Support Unit

Week 1 (26 Jan) Ordinary Time

Week 2 (2 Feb) Ordinary Time

Week 3 (9 Feb) Ordinary Time

Week 4 (16 Feb) Ordinary Time

Week 5 (25 Feb) Ordinary Time

Week 6 (2 March) Ordinary Time

Ash Wednesday

Week 7 (9 March) First Sunday of Lent

Week 8 (16 March) Second Sunday of Lent 18 March—St Patrick 19 March—St Joseph

Week 9 (23 March) Third Sunday of Lent

Week 10 (30 March) Fourth Sunday of Lent

Week 11 (6 April) Fifth Sunday of Lent

Term One 2014 MEETINGS AND EVENTS

CCC – Caroline Chisholm Centre (Pennant Hills); CC – Central Coast; MWP – Peninsula; NSH – North Shore & Hornsby

TERM 1 2014

January 28 TERM 1 COMMENCES

February 3 CC: Parish Coordinators Meeting 10:00am - 1:00pm The Entrance 3 MWP: Parish Coordinators Meeting 9:45am - 12:00pm Manly Vale 3 MWP: Secondary Catechists Meeting 12:30pm - 2:30pm Manly Vale 7 NSH: Parish Coordinators Meeting 10:00am - 12:00pm CCC 17, 24 NSH: CCDMI / Level 1 (Sessions 1 & 2) 9:30am - 2:30pm CCC 18, 25 MWP: CCDMI / Level 1 (Sessions 1 & 2) 9:30am - 2:30pm Forestville 21, 28 CC: CCDMI/ Level 1 (Sessions 1 & 2) 9:30am - 2:30pm The Entrance 23 Catechist Sunday

March 3, 10 NSH: CCDMI/Level 1 (Sessions 5, 6, 7, 8) 9:30pm -2:30pm CCC 4, 11 MWP: CCDMI/ Level 1 (Sessions 5, 6, 7, 8) 9:30am - 2:30pm Forestville 5 Ash Wednesday 7, 14 CC: CCDMI/ Level 1 (Sessions 5, 6, 7, 8) 9:30am - 2:30pm The Entrance 10 CC: Child Protection & Integrity 10:00am - 1:00pm East Gosford 10 NSH: Level 1 (Session 8) 12:30pm - 2:30pm CCC 11 MWP: Level 1 (Session 8) 12:30pm - 2:30pm Forestville 14 CC: Level 1 (Session 8) 12:30pm -2:30pm The Entrance 17,24,31 NSH: Level 1 (Sessions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) 9:30am - 2:30pm CCC 18, 25 MWP: Level 1 (Sessions 9, 10, 11, 12) 9:30am - 2:30pm Forestville 21 CC: Level 1 (Session 9 & 10) 9:30am - 2:30pm The Entrance 28 Parish Coordinators’ Workshop Day CCC 28 Deadline for submitting articles for Connections Term 2

April 4, 11 CC: Level 1 (Sessions 11, 12, 13, 14) 9:30am - 2:30pm The Entrance 7 NSH: Child Protection & Integrity 10:00am - 1:00pm CCC 8 MWP: Level 1 (Sessions 13 & 14) 9:30am - 2:30pm Forestville 11 TERM 1 CONCLUDES 20 Easter Sunday

Seeking Expressions of Interest: Would you prefer to receive a soft copy of Connections? This option may soon

be available. If you think this would be a better option for you please email your

request to: ccdinfo@dbb.org.au

4 Term One 2014

from the Diocesan Coordinator, CCD

A very warm welcome back to all coordinators, catechists and helpers at the beginning of another school year. It seems that the Christmas bells have only just faded into the distance and we are looking forward to that beautiful season of Lent.

In the SRE classroom, Lent provides us with the opportunity to share our faith in a particular way. In our land of plenty, it is important that children begin to develop awareness that there are many in our world who have very little – even many in our own country. The Project Compassion resources from Caritas provide a colourful and hands-on addition to any Lenten lesson for any grade. Whilst we wouldn’t be collecting money in the SRE classroom, the Project Compassion box can be used as a prayer box during Lent and become part of the sacred space for your lessons during the Lenten season. Children can be invited to write a prayer intention on a small piece of paper and post it in the box at any time during Lent. See the flyer on Project Compassion Resources in this edition of Connections or contact your Parish Coordinator for resources or visit the Caritas website: www.caritas.org.au

Prayer in the classroom is always an important component of the work we do. A focus on prayer during Lent sets the tone on this vital aspect of our faith for the rest of the year. If we can teach the children to pray and develop a relationship with Jesus, then we have given them the greatest gift to take into their future. Please note the prayer for the beginning of

the year on page 5 of this edition. Be assured that you and your families are always in my prayers as you go about your work.

On page 11 of this edition, there is a beautiful story by Eulalie O’Keefe about her encounter with a little girl in her class who asked Eulalie about the Rosary. Many of you will remember Eulalie as a Regional CCD Coordinator in the Peninsula Deanery. Eulalie is now a catechist in North Harbour Parish. We love receiving stories from the classroom, so I encourage you this year to drop us a line when a sacred moment of faith occurs in your classroom. I know you all know what I’m talking about as God speaks through the mouths of little children to us all the time – out of the mouths of babes!! Needless to say, we will always protect the identity and privacy of children in any articles you share.

In this edition of Connections, you will notice a page devoted to acknowledging those who received service and accreditation awards during 2013. I congratulate and thank those who are named for their dedication to the SRE ministry. I encourage you to apply for years of service awards for 5, 10, 15, 20 years and beyond. It provides your parish and diocese with an opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful work that is done in the State schools by catechists and to thank you. There is a Service Award application enclosed with this edition. I further encourage you to continue training. I believe we learn something new or deepen our faith every time we take up a training and/or formation opportunity.

Opportunities for formation are also provided in every edition of Connections, with Jennifer Skelly’s Catechist Spirituality pages. Please read and reflect on the wisdom contained in Jennifer’s articles – in this edition on pages 6 and 7.

Our Catholic High School student program which we run collaboratively with the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) will continue in 2014. Last year, we had 83 senior Catholic High School students across the Diocese who assisted in the SRE classroom. This project is proving to have benefits for the children, the high school students and the catechists. My thanks to the CSO and the Catholic High Schools involved in the project. See a short article and photos on page 7.

Catechist Sunday is being celebrated this year on Sunday 23 February. I pray that God will bless you and the children you teach as you begin this important work for another year. Thank you for being a Catechist. Alison Newell Diocesan Coordinator, CCD

Level 3 Diploma 2013

5 Term One 2014

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Diocese of Broken Bay 5

preparing for 2014

Sylvia Holmes ~ Ku-Ring-Gai Chase Parish

Please remember and pray for

catechists who have recently died:

Beginning of the Year Prayer

Gracious God, Bless me as I begin a new year as a catechist. Even as I wonder if I am up to the task, I am inspired by my ancestors in faith.

Give me the courage of Abraham and Sarah, Who did not hesitate when God called them to a new land. Make them my models as I face a new class of energetic learners.

Make me a liberator like Moses, Setting young people free from fear and giving them hope that comes from belief in You.

Give me the wisdom of Samuel to listen more than I speak. Help me provide moments of silence in my class So my learners can reflect on the gift of your love.

Give me the patience of Job, So that whenever my best-laid plans fall flat, I’ll believe that next week can be better.

Give me the justice of Amos, So that I can challenge my learners To build the Kingdom of Justice and Peace here on earth.

Give me the faith of Joseph so that I can be a model of faith. Help me to remember that the children learn from my example

Give me the hospitality of Martha and Mary As I joyfully welcome the children. Make me as practical as Martha in preparing my lessons And as good a listener as Mary.

Give me respect for the dignity of each child entrusted to my care Let me teach as Jesus taught, listening well And patiently allowing my learners to find their path to you.

With your love, the example of your Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, I know I cannot fail. Amen.

As we return to the classroom in 2014 take time to prepare.

You may like to begin doing so with the prayer on this page.

You will also be aware that it is important to plan your lessons in advance. Be Ready.

Remember to use the CONTENTS PAGE in your WWJ teacher’s manual. Note the date

of Ash Wednesday is 5 March 2014 and begin your Lenten lessons close to this date.

Create a welcoming atmosphere by greeting the students as they come into the

classroom.

Convey a message of I’m happy to be here and see you.

See page 9 for further tips for the classroom.

Catechist Sunday Catechist Sunday is an annual event originating in 1935 when the Vatican published a document On the Better Care and Promotion of Catechetical Education it acknowledged the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and asked every country to honour those catechists who serve within their Christian communities.

Sunday 23rd February your parish is asked to stop and think about the incredible work and dedication of volunteer catechists. Your parish may choose any number of ways to recognise and celebrate this ministry, such as:

♦ Commissioning Service with Blessing ceremony;

♦ Inviting catechist prayer partners and the family of the catechist to join in blessing ceremony;

♦ Together reciting the catechist prayer.

♦ Inviting a catechist to highlight their vocation to the ministry;

♦ Offer catechist profiles in the parish bulletin;

♦ Catechist ministry display table;

♦ Joining together for morning tea and a chat after Mass.

6 Term One 2014

catechist formation

Last year marked the end of a very important year in the life of our Church, that of the YEAR OF FAITH. As an active commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council together with the 20th Anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI called each of us to dedicate a year to deepening our faith. Beginning with those inspiring words which hopefully offered direction and ongoing meaning to your lives: “The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return.” Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter, Porta fidei,

www.vatican.va, October 2011, no.1. We were invited to examine more deeply our faith and to grow closer to Christ and His Church. For some of you, it may have been likened to spicing up your faith, for others it may have been a time of renewal, rediscovery and study of the fundamental content of our Christian faith. Study encompasses learning and serious reflection. This is the practise of a mature faith, never the simple learning of facts, or being immersed only in the ‘doing’ but rather a life-time given to learning from witnesses, from their wisdom, insight and understanding, nurturing one’s faith journey into ones heart, to be in communion, into the life God has called us to be. Pope Francis commented on this at the International Day of Catechists in Rome thanking us for our service to the Church and in the Church. “Even if at times it may be difficult and require a great deal of work, and although the results are not always what we hope for, teaching the faith is something beautiful! It is perhaps the best legacy we can pass on: the faith! To educate in the faith, to make it grow. To help children, young people and adults to know and love the Lord more and more is one of the most exciting aspects of education. It builds up the Church! To “be” catechists! Not to “work” as catechists: this will not do. I work as a catechist because I like to teach… But unless you “are” a catechist, it is no good! You will not be successful … you will not bear fruit! Catechesis is a vocation: “being a catechist”, this is the vocation, not working as a

catechist. So keep this in mind: I didn’t say to do the “work” of catechists, but to “be” catechists, because this is something that embraces our whole life. It means leading people to encounter Christ by our words and our lives, by giving witness. Remember what Benedict XVI said: “The Church does not grow by proselytizing; she grows by attracting others”. And what attracts is our witness. Being a catechist means witnessing to the faith, being consistent in our personal life. This is not easy! We help, we lead others to Jesus with our words and our lives, with our witness. I like to recall what Saint Francis of Assisi used to say to his friars: “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words”. Words come… but witness comes first: people should see the Gospel, read the Gospel, in our lives. To “be” a catechist requires love, an ever stronger love for Christ, a love for his holy people. And this love can’t be bought in stores, even in Rome. This love comes from Christ! It is Christ’s gift! And if it comes from Christ, it also starts with Christ, and we too need to start anew with Christ, from the love he gives us”.¹ In our society today, you as catechists are courageous people.

Adapted from Archbishop of Denver

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/denver-archbishop-on-what-comes-after-year-of-faith ,

http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/YOF/index.shtml

Catechist Spirituality and the YEAR OF FAITH (2012 and 2013)

7 Term One 2014

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Diocese of Broken Bay 7

For most of you, only your family, fellow catechists and clergy would understand the kind of sacrifice it takes to continually prepare and witness your faith week after week, year after year in a society where faith is no longer woven into its fabric. Pope Francis beautifully names catechists as “people who keep the memory of God alive; they keep it alive in themselves and they are able to revive it in others”.² One catechist last year commented how through the completion of Level 3 - St John’s Gospel, her faith not only deepened, but she gained a certainty, a sense of courage she hadn’t had before to continue her faithful witness of Jesus and the Church sharing His love and joy more fully in the world around her. Occasions like these exist every year to deepen one’s own relationship with Jesus, through daily encounters, heart-to-heart prayer with Jesus, where we can be filled with the Holy Spirit that leads into the communion of Love of the Trinity.

The Year of Faith has been an endearing opportunity of ongoing grace and renewal, a time to share our joy and our faith in and beyond the CCD ministry. It invites us to be courageous and inspirational about how we live out our faith, how we speak about our ministry, how we attract this ministry to others and how we continue to be courageous in the face of our present day volunteer malaise. We need to be more keenly alert within the world in which we live, open to see new ways, new horizons and new engagements around us from political facets of our world to business, economical, scientific, artistic, sport and technological. Fr Gerard Kelly names it “‘being’ agents of God, true signs of God’s grace”.³ May God bless each of you this coming Lent to be courageous, to constantly go forth bearing witness to the children you teach and those around you and to open doors “marking new paths for proclaiming the Gospel”.⁴

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give

you peace.

Catechist formation

¹Pope Francis, Year of faith - Cate-

chist address, http://www.vatican.va/

holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/

september/documents/papa-

francesco_20130927_pellegrinaggio-

catechisti_en.html

²Pope Francis, Year of faith – Cate-

chist mass homily, http://

www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-

homily-at-mass-for-catechists

³Fr Gerard Kelly, 58. The Year of

Faith, St Pauls Publications, Holy

Family Church Wahroonga Our Lord

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe/C

Bulletin, 24 November 2013. ⁴Pope Francis, Year of faith – Cate-

chist mass homily, http://

www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-

homily-at-mass-for-catechists

Jennifer Skelly, CCD Support Coordinator, NSH

Our Diocesan CCD / CSO Catholic High School Student Program invites students from Years 10, 11 and 12 to work in the SRE

classroom in public schools, alongside our Catechists. Each student catechist completes preliminary training in ministry and

mission, child protection, use of the authorised curriculum and some classroom management, which is provided by CCD Support

Coordinators. The program hit new heights last year with 83 students from 5 high schools namely MacKillop College –

Warnervale, St Joseph’s – East Gosford, St Edward’s – East Gosford, St. Paul’s – Manly, and St Leo’s – Wahroonga. Our thanks to

the CSO, the Catholic Colleges and the students for their support of the project.

Student catechists who attended Waitara

Primary enjoy an end of year gelato with

Fr Robert Borg and Jennifer Skelly.

Students from MacKillop College involved in Catechist Training

8 Term One 2014

technology in the classroom

Term Two 2014 Week 1 (27 April)

Second Sunday of Easter

Week 2 (4 May) Third Sunday of Easter

Week 3 (11 May) Fourth Sunday of Easter

Week 4 (18 May) Fifth Sunday of Easter

24 May - Our Lady, Help of Christians

Week 5 (25 May) Sixth Sunday of Easter

Week 6 (1 June) Ascension of the Lord

Week 7 (8 June) Pentecost Sunday

Week 8 (15 June) Ordinary Time Trinity Sunday

Week 9 (22 June) Ordinary Time

The Body and Blood of Christ 27 June - Sacred Heart

Interactive Whiteboards &

SRE

Following are some tips for using a SmartBoard in the Classroom: 1. If possible, minimise slides beforehand.

If you are allowed to gain access to the classroom before students arrive, open all slides and activities (including story animations) and minimise them to save time while each one loads onto the SmartBoard. As the lesson progresses, simply maximise each slide

you want to display and don’t close each one until you’ve finished with it or at the end of the lesson. This will save you those precious few seconds and help keep your focus on the children so that they don’t have an opportunity to wander off mentally with their short attention span.

2. Use the screen shade until you’re ready Should you prefer to leave the first slide in full screen view, use the screen shade tool to hide the contents while the children are entering the classroom. This will allow you concentrate on the steps of the lesson, especially if it begins with prayer and not have the children distracted by what may be on the SmartBoard. You have control by revealing (gradually or instantly) what’s on the screen when it’s time to do so in accordance with your lesson plan.

3. The “Magic Pen” can be very effective for keeping attention of the children focussed on the lesson.

When conducting a group discussion with the whole class prior to an activity in the student workbooks, consider adding a blank slide to the

SmartBoard and writing (or drawing) answers offered by the class with the “Magic Pen”. As you know, the letters will soon disappear and if the children are not paying attention, they might miss out on knowing what to write (or draw) in their books. Activities can be used as rewards Students who are paying attention can be rewarded if you choose them to interact with the SmartBoard during activities. You’ll soon discover that they will compete for the chance to “touch” the screen, even for a small task such as advancing the next slide. Try it and see whether you experience a good response to this positive classroom management technique.

If you need help with any of the tips above or other technology questions, please contact Joe Pulis on

9847 0228 or joe.pulis@dbb.org.au

Anyone wishing to contribute tips to this page, please let us know so that we can share these with other catechists.

SmartBoard Tips for the Classroom

SmartBoard Lessons

USB Version 3 will be available in Term 2.

USB Version 3 will contain all the lessons that were stored on the previous USBs in an updated user friendly format. It also contains a new range of music & lyrics. When it becomes available the Version 3 USB will be distributed at SmartBoard training sessions while those catechists who hold Versions 1 & 2 will be able to exchange their USB for the new version. Catechists who have previously attended training may like to attend a refresher course to assist with understanding the changes. Speak with your Parish Coordinator or call your regional office to organise training sessions.

9 Term One 2014

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Diocese of Broken Bay 9

ideas for the classroom

As you prepare for your first class of a new term the following tips may help to take away some anxieties and begin the new class situation in a positive way. From the first encounter it is important to give the students a good impression of you and SRE. It is also essential that the SRE teacher creates an atmosphere where the students will enjoy and ultimately look forward to their weekly SRE lessons with you. The following checklist may be useful:

Arrange the classroom seating so you see each child’s face. Be close to the students but also give yourself room to move amongst the students. Infant students can sit on the floor in front of you. As they come into the room have the students put pencil cases and belongings on the desks before they come to the

floor, ready to pray, sing or listen to your bible story.

Prepare the Sacred Space. This can be done before class begins but is it

more meaningful if the students chose the correct cloth colour and place the items on the

space as you explain. The students could be encouraged to bring items and put them on the

Sacred Space. A roster system can be put in place so that each child gets a turn.

For the first lessons it would be

good for each child to have the

opportunity, to talk about themselves. The students introduce themselves and say a sentence

about their family or interests. If this is a very large class, split this activity over a few

weeks. Giving two or three children time to introduce themselves each week shows the

students you think they are special.

Introduce yourself with enthusiasm and respect. Write your name on the white board or have it ready on a name tag. Ask the children to respectfully address you by name

when they are asking or answering questions.

Name tags are a good way to get to know your students. Calling students by name helps with discipline. For the first lesson you could employ a “get to know you” game which involves the student names. E.g. names that have 4, 5 or 6 letters get together in a group. Long names, short names, same names get together. Remember this is a fun, 5 minute introductory activity, not the entire lesson.

Remember to always include Prayer in your

lesson. These can be your prayers or the children can be encouraged to

say their own prayers. Arrange this on a roster so that everyone gets a turn. Remember

there are age appropriate

prayers printed at the beginning of

the student books.

In the SRE classroom let the students know where their activity books, name tags

etc. will be stored. Children can be rostered on to give out materials or you may prefer to have the books with names tags attached already placed in the seating arrangement

you have designed. Remember to use the Family Supplement page when it is

mentioned in your lesson plan. This is a useful link between you, what you are teaching in the lesson and sending the message via the student home to the parents. These tear out pages are in the back of the student book and need to be torn out carefully by the teacher for infant students. Older students should receive tear out instructions and direction on what to do with the page. Every page in the Kindergarten student book is a tear out family supplement. Encouragement to bring back and share in the next class what the students did at home with their family could be rewarded with a sticker and a clap from the class.

Establish Class Agreements. These can be written on a large piece of paper or

cardboard and can be referred to when necessary. These could include: Speaking respectfully to the teacher and each other; Listening while someone else is speaking; Being helpful, kind and sharing. Yvonne van den Berg,

CCD Support Coordinator, MWP

Leaving the classroom should be orderly. Table by table to avoid a rush to the door. You may like to address each child as they leave, offering a blessing for their day or just smiling and thanking them for coming.

Leave on a note of looking forward to seeing them next week.

10 Term One 2014

for the classroom

Waiting….A Holy Week Reflection

Hands up those who have a favourite pet... it may be a dog, or a cat or a rabbit. You love this pet very much. So much, in fact, that when you come home from school saying hello to your pet is the first thing you do.

Imagine that one day when you arrive home your pet has become very sick. So sick, in fact, that Dad has had to take it to the Vet’s surgery and all you can do is stay at home and wait.

How do you think you would feel? (Take some responses) What might you be thinking? (Take some responses)

Finally you can hear Dad’s car pull into the drive way and you rush out to meet him to find out how you pet is. There is some bad news and that is that you pet has to stay in hospital overnight. You have to wait.

How does it feel waiting? (Take some responses)

Tonight when you go to bed, you pray to God to look after your pet and that you will receive some good news in the morning. The following morning, when you wake up, you rush out to see Mum and Dad and ask them to ring the vet for you to find out how your pet is. They say that you have to wait until the vet is there as it is too early at the moment. So you sit down and have breakfast and wait some more. At 9 o’clock, Dad rings the vet for you and there is good news. Your pet is well. You may go and collect him as soon as you like.

How does this make you feel? (Take some responses) What do you do? (Take some responses)

This is something like how the friends of Jesus felt when he was crucified. Imagine how sad they were at the death of their good friend, Jesus? They were very sad because they had lost a friend and they did not think they would see him again. They waited all day Saturday and into Sunday morning before they heard any Good News. They were frightened too, because they thought they were in danger of being crucified. So they stayed in a room that was out of the way.

Let’s take a minute, then, to remember the day that Jesus lay in the tomb and the sadness that his friends felt because they thought they had lost a friend. (Quiet time)

Now let us get ourselves ready for the next part in this marvellous story of the first Easter when Jesus saved us from the power of sin.

Project Compassion 2014 Caritas Australia celebrates its 50

th year in 2014.

Everyone would be familiar with Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising and awareness raising appeal aimed at helping to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity of the world’s poor. The role of catechists in regard to Project Compassion is to raise awareness rather than to raise money. Caritas Australia has a comprehensive website with free resources available for anyone to order or to download. In the past, you may have used Project Compassion Boxes, Posters or DVDs as resources in your classroom.

Enclosed in this issue of Connections you will find lesson ideas and prayers that you may like to incorporate in your lessons during Lent. Further Project Compassion and Caritas resources can be accessed online at

www.caritas.org.au/learn/schools

Michael Tebbutt Senior Support Coordinator, CC

11 Term One 2014

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Diocese of Broken Bay 11

from the classroom

We love to receive your stories from the Classroom or Parishes to include in Connections. If you would like to submit an article please do so. It can be as little as a few lines on a good lesson; a story; a resource you’ve found; or a special event in the parish or school. If there’s something you’d like to see us cover in future editions, please let us know that too!

To submit an article or to make a suggestion for Connections please write to: ccdinfo@dbb.org.au or CCD, PO Box 340, Pennant Hills 1715

Closing date for the Term 2 issue is 28 March 2014

Last week I taught a year 3/4 class at Manly Vale Primary. I was filling in for their usual teacher. The children did not know me, and I did not even have their names, however, they were attentive, responsive and prayed easily. Obviously the fruit of the many catechists who had preceded me!

After prayer a little girl came to me and asked: "Do you know Rosry?" It took a few seconds to realise that she was not asking if I knew a person named Rosry. I answered "yes I know the prayer of the Rosary". She looked into my eyes and said: "I had to pray Rosry at my grandfather's funeral, and I liked it. Would you teach me please?" I was deeply moved and still am reflecting on the power of the Holy Spirit to move the hearts of all of us into prayer. The request of this child also caused me to be thankful for the long tradition of popular devotion

that has carried the Word of God through prayer throughout the centuries. I could also understand the deeper need of this little girl, and the way in which prayer will keep this little child close to God and to her grandfather as she works her way through grief and into understanding of a life of faith. How privileged are we to be with little children. Eulalie O'Keefe, Catechist, North Harbour Parish

Warringah Parish

Hornsby South Waitara Public Schools were visited by Deacon Roberto & Fr Robert Borg for Catholic Assemblies on Creation.

Children absolutely adore those lessons when clergy make it to their school. With time restrictions, here is a great idea which catechist coordinators, catechists and priests/deacons can embrace easily and quickly for a fun, rewarding and memorable time together.

This lesson can be done as one session (K-6 together) or repeated once for infants and then for primary. Our sessions went for ½ hour each divided as follows:

The week prior to the lessons the catechists prepared the children by reading the Book of Genesis chapter 1: 1-31 and 2: 1-3; then each year level was asked to prepare a presentation on the biblical story of creation, with a time limit of 2-3 minute each. Ideas were completely open, but were essentially based comprised of action and scenery. For higher grades the children came up with their own ideas. For the younger grades the catechist needed to provide structured input. For Year 3, for example, some chose to read whilst others wanted to act by miming, dancing or becoming statues. Those that didn’t were given some

images from old magazines that were pasted onto paper plates and held up behind those acting the part. Father/Deacon then gave a short talk with some questions and answers. It is ideal if you can allow the children to own their presentation, then it will be all the more beautiful in variety. All you need to do is invite your parish priest.

Session One Session Two

Year K Creation Day 1 Year 4 Creation Day 1 and 2

Year 1 Creation Day 2 and 3 Year 5 Creation Day 3 and 4

Year 2 Creation Day 4 and 5 Year 6 Creation Days 5, 6 and 7

Year 3 Creation Day 6 and 7

Faith Inspired by the Prayer of Others

Hornsby Parish CREATION - Parish Priest & Deacon visits

Jennifer Skelly CCD Support Coordinator, NSH

12 Term One 2014

CCD DIRECTORY Current as of September 2013

Diocesan Office Caroline Chisholm Centre (CCC) Building 2, 423 Pennant Hills Rd

Pennant Hills (Enter off City View Rd)

Postal Address PO Box 340, Pennant Hills NSW 1715

Phone: (02) 9847 0492 Fax: (02) 9847 0481

Director - PSU Carole Gan

Phone: (02) 9847 0560

Diocesan CCD Coordinator Alison Newell

Phone: (02) 4334 3367 E-mail: alison.newell@dbb.org.au

Diocesan Admin Assistant Phone: (02) 9847 0492

E-mail: sharon.daroza@dbb.org.au

CCD Authorisations Contact your PSU Regional Centre

Curriculum Orders Dina Leverett

Phone: 9847 0442 Fax: (02) 9847 0481

E-mail: ccdresources@dbb.org.au

North Shore & Hornsby Office (NSH) Caroline Chisholm Centre

Postal Address PO Box 340, Pennant Hills NSW 1715

Phone: (02) 9847 0482 Fax: (02) 9847 0481

E-mail: psunorth@dbb.org.au

Joe Pulis - (02) 9847 0228 E: joe.pulis@dbb.org.au

Jennifer Skelly - (02) 9847 0488 E-mail: jennifer.skelly@dbb.org.au

Central Coast (Gosford) Office (CCG) PSU Regional Centre

58 Victoria St, East Gosford NSW 2250 Phone: (02) 4323 7090

Fax: (02) 4323 7097 E-mail: psucc@dbb.org.au

Michael Tebbutt - (02) 4323 7090 E-mail: michael.tebbutt@dbb.org.au

Central Coast (Wyong) Office (CCW) PSU Regional Centre

Catholic Formation and Education Centre 12 Ashton Avenue, The Entrance

Postal Address PO Box 390, The Entrance NSW 2261

Phone: (02) 4334 3367 Fax: (02) 4334 3230

E-mail: psucc@dbb.org.au

Rebecca Bishop - (02) 4334 3367 E-mail: rebecca.bishop@dbb.org.au

Manly Warringah Peninsula Office (MWP) Caroline Chisholm Centre

Postal Address PO Box 340, Pennant Hills NSW 1715

Phone: (02) 9847 0516 Fax: (02) 9847 0481

E-mail: psumanly@dbb.org.au

Yvonne van den Berg - (02) 9847 0494 E-mail: yvonne.vandenberg@dbb.org.au

CCD WEBSITE www.brokenbay.catholic.org.au/ccd

Training & Formation Courses Term 1, 2014

Please assist us in our planning for events and courses

by replying by the advertised closing date.

REGISTRATIONS: Call: 9847 0448 or 4332 9825 or Email: registrations@dbb.org.au

To submit an article or to make a suggestion for Connections please write to: ccdinfo@dbb.org.au or CCD, PO Box 340, Pennant Hills 1715 Closing date for the Term 2, 2014 issue is 28 March, 2014

notices and directory

Course Type Location

Date Time Register by Phone

CCDMI/Level 1 NSH CCC, Pennant

Hills

17 & 24 Feb; 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 March (Mondays)

9:30am – 2:30pm Mon 10 Feb 9847 0448

CCDMI/Level 1 MWP

Forestville

18, & 25 Feb; 4, 11, 18 & 25 March; 8 April (Tuesdays)

9:30am – 2:30pm Tues 11 Feb 9847 0448

CCDMI/Level 1 CC

The Entrance

21 & 28 Feb; 7, 14 & 21 March; 4 & 11 April (Fridays)

9:30am – 2:30pm Fri 14 Feb 4332 9825

Child Protection & Integrity

CC East Gosford

Monday 10 March 10:00am - 1:00pm Fri 3 March 4332 9825

Child Protection & Integrity

NSH CCC

Monday 7 April 10:00am - 1:00pm Fri 31 March 9847 0448

CCDMI = CCD Ministry Induction: Level 1 Training is comprised of 14 units. The first 7 of these units make up the CCD Ministry Induction which all new catechists must complete in order to obtain full authorisation.

Training is mandatory for all persons authorised by the CCD to enter a classroom, whether or not they are teaching.

While attendance at these core units is compulsory, every effort will be made by the CCD to assist catechists in their obligation to complete this training. It is envisaged that the core courses will be made available for completion online early in 2014.

Catechists should also be aware that attendance at other courses and training provided by the Parish Support Unit can count towards completion of training.

All training is offered at no cost to the participants.

Phone your local PSU Regional Office for enquiries or a full program. See below for further contact details.