John Therry Rosemeadow student, Rhys Dewick, is one of the country’s most promising baseball prospects - and has an impressive list of team selections and awards to prove it. In a busy final year of secondary school, Dewick has stepped out onto the field as a NSWCCC, NSW All Schools and an Australian Schools representative, with his efforts culminating in a recent baseball tour of the US in front of the sport’s top scouts.

A targeted school-wide campaign to streamline waste management by increasing recycling and composting, and reducing the rubbish going to landfill, has earned St Michael’s, Thirroul official recognition and praise - the school being awarded a Wollongong City Council ‘Rise and Shine Environment Award’.

What types of parent education programs are important? How can parents contribute to living the faith at the school? What are important priorities for fundraising in our school? These are some of the questions addressed by St Michael’s, Thirroul parents at the school’s recent Parents and Friends Association (P&F) meeting.

More than 900 students from our eight systemic Catholic schools across the Diocese of Wollongong were up early today to receive their HSC marks. Our students’ hard work and dedication has paid off, with many achieving remarkable results - including one First in Course, three All Round Achievers and 120 Distinguished Achievers.

John Therry Rosemeadow Year 9 student, Olivia Torres, was recently announced as a winner in the OzKids 2018 Young Australian Art and Writers’ Awards competition, for a poem she composed on the theme of war. In November, Olivia and her parents were flown to Melbourne to attend the awards ceremony and dinner.

Congratulations to Magdalene Catholic High School, Narellan - named by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Darren Chester, as one of this year’s Anzac Day Schools’ Award recipients for their Year 10 History elective class’ research project commemorating the service and sacrifice of our veterans.

Students recently gathered at John Therry Catholic High School, Rosemeadow for the CEDoW Secondary Students Social Justice Day, that provided an opportunity - through the creative arts - for reflection and response to the 2018-2019 Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement. 

Congratulations to St Justin’s, Oran Park student, Holly Burfitt, who has beaten out hundreds of young wordsmiths across the country to claim junior runner up in the Australian Catholics’  2018 Young Journalist Award competition.

Holly wowed the judges with her 300-word piece on local hero, Wests Tigers Community Engagement Manager, Shaun Spence. It skilfully captured the essence of Shaun’s story as someone making a real difference to the people around him.

A new 2018 Advent Calendar app is featuring CEDoW students’ Christmas Story Art Competition artworks as part of its daily delivery of visual and written inspiration for the Christmas season.

The Advent Calendar is a joint project of Xt3 and Sydney Catholic Youth, and promises to help schools, classes and individual young Catholics spiritually prepare their hearts and minds for Christmas.

View the calendar online and download the app inside.

On Saturday 1 December, five Year 10 students from Magdalene Catholic High School, Narellan will be launching a high-altitude balloon into near space in Binya, in NSW’s Riverina region. This comes after two years of planning and devoted work, with the students aiming to reach for the stars!

On Friday 23 November, the Diocesan Sports Council staged the 22nd Annual CDF Sports Awards to recognise the outstanding achievements of students from primary and secondary schools across the Diocese.

 PHOTOS OF ALL AWARD WINNERS BY CATEGORY

A hundredth anniversary is always a special occasion, no more so than when the Parish of St Patrick’s, Port Kembla celebrated their centennial. It was a milestone that coincided with the opening and official blessing of the new building facilities at St Patrick’s Parish Primary School, Port Kembla.

Does music teach us good values? 'Social' media...is it? The changing face of Australia. 2018 – what would Jesus think?

These are some of the big issues tackled by Years 5 and 6 students this year for the annual CDF Diocesan Public Speaking competition.

Last week saw the culmination of school and regional rounds of the competition, where the top six students from Years 5 and 6 competed in the Diocesan grand final.

St John the Evangelist, Campbelltown student, Daniel Justin, has been recognised for his compassion, integrity and kindness with a national Fred Hollows Humanity Award.

Daniel was honoured at an award ceremony at NSW Parliament House in Sydney, after being nominated for his many good deeds in the school community and consistently treating others with kindness and respect.

After decades of conflict and internal struggles, the South-East Asian country of Myanmar is moving towards a new age of democracy. In a country where Christianity represents only 6% of the population, the Catholic Church has prioritised education as the key stepping stone to peace. As the nation moves into a more peaceful era, CEDoW has committed to raising awareness and providing financial support, to help heal and build a prosperous Myanmar.

As guests filed into the Grand Ballroom of the Novotel in Wollongong, the passion and dedication of the attendees was clearly evident - a group of the most outstanding and innovative staff working in the Diocese.

The winners of this year’s Lighting the Way Faith and Learning Recognition Awards were revealed at a formal dinner on Friday 16 November, acknowledging achievement and significant career milestones of dedicated individuals.

CEDoW has recently had the outstanding distinction of celebrating a 10-year milestone of the implementation of School-wide Positive Behaviours for Learning (SPB4L), in all twenty-nine Diocesan  primary schools.

Over 280 students from five of our Illawarra schools have competed against hundreds of other Catholic school students from across NSW and the ACT in the 35th annual NSW Catholic Primary Schools Basketball Challenge (CPSBC).

The tournament - this year hosted by St Christopher’s, Panania - is one of the largest sporting tournaments for primary school students in NSW. The strong presence of the Diocese of Wollongong could not be missed, with St Paul’s, Albion Park; Stella Maris, Shellharbour; Nazareth, Shellharbour City; Ss Peter and Paul, Kiama; and St Brigid’s, Gwynneville taking 40 teams between them to play at venues across Bankstown, Menai, Sutherland and Riverwood.

A graduating student from each of our eight Diocesan Catholic secondary schools has been recognised for exemplifying the best of Catholic education at last night’s Bishop’s Student Excellence Awards at the Campbelltown Catholic Club.

Diocese of Wollongong Vicar-General, Fr. Bernard Gordon, presented the awards to the Year 12 students at a special afternoon ceremony in front of proud family members, teachers, principals, and senior leadership from the Catholic Education Office.

During Nude Food October and Enviroweek, two clever Year 6 students from St Columbkille’s, Corrimal won a national competition, earning a Nude Food Grant.

Saskia McIntyre and Emily Fenton recognised that there is too much packaging on food brought in from home by the students at their school and that by coming to school at least one day a week trash free with ‘nude food’, they could help beat plastic pollution and encourage their community to live more sustainably.