Celebrating and promoting our distinctive mission

Celebrated annually in Week 3 of Term 3, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos.

Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

Catholic education:

Is a faith-based education which places the values of Jesus at its centre
Is a high quality, holistic education for 1 in 5 young Queenslanders, educating them to be well-informed, highly skilled and constructive members of the community
Values diversity and treats each student with dignity enabling them in turn to promote and respect the dignity of all
Nurtures in students a commitment to social justice and a critical social consciousness
Prepares students for global responsibilities through stewardship of the earth’s resources
Is an integral part of the local and universal Church
Occurs in welcoming, inclusive, and connected communities.

2020

Due to the ongoing community restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Catholic Education Week 2020 was cancelled.

The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2020 and Cairns Catholic Education’s Docemus Awards went ahead virtually. Please find the online streaming of the ceremony here.

Award winners are listed here.

The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2020 and Cairns Catholic Education’s Docemus Awards went ahead virtually. Please find the ceremony here. Award winners are listed here.

The theme for celebrations in 2021 is 175 Years – A Spirited Tomorrow.

SOCE Awards

The SOCE Awards are state-wide and conducted by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC). They recognise individuals or teams (staff members, parents/carers or volunteers) who are making an outstanding contribution to the life of the school community in one or more of the following areas:

Showing outstanding integrity in leading a school community or program
Implementing change that improves teaching and learning and supports greater equity in education
Building Catholic education identity and ethos in ways that support exceptionally life-giving relationships and build hope in school communities or Catholic education agencies
Demonstrating excellence in team work that supports and builds Catholic education
Demonstrating outstanding service to others in the school education community and beyond.

Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award

Creating positive change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff and/or developing an improved understanding of Indigenous cultural heritage in Catholic school communities.

Cairns 2020 SOCE Award Recipients were awarded in conjunction with the diocese Docemus Awards. Recipients are also listed here.

Docemus Awards

The Docemus Awards are Cairns Catholic Education’s awards, founded in 2002 in recognition of the outstanding contribution to Catholic Education by Tom Doolan, a former Deputy Director.

Meaning ‘to teach’, the awards acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional commitment, achievement and contribution to Catholic Education by staff, volunteers and supporters of Catholic Education.

Award recipients receive a $2,200 professional development grant, courtesy of category sponsors. The Docemus Award categories are:

Primary Teacher
Secondary Teacher
Early Career Teacher
School Officer
Leadership
Volunteer
Lifelong contribution

The Docemus Awards are usually presented at a special Cairns function on the Friday of Catholic Education Week, with post-event drinks and nibbles kindly sponsored by NGS Super.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 was invitation only and was live-streamed from All Saints, Theatre, St Andrew’s Catholic College.

The list of Docemus Award recipients is here.

The Creative Arts Collective

Whilst Catholic Education Week events were cancelled for 2020, it was an opportunity to continue to reflect on our reconciliation journey since the launch of Catholic Education’s Reconciliation Action Plan on 28 May with this year’s theme ‘In the Spirit of Reconciliation: #InThisTogether2020’

With the Creative Arts Collective being in its second year, ‘In the Spirit of Reconciliation: #InThisTogether2020’ saw students reflect individually and collectively how we contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Student Submissions

The following entries have been especially recognised for their submission on ‘What ‘In the Spirit of Reconciliation: #InThisTogether2020’ means for them.

Collaborative work, Good Counsel Primary School

Each flower is a unique, individual, and essential part of a garden. Flowers cannot grow without the warmth of sunshine or the quenching rains. Flowers cannot grow without the base of rich earth that nourishes them. Just like the flowers, we need each other’s acceptance, trust and respect to thrive and be one in our garden of life. Just like the flowers, we need to acknowledge and value the rich culture that was part of our land since ancient times. Just like the flowers, we unit to create a vibrant garden of life.

Camryn, Year 4 OLHOC

In my mind, ‘In the Spirit of Reconciliation: #InThisTogether2020’ means that we need to work together to make a stronger and happier future for everyone. In my piece of art I have shown hands to show people coming together. Where the hands join there is a heart, which means that if we reach out and come together there will be love and respect. The flowers mean happiness and friendship. I have used the buttons for the flowers as they are objects that connect things together.

Year 11 Visual Arts students, St Andrew’s Catholic College

For the 11 Visual Arts in Practice unit on sign/banner making, students worked collaboratively to research, plan and design a banner to be used during NAIDOC Week at the college. Students learnt about Indigenous connections to the land and the local area, developing stylised representations of the land on which St Andrew’s is built. The sun, which stretches across the banner was inspired by the centrality of the sun on the Aboriginal flag. The circular patterns behind the sun rays on the top half of the banner were inspired by an aerial view of the mountain ranges behind the college. The water below the sun is inspired by Copperlode Dam, our main water source and is surrounded by cane paddocks with the main road that leads into the Redlynch Valley. Students chose the words “Always Was, Always will Be” in the bottom corner to recognise that First Nations people are the original custodians of the land on which our college is built. This banner is inspired by the strong connection between Indigenous people and the land and seeks to honour the past, present and future generations.

Our judges were particularly impressed with how the students reflected the theme this year and commend all students who participated. A particular thank you also to the staff in our schools that encouraged students to enter.