We deliver excellent learning experiences by focusing on

Quality learning materials

Improving the quality of learning materials available for your child

Impactful lessons

Ensuring every teacher in every classroom fosters high quality learning environments

Best-practice assessments

Implementing high quality, insightful assessment tools for every school

What does Catalyst mean for my child?

Catalyst has been developed to provide your child with the very best opportunity to learn and thrive in a positive, safe, and supportive environment.

Our learning goals are to ensure

1

Every student is a competent reader

Supporting every student with high quality literacy programs to enable them to reach their learning potential

2

High Impact Teaching Practice is visible in every classroom

Driving student outcomes through highly impactful lessons combining evidence-based teaching practice and learning materials.

Through this approach, which is based on global research on the way students learn best, children will benefit from –

High expectations for learning

Equal opportunity classrooms

Focus on “learning”

Impactful teaching practice

Increased knowledge building engagement in learning

Improved retrieval of learnt content

For K-2 Students

All schools will implement an evidence-based literacy program known as Systematic Synthetics Phonics which will evolve the way we teach our youngest learners to read and grow into great readers.

This learning program is designed to teach children to read based on the sounds letters and letter combinations make, later bringing in learned vocabulary (words they know) and comprehension (words they understand the meaning of). These programs are designed to be taught sequentially and step-by-step.

For All Students

All schools are implementing evidence-based teaching practice, meaning every student in every classroom across the system is provided with highly impactful lessons that improve learning outcomes. This teaching practice is relevant to all year groups and subjects, and are contextualised with relevant learning materials and complexity.

Catalyst also places a strong focus on literacy, providing intervention programs and shared literacy curriculum resources for all year levels.

How do I support my child at home?

Parents are encouraged to discuss how they can best support their child’s learning at home with their teacher. This will change depending on each child’s age and teaching approach, but will typically include –

Read with your child daily

Encourage daily reading and help them explain what they learnt or enjoyed in the book. For younger children, ask them to read aloud at least four times per week

Share learnings

Encourage your child to talk about a topic, idea, or skill they have learnt at school and ask detailed questions

Build vocabulary

Help your child learn new words by using tricky and complex words, explaining what they mean and how they can use them

Ask your child's teacher

Your child’s teacher can provide specific support and advice for learning at home.

Student-free Professional Learning Days

To ensure our teachers are kept up to date with the latest in high quality teaching and learning practice, schools across the Archdiocese will hold professional learning days throughout the year including on the first day of Terms 1, 2 and 3, without students.

These days enable our leaders and teachers to engage in system-wide professional learning to determine how they will use the collective knowledge and provided resources of the Catalyst program effectively in the classroom.

Still have questions?

To find out how Catalyst is being implemented at your school, please contact your school Principal directly.

Alternatively, check out our FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Resources

Direct Instruction with Jessica Colleu Terradas

Mar 2024

In this episode Jessica explains the difference between ‘big’ DI and ‘little’ di. She delves into the research behind Direct Instruction, dispelling the myths about DI.

Listen(47mins)
Tags: Podcast, Teacher Insights

Curriculum Resources: CECG and Ochre Partnership

Mar 2024

CECG teachers contributed to the Australian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus resources now widely available across the Nation.

View link
Tags: Resources, Curriculum Resources, Knowledge Rich Curriculum, Low Variance Curriculum

Impact of Catalyst: 2020 – 2023

Mar 2024

Learn about our approach to Learning and Teaching. In less than three years we have had 56 schools, 1,700 teachers and over 21,000 students engage in the Catalyst journey.

Download
Tags: Posters & Brochures, High Impact Teaching Practice

S2|E1: The Syntax Project featuring Penny Lucas

Feb 2024

In this episode I chat with Penny Lucas, Instructional leader of Literacy and Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 teacher at Trinity Catholic Primary school in Murrumburrah, NSW. Penny is a contributor to the Syntax Project, of which she explains in our conversation and how this links in with Catalyst.

Listen(40mins)
Tags: Podcast, Teacher Insights

The Reading Guarantee – How to give every child the best chance of success: Grattan Institute

Feb 2024

Australia needs a reading revolution. We need to transform the way we teach reading in school, so that every Australian child gets their best chance in life. This report shows how to do it.

View link
Tags: Reading, Literacy, Research