Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS) is a vibrant network of 32 schools, served, supported and led by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office (TCSO).
With Bishop Ken Howell providing direction to Toowoomba Catholic Schools through the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Charter, and delegating organisational leadership to Dr Patrick Coughlan, Executive Director: Catholic Schools, the vision for all students to achieve academic success in a distinctively Catholic environment comes to life.
Toowoomba Catholic Schools believe in providing an education that is inspiring and meaningful. We also believe in creating workplaces that enable all members of the team to have a rewarding and fulfilling career. We are proud to share with you our story and invite you to join us!
TCSO is organised to lead a system approach and a culture of local empowerment, autonomy and responsibility within each school community through its four services.
Each of these Services is led by a member of the TCS Executive Leadership Team.
The inspiring and expert staff in our schools, kindergartens, Outside School Hours Care and office are formally recognised through the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards.
Each year, nominations are called for from colleagues, parents and community members to highlight teachers/educators, school/kindergarten leaders, support and services staff in schools, kindergartens and OSHC, those that work in an office or volunteer their time as examples of the excellence across our network.
From these nominations, finalists are selected and at a special award’s dinner during Catholic Education Week, the recipients are announced.
The awards are in 9 categories across three areas and capture the varying career phases, roles and responsibilities that enable Toowoomba Catholic Schools to provide high quality education and care in a distinctively Catholic environment.
Category 1: Early Career Teacher – sponsored by RemServ
Abbey Orbansen-Thew – St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba
Category 2: Primary/Kindergarten Expert Teacher – sponsored by JDM Software
Jesse Curtis – Sacred Heart Primary School, Toowoomba
Category 3: Secondary Expert Teacher – sponsored by Visual Focus
Anna Jones – St Joseph’s School, Stanthorpe
Category 1: Emerging leadership – sponsored by Schoolzine
James Darlington – St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba
Category 2: Middle leadership – sponsored by Toowoomba Toyota
Amanda Kilgour – St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba
Category 3: School/Kindergarten leadership – sponsored by Hayball
Tyronne Maher – Sacred Heart Primary School, Toowoomba
Category 1: Teaching and learning support – sponsored by Salary Packaging Australia
Rachel Coggan – Education Services, TCSO
Category 2: Administration, finance and facilities support – sponsored by Unisuper
Hazel Buckley and Carla McCallum – Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Toowoomba
Find out more about the 2025 TCS Excellence Awards finalists and recipients.
The categories for these awards and the selection criteria which nominations are written to are below.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises a school or Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office individual or team who/that has demonstrated high quality leadership focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that has demonstrated high quality middle leadership focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual who is not in a formal leadership position and has demonstrated a willingness to contribute beyond their role to lead a school improvement initiative focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that work with teaching staff to create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus. The types of role that this award recognises include teacher aides, school counsellors, kindergarten educators, Occupational Therapists, Education Officers, Boarding supervisors.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that works in support roles to create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus. The types of role that this award recognises include cleaners, laundry staff, grounds people, administration officers, HR officers, accountants, business managers, IT technicians.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
The Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba was founded on 28 May 1929. It now covers an area of four hundred and eighty-seven thousand square kilometres and includes the Darling Downs, the Granite Belt, Maranoa, Warrego and Gregory South districts of Queensland.
Since the inception of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office in February 1973, the network of schools and the office has grown to now provide over 9,700 students and 1,900 staff across 32 schools and an office with contemporary and vibrant places to work and learn, and a common purpose… to enable every person to live a full and flourishing life.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises a school or Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office individual or team who/that has demonstrated high quality leadership focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that has demonstrated high quality middle leadership focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual who is not in a formal leadership position and has demonstrated a willingness to contribute beyond their role to lead a school improvement initiative focussed on creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that work with teaching staff to create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus. The types of role that this award recognises include teacher aides, school counsellors, kindergarten educators, Occupational Therapists, Education Officers, Boarding supervisors.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that works in support roles to create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus. The types of role that this award recognises include cleaners, laundry staff, grounds people, administration officers, HR officers, accountants, business managers, IT technicians.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.
This award recognises an individual or team who/that have given their time to support a school or college and this volunteering has contributed to creating exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and comes to know and experience the loving presence of Jesus. The types of roles that this award recognises include those who volunteer to work in classrooms, to maintain school facilities, to engage other parents.
Nominations are to address the following criteria and must include examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in this area by providing specific examples and evidence.