Term 1 Week 6 - Thursday 7th March 2024
Notes from the Principal
Last week I informed you about two events that took place at school over the last week - the Year 7 Welcome Afternoon and the International Women’s Day Assembly and morning tea with guests of Year 11 students. I’d like to thank those who attended these events - they were both very enjoyable.
It was wonderful to see so many happy Year 7 students and their parents on Friday afternoon at the Welcome Afternoon. Our newest students have settled into their new school very well, and they were proud to show their families around the site. The afternoon was supported by many students in Years 9 - 12 who provided musical entertainment, and also by a large number of Year 11 students who ensured the hospitality was well in hand. I’d like to thank those student helpers, the teachers and staff who supported the afternoon for their contributions, as well as members of the Parents and Carers Group who were there to answer questions.
Yesterday we celebrated our International Women’s Day Assembly, during which Ms Donna Davis, MP gave the address. Ms Davis spoke about taking opportunities to excel at school so that we can live more equitable lives going forward. She was very inspirational. I do hope your daughters spoke to you about this event when they returned home from school yesterday evening. The Social Justice Leaders, Mikaela and Isabella, have organised a number of awareness-raising activities throughout the week to draw our attention to this important date in the global calendar. I would like to thank them for their work on this.
Tomorrow evening five students from Years 8, 9, 11 and 12 will compete in the second round of the CSDA Public Speaking Competition at St Ignatius’ College Riverview. I wish them all the very best of luck for this competition.
As always, it is a busy time at Catherine McAuley. I am proud of the way students have settled into both the academic and extra curricular aspects of school life, and I look forward to what they will bring to their participation at school as the year continues.
Have a lovely week, everyone.
Mary Refalo
Principal
Donna Davis MP with Ms Refalo and Social Justice Leaders.
News from the Assistant Principal
NAPLAN 2024
This year's NAPLAN tests begin next week. The reporting of these tests changed last year so that results are now defined as either exceeding, strong, developing or in need of additional support. These descriptions replaced the 10 bands. Our teachers use this data and other data sets when planning their lessons and assessment tasks and what support needs to be provided to those girls who have been identified as needing extra support.
Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your daughter by reassuring her that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some explanations of NAPLAN are useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests; however, it is not necessary for parents/carers to do this. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance.
Feedback
The staff here at Catherine McAuley have been investigating and using feedback for quite a number of years. Feedback has three levels: feed up, feedback and feed forward. Feed up is about the purpose of the lesson and what a quality piece of work would look like. Feedback involves affirming students of what they have been successful in. Feed forward is alerting the students to what they need to do in future tasks to achieve a higher result.
The girls are encouraged to read the feedback and if they cannot see how to get a higher mark in the next assessment then they need to self advocate and ask their teacher for feedback that will help them next time.
Attendance
All students need to be at school every day of term. Parents are strongly advised to not plan a holiday during term time. If a student is absent due to travel and they have an assessment task then they will, in accordance with school policy, receive a zero. They can do the task on their return to ensure they meet all outcomes as contained in the syllabus. They will also receive feedback to prepare them for future tasks.
Michael Hall
Assistant Principal
Pray With Us
Need To Know
Upcoming Fortnight
Term 1 Week 7
- Year 9 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
- Year 11 Visual Arts Excursion
- Years 10 and 11 French Excursion
Term 1 Week 8
- School Tour Morning
- Year 8 Reflection Day
- Harmony Day
- PDSSSC Open Basketball Gala Day
News Articles
Our School on Social Media
Follow Catherine McAuley Westmead on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for regular updates. A recent post is shown below:
PROJECT COMPASSION - Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! Not for a penny but for $2 on Tuesday at lunch! Year 9 Veritas hosted a hot cross buns stall on Tuesday in Mercy Square in support of Project Compassion.