Term 1 Week 10 - Thursday 4th April 2024
Notes from the Principal
Last week I sent to all families a letter about the Catholic identity survey tool that we are using in Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese to help us determine how we will continue to grow our Catholic identity at Catherine McAuley.
I urge you to complete the survey before next Thursday, 9th April. Ideally, one parent / carer in each family will complete this survey so that we have adequate and accurate data about how the Catholic identity at Catherine McAuley is currently perceived and what would strengthen it even further. More information about the survey can be found by accessing this short video, and a link to instructions for accessing the survey is here.
The first two days of Term 2, 29th and 30th April, are staff professional learning days, and students are therefore not required at school. School will begin for students on Wednesday, 1st May. As this is the beginning of the winter term, students will need to be dressed in their full winter uniforms, including wearing their blazers to and from school every day.
Next week, the final week of term, I will be on leave from school. I take the opportunity today to thank you for your support of the Catherine McAuley community and for the work we do here at school to offer the best possible education for your daughters. It has been a very successful term, with many great things achieved and with a fabulous community spirit that makes this school such a wonderful place to be.
Although I will be on leave, Ms Grigson and Mr Hall will both be onsite and can attend to any important matters that may arise next week.
I wish you and your families a very relaxing and joyful term break and look forward to seeing all students again next term.
Mary Refalo
Principal
News from the Assistant Principal
Explicit Teaching
Explicit teaching has recently been in the news. Both the State Government and our own Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese have published a number of items identifying the characteristics of explicit teaching. In summary explicit teaching involves:
- The teacher constantly monitors understanding to make sure students are deriving meaning from instruction.
- Learning is fully centred on students’ learning needs and outcomes.
- Teacher driven but student led.
- Teachers use student responses to make informed instructional decisions throughout each phase of the process
- Teachers provide scaffolds that are based on student responses throughout the learning process
Explicit teaching leads students to know where they are in their learning, what they need to learn next and how to go about this. The staff here at Catherine McAuley have spent the last few years in their professional learning developing and refining their understanding and skills in exactly this - explicit teaching.
Explicit teaching leads students to become their own assessors and teachers. Our students are becoming more assessment capable as shown by their results in NAPLAN, PATM and PATR as well as the HSC.
Feedback plays a big part in students improving their understanding and performance. Again this has been a feature of our work over the past number of years. Students need to read the feedback comments and find a way to incorporate these suggestions into future pieces of classwork and assessment tasks.
Michael Hall
Assistant Principal
Pray With Us
Need To Know
Upcoming Fortnight
Term 1 Week 11
- Mercy 5 Eco-Retreat
- NSWCCC Touch Football Selections
- End of Term 1
Term 2 Week 1
- Term 2 Commences
- Staff Professional Learning Days
- ANZAC Day Commemoration
- PDSSSC OzTag Gala Day
- CSDA Debating Round 1
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:
GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT WALK - Well done to our Good Friday Night Walk pilgrims who joined over 1200 young people from across the Parramatta Diocese in journeying from St Patrick's Church Blacktown to St Patrick's Cathedral Parramatta during Friday night and Saturday morning.
“The Good Friday Night Walk is in imitation of Christ, who walked the Way of the Cross on this very day with love, patience and above all, trust in God,” Bishop Vincent told the pilgrims before their journey. Catherine McAuley Faith in Action Coordinator Miss Reynolds, who accompanied the students, said early Saturday morning, “We are all tired, but joyful after the 20km pilgrimage”.