Term 1 Week 9 - Thursday 3rd April 2025
Note from the Principal
The building projects on the Westmead site are continuing generally according to plan, and the work being done on both projects is quite visible.
The GLA (General Learning Area) building that is being shared between Catherine McAuley and Mother Teresa is well and truly out of the ground. I have included the photo below. It is a large building and will accommodate a growing school enrolment, providing contemporary and fresh learning spaces for all students.
Whilst the completion of a new car park and kiss and drop area for Catherine McAuley and Parramatta Marist High School remains on track, recent wet weather has put its opening behind by a week or so. Further information about how to use the new kiss and drop area will be provided to you at the beginning of Term 2. We are looking forward to using this new resource.
The new GLA (General Learning Area) building under construction.
In other news, heavy assessment periods for students are coming to an end. The completion of assessments is only useful when the feedback provided to students is activated. To do this, your daughter might rewrite responses with the feedback in mind, or she might revise and rewrite her study notes to ensure they are accurate, or she might practice responses to other questions. Improvement happens when we practice a skill, and when we transfer knowledge in new and different contexts.
On Monday we have our school athletics carnival. We are looking forward to this day, a compulsory school day, as we always do: it is a day of celebrating achievement in athletics and also celebrating our school culture. Further information about the athletics carnival can be found in the Need to Know section of this Weekly Review.
Mary Refalo
Principal
News from the Director of Catholic Identity & Mission
"How I would like for us to look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more!"
This is Pope Francis’ desire which he has expressed in his April Prayer Intention. Every month Pope Francis entrusts his Worldwide Prayer Network with prayer intentions that express his great concerns for humanity and for the mission of the Church. This month, Pope Francis’ prayer intention focuses on the use of the new technologies.
On many occasions, Pope Francis has voiced his concerns about the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Earlier this year, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education released a document and it expands on what Pope Francis has already publicly stated. The document is titled, Antiqua et nova. Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence (28 January 2025) and it offers wide-ranging ethical guidelines for the application of AI in sectors from warfare to healthcare.
The Catholic Church teaches that the burgeoning technology must be used as a tool to complement, and not replace, human intelligence. Pope Francis warns us of the risk that technology can replace face-to-face interactions. This can lower the quality of our human relationships. He invites us to find a balance, using technology to foster authentic human connections, rather than replace them with virtual interactions.
Pope Francis accepts that technology is here to stay and during his papacy he has used various forms of technology himself to communicate his messages. However one of Pope Francis’ key messages is how we use technology:
“We should use technology to unite, not to divide. To help the poor. To improve the lives of the sick and persons with different abilities. Use technology to care for our common home. To connect as brothers and sisters.”
During Lent, fasting is not limited to food items. We can make a conscious decision to disconnect from our screens. Less time on screens can be replaced with time for quiet reflection and prayer. It also provides us with time to be in the presence of others. Pope Francis states:
“It's when we look at each other in the eyes that we discover what really matters: that we are brothers, sisters, children of the same Father.”
As Pilgrims of Hope, as we journey towards Easter, may we respond to Pope Francis’ wisdom and disconnect from our screens so that we connect more with our loving God and each other.
Ms Genevieve Banks
Director of Catholic Identity and Mission
Pray With Us
Need To Know
Upcoming Fortnight
Term 1 Week 10
- Athletics Carnival
- Eco Justice Retreat Day
- Lenten Liturgy
- CADA Debating Competition Round 2
- Year 11 Italian Excursion
- Year 12 PDHPE Excursion
- Term 1 Ends
Term 2 Week 1
- Term 2 Commences
- Pupil Free Day - Monday 28th April
- Staff Formation Day / Pupil Free Day - Tuesday 29th April
- CSDA Debating Competition Round 3
- Academy U Complexity Workshop
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:
A Day in the Life of a Catherine McAuley Westmead Junior Student - Our Year 10 Student Media Team look at lockers!