Catherine McAuley Westmead eNewsletter

News from the Principal

This week I returned to Catherine McAuley after a period of long service leave. Needless to say, it is wonderful to be back in the midst of a community in which the richness of life is so valued and so visible. The start of Term 3 has been abuzz with activity, learning, challenge, support and compassion, and the combination of these characteristics is what epitomises the values inherent in a Catherine McAuley education; those of mercy, courage, justice, excellence, integrity and hospitality. Aspiring to these values is what makes young women flourish, and what makes them strong.

Throughout this Weekly Review, and in previous editions, you will read about the success of Catherine McAuley students in debating, STEM, supporting children at Ronald McDonald House, Science competitions, and a raft of other opportunities for challenge. In addition, last week marked Unity Week, a week of building care and understanding for others, and culminating in the theme for this year’s Mercy Day, ‘Things That Unite Us’.

This week all Year 12 students sit their Trial Examinations. Year 12 students have approached this assessment period with confidence, knowing that they have done the work necessary to prepare them well for their exams. We wish them well and look forward to working with them on further improvements in the lead up to the HSC Examinations in October.

All of these opportunities make for the development of strong women; women who are prepared to be challenged to improve themselves and their worlds. They are commended for their work, efforts and achievements.

Last week the staff were also engaged in a staff professional learning day. This was a very useful day for teaching staff to develop their pedagogical practices and to plan for student learning, and for other staff to hone their skills in their area of work. I take this opportunity to thank staff for their work on this day, and indeed, every day that they work with your daughters for the improvement in their learning and achievements.

Mary Refalo
Principal

Pray With Us

The Transfiguration of the Lord

News Articles

This Week on Social Media

Follow Catherine McAuley Westmead on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for regular updates. One of the posts from this week is shown below:

Shout out to Girls in STEM!! Catherine McAuley is the only Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta secondary school to have progressed through to the national showcase ‘STEM MAD (Make A Difference) Student Showcase’.

The STEM MAD (Make A Difference) Student Showcase is a celebration of excellence in Catholic education, in which the nation's best primary, secondary and 'Future is STEM' student teams, nominated by their dioceses, showcase their projects. The event takes place as part of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) conference on Tuesday 6th September 2022.

Shivali and Luise, both Year 10 students, have had their project ‘ECO AIR’ chosen to appear in the showcase. ECO AIR explores biofiltration and varieties of air-filtering houseplants as a way to improve air quality.

Ashyra, Year 11 has been chosen to represent the Parramatta Diocese for her Engineering Studies project in which she has engineered a number of items to link in with the school’s current totem project.

This is an enormous achievement by these talented, hardworking students. They are a credit to themselves, their families and the Catherine McAuley community. Congratulations!

Need To Know

Upcoming Fortnight

Please see school calendar in sidebar for dates and details.

Term 3 Week 4

HSC Trial Examinations continue
PDSSSC Athletics Carnival
Year 9 Careers Conference
Year 10 Reflection Day

Term 3 Week 5

Years 11 and 12 Vinnies Winter Sleepout
Years 9 and 10 STEM / ITE Inschool Activity
Year 9 Commerce Market Day
Years 8 and 9 Subject Selection Talks for 2023