McAuley News

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. 
Help us to recognise the evil latent in a 
communication that does not build communion. 
Help us to remove the venom from our judgements. 
Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters.

You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds 
of goodness for the world:

where there is shouting, let us practise listening; 
where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony; 
where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity; 
where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity; 
where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety; 
where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions; 
where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust; 
where there is hostility, let us bring respect; 
where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.

Amen.

A Prayer from Pope Francis, 2018
Message for the 52nd World Communications Day

The National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. 

Parents of students in Years 7 and 9 would have received their daughter’s NAPLAN results in the mail. I am pleased to report that students at Catherine McAuley Westmead have performed extremely well. On average, 64.9% of Year 7 and 68.6% of Year 9 students have met or exceeded their expected growth across all areas of the test. 

Both Year 7 and Year 9 students achieved excellent results demonstrated by a higher mean result than other schools across NSW.  The writing section of the test was where our students performed most strongly with mean results of 30.8 and 50.9 marks above the state average for Years 7 and 9 respectively. 

The average growth results for our Year 9 students show improvement in their NAPLAN results from 2017 to those achieved in 2019. In 2019, these results reflect excellent growth (improvement) at or above expected levels, particularly in numeracy with 71.2% and reading with 72.7% growth . Notably, our students’ growth rate was higher than the state average in all areas.

The average growth results for our Year 7 students show steady growth from Year 5 to Year 7 NAPLAN performance, particularly in numeracy and reading with the percentage of students in Year 7 meeting or exceeding their expected growth,  being 79.7% and 66.0% respectively.

While these results are very encouraging, there is still work to be done. Catherine McAuley Westmead will identify areas for development for each class and develop strategies that can be implemented into the teaching programs for all subjects. 

If you have any questions concerning this report or your daughter’s NAPLAN report, you are encouraged to contact Ms Silvana Rossetti on 9849 9100.

During the holidays I came across this opinion article in the SMH written by Brandon Jack a writer and former Sydney Swan player. Whilst this is the opinion of one person, I thought it was a timely and relevant message to refer to as our Year 12 students currently sit their HSC exams. The overall message is summarised at the end of the article where Jack states “For kids doing their HSC this year, I'd say that who you are at 18 isn't who you have to be the rest of your lives, so don't feel crushed if you don't get the mark you want, or if you're still scratching your head over what to do. Don't see that your ATAR defines you, rather take the time to figure out what it is that you're interested in, and forge your own definition.”   At the conclusion of the article you will also find a short video explaining the process of moderation. 

Ms Silvana Rossetti
Assistant Principal (Learning and Teaching)

Catherine McAuley is proud to support the Asthma Friendly Schools initiative.  Asthma affects a large number of Australians with triggers such as the environment, the weather, perfumes and aerosol can type sprays. Many of our students who have been diagnosed with asthma are impacted by students who spray deodorant when they are changing after sport. This spray triggers an asthma attack. To raise awareness around this issue a group of Year 8 students have designed posters and placed them in the change areas and bathrooms. 

During the holidays new yellow lines were painted on the road to clearly mark the set down and pick up lane. In addition, short yellow lines were painted adjacent to where each vehicle should stop.  We encourage all drivers to move forward and stop your car in each bay so that the maximum number of students being picked up can occur at any one time. When dropping students off please be advised that students should not be going to the boot to collect bags as it is not safe practice. We suggest students travel the short distance to school with their school bag at their feet or on the lap ready to exit the vehicle at school. A reminder that this is a NO PARKING zone at all times in this area.

Ms Debbie Grigson
Assistant Principal (Pastoral Care/Administration)

The annual McAuley talent quest is back for 2019. Students can perform in one of the heats which will run throughout Weeks 2, 3 and 4 at lunchtimes in the Forum and the Morley Centre. Those not wanting to perform can enjoy watching the performances for the cost of a gold coin donation. All money raised will go to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). The finals will be held on Friday of Week 5. This event is organised by Veritas, Caritas and Coolock Houses.

The school community welcomed our new School Principal on the first day of Term 4 at a special assembly. Ms Mary Refalo was welcomed with a blessing and words of welcome delivered by our School Captains Josette and Holli. Ms Refalo is the 11th Principal of Catherine McAuley.

Parents were invited to meet Mary at an informal gathering this week on Tuesday, 22nd October at 5.30pm in the school library. Following this meet and greet parents heard from representatives from Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta to discuss the plans for the Westmead Catholic Community. 

Click on the link for more information about our new Principal Mary Refalo.

Late last term (23rd & 24th September 2019) the 32 2019/2020 Student Leaders were given the unique opportunity to attend a Leadership Retreat. This was an experience for each person to bond with their leader, but also an opportunity to become unified as a team in setting goals that reflect our Mercy values for this upcoming year. 

The Student Leadership Team had the pleasure of being lead by Y-Lead. Y-Lead is an organisation that empowers young people to be their best-selves and make a positive difference. Through activities led by Y-Lead, the leadership team learned the importance of effective communication and goal setting. Y-Lead taught us that every action counts and how the smallest actions can make the biggest change. 

As a leadership team, Y-Lead inspired us to lead with the core Mercy values established by Catherine McAuley. With this core foundation, our leadership team was able to create an initiative for 2020 that we hope will leave a legacy. We would like this initiative to be an asset in inspiring our school to be the best version of themselves, and to make their mark in any way possible. 

The two days spent on this retreat were essential in allowing us to realise the responsibility each leader holds, and in addition, how to be a servant leader. Through this experience, each individual has created a bond with all of the 2019/2020 Leadership Team, characterised by our Mercy Values and our drive to make a difference. 

Hollis S.
Co School Captain

On Friday, 18th of October both Ancient History classes went to Macquarie University to start learning about the Year 12 core study on Pompeii and Herculaneum with Ms Van Domburg and Ms Aquino. 

Dr Dennis Mootz guided us through the museum collection with a specific focus on artefacts from Pompeii and Rome, while also getting a sneaky look at sources from other ancient civilisations like New Kingdom Egypt. We admired ceramic pots, oil lamps and tomb inscriptions from the ancient world. Using gloves, we were lucky enough to handle some artefacts such as bullets, strigils, coins and glass bottles used to hold olive oil. We viewed an informative presentation on the eruption of Vesuvius and gained valuable background information for the course. 

On behalf of the Year 11 Ancient classes, I'd like to express my thanks to Ms Van Domburg, Ms Aquino, Dr Dennis Mootz and the staff at Macquarie University for a memorable learning experience.

Ella B.
Year 11 Ancient History student

On Friday, 18th October, all Year 8 students participated in a Maths Enrichment Day. They participated in a workshop called ‘Problems, Patterns, Pictures, Puzzles’ run by the organisation Inquisitive Minds, a Maths Trail and a Maths Relay.   In Period 5, the Year 8 students entertained us all in the Maths X Factor Finals. For the X Factor, students created a song, rap or poem which informed us about things they learned in Maths. Thank you to the Year 10 students who helped on the day and did a wonderful job.

Some quotes from students about the day are below:

“I liked the workshop run by Inquisitive Minds because it involved teamwork in answering a variety of different questions. The staff were very friendly and explored lots of different methods of how to work the questions out”.

“I really liked the Inquisitive Minds activity because I enjoyed working with a partner to complete the questions. We were able to help and challenge each other to complete the task in the competitive environment of competing with other groups to win the prize”.

“The X Factor finals was an interesting way to view different ways of explaining maths in the form of a song. It was fun and engaging to watch. The performances that each class prepared were very well thought out. The vibe and feeling that was in the Forum was so enjoyable and memorable”.

“The Maths Trail not only taught you about mathematics, it also reminded and taught you about your surroundings which really made me fascinated”.

“I liked doing the problem solving questions in the Maths Relay and enjoyed the teamwork that was needed”.

Mrs Lorena Thill
Assistant Mathematics Coordinator

Our Dance students were invited to perform a dance item at the Principals’ Masterclass Conference which was held over two days this week. This conference was attended by Principals within the Diocese.

The dance item was a modern Aboriginal dance piece. The group of dancers were students from the Junior Jazz Dance Troupe and some Indigenous students. They participated in two workshops with choreographer Jo Clancy to create the dance piece. 

Well done to all the students who did an amazing performance.

Year 7 Technology Mandatory students of Ms Catto this week made french toast as they completed the unit on Food and Agriculture.

Year 9 Design & Technology students of Ms Catto last term made children’s toys out of timber for their class assessment. The students were required to incorporate a simple mechanism to create movement in their design. Some of these toys are shown here.

17 students attended the MCCS Tennis Gala Day on Friday, 18th October at Barton Street Tennis Centre. It was a competition between eight schools which included Bethlehem, Nagle, Trinity, St John Paull II, St Patrick’s, Marist Sisters Woolwich and Domremy. Our students represented Catherine McAuley in both singles and doubles from 12 years to 17 years. 

We had three teams in the grand final for their respective age groups with two teams walking away champions.

It was a great day all round with the students enjoying themselves in a friendly and positive environment. This is the only opportunity our students get to represent our school in tennis.

Congratulations to all our players!

Ms Brooke Robson
Sports Coordinator

The NSW All Schools Athletics Championships took place on the last Thursday of Term 3. We had a number of students participate and we congratulate them on making it through to this event.

Tasha R., Year 7, obtained a personal best in javelin and won 2nd Place. She also competed in the discus event.

Jacinta R., Year 10, came 1st in discus. Her throw was a personal best and Jacinta will now compete at the National Championships to be held in Perth in December.

Samantha T., Year 7, came 2nd in the 12 Years 3000 metre event with a personal best of 35 seconds.

Chelsey T., Year 8, came 5th in her 14 Years sprint event and was pleased with her result.

Clare G., Year 8, and Hannah H., Year 10, also competed at the Championships, although the school is unsure how they went.

Well done to all these students!

Grace P., Year 9 and Lily H., Year 10 both represented NSW in the Under 16s Cricket Team at a recent cricket tournament held in Queensland. Both Grace and Lily had a successful week with the NSW Team undefeated and winning both the T20 and Limited Overs Shields.

The Parents & Friends Annual General Meeting was held this week on Tuesday 22nd  October. At this meeting the P&F Committee for 2020 was elected. They are:

The P&F Committee can be contacted via their email address: mcauleypandf@parra.catholic.edu.au