Victoria C. and Zara Z., Catherine McAuley School Captains, reminded students at the school assembly this week that no great hero works alone and that it is when we unite together we can become unstoppable.
It was a very special school assembly held on Wednesday, 18th May as it was the first time since the pandemic that the whole school has been able to gather together. It was therefore fitting that the school captains in their Captains’ Address spoke to the school theme ‘Grow In Unity’ and told students that just like heroes in movies we are all stronger and cleverer when we work together.
“As an individual you have specific strengths unique to you and when you come together with your friends and peers you are always a valuable member of a team”, they said. “In order to strengthen the team we need to ensure everyone has a place which means appreciating superpowers in all their forms and finding somewhere for all of them to fit. When people unite, they do amazing things”.
It was a full agenda at the assembly with Ms Refalo beginning by acknowledging the celebration of being able to gather together without live streaming in what has been such a long time. Ms Refalo then went on to speak about the learning pit and reminded students to know where they are going in their learning.
The Student Sport Leaders launched Wellbeing Wednesday, an initiative to encourage the whole school community to walk to earn House points; Jasmine A., Year 12 performed a musical item; The Year 8 Library Ambassadors spoke about upcoming library events; Year 12 student Caitlin M. spoke about her learning pit journey whilst learning the violin; the Student Learning Leaders reminded students about peer tutoring which takes place in the library twice a week; Ms Chahine, School Careers Advisor and guest presenter Dr Nicole Bridges, Western Sydney University awarded certificates to the students involved in the Leadership Masterclass Program; and Arya T., Year 12 spoke about the upcoming Push Up Challenge for mental health.
Jacqui Hamilton | School Development Officer
Catherine McAuley Westmead
-
09 Jun 2026
Helping Your Child Learn at Home - Practical strategies every parent can use
How can you help your child learn at home without stress, conflict, or overwhelm? Join CSPD’s Learning Outcomes team for a practical parent session focused on simple, realistic ways families can support learning at home, from primary through to secondary school.
17 Jun 2026
Try a Career Day @ CathWest Loyola Campus
Year 10, are you curious about trying a career...? Register for CathWest's 'Try a Career Day' at the CathWest Loyola Campus!
More News
15 May 2026
From Facebook
ENVIRONMENT WEEK 🌿♻ Giving Clothes a Second Chance! Today at lunchtime, the McAuley Eco-swap brought sustainability to life in the fight against fashion, giving students the opportunity to swap unwanted clothing items with items from another person that they like using a token system. For every item donated, a token was given which could then be exchanged for a range of clothing items such as jumpers, shirts and pants. From re-using and re-loving to making more mindful choices, it was wonderful to see so many students supporting a more sustainable future. 🌏💚 A huge thank you to the Environment Leaders and Earth Action committee for working behind the scenes to drive this initiative as well as to everyone who donated and helped make this initiative such a success for Environment Week 2026. Together, small actions can create meaningful change.
15 May 2026
From Facebook
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS 🎉 Computers at the school in 1987. Catherine McAuley was one of only five schools in NSW selected to participate in the IBM Computer Education Project, with IBM donating 16 computers to the school. As part of the initiative, four teachers also attended a four-week training course organised by IBM.
15 May 2026
From Facebook
👏🏻 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS👏🏻 Congratulations to Ava M. and Stella R. who proudly participated in the NSW Police Youth Program. 👮🏼♀️ This was a four day program held from 28th April to 1st May, providing students with an introduction to policing and valuable insight into careers within the NSW Police Force. Ava and Stella thoroughly enjoyed the experience and embraced every opportunity throughout the course. They were presented with their certificates today by Police Youth Liaison Officer, Senior Constable Brad Martin, recognising their involvement and commitment throughout the program. We are proud to see our students exploring pathways of service, leadership and community engagement.
15 May 2026
From Facebook
DANCE STUDENTS 💃 Congratulations to the school’s Senior Solo Dance Artists, Emily C. (Year 9, pictured) and Charlize D. (Year 10), who will proudly represent the school as solo performers this year. Emily will showcase a lyrical dance performance, while Charlize will perform a lyrical and contemporary routine. We look forward to seeing both students perform at upcoming events.
14 May 2026
From Facebook
AROUND THE CLASSROOMS 📸 Year 11 Visual Arts students who have participated in a Captivate photography workshop or studied 1 Unit Photography were invited to an early morning photo shoot this week, arriving at school at 6am to capture striking images of the new building in the morning light.
14 May 2026
From Facebook
ENVIRONMENT WEEK 🌿 There was plenty of creativity and fun in Mercy Square at lunch today as students continued celebrating Environment Week at Catherine McAuley! Organised by the Student Leaders of Environment, students spent yesterday and today expressing their appreciation for the natural world through colourful chalk art on the Mercy Wall. Using non-toxic chalk, students transformed the space into a vibrant display of creativity, with lunchtime buzzing with activity.
14 May 2026
From Facebook
The Catherine McAuley Weekly Review for Thursday, 14th May 2026 is now available:
14 May 2026
From Facebook
SCHOOL DEBATING 💬 The Catholic Schools Debating Association (CSDA) competition continued on Wednesday night with Round 4, where Catherine McAuley achieved an impressive result, winning 5 out of 6 debates. Teams across all year groups secured victories, with the only loss coming in the Year 12 debate. All debates were against La Salle Catholic College, Bankstown. Congratulations to all students on their efforts and achievements throughout the season so far! Thank you to Katrina N. from the Year 9 Media Team for capturing these photos.
14 May 2026
Music, art, movement: why creativity matters more than you think
Did you know creativity is one of the biggest predictors of how well children do in school and in life?
14 May 2026
Around the Classrooms
From creative design projects to hands-on fieldwork and powerful historical insights, students have been actively engaging in a range of enriching learning experiences across the classroom and beyond.
13 May 2026
From Facebook
AROUND THE CLASSROOMS ➡️ Year 11 Textiles and Design students in Mrs E. Maher’s class have designed and created a range of unique bags inspired by historical, cultural and contemporary influences as part of their Design Unit. Each student incorporated fabric manipulation techniques and key elements and principles of design into their bag to bring their creative ideas to life. Fantastic work and impressive creativity on display!
13 May 2026
From Facebook
YEAR 9 MEDIA TEAM 📸 At the recent Mother’s Day Liturgy and Morning Tea for Year 9 students, the newly formed Year 9 Student Media Team had the opportunity to put their photography skills into practice using the school cameras. Students enjoyed capturing photos with a custom social media frame created as a fun photo prop for the event. Well done to the students on their fantastic start and we look forward to seeing more photos and news stories from the Year 9 Media Team throughout the year.
13 May 2026
From Facebook
YEAR 10 GEOGRAPHY EXCURSION 🌊 On Friday, 8th May, Year 10 Geography students took part in their coastal case study excursion, visiting Long Reef and Collaroy beaches. Students gained hands-on experience conducting fieldwork by measuring sand dune profiles, assessing weather conditions and vegetation, and observing the coastal management strategies used at both locations. This was a valuable opportunity for students to see Geography in action and apply their classroom learning in a real-world environment.
13 May 2026
The Story of Altiora Week - The Student Leaders of Learning Recap This New Initiative
The Student Leaders of Learning summarise the very successful Altiora Week, a week full of exciting activities for students.
12 May 2026
From Facebook
Catherine McAuley Westmead recognised by the Sydney Morning Herald as among the top 130 schools achieving the biggest gains in literacy and numeracy across NSW! 🙌🙌