CWA Speeches

Last week students participated in the annual CWA speaking competition. I am very pleased to announce that the students of Catherine McAuley who participated in this competition did very well and gave some excellent speeches. Well Done!!

Kindergarten Enrolments for 2026

If you have a child starting school next year, or know of any families who have a child starting school in 2026, please remind them to either pick up an enrolment form from our school office or download an enrolment form from our website. Information regarding our Kindergarten Orientation sessions is ready to be sent home so we are keen to have you on our mailing list.

Safe Respectful Responsible Behaviour at Catherine McAuley

As you are aware, at Catherine McAuley we have three behaviour expectations. These are that students behave in ways that are safe, respectful and responsible. These three expectations cover all areas of school life, in the classroom, during library, music and sport lessons, on the playground, during assemblies, at the church, during incursions and excursions. Ways that we are safe, respectful and responsible in all these areas is discussed with the students.

In the past few weeks we have seen an escalation in unsafe, disrespectful and irresponsible behaviour in some of our students. There have been consequences for this behaviour and action taken. The school leadership team met to revise our Behaviour Management Policy and Processes. Once this has been ratified by staff, we will share this with parents.

Contacting Catholic Education Bathurst Diocese (CEDB)

If you have the need to contact CEDB the following contact details are to be used.

Email cedb@ for general enquiries/complaints or for fee related matters to the Fees Liaison Officer on 6338 3067 or flocedb@bth.catholic.edu.au

Understanding Your Kids' Character Strengths: An Expert Guide.

Michael Grose

Understanding your child's strengths helps them succeed with confidence, keeping stress at bay.

Personality strengths—our character—play a big role in helping us build our talents.

Think about anyone who has built a talent and imagine if it could have been done without character. Imagine Einstein without curiosity, The Beatles without creativity, Mother Teresa without compassion and Neil Armstrong without bravery.

Yet, for decades, scientists were blind to character strengths. We focused on talent, often on physical strength and skills. When I first ask young children what they think strength is, they almost always point to their biceps or talk about being able to lift something heavy.Once you familiarise yourself with the language of strengths and a framework for recognising them, you can quickly identify your child's character strengths. You may find your child calls on her strengths more often than her talent to meet life’s challenges.

Three key elements of a strength.

You’ve probably seen a child joylessly perform at a piano recital or play a modified sport. They may hit all the right keys or strike the ball over the net but lack energy and enthusiasm. It’s as if they don’t want to be there. On the flip side, we’ve seen the child onstage who’s clearly motivated and energised and who fearlessly flails through every mistake—of which there are many. Or a child who tackles a subject at school with enthusiasm or plays a sport with passion and exuberance.

Three elements come together to form a strength. They are:

1. Performance (“What are they good at?”)Watch for when your child shows above-age levels of achievement, rapid learning, and a repeated pattern of success.

This achievement could be in the academic field, sport, the performing arts, or anywhere. My son showed flair in the Kitchen at a young age, which suited his learning style. Cooking was practical, hands-on and enjoyable. Yep, you guessed it, he became a chef. Look for the activities your child performs at a higher level than other children their age. These may be school subjects, sports, artistic activities, or leisure activities.

2. Energy (“What do they feel good doing?”)

Strengths are self-reinforcing. The more kids use them, the more they get from them.

It feeds their self-esteem and helps form their identity. In adolescence, the child who says,“I’m good at art” becomes, “I’m an artist.”

Working from strengths fills kids with energy. Think back to your child and recall the activities that energised them. The activities that you were involved in where time just seemed to slip away. Notice the activities that energise your child—those activities that make them feel good about themselves. They're so good that they usually don’t want to stop, even for dinner.

3. High use (“What do they freely choose to do?”)

Finally, consider what your child chooses to do in their spare time, how often they engage in a particular activity, and how they talk about it.

My unrestrained enthusiasm for football showed itself in the games I played and my thirst for knowledge. I read countless books on the sport and gathered statistics on teams and players that I could recite at any moment.Heavy usage? It's more likely an obsession.

The feedback loop

For true strengths, these three elements form a beautiful feedback loop.

Excellent performance gives a child high energy, so a child naturally chooses to do more.

High use—also known as effort or practice—improves performance levels.

So, for example, if you notice that your child is energised when she plays the piano, and you provide enjoyable opportunities for her to play, if she’s mining a true strength, she will likely practise more, which improves her performance, which then energises her… and so the loop continues.

Be mindful of this triad when identifying your child’s strengths

Keeping this triad in mind will help you avoid pushing your child into an area that seems like a strength just because your child is good at it.

It will also help you differentiate between whether your child is bingeing on an activity in an escapist way or expressing a genuine strength.

So look for all three signs.

When you see your child do something well, with energy, and do that activity repeatedly—you’ll know you’ve unearthed a strength.

Have a great fortnight!

Jo Flynn

Catherine McAuley Newsletter

Faith, Learning and Justice

Term 2, Week 6 · 04 Jun 2025

In this issue