Bernard Burgess

Dear Catherine McAuley, Catholic College families,

Congratulations go to our Year 12 students who recently completed the Trail HSC exams across a two week period and were immersed in the process of completing, in most cases, three hour exams, and in some cases practical assessment associated with their subjects. Our first CMCC Year 12 cohort can be very proud of the way they approached and completed this significant step on their journey to the HSC in Term 4.

Included in the Trial HSC process was the presence of the NESA Presiding Officer who will take charge of the HSC operations for CMCC. This was important as our students needed to become familiar with external supervisors running and overseeing all HSC operations for the college as opposed to their own teachers as supervisors.

Book Week

The Ursula Frayne Library was alive with activity last week with the many activities coordinated and provided for our learners by Mrs Philpott, our Teacher Librarian and supported by many staff and students. Book Week is a vital reminder of the importance of reading for everyone, for learning, leisure and enjoyment. The connection to knowledge through reading is a gift and we were very fortunate to experience in the college such an awareness and celebration of reading throughout Book Week.

Core + Evening

The Year 8 Core + evening lead by Mr Mahony and supported by our Leaders of Learning across the college was a very well-attended and exciting event for our students in Year 8 – Wati - Discovery House, preparing for their electives in Year 9 and their graduation to Watha Endeavour House. It was delightful to see so many families on the night and to speak with them about the unique offerings at CMCC that engage our students in their learning and enable agency in their subject choices and determination of their learning pathways.

Student Leadership 2026

Our Year 11 students who have put themselves forward for student leadership in 2026 have been going through the process of application, endorsement, speeches, voting and interviews. This is a courageous act in many ways and all students who have said yes to this are to be congratulated on their efforts and will serve the college well in the coming year. We look forward to the announcements surrounding College Captains and other leadership roles in the coming weeks.

As previously communicated to our families, Mrs Denham, Head of House for Bathu – Horizons (Yr 11&12) and Mr Scott Warnock Head of House for Watha – Endeavour (Yr 9 &10) are moving to Assistant Principal roles in other schools in 2026 and a recruitment process has recently been undertaken to replace them.

I’m pleased to announce that following this process these appointments have been made.

Mr Aaron Mahony - Permanent Head of House from the commencement of 2026.

Mr Robert Bain - Head of House from January 2026 to the end of the 2027 school year. (2 Year secondment)

Aaron has been acting Head of House during 2025 and is an experienced leader in wellbeing and learning across a number of schools. His strong connections with our staff , students, families, and community will contribute significantly to the future of the college.

Rob who is currently acting Head of House for Watha is an experienced leader across several school settings in wellbeing and learning and strongly supports the CMCC context and culture. He is very much looking forward to the next two years in this role.

We are very much looking forward to the final weeks of formal schooling for our Year 12 students and to the celebrations and recognition of the first ever Year 12 cohort to graduate from Catherine McAuley Catholic College Medowie. Families will be kept well informed about the events and celebrations and we look forward to celebrating with  them for these momentous celebrations.

United in Mercy

Bernard Burgess

College Principal