EMAIL LOOKING WEIRD? VIEW IT IN YOUR BROWSER. NOT INTERESTED ANYMORE? UNSUBSCRIBE NOW.

Term 2 - Week 8

2018 JPC Sleepout

Last night 150 of our bravest students and staff embraced the challenge of experiencing homelessness for a night. We started off with a live Skype cross to Mrs Rey who was participating in the Canberra CEO Sleepout. Therese Canty, the St Vincent de Paul school liaison officer spoke to the students about homelessness in the ACT. She challenged our ideas and perceptions of homelessness, providing interesting statistics about the current situation for homeless people, particularly in Canberra. Her knowledge, help and advice was invaluable and appreciated. 

The students of the Social Justice Committee organised an amazing race activity, dodgeball and some even cheered on Australia in the World Cup. After the activities, students took their boxes and cardboard and began to set up camp. All students experienced the extreme conditions (-3 degrees) faced by homeless people on a nightly basis and showed great determination. Well done to all!

Family members of participants came and shared a warm and delicious breakfast served by our fantastic team from the JPC canteen and Food Tech staff.

We would like to thank the Social Justice Committee for all their hard work in planning this event. A special thank you goes to Storage King in Mitchell and Belconnen for their generous donation of over 150 big moving boxes and cardboard for the students to sleep in. This is the third year they have come on board and it is great to see the community working together for such a worthwhile cause.

The students raised money for the St Vincent de Paul Society which contributed towards Mrs Rey’s CEO Sleep-out tally of currently over $6,958. Donations can still be made at https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/catherine-rey/canberra .

 

In the past two years we have raised over $10,000 each year with 120 students doing the sleep out. This year with 150 students, we would expect to go well beyond that. 

 

Teena Zorzi

Teacher of Sociology, Legal Studies and RE

 

 

A huge thank you to all who have supported me personally through donations directly to the St Vincent de Paul Society site or by sponsoring one of our students. I feel blessed to be in such a generous and supportive community. A gentle reminder to all students who slept out, of the need to bring in a minimum donation of $30 if they have not already done so. I would also like to endorse Miss Zorzi's suggestion that we could raise well over $10,000 this year again and would be most grateful for your support. The St Vincent de Paul Society is almost totally funded by donations and is continually seeking to expand its range of services to meet the ever growing needs of the disadvantaged in our community.

 

Catherine Rey

Principal

 

 

Ration Challenge

This week has been tough for our super ration challengers, surviving on their eager quantities of rice, lentils and beans. We were bolstered by a great segment that was aired on WIN News on Monday night that shared our story and helped us get the word out about why this is such an important initiative. Whilst some students have now completed their challenge, many of our seniors decided to wait until their exams were over and to get stuck in in the second half of this week. To help get them started, the canteen generously offered lunchtime delights on Wednesday that were inspired by refugee recipes – although the fried rice, lentil curry and dahl looked amazing, the challengers held their ground and acted as servers in the canteen, savouring the aromas! Thanks to the canteen, we were able to add another $300 to our fundraising tally.

We congratulate all of our challenges for their dedication during Refugee Week  – it is not an easy feat to completely change your eating habits and lose all variety for a week, but they have done so with great enthusiasm.

 

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank the community for their incredibly generous support. As of Friday morning, our team has raised just shy of $8000 for Act for Peace. This is enough to feed 125 refugees for 3 months. This is an extraordinary accomplishment and shows just what a difference we can make in the world if we take small steps to raise awareness and work for justice.

 

May God’s love continue to inspire us to act justly for all members of our global family.

 

Mrs Nicola Edghill
Leader of Learning – Religious Education

 

Religious Education news

Faith in Action @ JPC

Year 9 - Catch the Wave Retreat

 

On Tuesday, all of Year 9 were involved in a special retreat experience called Catch the Wave. This was led by a group of Youth Ministers from around Canberra. They showed us not only how easy it is to connect with God, but how a person could become more comfortable with God in their lives. This experience was a nice refresher, it was shown in a fun light so students could connect a little easier than the “regular” experience of mass or RE class. Catch the Wave was really unique and was a sacred experience, but also with a strong sense of companionship, as the people who led us were really accepting and nice. Putting aside the fact that it was fun, it was a really good learning experience. The main focus of this experience was to show us how to connect with God. These were ordinary people and they shared their experiences of how they grew as people of faith. Catch the Wave was an amazing experience! The leaders are kind-hearted and helpful, and the effect that it has had on me has been to make me feel like I am one with God. I know I am able to be a better person of faith through this experience.

 

Callum Bartlett
Year 9

 

What I took away from the day was that exploring your faith in different ways can be fun and enlightening. One of my favourite activities was charades, where people had to step up and act out different scenes in front of the group to push them out of their comfort zones. I think this incursion was a great opportunity for Year 9s to look at how our connection with God can fit into our everyday life.

 

Leah Vroomans
Year 9

 

At the beginning of the retreat I’ll be honest, I thought it would be like every other religion retreat; where they get everyone to sit down and just talk to them about Jesus and morals for an hour or so. I’m glad to say that I, along with many others, were pleasantly surprised by how fun the session was. There were so many highlights but my personal favourite was when we did the reflection and got the blessings at the end, allowing us to think about all the lessons we learnt during ‘Catch the Wave’ and receive a blessing from the youth ministers. The biggest thing that I remember from that day is something Hannah (the JPC Youth Minister) told us: even if you open your heart the tiniest bit, God can use that to work in our lives.

 

Kendall Simmons
Year 9

 

Year 9 students will have the opportunity to study a Youth Ministry elective as a replacement for their regular Religious Education classes in term 3. Students have made initial expressions of interest to take part in this new class and will be contacted by the end of the term to let them know if they have a place in the program. Any parents or students who would like more information about Youth Ministry at JPC can contact Mrs Nicola Edghill or Miss Cheryl Jones for further details.

 

Year 10 - United Nations Guest Speaker

 

On Tuesday, Year 10 were fortunate to engage with a guest speaker, Mr Christopher Woodthorpe, the Director of Canberra’s very own United Nations Information Centre. He gave an engaging presentation on the UN’s current ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ for 2030.

As we have spent much of this term reflecting on both personal and Church responses to a variety of current social concerns, it was very enlightening to hear about how a global organisation like the United Nations is tackling similar issues. We discussed our place in our current global context, leaving us to ponder our role as both students and Australians in making the next decade one full of progress. I found the presentation to be considerably engaging as I believe for many of us, it confronted us with the reality that we are not removed from the global affairs we discuss. The future may feel daunting at times - but with our school and personal values in mind - we can make a difference!

 

William Carey

Year 10

 

Production Training at the Canberra Theatre – Part Two

It’s not often that an assessment performance is performed on stage at Canberra Theatre but - this is just the opportunity the Year 9/10 Drama class experienced this week!

On Thursday, the students completed the final stage of the two-part Production Training course at Canberra theatre. For this to happen, the groups needed to create a performance, design their sound and lighting cues and write their own prompt scripts. At the theatre, students were able to experience being a stage manager calling a show using the Playhouse comms with the support of the CTC technical staff.

 

Students were treated like a touring theatre company. Each group were allocated a dressing room and were able to perform on the Playhouse stage. These performances were recorded and will be available to students shortly.

 

The 9/10 Drama class behaved with maturity and proudly represented the College. Their focus and teamwork displayed at the Theatre, both backstage and on stage, was commendable. Students described the experience as “amazing, terrifying but unforgettable!” An extra special mention to Art White, Kendall Simmons and Cullen Savle who took on the stressful roles of Stage Managing. A very memorable and worthwhile experience. Chookas!!

 

Miss Sarah Keane

 

"Arts Up Front"

Music

Music is a non-stop growing part of JPC. The year 7 Music Classes have taken a different turn this year by playing pop songs of their choice as a medley as an entire class which they are incredibly proud of. The year 9/10 music class have improved their technical ability on their instruments this year playing a Lion King Medley as an entire ensemble. To assist with this, the class visited Gary France’s Groove Warehouse where they participated in an African music workshop using djembes. The first ever year 11 Music class have learnt about blues music, composing their own music as well as learning music from the great blues musicians. All these classes participate in a performance this term showcasing their musical development.

 

Aron Lyon continues to work with his bands to improve students’ technique and ensemble skills ready for the bands night in week 10. This is a performance for all co-curricular music programs at JPC to perform for friends, family and members of the community and to share their music they’ve been rehearsing every week. Also performing at the bands night in week 10 is the newest music ensembles at JPC, the Guitar/Ukulele club. This group includes students of all ages and abilities on guitar and ukulele and we play songs of their choice together in an ensemble.

 

The Production Crew has continued to grow in strength in 2018. By the end of semester 1, our junior members had already had the opportunity to be a part of some of the many events that our production crew manage live sound and lighting for. These included Opening Mass, Tuesday Tunes and Anzac Day Commemorative Service, setting a great foundation of skills and knowledge for them. With new sound and lighting equipment being installed in the Theatre, it has been the perfect platform to give our student's industry level experience, we have also had a number of senior members gain employment across Canberra in some of our biggest venues.

 

We have had so many performances already this semester such as JPC Open Day, ANZAC Day, excursions to The Grove and to The Groove Warehouse. We also look forward to so many more excursions to take our music students on and to expose them to other music in the local community.

Our weekly Tuesday Tunes are getting more and more popular with students from all ages and musical abilities stepping up to share their talent with their peer audiences which, as we know, is one of the most difficult things to do. It’s amazing to see the students stepping up and having a go. It’s so good to have some entertainment BY the students, FOR the students on a Tuesday lunchtime.

 

The Vocal Group has grown so much this year that Miss Robinson decided to split the group into junior and senior. This is to allow seniors not to miss any ILT periods and the juniors don’t miss their lunchtime but having smaller groups will also help during rehearsal periods. It also allows the Senior Vocal Group to do more challenging harmonies in songs of their choice which the Junior Vocal Group can strive to join as they show dedication and progression. Both groups will perform together during school events.

 

The Concert band has also been gaining new members and have now become 3 separate Concert Bands; junior, intermediate and senior concert band. This is to help students learn at the right stages and progress through the bands as they improve on their technique, note reading and overall musicianship. It’s been a real pleasure having such a mixture of levels and more instrumentation coming into the bands this year.

 

Miss Sharon Robinson

Sports News

The St John Paul II College Sports Awards Assembly will be held this Thursday 28 June at 10.20am. 

Girls Rugby 10s summary

On Wednesday, our Year 7/8 & 9/10 teams competed in the Schoolgirls Rugby 10s competition at Southwell Park in Lyneham. 

Teams from Canberra and around were all there competing including teams from Bega, Picton, Young & Goulburn.

7/8 Girls
On paper, it was going to be a difficult day for the 7/8 girls: no reserves, only 3 training sessions and 4 players whose feet had never graced a rugby field, and to add insult to injury, we were in a pool that had 5 teams rather than 4.


Our starting game against Hennessy College, however, was an easy win as they didn’t arrive on time. Perhaps the only positive to come from the light rail construction chaos! A tough game ensued against Campbell High yet the girls came out winners 10-0 with powerhouse tries from Angel Skinner and Gabby Jordan.

Another challenging game against Telopea High ensued but again the girls held on to win 5-0 with a try from Gabby. Our final game against Picton, who were top of our pool, was not going to be easy. However, an early injury to their team meant the game only had 1 minute to play with a scrum left to complete and no score. Gabby took the ball, weaved her way through the opposition and ran almost the length of the field to score with seconds remaining.

The final was against rivals St Clare's, whom the girls beat in the 7’s tournament. This time it was their turn, with the final score being 10-0 to St Clare's. A great effort nonetheless, with the girls fighting tooth and nail the whole game.
Powerhouse efforts from Elsa ( never played ), Cholhok, Kiera and Gabby all added to the outstanding performances by the other girls. Seeing them drive the Telopea team back 10 metres at one stage using a classic rolling maul technique was the highlight!

9/10 Girls


These girls were in the pool of death coming up against some of the best teams in the competition. The girls were unlucky not to come away with the win against Northside rivals Burgmann finishing in a draw.  A 5-0 loss to Trinity and then a 17-0 loss to Bega High saw the girls finish 3rd in their pool. This set up a game against St Francis Xavier where the girls agreed to play 7s Rugby as St Francis Xavier had a few injuries on the day. This saw more space on the field and the girls failed to utilize it. Overall the girls played some great footy, Jaz Kelly & Izzy Hendon were the best on the ground while Mya Taffe took the moment of the day with her Line-Out jumping (and falling).

 

Coach Hanna & Coach Boyle

Bill Turner Success
JPC make final 32 in Australia

The Bill Turner Football team is made up of 16 boys from St John Paul II College who are 15 years of age or younger. This week the boys played in the grand final of the ACT/Southern NSW regional competition against Yass High School. St John Paul II College had previously beaten Radford College, Lyneham High and Goulburn en-route to the final. This was an exceptional performance against Yass with JPC ending up comprehensive 11-1 winners. Goals came from Alexander Walsh, Jack Rowley (2), Sebastian Woods, Jacob Booker (2), Stephen Cerni (2), Aidan Milicevic (2) and an own-goal. The team have now qualified to compete as one of 32 school teams from across Australia in a finals series which starts with a game against the champions of the Riverina region (team TBC). I’d like to congratulate the boys on this exceptional performance and for the passion, they have shown in representing their school with pride. I would also like to thank Mr Andrew Woodman for his assistance in coaching the team and to all the parents who have been a tremendous support throughout.

 

Iain Robertson

JPC Pooch Program!

Given the success of the introduction of Lola and how many pats and loving cuddles she has received we have decided to expand the Pooch population at JPC

Meet the new recruits and their handlers!

Ashley belongs to Mrs Middleton and is a black, female Greyhound who has retired from racing and looking forward to providing a calm and gentle presence for the students at JPC. She is very tolerant and loves being near people. Once you are her friend she will follow you around everywhere. Like most greyhounds, she doesn’t sit well, but will happily lay down. She is four years old and excited to start her training to become a therapy dog.
She loves to run with her adopted brother Buster and chase her ball. While greyhounds are very fast, they are also very lazy, so after her short run, Ashley likes to have a long sleep on her bed or just keep her humans' company.

Pippa belongs to Miss Masterson and is a beautiful blue Border Collie. She has a friendly, loving personality and enjoys meeting new people. Pippa loves to make new friends and receive belly rubs, pats and cuddles. Due to Pippa’s fluffiness and smaller size, she is the perfect dog for cuddling.


Pippa has completed obedience training and currently does agility training, where she has the opportunity to use all her energy running and jumping.


Pippa and I are excited to start this new journey and can’t wait to meet you all in the learning street!

Defence News

Years 11 and 12 Defence Students End of Semester Excursion to Flip Out is on next week, Tuesday 26th June. Permission notes were emailed this week and need to be returned asap. Please contact me if your Year 11 or 12 Defence Student requires a permission note.

Battle of Hamel VR Experience

The Australian War Memorial is bringing the French countryside to life in order to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 2018.  You can experience a 10-minute interactive digital experience, viewed via a VR headset and headphones in the Memorial’s BAE Systems Theatre.  The VR Battle of Hamel experience opens today, 22 June and runs until 22 July at the AWM.  Bookings are recommended to avoid disappointment.  To reserve your free ticket online, please use the link www.awm.gov.au/hamelvr

 

A new sculpture will be dedicated in the Memorial’s grounds to commemorate the life and achievements of General Sir John Monash. The Sir John Monash Sculpture dedication will be held at 10.30am, on Wednesday 4 July in the Sculpture Garden.
Lots of interesting events happening throughout June and July.  Here is just a taster….

 

What: Doin’ Dinner
A rotating monthly dinner for Defence partners at different restaurants in the Canberra region. Get along and enjoy a meal out and meet new people.  This is a child‐free event.
When: Thursday, 26 July, 7pm
Where: The George Harcourt Inn, 3 Gold Creek Road, Nicholls
Cost: meal/drinks are own responsibility
Rsvphttps://www.eventbrite.com.au
 

What: Soldier On Self-Care Workshop
Join Soldier On for some morning tea, where you can meet new people and learn some self‐help and relaxation techniques.
When: Saturday, 23 June 2018 from 10:00am – 12:00pm
Where: Soldier On HQ, Robert Poate Centre, 80 Bellenden Street, Gungahlin
Cost: Free for spouses/partners of Soldier On participants
Rsvp: act@soldieron.org.au or Debbie Dimmock on 0417 372 394

For more information about what is happening for Defence Families around Canberra, make sure you head to DCO’s website for the DCO’s eNews!  www.defence.gov.au/DCO/

 

Vicki Walsh
DTM

1021 Gungahlin Drive Nicholls ACT  |  Ph: (02) 6163 4800
You are receiving this email because you subscribed with us. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe now.
Copyright © 2015 John Paul College
Download the Assessment Alert App to stay up to date