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Key Messages Week 3

Upcoming Events

Monday 31st October - Social Justice Group Halloween Disco

Thursday 3rd November - Year 9/10 Photography Excursion

Thursday 3rd November - Year 10 ASbA Information Session

Monday 7th November - Year 7 Immunisations Round 3

I work as a Coordinator at the College (Vanier House & Integrated Humanities) and also have a responsibility for developing and facilitating community enrichment opportunities for our students. At the start of the year I wrote to you about a fundamental question which drives my own educational philosophy, “how can we best prepare all students for a world that will require more of them?” This week I’d like to share some further thoughts on this topic with particular reference to ‘adolescent identity’. I hope this article will prompt you to reflect on the benefits of community initiatives at JPC and thus guide you in a conversation with your child surrounding; “What more can I do to immerse myself in the community life of the College?”

 

In Year 10 Health classes our students are currently exploring the theme of personal identity with our essential question being “What makes you, you?”. It was while designing this unit, coupled with the interactions and discussions with students, that it dawned on me the influence and power of a rich and diverse school community program. Many schools and many parents focus on ‘Academics’. In fact, many school systems revolve around it, and yet in part, I think it falls miserably short of what our young people need. Research shows that some of the least engaged students are the highest achievers. Think about that. They do well because they know how to “do school.” Is this really the best we have to offer them? Am I saying academics aren’t important? On the contrary, I think our students should be able to develop their knowledge and understanding about various topics but they also need to know what they believe in and why. I believe that the success of a school should be measured on how it prepares students for life after school; how to form successful relationships, raising your kids, establishing values and morals, managing money, or giving back to your community. These things matter just as much, if not more so, than being good at school.

 

This week, I had a conversation with two young ladies from our Year 10 cohort. The first said “I would like to get more involved in the community, last term I dropped out a lot and my behaviour changed. I want to get back on track”. This prompted me to ask them the question, why and how will this help you? The second girl replied, “It adds to your identity by creating more depth to you as a person. By getting involved in the community you can see what kind of person you are. Instead of focusing on yourself, you’re providing opportunities for other people”. It was these conversations that truly resonated with me. Communication technologies enable our young people to be immersed in a global community and yet it is the complex nature of being an interconnected global citizen that lead some of our students to feeling more isolated. If not isolated, then it’s this extreme exposure to the outside world (particularly through social networking) that might lead our young people to cultivate multiple identities (also unhealthy might I add). Hence the question of belonging, identity and community becomes more complex and more central to the debate on how we nurture our young people. So what is the answer and how does JPC become part of the solution?

 

Young people follow a journey first to discover and then to develop their own talents, interests, preferences, and personal voice. For students at JPC the path to develop their unique capacities and establish their distinctive identities and voices is paved through multiple opportunities in the community aspect of school life. Over the past two weeks I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with Year 6 students and their parents at our ‘Get to know you’ interviews. I have found myself repeating the same advice to students and parents; school is about excitement and growth; explore, experience, and pursue your interests and unearth your hidden talents by engaging in every aspect of school life.

 

Service to others is an important characteristic of being a Christian and there are so many ways for JPC students to develop this further. At JPC we have an extensive community enrichment program. I encourage you to view a list of some of the opportunities available and discuss with your child how they might further engage in the JPC community in 2016 and beyond. The benefits are endless; a greater sense of self/identity; social, teamwork, and critical thinking skills; values of integrity, community and love; a sense of achievement and fulfilment and of course an opportunity to learn and explore in a hands-on setting. If you have any questions about the community enrichment programs available at the College, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s mentor teacher.

 

Mr Iain Robertson

 

 

Boorowa Carnival – JPC Netball/Touch Football Coaches

On Friday 21 October 2016, 21 students from St John Paul II College attended the Boorowa Carnival. These students had been coaching Netball and Touch Football teams from Holy Spirit Primary School throughout Term 3 and 4 during Independent Learning Time. The day was a huge success for both Holy Spirit and JPC. Julie Jenkins (Coordinator at Holy Spirit Primary School) said “JPC students who attended the Boorowa Carnival were an absolute credit to their school today.  They were outstanding in so many ways, entering into the spirit of the carnival by supporting and encouraging the Holy Spirit students they were assigned to”. Julie continued by saying “Many parents commented on their maturity, manners and commitment to the whole day.  I thought it was important to let you know... great kids!  Thank you so much for allowing us to 'borrow' them for the day.... great role models indeed”. I’d like to congratulate all students involved and thank the Holy Spirit staff members (including Mr Cameron Tarrant, Mr James Seamus Farrell and Mrs Diana Masters) for engaging with the JPC community in this wonderful initiative.

 

 

Teresa has Talent @ JPC

On Thursday the College welcomed staff, students and parents to the College for their annual talent show (Teresa has Talent). Staff and students joined us during the day for their final dress rehearsal. They were guided by our wonderful Tech Crew: Briana Pilicic, Thomas Mugridge, Emily Watt, Michael Woodman, Daniel Cunneen, Parker Owen, Nicholas Dale and Maximus Leskien. The students helped the staff with sound, lighting, music equipment and staging. This was a wonderful opportunity for the crew to gain further experience in the field.

 

They were joined by our Unplugged Band (Phoebe Nguyen, Codie Haycraft, Alex Kavaliku-Skinner and Leilani Georgievski) who played during the interval for the Mother Teresa Community. One of our College Dance groups (Shae Bright, Ciel Georgievski, Codie Haycraft, Emilia Hromow, Isabella Hubbard) also performed on the evening. Also assisting on the night were some of our Hospitality leaders (Eryn Benedictos, Alicia Alarcon, Eddie Kershaw and Ashleigh Bradley) who served food and drink during the interval to the parent community. I’d like to thank all staff and students involved in the organisation of the evening in particular Mrs Belinda Kelly, Mrs Kris Davis, Mr Peter Caldwell, Mr Aron Lyon and Mrs Faye Robertson.

 

Mr Iain Robertson

 

 

Integrated Humanities update (English, SOSE/Studies of the Society and Environment)
 

“Ancient China” and “DragonKeeper”

 

Our focus for the term in Integrated Humanities (Year 7) is ‘Ancient China’. In the English component of the course, students have been reading ‘DragonKeeper’ (by Carole Wilkinson). Every student has received a new copy of the novel which allows them to develop their reading skills. Students are set a ‘reading’ target each week, for example this week students were expected to read up to chapter 9. In Year 7, students are encouraged to complete 30 minutes of reading each evening. The DragonKeeper story has strong links to Ancient China. In class we are looking for students to make connections between the language and characters in the novel and the History and Geography of China. We supplement the novel study with the development of key skills, during both class time and Independent Learning Time, relating to both History and Geography.


Mr Iain Robertson

 

 

Social Media at JPC
“Get involved”

Many of the community are using Facebook to keep up to date with school news. We are a 21st century school and recognise the importance of communicating with our community across a number of platforms.

 

Instagram
Will be used to share photos and videos of the College. This will be led by students at the College. You’ll be able to see the activities and learning going on at JPC. Follow the JPC Instagram Page. JPC_ACT

 

Facebook
Will be used to communicate upcoming events at the College. This is run by staff at the College and will also include articles/media of recent events.

 

Twitter
Will be used to build a network with our parent community as well as local and international businesses and organisations. Our Twitter feed will be linked to our website and will also include notices about upcoming events/current news. Follow the JPC Twitter Page @JPC_ACT

 

Mr Iain Robertson

 

 

News from the garden!

As the weather warms up our hard work is growing and we are reaping the benefits!

 

We are certainly busy little worker bees in the garden at the minute!

 

We are currently harvesting from our gardens for the Canteen snow peas that are deliciously crisp, lettuce, beetroot, broad beans, & edible flowers (which are Broadbean, Bok choy & Rocket) and will decorate our plates for our lunches as well as add colour and taste to our salads! Our Sustainable class is growing tomatoes from seeds and those seedlings are almost ready for the garden!

 

If you have spare seeds at home or are happy to dry and save seeds, we would love to receive them in an envelope labelled with the type of seed and any instructions you think are relevant! Just send them in with your student to the front office!

 

We continue to develop our micro herb program and are inviting the students to taste our herbs as the grow! The Canteen has added some spring inspired items to its menu and these special spring items can be seen on Moodle on the Canteen page.

 

Our worms are also keen to produce and are loving the warmer temperatures! Our scraps from the Canteen currently feed our worms as well as the shredded paper from the office staff. We are currently draining off our worm tea to fertilise our gardens!

 

We have also filled up one of our compost deposits and have built a new one! This compost is filled from the organic waste left over from our kids' morning teas and lunches, and by composting this, we not only reduce our landfill we make our own compost for our gardens!

 

Be the change you wish to see in this world - Gandhi

Australian School-based Apprenticeship Information Session


Next Thursday 3 November, Karyn Hunter from Australian Training Company will be visiting the College to speak to students about School-based Apprenticeships (ASbAs) in 2017. She will be outlining the processes involved in applying for an apprenticeship and the requirements and expectations once a student starts their ASbA. We would expect that those students returning to JPC for Year 11 who indicated that they would be interested in undertaking an ASbA as part of their Senior studies attend the information session. This will be the first step in the ASbA process.  Specific details as to the time and venue will be published on Academy next week. Those students who are not returning to JPC in 2017, but are interested in an ASbA are also welcome to attend.

 


End of Semester Exams


Formal examinations will be held during Week 16 as part of our transition to senior studies for the following subject areas:


Year 10 Mathematics
Year 10 Science
Year 10 Chinese
Year 9/10 Advanced Sports Studies
Year 9/10 Business and Economics

 

The timetable for the exams will be available on Moodle on the Year 10 Transition page and the Parent Information page from Monday 31 October. A hard copy will also be displayed outside Mrs Francis-Davies’ office. 


The exams will be held in the Hall and will be undertaken under formal examination conditions. Class teachers will be advising students of the specifics of their subject’s exam. However, students in these classes are also asked to consult the timetable themselves to ensure that they are aware of the timings and requirements. These are important skills for Years 11 and 12.

World Mission Month - Thanksgiving Mass

Each year in October, the global Church community focuses its fundraising and community awareness on the work of Catholic Mission, the pontifical mission agency of the Catholic Church. Compelled by the life and message of Jesus, Catholic Mission operates in over 160 countries to support initiatives in 1,100 dioceses, including remote Australia. Grassroots needs are identified by local Catholics, to give people the opportunity for a full, enriched life—physically and spiritually—regardless of race, stigma, religion or gender. The 2016 schools appeal was centered on the theme, 'Just as you did it to one of the least of these you did it to me', and it was this theme that we took as the message of our Four Schools Day celebrations earlier this term. On this day we conducted our major fundraising for World Mission Month, and we are continuing to contribute to these donations throughout October.

 

Today I was accompanied by four of our College leaders to attend the Archdiocesan Mission Mass, a celebration of the culmination of Mission Month and an opportunity for our students to share their faith life with students from all over Canberra and the broader Archdiocese. It was a privilege to see our leaders - Damon Van Putten and Danijela Bodo (Kennedy House), Harrison Bergman (Ferre House) and Mikayla Cruz (Vanier House) - conduct themselves so eloquently and enthusiastically as ambassadors for our community.

 

If you would like to learn more about the work of Catholic Missions in Australia, head to http://www.catholicmission.org.au.

 

Mrs Nicola Edghill
Religious Education Coordinator

A Message from the White Ribbon Leaders: What does it mean to be a Man?

JPC has begun completing a Respectful Relationships Surveys in PC time. This will give us an overall picture of how members of the College community feel they treat each other and how they would like to be treated themselves.

 

Jasmine Kelley: “My male role model is my grandfather. He was a car driver and mechanic. I aspire to be more like him one day because he is always putting other people's needs in front of his own, and always acknowledges other people and their personalities.”


Stephen Sisavath-Norman: “Someone I admire is my father; he is always supportive and understanding no matter what the situation. He is always there for me when I need support and will always help me. All the little things he does for me means a lot to me, he has taught me so much.”

 

The first of this term’s Respect Awards were presented in Houses this week. The recipients were awarded for consistently demonstrating respect towards all members of our community.


Drexel: Jackson Palombi, Year 8  

Maathai: Celeste Gibbs, Year 10

Ferre: Caitlin Gaffney, Year 8   

Vanier: Taylah McCluskey, Year 9

Kennedy: Georgina Genero, Year 7  

Van Thuan: Nathaniel Taylor, Year 9

AIME Program

The AIME fun didn’t stop in Term 3 – it continued into Term 4 for our Indigenous students. This time for our Year 7 and 8’s. The AIME program held an ‘Experience Day’ for our younger student’s in the community at the Australian National University on Wednesday the 26th of October and it was a huge success. ‘Knowledge is Power’ was the theme and our Year 7 and 8’s surely connected with this concept as they particularly looked at the inventions of famous Australians such as David Unaipon, and how each of these individuals all started somewhere and were all young people like themselves.

 

The day involved meeting and greeting students from other schools all over Canberra, engaging in fun activities such as creating their own characters for a particular AIME ‘app’ and learning how the AIME program operates, providing real life opportunities for the students to extend themselves in their later years of high school. The Year 7’s program instils the idea that maths and science are exciting options for their futures. The Year 8 students explore probability, game design and the tenets of game theory to demonstrate and learn the wonder of maths, science and engineering.

 

We have two more weeks of the tutor squads attending on Tuesday’s, and I would like to use this as an opportunity to thank the AIME organisation and their connections with the ADFA students, as they visited the College each week since Week 2 in Term 3 to help work through assessment and ILT tasks.

 

Elle Boller

ASC Athletics Carnival

On Thursday, a group of 48 students went to the ASC Athletics Carnival held at the AIS. We had 5 students who placed in their events, and a number of students who narrowly missed out on a place, however will still qualify for the ACT Championships. The following students received places:

 

Kobe O’Neall – 1st 16yr Boys Long Jump, 3rd 16yr Boys 100m Sprint


Jordan McMaster – 1st 13yr Boys Shot Put


Shad Nyamukuvhengu – 1st 16yr Boys High Jump


Troy Putland – 2nd 15yr Boys Javelin


Mikayla Cruz – 2nd 15 yr Girls Long Jump, 2nd 15yr Girls 400m Sprint, 1st 200m Sprint

 

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the Carnival. 

 

A big thank you to Mr Stakelum, Mrs Walsh, Mr Yanuyanutawa and Mr Schlomka for all of their time yesterday managing the JPC team, with marshalling and running events. 

 

Mr Nicholas Whatman

Sports Facilitator

JPC Cheerleading

JPC Cheerleaders competed on Saturday at the AASCF Scholastic National Championships. 24 JPC cheerleaders travelled to Sydney for the competition where they were joined by schools and universities from all over Australia. Our students were not only outstanding athletes but went out of their way to cheer on other teams and meet other clubs. They also formed a close bond with the other JPC team that came all the way from Queensland, and they looked after and supported the younger children from Good Shepherd and cheered on their successes also. They represented their school and their state with pride.

 

 

The team was up against 10 high schools from all over the country and finished in 2nd place. 

 

 

 

They also had huge success in other events. They received the following awards in addition to placing 2nd in Australia. 

 

First place National Champions in Group Stunt L2

 

 

 

 

First place National champion Best Scorpion

 

First place National Champion Best Girl School Tumbler

 

 

Congratulations to all the girls involved in this wonderful success, and also to their coaches for all the hard work they have put into the JPC Cheerleading team this year. 

Update Details

As we prepare to send reports out towards the end of the semester, we would like to remind families to update their home address details with the office if there have been any changes. You can change your address by emailing the office at office.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au or by visiting the office between 8.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday.

 

 

 

JPC Instrumental Music Program

"I have been learning violin from Matthew Foster for 3 years now, and this is the first year that he has been tutoring violin at JPC. Matthew is a kind and gentle person, who is encouraging and makes learning fun. Learning an instrument through Matthew and the school music program has given me a wide range of opportunities and learning experiences such as concerts and band programs. I would highly recommend applying to learn music at JPC for a fun learning experience." 

 

Lily, Year 10

Gungahlin Little Athletics Centre

Come and join in the fun at Gungahlin Little Athletics Centre. Fun and friendly athletics in a safe and enjoyable environment.

There’s something for everyone: running, jumping, throws, hurdles, walks.

Who: 4½ to 17 years; for the 2016/17 season we welcome athletes born between 1 Oct 1999 and 31 March 2012.

Season Dates:

The 2016/17 season commences on Saturday 15 October 2015 (season runs across Term 4 and Term 1 of school).

Weekly meets are held at Amaroo Oval, Horsepark Drive (behind Amaroo and Good Shepherd schools) on Saturday mornings from 8.55am to 11.30am.

Registration Details:
On-line registration is available through the ACT Little Athletics website - www.actlaa.org.au (register now).

Bring a copy of your on-line payment receipt along to a Registration / Come & Try Day to collect your registration pack.

Cost: Online registration costs - $120 = 1st child, $115 = 2nd child, $110 = 3rd child, $85 = 4th & subsequent children. Manual/paper registration add $15/athlete.

It’s easy to register so come and have some fun with us.

For more information please go to our website at www.gunlac.org.au, visit our Facebook page or email enquiries@gunlac.org.au

1021 Gungahlin Drive Nicholls ACT  |  Ph: (02) 6163 4800
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