On Wednesday the Year 9/10 Law students spent the day up and close with the Law. Firstly, they witnessed the Judicial system in action. At the ACT Magistrates court they viewed both interesting and vocal criminal and civil cases. They then travelled to the High Court where they were shown the 3 different court rooms and their functions. The most impressive was the Constitutional Court where 7 Justices of the Court are required to sit. Finally, they engaged with an informative tour guide of Parliament House where they viewed the Senate and House of Representatives, the places where our Laws are made.

During week 6 on Thursday 9 March, the students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds gathered in the Kanberri room to officially begin the year. The room and area was decorated with photos from excursions and special events throughout 2016 and the particular artworks, which each student completed, was available to see.

It was great to see and hear such a positive, friendly and collaborative group of people meeting and talking, some for the first time, others to catch up. The Kanberri room and Courage Wing area saw our student’s mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, sisters, brothers and cousins, meeting and forming a relationship with mentor teachers. The evening began with our representative AIME Ambassador of Success for 2017, Niagha Ward and Year 11 student Liam Gellatly paying their respects with an acknowledgement of country. Shaenice Allan from the AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) program also attended and spoke to teachers and families about the connection we share with them and explained the weekly tutoring and involvement of ADFA to motivate, assist and commit to achieving success within and outside of school.

Overall, it was a time to reflect on the year ahead and for our students to put some goals into place, whether that be personal or academic. I would like to thank Ms Belinda Kelly and her team for the delicious catering and to all families for attending the evening.

Elle Boller

Please name all items!

Please encourage your child to put their name on all their property and clothing – including their MyWay cards, hats, pencil cases, calculators and ILT planners! Then, if items are found and handed in to the student office, they can be returned promptly to their owner.

Donations of second hand uniforms
Has your child out-grown their uniform? The College has a small collection of second hand uniform items for sale, and relies on donations of uniforms for supplies. Feel free to donate any uniform items that no longer fit your child! A reminder that JPC changes from summer to winter uniform at the beginning of Term 2.

If you would like to purchase something from the 2nd Hand Uniform Shop please send us an email and we will let you know when the item you are after is available.

Lost Property
We have an impressive range of lost property already this term, mostly from the swimming carnival and Year 7 Camp, including clothing (hoodies, jumpers, shorts, t-shirts, a selection of swimmers and board-shorts, school shoes and running shoes, thermal tops, tracksuit pants and wet weather gear) as well as a couple of pillows, quite a number of beach towels and bath towels, and many drink bottles! Please encourage your child to check the lost property tables near the student office to see if any of these items belong to them. Unclaimed items will be donated to St Vincent De Paul at the end of the term.

Found property
The student office has an interesting collection of ‘valuable’ lost property, including several watches, reading glasses, jewellery (rings and necklaces), sets of keys (house keys, padlock keys and a set of car keys, all on unique keyrings), a Ventolin puffer, a retainer, a charger for an Apple computer, and a partridge in a pear tree. If any of these belong to your child, they simply need to come to the student office, describe the item and it can be returned.

Reminder: If your child is absent from school or going to be late
The College requires all absences from school to be given in writing, so if your child is going to be absent from school, or you know they will be late, please email the student office directly at office.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au to let us know (Please include your child’s full name and year level – thank you.) If you are unable to email us, please let us know by phone (6163 4800), and then send in an explanation note with your child when they return to school.

Reminder: If your child needs to leave school early
A reminder of what to do if your child needs to leave school during school hours:
• Students bring a signed note from their parents stating the reason for leaving school and the time that they will be picked up. Students keep this note with them during the day.
• Five minutes before the time they are to be picked up, the student shows the note to their classroom teacher, leaves the class and collects any belongings they need.
• The student comes down to the student office with their note, which they hand in as they sign out.
We would appreciate parents/carers coming in to meet the student at the Student Office and sign their child out.

Please note that students are only allowed to access their phones at their locker during recess and lunch. In the event of an unforeseen need to pick up your child, you can contact them via their phone, but please also send an email to the student office to alert us as well.

If your child is feeling unwell, they must let their teacher know, and come to first aid, and we will get in touch with you directly.

Week 7 already and our new Defence Students have settled well into our JPC Community.   Last week we welcomed our new Defence Students
Will, Emily, Oliver, Campbell, Jack, Lily, Tahlia, Tiana, Ryan, Abbie, Luke, Owen, Ella, Natasja, Grace, Amber and Keira to our growing Defence Family.  You may be interested to know we now have close to 70 Defence Students at JPC.

Our Defence Students meet on Thursday at Morning Tea time in the “JPC Barracks”.  Here we make new friends, talk about our unique lifestyle and remind ourselves that most of us are experiencing the same challenges as each other.  Experiences such as transitioning into new schools (sometimes each new year), having to make a whole new circle of friends again, saying goodbye to old friends, missing deployed parents and the extra pressure they can feel.  These regular meetings enable the Defence Students to gain strength from one another and have a fun time too.

Next week on Wednesday, we will be holding our “Defence Families Welcome Breakfast”.  This is a wonderful opportunity to come and meet with other Defence Families in our JPC Community.  An invitation was sent home this week with your child, however if your invitation has gone AWOL, please contact me.  I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday, especially the new Defence Families to our JPC community.  Please rsvp for our breakfast by Monday, Week 8.

For Year 7 and 8 Defence Students there will be an excursion next term to Birrigai.  Permission notes were sent home with your child this week.  Please return your permission notes asap, as places are limited for this excursion.

For Defence Families who are new (and existing) to Canberra, there is an exciting event happening right now.  The Canberra Balloon Spectacular runs until 19 March and is considered one of the best hot air ballooning events in the world.   It is well worth the early rise to witness this event.   More information may be found on the website: www.balloonspectacular.com.au/about

Dates: 11 – 19 March 2017
Venue: Lawns of Old Parliament House, King Edward Terrace, Parkes.
Timings: Balloons inflate from 6.15am, launch from 6.30am.

My days at JPC are Tuesdays, Thursdays and every second Wednesday; however, I may be contacted by email any day.  Please let me know if you have a Deployment or Exercise currently or in the future, so I may be of any extra support to you and your child.   Feel free to contact me if you have any concerns with your child.  I look forward to working with and supporting your children throughout the year.  

Vicki Walsh
DTM
vicki.walsh@cg.catholic.edu.au