On Thursday, JPC was honoured to host Imam Adama Konda, of the Canberra Islamic Centre. It was an opportunity for students across the SOSE and Religious Studies curriculum areas to engage with this respected leader and powerful speaker in order to assist their respective inquiry areas.

Imam Konda graciously spent time with our World in Conflict (Y9/10) and Global Studies (Y11/12) students, who are studying the politicisation of Islam and terrorism. He was open and honest in his responses to the Shi’a / Sunni split and the corruption of Islamic beliefs for political purposes. Perhaps the most poignant moment on topic of Islamophobia, and he was glowing in his praise for Australian culture in allowing Muslims to live peacefully. He went on to say that because anti-Islamic comments are mostly made in hiding, that shows that they know these prejudices are wrong. Our students also loved the parts of his talk that were motivational and about fulfilling your potential, particularly that without energy and passion “our minds would become the graveyards of our dreams”.

Following this rich discussion, Imam Konda met with Year 11 Religious Studies students who are currently studying the principle beliefs and practices of Islam. They were able to engage with Imam Konda’s personal reflections and insightful commentary to more fully appreciate how the beliefs they have researched and analysed impact on the daily lives of Muslim adherents. This allowed Year 11 to gain new appreciation for the complexity and intricacies of the way that the Five Pillars of Islam reflect fundamental beliefs about God and humanity’s place in the world. Many of our students found this enabled them to reflect on the role of faith in their own lives; an unintended, but positive by-product of the input.

JPC would like to thank Imam Konda for his outstanding engagement with our community today, and wish him and the rest of his congregation at the Canberra Islamic Centre, Ramadan Mubarak, for this most sacred time in the Islamic calendar.

Mr. Jason Paris and Mrs. Nicola Edghill
Leaders of Learning

The school uniform is an essential aspect of the St John Paul II community.  Having a uniform not only instils pride, but promotes responsibility. In term 2, students have transitioned into the Winter uniform. The major changes for Winter are listed as followed:

If for some reason, your son/daughter cannot be in their correct uniform for the day, a parent/guardian will need to provide a note. The student must show this note to their Leader of Wellbeing/Leader of Learning and Wellbeing in order to obtain a uniform pass.

Each week hundreds of dollar’s worth of lost property is handed in to the student office at John Paul II College. When staff find any item of school uniform around the school, the first check we make is to try to find a name. Unfortunately, a name only appears on around 10% of items. When a name is found it is posted outside the Student Office to notify the student to collect it. The lost property notification board can be seen in the accompanying photo.

A few minutes spent labelling uniform items can potentially save hundreds of dollars for your family. We are sure you could spend it in a far more efficient way.

Teena Zorzi and Paul McKie

Leaders of Wellbeing

On Wednesday a group of Year 9/10 Outdoor Education students joined Orienteering ACT at Mt Ainslie reserve/Remembrance park on World Orienteering Day to apply the skills they had learnt in class.

Dear Parents & Carers,

During Term 2 JPC will be trialing an online system for excursion permission notes. The trial will be done through Qkr! where you will be able to sign and pay for the excursion with no paperwork required.

Should the trial be successful, we will aim to use the online system for all excusion forms. If you don't yet have Qkr! click here for instructions.

Thank you

Please do not park, drop off or pick up in the bus stops on Gungahlin drive as these stops are now used by ACTION throughout the day. 

It is also illegal to park on the painted islands on Gungahlin drive near the traffic lights. Please avoid parking there as it restricts the view for walkers and other road users.

Many thanks for your cooperation