Tuesday 10th - Thursday 12th May - NAPLAN for Year 7 and Year 9 Students

Thursday 12th May - Year 11 2017 Information Evening 

With this week concluding in our Cross Country Carnival, as the Coordinator of Health and Physical Education at JPC, I think it is fitting that I deliver the key messages for this week.

I am always amazed at the positive energy our students bring to Health and Physical Education. As a school, our aim is to develop a love and understanding of physical activity in all of our students. Whether it is in units teaching strategies of traditional games, or fitness units focused on Yoga or Pilates, clubs, representative teams, or other physical activities, we want all of our students to develop a love of physical activity.  Nearly every week, students of JPC represent the school in a variety of sports, proudly displaying excellent sportsmanship and participation. We may not always win, however the importance of these events for the development of the whole child should never be underestimated.

The Cross Country is an excellent example of the growth mindset of our students. Over the last few weeks, many of our students have been completing practice runs of the cross country course. It is a difficult course with a challenging hill in the middle. It has been wonderful to see how many students are smiling at the end of the run. Not because they won or because they were near the front, but because they completed the course to the best of their ability and achieved personal bests.

I always look at events like the Cross Country as a metaphor for life. It is true that some students might see the challenge and say “It's too much for me”. I certainly know that the student absence rate on the day are much higher than other days, which is disappointing! It's even more disappointing knowing that some parents have allowed their healthy children to stay home and miss important subject lessons. A recent study in America showed that students who participated in “Whole School” days such as Athletics Carnivals, Sports Days, and Picnic days felt a greater connection with the school and in turn achieved higher grades in their subjects. This connection must be fostered and supported by teachers, students and parents.

Whilst it would be easy to concentrate on the students who find it difficult, I would prefer to focus on the wonderful students who are willing to undertake the challenge, no matter how big it is, regardless of whether they will win or not. It says a lot about the character of a child and their direction in life that they are willing to put in effort to everything they do. So I congratulate all our students who have participated so willingly in Health and Physical Education at JPC. I challenge all the students who may have looked at the Cross Country and thought it was too much for them, to participate in future years - you may surprise yourself with how much you enjoy overcoming the challenge.


Finally, a very Happy Mothers Day to all the Mothers in our community.

The significance of Motherhood to Christians is exemplified by the example set to us by Mary. Her sacrifice, devotion to God, and nurturing of Jesus demonstrated the selfless love that all Mothers display on a daily basis. Pope Francis recently commented that Mothers “are often exalted with praise and poetry but often get very little concrete help and appreciation”. I know that statement would resonate with many of our Mothers as they guide their children through the teenage years.

So on behalf of JPC, I thank all the Mothers out there for their outstanding efforts in nurturing and caring for all of our children. We are privileged to experience the benefits of your hard work, love, and care for your children, in the many wonderful things our students do every day.

I hope you are treated to a special day.

Happy Mothers Day.

Liam Stakelum
Coordinator
Drexel House, Health and PE, and ILT

A reminder that our Year 7 and 9 students will be sitting their NAPLAN tests next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The timetable for the day can be found on Moodle on the Parent Information page under NAPLAN information. We spoke to the students this morning about not feeling anxious or worried about the tests and encouraged them to simply try their very best. As Year 7 students complete their tests at the beginning of each of the days, it is important that they are not late to school on these days.

Students are reminded to bring the following equipment to the tests:

A pencil (preferably HB or 2B)
An eraser
A sharpener
A calculator (Thursday only)
A book to read if they finish the tests early. iPads will not be allowed in the test room.

We will be providing each of the students with a piece of fruit during the ‘fruit break’ on Tuesday and Thursday. However, it is important that they also bring their recess and lunch on these days.

We are excited to be holding our inaugural Year 11 2017 Information Evening next week.  This will be on Thursday 12th May from 5.30pm-6.30pm in the theatre.

We look forward to welcoming all Year 10 students and their families to discuss Year 11 at JPC.  This will include information relating to the ACT Senior Secondary system and what will be on offer at JPC for next year. The evening will form part of an on-going process of transition into the senior years. 

For the first time across our Catholic system, families will not need to re-enrol for Year 11, simply to submit a commitment to continue at their current college.  This form will be available on the evening.

You would be aware that we held our Open Day yesterday for families interested in JPC to visit the school and see it in action.  It was a very positive day with large numbers of visitors. They were extremely impressed by our facilities and our education program and structures.

However it was our students who impressed them the most.  Time and again they told me of the wonderful tour they had been given by students – how articulate and knowledgeable they were and how confident and at ease they appeared.  They spoke of how the students seemed genuinely happy to be students here and to be really enjoying their learning.

In the evening, we had students showcasing many aspects of the life of the College with great skill and good grace.  We were overwhelmed by the number of students who volunteered so generously.  Some of them worked all day and until 7.30 in the evening.  Needless to say I was extremely proud!  Many of the visitors commented on the wonderful sense of community they experienced.  Indeed, there was a real buzz and great positive energy as staff members worked alongside students to have visitors experience us at our best.

My thanks to all of you for your support of us!  Without parents to pick them up and re-arrange schedules, the students would not have been able to represent the College in the way they did.

Mrs Catherine Rey

And this afternoon we we continue with another great community event in the form of the Cross Country Carnival.  Liam Stakelum has written very positively about the great preparation students have made for this and the positive spin-offs that it has.  My only disappointment here is that there are approximately 100 students away today – a far greater number than on a normal day.  Participating in a day such as today builds community and a sense of comradery.  For some, it is indeed a physical challenge but, like all challenges, pushing through the difficulty builds resilience and confidence.

Mrs Catherine Rey

On Wednesday 4th of May, the Aboriginal students in Years 9 and 10 visited the ANU to participate in an Australia wide program, AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience). AIME is a dynamic educational program that is proven to support Indigenous students through high school and into university, employment or further education at the same rate as all Australian students. AIME gives Indigenous students the skills, opportunities, belief and confidence to grow and succeed.

Our students engaged in activities and discussions with high schools from all over the ACT, combining the Catholic Education and Department of Education students. Our Year 9 students had sessions centreing around ‘Identity” and “Respect” and Year 10 students worked on “How to be better tomorrow”. This program allows us to participate in 5 full day workshops throughout the year. It is a joy to watch our students meet others on the same journey and to communicate with the university students who are seen as their “mentors” during the program.

Elle Boller

Hit 104.7's Hit Squad Jeep came to visit us at our Open Day yesterday to give goodies to some of our prospective Year 7 students (and maybe some of our current staff and students too!)

As we have moved into a new term and classes have changed, especially for our Year 7 and 8 students, parents are reminded to refresh their Assessment Alert app. This will ensure that the assessment data is correct for their son or daughter’s classes.

On Tuesday some Year 7 and Year 8 Defence Students spent the day at Birrigai.  There were 15 Students, Mrs Marriott and Mrs Walsh and we got on the bus and travelled to Birrigai.  It took just under an hour.  When we got there we met all the other students from Merici, St Edmunds and St Mary Mackillop Colleges.

On Tuesday we had the ACT School Touch Football Competition held at Deakin Playing Fields. The 7/8 and 9/10 girls teams played fantastically and displayed some strong efforts against tough opposition. 

On Wednesday our two ACT champion Rugby 7’s teams participated in the ACT Brumbies Rugby 7’s Finals against all of the winning teams within the ACT Brumbies wider region.