Good afternoon Parents and Carers and welcome to the end of Semester 1, one of the busiest yet most rewarding semesters of my teaching career.

This week we held a Year 10 Transitions Forum for our foundation students, who today made their initial choices for subjects in Year 11. The week started with a talk about the future of employment and what career opportunities there might be in a fast changing and global market. The students then heard from several teachers about their career pathways into teaching and the students were able to see an example of the many pathways available for just one career.

There were many other activities during the week and a highlight was the Elevate Education program that consisted of two seminars, Time Management and Study Sense. The feedback from the students was that these two sessions provided a wealth of valuable strategies for succeeding in senior study. The students also felt the career talks on Thursday were helpful in opening their eyes to a wider variety of opportunities than they thought possible.

This semester Jen Tually and myself facilitated an integrated Mathematics and Science investigation as part of Year 10’s major assignment. The students chose their own topic of social and scientific significance within their world. They then designed, conducted and reported on an investigation. The standard of these assignments was very often above that of Year 10 level. The range of scientific study encompassed psychology of witness statements, bacterial growth in school bubblers on any given weekday, the effects of high sugar drinks and caffeine on health as well as thermodynamics just to name a few. This investigation has given our Year 10 scientists the invaluable skills required for senior study in the sciences next year. The projects further developed our relationship with Dr Gonzalo Estavillo and David Stevens as part of our Scientists in Schools program.

In Semester 2 we will publish the Year 10 reports in the JPC scientific journal (watch this space) and the top ten investigations will be nominated for the Australian Bureau of Statistics competition in Term 3. I was so proud of the efforts of every student, especially the maturity in their writing and investigative skills, as demonstrated in their final reports. Jen Tually and I would again like to congratulate Year 10 as a cohort for the amazing growth they achieved in their learning.

To promote the community’s awareness about the pilgrimage that Miss Elle Boller and Miss Sarah Keane will embark upon for WYD in Krakow, Poland, there has been a collection of activities that students have participated in this week. Each morning PC, students have been completing trivia questions based on WYD general knowledge, the patron and the pilgrims. Each PC has also written prayers of intercession to be offered up at the mass led by Pope Francis.

Fr Mark was present at the assembly on Thursday morning where he also blessed the JPC pilgrims. Samantha Bartley, a teacher from Holy Spirit Primary School, also joined us. Samantha is part of the same pilgrim group who will be travelling with Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Miss Boller and Miss Keane. At the assembly, the pilgrims told students about some of the religious sights they will be visiting.

Congratulations to PC Kennedy 2 who took out the title for the WYD Trivia. They made excellent use of having Miss Keane as their PC teacher, interrogating her and researching a lot about WYD prior to the quiz. Equal second, by only one point, was awarded to Mrs Edghill’s PC, Maathai 1 and Mrs Atilemile’s PC, Van Thaun 4.

A hearty thank you to Mrs Belinda Kelly who served up a delicious Polish inspired menu in the canteen on Thursday. Some students took the opportunity to wear red and white accessories for the day as well. All proceeds raised on the day will be contributed to the pilgrim souvenir exchange while Miss Boller and Miss Keane are in Poland.

Enjoy the break - Colleen Marriott

Dear Parents and Carers,

On this final day of term, I would like to wish you all a relaxing break and some good family time.  It has been an exhilarating semester from many points of view, with many inspirational moments and events.  There have also been many challenges for individuals and families and some hard times.  Through it all I have been very proud of the way our students have risen to the occasion.  We are seeing the growth of many fine young people and it is a privilege to work with them and with you.

This week has been Transition Week for our Year 10 students and it has culminated today in interviews with students and families to make subject choices for Year 11.  It is a historic time for JPC as we move into the senior years and I am particularly proud of this Year 10 group who are showing maturity and common sense as they approach these next important years.  I am very confident that they will be a wonderful example of senior students for the younger students and continue to be excellent role models as they grapple with this next stage in their development.

You will receive your son’s or daughter’s Semester 1 Report in the mail in the next few days.  Please take the time to read it with them, to discuss the positive aspects of their learning this semester and to talk through with them the recommendations for further improvement.  As mentor teachers, we will also discuss this with them next term.

Next semester will bring some staffing changes.  We are sad to farewell Mrs Lisa Plenty, Mr David O’Brien and Mr Tim Spry.  Each of them has brought a great deal to JPC and I would like to formally thank them for all of the contributions that they have made to the College.  We wish them every blessing as they pursue the next stage of their journey. 

Mrs Faye Robertson has been appointed Coordinator of Van Thuan House and Ms Elle Boller will work with her for the rest of the year to look after Van Thuan.  Mr Andrew Ganderton will join us next semester as Coordinator in Maathai House, working alongside Mrs Edghill and Mr Jerry Yanuyanutawa will be joining Van Thuan House and teaching PE with us next semester.  Mrs Kylie Gilbert will also be joining us, working in Maths and Science. 

I will be taking a few weeks leave at the beginning of next term and I am happy to announce that Mrs Stephanie O’Meara will be Acting Principal while I am away and that Mr Liam Stakelum will be acting in her place for that time as well. 

Again, my best wishes to you all for the next few weeks and I trust that we will have a very positive beginning of Term 3.

Catherine Rey

Wednesday afternoon saw the second of the Drama Showcases for this year. An enthusiastic and bubbly cohort of Year 7 students performed an assortment of student devised performances.

Some groups performed their assessment pieces but, being ever the improving Drama students, added some extra scenes and worked to develop their characters more. Other groups developed some small skits they had devised in class and presented these with excellent skill. Following the show, the actors and audience shared in some nibbles and soaked up the atmosphere of many students’ first successful performance at JPC.

A huge round of applause to Melanie Fisher and Amsiha Sehgal who were the MCs for the afternoon. The performers who ‘broke a leg’ were Isabel Redman, Caitlin Richards, Nicholas Nascimento, Chelsea Logan, Elyse Causer, Moska Jadeer, Angelene Jojy, Paige Nieuwendyk, Sophia Henssen, Alexandra Revell, Emma Bramham, Abigail Mangin, Emilia Avramoska, Alexis Ngai, Tiffany Lee, Tia Morris, Samantha Anderson, Harry Collis, Kyan Robinson, Tom Williams and Theo Tran. Special mention to Lachlan Richards who learnt to use the lights for the Showcase under the tutelage of Mr. Peter Caldwell.

Miss Sarah Keane

The sustainability team has put several new programs into place at JPC to ensure we are reducing our carbon footprint! We have introduced our Sustainability Lab which has been furnished by recycled milk crates from our canteen deliveries and all recycled materials! Battery recycling for our used batteries, and the IT team is now recycling our Toner Cartridges from our printers. We also introduced a book exchange program for our students and received about 80 books to add to our collection. Our library is a revolving system where by our students select a book read it and return it for the next person to use! Any time you have any books or magazines to add to the collection please send them in!  Students are welcome to bring books in from home that they have read, borrow books to read and exchange books!

We continue to try to recycle, reduce and reuse! 

Thanks and happy holidays from Mrs McNamara and the Sustainability team…

We are so lucky to have members of our school community introduce their family to us and inspire cultural learning. Last Tuesday the 21st June, Wendy Rix – Lucy and Charlotte Cambridge’s Aunty, met with our Indigenous students to engage in a memorable art workshop. Wendy and her family are Yuwaalaraay people from north west New South Wales/bordering QLD, Australia and we were very thankful that she was able to supply the canvas’ and paint to assist in the magic. All students based their paintings on ‘Songlines’ the theme for this years NAIDOC Week and were inspired by line and dot paintings to create their own journeys. We will be using the student’s artworks for our own celebrations of NAIDOC Week which will be held Wednesday 20th July, in Term 3.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Dreamtime describes a time when the earth, people and animals were created by our ancestral spiritual beings. They created the rivers, lakes, plants, land formations and living creatures.

“Dreaming tracks crisscross Australia and trace the journeys of our ancestral spirits as they created the land, animals and lores. These dreaming tracks are sometimes called ‘Songlines’ as they record the travels of these ancestral spirits who 'sung' the land into life. These Songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance and art. They carry significant spiritual and cultural connection to knowledge, customs, ceremony and Lore of many Aboriginal nations and Torres Strait Islander language groups. Songlines are intricate maps of land, sea and country. They describe travel and trade routes, the location of waterholes and the presence of food. In many cases, Songlines on the earth are mirrored by sky Songlines, which allowed people to navigate vast distances of this nation and its water” (Naidoc, 2016).

Miss Elle Boller

Poppies to Pozières

Over the last term, a small group has been meeting at lunchtimes to crochet poppies.  This has resulted in some beautiful poppies being crafted which will now be travelling overseas to Pozières and Fromelles with Mrs Atilimile.  Yesterday a small group gathered and listened to a short presentation about the battle of the Somme and the 5000 Poppies Project, of which Mrs Atilimile has been a part of since 2013.  She has made over 500 poppies, some of which have already been placed at memorials in France, Belgium, Gallipoli and Auckland.   After our presentation, our students wrote dedications on small cards which, along with dedications from our staff, will be attached to our crocheted poppies and placed at memorials and gravesides in Fromelles and Pozières.

Hannah, one of our star crocheters, with some of her poppies