Welcome to the final term of the year. This is a short term for students, and it will be packed full of activities, celebrations and of course, end of year exams. I trust all students have returned refreshed and ready for their learning.

Not my child

We only ever want to think the best of our children, regardless of how old they may be. From time to time our children make mistakes, just like we as adults, do. The important thing is that the mistake is acknowledged, something is learnt from the experience, and a commitment is made to trying to be better next time.

Over the years, I have sometimes heard parents say to me “not my child” and/or “my child would never lie”. Pardon the pun, but the truth of the matter is that all children lie occasionally. Some research suggests that we all lie every day of our lives! I prefer not to get hung up on the binary of truth and lies, but rather, to say to parents that sometimes, our children only tell us the bits of the story they want us to hear. They may equivocate with us, or they may leave out vital parts of an incident, story, or accident.

As humans, we lie for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes we do so to save others from carrying the burden, at other times, to protect someone else (with adolescents, usually this is a friend), or to save face, or to avoid admitting to others that we have fallen short of the mark. Occasionally, once found out, the lie is caught up in a sense of shame.

Our role as educators–not dissimilar to our parenting role–is to encourage truth telling, and to owning our own “stuff”. When an adolescent is faced with a situation where they have not been at their best, I sometimes ask which bits of the incident they wish to own – some of it, all of it, or none of it. This provides space for thinking, and “take up time”. It also gives the child some locus of control and claim responsibility for their part in the situation. If presented in a non-accusatory way, it can be empowering rather than disempowering.

By our very nature, we are flawed as humans. We are imperfect. That is ok! What we try to do is to be better tomorrow than we were today. Having frank conversations with our children/students at times is an unfortunate necessity. If we want them to grow as humans, we owe it to them to discuss and confront less than exemplary behaviour. This is love in a different guise. We do them no favours if we excuse, dismiss, or disbelieve when they have fallen short. And it does not mean they are any less worthy as a person. It is just an opportunity for an important life lesson.

Mr Jacob Knowles

Dr Craig Wattam
Principal

Year 9 ‘Catch the Wave’ Retreat
Our Year 9 Youth Ministry students took part in the annual Catch the Wave retreat, a day designed to inspire and support them in their faith journey. Facilitated by the Catholic Education Youth Ministry Team, the retreat featured a range of engaging activities including games, small-group discussions, and input from Youth Ministry Officers. It was a fun and meaningful experience that encouraged students to explore and grow in their relationship with God.

SHINE Conference – Year 10
Year 10 Youth Ministry students attended the SHINE Conference, a dynamic event created to help deepen students’ personal relationship with Jesus and energise their faith. The day included keynote speakers, dramatic presentations, testimonies, music, and a variety of interactive workshops. SHINE also provided an invaluable opportunity for students from across the Archdiocese to come together, share experiences, and build lasting connections beyond their own school community.

Year 11 Excursion – Sydney Jewish Museum
As part of their Religious Studies curriculum, Year 11 students visited the Sydney Jewish Museum for a guided Holocaust education tour. Through powerful stories, artefacts, and exhibits, students explored themes of good, evil, and human suffering, enriching their understanding of the current unit, Exploring Meaning. The excursion was both moving and thought-provoking, providing real-world context to classroom discussions.

Faith Opportunities for Students
Students are warmly invited to take part in ongoing faith-based activities at the College:

• Bible and Biscuits: Held every Day 6 at lunchtime in PF9 — a relaxed space to explore scripture while enjoying some snacks.

• Wednesday Morning Mass: Join us each week in the College Chapel from 8:15 am to 8:45 am for a peaceful start to the day.

Heather Lloyd
Religious Education Coordinator

This semester, the Year 11/12 Drama class is studying the unit Adaptation in Drama with a focus on theatre for young people. As part of their assessment, students are required to create a performance for a target audience: the Year 3 classes at Holy Spirit Primary. To ensure they create a thoroughly enjoyable performance, the Drama class visited the Year 3 classes.

Students were warmly and excitedly welcomed by the younger students. Drama students organised and played a variety of games with the Year 3s to help them experience drama. The senior students also asked questions about the Year 3 students’ interests, dislikes and what they are learning. This information will be used to inform their final performance.

The Senior Drama class was energetic, inclusive and effective when running their designed activities. Senior students were entertaining guests in the 3T learning space, as they gained valuable information from their future audience. They are looking forward to creating a unique piece of theatre for Holy Spirit’s Year 3 classes.

Mrs Sarah Smith
Senior Drama Teacher

Last term in Week 10, Years 9/10 Graphic Design students made their mark on the walls (and windows) of JPC with the unveiling of a striking mural depicting classic children’s book characters. Everyone from Mem Fox’s Possum Magic to Ted Prior’s Grug can be spotted in the colourful design that now takes pride of place in the JPC Library.

The junior Graphic Design class was tasked with designing a mural for the library based on the 2025 Book Week theme Book an Adventure, with the intention of livening up the space. The week-long project required students to follow the design process: researching potential theme aesthetics, producing thumbnail sketches, making development drawings, digitally iterating their ideas, and conferencing with their clients prior to the final designs being selected.

The winning designers, Year 10 students Aiden Kueter and Luka Spoljaric, combined and adapted their individual designs in Adobe Illustrator to suit the space for the mural — an expanse of 3-by-2-metre glass. Year 9 students Natalie Judson, Ololade Adegboyegun, Ayra Ahmed and Alexander Jones were then tasked with transferring the design from screen to glass. The students reflected on the process:

“Painting the mural for the school library was a very fun and hands-on experience and a real-world graphics project. Our class enjoyed the design process, doing thumbnail sketches and development drawings and coming up with different ideas for the mural. We created our own personal designs in Adobe Illustrator, and only the best design was picked. To decide which mural would go up on the glass, all of the designs were shown to the English faculty leaders, since the mural is located near the English faculty, and their favourite design was chosen.

“The process of painting the mural took an entire day, during which we worked on creating outlines, painting, and adding careful details to ensure it looked seamless in the library space. After the paint dried, Ms Allan and Ms McCallum assisted us by drawing a fine black line to complete and pull everything together.”

This vision could not have been brought to life without the artistic expertise of Year 10 student Hannah Nguyen, the detail-oriented finesse of Technologies Coordinator Miss Chloe McCallum, and the ever-present support of Technologies Assistant Andrew Rose.

Now this incredible design work can be appreciated by all who visit the JPC Library. Get up there quickly before the characters sail away to a new destination — who knows how long they will be hanging around for.

Kat Allan
Technologies classroom teacher

We strive to share a sense of community and give our time when called upon at St John Paul II College. When Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School asked for audio and technical assistance for their production of The Road to Flourishia, Ishaan Gupta eagerly put up his hand for the task.

Ishaan assisted Mr Smith and Ms Scott with lighting and audio across three days of rehearsals and performances, both day and night. He carried out his duties with the calmness, professionalism and willingness to follow instructions you would expect from someone in the industry. We congratulate Ishaan for representing St John Paul II College so well.

Picture: Mr Smith and Ishaan Gupta

Matt Dennett
Music Teacher

If your child is interested in learning a musical instrument and improving their theoretical and practical skills, individual tuition is available through the JPC Music Program. Our experienced tutors and professional performers cover a wide range of styles and instruments, including:

• Violin, cello
• Saxophone, clarinet
• Guitar, bass
• Drums
• Vocals
• Piano – and more

Band opportunities and instrument hire are also available to support students in their musical journey.  If interested, please fill out the form via the link below and visit the JPC Music Tuition page for more information.

Music Tuition Form

Matthew Dennett
Music Teacher

How to register:

Full details and registration are available here:
https://lfcacademy.com.au/product/st-john-paul-ii-college-player-development-program-term-4/