A huge congratulations goes out to the cast and crew of the High School Musical for putting on an extraordinary show. Witnessing this exceptional performance was a true privilege, as it highlights the remarkable dedication and talent of both the staff and students at JPC.

The musical started a very busy week at the College. On Tuesday we remembered a very significant day in the Catholic Church the Feast of the Assumption. During this day we remember when Mary, the mother of Jesus was taken into heaven at the end of her life. Pope John Paul II frequently acknowledged the importance of Mary as a role model of faith for both the young and old throughout his life.

On the recent Moderation Day while year 7-10 enjoyed a day at home, our Senior teachers were dispersed to various locations for the purpose of moderating work from other schools. This serves as an opportunity for the College to ensure the assessments we set for our students in Year 11 and 12 are equivalent to those set by other schools and for teachers’ professional development. 

For those not engaged in moderation, the day was spent running activities for our Year 11 and 12 students, preparing them for the future. Our Accredited students spent the day working on the Vocational Certificate in Foundational skills, which is a nationally recognised qualification, preparing them for the workplace and further study. This is only one of the opportunities that students can enrol in to build their portfolio for beyond school.

Our Tertiary students spent the day undertaking AST familiarisation. The AST is the test held towards the end of Year 12, which the Board of Senior Secondary Studies uses (alongside school-based assessment) to determine the students ATAR, the score that students use to obtain entry into university. The AST tests for this Years graduating cohort will be held on the 5^th and 6^th of September.  We wish our students well as they make their final preparations.

Over the coming weeks our middle leaders will be contacting some families around NAPLAN results received to offer additional support. While this may impact families of Year 7 and 9 the following may be helpful for all students to support learning at home:

• When children first start school, parents are encouraged to read with their children every day, and when they can, have them read out loud to you. Reading aloud supports all areas of literacy development, exposing students to new words and grammar, increasing students’ interest in reading and writing, and expanding skills like phonological awareness (Lennox, 2013). We encourage students to continue to read out loud to an adult or sibling for at least 15 minutes each day, to support reading development.

• In Independent Learning Time (ILT), students have the opportunity to seek additional one-on-one support from their teachers with their written work. Students are encouraged to take up this opportunity. If they don’t have the confidence to ask for help, students can email the teacher who can ensure they touch base with the student during the lesson.

• The Tutoring Hub, available Mondays and Wednesdays (3.45-4.4.30 pm) Week 3-9 Term 3 and Week 1-6 Term 4, offers students valuable support and additional learning opportunities beyond the regular classroom.

The education of a student is always a three-way conversation with parents playing a very important part. We look forward to welcoming you to the College in week 10 for our in-person student-parent-teacher night, however, if any issues arise before then please don’t hesitate to contact the classroom teacher or your students Mentor.

Kathleen Garvie
Acting Principal

High School Musical is an iconic story with a focus on accepting yourself and those around you – secret passions and all. It feels especially poignant and relevant in 2023 with St John Paul II College’s theme for the year of “Walking Together: Dignity for All”. Our theme is all about ensuring we accept everyone and treat all with the true dignity they deserve. In the same way, inclusion is at the core of our musical. We hope the audiences come away with a renewed sense of appreciation for themselves and others around them as well as for the important role played by the Arts (and artists) in fostering critical thinking, acceptance, resilience, and creativity in the school environment.

St John Paul II College’s 2023 musical production of Disney’s High School Musical On Stage was a huge success! With 80 students involved on and off the stage, these talented students were “soarin’ flyin” to new heights to raise the standard of JPC musicals. With three sold-out shows and a close-to-capacity matinee, the audiences laughed, danced, and sang a long, showing their appreciation for the talented performers.

Of course, something of this scale has only been possible with a creative dedicated team and the support of the College community. Thank you to all who have helped, supported, and participated so the magic of the theatre could come to life! Not enough credit can be given to our students. Performers, musicians, and the skilled backstage crew created a professional onstage production. They displayed a dedicated and inclusive attitude, they really were “All in this Together” on the stage and behind the scenes to ensure all involved shared the success.

Would you like a recording of High School Musical? Printed logo USBs with an edited recording are available to purchase via QKR for $15. Buy your recording and make sure the “happenin’ hallways of East High” live on. Purchases will be distributed at school when finalised.

Again, thank you to all involved and all who supported the show. I am incredibly proud of the entire cast, band, and crew. May these memories last a lifetime, along with your new Wildcat family. What team?! WILDCATS!

Mrs Sarah Smith
Director of High School Musical

JPC Celebrated Science week (August 12- 20) this week with activities offered by the Science Faculty.

On Monday students completed “food science” and made their own sherbet with a number of different chemical compounds – all of which can be purchased at the supermarket!

Tuesday, JPC’s resident Turtle expert, Mr Rohan Holloway, brought in Mertyl the turtle and gave “Turtle talk” which was informative and provided insight into the world of turtle.

Wednesday JPCs budding engineers tested their skills to build towers and catapults with marshmallows and spaghetti and on Friday students were offered the opportunity to “take flight” by trialling the flight simulator.

Mrs Ruth Hill
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing – Science Faculty
Kennedy House

This is a friendly reminder that the Term 3 school fees are due TODAY, 18 August 2023.

If you haven't already done so please settle any outstanding fees as soon as possible.

If you have any questions with regard to your fees, please contact the JPC Finance office via email on jpc.finance@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Thank you

ACT U16 Boys Hockey

5 boys from JPC have just finished representing the ACT for hockey in Tasmania, winning 2-1
today. It’s been a hard competition for the ACT, playing against very strong interstate school
teams. But the JPC boys have done the school proud, playing fair and trying their best, a
great representation of good sportsmanship.


Max F (Y10), James T (Y10), Hugh E (Y10), Ethan W (Y11), Aiden M (Y10)

Well done Boys!

9/10 Boys Northside Soccer Gala 

The year 9/10 boys WON the Northside schools gala day, and now progress to the top 8 for the ACT on 30^th August.

To their credit, the team did not concede one goal, with Edan P doing an amazing job in goals – unfortunately, he sustained a serious ankle injury in the final and Gabriele took over to hold them out.

They displayed a deep respect for their competitors and exhibited terrific sportsmanship. Great ambassadors for JPC and I am really proud to have coached them. Charlie Rae was a fantastic captain, with Noah Hewitt as vice and they were exceptional leaders also.

Mr Michael Hanna

The recent soccer gala day proved to be an outstanding showcase of our skill and sportsmanship, with our team emerging victorious in a series of exhilarating matches. The day was marked by exceptional teamwork and determination, resulting in a remarkable championship triumph.

In the initial matches, our team displayed good possession and attacking potential, winning with convincing margins. Game 1 saw us secure a 3-0 victory, with a strong offensive display and solid defines. Game 2 was a closely contested affair, culminating in a tense 1-0 win, with the decisive goal from Seth B arriving just minutes before the final whistle. Similarly, Game 3 showcased our offensive dominance once again, as we clinched a dominant 4-0 victory. Game 4 was a nail-biter with a hard-fought 1-0 win with not our strongest team playing, where the deciding goal from Isaac B came in the dying moments of the match.

Advancing to the semi-finals, our team continued to demonstrate their playing abilities, securing a well-earned 2-0 win. This includes a screamer from Josip J from 30 yards out curling perfectly top corner.

The final was a fitting culmination of our exceptional performance throughout the day. With a final score of 3-0, our team emerged triumphant, showcasing their skill, teamwork, and determination.

The soccer gala day was an unequivocal success, underscoring our team's dominance and commitment. The impressive series of victories showcased our players' ability to perform under pressure and work cohesively, ultimately leading to a well-deserved 1^st place. 

Charlie R
Captain
Y10-Maathai

Back Row:Elemenkio V (Y9), Seth B (Y9), Cadel Z (Y10), Gabriele T (Y10), Osama A (Y9), Charlie R (Y10), Valentino I (Y9), Noah H (Y10), Carter C (Y9),
Riley B (Y10), Xavier B (Y9)
Front Row: Josip J (Y9), Isaac B (Y9), Eduardo RDC (Y9), Edan P (Y10), Lawson S (Y9), Jack P (Y9), Mr. Hanna

ASC Netball

On Tuesday the year 9/10 team was pumped and ready to go for ASC Netball. However, when we arrived we only had a bare 7 players. We then managed to pick up Ava G (Y8) and Steph O (Y8) to join, and we were very grateful for them. We first took on CGS and in a very close game took the win by 1 goal which was a great start to the day. We went on to play some very tough opposition and didn’t win the next 6 games. In the final game, we took on Radford and whilst everyone was pretty tired it was an excellent and well-matched game and the final score was 7-7.

I was very proud of all of the girls and their efforts throughout the day. It was fairly cold so we rotated everyone around and each of the girls was versatile and approached the day with a positive attitude and great enthusiasm.

A big thanks to Mia G (Y11) who stepped in to umpire for us and was invaluable on the day!

At the end of the day we all voted for players player vote, and incredibly every single player had a least 1 vote which is great. Our overall winner was Jontee VD (Y9). Congratulations and thank you to the whole team, it was a great day.”

Mrs. Danni Jewell
Teacher of HPE, Exercise Science & Photography
Ferré House 

Book Week

With book week on in Week 6 (21-25 August), we are announcing the activities as well as other events that we are hosting this year!

Book Swap

Hey everyone! Don't miss out on our upcoming book swap event! Starting week 4, you can donate as many books as you like and drop them off in Mr Knowles' office (located in the wellbeing hub). Then, on Thursday and Friday of week 5, come and grab any donated books you like for just a gold coin donation. All money raised throughout this event and in book week will go towards the Indigenous Literacy Foundation! Please see a video of their work attached. It's a great way to get some new reads and support a good cause. And don't worry if there are any leftovers – they'll be donated to the book fair. Spread the word and we hope to see you there!

Daily Activities

Week 6 is book week, and all the leaders will be hosting many activities for everyone. We have created a fitting acronym to make these easier to remember: BOOKS, with each letter corresponding to what will be happening on that day.

• On Monday, we have Year 12 Verses Teacher Basketball in the hall with those wanting to participate having to give a donation.
• On Tuesday and Wednesday, we have 2-day long orienteering. Images of book covers will be hidden in various places within school boundaries. There will be prizes for the individual who finds and names the locations of the most books to the Justice Leaders or Mr Knowles.
• On Thursday we will be doing K-rafts and arts where students are able to submit their poster either via email to Mr Knowles or to the Justice Leaders.
• On Friday we will be hosting the long-loved dress up day/competition judged by Ms Rey with, once again, prizes for the costume that best reflects the theme Read Grow Inspire. In addition to this, the short story competition closes at 3:35pm and students can email their submissions to Mr Knowles.

Book Week Poster

Attention all students! Alongside the other events for book week, there is also an opportunity to display your artistic talents around the school in the upcoming BookWeek poster-making competition! Students have until Thursday Week 6 to hand in their posters to Mr Knowles. Only the best posters will be chosen to hang around the school, so don't miss this chance to shine! This year’s global book week theme is Read, Grow, Inspire. Good luck to all participants!

Short Story Competition

Attention all aspiring writers! In light of book week coming up in week 6, JPC is thrilled to announce its upcoming short story competition! This is your chance to showcase your creativity and writing skills by crafting a fascinating tale based on the attached prompt. Don't be afraid to let your imagination run wild! The image is filled with a variety of elements that can spark your inspiration and lead you to create a unique and captivating story, feel free to use any component of the image to inspire you. Let your creativity flow and show us what you've got, there will be prizes for the winners! We're excited to read your submissions and see what you can come up with - this is open to all students, max 3500 words. Submissions are due on week 6 Friday, please hand them to Mr Knowles or email jacob.knowles@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Good luck!

Jack M, Year 9 Maathai will be shaving his mullet off in a few weeks – thank goodness!

He is also going to do this to raise funds to support the Leukaemia Foundation. If anyone would like to make a donation you can do so via this link http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/jackm

Through 2023 Jack has been growing his magnificent mullet and it's time for it to go. I know times are tough for a lot of people and there is definitely no pressure but if you would like to help, Jack would welcome donations and support of any kind.

Jack will be shaving his head after U15s Gungahlin Jets end of season presentation.

His hair (provided it's clean) will also be donated.

Thank you for your support x

Jack M | World's Greatest Shave | Leukaemia Foundation

The ACT Government free Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) program allows all Canberrans access to free COVID-19 testing. All Canberrans can now collect free RATs from our Libraries ACT branches  - Click here for further information.

TRI SERVICE / OPEN DAY

ADFA Open Day 2023

Gain a degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy, and graduate as an Officer in the ADF.

Saturday 19 August 2023
Australian Defence Force Academy Campus, Campbell ACT
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

REGISTER HERE

Welcome to ACU Canberra Open Day 2023 - Saturday 2 September 12-3pm

Deciding what to study is a pretty momentous decision. That’s why we run Open Day – it’s everything you need, in one place, to help make your choice.

Join us on campus to explore and find out more about our courses.

On the day you can:  

• chat with current students and staff
• learn more about our courses
• discuss your study options with experts
• go on a tour and watch demonstrations
• join Q&As and discussions with alumni and current students
• discover how ACU can help you achieve your goals.

Register for Open Day

Parish Newsletter

For the latest news Click here or you can view it on the Parish App or visit the website below.

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are very pleased to welcome an organisation called 'Consent Labs', who are expert educators on the topics of Respectful Relationships and Consent, to deliver a valuable wellbeing program for our Years 11 and 12 students, in addition to a complimentary session for our entire parent/carer community.

St John Paul II College is a community that promotes students to always treat others with dignity and respect across every aspect of life. The young people currently at our school are progressing towards adulthood in the coming years, and many of our Year 12 students are already adults. Unfortunately, young people in 2023 have access online, as well as via movies and TV shows to content and information which can normalise unhealthy and disrespectful ways of interacting in relationships. Access to trustworthy sources of information is essential for young people to be able to make good decisions for themselves which are aligned with their personal values.

Year 11 & 12 Student Program: Across 11^th and 12^th October 2023, Years 11 and 12 students will participate in the student program. This program comes to us highly recommended and is delivered in many senior secondary schools across Australia. The student program will occur entirely on-campus at JPC and we will communicate specific session times and classroom locations to students in due course. Please see the attached documents with more information regarding content in the student program. This program is run on an opt-out basis; If you do not wish for your child to attend, please notify Mr Nicholas Whatman via email at Nicholas.whatman@cg.catholic.edu.au

Online Session for Entire Parent/Carer Community (with student/s in all grades): This session is designed to support you to begin and continue important conversations around these topics at home. As parents and carers, the transition to adulthood can be daunting in terms of how to best support your child and safeguard them against relationships that are not characterised by dignity and respect, including when it comes to consent and sex. This session will address these key areas:

• Consent Foundations
• Digital Consent
• Consent with Alcohol & Other Drugs
• Recognising & Responding to Sexual Harassment and Assault

And will answer important questions for parents/carers, such as:

• How can I start a meaningful conversation about these topics with my children?
• What are some strategies I can use when discussing these potentially awkward topics?
• How can I keep my children safe, even if I have different views about sex and relationships?

We invite all parents and carers in our school community to attend this session online:

Wednesday 23^rd August 6:00-7:30 PM. Please register to attend here: https://www.trybooking.com/CKMFI

If you have any questions, please contact St John Paul II College.

Yours sincerely,

The Australian Signals Directorate is happy to announce that the Term 3 Girls’ Programming Network (GPN) event will be held on Sunday 10 September 2023 at The Australian National University (ANU).

Registration opens – Tuesday 22 August 2023 at 6 pm and closes – Wednesday 23 August at 6 pm.

When registration opens, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/girls-programming-network-canberra-term-3-tickets-695666415977.

Please note that registration does not guarantee placement in the workshop, you will be contacted via email by wic.asd@defence.gov.au for confirmation.

*** From next term, the Canberra Girls Programming Network will only be available to girls from year 6 – year 12. This is to align Canberra with the National GPN Program. ***

What is GPN?

• The Girls Programming Network is a workshop series aimed at girls in Year 4-12.
• The GPN is a community of women and girls who are interested in computer science, programming and information technology.
• Workshops are run by GPN tutors – local women studying or working in IT in industry, academia and government; are topic based and tutors teach the girls how to solve fun programming projects. There is also food to eat, friends to make and other fun activities to be had!
• ASD has had a long-standing relationship with the Girls’ Programming Network and supports the Canberra node of this fantastic program.
• The workshops are free and no prior coding experience is necessary!