Welcome back to Term 2. I trust that our students return to school refreshed and ready for the term ahead, prepared to challenge themselves with their learning.

We have a long-time family friend called Kate. She used to teach with my wife some decades ago before she gave it away to become a real estate agent. She is tremendously successful in the real estate world, and she was an incredibly talented teacher.

I had the privilege of seeing Kate in the classroom and learned much from her as a practitioner. He students loved being in her class, but more importantly, she held high standards and ensured students were literate, numerate, and thoroughly engaged in the creative and performing arts. Kate had a mantra in her class which was “excellence does not embarrass us”. I remember well her students parroting this with monotonous regularity.

Recently I was listening to a podcast and the conversation was with someone I had never heard of: Brian Johnson (entrepreneur, CEO and philosopher). He was talking about human flourishing and discussing the word mediocrity. The etymology of mediocrity is from two Latin words “medius” – the middle, and “ocris” a rough or rugged mountain. So, to be mediocre is to be in the middle of a rugged mountain, or to be stuck in one! Clearly, no one wants therefore to be mediocre. In fact, I would suggest to be described as mediocre would be somewhat insulting!

The opposite of mediocrity is excellence. Striving for excellence rather than accepting mediocrity is life-giving and speaks to aspiration, inspiration and grit. I can only encourage our students to go out of their way to work towards excellence in their school work; to make a commitment to self-improvement, and to measure their success from one milestone to the next. Too often in Australia, we suffer from the tall poppy syndrome where like the meercat, we do not want to stand out, stick our head above the parapet lest someone chop us down or slight us for ‘having a go’. Rather, what we should be doing is applauding excellence and seeking to emulate it when it is apparent. Recognising excellence is something I think schools do quite well. I know that I am keen that our students are rewarded and acknowledged when they achieve excellence.

I heard a lame joke once (with apologies to those who drive a Ford) that goes something like this: “If we wanted to applaud mediocrity, we’d all stand around a Ford Focus and clap”. Long may we hold high expectations for student learning, and for excellence to be a hallmark of their learning, because as our friend Kate says, excellence should never embarrass us.

Dr Craig Wattam

Year 7 Integrated Mathematics and Science is one of those dynamic subjects whereby two learning areas meet to deliver a curriculum that enables students to critically think about the world around them. With a combination of the formulaic approach of Mathematics and the real-life examples that Science provides, students have the ability to work across both disciplines.

In Term 1, students learnt about Particle Theory and different Separation Techniques, which aligned with Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. They also learnt about laboratory safety and the skills necessary to conduct an accurate science practical investigation. They quickly learnt that things such as “making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich” can be quite complicated.

In Term 2, students will be learning about Ratios and that dreaded scary word “Algebra”. Don’t worry: it’s just “finding the missing number”! We will be looking at Forces, which will include a fun practical with paper helicopters. Also, we will be looking at specific design features of cars that make us safe and protect us from harm. 

Finally, I can now announce that in Term 3, students will be going on an excursion to Cooma, NSW, where they will visit the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre. They will explore the past, present and future of the mighty Snowy Scheme at Cooma’s must-see attraction. This is directly related to the Term 4 topic of Renewable Energy.

If your child is experiencing some challenges with Mathematics, I’d like to remind families that the school offers access to The Tutoring Hub – Monday afternoons from 3:45 pm – 4:30 pm. I am one of the tutors and as such, can ably complement the learning undertaken during lessons.

Expressions of Interest are now welcome for members to join the St John Paul II College Community Council (SCC) Executive Committee 

As you may be aware, following a CECG review of the current School Board and Community Council model St John Paul II College has been asked to establish a School Community Council under the new model. The council will be advisory in nature and has a key role in supporting the community of parents, carers, students, and staff in building an open, inclusive, welcoming, and collaborative school community environment.  

The School Community Council will advise the principal on important matters and provide support to the principal and school leadership team in their decision-making process. 

As part of this transition to the new School Community Council model, I am asking parents/carers to show their interest in being part of this School Community Council Executive Committee via an expression of interest process for the following positions:  

• Executive Committee Chair
• Executive Committee Secretariat
• Two Executive Committee members

Expressions of interest need only be brief. A few lines about yourself, your connection to the school, involvement in the school community, and reasons for your interest in being part of the School Community Council Executive Committee.  

The Council will meet on four occasions per year. Your interest in, and support of our College, is appreciated.

 Please email the expression of interest to nicola.grieb@cg.catholic.edu.au by Monday 13 May 2024

As we move into winter uniform, I would ask parents to continue to support the College’s uniform policy. We do not want uniform issues to be an area of conflict with students or parents. However, avoiding discussions when uniform expectations are not met for fear of discord very quickly leads to a significant decline in standards. This in turn can lead to a perception that no standards of behaviour are valued.

We expect all students to wear their correct school uniform as per the uniform policy which can be found in the student diary. If there is a particular reason a student is not in uniform contact must be made with the school via the office and the students House Leaders. The College understands that some variations of uniform may be required for documented medical and cultural reasons. Parents are requested to speak with their child's House Leader if this applies to their family.

Attached below are a series of photos that demonstrate correct and incorrect uniforms.

Thank you for your continued support of the school.

Tom van de Waterbeemd
Assistant Principal – Wellbeing & Community
Maathai and Van Thuan Houses

Correct Uniform

Permitted for Term 2 & 3 2024

Must wear school jumper to cover t-shirt.

Not Permitted

Late in term one, I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 She Leads Conference with nine of our Year 11 and 12 students who have shown interest and dedication to further developing their leadership skills. The event was organised by the YWCA of Canberra and held at the Canberra Rex Hotel.

Our students were delighted to see that the keynote speaker is part of the St John Paul II College alumni, graduating from JPC in 2018.

Maja Rathouski went through a very tough time as a teenager and young adult but graduated from Year 12 and now, still only 22, Maja is motivating others to be true to themselves and rise above adversities. In her regular work, Maja manages transitional housing properties in Canberra and provides assistance to people in the homeless (or sleeping rough) community. Maja has a passion for positive change and dedication to the marginalised and her story had the JPC students’ full attention.

Our young JPC leaders also participated in workshops around social justice and self-care. The JPC students engaged fully in the day, brainstorming leadership ideas, teaching others how to ‘box breath’ and asking insightful questions of presenters.

Well done to all involved.

Kelly Candy
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing
Ferré House and Year 11 and 12 student wellbeing

Over the last 3 school weeks, our Year 10 students have been participating in the Transition Program, designed to prepare them for the transition to Senior School and beyond.

Whilst we were too busy to take any photos (whoops!) a summary of the events is below. 

Week 1 of the program:

• Ms Stokman (Senior Studies Coordinator) presented to all Year 10 about options for Year 11 and 12 studies. This included Tertiary and Accredited pathways, Senior School expectations, and BSSS rules/requirements.
• Our Faculty Leaders also shared their subject offerings for Years 11 and 12, which provided students with a brief overview to explore further at our upcoming Senior Expo.

Week 2 of the program:

• This was focused on the upcoming Year 10 work experience week (1-5July). All of the Year 10 are preparing to enter the world of work (or volunteering) by obtaining a placement of work experience.
• Students drafted emails to potential employees, searched Google for organisations that were of interest to them, and completed the necessary forms.
• We also had many Year 10 students complete the White Card, Asbestos, and Silica courses, essential for attendance on a construction site.

Week 3 of the program:

• Students explored their potential career options – researching the potential growth of these careers, the average pay, duties/tasks, and study requirements.
• We were then lucky enough to have Keith Cantlie from Cantlie Recruitment and HR Solutions speak to all Year 10 students about the future of work and tips/tricks when applying for jobs.

All of the resources from this program are available on the Year 10 Transition Week Moodle Page. I congratulate the group on their engagement in the program and look forward to seeing them all at the Senior Expo next week!

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE - 1st-5th July

This is a friendly reminder that the forms for the Year 10 work experience week are due at the end of Week 14 (Week 3, Term 2). All information about the process can be found on the Year 10 Transition Moodle page.

If you need support, please reach out to Ms Zorzi or Mr Charter ASAP! Alternatively, you can email careers.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au. 

Ms Teena Zorzi
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing
Careers and Pathways | Drexel House

As part of the Construction Pathways coursework, students are required to participate in a practical application of their skills. This week, the students have worked with the JPC's maintenance staff member and qualified builder, Grant P.

As a class, the students spent two days constructing a frame, gyprocking, sheeting, hanging a door, painting, and trimming two new cupboards for the school.

Well done to everyone.

Chloe McCallum
Leader of Learning (Technology) and Wellbeing

A FEW SPOTS LEFT!

This term we are able to offer the White Card, Asbestos and Silica courses here at JPC for students. These courses are essential in the ACT for being able to complete work on a construction site.

There are spots available on the 17/18 June. This is open to students aged 14 years or over.

• All three courses cost $390
• Silica only is $240
• White Card only is $75

As there are a limited number of students able to be enrolled in each course, please contact careers.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au for details on how to enrol.

JPC students are invited to participate in the Big Science Competition, to be held in week 14.
The Big Science Competition is a 50 minute, multiple-choice competition testing science knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

The competition will cost $7.70 to enter.

Email Mrs Cally for further information and how to register.

Mrs Kate Calley
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing – Science
Kennedy House

JPC Cross Country

Students who wish to compete in the Cross Country competitively and move on to represent the College at the ASC Cross Country must complete the form by the following link by Wednesday 8 May. 

The top 10 students from each age group move on to represent the school at the ASC.

JPC Cross Country - Competitive Application Form

Bill Turner Cup - Round 1

On the last day of Term 1, a beautiful sunny day, our Girls and Boys Bill Turner Cup Soccer Teams had the opportunity to play their first game in the prestigious under 15 knockout competition, which includes teams from all around Australia. JPC faced off against Mount Stromlo College in both games. The girls were very unlucky to lose 2-1 and the boys won an amazing 13-0.

The girls acquitted themselves well but were unlucky to concede two goals very early in the game. The girls were led by strong performances from Lacey P, Olive F, Nat J and Emily B and some bustling tackles from Cecilia A and Georgia I. It was amazing to see the skill and tenacity of some of the students who had not played much football. Despite our injured Captain, Juliet B, dusting herself off the bench and inspiring a second-half come back and a last-minute goal for Cecilia, the girls were unable to turn some great pressure into the win, denied by both the crossbar and the offside flag!

Congratulations to all of the girls for putting in their best and representing the school with great effort and excellent sportsmanship. Thank you to Sienna N and Alani M for coaching the girls.

The boys were simply brilliant with a 13-goal destruction of the poor Stromlo team. It was beautiful to watch some of the clean and crisp passing, crunching tackles, and exemplary finishing. With strong performances across the park, the boys were up 5-0 at half time, the quality of the JPC team was clear as positions (including the keeper) were switched and the goals (and goal celebrations) continued to flow. Such was the dominance of the boys that the referee called the game off 10 minutes early. Congratulations to all the boys and on to the next round – in this competition, you are only as good as your next win! Congratulations to goal scorers, particularly skipper Dylan P with 4 goals, Will M with 3, and Justin A. with 2, and all the excellent performances. Thanks to co-coach and team DJ – Jye W!

Matt Caldow
Bill Turner Soccer Coach
Leader of Wellbeing (LWB) – Maathai House
Teacher – Legal Studies, Integrated Humanities and SOSE

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