On Feedback

Many years ago, I attended a residential course on leadership, at Melbourne University. The course had a long lead time with full psychometric testing prior to the residential component, with 360 degree feedback tools being employed.

Part of the course was to sit down with one of the presenters and walk through the self-evaluation, and compare it with the feedback that peers, my bosses and direct reports had supplied. Each one of these meetings commenced with the line “all feedback is a gift”. Sometimes, when we receive feedback, it doesn’t feel like a gift, or at least, not a gift that we would gladly receive!

The role of principal has changed quite significantly since I first accepted the position all of those years ago, and the demands from government, regulators, staff, students, and parents have also shifted. Quite often my inbox feels like it is filled with problems, concerns and complaints. This is part and parcel of the job, and I am sure many parents/carers will likewise experience the same challenge in their work.

However, what has delighted me of late is the affirmation of our staff, and the positive correspondence I have received from a number of staff, parents, and even community members. It is really gratifying to have someone notice, and then take the time to make positive comment about an activity, initiative, or the extra effort that people have made. I am grateful for these. Regardless of how old we are, we all get a buzz from some form of recognition from time to time.

Our students are our best asset. Of course, at times they get things wrong and make poor choices, but so many of our students do the right thing day in and day out, and also take the initiative to offer a positive word. Each week I get a small opportunity to meet with students who are celebrating a birthday during that week. I wish them a happy birthday, ask about their birthday plans and offer them a chocolate bar. These brief exchanges are the highlight of my week. They often give rise to spontaneous conversations that are really encouraging. Simply having our students greet each other and staff warmly each morning is a first positive signal to start our day. I can only suggest that these kinds of efforts also serve to set us on a positive footing each morning.

I pray that your inbox this week has some gems, and bouquets among all of the other important stuff!

Student Voice and Agency

LitLinks

During Week 3, we had the privilege of hosting the ACT Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and their LitLinks workshop, designed to develop our students' creative writing skills. This event was a fantastic opportunity for our students to dive deep into the world of storytelling, explore new writing techniques, and foster their love for literature.

We were delighted to be joined by students from St Francis Xavier College and Radford College. The collaboration among the schools created an inspiring environment, where ideas were exchanged, and creativity thrived.

A special thank you to Rita van Haren and Jenine Westerburg from AATE for their expert leadership throughout the sessions. Their guidance was instrumental in helping the students navigate their creative writing journey.

LitLinks is a creative writing competition open to all ACT school students in years 7-12 and their teachers. https://www.actlitlinks.com.au/

ICAS Assessments

On Friday, our students had the opportunity to participate in the ICAS English competition, an event that challenges students to apply their critical thinking and language skills in a competitive environment. This annual competition is a fantastic platform for our students to showcase their abilities in English, testing their comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and creative writing skills.

We are incredibly proud of all the students who took part in this competition and their commitment to honing their English skills and their willingness to challenge themselves. Participating in ICAS fosters a sense of achievement and confidence that will serve them well in their academic pursuits.

Congratulations to all participants for their hard work and dedication. Keep up the great work!

The focus for our teachers this week is on oral reading skills also known as ‘reading out loud’ in the classroom. I know as a parent myself, that I think as my child gets older that they no longer need to read out loud to me. But, is this really the case?

I was surprised to find, it is not, and that committing to having my child read out loud to an adult in our house once a day for even 5 minutes can have a big impact. The research behind this is as follows:

‘Repeated oral reading is a strategy to develop effective comprehension through the development of fluent reading. Reading fluency develops in increments over time, alongside other elements of reading, and can be improved with the use of repeated reading strategies. The importance of fluent reading is that it frees the working memory from decoding, allowing the reader to focus on interpretation and comprehension of what is being read (Castles et al., 2018; Lane et al., 2008).

The National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) (2000) found that repeated reading positively impacts reading fluency. Their analysis of two strategies: guided repeated oral reading practices and sustained silent reading found that oral reading practices were effective for developing reading fluency but found limited evidence for encouraging [silent] reading (NICHD, 2000).

Teaching practices that use repeated oral reading of a text to support and scaffold students' fluency development and that use feedback focussed on improving speed, accuracy, expression, and comprehension were found to be beneficial (NICHD, 2000). Repeated oral reading practices involving multiple readings and supported guidance or feedback from peers, parents and carers or teachers improved reading fluency for students with average and below average reading abilities (NICHD 2000; Stevens et al., 2016).’ Repeated oral reading practices do not require specific resources beyond those already found in the home or at school, making them easy to implement.’

Are there incidental opportunities for your child to read out loud to you to support their reading fluency and comprehension?

This was adapted from:

Mrs Kathleen Garvie
Assistant Principal -Learning
Kennedy and Ferré Houses

Moderation Day - Thursday 22 August 2024

Moderation Day is an important day for teachers across the ACT to review and moderate the work of senior students. Moderation Day is a requirement for teachers to ensure grade comparability across the senior secondary sector. Moderation Day is a pupil-free day (Yr 7-10 only) and no classes will be running.

Students from Years 7-10 are encouraged to use the day productively to work on learning tasks, assignments and general study. Students are discouraged from visiting 7-10 High Schools or Primary Schools, as their presence can prove very disruptive to the learning of these students.

All Y11 and 12 students have been sent an email last week with the schedule for the day.

In week two Year 9’s headed to Sydney for The Urban Challenge.

The Urban Challenge provided an exciting and new experience of a camp for my group this year. We embarked on different experiences each day, some of us seeing landmarks and interesting places, as well as taking ferryies and experiencing Sydney’s train system for the first time. Navigating through Sydney proved to be a tricky but rewarding task, planning where to eat, making and reaching reservations and catching public transport in time all gave us a huge sense of responsibility and independence in such a large city. It was a great opportunity to learn and hone important skills, especially time management, social awareness, budget management, as well as collaboration skills, no matter who you had to work with.

In the Urban Challenge each team member has an important role that contributes to the running of the team. With the navigator and transport manager working together, we used public transport to navigate our way around. We started with a focus on service as we participated in the Cook4Good program with Kids Giving Back. We spent the day cooking and packaging meals for people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity. We heard from guest speakers with first hand experiences which helped us to understand this issue faced by many. 

A lot of us had to work with some people we didn’t know all that well or don’t associate with regularly, which gave us an opportunity to get to know people you wouldn’t normally think to talk to and learn to work with them. The Urban Challenge placed a few people into a seemingly uncomfortable situation which then budded into companionship and effective collaboration required to get through the day's activities. Working with a variety of people proved to be a fun experience, and its highly possible to make a few new friends along the way.

As for the tasks selected and presented to us by the Game Master, we were often challenged with puzzling clues, including riddles and morse code to direct us to our objectives; Other tasks were given to us more directly, but required us to interview strangers, travel a relatively long distance or help us decide what to have for lunch. These tasks brought our group together as we made decisions and deciphered clues together. We embarked on exciting adventures through Sydney with plenty of photography involved to rack up our points for the challenge, as well as completing bonus challenges for extra points to hopefully get us closer to a proud victory.

The Urban Challenge is very different from a traditional camp, and it definitely pushed all of us outside of our comfort zone as we explored a city we didn’t know well. The camp was a lot of fun, and we learnt how important it is to work as a team and communicate well. This camp was not just about how many points you could get but also how well you work with others, it’s up to you to decide how much fun you will have by participating and trying at all of the activities. 

Melody T and Sienna V - Maathai

In Week 3, our Year 12 students had the privilege of participating in a three-day Retreat at Mt Carmel Retreat Centre in Varroville, Sydney. This Retreat offered a rare and invaluable opportunity for our students to pause, reflect, and engage in deep self-exploration. During this time, they considered the influences that have shaped their lives, their core values and beliefs, and the aspects of life that matter most to them as they near the completion of their final semester of secondary school and embark on the next chapter of their lives.

The staff were deeply impressed by how fully the students embraced the experiences and activities throughout the Retreat. The success of this event was a result of the dedication and heartfelt contributions of the teachers who accompanied the students, led with great care and insight by Mrs Katrina MacGregor. These people generously shared their own life experiences, fostering an environment where our young people could thoughtfully engage with some of the more profound and challenging aspects of human existence. Their guidance and openness played a crucial role in making the Retreat a truly transformative experience for all involved.

Central to the Retreat was the reflection on the words from Matthew 28:16-20:

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”

This passage served as a powerful reminder to the students of their mission and purpose as they prepare to leave school and enter the wider world, reassuring them that they are never alone on their journey.

The Scripture quote also emphasises the theme of guidance, mission, and divine presence, which beautifully complements the reflective nature of the Retreat.

Mr Jacob Knowles
Assistant Principal – Development 

We started off strong in the pool rounds, winning the majority of our games by 5 or more goals. We dominated teams like Lyneham High (5-0), Melba Copland (12-1), Melrose High (5-1), Harrison (5-3), and Brindabella (4-1). As we progressed to the finals, the competition became more challenging, but we still managed to come through with a victory against Radford College (5-2) in the semi-finals.

Our confidence was high as we faced Lyneham again in the finals, especially since we had beaten them earlier in the pool stages (5-0). In the first half, we were tied at 1-1, but Lyneham pulled off an unexpected comeback and took the win (2-5).

Overall, it was a great day of futsal. We had fun and learned a lot from the experience.

Elemeniko V
Year 10, Mathieu

Tuesday Tunes – @ Theatre Foyer on Week A Tuesday Lunch time.

Tuesday Tunes is a fortnightly showcase of musical performances. In week 5, we’ll be launching the first event for semester 2 on the ground floor, outside the theatre entrance – come along and hear the talent and hard work JPC students have been putting into their music.

If you would like to perform at Tuesday Tunes, let us know the song details in the following form and touch base with Mr. Goodwin or Aron Lyon before Tuesday: https://forms.office.com/r/vRF9U2rkyZ

NOTE: during the event, the foyer area outside the theatre will be accessible to audience members. All other indoor areas will remain within their usual in-bounds or out-of-bounds status.

Mr Jonathan Goodwin
Music Teacher

Attention Students!

Do you have a passion for creating? Whether it's building a paper-mâché volcano, designing a robot, or anything else that excites you in the world of STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths—now’s your chance to shine!

We are excited to announce JPC's first-ever Science Fair, happening at the end of the term. You can enter on your own or team up with friends to showcase your project. This event is open to all students from Years 7 to 12, and any project is welcome! Your work will be displayed for everyone to see, and you might even win a prize!

If you're interested, just fill out the Google form with details about your entry and your email. We can’t wait to see your creativity in action!

St John Paul II College maintains three official social media accounts. To stay updated on school events and news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. 

Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn

Please note that any other accounts are not sanctioned by the school, and we advise against following them.

Parish Newsletter

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

Wednesday 21 August at 7:00pm

Interested in finding out about the Catholic faith or interested in becoming a Catholic? If you, or anyone you know, would like to become a Catholic or to simply learn more about the Catholic faith, this process is a good place to start.

To register your interest, please contact Theivani on theivani@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

MyWay+ is Transport Canberra’s next generation ticketing system which puts all public transport services in one place. It will offer more ways to pay for public transport and introduce new digital platforms for journey planning and accessing real-time information.  

The switch over to MyWay+ will happen later this year. Until then, students should continue to use their current MyWay card or a paper ticket from a ticket vending machine to pay for travel on bus and light rail services.

Families should ensure their child’s MyWay card is registered to protect the balance, as Transport Canberra can only process refunds and transfer credits for registered MyWay cards.​ 

Register your MyWay card: https://www.transport.act.gov.au/tickets-and-myway/register-myway