The first day of Lent – Ash Wednesday

This week, each House at JPC hosted the Ash Wednesday liturgy; beautifully led by our newly appointed House Leaders. It was a moving ceremony, with prayers and music that led us to receive the Ashes in a very reverent manner, and we were challenged to think of times when we need to ask for forgiveness and be open to God’s mercy.

Ash Wednesday is an important day in our JPC liturgical calendar because it marks the beginning of the Lent – the 46-day period leading up to Easter, when we believe Jesus was resurrected after dying on the cross. The marking of the Ashes on this day is a public expression of our faith and repentance. It helps us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice, as the ashes symbolise Jesus’ death, grief for our sins and for repentance.

While the ashes symbolise penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful, and if you are truly sorry in your heart for your wrongdoings, and seek forgiveness, it will be given.

Lent and Project Compassion

In Lent – we give, we pray and we fast.

In Lent, we GIVE – of our ‘wealth’, our time, and our energy to support those who can only dream about the simple things we take for granted.

In Lent, we PRAY - for our own lives and needs and for the needs of our world that we will live the Kingdom of compassion and justice proclaimed by Jesus.

Finally in Lent, we FAST – Fasting traditionally means going without or ‘giving up’, for example - food. Whilst giving up feasting for a time period may not in itself change the world, it is as much about self-discipline and uniting our lives with those who don’t have the luxury of choice about what they can and cannot do or have.

PROJECT COMPASSION AT JPC:

Each year, JPC undertakes the Inter-House Project Compassion fundraising competition – a good humoured ‘race’ to raise the most funds towards our goal of $10,000! Giving of ourselves to those less fortunate is a big part of the life of a Christian and we focus strongly on this as an issue of Catholic Social Justice with our students.

HOW TO DONATE:

If each student and staff member at JPC brings in $3 per week, for 4 weeks, we will EASILY reach our goal of $10,000 for Project Compassion! PC groups will collect each day and from next week, we will have a Project compassion option on Qkr!

Please support Project Compassion

Jennifer Tually
Leader of Mission and Ministry

JPC is very excited to be part of a new mental health initiative by Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn. As part of this initiative, I have joined the JPC Community as a full-time School Counsellor, available during school terms in the ‘Wellbeing Hub’. I would like to sincerely thank all students, family and JPC staff who have warmly welcomed me to the school over the past few weeks.

School Counselling is a short-term, goal-focused therapy available to support students who are not already receiving mental health support elsewhere, with a focus on reducing the impact that mental health concerns are having on learning and life. If a student is experiencing emotional or social challenges, we encourage students and families to discuss these concerns initially with their House Leaders.

I am passionate about supporting young people with challenges such as anxiety, depression, stress, grief, persistent demotivation, significant social difficulties or other similar challenges. I aim to help young people better understand their mental health, learn practical strategies to minimise the impact these challenges can have, and to build self-efficacy and independence in the process.

I am especially passionate about early-intervention in mental health. Within our school community, the largest and strongest network of support for students is with their families and teachers. During 2021, I am looking forward to hosting a few information events for those interested to learn more about mental health topics and how to support young people going through challenging times. Please keep an eye out for more information about this later.

I wish all of the JPC community a safe and happy 2021!

Ms Ame Uidam
School Counsellor

During Week 3, students of Y9, Y10 and senior Chinese classes got the opportunity to make and taste different types of dumplings. This was an amazing chance for us to celebrate the Chinese New Year together and embraced Chinese culture. It is a very important tradition for Chinese families to get together and make dumplings as dumplings symbolised reunion of families and good luck.

The students enjoyed the lesson very much. 2021 is the year of the Ox, Happy the year of the Ox!

Here is feedback from the student:

星期二，我们班包饺子和馄饨。It was a super fun activity to do, and the process of making the 饺子 and 馄饨 was actually easier than we all thought it would be. We tried the dumplings with a special type of vinegar, and the wontons with soy sauce. Both were 很好吃!

Dear Year 7 families,

The St John Paul II College Year 7 Camp will run for 3 days, with one night staying at Kianinny Bush Cottages, Tathra, and the other night in tents in the Mimosa camping grounds, Tathra. The camp will take place from Wednesday the 3rd to Friday 5th of March for all year 7 students.

All the information about the camp is on Moodle under "Permission Notes" on the Dashboard. Please note that this is for information only and the permission form MUST be completed electronically through Qkr!

The Permission form is now available on Qkr! under "Excursion Permissions". Please remember to submit the zero balance and check that you have received a receipt.

Instructions on how to access Moodle, download Qkr! and how to submit a form in Qkr! are available on the JPC website https://www.jpc.act.edu.au/our-community/jpc-paren...​

The permission form needs to be completed on Qkr! and returned by Monday 22nd of February. Any specific medical or dietary requirements should be noted on the form.​

Please note that the camp is a compulsory school activity for all Year 7 students. The staff at St John Paul II College see the camp as a valuable time for students to get to know their peers learn about the ethos of the school and as an orientation into high school. The camp also aims to develop leadership qualities and teamwork as well as respect for each other. Because of these valuable attributes, it is essential that all students attend the camp.

If your child is not attending camp, an email must be sent to the College office (office.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au) and Mrs McNamara with the Student's name, House, the reason they cannot attend and the dates they will be absent. Email must be received by Monday 22nd February.

If you have any questions or concerns about the camp, please contact Mrs McNamara.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs Chauntell McNamara
(Leader of Learning & Wellbeing for Mentoring, Maathai House and Van Thuan House)
E: chauntell.mcnamara@cg.catholic.edu.au

University of Wollongong – Discovery Day

On Wednesday of this week, 15 Year 11/12 attended the University of Wollongong Discovery Day. They had the chance to experience a variety of practical and lecture-style lessons to engage them in potential future university courses. It was a very immersive experience that showed the students what university life is like at the UOW.  If you would like any information about the university, please see Mrs Zorzi who is the Leader of Learning for Careers.

University of Canberra – H Courses

This week, Amy from the University of Canberra came to speak with Y11 students about the H courses offered. The courses are free for this pilot year and count towards the ATAR and Y12 certificate. The courses offered include:

• Information Technology
• Business Decision Making
• Understanding Behaviour (Psychology as a science)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology

If you would like more information about these courses, please contact Mrs Zorzi.

Mrs Zorzi
Leader of Learning (Careers) and Wellbeing

E - careers.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au

We are pleased to announce that The Girls Leadership Network is now taking applications for young women, ages 16 - 20 (or Years, 11, 12, and first years post high school) for our 2021 class!  

We have had four successful years with each cohort having ~ 30 participants across 13 different schools from the ACT and lower NSW in each class.   Our core program, which consists of 5 monthly workshops featuring inspiring speakers and innovative leadership techniques strongly resonated with students. Our participants valued the benefit of developing a cohort of like minded peers and getting the opportunity to think deeply about and practice leadership principles.   

There is no cost to attend the once a month series of sessions, which will be held the third Wednesday of each month at ThinkPlace in Barton, at 50 Blackall Street. This program is great for existing and want to be leaders, our cohort usually includes school captains as well as young women interested in developing their skills.

We welcome all female identifying students and aim for diversity in our participants. 

Applications are due by 03 March with the first session on 17 March. 

Registrations are open for female identifying participants between the ages of 16 - 20. We actively encourage diversity and welcome all people from all walks of life!
The session dates for 2021 are:

• 17 March
• 21 April
• 19 May
• 16 June
• 18 August
• 5 September

We will aim for all sessions to be held in person at the ThinkPlace Studio, 50 Blackall Street Barton, ACT. If the COVID situation changes in ACT we will continue to hold our sessions on a digital platform. Throughout the year there will also be additional leadership and networking opportunities for participants. If you have any questions about the process, contact admin@thegirlsleadershipnetwork.org

More information can be found at https://thegirlsleadershipnetwork.org/register-canberra/. 

Mrs Tually

Term 1 2021 School Fees are now DUE.

Details were emailed or posted to families earlier in the term. If you do not have a direct debit or some sort of payment plan in place, the fees are due TODAY, 5 March 2021.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact the finance office (jpc.finance@cg.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible, so that we may assist you.

Gungahlin Sports & Recreation Summer Expo

This is the 4th Expo in its series being held at Amaroo Oval where various sports and recreation activities will be showcased by the local sporting clubs and community recreation groups. This expo encourages kids to take up physical activities and register with local clubs as per their choice. Entry is free and this event is for all ages.

Come and Play Soccer - Girls 17/18 Years