Last days for our Year 12 students

As I write this, our Senior students are completing their end of year exams. For Year 12 students, this brings them very close to the end of the secondary schooling. Students and staff formally farewelled them at their House Farewells and Year 12 Assembly earlier this week. It provided us with a wonderful opportunity to reflect on their great qualities, talents and skills, both as individuals and as a cohort and to congratulate them on their achievements.

Images by N.Shearman, Yr 11

It was inspiring to be part of one of the House events and to hear the stories of the Year 12 students in that House. Each of their Mentor teachers spoke with great pride of the accomplishments of their Mentor student, the journey that they had taken with that student over the years and the growth that they had witnessed in that student.

In the Farewell Assembly, livestreamed to Year 7-10 students and watched live by Year 11 students, I spoke of their completion of their secondary years of schooling as a momentous occasion: momentous for each one of them as they reach a significant milestone in their lives but momentous also for them as a year group, as they have had to face – and work through - the significant disruption and the challenges that COVID-19 put before them.

We have been so proud of them! They have shown resilience and courage as well as a wonderful sense of optimism. They remained committed to their studies during the lock downs and, since their return to on-site learning this year, they have supported each other with great spirit and good humour. We have loved their “Fun Fridays”, where each Friday they have pursued a different light hearted theme, bringing joy not only to each other but to all of us. They have been wonderful role models to the younger students in the way they have demonstrated that one can be a serious, dedicated student but still have fun and enjoy life.

We thank them sincerely for all of their contributions in their time here at JPC and for all that they have brought us. We will keep them in our hearts and we wish them every blessing and every success as they move into the next phase of their lives. We look forward to hearing of their ongoing journey!

Our very impressive Student Leadership Teams

A particular thank you and congratulations goes to our Year 12 Leadership Team:

• College Captains - Campbell Ellison and Caitlin Richards
• Leaders of Justice - Cullen Savle and Amisha Sehgal
• Leaders of Peace - Emma Bramham and Olivia Mugridge
• Leaders of Courage - Lilith Prado and Cameron Cortes

They have been instrumental in building and maintaining a very positive culture in the College this year. Despite all of the challenges, they have worked with dedication to ensure that key events occurred, whilst also providing great support to their peers and to the younger students.

It was very impressive to hear of their achievements during the year and a delight to see them hand over their portfolios to the Leadership Team of 2022. This team will be formally commissioned at our Opening Mass next year but I am delighted to announce them to you:

• College Captains - Aidan Monteleone and Braidee Purton
• Leaders of Justice - Ivy Keating and Jordan Skerritt
• Leaders of Peace - Addison Atkinson and Albert David
• Leaders of Courage - Derick Tongu and Gabrielle Jordan

Images by N.Shearman, Yr 11

 … and that amazing win by our Year 10 Team in the Kid’s Cancer Project’s ‘Write a Book in a Day’

The work of our students in the ’Write a Book in a Day’ competition is another wonderful example of JPC spirit and talent! All five teams did themselves proud but the win of our Year 10 team in the College section across ACT and NSW was an outstanding achievement. Read about it in this edition of Key Messages and take the time to read the book and watch the video of how it came about. A delight!

Congratulations to each of the students and a particular thank you to Mr Andrew Woodman who organised and led the project, inspiring enthusiasm and providing support throughout. We are indeed blessed!

Catherine Rey

Congratulations Team Blue!

What a week it has been be for one of our 2021 ‘Write a Book in a Day’ entries, ‘JPC Blue’ (Georgia Ellison, Liliana Beckett, Lachlan Harrop, Suru Sharma, Tilda Salisbury and Alexandra Skudder). Having been notified last Friday that they had been shortlisted for an award (be that Commended, Highly Commended or First Prize) in the Upper School (Year 10-12) Division for the ACT and NSW, the team were absolutely thrilled to find out via a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, that their book, ‘Beetle Bonanza’, had won First Prize for Best Book. This is a phenomenal achievement by this group of students, also given that there were 339 books entered into the ACT/NSW Division, and JPC Blue was a Year 10 Team competing against College Teams. It was awesome to see the way that the team went about collaborating on the day. The event is a very unique challenge in which teams of 5-10 students have 12 hours to plan, write, edit and publish a 3,500 – 5,000 word illustrated book that incorporates five parameters and five key words that are released to them on the day. In 2021, the story also needed to include identifiable Australian content. ‘Beetle Bonanza’ can be read here:

https://writeabookinaday.com/library/book.php?i=728

Congratulations again to all our teams that participated in the 2021 Write a Book in a Day competition. All our five Teams successfully completed the challenge within the 8am – 8pm time period, and have subsequently had their super books published online. The stories are designed to help bring hope to young cancer patients in hospitals all around Australia but can also be accessed by the rest of society. The competition doubles as a fundraiser for The Kid’s Cancer Project, with our teams raising a super combined total of $3,912.

Fantastic work all. We are already looking forward to the 2022 competition!

Andrew Woodman
Teacher – English/IH

Below is a link to a 5 minute video progression from the day that provides a pretty awesome insight into how these six students went about achieving what they did over the 12 hour period.

After school on Wednesday this week, a committed group of Year 10 students explored the role, skills and expectations of a great JPC House Captain. In preparation for the upcoming elections, each one considered his or her readiness for such an important position in the leadership of our Houses.

It is fantastic to see such a large number of students who are willing to give back to the school which gives them so much.

A sincere thanks goes to Mrs Kelly Candy and Ms Chloe McCallum for joining me to lead the group in learning more about our House patrons, and understanding what each of these influential people contributes to our JPC identity.

The election of House Captains will take place on Tuesday of Week 18 (November 23) when we will watch the video speeches the students prepare and vote within our House groups. Good luck to all the nominees!

Mrs Tually
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing – Mission and Ministry

THANK YOU

Students have been advised of the following exams to complete their assessments in English, SOSE, Mathematics and Science.  All exams are 1.5 hours in length.  One of the key outcomes from these exams is for students to experience assessment in a more formal setting, one that they will experience in their senior years.  We offer the same advice to our Year 10s as we do to our seniors; an exam is only one piece of assessment that helps inform teachers of student learning.

Students should arrive at school at the normal time and in full school uniform. After PC, they will line up in class groups in the Learning Street before entering the exam space. They should have all allowed materials with them (we do not supply calculators, rulers) and ensure that all electronic communication devices (phones, smart watches) are left at home or in LOCKED lockers. Students repeat this process straight after the lunch break. Students will have their normal Period 5 class on both days.

If you are aware of any pre-existing appointments during these times, please advise the relevant class teacher so that alternative arrangements can be made.  Students who are eligible for special provisions will have been emailed information about the location and length of their exams. If you have any queries on special provisions, please contact Mr Jacob Knowles jacob.knowles@cg.catholic.edu.au

Dr Ann Cleary
Assistant Principal

JPC Careers Updates

• Don’t forget that we have amazing resources on our JPC Careers website https://jpc-careers.com/
• Also, follow us on our social pages to get more up to date information - @JPCcareers on Instagram and Facebook.
• You can contact Ms Zorzi at careers.jpc@cg.catholic.edu.au

Women in Civil Construction

School-to-Work Webinars - ending 5pm Monday 15 November 2021

Imagine More are hosting webinars that explore the process of imagining, discovering, and finding work during the high-school years and after Year 12.

Our School to Work webinars are focused on the needs of students with intellectual and developmental disability, however the principles and practices are universal and can be used by all students.

You can watch the webinars on-demand until 5pm AEDT on Monday 15 November.

Then next Tuesday, 16 November from 5pm - 6pm AEDT, we are hosting a live question and answer session.  Some of our questions relate to:

* Sharing information about disability with an employer
* Micro-enterprises
* Having early conversations about work with young people
* Getting a part time job while at school

You can find information on future events or register to watch the webinars or the question and answer session on our website – http://www.imaginemore.org.au/school-to-work-events/

Positive Partnership’s is a nationally funded project that works to provide free support to parents, carers and educators of school-aged children on the autism spectrum to provide current, relevant and evidence informed information through workshops and online resources. There are resources that go beyond the spectrum and provide strategies for students with a broader range of learning challenges such as difficulty with their executive function (ability to plan, organise, and complete tasks), ability to process information given in written or verbal format, challenges with sensory processing or information about positive behaviour support.

I can highly recommend the new Online Learning Hub. With free online modules and webinars that cover a range of subjects to help equip you with the knowledge and tools, you need to better understand primarily autism but also inform you about other related learning challenges. If you have concerns about how your student is engaging with their learning then this is a good website to investigate. Click on the link below to access this incredible resource.

Positive Partnerships Home Page - access online learning and register for webinars here