Another year draws to a close…

Despite the great challenges that this year has presented, we have had an incredibly positive end of 2021 at JPC.

I congratulated our students in our beautiful Liturgy and Awards ceremony held earlier today on the growth mindset that they had shown as they had faced all of the difficulties of this year. They showed resilience and determination through the extended Remote Learning weeks and cheerfully adopted new COVID safe routines on their return to school. Their commitment to their study once they returned has also been noteworthy.

The inaugural Enrichment Program was a great success. We were so impressed with the students’ talent and enthusiasm as they engaged with the activities. There was lots of fun but also lots of learning and some very impressive end products - often in the form of videos. On our students and your behalf, I would like to thank our teachers for the great efforts they invested into the program to ensure inspiring and creative experiences across the board.

Our traditional “JPC has talent” show, held yesterday, was yet another example of JPC spirit and talent. We had amazing acts from both students and staff. Along with the talent, I was particularly proud of the way all of the students encouraged their teachers and peers throughout the show. 

Academic success and Semester 2 Reports….

We were sad that we could not welcome parents and families to our Awards Ceremony this morning, due to COVID restrictions. Having the whole community together for significant occasions such as these is always a privilege. Obviously, as families, it is also hard not to be able to be present to congratulate your student and to celebrate with them. Our wonderful Mrs Bramham has taken some lovely photos and she will send you the link for these later in the day.

I extend again my heartfelt congratulations to all of those students who received awards today. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate their success and hard work with them.

Semester 2 reports will be emailed to families this afternoon. They will also be available in the Parent Portal.

….and some sad farewells

Every year we farewell students and staff as they continue their journey along different paths. Our very best wishes go with them and we wish them all happiness and fulfilment.

This year we farewell two very special members of staff – two of Assistant Principals: Mrs Stephanie O’Meara and Dr Ann Cleary. Steph is retiring and looking forward to some exciting times, travelling and spending more time with her husband and family. Ann has been appointed Principal at St Clare’s College from 2022.

Steph has been instrumental in forming the College we know today. Her vision, dedication, commitment and sheer hard work have been unwavering over the College’s history. She has been Assistant Principal since our inception, and was, in our early years, the sole Assistant Principal. Her expertise and wisdom have guided every area of our development. As we begin our 10^th year next year, we can confidently say that she has brought the College to maturity and ensured that it will continue to flourish in the years to come. 

It is probably not an exaggeration to say that every student and family has been touched by Steph’s kindness and care in some way over these years. In her farewell speech to staff earlier this week, she spoke of her guiding principle as a teacher – that she loves each one of her students and that each one knows that she cares. She has been true to that principle throughout her 38 years of teaching and that principle also guides her relationships with everyone in the community – staff and families. Her inspirational teaching extends well past this generation of students. Quite often mothers of students remind her that she taught them also at Merici College. All remember her with great appreciation and affection.

We have been fortunate to have Ann Cleary with us as Assistant Principal for the last three years. She has also been unstinting in her dedication to and care of our students and staff. Her wealth of experience in teaching and learning and in all things Senior Secondary Studies have been significant elements to our growth and development. Our senior students in particular have benefited from her wisdom, great attention to detail and her care of them. We all know that we can trust any detail that Ann gives us and that she goes well above and beyond to ensure that all of our results are accurate and fair. Her expertise has also inspired and guided significant progress in ensuring our systems are as efficient as possible.

We will miss both Steph and Ann greatly. It is with sadness and with abundant gratitude to them both that we farewell them. We wish them every blessing as they undertake this next phase of their journey and we thank them for all that they have brought to JPC.

Happy Christmas to all! May the blessings of Christ and the peace that He brings be yours this Christmas.

On behalf of all of the JPC staff, I wish you a wonderful holiday and a restful break.

Catherine Rey

Hope…. Faith…. Joy…. Peace….

Today we finished our year with the Advent Liturgy, drawing on the themes of the Advent Wreath of Hope, Faith, Joy and Peace and the nativity story to deepen our understanding of the meaning of advent as a time to wait, prepare, and pray.

The Advent story is one with which most of us are very familiar. It shows us that Advent is a time of waiting and preparation – for Christ’s coming. We prepare for the festive season, we buy gifts for those we love, and we make plans to help us show our love to those around us.

Christmas is a time to remember and join with your community to celebrate the birth of Jesus at a church service in your local parish. Pause to find a place in your prayers to give thanks for His coming. Take some time this Christmas season to truly be with your loved ones – engage with them and strengthen the bonds that help your children feel supported and loved, and allow them to thrive within the complex world in which we live.

Don’t underestimate the impact this year has had on all of us – whilst we have slowed our normal hectic pace, the strain that the continuing impact of Covid-19 has on our relationships, communities, faith connections and Churches, mental and physical health, and our livelihoods is significant. Reach out, show love and support to each other during this special season of renewal, and make some space for Jesus in your heart.

Merry Christmas!

Mrs Jennifer Tually
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing, Mission and Ministry

The theme for the Arts Enrichment Days is “telling good stories”. All three Arts days allowed for students to explore their creativity, crafting skills and develop their collaborative skillset.

The Year 7s participated in a Musical in a Day and produced their own version of Peter Pan (see the performance below). Students worked in different character groups to bring the story of Neverland to life with singing, dancing, stage fighting and even flying on stage amongst the hand painted set. Students created simplistic props and costume pieces as well. Congratulations to the Year 7 students.

Year 8 students engaged with Puppet Play for a day. Students created life-size puppets, sock puppets and rod puppets or shadow puppets. With these created puppets, students performed various plays which showcased different voices and comedy skills. Well done Year 8.

Year 9s participated in their Arts Day and engaged in different subject based activities for Dance, Drama, Music, Photography and Visual Arts. Students were able to engage with different skills and mastered new techniques, not always practised in the classroom. Great efforts Year 9.

Mrs Sarah Smith
Leader of The Arts

At JPC, we are passionate about caring for our students as whole people through supporting their development as learners, as unique individuals and as members of a broader community. There are many aspects involved in supporting young people to thrive and to eventually grow into healthy, happy adults. Sometimes, it can be confusing or uncertain about how to support them best. Recently, we have had a number of adults in our school community share with us their desire to learn more about the health and wellbeing of young people in order for them to feel more confident and better equipped to support their young people to thrive in all aspects of life. 

Therefore, we are interested in exploring the possibility of offering ‘Wellbeing Workshops’ for adults in the JPC community during 2022. Currently, this is a broad idea and we are looking forward to receiving feedback to shape the idea further. Broadly, we envision that these workshops could be an opportunity to learn more about health and wellbeing topics relevant to young people and to families, and also an opportunity to learn how to support young people through a range of difficulties which are commonly experienced during the teen years. 

We invite you to complete a brief and anonymous online survey about the possibility of offering these ‘Wellbeing Workshops’ next year. Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BYYG5VG

This survey will be open until 5:00 PM on Friday 17^th December 2021. 

The survey results will determine whether we pursue this idea to fruition and, if so, your feedback will directly shape the format and content of these workshops. We encourage you to share your thoughts honestly and confidently in the knowledge that the survey is anonymous.

I would like to Congratulate Lara Grocott on being awarded the Mel Dunbar Award for 2021.

This is an annual award presented to one individual, at the completion of the winter netball season.

Each week Votes are submitted to the school/club after each game and are tallied at the end of the year. Votes are based off attitude at training, attitude on and off the court, being a team player, commitment to the sport and team, good sportsmanship and a good representative of JPC Netball. 

Mel Dunbar was a member of our School Community – all 3 of her children have been students at St John Paul College.

Mel was an avid Netballer, it was her passion. Mel approached the game with understanding and respect for all involved. She in turn was very respected on and off the court, for her experience, knowledge and commitment to the game. Mel coached many of our current members and played a large role in assisting the netball club to take off at JPC. Mel had planned to Coach one of our teams and to be involved with the JPC netball community and committee for years to come, to ensure its success. Sadly, after a very courageous fight, Mel Passed away in June 2016.

The trophy was kindly donated and presented to the school by the Curran family and Joseph Jones Racing, at our 2016 Netball presentation.

This award is truly prestigious and is an incredible achievement for an individual to receive.

Congratulations Lara well deserved!

Caitlin Young
JPC Netball

I am writing to advise that Death Cap mushrooms are growing in the ACT. While Death Cap mushrooms are most prolific during autumn, the mild weather and significant rainfall is likely to have contributed to this current growth. Recent years have shown that Death Caps can grow at any time of year.

Death Cap mushrooms are one of the world’s deadliest mushrooms and can be found across the Canberra region. Since 2002, there have been four deaths and several poisonings in the ACT due to Death Cap mushrooms.

All parts of the Death Cap mushroom are poisonous and eating part of a mushroom can be fatal. Cooking, soaking, freezing, peeling or drying does not make them safe.

It is difficult, even for experienced collectors, to tell the difference between the Death Cap mushroom and edible wild mushrooms. For this reason, the Health Protection Service advises that food businesses should not prepare or serve any mushrooms picked from the wild. Mushrooms should be purchased from commercial suppliers.

As a food business, you have important responsibilities to ensure food for sale is both safe and suitable for human consumption. For this reason, please take this matter very seriously.

If you have any questions, please contact the Health Protection Service on 5124 9700

Health Protection Service
ACT Government

Fact Sheet - https://www.health.act.gov.au/about-our-health-system/population-health/fact-sheets

If you like supporting local theatre, then come see the play If I Could Save Her this December! Written and directed by JPC Teacher Shaylie Maskell (head director of Green Oak Theatre) and starring JPC Alumni Jeremy Chan and Amber Telford, the show is the latest original play to hit the Canberra theatre scene. We’re performing 6 shows from 16-19 December, perfect for an end-of-school celebration! Tickets available from $25 via https://www.trybooking.com/BRPOB. If you want to learn more about the show or company, check out www.greenoaktheatre.org.