Dear Parents and Carers,

As we complete the end of a busy second week of term, there are a number of events that I would like to acknowledge from within our community:

You may have noticed that there has been an increase in digital and print advertisement of our College as a result of entering into the busy enrolment period. This year, we have chosen to focus on what we know our students gain from our educational model which is that they are active, creative and inspired in all areas of their learning. It is ultimately hoped that a strong focus on these areas allows students to develop a strong sense of ‘self’ and also where their personal identity can be strengthened and celebrated.

Open Evening

On Wednesday afternoon, the College welcomed prospective students and their families to JPC for our annual Open Evening. Guests were invited to tour the facilities and hear from our students and staff in showcases of both subject and whole school areas.

I must begin by thanking the students who gave up their afternoon and evening to participate in the night. This includes our wonderful tour guides, showcase experts, band members and Hospitality students. These students modelled all of the qualities that we hope to develop in all members of our community. Their warm, and welcoming nature ensured that families left with an extremely positive view of our school.

I would also like to thank the teaching and support staff that assisted on the night. In particular to Mrs Bramham whose leadership of the night ensured all details were organised to the highest standard.

Try JPC Day 1

On Friday we welcomed 84 Year 6 students to the College for the first of two Try JPC Days. These days are designed to give students a chance to experience what a typical day is like at St John Paul II College. Students participated in Food tech, Drama, Technology and Integrated Humanities. There was a great sense of excitement across the day and each of our guests left with both a new JPC drink bottle and a positive experience of what school life is like at the College.

Thank you to Miss Reid, Mr Whatman, the teachers involved and student helpers for their organisation and running of the day.

Try JPC Day 2 will be held next Monday 9 May.

Upcoming Enrolment Events: Senior College Expo

A reminder that next Wednesday 11 May is our Senior College Expo. This evening is designed for students in Years 9 and 10 and will include a broad range of information about Senior Schooling at JPC as well as information on post-school options and opportunities.

The schedule for the evening is:

• 4:30pm - 4.50pm - Australian School Based Apprenticeship Information Session
• 5:00pm - 5:30pm - Canape’s and Drinks
• 5:30pm - 6:15pm - Principal’s Welcome, JPC Senior Information and Panel discussion
• 7:00pm - Close

Please visit our website for more information and to book a ticket.

NAPLAN Year 7 and 9 2021

A reminder that the 2022 National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) will take place in weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2 for all students in Years 7 and 9. Information has been emailed to families this week. Students are encouraged to look at the Public Demonstration Site tab that has the demonstration tests, which will help familiarise students with the type of questions and related functionalities available in the NAPLAN Online assessment.

Finally, I wish all members of our community a happy Mother's Day this Sunday. I hope that you are able to spend some time with the significant women in your life acknowledging and celebrating the impact that they have made on their families and on the much wider community.

Jacob Knowles
Assistant Principal – Development
Drexel and Mathieu House

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

We would like to invite all our Year 9, 10, 11 & 12 students and their families to the JPC Senior College Expo. The Expo is designed to showcase what JPC has to offer with subject information, apprenticeship options and information about moving into senior years.

Date - Wednesday 11 May 2022
Time - 4.30 pm to 7.00 pm

JPC has arranged for the following organisations to be available during the evening to allow students to explore future possibilities.

• Uni of Canberra
• Uni of Canberra college
• Uni of Canberra FAD (Faculty of Art and Design)
• Australian National University (ANU)
• Australian Catholic University (ACU)
• Defence Force Recruiting
• Sarina Russo Apprenticeships (ASBA's)
• ACT Police
• University of NSW (UNSW)
• Academy of Interactive Entertainment
• Australian Public Service career starter program
• Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)
• ACTI (Beauty Apprenticeships)
• FIT College (Fitness Qualifications)

There will also be an opportunity to see the courses JPC is offering for Senior years and teachers will be available to discuss the subjects offered for 2023.

Enrolment and Scholarship information for Year 10 students continuing at JPC for their Senior Years in 2023 will be available on the night.

The schedule for the evening will be:

• 4.30-4.50 pm - Australian School Based Apprenticeship Information session
• 5.00-5.30 pm - Canapés and Drinks
• 5.30-6.15 pm - Principal Welcome and Panel discussion
• 7.00 pm - close

The Expo and faculty information will be available throughout the evening.

Please register your attendance HERE and we look forward to welcoming you to the Senior College Expo next week.

Regards

College Leadership

As we approach the cooler months I would like to remind families that students are expected to be in full school winter uniform. Staff will be monitoring uniforms closely over the coming weeks to ensure that our school uniform is worn with pride and all students are in the correct attire.

While we understand that coming into winter it is colder than usual, however, while at school students must be in uniform and not wearing ‘hoodies’, (this includes the JPC netball hoodies) which are not part of the uniform.

If for some reason a student is out of uniform, students must present a letter from parents/carers to their Pastoral care teacher and House leaders.

For any further clarification please see the JPC Uniform Policy here.

Nic Whatman
Assistant Principal – Wellbeing and Community
Maathai and Van Thuan Houses

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.

We would like to invite all parents and carers who are interested to learn more about wellbeing and mental health topics to attend our upcoming 'Wellbeing Workshop', occurring on Wednesday 1 June at 6:00 pm.

This Workshop will focus on the topic of 'Maths Mindset'. We will explore the factors which can contribute to some young people developing negative self-talk when it comes to learning mathematics specifically, which can also generate anxiety about or aversion towards this valuable subject.

Please save the date for this event and register through Trybooking HERE

This week, industry professional Stefanie Lekkas, led a three-hour workshop with the Years 9/10 Drama class. Stefanie has most recently worked with Canberra Youth Theatre (CYT) and Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC) in various productions and teaching roles. Stefanie has also worked overseas in New York and has recently voiced a soon-to-be released animation series on Australian TV.

 The Year 9/10 Drama class are workshopping different methods to devise theatre which will showcase their understanding of non-realistic conventions and performance skills. Stefanie led a variety of workshops which focus on ‘visuality’ of the stage. Students were challenged when working in different groups to bring ideas to life, exploring the space to create interpretative images for the audience. Students also explored how quickly they can change roles from audience to director when working with their peers.

The class is commended on their courage and flexibility to accept all challenges and experiences offered over the two-day incursion. Chookas!

Mrs Sarah Smith
Drama teacher

Tuesday Tunes

We were fortunate enough to be able to bring back our tradition of Tuesday tunes which was fantastic. The students did a great job and were supported by a huge lunchtime audience.

A huge thank you to Aron for organising this and performing with our amazing students

Open Evening Performance

Aron and I are incredibly proud of the musicians who performed at Open Evening. It was such a pleasure working with these students not only in rehearsals to prepare for the event but also on the night.

Another huge thank you to Aron for giving his time to come and join us at this event.

Sharon Robinson
Music Teacher

Good luck to the JPC swimmers Taylah Guthrie, Bella Revell, Zach Millfull- Brady, Quinn Truong, Kayla Bryant, Brady Bryant, Lara Barnes and Anzac Longley, who will compete in the ACT 13/O championships today (Friday) at the AIS. These swimmers have trained hard and achieved the qualifying times in competitions or verified events and were each selected to participate in their respective races. Today they received their JPC swimming caps. We wish them every success and hope they go on to swim personal bests and perform well in their events and even represent the  ACT at further competitions.

Senior Mixed Netball

On the 4th of May, a group of year eleven and twelve students spent the day at the ACT Senior Colleges mixed netball competition. JPC had two teams, each with players who had never played before and experienced players. Both teams played their hearts out against the opposition and had fun whilst doing it. JPC finished with 2 wins and 2 losses and JPC 2 won 1 game and lost 3. At the end of the day, the senior students had a blast out at the Lyneham netball courts. Special mention to Mrs Jewell and Mrs Darmody for coaching and making it possible for us students to have sports day just like this :) – Angel Kavaliku-Skinner.

This week has been a busy one for sport with our 8/9 Girls and Boys AFL teams putting on a show at Amaroo, and our Senior Mixed Netball teams taking on some of the bigger colleges in Canberra at the ACT Colleges Senior Mixed Netball competition at Lyneham. After almost 2 years of limted or no sport due to covid restrictions and lockdowns it has been even more thrilling to see so many talented and enthusiastic athletes stepping up to represent JPC and give their all on the sporting field. A big thanks to Mrs O’Sullivan, Mr Cole, Mr Burns, and Mrs Darmody who all coached teams this week, without the support of our wonderful staff we wouldn’t be able to offer as many sporting opportunities for our students. We also had some helpful volunteers from our senior students as Jasper Innes and Riley Mair helped with the AFL, and Ally Guerra and Mikayla Tilley helped score and manage our Netball teams. A wonderful week of community spirit and sporting achievement. Well done and thank you to all involved. 

Mrs. Danni Jewell
Sports Coordinator 

Expressions of Interest Co-Curricular: Rock Band, Unplugged, Concert Band, Vocal Group - Click here for the Extra-Curricular Music Program Form

Instrumental Music Lessons: Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals, Brass, Woodwind, Strings, Drums, Percussion - Click here for the Instrument Tuition Form

Further details about the music program at JPC are available here

We would like to encourage JPC families to sign up for the inaugural Online Family Event. The aim is to engage further with families as a system. JPC's counsellor  Uidam will do a very short presentation on the Counselling Service.

Parish Newsletter

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