Term 4!  It is always an exciting and busy time heading to the end of the year. As the sun shines, finding focus in the classroom can be difficult but teachers are continuing to create interesting lessons to engage everyone in authentic learning. 

Our seniors are seeing the exam period creeping up quickly.  Year 12s know this is the final hurdle for completing their senior studies and the excitement of Graduation and Formal events at school become a reality. Year 11 students are engaging with the formal process for their nomination for election as a 2021 student leader. We wish them good luck through the deliberation and elections process. Please keep your eyes out for key end of year dates that will be coming shortly.

Our Principal, Mrs O’Meara, continues to progress in her recovery and is regaining mobility. She remains a key figure contributing to the leadership team and strategic planning in the College, albeit online; one of the benefits of our foray into remote learning technology.  Mr Johns and I have the privilege of continuing as Co-Principals and JPC until Week 3.

Enjoy the warmth!

Dr Ann Cleary
Acting Co-Principal

St John Paul II Feast Day Celebrations

Friday, October 23

Our Feast Day celebration of the life and times of our patron, St John Paul II, will be held next Friday (Week 12, October 23). This is a whole day where we join as a community to grow our understanding of the contribution St John Paul II has had on our school's Catholic identity, faith and culture.

The normal timetable will be suspended so we can all enjoy a day of faith and fun together, beginning with a special liturgy in each House group giving thanks for the influence of St John Paul II, where his love of young people will be acknowledged as one of the very reasons for choosing him as our patron.

The remainder of the day is the House Championship and Feast Day Fun Fair which raises much needed money for Catholic Missions

Tokens for the Feast Day Fun Fair will go on sale next week in the foyer – 50c per ticket or $10 for 25. Students are asked to wear their full school Day OR PE Uniform for the morning House liturgy session, then are allowed to change into or add House colours for Championship.

We look forward to this joyous day of celebration with our community!

(As the actual Feast Day of St John Paul II is October 22, our 8:30AM Mass on Thursday will be dedicated to him.)

Mrs Tually
College Leaders and the Youth Ministry Team

Thank you to Alex Rose, Year 8 Kennedy and Edward Butt, Year 8 Ferré who played beautiful live meditative guitar music in the Chapel at recess today. It was appreciated by some of our students and staff as they enjoyed the serenity.

Each Friday at 2:10PM we will have a live performance and meditative prayer through music called “Chillin’ in the Chapel”, where anyone can join us in the Chapel and take some time out of our busy day for a few moments of quiet contemplation.

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

“Chillin’ in the Chapel”

Quiet contemplation

Live music by our music students in our beautiful JPC Chapel

Every Friday Recess

 2:10PM – 2:30PM

See you there – come for as long as you like.

This year we have had the opportunity to pause, to breathe and to change. We have been able to reflect on what is truly important and what we hold dear to making us relevant. The challenges we have endured have transformed us, nurtured us and may have reminded us of a generation ago who survived their own challenges.

JPC is recognised as a Defence school, not only for our number of Defence students but for our family members who have served in the past and will do so in the future. This year commemorates the 75^th Anniversary of the end of World War II. A period of time which produced heroes from ordinary men and women.

I have been privileged to hear some of our JPC families’ histories. Sadly, so many stories have never been told. Too many memories have been lost. This generation did not speak of the horrors or atrocities they witnessed; they were silent and valiant. Remember, this was a generation who did what they had to do and they drew no attention to it.

For the next four weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, we will recognise, salute and honour our own JPC family members who gave up their security, their family and their fears to fight in countries far from their own homeland. We now share with our community, a small section of a generation who just “got on with the job” and for the lucky ones, came home to their families. Remembrance Day – let us remember. Let us honour. And may we never forget.

Vicki Walsh, DSM

Warrant Officer Walter Ronald John Gardiner (Great Uncle of Mr Steve Thomas)

Walter joined the RAAF on 14 April 1942 in Newcastle. He was just 18 years old. He served a total of 3 years and 2 months. Walter trained in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Towards the end of the war, Walter was involved in dropping food into German occupied Holland, to feed people who were in danger of starvation. Another of Walter’s missions was to fly to Brussels in Belgium to pick up English POWs. Walter’s RAAF experience had taught him a lot and he considered it a very significant time of his life.

Private Ronald Dwyer (Great Grandfather of Marcus Dwyer)

Ronald was in the field ambulance. He was captured during the Fall of Singapore and spent the war as a Prisoner of War (POW) in Changi Prison.

Private Roylance Eric Adamson (Great, great, great Uncle of Georgia and Thomas Gladman)

2/3 Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Army
March 1940 – February 1945
Roylance was a Prisoner of War and died on 01 February 1945.

Private Leo Hueber (Great Uncle of Haiden Shirazi-Rad)

Served for two years in Unit 2/14^th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Army
Leo was Killed in Action on 07 July 1945.

Warrant Officer Mavis Joan Clayton (Great Grandmother of Calam Huender) 

Mavis joined the WAAF to help build the planes while the men were away at war. Mavis married Ted Zeli and built a life together.

Corporal Edwin (Ted) Rooke Zeli
(Great Grandfather of Calam Huender)

Ted served in New Guinea with his brother Keith for two years in the Army Corp. He had his 18th birthday when he was serving in New Guinea. All correspondence and parcels were heavily scrutinised before they left their destination during wartime and the same for anything sent to servicemen during this time. However, Ted’s mother managed to hide a small bottle of rum inside a loaf of bread which made it through all the checkpoints and eventually got to him. Ted and Keith were on duty at the time, but the story is told that they got another two soldiers to cover for them while they went into bushland to celebrate the 18^th birthday with the bottle of rum!!

Private John Colston Colley (Great, Great Grandfather of Alyssa Monaghan)

John served in the British Army during 1943-1945 in the Oxon Bucks Regiment. He patrolled the Beaches of Dover on D-Day.

Lieutenant John Harold Saint (Great Grandfather of Georgia and Thomas Gladman)

2/23 Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Army
July 1940 – March 1946

Corporal William John Stack (Great Grandfather of Georgia and Thomas Gladman)

7^th Australian Army Transport Company, Australian Army
August 1941 – April 1946

LEST WE FORGET

Careers guest speaker – Personal Trainer 

On Wednesday, 12RND Fitness Belconnen business owner Marie came to speak to JPC students about her career as a personal trainer and now small-business owner. She shared the ins and outs of the fitness industry and provided some great advice!

Thank you, Marie!

Work experience

JPC students Jack Butt and Jett Morgado completed work experience during the holidays. Jack undertook work experience at Scale Engineering Australia, while Jett completed work experience at NATRAD in Phillip. We thank these businesses for taking on the students during this time. 

Parent Webinar Series

Parent Webinar Series 210.96 KB

Y10 Work Experience

A reminder that Year 10 work experience week is on in Week 7 (23^rd-27^th November). This week, students were emailed a ‘checklist’ to help them begin their work experience search. Click Link below:

Year 10 Work Experience Process https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MeetoaA-S8sniTf7BQ8Q5ZzknYHDIRGd/view

The work experience application forms are due no later than the end of Week 4!

Students who are not participating in work experience will have lessons as normal in Week 7.

Mrs Teena Zorzi

The YMCA NSW Gungahlin Leisure Centre is offering all year 12 students FREE access to the gym.

In line with there vision “we believe in the power of inspired young people” they are offering free access to the gym and pool until November 30^th. Students who are in year 12 are able to register in the centre and start using the facilities any time from now until the end of next month.

Free fitness access offered during this period is aimed to reduce the stress levels of students during what can be an intense period of their life.

Senior Blazer Orders for 2021 are due
Friday 30 October 2020.

To Order a blazer:

• Go to the College office anytime from today to the 30 October during office hours to try on a blazer from our sample kit, and collect an order form(A parent/carer will need to accompany the student to ensure the correct size is ordered)
• Interstate/overseas families - Contact Natasha in the College Office
• Form to be completed, signed by carer then returned with payment to the College office
• All orders to be received by Friday 30 October 2020- future blazers can only be ordered when the next bulk order is placed
• Cost $152.00 each
• Blazers are a compulsory uniform item for Term 2 & 3
  https://www.jpc.act.edu.au/our-community/jpc-parents/uniform/

Second-hand Blazers

• Current Year 12 Students are registering their blazer for sale through Natasha. If you are interested in a second-hand blazer, please try a blazer from the sample kit available in the office then contact Natasha to see if the size you require is available.
• There are some second-hand blazers available on the JPC - Uniform & Tech to you Facebook page too.

Delivery of the Blazers is due by the end of Term 1, 2021.

Cocurricular Music Payments and Instrument Hire Payments are now due for Term 4 

Please pay via Qkr!

Thank you to families who have already paid for Term 4.

The College had several incidents of the use of spray deodorant towards the end of last term.

This is an URGENT reminder that students are NOT TO USE AEROSOLS OR SPRAYS ANYWHERE AT JPC. All aerosols (including spray deodorants, hairsprays and perfumes) pose a SERIOUS health risk to some students and staff and are BANNED from use on JPC grounds.

Please talk to your child immediately about this ban, and remove any aerosols (including spray deodorant, hairspray or perfume) from their school and sports bags.

Thank you.

Parish Newsletter

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