Building Resilience

At the midway point in the term, we reflect on the importance of building resilience as well as reflecting on the various events over the week.

As a St John Paul II College community, it is also important that we acknowledge and pass on our condolences to our community in light of recent events that occurred last weekend, as well as extending our thoughts and prayers to the Sacred Heart Central School Community who tragically lost a valued staff member during the week. Both instances provide an opportunity to reflect on the importance of loved ones and how we as a Catholic community need to unite and support one another during these difficult times.

In regard to our young people in our community, we reflect on the importance of resilience and allowing our young people to experience adversity as an opportunity for growth. Developing resilience is an important skill for our young people to develop in order to cope with the ups and downs that life throws at us on a regular base. It is one of the key ingredients for a prosperous and successful life. As students engage in final exams and various other challenges over the coming weeks as we enter the remainder of 2022, we are expressing to our students that they embrace perseverance and persistence in everything they do, and demonstrate a growth mindset in overcoming setbacks and challenges. At St John Paul II College we attest that resilience is directly related to wellbeing. We ask that we work with families to support our students build this resilience so that we can equip our students with the tools to lead a healthy life.

In developing resilience among our students we would like to invite and encourage as many parents and carers to our Building Resilience Workshop next Wednesday 16^th November 2022 at 6:00 pm aimed at supporting parents and carers to partner with us as a College to develop resilience in our students. We are very fortunate to offer this workshop which is expertly led by our counsellors Ms Ame Uidam and Mr Mac Mackenzie. More information can be found on the flyer below.

Farewell Year 12

This week has also been a busy week for our Year 12 students who had their final Year 12 Assembly on Tuesday and also are in the midst of completing their exams here at the College. We wish them all the best for their remaining exams and on the completion of their schooling at St John Paul II College. We would like to acknowledge the contribution that all of our Year 12 students have made to the College and ask that they keep in touch with us in their future endeavours.

Year 12 Leaders 2023

In 2023 a new leadership position has arisen in alignment with our everchanging and diverse community. We are pleased to announce that in 2023 St John Paul II College will be appointing a First Nations and Multicultural Leader who will work closely with the College Leaders and broader leadership team in the portfolio that will promote equity, awareness and celebration of our First Nations community members and the diversity of cultures in our community.

We are delighted to introduce the 2023 College Leadership Team:

• Angela Odoemena - College Captain
• Lachlan Harrop - College Captain
• Hayley Silcock - First Nations & Multicultural Leader
• Harry Tatam - Justice Leader
• Mackenzie Lane - Justice Leader
• Isaac Foster - Peace Leader
• Hannah Wallis - Peace Leader
• Georgia Ellison - Courage Leader
• Isis Leskien - Courage Leader

The roles were announced at the Year 12 Farewell Assembly and the Candles were passed over to the new leaders. The 2023 Leadership team will be formally inducted at the Opening Mass next year.

Community Event

We have a community event "JPC Band Extravaganza" coming up and we would love to see as many JPC families & friends come along. Please see the flyer for the JPC Band Extravaganza below.

Kind Regards,

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

Year 9 Refugee Immersion

A Wake-up Call to Empathy

Last week, after a slight delay due to the wild weather, the Year 9 cohort found themselves, temporarily, walking in the shoes of refugees. To stay within the intent of the Immersion, no photos were taken, but here are some quotes from students who were challenged to live without their comforts for a single day, and experience just a taste of what millions of people are enduring every day around the world.

Whilst the immediate benefit of the Immersion experience is evident in the quotes from these students, we know that it is planting seeds now that will come to fruition as students grow and continue to reflect on their experience. We hope that seeds grow to be actions that show empathy to all people experiencing difficulty in our world.

Kate MacGregor
LLWB Mission and Ministry

Today with great honour, our three Year 11 students Wenting Huang, Suru Sharma, and Catherine David went to the Chinese Embassy to attend the award ceremony of the Panda Competition. This year’s competition topic was “Ancient Chinese Accessories”. These students made a beautiful Tang Dynasty female hairpiece, which took them a lot of time and effort. All the girls enjoyed the ceremony, they not only won first prize in the competition but also got a very special prize: Lee Hiscox Award. It is an unforgettable experience for our students, especially in learning Chinese culture. We would like to continue entering this competition with more students, and we look forward to seeing more winning JPC students in the future.

Below is the reflection from Suru:

On Thursday, 10th of November, Wenting, Catherine and I went to the Chinese Embassy to receive our awards for the 2022 Chinese Panda Competition, held by the Australia China Friendship Society ACT Branch. We arrived at the venue and met with Mrs Li. The ceremony started off with a lion dance from primary school students. We also watched a beautiful musical performance by a person playing a traditional Chinese instrument. Afterwards, all winners of the competition received their certificates along with a bag filled with numerous items. We received 1st prize for the Sculpture Category for Age 17 years as well as the Lee Hiscox Award (which we were not expecting). We each received gift bags containing stationery and charms related to Chinese culture. At around 12pm, we had a lovely lunch consisting of a variety of Chinese delicacies (the food was definitely one of the main highlights of the ceremony). Overall, the afternoon was very enjoyable and a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture. I encourage students who are currently studying Chinese to take part in this competition in 2023 and I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Surakshya (Suru) Sharma
Year 11 Student, Kennedy

Thursday Afternoon Maths Tutoring @ JPC has ended for 2022!

Yesterday was our last After School Maths Tutoring Session for 2022 as most students will be taking final assessments in the next week or so. I would like to thank all the students who have taken advantage of this opportunity and the parents who supported them in doing so. Many students and parents have reported to me that they have benefitted greatly from the tutoring - both in knowledge and confidence in Mathematics (which for some, is half the battle!)

I would also like to thank the wonderful Mathematics Faculty teachers who volunteered their precious time to guide and coach the students during these sessions - your dedication is much appreciated.

See you in 2023!

Mrs Jennifer Tually

ENROLLMENTS FOR 2023 NOW OPEN!!!

Ever wondered about learning to play a musical instrument??

Here are some great reasons why you should sign up!!

This is a friendly reminder that Term 4 school fees are due for payment Friday 11 November 2022.

If you haven’t already done so we would appreciate it if you could please settle any outstanding fees.

REMINDER - no further Direct Debits and Bpoint payments will be processed from 2 December 2022.

All families are to set up Bpay payments.

Thank you

Are you Leaving JPC at the end of 2022? 

Parish Newsletter

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

Commemorate and be Inspired

As humans we seem drawn to people who do things better than us.  Higher. Faster. Stronger. This motto of the Olympics sums up the yearning of us clay-footed human beings who aspire to do something greater with our mortal lives. In the Christian life there is also a tradition of revering the lives of our saintly forebears. Courage. Virtue. Fidelity. We emulate their virtues in the hope that we might walk a little closer with the Lord.   

On 23 November, at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra, you will have the opportunity to step into the shoes of twelve modern-day martyrs and encounter the graces that gave them their fortitude and courage.

The Night of the Witnesses is an evening of testimony, music, and prayer, with the aim of giving thanks for our brothers and sisters who have given their life for Christ, and to pray for those still suffering for faith. The Night of the Witnesses is as initiative of Aid to the Church in Need and has been celebrated for the past 15 years in Paris, London, Madrid, and Washington. This is the first time it will be held in Australia.       

The evening will also feature three guest speakers who will share their personal stories of faithful witness amidst persecution. They include Archbishop Amel Nona of the Chaldean Eparchy of St Thomas in Australia (previously the Bishop of Mosul, Iraq), and Regina Lynch, International Projects Director for Aid to the Church in Need, who is travelling from Germany to share her insights after 40 years overseeing ACN’s support of the suffering Church. The evening will be presided over by Archbishop Christopher Prowse.

All are warmly invited to be part of this night of hope, courage, and faith. For more information and to receive updates visit www.aidtochurch.org/notw or phone 1800 101 201.