Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of the year, it is wonderful to see a great sense of community within the school.

In schools, students often complain towards the end of the year, after the obvious assessment tasks and exams/tests have been completed, that “we are not doing anything at school anymore”. In some schools, videos are shown in many lessons, with only a very tenuous link to the curriculum of that subject.  At JPC, the opposite is the case.

The JPC Enrichment Program is a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to ensure that these days are well used. The program developed for each year level by subject area is rich and varied and enables students to explore interesting facets of that subjects, challenge themselves and have fun. As I have walked around the school over these days, I have been astounded at the creativity shown by both staff and students and the great learning opportunities that have been created.

Wellbeing days for each year level are incorporated into the Enrichment Program and they provide students with a chance to learn more about certain topics, to reflect on their year and where they might be at in terms of their goals for further developing themselves. An example is the Year 10 Wellbeing day today with Sam Clear. Sam is a Christian adventurer and author who walked alone around the world – 15,500 kms on foot over several years, surviving multiple attempts on his life and incredible challenges but also experiencing uplifting encounters. He is an inspiring speaker and the students are gaining so much from their time with him.

It is sad, however, that a large number of our Year 10s have not been present for their three days of the enrichment program. Yesterday, those who were here had the most wonderful community day together at the Civic pool – but again, large numbers of them chose not to come. We hear a great deal about the negative impact that COVID has had on the wellbeing and mental health of our young people. We also know the positive benefits that connection and a sense of community have on mental health. We are working hard to bring that sense of connection and community to our students.

The JPC Band Extravaganza

The JPC Band Extravaganza on Wednesday evening was a totally joyous experience of community! It was a warm, balmy afternoon and evening, family groups settled on the oval, enjoying picnics, our sausage sizzle and the ice cream van and the non-stop music was sensational! Multiple bands and ensembles entertained us from 4 pm to after 7.30 pm and the quality of the music was quite outstanding. We enjoyed a great variety of different genres and different combinations of students in the many bands who showcased their talent. We have always had a dynamic and vibrant music program at JPC with lots of enthusiastic musicians but the talent and professionalism we saw on Wednesday even exceeded that of previous years. We were delighted to see lots of our senior students either performing or supporting performers and we even had some of our alumni come to visit.

Our music staff are exceptional: Sharon Robinson and Aron Lyon are the foundation and the pillars of the program and they are supported by our dedicated peripatetic music tutors. The nurturing that they do of our students to not only develop their talent and performance skills but to also give them the confidence to perform and to continue to challenge themselves to improve and grow is outstanding. We are truly blessed! I extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their dedication, their unquenchable enthusiasm and their care for our musicians. They have also developed a very professional student tech crew who work very hard behind the scenes to make the performances happen in such a professional manner.

My grateful thanks also go to all the other staff members who supported Wednesday’s event. In particular, Natasha Bramham and Nicola Grieb who managed and ran all of the logistics which made the evening so successful. 

Rest assured, we are looking forward to many more joyous community occasions in the coming year.

Warm regards,

Catherine Rey

On Wednesday, JPC held their big Bands Extravaganza evening. This showcased every music group at JPC. It was such a lovely evening watching the groups perform on the terrace and having parents, friends, teachers and community members enjoying their picnics on the oval. Aron and I would like to say a huge thank you to Natasha Bramham & Nicola Grieb for all their support with the event, Jono Langshaw for helping with set up, Sheilla and Annie for taking photos, Kathleen Garvie for her great ideas for the event, all the amazing JPC teachers who came and helped with the BBQ and supported the students, the tech crew for helping set up, and Wil Kelly for managing the sound during the whole evening. It was such a fantastic way to end the year.

We hope you all have a wonderful break and come back refreshed and ready for more of these amazing community events.

Aron Lyon and Sharon Robinson

As part of the Year 7 Languages Enrichment Day, French students made our version of the traditional French Christmas treat ‘Buche de Noël’. They are supposed to look like a log for the fire.

The students had a great time and hopefully, the sugar high had worn off by the time they went home.

Clementine O’Sullivan
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing
Kennedy House & Languages

Early last Sunday 20th November, 2022, Adam Schranz of Year 10 Drexel had the opportunity to go cross-country running on Sunday morning for a course of 10km at the 13th Stromlo Running Festival. He showed keen spirit to get up early and make it for his 7:00AM start which was waved off by the awesome Robert de Castella (Australia's greatest marathon runner). Adam achieved a great time of just over an hour and all runners were warmly greeted and encouraged by Robert de Castella. Andrew Leigh one of our local Canberra Federal politicians came 15th overall (13th in the men's category) for the 50km run held the day before.

The Stromlo Running Festival is Canberra's biggest trail running festival, held annually usually in November at Stromlo Forest Park: https://stromlorunningfestival.com.au/ 

and also supports the Indigenous Marathon Project (https://www.imf.org.au/ ) established in 2009 by world marathon champion, Rob de Castella (In 2010 four Indigenous Australians created history as the first to run in the world’s biggest marathon – the New York City Marathon). Cross-country running is a great activity for building resilience and confidence. Next one is: SRF2023: Nov 18-19, 2023

Parish Newsletter

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

20% off school uniforms in December at Chilada

(sales applies in-store and online: www.chilada.com.au ) 

The sale starts on the 1st - 31st of December 2022

Archie and Brooke share tips on how to have a safe and happy holiday break with ideas to beat the boredom, stay calm, and the importance of help-seeking.

Visit - https://dartlearning.org.au/excursion/have-a-safe-and-happy-holidays-from-kids-helpline-recording/

Zumba is a dance-based fitness program that is popular in many countries across the world. It combines aerobic exercise with Latin & popular music to give you a great workout while having a lot of fun. You do not need to be a dancer or be fit, just have a sense of humour and be prepared to shake & sweat.

I have been a Zumba instructor for over 3 years, teaching in gyms and school halls around Canberra, but I am especially excited for this class in Harrison; I grew up in Gungahlin and I’m looking forward to sharing Zumba with my local community.