Magis
The Magis Gifted and Talented Program for 2019 will see a mixture of exciting new ventures and consolidation and refinement of successful 2018 programs. We have an excellent new committee of 24 Magis and Altiora students led by 2018 Year 11 Dux Rory Hewson, and will soon add four new Year 7’s to this organising team. We are also looking to expand the number of Altiora students joining Magis. This strand of the program is to allow gifted students who may not have qualified for Magis via their testing in Primary School to join if their academic standards have been high. All Magis and Altiora students must put in their nomination forms by next week to qualify as an active member for all opportunities offered by the program. Whilst many Magis competitions such as WADL Debating and Space Camp are open to all students, participation in many key Magis events such as da Vinci Decathlon and World Scholar’s Cup will be limited to those who are active Magis students and have completed their nomination form, the goal-setting and strategic plan for academic success, and at least one of the challenges such as academic spelling.
Organisation meetings for WADL Interschool debating and Space Camp 2020 have taken place this week, and nomination forms distributed. Debating seminar arrangements are being finalised and the Information Night for Space Camp will be held at Corpus Christi College on February 28. Major Magis events for semester one are listed on the attached calendar, and by next week’s arrangements should be finalised for three additional events with special seminar guest speakers for debating, Creative Edge Thinking at Curtin University (which our Year 12’s won last year), and a special ATAR Religion breakfast seminar on Secularism in Australia.
Already the first Magis event has actually taken place, with two of our Year 11 Magis or Altiora students, Alex Panther and Elisabeth Hughes attending Notre Dame University’s impressive Cultural Decoding Program held at the University over three days in the holidays. The girls are pictured with the program coordinator Dr Angela McCarthy.
Magis Memos will again be published each week to keep students up to date with the many opportunities the program offers, and celebrate student successes, and already three major Magis Handbooks are available either in hard copy or on-line: The Magis Handbook 2019, the Academic Resources Handbook, and the Gifted and Talented Competitions handbook detailing most such competitions offered Australia-wide. Parents and students are invited to contact me if you have any questions regarding the Magis program or the opportunity to join via the Altiora strand.
Magis & Altiora Calendar
Term One
- January 29-31 - Cultural Decoding at NDA Uni
- February 18 - Goal-Setting Strategic Plan due
- February 20 - Academic Spelling Challenge
- February 26 - Magis Breakfast Alpha Motivation
- February 28 - Space Camp 2020 Meeting
- March 8 - Debating Seminar
- March 12 - WADL Debating begins
- March 15-16 - Creative Writing Camp
- March 30 - Creative Edge at Curtin Uni
- April 2-3 - Da Vinci Decathlon at UWA
- April 9 - Short Story Entries due
Term Two
May 1 - Magis Public Speaking Breakfast
May 6 - Magis Public Speaking Heats
May 10 - Julie Arliss G/T at St Hilda’s
May 14 - Magis Public Speaking Final (GBLT)
May 17-18 - World Scholar’s Cup Camp
May 23 - Mental Maths Challenge
May 31 - J1 World Scholar’s regionals SHC
June 12 - Magis Academic Knowledge
June 26 - Magis Awards & Personal Project Breakfast
Jim Miller
Gifted and Talented Coordinator