Magis Report 

Snapshot: Year 7 Magis Elective Course

This past week, our Year 7 Magis Elective students have been delivering creative and engaging TEDx Talks on a range of topics from colour perceptions to questioning whether conventional schooling is still relevant in 2025 (see below for full list of topics). This assessment tested students’ public speaking skills and has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience for audience members. 

Our Year 7 and 8 Magis elective students will be displaying their Personal Projects in an exhibition held at the Thomas More Exhibition Centre (TMEC) on Thursday, 27 November (Week 17) between 7:30am and 8:45am. This will mark the culmination of many months of hard work and planning, and we very much look forward to sharing with students, staff, and parents in the celebration of our talented Magis students. 

You can keep up to date with our schedule of competitions and events by viewing the Magis calendar, which can be accessed by clicking on the link below.  

Daisy Farley

Head of Magis – Gifted and Talented

Magis: Opportunities to do more!

National Youth Parliament

150 motivated young Australians - one from every federal electorate - will be selected for a five-day residential program in Canberra in 2026.  You don’t need to have any experience - just a desire to contribute, learn and represent your community. Eligibility: All young people who will be aged 16 to 17 and living in Australia in August 2026 are welcome to apply - regardless of background, education or experience. All essential costs, including travel to and from Canberra, accommodation, all meals and activities, are covered by the program. See website for further details: Apply - National Youth Parliament. Applications close 21 November 2025.

State Debating Trials

We are reaching out to provide some information regarding trials for the 2026 WA State Debating Squad. These trials are a great opportunity for experienced debaters to receive in-depth feedback from our adjudicators and practice debating alongside their talented peers. These trials are the official selection process for the State Debating Squad, a group of ~16 high school students from which the 4-person State Debating Team will be selected to represent WA at the 2026 National Schools Debating Championships (NSDC) in Brisbane. Trials will be held on the 29 and 30 November over the weekend (location TBC). There will be three debates on each day, with the venue to be confirmed. Whilst students are welcome to attend all six debates if they would like, this is by no means a requirement as selectors will only take into consideration a student's best three debates across the entire trials process. All debates will be held in an impromptu format, meaning the topic will be released one hour prior to the start of the debate, during which time students will prepare with their teams without access to external resources (e.g., the internet).  This year, trials are scheduled to take place at the end of 2025, rather than the beginning of 2026. This is to extend the Squad process so that students do not have to attend two days a week. Additionally, it creates a longer Squad process for students to profit from the development opportunity. The selection process is open to all high school students (Years 7-12). Students can register their attendance here.

Registrations will close on 25 November. 

BRAINways GATE Summer Camp

BRAINways Education, in conjunction with the University of Western Australia, is pleased to offer the BRAINways Summer Camp program for gifted and talented students in Perth. The programme has two components: a two-day immersion and a challenge, being held on 12-13 January 2026 (9:30am - 2:30pm). The following topics will be offered to students year levels 2-4 and 5-7:

• Day 1:
  • ⁠Advances in Biotechnology

  • The Science of Architecture

     

• Day 2:
  • Mathematics of Astronomy
  • Greek Tragedy: A Window into the World Around Us

If you are interested in attending, please discuss with your parents to ensure that you are available for both dates. Expressions of interest are to be emailed to the Head of Magis by Monday, 1 December (Week 18). 

World Scholars

Expressions of interest are now open for the annual World Scholar’s Cup. This is a BIG commitment, both academically and financially, so we have asked students to take the time to carefully consider whether this competition is best for them. The World Scholar's Cup is a global academic competition that challenges students to explore diverse topics and develop a range of skills. More than 50,000 students from over 65 countries participate every year. Students compete in teams of three at a Regional Round (~May 2026), with the top-performing teams qualifying for a Global Round (for example: Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok Global Round August/September 2026*). The top-performing teams at Globals will then qualify for the Tournament of Champions, which is held at Yale University in the US (November 2026). An information session will be held for students next week. You can also check out the WSC website for information (including videos) concerning the different events teams compete in. Students will need to learn the 2026 curriculum, on top of their schoolwork and other co-curricular/family commitments. Expressions of interest are to be emailed to the Head of Magis by Monday, 1 December (Week 18). We will reopen expressions of interest in January 2026, for our Year 7 students only.

Ethics Olympiad Case Writing Competition

Ethics Olympiad are holding a case writing competition with prize money to be won. Submissions should follow the general format for Ethics Olympiad cases: a scenario, between 400 and 800 words long, which highlights a clear moral issue and is appropriate for middle or high-school students and is written in a way that encourages civil discourse. The scenario should be framed so that the central issue is clearly moral and not simply or primarily legal or professional. Knowledge of the structure of the Ethics Olympiad competition is important, and it is for that reason that we would recommend the case writing competition to students who have previously participated in an Ethics Olympiad.

Entries due by 23 April 2026, view Ethics Olympiad website (Case Competition - EthicsOlympiad) for further details.

Astronomy Club

Calling all stargazers and astronomy lovers! Join our College’s Astronomy Club, where you’ll learn more about the night sky and the history behind constellations, gain confidence with telescopes, and discover tips to make stargazing more enjoyable. It is a great social club where you’ll meet like-minded people of all ages, who share a passion for learning and stargazing. The Astronomy Club meets on the College Oval on various evenings throughout the year – and has a few events booked with the Perth Observatory. For more information, please email the Club Coordinator, Mr Peter Mazur (Mathematics Learning Area), or the Head of Magis.