Magis report 

The final academic challenge for Term 1 was held on Tuesday morning, with our Year 7 and 8 students taking part in a quiz that tested their skills in spelling. It was great to see students getting into House spirit, with some very eager students arriving 30 minutes early to test each other before the challenge began. How supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is that? Congratulations to our Year group winners:  

• Year 7: James Haydon (St Louis)
• Year 8: Genevieve Leong (Loyola)

Congratulations to Koolyangarra House, the overall champions for the 2024 Spelling Challenge. Pictured below is Mr Owen’s Homeroom, Year 7 Koolyangarra, celebrating their win as the top-performing Year 7 Homeroom.

These challenges are held throughout the year, with each Homeroom nominating up to 10 students to take part in a quiz testing student knowledge across a number of disciplines. Challenge points go towards awarding not only the Magis Academic Cup for the highest achieving House, but also the overall College House Shield. Other challenges this year include STEM, Humanities, Languages, Literature, Art, Music, and Theology. A full list of Spelling Challenge results can be found below. We congratulate all students for striving for the Magis and taking part.

The term break is a wonderful time for us to rest and recharge (energy and mindfulness), but it also affords us a terrific opportunity to get ahead and prepare. Term 2 will be a busy term for all, with competitions and events taking place, as well as Senior School Exams. All Magis Elective Classes and Competitions have a Teams file with documents, handbooks, past papers, and/or other useful preparation materials. Our Magis Elective students are reminded that their Semester-long Personal Projects will be exhibited in the Thomas More Exhibition Centre in Week 19. Ideally, students want to have completed 50% of more of their project before the beginning of Term 2. Debating students are preparing for their Round 2 prepared debate topic. Mock Trials students have their Round 2 Criminal Trial to prepare for. Our Senior Ethics Teams have case studies to read through. Our World Scholars have a curriculum to learn. Chess students can practice ahead of the College Chess Tournament, and any student considering entering the College Public Speaking Competition has a 3-minute speech to write and rehearse. So…lots to do, to be ahead and excel in Term 2! Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

College Chess Tournament

Entries are now open for our annual College Chess Tournament. If you think you have what it takes to be our next College ‘Grandmaster’, or you simply want to have fun, then email your name, Year and House to the Head of Magis. All participants will win their House valuable points – with trophies to be awarded to our finalists. Entries close Wednesday 17 April, with the Tournament to take place at the beginning of Term 2. 

College Public Speaking Competition

Entries are now open for our annual College Public Speaking Competition. This is a prestigious event in our College Calendar, with the grand final attended by students, parents, staff, and alumni. Pictured below are our 2023 Public Speaking Champions (Year 12 College Captain and Magis Captain tied for first place). Students can speak for up to 3 minutes on a topic of their choice. Heats will be held in Weeks 13 and 14, with the top 3 students from each year group progressing to the Grand Final. Trophies and medals will be awarded to the top public speaker and runner up public speaker in each year group. These prizes will be awarded at our Magis Awards Breakfast in Term 4. Please see the flyer for further information. Entries are due Monday 29 May (Week 12).

Ethics Olympiad Case Writing Awards 

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 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. If you haven’t taken part previously, I encourage you to either speak to a student who has competed or contact the Head of Magis for more information (copies of past cases can be provided). Entries must be submitted by email to the Head of Magis by Friday 19 April (Week 10). 

UN Youth - WA State Conference

UN Youth WA State Conference is a three-day event for passionate young people to gather from across Western Australia. The theme for this year’s conference is ‘The Future of Your Democracy’. Students will discuss some of the most important issues facing our global community and develop a greater understanding of the role they can play in shaping our global future. Open to students in Years 9 to 12, the conference will be held at Seaside Camp on Friday 19 April to Sunday 21 April (Week 10). The cost of the conference is $260 per person (all-inclusive of food and accommodation). If a weekend of leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy sounds good to you, then join other like-minded youths at the 2024 State Conference. For further information please click on the link: WA State Conference | UN Youth Australia or speak with the Head of Magis.

Plain English Speaking Award

The Plain English Speaking Award is a public speaking competition open to senior secondary school students (Years 11 and 12). It was created to encourage the best use of the English language in Australian schools. Taking part has been recognised by thousands of young people as a valuable experience and, for the participants and winners, a worthy mention in their resume. We will be selecting two students to represent our College in the State Semi-Final next term. If selected, students will need to prepare an eight-minute speech on a topic of their choice. At the competition, students will also deliver a three-minute impromptu speech. The topic to be given by the adjudicator on the day. The winner of the state final will represent the state and their school at the national final in Sydney, with the winner of the national final to represent Australia in an international competition conducted by the English-Speaking Union in London. Expressions of interest are to be emailed to the Head of Magis before Monday 22 April (Week 11).

What Matters? Writing Competition

Inspired by Gough Whitlam’s commitment to involving young people in shaping Australia’s future, the What Matters? Writing competition is currently open to school students in Years 5 to 12 from Australia. Responding to the simple question ‘what matters?’, entrants are free to express their views on any matter they care about. Part writing exercise, part civics and citizenship activity, What Matters? Is the perfect opportunity to empower students to raise their voices on issues that are important to them and know that their perspectives are valuable, no matter their age, background or viewpoint. Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of up to 600 words, and submitted online. Please click here for more information, or speak with the Head of Magis.

Entries close Friday 17 May (Week 14).

Term 2 Calendar

You can keep up to date with Magis events by following the Term 2 calendar, which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. 

Daisy Farley

Head of Magis - Gifted & Talented Program