Magis report 

What a week it has been for Magis! 

On Monday our Senior College Ethics Teams competed in the Australasian division of Ethics Olympiad. Our two Senior Ethics Teams competed against schools across Western Australia, India, and Singapore. The event was hosted by Dr Kelly Hamilton, a Philosophy and Medicine faculty member from Macquarie University. The international panel of judges commended our students on the eloquent and careful perspectives they brought in examination of the case studies. Our first team was awarded the Bronze Medal, and our second team received honourable mention. We congratulate all our eth-letes on an outstanding achievement.

On Tuesday our Junior da Vinci Teams (Years 7 and Year 8) competed in the 2023 da Vinci Decathlon held at the University of Western Australia. The Decathlon is a national academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Our students competed against 59 teams across ten disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code-breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography, and legacy. Our Year 7 da Vinci Team came first in Art & Poetry, and first in Legacy, whilst our Year 8 da Vinci Team came second in Science, and third in Engineering. 

Round 3 of the WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on Tuesday night at Shenton College. Our Novice Teams debated the topic: ‘This house, as an activist, would support climate engineering to combat global warming.' Our Junior and Senior Teams took part in an impromptu debate, which meant that they arrived an hour before their scheduled debate to receive their topic and construct their position without the use of the internet or any supplementary resources. All teams performed admirably, and we congratulate our students on winning five out of six debates - narrowing beaten by one point in the sixth debate. 

On Wednesday, it was our Senior da Vinci Teams (Years 9 and Year 10) turn at the da Vinci Decathlon. The weather certainly didn’t dampen spirits, with our students continuing the success from the previous day. Our Year 9 da Vinci Team came second in Creative Producers, with our Year 10 da Vinci Team coming first in Engineering, and second in Creative Producers. It should be noted that both teams were ranked in the top ten across most of the disciplines, with our Year 9 da Vinci Team being at one stage in a three-way tie for first place overall. So we look forward to announcing the overall place positions across the ten disciplines in due course.

We congratulate all our da Vinci Teams on an outstanding effort. It was a fantastic two days and a wonderful opportunity for our Magis students to interact with like-minded students from other WA schools. Special thanks to Ms Gray, Mr Connellan, and Ms Eva Morris (Notre Dame University Prac Student) for their assistance at the competition, and to all staff that assisted with the various practice sessions in the lead-up.

We held a ‘Second Chance Draw’ this week, as part of our College Chess Tournament, for those students who were unlucky in Round 1. Going forward, the Tournament will be a series of ‘knock out’ rounds, and we wish all students who are progressing to Round 2 the best of luck with their next game. Special thanks to Mr Connellan and Ms de Pinto for their support and assistance.

We would like to congratulate all students who took part in the numerous competitions that were held this week. In particular, those students who competed in three competitions over three days, and some of our junior students who competed all day at UWA on Tuesday and then headed to Shenton College to compete in debating the same evening. Best exemplifying the Magis spirit of making the most of our God-given talents and pushing ourselves further.

Another busy week next week, with Round 2 of Mock Trials taking place at the WA Supreme Court on Wednesday, the start of our College Public Speaking heats, and Round 2 of the College Chess Tournament. We also have practice sessions for the World Scholars Cup, and I remind all Magis scholars to read Monday’s Magis Memo and Teams notices carefully.

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

FameLab Academy

Calling all Maths & Science enthusiasts! Nominations for the 2023 FameLab Academy Competition are now open. FameLab is the world’s leading science communication competition that aims to discover charismatic early career scientists who can inspire people to see the world from new perspectives. FameLab is run in WA and is the schools’ version for Year 8 and Year 9 students. There are great prizes! The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500, and two runners-up will each receive $1,000. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Friday 26 May.

Creative Edge Thinking 

The Creative Edge Problem Solving Challenge is an innovative educational competition providing students with motivating challenges that will develop both critical and creative thinking skills. Students compete in teams to solve an open-ended challenge in one of the following disciplines: Literature and Communication or Society and Environment (HASS). This year’s regional final will be held at Curtin University. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 5 June.

Tournament of Minds

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an international problem-solving program for teams of students. TOM's aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment. Teams will be required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) discipline. Regional and state finals will be held at Edith Cowan University in September (Term 3) with the international final to be held in Melbourne in October. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 5 June.

Middle School Ethics Olympiad

An Ethics Olympiad is a competitive yet collaborative event in which students, in teams, analyse and discuss real-life, and timely, ethical issues. It differs from a debate in that students are not assigned opposing views; rather, they defend whatever position they believe is right and win by showing that they have thought more carefully, deeply, and perceptively about the cases in question. The event encourages and promotes ethical awareness, critical thinking skills, civil discourse, international engagement (with schools competing from around the world), and an appreciation for diverse points of view. Middle School Ethics Olympiad is open to students in Years 7 to 9. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Friday 9 June.

Term 2 calendar

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

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented