Magis Report

Update: WA Debating League

The Quarter finals of the WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) took place on Tuesday evening at Perth Modern School. Many thanks to the family and friends who came in support. The debates were naturally of an exceptionally high standard as these were the top eight teams in the state, from the 300-plus teams that took part in the preliminary rounds. We congratulate our champion debating students on this outstanding achievement.

Novice JTC 5

Nicholas Burg
Sienna D’Alessandro
Oliver French
Niamh Jennings
Ashwell Lee

Specialty Talk

This month, we have welcomed Fr Frank Brennan SJ, as our Academic in Residence. A Jesuit priest, lawyer, and advocate for human rights, Fr Brennan brings to life our College motto Seek Justice. Yesterday, we held a specialty talk in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre (GBLT). This talk was tailored to address topics covered in the Year 12 Politics & Law ATAR curriculum but open to all our politically minded students. It was a thoroughly engaging and informative session and a great example of students seeking the ‘more’.

What’s happening next week?

In celebration of National Science Week, our next Academic Challenge will test students’ knowledge of all things STEM. Our Years 9 and 10 students competed last Tuesday, so it will be our Years 11 and 12s turn on Monday, with our Years 7 and 8 students competing on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we have our Junior Ethics Training Clinic, and on Friday, we have our annual Shakespeare Incursion. We also continue with meetings for Tournament of Minds, Ethics Olympiad and British Parliamentary Debating. A packed week, leading into the long weekend.

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. 

2025 Magis Competitions & Events Calendar.pdf

Daisy Farley

Head of Magis – Gifted and Talented

Magis: Opportunities to do more!

National Science Week

National Science Week runs from 9 to 17 August. Our Science Department will be running some great activities during this time, and Magis will be running the STEM challenge in Weeks 4 and 5. We would also thoroughly recommend checking out some of the amazing (and free) public events that are taking place. If you are a fan of Science, be sure to get involved in this Science Week!

Event recommendations:

International Debating Championships

The International Debating Championships offer high-quality debating instruction and tournaments for Australian and international schools, continuing to develop students’ public speaking skills, analytical abilities, and general knowledge. The tournament will be held entirely online via Zoom on Friday nights during Term 4 of the NSW school term. It is open to students in Years 7-10 across Australia, New Zealand and Asia and will be conducting two divisions; Junior (Years 7-8), and Senior (Years 9-10). The tournament will be adjudicated by qualified and experienced university debating adjudicators. We will be holding debate development training seminars in Term 3, leading up to the Term 4 competition. Expressions of interest are to be emailed to the Head of Magis by Monday, 25 August (Term 3, Week 6).

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.