Magis report 

This week the College has been embracing the importance of wellbeing and asking the question: R U OK? As many of our students strive for the Magis, the more, it’s especially important to make sure that there is a balance between academic studies and extra-curricular activities with social and home life. Each Monday, our students receive a memo (student newsletter) highlighting what has occurred in the past week, outlining the meetings and training sessions that will take place, and promoting various opportunities for students to do more.  A new inclusion to our memo this year has been ‘the Captain’s Corner’. This has provided a wonderful way for our Magis Captain, Daniel Doran, to communicate with our students each week and the feedback that we have received, particularly around the spirit of connectedness, has been wonderful. We have included a link to our Week 9 Memo below. We have had a lot to celebrate in the Magis Program over the past few weeks and it’s been heart-warming to see our students responding to Teams posts in such a positive and inspiring manner. Magis is a family within our College community, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all our students, staff, family and friends. May we continue to support and encourage one another.

British Parliamentary Debating 

The 2023 British Parliamentary Debating Competition was held last Saturday at Hale School and on Sunday at St Stephens School. This was an exciting opportunity for some of our talented debating students to compete in a distinct style of debating and gain further experience in impromptu topics, public speaking, and critical thinking. Our teams said they had a lot of fun on the day, sparring and engaging in heated exchanges between Government and Opposition Members.  The adjudicators were extremely impressed by the quality of the debates, the positive attitude of participants and the development of debaters over the course of the rounds. We commend Henry McGlue and Christopher Tan (Year 7) and Jacob Davila and Thomas Syminton (Year 11) on their outstanding performance. And congratulate Meg Derbyshire and Asha Paton (Year 11), who will be progressing to the State Semi-Final.

WA Debating League

The WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) is the largest and most prestigious secondary school debating competition in Western Australia. The state semi-finals took place on Tuesday evening at Shenton College. Many of our family and friends came in support – and what an exciting night it was! Our team went against Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) and debated the topic: ‘This House would mandate that charities that serve the same cause must amalgamate’. The Chief Adjudicator said: “On behalf of the panel we would like to offer our sincere congratulations to both teams in this debate. This was a highly challenging topic; both teams showed exemplary skill and should be immensely proud of their performance”. This was followed by resounding applause from the audience. With bated breath, we awaited the results…and in a unanimous decision, our team won! Congratulations to our State Debating Grand Finalists: Zachary Sartorello, Joshua Standen, and Samuel Watts. These talented students will compete against Perth Modern School in the Grand Final, which will be held on Tuesday, 17 October at UWA’s University Club. This will be a public event with guest speeches, and all are welcome. For further details, please contact the Magis Coordinator. We congratulate our team on an exceptional achievement and wish them every success in this grand final debate.

We have two State Finals taking place tomorrow. Our STEM Team will compete in the State Final of Tournament of Minds at Edith Cowan University, and our SOSE Team will compete in the State Final of Creative Edge at Curtin University. We congratulate both teams on the outstanding achievement of being state finalists – and wish them all the very best in their respective competitions. Special thanks to Ms Joyner and Ms Plummer who have been preparing the students on spontaneous/impromptu challenges and to Ms Plummer who will supervise the STEM Team on the day.

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

Magis Camp

A highlight of the Magis calendar is our annual camp to Point Walter, for Years 7 to 10 Magis students, which will be held on Friday 27 October to Saturday 28 October (Term 4, Week 3). We have some terrific activities planned which will prove an enriching experience for students. There will be a number of opportunities for our younger year students to work alongside and learn from our senior school students. Many thanks to our Magis Committee who have provided student voice to the program this year. Those interested need to complete the Magis Camp Expression of Interest Form and submit it to either Student Administration or the Magis Office by Wednesday 20 September (Week 10). An electronic version of the form is also available on Magis Teams. 

Stargirls STEM Camp

Are you interested in pursuing astronomy, engineering, or data science as a career path? Join high school girls and other underrepresented genders for a free Astronomy Day Camp from 23 to 25 January 2024, hosted by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR). This camp is open to all high school students in Years 9 to 12 whose gender identities are underrepresented in astronomy, engineering, or data science.

Highlights include:

• Meet and talk with women who have made their careers in astrophysics, engineering and data science;
• Use research-grade telescopes to take and process your own deep space images and take part in a night-time stargazing event; and
• Visit leading space research centres, including Curtin and UWA ICRAR campuses, along with a visit to the Pawsey Supercomputer Research Centre.

Positions are limited, so early applications are essential. See the flyer below for further details. Please notify the Magis Coordinator (Ms Farley) and Head of Science (Mr Carrello) if you choose to apply.

International Debating Championships (IDC)

International Debating Championships provide quality debating teaching and tournaments for Australian and international schools, continuing to develop students’ public speaking skills, analytical ability, and general knowledge. The tournament will be held entirely online via Zoom. It is open to students in Years 7 to 10 across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. For further details please click on the link here.  Please email your expression of interest by Friday 22 September (Week 10).

Chevron Focus Environment Photography Competition

Entries are now open for the 2023 Chevron Focus Environment Competition – so grab a camera, get outdoors, and start photographing WA’s biodiversity. It could be as simple as some spring wildflowers or a neighbourhood magpie! Include a short caption with your photo and submit it online. Jasper Bailey (Year 9) was one of last year’s winners. His photo, titled ‘The Thoughtful Owl’ is featured on the 2023 competition flyer. What an amazing photo! For further details please click on the link below. Entries are due Friday 22 September. 

$25,000 to be shared between winning students and their schools!

Calendar

You can keep up to date with Magis and Altiora events by following the Term 3 calendar which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. 

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented