Magis report 

Snapshot: Magis Elective Course

Whilst the Year 7 Magis students have completed their studies on the great Greek Philosophers, our Year 8s have begun to examine the work of the father of modern-day philosophy. 'Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am', is the first principle of René Descartes’s philosophy and the central focus of our Year 8 course. Over the next few weeks, our Year 8 Magis Elective students will study Descartes’ Cartesian Scepticism and how his ideas influenced the work of John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton. They will also examine Thomas Aquinas’s cosmological argument, which Descartes considered when forming his own opinion on the existence of God. Pictured below are our Year 8s getting into the headspace of Descartes (pun intended). 

Update: WADL Schools Debating Competition

Our Senior Debating students, Meg Derbyshire, Asha Paton, and Thomas Syminton (Year 12), met with our Year 9 Junior Debating Team on Monday. Whilst sharing morning tea, the senior students offered advice and tips on Points of Information (POI) and Rebuttals - two key skill areas for junior and senior debates. It is always wonderful to witness our senior school students demonstrate our College values through their leadership and mentoring of our lower school students. Many thanks to Meg, Asha, and Tom for finding time within their busy schedules.

Round 2 of the 2024 WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on Tuesday night at Christ Church Grammar School. The stormy weather couldn’t dampen the energy and camaraderie amongst our students. This round centred on Australian politics, with teams debating the following motions: 

• This house would abolish compulsory voting in Australia.
• This house would give local governments in Australia more powers.
• This house prefers campaigns to ‘Change the Date’ over promoting reconciliation on Australia Day.

A mixture of wins and some very narrow losses, but most importantly, our debating students received in-depth feedback from the adjudicators to assist with future debates. Special thanks to Mr Webber for his assistance on the night. Our debating students are now preparing for Round 3 which will be held on Tuesday, 14 May (Week 14). A reminder that Rounds 3, 4 and 5 will be impromptu debates, which means that teams will be required to arrive at the venue an hour and 15 minutes before their scheduled debate time.

A midseason Debating Development Seminar will be held next week, on Tuesday 7 May. This training seminar will be held in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre (GBLT) from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and will review team strategies and how to utilise the preparation period for impromptu debates.

Update: College Chess Tournament

Our College Chess Tournament commenced on Monday, with 75 students from Years 5 through to Year 12 competing for the title of 2024 College Grandmaster. They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, and these pictures certainly show how close and tense some of the games were. Well done to all those who took part and congratulations to the students who are progressing to Round 2 of the Tournament. Fixtures have been emailed to students, and a notice has been placed in SEQTA. Chess players are reminded that games begin at 1pm sharp and must be concluded in their allotted timeslot. Only quarter, semi and grand final games can be played over multiple lunchtimes. The College Chess Club will resume their round robin at the start of Term 3. Any student who would like to continue playing regular chess games are encouraged to contact Club Coordinators James Sommerfield and Christopher Tan (Year 8). Details pertaining to our College Chess Club can be found on the Magis Noticeboard.

What’s happening next week?

Our Senior Ethics Teams will be competing next Friday against schools from Australia, Singapore and India, in the Australasian division of Ethics Olympiad. We wish both our Senior Ethics Teams best of luck. Whilst we move to Round 2 of the College Chess Tournament, we will begin the heats of our College Public Speaking Competition. Meetings and training sessions will also be held for debating, Mock Trials, Plain English-Speaking Awards and World Scholars. With so much happening Magis students are reminded to read their Monday student newsletter (The Magis Memo) carefully and record in their diaries the dates, times, and locations of team meetings scheduled for the week.

Save the Date

The Grand Final of the 2024 College Public Speaking Competition will be held on Thursday 6 June (Week 17) at 6:30pm in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre (GBLT). Invitations will be sent to the parents and guardians of our grand finalists in due course, but we would like to take this opportunity to extend the invitation to the wider College Community. It is sure to be a wonderful evening with the extraordinary talents of our students on display. We are excited to have a panel of esteemed Magis Alumni, who will have the difficult task of deciding the top public speaker from each year group. 

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

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).

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 Head of Magis. Expressions of interest are due by Friday, 23 August (Week 16). 

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 are to be held at Edith Cowan University in September, with the International Final to be held in Sydney in November. For more information, please see the Head of Magis. Expressions of interest are due by Friday 23 August (Week 16). 

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