Magis Report 

Debating success

Round 3 of WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on Tuesday night at Shenton College. This round marked the first of the impromptu rounds, where students receive their motion (debate topic) on the night and have one hour to prepare. There were some tricky motions to unpack, and the students are to be commended for their professionalism and outstanding teamwork. We are excited to announce that JTC won eight out of nine debates, which is an incredible result! Special thanks to Ms Lumley for her supervision on the night. Our debating students are now preparing for Round 4, which will be held on Tuesday, 20 May (Week 14). We will continue to provide after-school debate tutoring sessions – details to be communicated to students through their Teams channel. We congratulate all our debating students on another successful round.

What’s happening next week?

Next week will be a VERY busy week for Magis. Besides meetings for Debating, Mock Trials and World Scholars, our Magis Captain will be running an academic seminar for our Years 10 and 11 students on Wednesday in the Collaborative Hub (Ignatian Centre). This session will provide students with useful study skills and exam tips ahead of the Senior School Examinations. On Monday, we have the Senior Ethics Olympiad (Australasian division) as well as the Years 9 and10 da Vinci Decathlon. With the Years 7 and 8 da Vinci Decathlon taking place on Tuesday. We wish all our competitors the best of luck with their respective competitions.

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.  

Daisy Farley

Head of Magis – Gifted and Talented

Magis: Opportunities to do more!

STEM Design Competition

Catholic Education WA (CEWA) have launched this STEM design competition, with the aim of getting student perspectives. Put your innovation into action and design a digital logo or graphic that visually depicts what CEWA STEM is all about. This competition is open to all CEWA students. Winning designs will be displayed and celebrated at the 2025 CEWA STEM Showcases. To submit an entry, email the Head of Magis, your design by Monday, 12 May (Term 2, Week 13). Please note: Digital tools could include (but are not limited to) Canva, Seesaw, Sketches, Pages, Word, Keynote, etc.

Tournament of Minds 

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an international problem-solving program for teams of students. TOM aims 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), Languages & Literature, or Society & Environment (HASS) disciplines. 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 visit the competition website or speak with the Head of Magis. Expressions of interest are due Monday, 12 May (Term 2, Week 13). 

College Public Speaking Competition

Entries are now open for our annual College Public Speaking Competition. This is a prestigious event on our College Calendar, with the grand final attended by students, parents, staff, and alumni. Students can speak up to three minutes on a topic of their choice. Heats will be held in Weeks 14 and 15, with the top three students from each year group progressing to the Grand Final. Trophies and medals will be awarded to the top public speaker and the 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 Friday, 16 May (Week 13).

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 visit the website Whitlam Institute What Matters for more information, including samples of past winners. Major cash prizes to be won! Entries close Friday, 16 May (Week 13).

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. 

Daisy Farley

Head of Magis