Magis Report 

STEM Challenge

In celebration of National Science Week, our Term 3 Academic Challenge tested students’ knowledge of all things STEM! Student representatives from Years 7 to 12 took part in a quiz, and we congratulate the following Year group winners:  

• Year 7: Max Middleton (Campion); Eve Campbell (Loyola); Ashton Jeffery (Ward)
• Year 8: Isaiah D’Souza (Campion); Coco Divola (Loyola)
• Year 9: James Sommerfield (Campion)
• Year 10: Jonah Liew (Loyola)
• Year 11: Joseph Nankivell (St Louis)
• Year 12: Elizabeth Webster (Loreto)

Congratulations to Ward House, the overall champions for this challenge. Pictured is Miss Xanthis’s Homeroom, Year 7 Ward, who were the top performing Homeroom in Year 7. A full list of top-performing students can be found in the link below. Our next Academic Challenge will be held in Weeks 9 and 10 of this term and will test students’ music knowledge.

Ethics Training Clinic

On Wednesday, our Junior Ethics Teams took part in an Ethics Training Clinic in preparation for the Middle School Ethics Olympiad Competition, which will take place next term. This Clinic provided our ‘eth-letes’ (as they are known in the competition) with a unique and fascinating opportunity to hear from global experts. In the morning, students heard from Dr Andrew Cullison of De Pauw University, Dr Rachel Robinson-Green of Utah State University, Dr Lance McBride of the University of Canterbury, NZ and John Neil, Director of Innovation at the Ethics Centre in Sydney. In the afternoon, students went to breakaway mentor sessions with academics from Australia, the US and India. A thoroughly rewarding experience and invaluable learning opportunity for our Ethics students.

Shakespeare Incursion

'Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.' 

'Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.' 

'What’s done cannot be undone.'

'If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me.'

These were just some of the famous lines delivered by the Bell Shakespeare Actors at our incursion this afternoon. A key aspect of our GATE program is providing opportunities for our students to learn 'more'; to be stretched academically; to extend beyond their year level curriculum; and our Shakespeare incursion is a wonderful example of this. The Players performed the play Macbeth: The Rehearsal – replaying famous scenes and soliloquies from Macbeth. The play celebrates theatre-making, storytelling and the power of the imagination, within an engaging contemporary narrative. Following the performance, students participated in a Q&A session with the actors. It was an enriching experience for all those who attended.

What’s happening next week?

Next week, our Tournament of Minds STEM and SOSE Teams will begin their after-school rehearsals, and the first of our British Parliamentary Debating Teams will compete at Perth Modern School on Saturday and at Guilford Grammar on Sunday. We also look forward to the finals of Year 10’s Atticus Finch speeches.

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!

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.