Magis Report 

Welcome back to our final term for the academic year! We have some important events on the calendar for this term. On Monday 14 October (Week 12), our College will be hosting the State Semi-Finals of the British Parliamentary Debating Competition. We have two students who will be competing in this event, Luke Nicol and Zachary Sartorello, and we wish them the best of luck with their debates.

Our annual Shakespeare Incursion is scheduled for Monday 21 October (Week 13). A key aspect of our GATE program is providing opportunities for our students to learn 'more'. It is important for our students to be exposed to a wide range of genres, styles, and topics. Learning about Shakespeare gives students a glimpse at another world, and it helps improve their logical thinking processes, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness. All Years 7 and 8 Magis students will be in attendance, as well as selective students across other year groups. The incursion will be held during periods 5 and 6 in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre.

Our annual Magis Awards Breakfast will be held on Thursday 24 October (Week 13) at 7:30am in the Thomas More Exhibition Centre. This provides us with a wonderful opportunity to recognise our Magis graduating Class of 2024, announce the winners of the 2024 Magis Academic Cup, and celebrate the success of our students across the Magis Elective Course and within Magis Co-Curricular.

Our annual Magis Camp will be held from Friday 25 October to Saturday 26 October (Week 13). Students have until Monday 14 October to register their interest. Further details can be found below.

Round 1 of the International Debating Championships will take place on Friday 25 October (Week 13). Our students will be competing over the Zoom platform against debating teams from across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Our Junior Ethics Teams will compete in the Australasian division of Ethics Olympiad on Friday 15 November (Week 16). We also have our Theology Challenge in Week 14, which will be our first challenge that goes towards awarding the 2025 Magis Academic Cup. There are also more events scheduled including UN Youth and TEDx.

Our Semester 2 Magis Elective students will display their Personal Projects in an exhibition in the Thomas More Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 20 November (Week 17). This will mark the culmination of many months of hard work and planning, and we very much look forward to sharing with students, staff, and parents in celebrating our talented students. 

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 from Friday 25 October to Saturday, 26 October (Week 13). 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. Those interested need to complete the Magis Camp Expression of Interest e-Form, which can be found on Magis Teams, by Monday 14 October (Week 12).

StarGirls STEM Camp

Are you interested in pursuing astronomy, engineering, or data science as a career path? Join high school girls for a free Astronomy Day Camp hosted by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR). This camp is open to all high school students in Years 9-12 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 our Curtin and UWA ICRAR campuses, along with a visit to the Pawsey Supercomputer Research Centre. 

The next Stargirls+ camp will be held during the week of 27 January 2025. Stargirls+ is hosted at ICRAR in Perth, Western Australia, at  UWA and Curtin locations. This is a day camp, which will require transport to and from the site each day. Food will be provided throughout the event. Places are limited, so early applications are encouraged. What’s it like to do the Stargirls+ STEM Camp? Click on the link here for a video. Further information, including the application form, can be found here. Please note applications will close on Sunday 1 December 2024. Please notify the Head of Magis once you have submitted your application.

Chevron Nature in Focus Photography Competition 

Entries are now open for the 2024 Chevron Nature in Focus Photography Competition – so grab a camera, get outdoors, and start photographing Australia’s natural wonders and unique biodiversity. It could be as simple as some spring wildflowers or capturing a native lizard having a crawl. Include a short caption with your photo and submit it online – under one of the following categories: Oceans, Wetlands and Rivers; Sustainability; or Species and Habitats. For further details please visit Chevron Nature in Focus Photography Competition! - Conservation Volunteers Australia. 

Photographs must be submitted in digital format and should not be digitally altered beyond standard optimisation (e.g., colour correction, cropping). The competition closes at midnight on 1 November 2024, AEST. There’s over $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs across five age categories – head to the website for details of prizes on offer for students and their schools. 

Ethics Olympiad Case Writing Competition

Ethics Olympiad are holding a case writing competition with prize money to be won. Submissions should follow the general format for Ethics Olympiad cases: a scenario, between 400 and 800 words long, which highlights a clear moral issue and is appropriate for middle or high-school students and is written in a way that encourages civil discourse. The scenario should be framed so the central issue is clearly moral and not simply or primarily legal or professional. Knowledge of the structure of the Ethics Olympiad competition is important, and it is for that reason that we would recommend the case writing competition to students who have previously participated in an Ethics Olympiad. For more information, please click on the link here or view the flyer below.

Harvard Crimson

The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition provides a platform for young, ambitious high school students to exercise their writing skills and compete with students from all over the world. This competition encourages students to challenge themselves and explore different writing styles to ultimately strengthen their writing skills. The competition features two key rounds, the regional qualifiers held throughout five regions, followed by the global finals. To compete in the global round, participants must go head-to-head with local participants and place in the top 15 of the regional qualifiers. The top 12 submissions of the final 75, will be recognised in the global final and will win awesome prizes. As Harvard registration opens 1 October 2024 and closes 31 January 2025, we asked that students (aged 13-18) submit their expression of interest to the Head of Magis by Monday, 9 September 2024. This will be followed by a series of meetings and training seminars in preparation for the competition. Regional qualifiers will be held in February 2025, with Globals held in March 2025. For more information, please click the link below or speak with the Head of Magis. 

Daisy Farley

Head of Learning Areas – HASS & Magis