Magis Report 

World Scholars Cup

Congratulations to our World Scholars Teams who competed in the Perth Regional Round of the World Scholars Cup at Sacred Heart College last Friday and at Newman College on Saturday. Around 400 students took part in this year’s competition. Our teams researched, discussed, and debated topics ranging from science to art, music, history, literature, and more. Their outstanding achievements were recognised in the Closing Ceremony, where our students won gold and silver medals, along with Champion Scholar trophies, in a wide range of categories. Special mention to the following trophy-winning Teams:

• Sienna D’Alessandro, Madeleine Grainger, and Niamh Jennings came second in the Junior Team Debate and were ranked fifth overall in the Junior Division (a culmination of all Junior Team scores across the five events).
• Ryan Dhamija, Louis McLoughlin, and Nathan Riolino came fourth in the Junior Scholar’s Bowl.
• Henry McGlue, James Sommerfield, and Charles Tegg came fourth in the Senior Scholar's Challenge.
• Joshua Standen, Tyler Shan, and Samuel Watts came third in the Senior Team Debate.

We congratulate Niamh Jennings (Year 8), our College’s Top Junior Scholar, on winning seven gold and two silver medals. Niamh was also selected for the Debate Showcase. For this event, the top speakers from each delegation (based on the scores from Day 1 Debates) form new mixed teams, and debate a new motion in front of all those in attendance. A masterclass in debating, as it were. Niamh was the third speaker for the negative team, debating the motion: ‘That the government should make us a new and improved Perth.'

Charles Tegg (Year 9) was our College’s Top Senior Scholar, winning medals and trophies in EVERY category and event. Charles won an astonishing 13 gold medals and one silver medal. Special mention to Rose McLoughlin (Year 9) who followed closely behind with eight gold and five silver medals. The Senior Division of World Scholars includes students from Years 9 through to Year 12. The distinction between Junior and Senior Divisions is based on age, and it should be noted that half of our Year 9 Teams, were technically of ‘Junior’ age, but chose to compete at the ‘Senior’ level, with the rest of their cohort. And whilst John XXIII College had the youngest Senior delegations at the competition, our teams did exceedingly well against students one, two, and even three years above them.

I would like to thank Mr Webber (Head of Learning Area - English), Ms Gelati (Religious Education Department), Mr Connellan (Science Department) and Ms O’Connor (HASS Department) for their support and assistance over the two days. The highlight of this competition for me was certainly seeing the wonderful camaraderie displayed by the students, supporting each other throughout the two-day competition, and hi-fiving and cheering on each other at the Closing Ceremony. Truly embodying our College values – 'being people for others'. I commend all our teams on being outstanding College ambassadors. The superb achievements of our scholars means that they have qualified for the Global Rounds of the World Scholars Cup.  

Our 2025 World Scholars: 

WA Debating League Update

Round 5 of the WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on Tuesday evening. A change to our usual debating venue, Round 5 was held online, on-campus. For some of our teams, they will compete in the Make-Up Rounds beginning Tuesday, 17 June. Details to be communicated to families once WADL has released the MUR fixtures. For our other teams, it’s now a waiting game till the results are published and it is known which teams are progressing through to the finals. We wish all our debating teams the best of luck with the next stage of the competition.

College Public Speaking Competition

The heats of our College Public Speaking Competition began this week. Students spoke for three minutes on a topic of their choice, with topics ranging from our justice system to smiling and everything in between. Suffice to say, the standard has been exceptionally high, making the process of selecting a top three very difficult indeed. Our heats continue next week, with our grand finalists announced in the Week 19 College Newsletter.

College Chess Tournament

Round 3 of our College Chess Tournament was played this week, and we congratulate those who are progressing to the next round. Round 4 fixtures have been sent to students and a hard copy can be found on the Magis Noticeboard. Chess players are reminded that games begin at 1pm sharp and must be concluded in their allotted timeslot. Only final games can be played over multiple lunchtimes. 

What’s happening next week?

With the return of our Year 11 and 12 students, our Mock Trials Team will meet to prepare for their next trial. We will be holding a debrief meeting for our World Scholars to look at what’s next for the team. Round 4 of our College Chess Tournament will be held in the Innovative Hub, and meeting times will be available for our Magis elective students in the lead-up to their Semester 1 Exhibition.

Save the date

Our Years 7 and 8 Magis elective students will be displaying their Personal Projects in an exhibition held at the Thomas More Exhibition Centre on Thursday 26 June (Week 19) between 7:30am and 8:45am. 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 the celebration of our talented students. 

The Grand Final of the 2025 College Public Speaking Competition will be held on Wednesday 30 July (Term 3, Week 2) 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. However, we would like to take this opportunity to extend an 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. 

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!

Junior Gifted Stretch

We are in the process of selecting twelve Year 8 students to take part in the 2025 Junior Stretch and Challenge Conference, in conjunction with Oxford University and Thriving Minds. This transformative event is crafted to unleash the full potential of gifted minds, with a specific focus on philosophy, science and ethics. Nurturing self-discovery, innovation, and intellectual growth, the conference is designed to inspire ambition. By attending, students will be inspired to think deeply, gain valuable insights, and develop skills essential for future success. The conference will be held on Tuesday, 2 September (Term 3, Week 7).

Middle School Ethics Olympiad

Ethics Olympiad provides students with a unique opportunity to develop skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. It is designed to get students thinking, talking, and ultimately working together on some of the tough moral issues of our time. Its objective is to do more than just help students think through ethical issues: It is to teach students how to think through ethical issues together, as fellow citizens in a complex moral and political community. This international competition is open to students in Years 7 to 9. Team positions are highly coveted, with only 10 spots available. Expressions of interest are due Monday, 23 June (Week 19). A training clinic will be held in Term 3, with the competition scheduled for Term 4.

International Debating Championships

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 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, in the lead up to the Term 4 competition. Expressions of interest are to be emailed to the Head of Magis by Monday, 4 August (Term 3, Week 3).

The Global Voices Fellowship

Attention Year 12 students: Applications are now open for the Global Voices Fellowship. This life-changing program aims to upskill and develop the next generation of Australian leaders to contribute to domestic and global decision-making. This is a fully funded scholarship, with all domestic and international flights, accommodations, breakfasts, visas, insurance, and registration fees covered. For more information, please click the link below or speak with the Head of Magis.

Further information is available here. 

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.