Magis report 

Our College Chess Tournament commenced on Monday, with students from Years 5 to 12 competing for the title of 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. We will be holding a ‘second chance draw’ next week for those unlucky in Round 1. Congratulations to those students who are progressing to Round 2 of the Tournament. Special thanks to Mr Connellan and Ms De Pinto for their support and assistance.

Our Year 7 Magis elective students have been busy with code-breaking challenges this week. Honing their problem solving, logical thought and perseverance skills. For some of our students, this was training for the da Vinci Decathlon.

Next week will be particularly busy with a large number of Magis students taking part in state and/or international competitions:

• Monday: Senior Ethics Olympiad
• Tuesday: Year 7 & 8 da Vinci Decathlon at UWA and WA Debating League Schools Debating Competition at Shenton College
• Wednesday: Year 9 & 10 da Vinci Decathlon at UWA

These events are great opportunities for like-minded students to interact, and we wish all our teams best of luck. 

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

College Public Speaking Competition

Entries are closing soon for our annual College Public Speaking Competition. Students are asked to prepare a three-minute speech on a topic of their choice. At last year’s Grand Final, students spoke on a diverse range of topics from the Kennedy curse; dreams; juvenile detention; the immune system; to providing compelling reasons for why pineapple should be placed on pizzas! All participants will win their House valuable points – with trophies to be awarded to our Year level finalists. Expressions of interest are due this Monday 8 May.

FameLab Academy

Calling all Maths & Science enthusiasts! Nominations for the 2023 FameLab Academy Competition are now open. FameLab is the world’s leading science communication competition that aims to discover charismatic early career scientists who can inspire people to see the world from new perspectives. FameLab is run in WA and is the schools’ version for Year 8 and Year 9 students. There are great prizes! The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500, and two runners-up will each receive $1,000. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Friday 26 May.

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 Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 5 June.

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 will be held at Edith Cowan University in September (Term 3) with the international final to be held in Melbourne in October. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 5 June.

Middle School Ethics Olympiad

An Ethics Olympiad is a competitive yet collaborative event in which students, in teams, analyse and discuss real-life, and timely, ethical issues. It differs from a debate in that students are not assigned opposing views; rather, they defend whatever position they believe is right and win by showing that they have thought more carefully, deeply, and perceptively about the cases in questions. The event encourages and promotes ethical awareness, critical thinking skills, civil discourse, international engagement (with schools competing from around the world) and an appreciation for diverse points of view. Middle School Ethics Olympiad is open to students in Years 7 to 9. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Friday 9 June.

Term 2 calendar

You can keep up to date with Magis and Altiora events by following the Term 2 calendar which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. 

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented