Magis report 

Round 6 of the WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on Tuesday night at Shenton College. Our Novice Teams debated the notion ‘this house regrets high fashion, such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton’ – which was a lot of fun! Our Junior and Senior Debating Teams took part in an impromptu debate, which meant that they arrived an hour before their scheduled debate to receive their topic and construct their position without the use of the internet or any supplementary resources. All teams performed admirably, and we congratulate them on a terrific effort. Some of these teams remain undefeated, which is an outstanding result! Many thanks to the parents and grandparents who came to support the students – and to Ms Gray, for supervising. Next week, make-up round debates will be held at Christ Church Grammar School for the Teams who have had postponed debates throughout the season. We wish these teams the best of luck with their debates and look forward to announcing the teams who will be progressing to the 2023 WADL SDC finals!

Our World Scholars Global Team have been hard at work training with some of our alumni students who attended Global Rounds and the Tournament of Champions at Yale University in 2018. It is always wonderful to have our alumni students return, to assist with various events and competitions. Benjamin Linsten and Alexandra Panther, Class of 2020, have been sharing their experience and advice with our teams, and we thank them for finding time in their busy university schedules. Our students will be heading to the Gold Coast at the end of the Term, to compete in the Global Round of the World Scholars Cup.

Next week is Science Week – and in celebration, our Magis Academic Challenges will test students’ knowledge of all things STEM! Years 7 & 8 students will be competing in Homeroom on Tuesday, with Years 11 & 12’s scheduled for Wednesday, and Years 9 & 10 on Friday. With only one Academic Challenge to go after this, the battle for first place on the Magis leader board is heating up. Our final challenge for the Term is our Music Challenge, which will be held in Week 9. Wishing all participants the best of luck in the STEM Challenge, and we look forward to announcing Year group winners in next week’s College Newsletter.

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

WA Schools Constitutional Convention

A reminder to Year 11 Politics and Law ATAR students that expressions of interest in the 2023 WA Schools Constitutional Convention are due by Monday, 14 August (Week 5). The Convention will provide a unique opportunity for students to hear from various experts exploring Constitutional Change in a Referendum Year, complete various educational activities, and work collaboratively with peers from around the state. The students participating in the Convention are then eligible to apply for the National Constitutional Convention, which will be held in Canberra in March 2024, with all costs fully funded by the Australian Government Department of Education (DOE). For more information, please see attached flyer.

British Parliamentary Debating

The WA Debating League is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2023 British Parliamentary Debating Competition. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their skills in public speaking, teamwork, and problem-solving. It is an extremely rewarding competition. Students who have participated in previous years have found that the skills they learned during the competition, transferred across subjects in school and different extracurricular classes. Students will also have a lot of fun on the day, as they can partner up with a friend, explore a range of interesting topics, and meet new people. For more information on the format of the competition and the different skills learned, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday, 14 August (Week 5).

Chevron Focus Environment Photography Competition

Entries are now open for the 2023 Chevron Focus Environment Competition – so grab a camera, get outdoors, and start photographing WA’s biodiversity. It could be as simple as some spring wildflowers or a neighbourhood magpie! Include a short caption with your photo and submit it online. Jasper Bailey (Year 9) was one of last year’s winners. His photo, titled ‘The Thoughtful Owl’ is featured on the 2023 competition flyer. What an amazing photo! For further details please click on the link below. Entries are due Friday 22 September. 

$25,000 to be shared between winning students and their schools!

Intergenerational Project

Do you like watching the TV show ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ on ABC? Well, Expressions of Interest are now open for students who wish to participate in an intergenerational program – where students will interview Mercy Care residents and record some of their stories in a Memories Book. For more information, please get in touch with the Magis Coordinator.

WA Hackathon

The Hackathon is a short, intense collaboration opportunity for young people to solve various problems using the skills outlined in the Shark Tank eSchool Program. It is an exciting opportunity for collaboration amongst schools, engagement with the University of WA and also the ability for students to develop well thought out solutions to real-world problems. Teams can choose a problem from a number of social and environmental problems selected by UWA. Open to students in Years 10 to 11. Expressions of interest are due by Friday, 18 August (Week 5). For further information, please see the Magis Coordinator.

Shakespeare Club

Are you a fan of the Bard? Or interested in extending your literature knowledge further? Why not join our College Shakespeare Club! The mission of the Club is to encourage all people to enjoy readings and discussions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. For further details or registration, please email the Magis Coordinator.

Model UN Club

Model UN is a popular activity for those interested in learning more about how the United Nations (UN) operates. Hundreds of thousands of students worldwide take part every year at all educational levels. Many of today’s leaders in law, government, business and the arts – including at the UN itself – participated in Model UN as students. For further details, or to register your expression of interest, please email the Magis Coordinator.

Term 3 Calendar

You can keep up to date with Magis and Altiora events by following the Term 3 calendar – which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. 

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented