Magis report

Round 2 of the 2023 Law Society of Western Australia Mock Trial Competition took place on Wednesday evening at the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Our team went up against Applecross Senior High School - appearing for the Accused who had been charged with unlawful assault occasioning bodily harm. The judge commended the witnesses who had the difficult task of memorising verbatim some very long witness statements.

While Mock Trials is certainly a team effort, a special mention must be made to Meg Derbyshire, a Year 11 student who, unfamiliar with court proceedings, took on the role of Junior Barrister. Meg delivered a superb opening address for the Defence. I would also like to acknowledge the wonderful comradery that was displayed by team members and spectators. One highlight was when Meg Derbyshire sat down, after giving appearances (announcing the names of the Defence counsel), College Captain and Senior Barrister, Yvie Rigg, turned to Meg and gave her a smile of encouragement and approval.

There is a lot of preparation involved in the lead-up to the trial, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students who, despite their busy schedules, enthusiastically attended lunchtime meetings.

Our successful Round 2 Team included:

Barrister 1: Meg Derbyshire
Barrister 2: Yvie Rigg
Solicitor: Daniel Doran
Witness 1: Orson Lorenz-Markham
Witness 2: Sophie Gazia
Judges Associate: Kate Scalise

Congratulations to our 2023 Mock Trial team on another outstanding win. Our Team remains undefeated.

Round 2 of our College Chess Tournament played out this week, and we congratulate all students who are progressing to the next stage of the Tournament. A reminder that fixtures are emailed to chess players and can be found on the Magis Noticeboard and in SEQTA notices. Special thanks to Mr Connellan and Ms De Pinto for their ongoing support and assistance.

The first heats of our College Public Speaking Competition took place earlier today with our senior school students delivering some outstanding speeches. The standard of presentations was extremely high with topics varying from science to philosophy and everything in between. Special thanks to our amazing panel of judges: Ms Gray and Mr Webber from the English Department and Ms Pickering and Mrs Gregory-Turner from the Religious Education Department. Next week, will be the heats for our Years 7-10 students, and we wish all participants the very best of luck. The top three students from each year level will progress to the grand final, which will be held on 8 June (Week 17) in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre. Invitations will be sent out, following the conclusion of our College heats.

This morning, our Year 11 Magis students met with a group of Year 12s in the Collaborative Learning Hub, within the Ignatian Centre, as part of our student led academic mentoring program. The Year 12s spoke about their experience in Year 11 and provided study tips and guidance in achieving academic goals. Special thanks to our Magis Captain, Daniel Doran, for chairing the meeting. Following the conclusion of our Senior School Semester 1 Exams, our Year 11 students will return the favour, by mentoring our Year 10 cohort. The aim of this program is to promote positive peer cooperation and to allow for the trickling-down of advice and words of wisdom, from a student perspective.

At our Secondary Assembly this week, we celebrated, as a College community, the exceptional results of our Magis students at the recent da Vinci Decathlon and Senior Ethics Olympiad. The Magis Program continues to offer students the chance to compete in the top state gifted student competitions as well as national and global events. Expressions of Interest are open for a number of competitions.

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

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 question. 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.

2023 Magis Calendar Term 2

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented