Magis report 

The Magis program in 2021 will see some exciting major changes and developments and should see the revival of almost all of the major interschool competitions, competitions cancelled because of COVID-19 in 2020.  College ATAR Results last year were superb, placing John XXIII College in the top 8 performing schools in Western Australia.  The school’s top performers, include three of our top four Magis students and the average ATAR for active Magis students in the cohort being over 94, a splendid result.

The 2021 Magis committee led by Magis captain Skye MacMillan and Secretary Grace Barbour is an outstanding group of young leaders including no fewer than ten Year 12’s.  They will have a leadership camp at Point Walter on Friday afternoon and Saturday 13-14 March and a terrific program planned including three outstanding presenters who will deliver keynote addresses/workshops, former deputy director of Catholic education Mary Retel,  brilliant young Murdoch hospital veterinary surgeon and leader Dr Corrin Boyd who has lectured overseas, and the very popular David Castellelani, Director of Alpha Motivation.  Leaders are asked to get forms in quickly, and about ten other top Magis students from Years 9-12 will also be invited to this exiting camp.

Our Year 7 Magis option students will be involved in an important Australian research program this term. Run by Griffiths University in Queensland this Intergenerational program will included a series of interviews of elders from MercyCare by our students. Later in the term, once the interviews are completed students will write biographies of each of the elders, and these will be presented to them in hard cover book form. Our technical support staff and especially Mr Sam Tout will assist with the Teams remote interviews, and there will be two morning teas where students will meet the elders face to face.  The first class interviews are scheduled for Monday 22 February.

Nominations are now open for students wishing to participate in two of the top interschool gifted and talented team competitions in 2021, WADL Interschool Debating held at Christchurch Grammar School, and the Da Vinci Decathlon at Winthrop Hall, at the University of Western Australia.  Only one team of eight students from each year from Year 7 to 11 is permitted in the Da Vinci Decathlon, but we will field up to six teams at each year level from Years 7 to 12. 

After the amazing success of the House Academic Challenge series in 2020, we begin the 2021 series with Academic Spelling this coming week. The other challenges later in the year will be Mental Mathematics, Arts and HASS, Language & Literature, and STEM. Good luck to all homerooms!

Finally, there are many resources available for those in the Magis program.  Four key ones are the Magis Handbook, the Magis Chronicle, the Magis Resources Handbook, and the Australian Gifted and Talented Competitions handbook.  All are available from the Magis office,  In addition the Magis Program Introductory video is available. Links to the video and the Magis Handbook 2021 are attached below.

Best wishes to everyone for a year of success and happiness.

Jim Miller

Magis Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator