Magis

Magis is the Latin word meaning "more; to a greater extent," and is one of the core principles of an Ignatian education and the tradition on which our founding orders, the Jesuits and the Loreto sisters, are based.

Magis is a call to

  • Strive for excellence
  • Make the most of our God-given talents
  • Use them to serve other.

The program is based on the Ignatian tradition of

  • Care of the individual (Cura Personalis)
  • Men and women for others (Homines pro aliis)
  • More - the pursuit of never-ending improvement.

Key ideas include:

  • Excellence in teaching and scholarship
  • Rigorous thinking and the pursuit of truth
  • The cultivation of lifelong habits of careful observation, critical thinking, creativity, articulate written and oral expression and moral reflection
  • More development is inseparable from other intellectual pursuit
  • Development of the whole person
  • Academic excellence without being exclusive or elitist
  • Talents are to be shared with others, for others.

John XXIII College Secondary Magis Gifted and Talented Program

All students at John XXIII College are challenged to strive for the Magis, to strive for excellence. One key element of this is the College's Gifted and Talented Program. The program strives to assist students to develop their potential into performance and maximise their talents to better serve their community and the world. The program provides some events which are for Magis students only, but many that are open to all students.

Entry to the Magis program is initially via results from MYAT testing, but students can also qualify by excellent academic performances as they progress through the school. There is also a sub-strand of Magis called Altiora (higher things) which provides the opportunity for other gifted and enthusiastic students to participate in Magis events.

Highlights of the Magis Gifted and Talented program:

  • Opportunities to participate in many prestigious gifted and talented interschool competitions include WADL Debating, Da Vinci Decathlon, Creative Edge, Tournament of Minds, Opti-Minds, Quest, Ethics Olympiad, Jesuit National Debating Championship, International Debating and World Scholar's Cup including local and global rounds plus the Tournament of Champions in Yale. Associated HASS competitions, Mock Trials and Mooting, are also aligned with Magis. There are also opportunities to enter a wide range of Public Speaking and Creative Writing competitions plus others associated with the different learning areas.
  • John XXIII College Competitions run by Magis include Public speaking, Creative Writing and Chess, and the Academic Challenge House program which includes Academic Spelling, Mental Mathematics, Arts and Humanities, STEM and Language-Literature. All of these events are also for House points and are open to all students.
  • Special gifted and talented events and programs on offer include the USA Space Camp, Academy Conferences (Julie Arliss), Imaginarium, TED-X, Notre Dame University's Cultural Decoding Program and the Global Goals Callenge, plus a series of Academic Seminar Breakfasts at the College with a range of motivational speakers.
  • A program of three enrichment camps in 2021 will offer outstanding opportunities for academic and personal development.
  • Awards are presented at a Magis Awards Breakfast which recognises excellent performances in all above events, plus the Magis Champion Award for students in each year who gain points from gifted and talented events, school academic performance and service to the Magis program and the College.
  • A Magis student committee assists with organisation of the program and serves the community by tutoring students, running competitions and speaking at Magis breakfasts and camps.
  • A large range of Academic Resources divided into three sections (articles/powerpoints/videos) in twelve different academic themes including areas such as goal-setting, study techniques and exam preparation is provided.
  • There are also four major publications each year: the hard cover Magis Handbook, Magis Chronicle, Magis Resources Handbook and the Magis Australian Competitions Handbook as well as handbooks for most interschool competitions.