Magis

Last week I met with the Catholic Education Office for a bi-annual discussion about Magis. It was good to learn that Magis is seen as an example of best practice for secondary gifted education. The Catholic Education Office has invited me to do presentations about Magis for a number of secondary network meetings where teachers have been very keen to see the programs we use and discuss our policy.

2015 Curtin University/John XXlll College Gifted Initiative:

Over the year I have been working to set up a project with Curtin University's School of Design & Art and Humanities. We plan​ to run a gifted workshop in Digital Design. I envisage this being offered to gifted Year 11 and 12 students and it will run through the July school holidays or over summer 2015/16. Some potential projects we have discussed could be:

  • A Stop Motion Animation Production
  • A 2D Animation Production
  • An Interactive Website
  • A Motion Graphics Production

For all of the above, we would teach students skills particular to that production workflow, as well as sound design/editing and image manipulating/editing. To keep things manageable, we would choose only one of the above mediums for the whole workshop, then set a single project based on a 'real-world' production brief.

In terms of a basic schedule it would look something like this:

Day 1: Brainstorming, Ideation & Confirmation of Project idea (in conjunction with facilitator). Pre-Production Planning & Research based on confirmed project idea.

Day 2: Training in production-specific techniques

Day 3: Training in general auxiliary techniques relating to image manipulation and sound

Day 4: Intensive Production

Day 5: Final Polish and Presentation of finished projectsAny interested parents or students should email or chat to me in the Library.

Library:

The past few weeks have been very busy in the Library with our senior secondary students preparing for their examinations. The Library is open for secondary students 7.30am until 5pm Monday to Thursday, closing for Mass at 8am on Friday morning and at 3.30pm. As the teaching year draws to a close students need to return all borrowed items to the Library. All items need to be returned by 28 November as we are about to do our annual stocktake.

Literacy matters!

I read, therefore I am. I can.

  • Be smart and become smarter;
  • Communicate with others;
  • Understand and connect with new challenges;
  • Participate in family life, the workplace and community life;
  • Use a range of technologies;
  • Think for myself and with others;
  • Keep my culture alive;
  • Share with others; and
  • Be creative and laugh.

I have the world and beyond at my feet.

I can read, therefore I am empowered and can learn lifelong.

I can read, therefore I am part of the future.

I can read, therefore I am,

Because literacy does matter.

Literacy and Reading Section, IFLA.

Dr Annette Pedersen
Magis & Ignatius Centre Coordinator