For most of us, 2040 is just a long way away. For Catherine Rey, Principal of John Paul College Gungahlin, it’s always in sight.
“In 2040, the graduates of 2018 will have been in the workforce for about twenty years!” she said. “I wonder how many different jobs and the varied career paths they will already have had. We can’t begin to imagine what their world will be, or the jobs that our students might be called on to do. We can nurture them as curious, capable and committed learners, so they leave our school with the skills to thrive. That is our philosophy at JPC.”
The College, which welcomed its first students in 2013, will accept Year 11 students from 2017.
Catherine Rey approaches the new phase for JPC as a natural extension of the College’s established strengths. JPC’s unique educational model emphasises self-direction right from Year 7, underpinned by the one-on-one support of a dedicated Mentor teacher.
“We don’t wait to introduce personal resilience, time management and responsibility in Year 11 – we consider it to be fundamental to the process of learning and so students learn these skills from the day they begin at JPC. Our students stand out in the community not just for their maturity, but for their interest in the wider world and passion for making change.”
The College’s strong academic and future oriented approach focus has attracted considerable attention from the wider educational community, including visiting academics.
“We welcome every student as an individual: with a name, a family and an important place in our school community. Education works best when it’s custom-made!”
The Year 11 and 12 program has been years in the making, and will launch in 2017 with a full range of subjects and courses. “The fact that our first Year 11 group will be small offers great advantages to those students studying at JPC, as it will mean small classes and a very favourable student/teacher ratio” said Catherine.
Students can follow their chosen pathway at either the tertiary or accredited level. Vocational qualifications will also be offered to students through JPC’s partnership with St Francis Xavier College.
The College is well-equipped with an award-winning, architect designed, state of the art building; It has been described as looking more like it belongs in Silicon Valley. The campus was also designed with liveability in mind. JPC’s canteen serves freshly prepared meals with locally sourced ingredients, many of them grown in the on-campus kitchen garden.
The school stands out as one whose doors are always open either for an individualised visit or for prospective students to “try JPC for a day”.
“I call JPC Canberra’s newest old school. We have all the benefits of a modern curriculum and custom-built facilities; built on the deep tradition of Catholic education. It’s a pleasure to welcome new students, and even better to see all of our students flourish.”
Phone 6163 4800 or email [email protected]
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