John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School

John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
Address
2 Boyare Ave Mirrabooka , Western Australia Australia
Coordinates	31°51′31″S 115°51′24″E
Information
Type	Independent co-educational primary and secondary day school
Motto	Faith, Hope, Love
Denomination	Anglicanism
Established	1990 (1990)
Oversight	Anglican Schools Commission
Chair of School Council	David Hill
Principal	Jason Bartell
Staff	237
Teaching staff	134
Enrolment	1,604 (c. 2023)
Campus type	Suburban
Houses	Durham, Kelmscott, Newbury, Parmelia, Roebourne and Sandleford
Colour(s)	Garnet and blue
Slogan	In faith and hope and love.
Publication	The Tartan
Yearbook	The Surveyor
Website	www.jsracs.wa.edu.au

John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (commonly abbreviated as JSRACS or JSR) is an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary day school, located in Perth, Western Australia.

The school is named after the notable West Australian and first Surveyor-General of Western Australia, John Septimus Roe. It is the largest school of the Anglican Schools Commission.

History

John Septimus Roe, first Surveyor-General of Western Australia

The first campus, originally named Thomas Scott Anglican Community School, was established in Beechboro in 1990 when it took over the old Northside Christian School at the request of the State Government. The second campus, located in Mirrabooka, was opened in 1992 and exists as a combined primary and secondary school campus.

While in the beginning the two schools shared the same administration and school council, there existed a separate cultural identity. There was a rivalry between the primary schools' students, particularly in sporting events and the move to the upper school campus. As such in 1996, Thomas Scott Anglican Community School was renamed John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School to mark the new concept of "two campuses, one school".

Principal Matthew Hughes placed great emphasis on the modernisation of the school's facilities throughout his term. For example, 2005 saw the completion of the updated Ken Evans Science Building, while saw 2007 the opening of the newly created Catherine O'Neill library, named in honour of the Foundation Principal of the school. Following this in 2008, the modernised ICT Centre completed its renovation, having formerly served as an administration building. This was followed by the new Middle School Learning Community in 2009 and a raft of new classrooms including the new 'Senior Learning Centre' for Year 11 and 12 students which was completed in 2014.

In early 2012 the internal road system was finished, which was followed by the completion of the Chapel of St Paul's renovation, adding new facilities, a vestry and organ. In 2015, the Mathematics and Year 10 facility, 'D Block,' completed its redevelopment, and the central cafeteria was reopened after renovations.

In February 2021, the school council announced plans detailing the merging of both campuses, with Beechboro set to cease operations at the conclusion of the 2022 school year. The partial redevelopment of the Mirrabooka Campus' facilities will accompany this, which will be seen in the form of a new early learning space, a secondary school block and heavily expanded, modernised primary school facilities. The original Beechboro campus was closed as planned after the 2022 school year, with its students, staff and resources all being amalgamated into the Mirrabooka campus.

The previous Year 9 Learning Community was repurposed for Year 5 and Year 6 classes for the beginning of 2023. The new Michelle Bolt Early Learning Centre was opened for Semester 2, 2023, catering for Pre-Kindy and Kindy students. The previous building for those year levels was repurposed for Pre-Primary classes.

The beginning of the 2024 school year saw the completion of the double-storey Bromilow Learning Centre, the replacement for D-Block. Now referred to as B-Block, it is the new home for Year 9 and Year 10 students as well as mathematics and languages classes. The adjoining amphitheatre, a new entrance to the Performing Arts Centre and the revamped Chapel court were also completed as part of the project.

The names of both the Bromilow Learning Centre and the Michelle Bolt Early Learning Centre pay tribute to the names of facilities that once stood at the Beechboro Campus, the Michael Bromilow Centre (gymnasium) and the Michelle Bolt Library. Michelle Bolt was a former parent at the school and served as President of the P&F Assosciation and as a member of the School Council for fifteen years across two terms (1990-1994, 1995-2006). The Bromilow family play a large role in JSR's history, with Michael Bromilow serving as Chair of School Council from May 1991 until February 1993, before becoming the Director of the Anglican Schools Commission from February 1993 until December 2000. His wife, Von Bromilow was a long-serving member of the School Council from 2005 to 2019.

School Houses

The school is divided into six houses each with different colours and mascots:

• Durham Knights (Blue)
• Kelmscott Cougars (Green)
• Newbury Lions (Purple)
• Parmelia Eagles (Black)
• Roebourne Dragons (Red)
• Sandleford Sharks (Yellow)

The two newer houses, Parmelia and Newbury, were officially introduced on Wednesday 21 April 2010.

Once students enter secondary school and are allocated a Pastoral Care Group (PCG), they will remain with this group of students and PCG Tutor for the entirety of their schooling. Each year group comprises six PCG groups, one for each house. Moreover, each house is allocated staff member as the House Leader. They are responsible for overseeing the Pastoral Care Groups (PCGs) and interhouse events.

Campus

The school is now located at the one site in Mirrabooka, but for most of the school's history was a dual-campus school. The original campus at Beechboro catered for primary school students while the newer, larger campus in Mirrabooka ranges from kindergarten to Year 12. Each location had a school chapel: at Beechboro this was St Bede's Chapel, and at Mirrabooka, St Paul's. Both sites include canteens, libraries, oval spaces and gymnasiums.

Mirrabooka Campus

The Mirrabooka campus was the primary campus during the school's dual-campus era and is now the sole campus. Buildings and areas include:

• The Michelle Bolt Early Learning Centre, for Pre-Kindy and Kindy classes, with classrooms, office spaces and a playground
• The main Primary School area, for students from Pre-Primary to Year 4, with normal classrooms, specialist rooms for Education Support, Rock and Water and languages, a multi-purpose hall for assemblies and indoor PE lessons, canteen, oval, playgrounds and office spaces.
• The Year 5/6 Learning Community, for Year 5 and 6 students, with classrooms, a common area with lounges and the school's counselling office
• The Middle School Learning Community, for Year 7s and 8s, with classrooms and a common area with lounges and a kitchenette
• The Bromilow Learning Centre, for Year 9s and 10s, with classrooms, study spaces and a kitchenette
• The Senior Learning Centre, for Years 11 and 12, with classrooms, study spaces and kitchenettes
• St. Paul's Chapel
• The Ken Evans Science Building, with nine laboratories
• The Catherine O'Neill Library and ICT centre
• The Matthew Hughes Performing Arts Centre, with a 200 seat theatre, an organ room, dance theatre, practice music rooms and a cafe, staffed by hospitality trainees and catering staff
• The Design and Technology area, with 6 workshops for Design and Technology classrooms, 3d printing capabilities and 2 art classrooms for primary school and high school classes
• The Canteen staffed by hospitality trainees and catering staff
• The Gymnasium, with two full-sized basketball courts and a mezzanine level (used as a personal training area)
• The Terry Hann Oval, a full-size football oval, with cricket nets and long-jump pits, used for most high school PE classes, AFL football and cricket matches, and the school athletics carnival

Beechboro Campus

The Beechboro campus formerly catered to students from pre-kindergarten to year 6. The campus was home to the Michael Bromilow Centre, which had a full-size basketball court, offices, change rooms, storage, and a kitchen. Permits for the construction of the Centre were first filed in 2007, with construction beginning soon after.

The campus also included a wide array of other classrooms, each tailored to the needs of their relevant year groups. An example of this was the purpose-built kindergarten building, which was located on the Beechboro Road side of the campus, close to the St Bede’s Chapel.

The Beechboro Campus was uniquely designed in a ‘courtyard’ configuration, with classrooms surrounding the ‘inside area,’ which was a large grassed area used for lunch and recess times. The two ovals on the campus were known among students as the ‘outside area.’

The annual Twilight Fair was held at the Beechboro Campus, and included food stalls, carnival rides and live performances.

In late 2020, the school determined it was more viable to relocate all educational activity to the Mirrabooka campus. The original Beechboro campus was closed at the conclusion of the 2022 school year, and the site was vacated in Term 1, 2023, with all students and staff relocating to Mirrabooka.

The land was rezoned for residential use in 2023, and all facilities were demolished in the later half of 2023. Due to some public outcry, a few of the trees which were part of the campus were retained. This included a patch of Marri trees which were located behind the former gymnasium.

Curriculum

The primary school curriculum follows that imposed by the State Government, focusing on numeracy and literacy.

In the Primary School, all Year 2 students learn a string instrument as part of the 'Year 2 String Program' and all Year 5 students learn a concert band instrument as part of the 'Year 5 Band Program'. They also take part in a social skills program called Rock and Water, with a specialist teacher for students in Pre-Primary to Year 6. The class promotes self-control, self-reflection and self-confidence and is filled with challenges for the students to embrace and overcome.

Students in Years 7-10 must study Mathematics, English, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health Education, Physical Education and Religious Education. During Years 7 and 8, students must study Trailblazer and either Indonesian or Chinese: Mandarin for one period a-week. A student also chooses four different electives which they study twice-a-week for one semester. These elective subjects are:

• One of Dance, Drama or Music

• One of Visual Arts or Media Arts

• One of Design and Technology (Woodwork) or Food Technology (Cooking)

• Digital Technologies

In Year 9, students pick any two elective subjects that they study, twice-a-week for the whole year, alongside an into adult-hood program called The Rite Journey. These electives are the same as those above with the addition of Outdoor Education, Chinese: Mandarin, Indonesian and the school's Basketball Program.

Study in the senior secondary years is reflective of the guidelines set down by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA). Year 10 is viewed as a transition and preparation year between the middle and secondary schools. Students are streamed into Mathematics, English, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science courses, according to achievement from the years before (i.e. a student who has a high English score in Year 9 will be placed in the Year 10 English: Advanced course, whereas one with a poor one would learn the Year 10 English: Essentials course). Year 10 students can also pick 3 elective subjects to study out of:

Accounting and Finance, Applied Information Technology, Basketball, Children and Family Studies, Chinese, Computer Science, Dance, Drama, Engineering, Food Technology, Indonesian, Materials Design and Technology: Metal, Materials Design and Technology: Wood, Media, Outdoor Education, Physical Education Studies, Science Project and Visual Arts.

In Year 11 and 12, students study six courses, with four hour-long periods of each course each week. JSR offers multiple different pathways including:

• ATAR: The ATAR pathway is for students who are aiming to enrol in university via the Direct ATAR University Entry Pathway. At the end of their studies, students are given a rank derived from combining their school based mark and their external WACE exam mark for their top ATAR subjects.

• Flexible: The Flexible Pathway provides a clear pathway to university, TAFE or an Apprenticeship/Traineeship. The Flexible Pathway allows students to enrol in a selection of ATAR, General and Certificate Courses or the School Based Traineeship in Hospitality.
• CareerLink: The CareerLink program affords students the opportunity tocomplete a VET Certificate course in conjunction with a Workplace Learning Endorsed Program. Endorsed programs provide students with learning areas that are not covered in either the ATAR or General Courses. Students enrolled in a CareerLink Pathway will achieve credit for both a Certificate II (minimum) and an Endorded Program towards their WACE.
• Hospitality: The Hospitality School-Based Traineeship is an onsite School-based traineeship that offers students the unique opportunity to achieve their Certificate II and/or III in Hospitality while getting paid to be involved in the program. The training is delivered by both JSRACS teachers and an industry-trained onsite Chef in conjunction with a Registered Training Organisation. Contracts for this pathway are approved by the Apprenticeship Office then students are paid for the work they do (minimum 8 hours per week) in the program.
• Trade Prep: The Trade Preparation pathway is a specialised CareerLink Pathway designed to prepare students for a trade or employment in a related occupation. This pathway is a package of six courses that have been specifically chosen to be highly practical and relevant to the trade industries and therefore increase the level of engagement of students in Year 11 and 12 who are manual learners. The courses included in this pathway are: General Materials Design and Technology: Wood, General Materials Design and Technology: Metal, General Engineering, General English and General Trade Maths, one other General course and one CareerLink course of a students' choosing.

All of the available courses are listed in the table below.

Subjects offered

ATAR + General List A	ATAR + General List B	VET Courses	CareerLink Courses	Other Endorsed Programs
Business Management and Enterprise ATAR and General	Accounting and Finance ATAR only	Business Yr 11: Certificate II in Workplace Skills Yr 12: Certificate III in Business	Automotive Vocational Preparation Certificate II	Anglican Religious Studies Endorsed Program Yr 11: 1 period a week Yr 12: 1 period a week
Children, Family and the Community General only	Applied Information Technology ATAR and General	Hospitality Yr 11: Certificate II in Hospitality Yr 12: Certificate III in Hospitality	Building and Construction Certificate II	Basketball Program Acts as a 6th course, selected with 5 other General courses
Chinese: Second Language ATAR only	Biology ATAR only	Music Yr 11: Certificate II in Music Yr 12: Certificate III in Music	Business Certificate III Certificate IV for invited Year 12s
Dance ATAR and General	Chemistry ATAR only	Sport and Recreation Yr 11: Certificate II in Sport & Rec Yr 12: Certificate III in Sport & Rec	Community Services Certificate IV for Year 12s
Drama ATAR and General	Computer Science ATAR and General		Early Childhood Education and Care Certificate III
English ATAR and General	Engineering Studies ATAR only		Electronics Certificate II
English - Foundation General only	Food Science and Technology General only		Electrotechnology Certificate II
Geography ATAR only	Human Biology ATAR and General		Events Certificate III
History - Modern ATAR only	Materials Design and Technology: Metal General only		Fitness Certificate III Certificate IV for invited Year 12s
Indonesian: Second Language ATAR only	Materials Design and Technology: Wood General only		Health Services Assistance Certificate III
Literature ATAR only	Mathematics: Applications ATAR only		Horticulture Certificate II
Media Production & Analysis ATAR and General	Mathematics: Essentials General only		Information Technology (Cybersecurity) Certificate III
Music ATAR only	Mathematics: Foundation General only		Plumbing Certificate II
Religion and Life ATAR and General	Mathematics: Methods ATAR only		Preparation for Health and Nursing Studies Certificate IV for invited Year 12s
Visual Arts ATAR and General	Mathematics: Specialist ATAR only		Retail Cosmetics Certificate II
	Outdoor Education General only		Salon Assistant Certificate II
	Physical Education Studies ATAR and General		School Based Education Support Certificate III Certificate IV for invited Year 12s
	Physics ATAR only		Screen and Media Certificate IV
	Science in Practice General only

All year groups undertake compulsory religious education up to and including Year 12 of their schooling at JSRACS. Year 11 and 12 students can choose to study Religion and Life as an ATAR course or a General course, allowing them to have a study period whilst their year group has their 1 period a-week of Anglican Religious Studies Endorsed Program.

Co-curricular activities

There are multiple clubs that run throughout the year that encompass academics, sports and technology. Some of these include the 100 Club (Primary) and 300 Club (Secondary), Swimming Club for Years 4-12 in Terms 1 and 4, revision sessions and homework help in multiple subjects, Media Club, Drone Club, ESports Club, Dungeons and Dragons Club, Biology Club, 3D Design Club, Dance Club, Chess Club, Multicultural Club and AV Club. The school also takes part in multiple academic competitions including the Tournament of Minds for Year 7-10 students, the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) for Year 5-8 students and the Australian Mathematics Competition for select Year 3-12 students. The school has an extensive Basketball Program for secondary school students. The program runs during the school day, and acts as a class for students in the program. Many students, from JSR and other schools, trial for selection into the program.

Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 are eligible to participate in ACC sport in terms 1 and 2, where students face students from other ACC schools in the NWAS division. These schools include: Aranmore Catholic College, Carmel School, Emmanuel Christian Community School, Kingsway Christian College, Mercy College and St. George's Anglican Grammar School. The schools compete in multiple sports including:

Summer: Girls and Boys Basketball (7/8, 9/10), Mixed Volleyball (7/8, 9/10), Mixed Ultimate Frisbee (7/8, 9/10) and Cricket (7/8, 9/10)

Winter: Girls and Mixed Netball (7/8, 9/10), Girls and Boys Soccer (7/8, 9/10), Girls and Boys Badminton (7/8, 9/10) and Mixed Touch Rugby (7/8, 9/10)

Furthermore, students who excel in inter-house swimming, cross-country and athletics carnivals are selected into the JSRACS team for that sport and represent the school in ACC Inter-school Carnivals. As of the 2024 school year, JSRACS are in D Division for Swimming and B Division for Athletics.

The JSR Cadets program has been running for over 25 years, and it currently offers 3 different programs. The River Rangers Cadets for Years 5 and 6 aims to empower children to protect local waterways. The Bush Ranger Cadets run for Years 7-12 and it allows students to work safely in and around nature. Finally, the Emergency Services Cadets run for Year 7-12 with students participating in drills and learning the use of fire fighting equipment.

There is an annual Bali trip for Indonesian language students and an annual Japanese Ski Trip for Year 12 students. There are also one-off school trips, such as to China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Dubai, Germany, Austria and Singapore as well as Melbourne, Avalon and Adelaide.

Students are able to have individual or small group music lessons with a tutor. These take place during the school day and can last either 30 minutes or 60 minutes. There are also many bands, choirs, ensembles and orchestras to join. These include:

• Bands
  • Concert Band (Years 7-12)
  • JSR Big Band (Years 6-12)
  • Junior Band (Years 6 and 7)
• Choirs
  • Primary Choir (Years 4-6)
  • Secondary Choir (Years 7-12)
  • St Paul’s Chapel Choir (Years 4-12)
• Ensembles
  • Secondary Guitar Ensemble (Year 7)
  • Cello Ensemble (Years 7-12)
  • Contemporary Ensemble (Years 7-12)
  • Flute Ensemble (Years 7-12)
• Orchestras
  • JSR Jazz Orchestra (Years 9-12)
  • Chamber Orchestra (Years 7-12)
  • Sinfonia (Years 7-12)
  • Sinfonietta (Years 4-6)

Since 2008, music ensembles have begun touring, with the Senior Concert Band to New Zealand in 2008, the Secondary Choir to Germany and Austria in 2009, the Wind Band and Septissimo Strings to Singapore in 2010 and the Chapel Choir to the United Kingdom in 2011. 2012 saw the Jazz Band visit Mount Gambier, South Australia to compete in the Generations in Jazz Festival. A combined JSRACS and other ASC schools orchestra planned to go to Eastern Europe in 2013, visiting Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

In 2000, the school entered the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge for the first time, winning first place in the Perth Grand Final the following year. Many students are involved in all aspects of the preparation, dancing and backstage tasks involved in the performance. The school only participated every second year until 2007.

Drama and Dance are the other major co-curricular activities. The Drama and Dance department puts on a number of shows over the year including:

• Choreography Night
• Primary School Musical
• Middle School Play
• Senior School Musical - previous shows listed below.

2000 – Lockie Leonard: Human Torpedo
2000 – Away
2001 – Wolfstock
2002 – Two Weeks with the Queen
2002 – Hating Alison Ashley
2003 – Looking for Alibrandi
2003 – Boss of the Pool
2004 – Così
2004 – The Hunchback of Nostradamus
2005 – Gumshoe
2005 – Picnic at Hanging Rock
2006 – The Man of Steel
2007 – Oliver!
2008 – The Servant of Two Masters
2008 – The Sound of Music
2009 – Pride and Prejudice
2009 – How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
2010 – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
2011 – A Midsummer Night's Dream
2011 – The Pajama Game
2012 – The Mikado
2012 – Stories from Suburban Road
2013 – The Comedy of Errors
2013 – Bugsy Malone
2014 – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
2015 – Guys and Dolls
2016 – Grease
2017 – The Wedding Singer
2018 – Grimm's Tales
2019 – Legally Blonde
2020 – A Midsummer Night's Dream
2021 – We Will Rock You
2022 – Bye Bye Birdie
2023 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2024 – Fame

The productions involve over 100 students in acting, orchestra or backstage crew. Senior School musicals run for four full houses, whilst the Primary School musical and Middle School play run for three nights. Choreography Night also runs over three nights, with one night featuring the popular teacher's dance.

Statue and portraits

In 2009, as part of the annual Founders' Day celebrations to commemorate the school's 20th year, the school's then-principal Matthew Hughes JP commissioned the creation of a statue of John Septimus Roe in his youth. The sculpture was later changed to be of Roe during the early years of his work as the Surveyor General. In 2010, the school commissioned a portrait of principal Matthew Hughes, which will set the precedent for all future principals to have a portrait painted of them to be hung in the school's library.

Notable alumni

Sport

• Joel Corey, AFL, Geelong Football Club
• Liam O'Connor, Cricket, Adelaide Strikers, Western Warriors
• Dana Hooker, AFLW, Fremantle Football Club, West Coast Eagles
• Courtney Guard, AFLW, Fremantle Football Club, West Coast Eagles
• Charlie Thomas, AFLW, West Coast Eagles

External links

• JSRACS official homepage
• Australian Rock Eisteddfod Challenge website