John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School

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

John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
Location
Mirrabooka & Beechboro
,
Western Australia

Australia
Coordinates31°51′31″S 115°51′24″E
Information
TypeIndependent co-educational primary and secondary day school
MottoFaith, Hope, Love
DenominationAnglicanism
Established1989 (1989)
OversightAnglican Schools Commission
ChairmanDiane van de Velde
PrincipalJason Bartell
Employees300+
Enrolment1,940 (c. 2018[1])
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)Garnet and blue   
PublicationThe Tartan
YearbookThe Surveyor
Websitewww.jsracs.wa.edu.au

The school is named after the notable West Australian and first Surveyor-General of Western Australia, John Septimus Roe. It is the largest member[2] of the Anglican Schools Commission and is also noted for having the longest name of any school in Western Australia.

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. To this day, there is a deep 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".[3]

2005 saw the completion of the renovated Science block[4] and 2007 the newly created Catherine O'Neill library (in honour of the Foundation Principal of the school).[5] In 2008, the ICT Centre completed its renovation,[6] having formerly served as an administration building and year 8 block. This was followed by the new Middle School Learning Community in 2009[7] and a raft of new classrooms including the new 'Senior Learning Centre' which was completed in 2014, 2009 was also the 20th anniversary of the school's foundation, celebrated with special concerts, dinners and events.[7] And 2019 was the school's 30th anniversary of the school's foundation.

Today the primary school campus at Beechboro and primary/secondary campus at Mirrabooka has a student population of nearly 2,000 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

In early 2012 the long-awaited internal road system was finished. Later that year, the school's Chapel of St Paul underwent a renovation, adding new facilities and a vestry. In 2015, the maths block/Year 10 block was joined, and the central cafeteria was erected. In 2016, the new senior school block was finished. Future projects include a swimming pool and a third pipe organ.

School crest
  • A bishop's mitre represents the authority of the Anglican Archbishop of Perth over the school as part of the Anglican Schools Commission.
  • The St George's Cross indicates the Anglican Church's link with the Church of England.
  • The Bible was the basis of the Christian beliefs and values system.
  • An oil lamp represents light and knowledge.
  • The handle signifies Chi Rho - the letters of the word "Christ".[8]

School houses

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

  • Durham House (blue) - named after Roe's home in England
  • Kelmscott House (green) - named after the ship in which Roe came to Australia
  • Roebourne House (red) - named after Roe's ship
  • Sandleford House (yellow) - named after Roe's former property back in England
  • Newbury House (purple) - named after Roe's birthplace
  • Parmelia House (black) - named after Roe's ship

Durham with blue and knights, Kelmscott with green and cougars, Roebourne is associated with the colour red and mascot of dragons, Sandleford with yellow and sharks (previously stags), Parmelia with black and eagles and Newbury with purple and lions. The two newer houses, Parmelia and Newbury, were officially introduced on Wednesday 21 April 2010. The mascot, colour and emblem were decided by new members of the house by a popular vote.

In the middle/secondary school, each house contains one pastoral care group (PCG) per year group, and this group is assigned a PCG tutor, who remains with them throughout their high school journey (usually excluding Year 7). In Year 7, students were formally educated in the purpose-built Year 7 Suite, at the south-eastern edge of the campus, overlooking the primary school oval. The new system introduced in 2010 has six classes of Year 7s, representing each of the houses.

At JSR there are many inter-house competitions, the most notable being the Swimming, Cross-Country and Athletics Carnivals. There are also minor competitions including music festivals, theatresports, inter-house signing and hymn singing. Points earned from competitions go towards the annual Ivan Jordanoff Interhouse Shield.

Campus

The school is located at two sites. The original campus at Beechboro caters for primary school students while the newer, larger campus in Mirrabooka ranges from kindergarten to Year 12. Each location has a school chapel: at Beechboro this is St Bede's Chapel, and at Mirrabooka, St Paul's. Both sites include canteens, libraries, oval spaces and gymnasiums.

The Catherine O'Neill Library at the Mirrabooka Campus is particularly notable for its size, boasting two floors and a collection of several thousand books. Attached to the library is the ICT centre containing two computer labs, offices, and a media room. The Performing Arts Centre (PAC) has a dedicated tiered-theatre, music practice rooms, offices and an organ room. The PAC also features a dance theatre, change rooms, green room, sizable backstage area a cafe, catering for all students and teachers. The cafe is now ran by the TAFE students and various cooking teachers and is dubbed The meet 'n eat cafe. The Mirrabooka gymnasium contains two full-sized basketball courts, a mezzanine level (used as a personal training area), offices, kitchens, storerooms and two classrooms. This gym is also the main assembly building on the campus and is used for large-scale events such as Founders' Day and Presentation Nights. The Science block features eight 'laboratories', offices, computer room, Laboratory room and a special open-plan laboratory for interactive science. The middle school block features 11 classrooms, staff lounges and offices, a common student area with lounges and a kitchenette as well as laptop trolleys. The school grounds are beautifully landscaped and buildings surround the central Carnley Court named after former Archbishop of Perth, Peter Carnley.

The Beechboro campus' gymnasium, the Michael Brommilow Centre, features one full-size basketball court, offices, change rooms, storage, kitchens, and is also used as the major assembly area at the Beechboro campus. The Beechboro campus also features many classrooms specifically tailored to suit each year level in the primary years of schooling.

Curriculum

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

A special aspect of the Primary School is the Chapel Choir Program, where music education is the core focus. Students accepted into the program undertake rigorous musical training, which forms the backbone of their education. They receive special vocal and choral tuition and are all expected to learn a string instrument, piano, organ or harpsichord. The students in this program have their own classroom at the Mirrabooka campus and are known as the MAG class (Multi-Age Group). The program runs from years 4–6, after which students are expected to remain with the choir, but not as the MAG choristers.

Music is a key element of life at JSRACS, and this is encouraged throughout the school. 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'.

The secondary school follows the WACE guidelines and subjects offered in these years reflect the courses of study for the WACE. Year 10 is viewed as a transition and preparation year between the middle and secondary schools. Students are streamed into mathematics, English 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 10.3 course, whereas one with a poor one would attend 10.1). Year 10 students can also study a range of elective subjects including Design and Technology, LOTE courses, robotics, theatre arts, dance, ICT courses and music. In Year 11, students desiring a university education select six subjects, of which a minimum of four must be 'ATAR subjects'. Examples include English/Literature (which is compulsory) and Mathematics (which is strongly encouraged). Other, more specialised subjects, are also available such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Human Biology, Religion and Life, Music, Drama, Dance, Outdoor Education, Media Studies, Chinese (Mandarin), History, Economics, Geography, Business Management and Enterprise, Indonesian, Accounting, Physical Education Studies and many more.[9] For those who are looking at TAFE options or apprenticeships, the CareerLink allows students to get first-hand experience out in the workforce, and can even study off campus, at TAFEs around Western Australia.

All year groups undertake compulsory religious and values education up to and including Year 10 of their schooling at JSRACS. After this time the subject becomes optional.

Co-curricular activities

Co-curricular activities are a vital part of an education at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School.[10] In the primary school, sporting teams are the most popular for students, with JSR fielding netball, football, soccer, softball and many other sports.

Music and Drama are also available, with instrumentalists encouraged to join the Wind Band or Septissimo Strings, whilst vocalists are invited to join the Primary Choir.[11] The St Paul's Chapel Choir, as mentioned before, is an exclusive group of talented vocalists who tour Perth, interstate, and internationally.[12]

Once a year, the primary school put on a Pantomime, showing the upcoming talent in music, dance and drama. Primary school students also have the option to participate in Wakikirri, a Junior Rock Eisteddfod festival.[13]

In the middle and senior schools, art students can join the lunchtime Art Club, and participate in Interhouse Chalk-Drawing competition. Students who enjoy dance are invited to participate in the Dance Club, which meets once weekly, after school. Choreography Night is a dance night planned and run by the Year 12 Dance students, which includes over 120 performers from years 7-12. This is a hugely popular event amongst parents, staff and students. Dances are choreographed mainly by Year 12 ATAR Dance students and form part of their assessment for this course. LOTE department activities include cultural exchanges to Bali and Italy, as well as the Annual Harmony Week Fair, where different cultures are shown off and exhibited. The school magazine was started up in 2010 to a roaring success and uses budding student journalists to provide a range of fun, informative and enjoyable articles for both staff and students.

In Year 11, selected students are invited into the smARTS programme, run by the University of Western Australia. This programme has students meet on campus at UWA and online, and take part in researching prevalent issues facing society. This research project is then submitted to a UWA panel who judge the best project. The research culminates in a Presentation Night, where the students summarise their 10,000-word projects into five-minute videos, skits, speeches etc. JSRACS students have succeeded in the past, with teams in 2007, 2008 and 2010 winning overall.

All students are encouraged to take part in sporting teams at the secondary level. 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. JSRACS has won the Summer, Winter and Overall NWAS Series for the past 10 years. Students who excel in swimming, cross country and athletics are also selected into the JSR team for that sport and represent the school in ACC Inter-school Carnivals. Currently JSR are in C Division for Swimming and A Division for Athletics. JSR has finished in the top 15 out of over 100 schools in the Inter-school Cross Country for the past few years. JSRACS has excelled in Athletics, advancing from C Division to A Division over three years. In 2009, their first year in A Division, JSR placed 2nd behind Sacred Heart College. In 2010, JSR cemented its status in A Division with a solid 3rd placing.[14]

Students have many travel opportunities with the school. There is a Sydney and Canberra trip, offered biannually, an annual Bali trip and an annual Japanese Ski Trip, visiting Melbourne and Mount Hotham. 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. A religious trip was planned to Israel in 2012. Future academic trips include Japan, America, France, the United Kingdom and South Africa.[15]

Music forms a key area in co-curricular life at JSRACS. There are many ensembles, bands, choirs and groups to join. These include:[16]

  • Bagpipe Band
  • Barbershop Quartet
  • Beechboro & Mirrabooka Primary Choir
  • Big Night in Events
  • Clarinet Ensemble
  • Guitar Ensemble
  • Secondary Choir
  • Senior Concert Band
  • Senior Jazz Band
  • Septimus Swing
  • Septissimo Strings
  • Sinfonia
  • St Pauls Chapel Choir
  • Wind Band
  • Year 2 String Orchestra
  • Year 5 Bands

These ensembles are very popular and involve some 250 students. 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.[16]

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 is the other major co-curricular activity. The Drama department puts on a number of shows over the year:

  • Annual musical production and play

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 - Bohemian Rhapsody

  • Choreography Night
  • Dance Night
  • Year 12 Original Solo Performance (OSP) Night
  • Interhouse TheatreSports

The musical productions are done on a large scale, involving over 100 students in acting, orchestra or backstage. Musicals run for four nights to sell out crowds, whilst plays run for three full houses. Choreography Night runs over three nights, with the last two nights featuring a teacher's dance.[17]

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

References
  1. "Heritage". John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. n.d. Retrieved 18 April 2018.  Today JSRACS has an enrolment of 1940 students from 1276 families. It is by far the largest Anglican School in Western Australia and the student population is expected to peak at 2100 students....'
  2. http://www.asc.wa.edu.au/
  3. "Heritage". John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. n.d. Retrieved 18 April 2018.  It took until 1996 to formally merge the Parents and Friends Associations and promote the concept of "two campuses, one school".' 
  4. The Surveyor. Perth, Western Australia: John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. 2005.
  5. The Surveyor. Perth, Western Australia: John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. 2007.
  6. The Surveyor. Perth, Western Australia: John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. 2008.
  7. The Surveyor. Perth, Western Australia: John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. 2009.
  8. School Student Diary 2008
  9. "Year 11 and 12 Courses". John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School. n.d. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  10. Co-Curricular Programme Archived 29 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Instrumental Lessons Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Chorister Scholarship Programme Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Co-curricular Primary Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Sport Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Tours Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Music Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Performing Arts Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Associated & Catholic Colleges of WA 1999 Yearbook Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:13-08-2007)
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