All secondary students at St Anthony of Padua Catholic College Austral have the opportunity to compete in national, international and industry-based competitions covering an array of academic areas to appeal to most students.

Aurecon is an international engineering firm which holds a competition across Australia and New Zealand for school students. All Stage 5 Engineering students will be encouraged to compete at the school stage of the competition. A team will be selected to represent the school at the next stage, where they will be required to build a bridge, which will be tested with the latest computer-based software to replicate the forces bridges face in nature.

The Geography Competition is a national competition. Students studying Geography in Years 7 to 11 are eligible to sit for the examination. It is usually held during May.
Students sit for a 75-minute, multiple choice competition testing problem solving skills (as opposed to mathematics examination techniques). Problem solving skills are practised in the classroom prior to the competition. The competition is held annually in late July/early August.

Students undertaking Chemistry studies in Years 11 and 12 are strongly encouraged to take part in this competition. The quiz aims to promote and encourage an awareness of the nature and relevance of chemistry among secondary school students.

The National Qualifying Examinations (NQEs) are the first stage of the Olympiad Programs. An NQE is held annually for each discipline – Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Around the top 25 students in each NQE will be invited to become Australian Science Olympiad (ASO) Scholars who are trained at the Australian National University for the Olympiad.
Bebras is an international initiative whose goal is to promote computational thinking for teachers and students. Bebras is aligned with the new Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum.

Students participate in a state-wide computer competition run by the University of New South Wales that assesses a wide range of computer skills areas. The competition is open to all students from Years 7 to 10.

This competition is provided by ICAS, the University of NSW, and provides an opportunity for all students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external assessment situation. It provides schools and teachers with extensive reporting of results and also gives parents helpful information regarding their child’s performance in reading, textual devices, grammar and vocabulary.

The English Writing Competition is provided by ICAS, the University of NSW, and requires a text-type based response. Stimulus material and detailed instructions are supplied. The competition is open to all students who will receive a certificate and an information feedback sheet.

Future Problem Solving is an international competition that requires students to investigate future scenarios. Students identify a range of issues or problems and set about constructing possible solutions to these real world situations.

Macquarie University hosts a two-day Business Innovation Challenge (BIC). This competition gives the student the chance to team up and solve real-world business problems. The student will receive industry and academic mentoring and will pitch their solution to a panel of industry judges. The student will participate in a complete design life-cycle and gain skills crucial for the 21st Century workplace.

This is an inter-school mock trial competition which is run by the NSW Law Society. Students from Year 11 Legal Studies travel to other schools and compete in a legal trial judged by a legal professional.
MUNA is an annual, two-day weekend event that is part of an International Rotary project to educate senior high school students on the United Nations organisation and its vital commitment to world peace, in addition to health, education and living standards around the world. This event provides an excellent forum for students to develop and practice their public speaking skills while debating on topical world issues.
Year 11 Software Design and selected Year 9 and 10 IST students participate in the National Computer Science School Python Challenge.
The Rotary STEM Competition is run by Newcastle University for students who are interested in Science and Engineering. Entry for students is subsidised by Rotary and the competition is available for students from Years 7 to 12. Students sit for a 60-minute, multiple-choice paper, testing problem and process solving skills.
This competition focusses on the need to solve global environmental challenges through scientific methodology and innovative thinking among high school students. It is a worldwide competition open to all 15–18 year old secondary students from any nation in the world.
The ASX Stock Market Game is a national competition open to all year levels. Students are given a $50,000 hypothetical portfolio which they can trade over an 8-week period. The game follows the market in real time and any gains/losses are virtual. They learn about the stock market and take an active interest in the daily fluctuations. It also assists students’ learning in subjects such as Economics and Business Studies.

Tournament of the Minds is an international competition. It is a problem solving program for teams of students from Years 7–10. The teams are required to solve open ended challenges from one of the following disciplines: Applied Technology; Language and Literature; Maths Engineering; and Social Sciences. Tournament of the Minds is for students with a passion for learning and problem solving to demonstrate their skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant and public way.

World Skills is an International competition, which is held in conjunction with industry and tertiary education establishments. The competition potentially allows boys to compete interstate and overseas. St Anthony’s intends to compete in the Kitchen Operations component of this course. Any student who studies Hospitality is encouraged to compete in this competition at a school level.
St Anthony of Padua Catholic College Austral_Cocurricular_students on laptop
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