Secondary

Dear Families

Magis

On Wednesday, we celebrated our Magis students' achievements at the Magis Awards Breakfast. Throughout the year, the Magis program has continued to stretch students through enriched learning opportunities and intellectual challenge. Students have engaged in a diverse range of activities, including academic competitions, creative projects, and leadership initiatives that reflect the College’s commitment to academic rigour and excellence. Opportunities include Da Vinci Decathlon, WA Debating League, and World Scholars Cup, showcasing the depth of talent within our student body. We congratulate our Overall Magis Champion Scholar for 2026, Madeleine Miller (Year 8), and commend Henry McGlue (Year 10) as the recipient of the Magis Spirit Prize for exemplifying the College values and the Magis ethos. We also thank Ms Daisy Farley, Head of Magis, all staff who contributed to the Magis program, and the students whose dedication made Magis a vibrant, collegial, and transformative experience this year.

Read more in our Magis update.

WACE ATAR Exams

On Wednesday morning, our Year 12 ATAR students commenced their WACE ATAR examinations, marking the culmination of their learning journey. The examination period will continue until Wednesday, 18 November.

As a College community, we extend our very best wishes to each of our Year 12 students as they undertake their final secondary school examinations. This is a significant milestone and an opportunity for students to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and resilience they have developed throughout their schooling.

Success in these examinations is built on countless hours of study, perseverance, commitment, and determination shown throughout this year and previous years. We encourage students to approach each exam with confidence, trust in their preparation, and take pride in the effort they have invested.

On behalf of the College, we wish all Year 12 ATAR students every success in the weeks ahead. May your hard work be rewarded, and may you look back on this period with a sense of accomplishment and pride in all that you have achieved.

Peer Support

Following the successful completion of our inaugural Peer Support Workshop on Thursday and Friday, we congratulate our Year 9 students on how well they embraced this leadership development opportunity. Throughout the two-day program, students actively participated in workshops, discussions, and team-building activities designed to strengthen their communication, collaboration, resilience, self-awareness, and mentoring skills. Their enthusiasm, maturity, and willingness to challenge themselves were evident throughout the experience.

We sincerely thank the staff who helped plan and deliver the program, ensuring the event ran smoothly and provided a positive experience for everyone involved. As the College's first workshop of its kind, this program marks the start of an exciting leadership pathway that we hope will continue to be offered to future Year 9 students as they consider applying for Year 10 Peer Support Leader positions.

Importantly, the workshop reflected our Ignatian tradition by encouraging students to be reflective, discerning, and committed to service for others. As participants now consider the next steps in their leadership journey, we encourage them to take time to reflect on their learning and identify how they can put these skills into action within our school community and beyond. 

Whether or not students are appointed to a formal leadership position in 2027, each has the capacity to demonstrate leadership through compassion, courage, and a commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Assistant Deputy Principal Kaitlyn Green will share further information about the application process for the 2027 Year 10 Peer Support Leader positions shortly.

Reminder: Securing Personal Belongings

As an open campus, John XXIII relies on all members of our community taking simple but important steps to safeguard their personal belongings.

All students have been provided with a locker lock, and we encourage them to store bags, devices, and other personal items securely in locked lockers throughout the day. Students who ride to school should also secure their bicycles with an appropriate bike lock and avoid leaving valuables unattended.

Parents and carers play an important role in reinforcing these habits. A reminder at home about securing belongings can help students develop responsible practices that protect their property and the wider community.

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for all students.

Homework Club Update - End of Term 4

Our alumni tutors will finish on Thursday, 27 November (Week 7), to align with the conclusion of Year 10 exams. We encourage students to make use of our tutors for the next few weeks. 

The Library will also close at 5pm on Monday to Thursday and 3pm on Friday in Weeks 8 and 9. 

Term 4 Key Dates 

ASX Sharemarket Game

Over the past 10 weeks, students in Years 7 to 12 have participated in the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Schools Sharemarket Game. Players were given a virtual $50,000 and bought and sold shares, with company prices mirroring real-time market prices. The game is a fantastic way to expose students to the market's trials and tribulations, including share price fluctuations and market volatility, while also teaching them how to read financial news, interpret share prices, and identify what to look for in a company when investing. 

A huge congratulations to Harry Major, who finished 16th in Australia and second in Western Australia.

Congratulations to the following students who ended the game with the highest-value portfolios:

Thomas Hooker

Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher

Year 11 Geography ATAR – ‘Diffusion of Culture’ on display!

Over the past few weeks, our Year 11 ATAR Geography students have been immersed in Assessment Task 7, a dynamic exploration of cultural diffusion through the lens of fashion, sport, or music. As part of Unit 2 Depth Study 2, this task challenged students to choose their own area of cultural interest and investigate how their selected cultural element has spread across the globe. This included examining the roles technology, media, and transnational corporations play in shaping these patterns.

The highlight of the task was creating informative posters, where students showcased their research findings in visually engaging, academically rigorous formats. These posters addressed key syllabus points, including the spatial distribution of cultural elements, the impact of transport and telecommunications, and the social, economic, and environmental implications of cultural change.

Following the in-class validation, students proudly presented their posters during a celebratory afternoon tea. The display vibrantly reflected their creativity, critical thinking, and geographic inquiry skills, bringing together colour, content, and cultural insight.

A huge congratulations to all students for their dedication and thoughtful work. Their posters were a fantastic reflection of their efforts, demonstrating a deep understanding of cultural geography and bringing global connections to life in our classroom. Thank you to Mr Chris Morris for helping prepare for the day.

Sarah Williams

Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher

Year 11 General Geography: Perth Tourism and Optus Stadium Fieldwork

On Monday 26 October, our Year 11 General Geography students embarked on their final fieldwork experience for the year, exploring some of Perth’s most significant tourism and urban redevelopment sites. The day featured a ‘talking tourism’ presentation, an educational guided walk through Kings Park, and visits to Yagan Square, the Perth Cultural Centre, Elizabeth Quay, and the iconic Optus Stadium. Focusing on tourism and urban redevelopment, students consolidated their learning while developing valuable fieldwork skills, including observing, recording, and analysing data. A highlight of the day was stepping inside the West Coast Eagles' clubrooms, coaches’ boxes, and media rooms at Optus Stadium for a memorable behind-the-scenes experience. Thank you to Mrs Laura Rutherford for accompanying us on the excursion and contributing to a fantastic day.

Kalo Bell

Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher

SPORT

Lisa Webb: The power of resilience and mindset

A standout moment of the Sports Aw Night was our Q&A with AFLW Fremantle Dockers Senior Coach, Lisa Webb, led by the wonderful Glenn Mitchell. Through honest reflections on success, setbacks, resilience, and the realities of elite sport, Lisa challenged students to look beyond results and focus on growth, habits, and perseverance. Her powerful message about navigating failure, embracing the journey, and learning from every experience left students inspired both as athletes and as young people preparing for life beyond sport.

Year 7 Summer NAS

We are very much looking forward to next Thursday's NAS Carnival. Please find the parent letter and fixtures attached.

Year 7 NAS BBQ and final training will occur on Tuesday, 2 November. Training will be for all teams, including the Social Volleyball Teams.

• Training 3:30pm - 4:15pm

• BBQ 4:15pm - 4:30pm

   

Staffing

Year 8 Summer NAS

We had a wonderful two weeks of Year 8 NAS trials, which are now complete.  Teams have been posted in the College notices. All students must be involved on the day. Students should be listed in one of the three categories

• NAS Team
• Social Volleyball Competition
• Student helper

Trainings - Weeks 4 and 5

• Pay attention to all training dates and times as it may not be the same each week
• If you cannot make a training session, you must let your team teacher know
• Carnival is Week 6, Thursday 17 November, 7:45am - 3:00pm

Staffing

Training Schedule

Years 9/10 Water Polo

Trials for Years 9 to10 SSWA Water Polo have concluded. Well done to all students who attended the trials. The talent within our teams is very pleasing to see. There will be a final training session next week before the carnival at HPC the following week. Students must meet at HPC on their respective tournament day, and a bus will take them back to school at the end of the tournament. If parents would like to collect their child from the venue, this should be requested in email correspondence as follows:

• Years 9-10 Boys - Mr Chris Morris (Cc Mr Darren Kowal)
• Years 9-10 Girls - Miss Jodi Power (Cc Mr Darren Kowal)

Training schedule

Training 1: Wednesday, 4 November | 3:30 - 4:30pm

Girls session at Claremont Pool

Boys session at John XXIII College

Tournament: 

• Girls: Wednesday, 11 November | HPC
• Boys: Thursday, 12 November | HPC

Years 7/8 SSWA Water Polo

A reminder that trials will commence next week for Years 7/8 Water polo. Please see days, times and locations.

Trials and Training

• Trial 1: Tuesday, 3 November | 3:30pm - 4:30pm 
  • Girls session at Claremont Pool
  • Boys session at John XXIII College
• Trial 2: Tuesday, 10 November | 3:30pm - 4:30pm 
  • Boys session at Claremont Pool
  • Girls session at John XXIII College
• Training 1: Tuesday, 17 November | 3:30pm - 4:30pm 
  • Girls session at Claremont Pool
  • Boys session at John XXIII College

Years 7-8 Tournament Days

• Girls - Thursday, 26 November (HPC)
• Boys - Friday, 27 November (HPC) 

Students will be transported to and from Claremont Pool and return at 4:45pm.

NAS Golf

It was a wonderful day this past Monday when our NAS Golf Team battled Newman College at Hammersley Golf Course for the coveted NAS Golf Shield. The players acquitted themselves very well, competing in great spirit and with much skill. Congratulations to Newman College on their victory, led by their number one team, James (playing off scratch and shot a 74) and Henry.

For our John XXIII College team, a strong performance from Hugh Morphett, who posted the lowest individual score of 93. Alex Bilkey (95) and Bailey Vincent (96) followed closely. Team and individual scores are displayed below. The format was a Four Ball, Better Ball, where players are paired together and record their own individual scores as well as their best team score for each hole.

NAS Golf Team 2026

Students should keep an eye on the notices for opportunities to keep honing their skills in the coming weeks.

2027 ACC Cricket All Star Representative Nomination

Applications are now open for the 2027 ACC Representative All Star Cricket Team, providing talented cricketers with the opportunity to represent both John XXIII College and the Associated & Catholic Colleges (ACC) in a prestigious 50-over representative fixture.

• Player Nomination Form

Students of U19 representative standard, capable of competing at a highly competitive Premier Cricket level, are encouraged to consider nominating. Positions are open to boyswho will be in Years 9 to 12 in 2027.

Selected players must attend selection trials and, if successful, represent the ACC in the annual match against the School Sport WA representative team.

The College will cover nomination costs. Students interested in applying must first contact Jessica Pillera for endorsement and approval before submitting a nomination.

Nominations close on 9 February 2027, although early applications are encouraged. For further information or to express your interest, please contact Jessica Pillera.

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport

Congratulations

Congratulations to Conor in Year 12, who was selected for the ACC Boys All Stars basketball team. The team defeated the SSWA 100-82 in the All Star game. Conor’s selection recognises his performance throughout the year. Well done, Conor.

Share your child’s achievements

We love celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students in this section of the newsletter. If your child has recently represented at a regional, state, or national level, or been part of a team that has achieved a significant result (such as a premiership or championship), we would love to hear about it!

Families are invited to share details and a photo by emailing newsletter@johnxxiii.edu.au. Please include your child’s name, year group, event or activity, and a brief description of the achievement.

To ensure fairness and consistency, we can only feature information received directly from families that meets the above criteria. If no image or details are provided, we may not be able to include your child’s achievement in the newsletter.