Secondary

Dear Families 

Whilst everyone loves the holiday break, a school isn’t its whole self without the energy that students and staff bring, and it was wonderful to see students return this week ready to commence Term 4. I hope that families enjoyed a safe and happy break with loved ones. For our Year 12 students, the holidays saw the commencement of their trial WACE examinations and the final few weeks of their time at John XXIII College. We welcomed them back on campus today, and we look forward to sharing the special week ahead with them in the lead up to their Day of Invitation and Valete ceremonies.  

The beginning of a new term is always timely to set a positive tone with students regarding their engagement in College life, focus on learning and their relationships with each other. This week I commenced discussion with students on our collective responsibility with one of the College's Strategic Pillars: to nurture an inclusive community as a place of belonging for all. Our founders are incredible role models to guide us in achieving this. Our Ignatian tradition promotes Cura Personalis: inclusivity and care for the whole person, and Ignatius of Loyola teaches us that when we aim to find God in all things, that means recognising that each one of us is a reflection of God and therefore deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Mary Ward deliberately kept her circle of companions an open circle so there was always room for others to join them. Pope John XXIII, during his leadership, challenged the Church to be tolerant and understanding of all faiths and cultural backgrounds. And Pope Francis fiercely advocates for the dignity of minority groups and the marginalised.  He says, ‘human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own’.  

To be part of a community is to be in relationship with each other, and we continue to challenge students to reflect on what our College motto ‘Seek Justice’ means when it comes to ensuring that all people have a place and a sense of belonging in our school, and what they can do on a daily basis to uphold the dignity and respect of others. This is how we put our values into action in being ‘people for others’. As we progress through our final term of the year, let us all be kind, empathetic and inclusive of each other. It can only enhance our culture as a community that cares.  

Student Achievements 

A huge congratulations to our World Scholars’ Cup teams who all qualified from their Global Round competition at the Gold Coast over the holidays, for the Tournament of Champions at Yale University in November! 

Jack Schoemaker (Year 8) rode 500 km over the holidays for a non-profit organisation, Ocean Heroes. Co-founded by Luke Hallam, John XXIII alumni, Ocean Heroes support people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to build confidence through surfing. More information on the charity can be found at Ocean Heroes - Surfing The Spectrum. Well done, Jack! 

So that we can shine the light on student achievements, please share the good news by emailing me Shani.Andrews@cewa.edu.au.  

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Day of the Girl Child

On Wednesday, we attended the annual ‘Day of the Girl Child’ webinar with other Australian Loreto schools, to discuss the importance of empowering girls in our schools. The meeting began with a discussion about several videos that depicted women in different ways. Through this we learnt to analyse women as they are shown in media and how this reflects on society’s standards and stereotypes for women. We learnt to value women and girls and recognise the potential of girls in all areas of school and careers. In discussion with other schools, we found intriguing programs we are interested in implementing in the future at John XXIII College. Some examples of these included having a woman guest speaker once a week to speak to them about their experiences in their careers, specifically in STEM, and ‘A True Colour Day’ where students dress up in a colour and raise money for a cause. This experience was very insightful and really encouraged us to think about how we respect women in society.

Zoë McIlree, Elsie Samson, Lily Colombera, Lola Kenny, Matthew Gardner and Olivia Gardner

Year 10 students

Visual Arts Exhibition

Join us at the 2023 John XXIII College Visual Arts Exhibition! Discover the incredible talents of our students as they showcase their outstanding artworks, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and ceramic works. The exhibition runs from Monday 16 October to Friday 20 October from 9am to 4pm and on Saturday 21 October from 11am to 2pm.

Don't miss the official opening night on Monday 16 October at 6:30pm – everyone is welcome to attend. Celebrate excellence in the Creative Arts and have your say by voting for the People's Choice Award. We look forward to seeing you there!

Kiri Moore

Visual Arts Coordinator

SPORTS

Sports Awards Night

Next week, on Tuesday 17 October we will be celebrating the sporting achievements of our Secondary students. Thank you to our compere for the evening, Mr Glenn Mitchell, who will once again enhance the wonderful night. We are delighted to introduce Harry Taylor as our guest speaker for the evening to share his inspirational messages to our students. Other highlights of the evening will include a student panel allowing for reflection on our year in sport. We hope it will be an outstanding night.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mahalia Upton, Year 10 for her outstanding achievement at the World Indoor Cricket Federation Junior World Series 2023 in Dubai! Competing in the u18's age group girls division at the young age of u16 is truly remarkable. Facing tough opponents from countries like England, South Africa, New Zealand, and the UAE in extreme weather conditions is a testament to their determination and resilience. Winning the bronze medal in such a challenging environment is a well-deserved accomplishment. 

Sara Kononen

Head of Sport