Secondary
Dear Families
As we head towards the end of the year, we begin our relationship with new members of our community as they begin preparations to commence their Secondary School journey in Term 1. On Tuesday, we welcomed parents of 2024 Year 7 students – the Class of 2029. Just as was experienced among students on Orientation Day a few weeks back, parents shared feelings of excitement, nervousness, anticipation, hope and happiness at the prospect of their child entering Year 7. Hosted and presented predominantly by Year 7 students Isaac, Evie, Harry, Sophie, Saloma, Isla, Josh, Sophie, Harrison, Archie, Alice and Esta, who were absolutely stellar in their roles, the evening provided parents with an overview of the Year 7 transition program and an insight of what to expect as their child moves through the significant milestone of commencing high school.
The Year 7 Transition Program is a well-developed program to provide students entering the Secondary School with the framework and skills to establish:
- a sense of place and belonging,
- positive relationships with peers and teachers, and
- effective routines and habits to meet the changing nature and rigour of high school.
In supporting this journey, structures and programs nurture the pastoral and academic growth of each student. During their first week of Term 1, students will engage in a range of activities to help them settle into their new environment and routines. In Week 4, the Year 7 camp, the St Omer Experience will focus on building connections and getting to know students from across the cohort. Complementing the Wellbeing Program that focuses on connection and belonging is the Life Skills program, where students learn skills such as organisation, time management, goal setting and digital literacy. We wish all our new Year 7 students and their families the very best as they finish their Primary School days and look forward to commencing Secondary School next term.
Well done to our First Lego League teams who last week progressed to the national championship finals in December! Congratulations also to Music students who performed at Monday’s Year 8 Recital Night and welcome back to Outdoor Education students who enjoyed a fabulous Year 9 camp at Hillarys and Year 10 camp at Margaret River.
Presentation Evening Thursday, 30 November
Our College Presentation Evening will be held in the St Louis Sports Centre on Thursday 30 November beginning at 7pm. As this is an important community event for our College, all students in Years 6 to 11 are required to attend. Year 12 students are required only if they are involved in the evening as a presenter, performer or major award recipient.
Parking will be available on the College playing fields with entry from John XXIII Avenue. Entry to the St Louis Sports Centre will be through the doors adjacent to the playing fields.
Guests are to be seated by 6:45pm for a 7pm start.
Students who are attending as members of the audience are to wear their summer uniform, whilst all award winners are required to wear the formal winter uniform, including blazer, shirt, tie and tights for girls. Students will be permitted to remove their blazer when seated in the Sports Centre. Other College requirements regarding grooming are to be adhered to.
Shani Andrews
Vice Principal - Head of Secondary
First Lego League Winners
On Friday 10 November, the two JTC Robotics Teams JTCS33 and Robo-rift Renegades, competed at the First Lego League Regional Competition at Woodvale Secondary College. Both teams worked for the past semester engineering and coding a robot and creating an innovative way to communicate a hobby to the wider community.
Team JTCS33 created a stop-motion animated video to teach students about card games played at lunchtime in the library. The Robo-rift Renegades designed a 3D museum using virtual reality software focused on playing the Saxophone.
Team JTCS33 won the Robot Design Award and placed fifth in the Robot Game. The Robo-rift Renegades placed third in the Robot Game. Both teams finished in the top five overall teams at the competition and will advance to compete in the FLL National Championship West at Curtin University on 9 December. We wish these students all the best!
If your child is interested in joining the JTC Robotics teams, we will be accepting new Years 7 -9 members at the start of 2024 in Term 1.
Anna Davila
Head of Learning - Technologies
Second-hand book sale
Saturday 2 December, 7:30am - 11:00am
Pavilion, John XXIII College
Those wishing to sell and those wishing to buy or exchange information.
First in, best dressed.
Prices are usually agreed at half of the new price depending on the condition of the book.
Please ensure you have your own copy of your relevant booklist.
The College does not set prices or charge commissions.
Shopfront Christmas Appeal
Please donate generously to the John XXIII College Christmas appeal.
Please bring in money or items from the list below to support the Shopfront Christmas Appeal. Items need to be brought to Homeroom by Wednesday, 22 November. Any cash donations will support the Shopfront Christmas Lunch.
The following items are needed for Gift Bags (please note, smaller sizes are most useful):
| General items | Food items |
|---|---|
Men’s caps Men’s thongs Razors Shaving cream Soap Body wash Shampoo Toothpaste Toothbrush Hand cream Make-up Make-up bag Cleansing wipes Moisturiser Sunscreen Body lotion Comb Brush Tissues Nail polish Underwear Socks | Biscuits Christmas lollies Christmas chocolates Shortbread Mini fruit cake Mini Christmas pudding Nuts Dried Fruit Pretzels Toffees |
SPORTS
Year 7/8 Water Polo
Thank you to all the Year 7/8 students for participating in our water polo trials this week. The final teams will be announced early next week.
A big thank you to Miss Jodi Power and Mr Christopher Morris for all their time and efforts in running our trials and training our teams.
Year 7 Learn to Row Program
Congratulations to all the Year 7 students who recently embraced the opportunity to dip their oars into the world of rowing through the Year 7 Learn to Row program. It has been an incredible journey watching these budding rowers develop their skills, building a foundation in the basic rowing technique.
Our Year 7 participants have displayed a lot of enthusiasm and we commend each one of them for stepping outside their comfort zones, demonstrating a keen willingness to try something new and challenging.
As we celebrate the achievements of our Year 7 rowers, we're excited to announce the next opportunity for aspiring rowers: the Year 8 Rowing program in Term 3, 2024. This program promises to build on the foundation laid in Year 7, offering a continued journey of skill development, teamwork, and personal growth.
Additionally, we're on the lookout for new coxswains to steer and motivate our crews in the upcoming year. If you are interested in taking on this crucial role and becoming an integral part of our rowing community, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mr Gibson at the Health and Physical Education office. Joining as a coxswain is a unique chance to contribute to the success of our teams and build lasting connections within the Club.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Year 10 student, Catalina Oud, has been invited to represent the U16 Girls Gold Fields WA Team in Asia’s premier international youth football tournament, the SingaCup 2023 held in Singapore between 7 - 14 November. Her team competed against teams from the Philippines, Thailand and Australia. Catalina distinguished herself by being named captain for one of the matches and also named MVP for that game.
Sara Kononen
Head of Sport