Around The Primary

Dear Families 

We are now in the season of Advent - a special time of preparing our hearts for the joy of the coming of Christ. Advent invites us to pause amidst the busyness of daily life and reflect on the hope, peace, love, and joy that we have in our lives. It is a season to nurture gratitude, to be mindful of others, and to share kindness in our homes, school, and community. 

The Primary school is radiating the festive spirit of Christmas! This week, our students in Kindy, Pre-Primary, and Year 1 showcased the heart-warming Christmas story in various delightful ways to their family and friends. Through their prayer reflections and performances, they reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas. 

As we prepare for the transition session next week, it is important not to focus too much on which classmates will be in your child's class. Our dedicated staff carefully determined class placements, considering a variety of factors. It is important that every child learns to adapt to different classmates and different teaching styles.

With encouragement and support, children can approach this next step with excitement and ease. As class allocations have been finalised, no changes will be possible. 

Congratulations to the Year 6 students who received an award at Presentation Night. We are very proud of their wonderful achievements.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Christmas Newsflash

Next Thursday 11 December, the students can come to school dressed in Christmas colours or wear a Christmas t-shirt, hat etc… (No coloured hair spray or face paint please) If preferred, students can choose to wear their House shirt and sports shorts. On this day we also hope to raise the students’ awareness of how fortunate we are to have access to everyday privileges at Christmas. All students are asked to bring along a gold coin donation for St Vinnies. Thank you in anticipation of your generous support.

Semester Two Reports 

Semester Two reports for Pre-Primary to Year 6 students will be available through the College’s online communication platform ‘SEQTA ENGAGE’ on Thursday 11 December at 3:30pm. 

Instructions 

i. Please login to your SEQTA Engage account at:  https://parent.johnxxiii.edu.au

ii. Click on the REPORTS link located on the menu at the left side of screen

iii. Select Student

iv. Select 2025P, 2025S2

2025 Companions Yearbook Distribution 

Families can look forward to receiving the 2025 Companions Yearbook early next year.  All Year 12 students will receive their copy via mail over the holiday break.  For all other families, the youngest child in the family will receive the yearbook at the start of Term 1, 2026.

2026 Term Dates

The 2026 Term Dates have now been published and are available to view on the College Website - Parent Information | Term Dates | John XXIII College 

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar - Calendars | John XXIII College 

By subscribing to the College calendar, you are automatically alerted when details of an existing event are changed. 

Consent2Go

 Streamlining parents’ online College experience: digital updates for 2025 and 2026

Over the coming months, the College is upgrading its online platforms to assist families more efficiently access College information and manage student details. 

A trusted provider in schools across Australia and New Zealand, Consent2Go provides a digital solution to enable parents to keep their child’s health records accurate and provide consent for school events, excursions and camps. 

Consent2Go will be implemented in readiness for Term 1 2026. 

To facilitate this, the College needs parents’ help to ensure their child’s contact and health details are accurate prior to implementation. Parents received an email invitation today to update student contact and health information by Friday, 19 December. In the future, this will become a simple yearly process to keep information current. Registering and updating students’ details is a user-friendly process that will take approximately 10 minutes. 

Information regarding the implementation of Consent2Go and other digital platforms to enhance parents’ user experience was provided to all families yesterday. If you did not receive this communication yesterday or the email invitation today, please contact ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au. 

Years 5-6 Booklists Orders

Our Year 5 and 6 students will require booklist orders to be completed with the payment being made directly to Campion Education.

The Year 5 and 6 Booklist Forms for 2026 are available on College Website using the following link Parent Information | Booklists 2026 | John XXIII College. The Resource List Code for John XXIII College is – YWMW.  All orders must be completed online at www.campion.com.au by Sunday 28 December 2025. 

If you have any queries, please contact Nancy Petsos nancy.petsos@johnxxiii.edu.au in Primary Administration. 

Wellbeing Weekly

I feel blessed to be part of the John XXIII community. Each day, I am greeted by the warm smiles of students, colleagues, and parents, and am grateful for the way you have welcomed me to the school this year.

A special thank you to our wonderful students, who have given me countless moments of laughter and learning. You make every day a joy!

As we approach the festive season, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your support and kindness. I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas filled with wonder, joy, and special moments together.

I look forward to seeing you all again in the new year!

If you have any queries, please contact me via email: natalie.alach@johnxiii.edu.au 

Natalie Alach

Primary School Counsellor

Sports Update

Christmas Holiday Sport

Tennis 

Nick Kirkbride and his coaches at City Beach Tennis Club are running their holiday camps again this summer.  Nick is offering a 10% discount to our students.  School Holiday Clinic Enrolment | Coastal Tennis | Western Australia

Soccer

Pro Football Training are running soccer camps on the College Secondary ovals in the lead up to Christmas. Check out the flyer for details. 

If you have any queries about anything sport-related, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: steve.williams@johnxxiii.edu.au  

Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator 

Music 

Rehearsal Times

Congratulations to Wanju Voices for their outstanding performance at Presentation Night and Primary Singers in the Year 1 Advent Liturgy.  Rehearsals have now concluded for ensembles, with the exception of Wanju Voices. 

Rehearsal times for next week – 

Primary Instrumental Recitals

Congratulations to all students who performed in the Primary Instrumental Recitals on Monday. Parents and grandparents were treated to performances of piano, guitar, vocal, strings and wind instruments. A big thank you to all the tutors and accompanists involved in preparing students for these performances. We are very proud of the work students have put in throughout the year and look forward to hearing more wonderful music in 2026.

2026 Music Lesson Enrolments

Enrolments are now open. Please see below for options. Enrolment forms are available online Music Lesson Enrolment Form 

Western Australian Young Voices

Enrolments for the 2026 season of WAYV – West Australian Young Voices – are now open! WAYV offers vocal training, performance opportunities and the chance to work with some of WA’s foremost choral educators and conductors, performing a wide range of repertoire. Auditions are open for students in Years 6 to 12, for placement in intermediate and advance ensembles. For students in Years 1 to 5, a beginner ensemble offers an introduction to choral singing with no audition required. Registrations via the following link:https://wayoungvoices.com.au/auditions 

If you have any queries regarding Primary Music, please contact me via email: catherine.haydon@johnxxiii.edu.au

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Is your child using the Southern Route Charter Bus in 2026?

With the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closing from February 2026, adjustments will be made to the College’s Southern Route charter service. Parents are asked to review the proposed 2026 timetable and route and provide feedback by 12 December 2025. More details available here.