Secondary

Dear Families

Welcome back for Term 2! We hope that students and families enjoyed a restful break and quality time with friends and family over Easter and the holiday. It has been wonderful to have students back on campus this week, and we congratulate them on settling back into the new term well.

Congratulations to students, staff, parents and alumni involved in this year’s College musical, whose months of hard work have culminated in a series of stellar performances for the audiences this week to enjoy. They have worked incredibly hard to bring the high-energy performance of High School Musical to life on our stage, from the dances, songs, live music, and acting, to the costumes, sets, and audio visuals. It has been uplifting to see everyone developing their skills, gaining confidence, and coming together as a team to create something special for our community to enjoy.

Our Rowers enjoyed a successful camp over the holidays as part of their preparation for this term’s season. We look forward to seeing them in action at regattas throughout the term. Thank you to Claire Woolfitt, Rowing Coordinator and the coaching team for supporting students through this valuable experience.

Thank you to Bianca Petsos and Sam Gallagher, College Captains, Logan Blake and Luke Green, Faith and Mission Captains, and other students who conducted Tuesday’s reflective and thoughtful Anzac service. Thank you also to Mr Joe Shaw, HASS Teacher and St Louis House Coordinator who shared a powerful message on the legacy of his grandfather - a man of great courage, leadership and integrity dedicated to serving his country during his career in the air force and public administration.

We look forward to the annual Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival next Friday. All students will attend Homeroom and Periods 1 and 2 as normal. Students are required to wear their sports uniform with House shirt for the day. The canteen will not be open for lunch service, so students are required to bring their own lunch. As this is an outside event, hats are also required. Please see the Sports section below for more information.

Health Centre

The Health Centre provides valuable support to students when they are unwell or injured. When a student presents to the Health Centre, our experienced College Nurses, Jo Cook and Judy Buckley, assess their fitness to stay at school and may decide that the student is too unwell to return to the classroom. In this case, parents will be called to collect their child. It is important that parents keep their contact details up to date with the College, including an alternative contact, so that in the event of a student being too unwell to remain at school, they or the alternative contact can be easily contactable. For the comfort of an unwell student and the safety of others, particularly in the case of an infectious illness, parents or alternative contacts are requested to collect the student within an hour of being contacted.

Parking Reminder

To ensure the safety of our students, particularly during busy times at the beginning and end of the school day, please utilise the designated drop-off and pick-up zones marked around the campus. When parking, we request that drivers use allocated parking spaces in visitors’ car parking bays only. Double parking or stopping in unauthorised zones – particularly around Montgomery House – poses safety risks to both our students and neighbouring residents. When using the Secondary drop-off / pick-up carpark off John XXIII Avenue, access bays should be used in the first instance for parents and carers picking up students in wheelchairs or with mobility challenges, and ACROD stickers should be clearly displayed when parking in these bays. For pedestrian safety and to reduce traffic congestion, drivers picking up students should only use visitors’ parking bays or the drive-through facility, and we encourage families to stagger their arrival and departure times where possible. When we exercise patience, follow the instructions of staff and signage, and are considerate of others during these busy times, we can maintain a safe and smooth experience for everyone.

Winter Uniform

With the commencement of Term 2, students will be required to transition to the winter uniform. As the weather can still be warm at the beginning of the term, students will have the option of wearing the correct summer or winter uniform until Monday, 19 May. The exception is on Tuesday, 13 May when students will be required to wear full winter uniform for Secondary Photo Day.

The Uniform Code can be found here. Staff are guided by the Positive Behaviour Framework to address instances when students do not wear the uniform correctly.

Term 2 Key Dates

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Men of John XXIII Event

Last chance to secure your tickets.

Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Time: 6:45am for a 7:15am start

Location: The University Club of Western Australia, 1 Hackett Drive, Crawley

Cost: Includes plated breakfast PLUS a complimentary Men of John XXIII cap!

$65 per person | $500 Table of 8

Registration: www.trybooking.com/1364764 

Register for the Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge encourages students to discover the joy of reading, improve their literacy skills and enjoy amazing stories.

The challenge runs until 27 June 2025. To complete the challenge:

• Kindergarten to Year 10 students read 12 or more books
• Years 11 and 12 students read 6 or more books.

Students can register for the challenge here: The challenge - Premier's Reading Challenge

Jean Redfern

Library and Learning Services Educator

Help support our Rowing Club

The John XXIII College Rowing Club is excited to announce that we are hosting the first IGSSA Rowing Regatta of the season on Saturday, 10 May at Champion Lakes. This is a major event for our Club and a key fundraising opportunity, and we would love your support, especially at our much-anticipated cake stall! Funds raised will go towards purchasing new rowing equipment.

There are a few ways you can support the Rowing Club, whether by baking cakes and goodies at home or joining one of our community baking sessions.

How to Get Involved

• Collect a Cake Box: Pick up your cake box and label on Monday, 5 May, from 8:00–9:00am near the Kiss and Drive loop on John XXIII Avenue, or from the Sports Department in the St Louis Sports Centre.
• Bake and Fill: Fill your box with any home-baked treats, cakes, cupcakes, slices, or biscuits. Please:
  • Aim for items that can be priced at $20–$30.
  • Avoid fresh cream or highly perishable ingredients, as boxes will not be refrigerated.
  • Gluten-free items are very popular and sell well.
  • Great presentation helps boost sales!
• Label Clearly: Write a description and all ingredients in blue or black marker just under the sticker. For allergy awareness, please mark ‘CONTAINS NUTS’ or ‘GLUTEN FREE’ in red marker if relevant.
• Drop Off: Deliver your box to the Main Administration (John XXIII Avenue) on Friday, 9 May, between 8:00–9:00am, or to the Thomas More Exhibition Centre (near the senior drop-off loop) at the same time.

We also welcome donations of home-made jams or cordials - these are always popular!

Community Baking Opportunities

If you’d like to bake with others, join us in the commercial kitchen for:

• Parent baking: Wednesday, 7 May, 1:00–3:00pm
• Student baking (with parent helpers): Thursday, 8 May, 3:00–5:00pm
• Parent volunteers for icing and labelling: Friday, 9 May, from 10:40am

If you can assist at any of these sessions, please let us know. It’s a great way to get involved and meet other families! Register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/r/tJBQtUUtBT.

Dig in for a greener tomorrow: Join our community planting and weeding day!

We’re excited to invite all parents, students, and alumni of the John XXIII community to roll up their sleeves for our Community Planting and Weeding Day! Mark your calendars for Saturday, 17 May, and join us bright and early from 8:00am to 9:30am at the tennis courts on the northern side of E-Block.

This hands-on morning is a fantastic way to give back to our environment. Together, we’ll plant new greenery, weed around our existing plantings, and help maintain the beautiful spaces we’ve already created. No experience is necessary - all tools will be provided. Just bring your enthusiasm, wear comfortable clothing and closed shoes, and don’t forget your hat and sunscreen.

Students can also count their participation towards their Christian service learning hours (Roncalli Service).

Please register your attendance here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Adrian Sims

Sustainability Coordinator

SPORT

Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival

The Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival will be held next Friday, 9 May. 

All students will attend Homeroom, Periods 1 and 2 as usual. Students have permission to wear their House shirts for the day and will be required to wear hats. 

Years 7 and 8 students will run 3km and Years 9 to 12 students will run 4km. 

The canteen will be available at recess for students to purchase food. There will be no canteen at lunchtime as lunch breaks will vary for each year group.  A coffee van will be on site, 'Velvet Betty'. Staff and Year 12 Students can access this for the day. Please note that they sell drinks only. 

All students are encouraged to pack plenty of food and fluids for the day. Students will have time to collect their lunch and snacks at their rest station after their race. Students will also participate in House novelty events, with results contributing to the overall Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield. There will be St John First Aid set up at the finish line on the day, however, it is imperative that students who require asthma puffers, EpiPens or other medication are required to have this with them at all times throughout the day. 

Students will compete for their Houses on the day and for a chance to make the School Sport WA Cross-Country team (Years 7 to 10 on Thursday, 29 May) and the prestigious ACC Cross-Country team (carnival on Thursday, 5 June). 

Cross-Country Training 

We have hit the ground running again this term with Cross-Country training. Students had the opportunity to practice the race course at training on Thursday, and there will be another opportunity next Tuesday. The training schedule for the term can be seen below. 

Year 7 Winter NAS 

We are entering our final week of NAS training before the upcoming carnival on Monday, 12 May. All information regarding arrival times and what to bring, will go home next week to parents and students in the excursion consent and student notices. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to George Galvin (Year 10) and Grace Czajko (Year 9), both of whom competed at the recent 2025 Australian Age-Group Swimming Championships held in Brisbane. George represented the Westside Christchurch Aquatic Club in six events, including Butterfly, Freestyle, Backstroke, and Individual Medley, competing strongly in the 15-year boys category and achieving personal bests with rankings in the mid-20s for his top events. 

Grace swam for the UWA West Coast Club in Breaststroke events for 14-year girls, impressively making finals for both the 100m and 200m, where she placed fifth in each. Congratulations to both students for their outstanding performances! It is wonderful to see our JTC students having great results in the sports that they are most passionate about. 

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport