Around The Primary

Dear Families 

We enjoyed a wonderful start to the day with our Fathers’ Day Mass, celebrating the fathers and father figures who play such an important role in the lives of our students. Thank you to the many families who joined us for this special occasion and helped make it such a lovely community gathering.

We extend our sincere thanks to Fr Sean Fernandez for celebrating the Eucharist with us, Ms Allen and Ms Lumley for preparing the Mass, Mrs Haydon for coordinating the music, Mrs Petsos for organising the morning tea, and all our staff whose hard work ensured the event ran so smoothly.

There was a wonderful sense of joy and excitement as students arrived with their families, and it was heartwarming to see so many smiling faces throughout the morning. The pride evident on the faces of parents and caregivers reflected the strength of our community. We hope you enjoy looking through the photo slideshow.

At John XXIII College, we cherish opportunities to celebrate the important role families play in our community and to acknowledge the love, guidance and support you provide to your children each day.

We now have just one week to go until our Interhouse Athletics Carnival, and excitement is building among our Years 3 to 6 students. We look forward to welcoming parents, grandparents and friends to the carnival on Friday 11 September and thank you in advance for supporting and encouraging our young athletes.

Wishing all fathers, grandfathers and father figures a very happy Fathers’ Day on Sunday. 

Kind regards,

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary 

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar. https://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/for-families/calendars By subscribing to the College calendar you are automatically alerted when details of an existing event are changed. 

Library News

Book Week

The Primary school was buzzing with excitement during Book Week! From the inspiring visit by award-winning author and illustrator Sean E. Avery, to our beautifully student-decorated library, there was something to spark every child's imagination and love of reading.

Students enjoyed exploring this year's shortlisted books, admiring the creative entries in our Annual Book Week Poster Competition, and celebrating their favourite stories by dressing up as popular book characters for our spectacular Book Week Parade. It was wonderful to see so many children embracing the joy of books and sharing their enthusiasm for reading throughout the week.

Sean E Avery

We were delighted to welcome back award-winning author and illustrator Sean E. Avery to our library. Sean's books are incredibly popular with our students, and it was especially exciting to celebrate the recent success of "Bob and Dob", which received an Honour Book award in the 2026 CBCA Picture Book of the Year category.

Sean captivated students with his engaging, creative, and humorous presentation, inspiring them to think like authors and illustrators. Students particularly enjoyed learning how to draw and create their own unique characters under Sean's guidance. His passion for storytelling and creativity left a lasting impression on everyone who attended.

It's no surprise that Sean's books continue to be in high demand, with copies flying off the library shelves!

Book Week Parade

Our Book Week Parade last Friday was filled with smiles, laughter, and excitement as students and staff proudly paraded across the stage in their fabulous costumes.

We had an amazing array of costumes, from princesses and fairytale friends to roaring dinosaurs, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and so many other beloved book characters.

Thank you to all our families for the time, effort, and imagination that went into the wonderful costumes. Thank you also to our amazing staff for enthusiastically dressing up and delighting our students.

Moments like these are such a beautiful reminder that books do far more than teach us to read. They spark imagination, build confidence, and create memories that stay with children long after the costumes are packed away.

Book Week Poster Competition

Every year the students astound me with their creativity and imagination in our Book Week Poster Competition. Congratulations to all our entries, you made the judging very difficult for the library staff! All posters are on display in the library, and everyone is welcome to come and have a look at our talented and artistic students. All our winners can collect their prizes from the library.

Sasha Cattapan

Primary Library Teacher

Book Tasting Restaurant

To celebrate Book Week, the Year 4B classroom was transformed into a bustling ‘Book Tasting Restaurant’ where students sampled a menu of new and familiar books. 

Armed with their critics' notes, students explored exciting stories, judged front cover illustrations, read excerpts, and rated each book on its appeal and enjoyment. Just like professional reviewers, they shared their opinions and recommendations before choosing their favourite book from the day's selection. 

The activity was a wonderful way to spark curiosity, encourage reading for pleasure, and help students discover their next great read.

Emma Eisenmann

Year 4 Blue Teacher

Primary Sport

Interhouse Athletics Carnival

Just one week to go!  We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the secondary ovals for the Years 3-6 Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Friday 11 September.  It is a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate the skills and their ability to work as a team. 

Pre-carnival events have been very exciting this week and will continue next week in the buildup to the carnival.  Please note that Tuesday 8 September will be the final Athletics training session.  

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 

Primary Music 

Ensemble Rehearsals 

Pre-Primary Music

Students have been studying high and low sounds, matching Goldilocks and the Three Bears puppets with instruments from the string family (violin, viola, cello and double bass) according to size and pitch. The students were amazed at the size of the double bass and enjoyed comparing their heights with those of the instruments. 

Catholic Performing Arts Festival 

Congratulations to the following students who received special awards from the Performing Arts Committee for their recent performances in the Festival.

Save the Date

Please note the following performance dates for instrumental ensembles and choirs.

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

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Thinking ahead to 2027?

As we begin planning for the year ahead, we understand that family circumstances can change, and sometimes this means a move to a new school.

If you believe your child may not be returning to John XXIII College in 2027, we would appreciate hearing from you as early as possible. This helps us to ensure a smooth transition for your family and allows us to offer places to other students on our waiting list.

In line with our College’s Withdrawal Policy, we kindly ask for written notice to the College Registrar at least one term (ten school weeks) before the anticipated departure date.

Where notice is not received, the policy provides for one term’s fees in lieu of notice.

If you are unsure about your plans or have any questions, our Enrolments team is here to talk things through and support you. You can contact our enrolments team via email or call 9383 0449.

Parent Sundowner

As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a connected and welcoming school community, the John XXIII College Parents’ Association warmly invites all parents to join us for our Parent Sundowner — an informal, adults only evening on the College grounds, complete with live entertainment.

This relaxed, picnic style gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow parents, catch up with old friends, and celebrate the spirit of our College community.

Details are:

Parent Sundowner

Saturday 19 September 2026 

5:30pm - 8:00pm

St Louis Sports Centre (outdoor space)

Format: Picnic style • BYO drinks • BYO picnic food or pre order catering by Ultimo when you purchase your ticket. (Food will not be available for purchase at the event.)

What to bring: Picnic rug or low chairs • Your own drinks (BYO) • Cups (no glassware please) and any additional snacks you like.

https://www.trybooking.com/1539754 

Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day

When: Saturday, 5 September   Time: 8:00am 9:30am   

Meeting Point: Behind the Science Garden at B8

We invite all interested parents, students, and alumni from the John XXIII College community to join us for a Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day to help our native Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos thrive.

This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to our environment through planting, weeding and caring for our existing garden beds. All tools will be provided—just bring yourself, along with comfortable clothing, closed footwear, a hat and sunscreen.

Participating students can count this time towards their Christian Service-Learning (Roncalli Service) hours.

Together, we can nurture our shared environment, strengthen our campus surroundings, and set a positive example for future generations.

Register: Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day – Fill out form

Extend After School Care 

Please click on the following link to find out about After School Care offered by Extend, including hours of operation, fees and how to book - John XXIII College - Extend

The team at Extend can be contacted via email: support@extend.com.au or call 1300 366 437.