Around The Primary

Dear Parents

This week our Primary community gathered together to farewell Mr Alderman at a special Assembly. Mr Alderman has worked at the College for 23 years as a Physical Education teacher.

He has made a wonderful contribution to the Primary School over these years. Mr Alderman has brought a wealth of experience to this role and made a significant difference to the students in his care and their teachers.

We wish Mr Alderman a happy retirement and thank him most sincerely for his dedicated service. Mr Alderman you will be greatly missed!

We are also going to miss Ms Karin Ilich (1B Teacher) and Mrs Lisa Ferraro (1G Teacher) as they are both commencing Maternity Leave. We are so happy for them and really look forward to meeting their special little additions next term.

In Term 2 we warmly welcome onto our staff, Ms Maggie Crowley (1B Teacher), Mrs Sonia Thomas (1G Teacher) and Mr Steven Williams (PE Teacher).

On a different note, I will be taking four weeks Long Service Leave at the beginning of next term. The Primary Assistant Principals, Ms Allen kylie.allen@cewa.edu.au and Miss Joyce jodi.joyce@cewa.edu.au are happy to be contacted if you have any concerns. I will return to work on Monday 27 May and be ready and refreshed for the remainder of the busy term.

Thank you to the many parents who have already booked a time to meet with class teachers. These information sharing meetings are a valuable opportunity for teachers to share information about each child’s academic and social development. Please feel that you can always approach me with any questions or concerns you might have.

We hope many parents can join us for our Easter Reflections next week (further details below).

Kind regards,

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Dates to Remember

Wednesday 10 April        Palm Sunday and Last Supper Reflection 11.30am

Thursday 11 April             Good Friday Reflection 9.00am

                                                      Term 1 Ends for students

Friday 12 April                    Parent-Teacher Interviews

Super Stars

Congratulations to all the students who received a certificate for their fantastic achievements at this week’s Assembly.

A big thank you to Year 2G for leading this week’s Assembly – it was great to see so many happy and excited faces on the stage.

Holy Week

As Easter falls in the school holidays, our Reflections for Holy Week will be held next week.  On Wednesday 10 April, all students will be active participants in the Palm Sunday and Last Supper Reflections.  This Easter Reflection will begin at 11.30am.

It is hoped that students will be able to bring a palm from home. These palms need to be of a manageable size to enable the students to carry and gently wave the leaves as part of the Reflection.

On Thursday 11 April at 9.00am the Year 6 students will lead the Good Friday Reflection. Parents are welcome to join us for both of these prayerful times.   

Money Tree

Our Money Tree is looking fabulous in the garden!

Next week will be the last opportunity for classes to place a leaf on the tree. We look forward to receiving any final donations next week so all the coins can be counted over the holidays. Next term we will be able to inform the whole school community of our fundraising success for Project Compassion. Once again, we sincerely thank you for your generosity.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students will be assessed in Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation), Writing, Reading and Numeracy. The tests are scheduled for the weeks commencing 13 and 20 May.

NAPLAN is moving from paper tests to computer-based assessments. NAPLAN online uses a tailored testing system which automatically adapts the test and asks students questions that match their ability allowing for more detailed and useful individual results.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

All parents are required to book their parent teacher meeting online, (PTO). These bookings can be made online and the link can be found on the College Web Page under 'Quick links' and then 'Events-Online bookings'. Alternatively, you can click on the link below and it will take you straight to the log in screen http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/events-online-bookings/events-online

Once you get to the log in screen you must click on 'Obtain Pin or Password'. Your password will then be sent to your email.

Once you have logged in, you can select a time that suits you to meet with your child's classroom teacher in the final weeks of this term. All interviews will be a maximum of 15 minutes.

If you would like to book an appointment to see a specialist teacher, please contact them directly via email to set up a mutually convenient time.

'Roar and Snore' Zoo Camp

The Year 5B Zoo camp was a great experience and enjoyed by all.

The afternoon started off with an activity called “Race to Save.” Students got into their groups and went trekking around the zoo to find highly sought-after clues.

By 6pm we were all ready to be fed and rehydrated and there were smiles all around after we had shared a tasty meal together.

The evening was jam packed with lots of learning, becoming experts in endangered animal species and we also learnt how to provide enrichment activities for the different animals living at the zoo.

After that, the students were ready for the much anticipated “Night Tour.” Our groups had some awesome “up close” experiences with the animals. For one group, the lions were a real treat and the second group had a very close encounter with the zebras! By the end of the tour everyone was ready to curl up into their sleeping bags and get some sleep.

The next day was spent exploring the different areas of the zoo. The students were very privileged and got to experience the “Eye to Eye” encounter with the giraffes. They also experienced a day in the life of a Zookeeper and students were able to enter the Red Panda enclosure and help with the daily chores of maintaining the enclosure. Some students got very close to the extremely friendly Red Panda!  In fact, there was an extremely friendly Red Panda that got up very close and tried to give a student a hug!

The Zoo camp ended with some time spent relaxing on the grassed area and enjoying lunch with friends. All in all, we had a roaring good time!

Language Update

Our Year 3 students have been learning how to write hiragana and they had so much fun using the calligraphy brushes!

Twilight Recital

Congratulations to our three talented musicians, Jacey Li (2G), Alexis Tonkin (2G) and Callum de Andrade (6G) for their entertaining piano performances at the Twilight Recital last Wednesday evening.

Sports News

On Thursday, our two Year 6 Basketball teams participated in the IPSHA Basketball Lightning Carnival at Bendat Basketball Stadium competing against nine schools. Our College was proudly represented by two teams.

The focus of the day was on participation and fun. Officially, scores are not recorded, however the girls’ team drew one game and comfortably won their remaining five games. The boys’ team won four games, drew one game and lost one game. Congratulations to all our competitors on their effort and sportsmanship displayed throughout the day.

Thank you to parents who came along and supported the teams and to Ms Ruth O’Donnell for managing and coaching the girls’ team.

John Alderman

Primary Sports Coordinator

Parking Protocols

It has come to our attention some parents are using the ACROD bays for a quick drop off.

It is essential that these bays are only used by those that have an ACROD Parking Permit.

College Musical - Mary Poppins

Tickets are selling fast for the College Musical, Mary Poppins! 

Congratulations to Sienna D’Alessandro (2G), the winner of the Pre-Primary to Year 2 ‘Mary Poppins’ poster competition.  Sienna will now receive a family pass to the Musical. Our Secondary staff, Ms Moore (Art/Drama) and Mr Tsakisiris (Drama) were the judges of this competition and were very impressed with Sienna's poster.