Around The Primary

Dear Families 

As we reach the end of Term 2, it’s wonderful to reflect on just how much has happened. This term has been filled with rich learning experiences and memorable events, including assemblies, liturgies, sacramental preparations, camps, Mothers’ Day celebrations, Primary House Day, and winter sports.

Our dedicated staff continue to go above and beyond to provide students with the very best educational opportunities, and we are truly grateful for their commitment. We also extend our sincere thanks to all families for your ongoing support throughout the term.

Semester One reports will be available on SEQTA Engage this afternoon (details below). The holiday break is a wonderful chance to sit with your child(ren), celebrate their achievements, and encourage them to keep striving—especially in areas they find more challenging.

We look forward to welcoming all students back on Thursday, 23 July, ready for an exciting new term filled with learning, fun, and meaningful moments.

Comfy Day brought lots of smiles and cosy fun. Thank you for supporting LifeLink with such generosity.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Year 2 Assembly: Amazing Animals

Our Year 2 students captivated students and families with an entertaining assembly item showcasing their learning about animals. Through songs and oral presentations, the students shared many fascinating facts they had discovered about the animal kingdom. A special thank you to Mrs Murphy, Miss Cruse and Mrs Haydon for their dedication and support in preparing the students for such a wonderful celebration of learning.

Digital Technologies: Celebrating NAIDOC through creativity

This week in Digital Technologies, our Years 3 to 6 students used Keynote to complete engaging NAIDOC Week activities while developing their digital creativity. The Year 6 students designed vibrant dot artworks and brought their creations to life using animations. The Year 5 students created colourful pop art inspired by Australian animals. The Years 3 and 4 students designed Australian animals and used animation to show movement.  Special thanks to Mrs Ferrier, Digital Technologies Teacher for teaching the students to use technology in various creative ways.

Semester One Reports

Semester One Reports for Pre-Primary to Year 6 students will be available through the College’s online communication platform ‘SEQTA ENGAGE’ from 3:30pm today.

Instructions

1. Log in to your SEQTA Engage account at: https://parent.johnxxiii.edu.au 
2. Click on the REPORTS link located on the menu at the left side of screen
3. Select Student and 2026P, 2026S1

We encourage all parents to have a conversation with their child/children about their report. It is important to help your child celebrate the positives and encourage them to keep working hard on those aspects of their learning that are challenging.

If you have any questions or concerns related to your child’s progress, please book an appointment with your child’s teacher on Wednesday, 22 July (Pupil Free Day).  Booking details are below.

As many families have recently met with teachers to discuss your child’s progress, it is not necessary to book an additional appointment at this time. 

In addition, IEP meetings are scheduled for early in Term 3. Families invited to these meetings with the Mary Ward team and class teachers are not required to book an interview for Wednesday, 22 July.

Parent Teacher Interviews 

Booking an Interview – Kindy to Year 6

• From Monday, 6 July at 8:30am, parents can book their meeting online using ‘BOOKed’, which is on the College Website - https://bookings.parentteacheronline.com.au/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx%3fschool%3dqh4r8&school=qh4r8   
• 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. All interviews will be a maximum of 10 minutes and will be held face-to-face in classrooms.
• The ability to add or change meetings on ‘BOOKed’ will close on Friday, 10 July at 8:30am. If you are unable to secure an interview time and would like to do so, you will need to e-mail the classroom teacher directly.
• All interviews will be held in classrooms. Your child is not required to come to the interview as it will be a two-way process between teacher and parent/s. However, we encourage all families to discuss their child’s future goals with them at home after the interview.
• 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.
• If you experience any technical difficulties, please email ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au 

Superstars

Well done to all the students who received a certificate at today’s Assembly:

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. 

Religious Education Assessment (REA) 

In Catholic schools across Western Australia, students enrolled in Years 3, 5 and 9 participate in a system-wide, online assessment in Religious Education. The administration of the assessment commences on Monday, 3 August. Students following a regular classroom program are expected to participate. Students with disability are entitled to participate. However, exemptions may apply.

The purpose of the REA is to measure student learning of the mandated content in the Religious Education Curriculum. Test items relevant to each participating year level are developed by the Religious Education Directorate at the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia. The test items consist of multiple choice, short and extended response. The students’ faith is not assessed using the test items.

As a system-wide assessment, the REA informs teaching and assessment practices in Religious Education by providing classroom teachers, school and system leaders with a ‘point in time’ snapshot of student achievement. Over time, the REA also provides information about student progress in Religious Education. 

Formal student and school reports are produced from the student achievement data generated from the REA. The reports are made available to schools in Term 4. A copy of your child’s results will be sent to you. The information provided by the REA reports aims to complement the school-based assessment programs in Religious Education.

We have scheduled a practice test for Years 3 and 5 students to take place on Wednesday, 29 July. 

The following week students from Years 3 and 5 will sit the Religious Education Assessment (REA) on Wednesday, 5 August.  A catch-up Assessment Day has been scheduled for Thursday, 6 August. 

Please contact your child’s teacher or me via email - kylie.allen@johnxxiii.edu.au if you have any enquiries regarding the Religious Education Assessment. 

Kylie Allen

Primary Assistant Principal

Confirmation Reflection Day

Last Friday the Year 6 students took part in their Confirmation Reflection Day led by the team from 24:7 Youth Ministry. The students participated in a range of activities, games, team-building challenges and small-group reflections, all designed to help them prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

A key focus of the day was learning more about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including wisdom, understanding, counsel, and fortitude, as well as reflecting on the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy and peace. The students were encouraged to think deeply about their own faith journey and what it means to take this next important step in their life as young Catholics. The day concluded with a reverent and reflective liturgy, where students had the opportunity to bring together all they had explored throughout the day.

Morgan Klug, Jacqui O’Connor and Lori Coenen

Year 6 Teachers

Primary Sport

Athletics Trials 

Athletics season is upon us for Years 3 to 6 students!  Friday 24 July is our Athletics trial day, where all students will have a go at hurdles, 60m (Years 3 and 4) or 80m (Years 5 and 6) and 200m races.  All students in Years 3 to 6 are required to wear their sports uniform on this day.   

Extra-Curricular Sports 

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 for Week 1 of Term 3

Music Eisteddfod

Entries for Music Eisteddfod have now closed. Students who have entered the Music Eisteddfod are encouraged to book a rehearsal with the College accompanist if they require accompaniment. The Music Eisteddfod is scheduled for Sunday 9 August and Monday 10 August.

Instrumental and Vocal Lessons – Semester Two Enrolments

Applications for weekly instrument and vocal lessons through the College Music Program are currently open and can be accessed here - Music Lesson Enrolment.

Please note that applications to withdraw for Semester Two have now closed.

Save the Date

Primary Ensembles (String Orchestra, Mini Minors, Years 5 and 6 Bands) will be performing at assembly on Friday, 31 July at 9:00am in Roncalli Hall. All are welcome to attend.

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

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

ACROD Parking

A friendly reminder that these parking bays are only available to families that hold a valid and approved ACROD Parking Permit which must be displayed.   

Notification of Absences: Important Reminder

A reminder of the change in process for notification of absences. 

If your child is absent or has an appointment (one offs and recurring), it is essential that you notify the College using the SEQTA Engage App/Portal before 8:30am, giving the reason for the absence. 

Families are still required to sign their child on SEQTA Kiosk for late arrivals, early departures and appointments.

Please note the ‘primary absentees’ mailbox is no longer in use.

Additionally, for absences extending more than 2 days during term time, parents are also required to email Antoinette De Pinto, Head of Primary and Nancy Petsos, Administration Officer, Primary.

Sacrament Certificates

Parents are requested to email a copy of their child’s Sacramental Certificate (Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation) to the College Enrolment team – enrolments@johnxxiii.edu.au for our College records.

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.

Uniform Shop Update: Online Purchases Launching Term 3

We are pleased to announce that, from Term 3, John XXIII College will be launching an online Uniform Shop as an addition to our on-campus store.

This online store is designed to offer a more streamlined and user-friendly experience, making it easier than ever to manage your orders from the convenience of your phone or computer, while still providing the option to visit us in-store.

To support this transition, the Uniform Shop is now closed to allow for a full stock take and staff training in preparation for the launch of the new online store and point-of-sale system. The shop will reopen on Wednesday, 22 July.

Keep an eye on your inbox for further information, including how to access your account and start using the new system, which will be shared prior to the start of Term 3.

We look forward to this exciting new initiative and to continuing to serve our community both online and in-store.

Inspire Parent Education: Supporting emotional regulation at home

Thursday, 30 July 2026

The Inspire Parent Education arm of the Parents’ Association warmly invites all John XXIII College parents to an engaging session on emotional regulation. Join our Primary and Secondary wellbeing teams as they share insights into children’s and teens’ emotional development, and offer practical strategies to help you support your child’s emotional regulation at home.

What we’ll explore:

• recognising children’s emotions and how they present across different stages of development
• why co-regulation matters and how it helps children learn to manage their emotions
• the steps of emotion coaching
• core strategies for de-escalation
• using the RULER approach to support emotional regulation for children, adolescents and parents.
• changes in the adolescent brain and behaviour
• managing adolescent emotions and knowing when to step in

This session is designed to empower you with knowledge and tools to nurture your child’s wellbeing, strengthen family connections and foster resilience.

All John XXIII College parents and carers are welcome. Register here.