Around The Primary

Dear Families

As the mornings have grown that little bit darker and cooler, I am sure the morning routines have become that little bit slower too. We are almost at the end of a very long term and the students continue to enrich our lives daily and are to be congratulated on how well they have been working.

We have so much to be grateful for at the College. Yesterday we hosted the IPSHA Winter Carnival on our beautiful grounds. A big thank you must go to Mr Williams, who always does an exemplary job of organising these big sporting events. It was a wonderful day, with our upper primary students participating in a team sport (football, netball, soccer, and hockey). It was wonderful to see our students trying their personal best, working together as a team, and cheering each other on! Finally, thank you to our Year 6 parent volunteers for serving tea, coffee, and soup to our visitors and to everyone that came along to support the teams. These are examples of the great community that we are lucky to be part of!

Teachers are busy finalising Semester One Reports for Pre-Primary to Year 6 students. These reports will be available through the College’s online communication platform ‘SEQTA Engage’ from 3:30pm on Friday 28 June. Further details will be provided next week. 

Next Friday, 28 June is our annual ‘Comfy Day’ and we look forward to seeing everyone coming to school dressed in pyjamas or warm comfy clothes. On this day we hope to raise the students’ awareness of how fortunate we are to have access to everyday privileges. All students are asked to bring along a gold coin donation for LifeLink, please see further information below. 

Enjoy the weekend, and make sure your children have plenty of rest and are recharged for the final week of the term!

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary 

Uniforms

It is wonderful to see our students proudly wearing their school uniform.

It is a requirement that all Years 1-6 students wear black leather school shoes with the College socks with their school uniform. Black sneakers are not permitted as an alternative.

Additionally, when wearing school uniform, the College jumper must be worn, not the tracksuit/sports jacket. 

Further information about the Uniform Guidelines can be found here Parent Information | Resources | Uniform Shop | John XXIII College

Comfy Day

Friday, 28 June, is our annual ‘Comfy Day’.  All students are asked to bring along a gold coin donation for LifeLink. 

We have also been advised that Shopfront and CARAD are in short supply of: 

• Basmati rice
• Passata sauce
• Honey
• Sweet biscuits
• Tinned fruit
• Dried fruit and nuts
• Hand wash
• Spray and wipe
• Toilet cleaner
• Deodorant
• Shaving cream
• Shampoo and conditioner

These items will be greatly appreciated by Shopfront and CARAD during these winter months.  Please send donations to school any day next week. 

Thank you in anticipation for your generous support.

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar. http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/for-parents/calendars 

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

Notification of Absences

We are pleased to introduce a new feature that allows you to notify the school of your child's absence directly through the SEQTA Engage App or SEQTA Engage Portal. This feature provides an additional, convenient method for submitting absence notifications.

Please refer to the attached PDF for further instructions.  This information can also be found on SEQTA Engage under the Primary General tab. 

College Staff Email Change

A reminder that the @cewa email domain is no longer active. 

All staff have designated email addresses with the email addresses generally following a pattern – the first name followed by the surname and then @johnxxiii.edu.au eg: firstname.surname@johnxxiii.edu.au  

Sports News

Winter Carnival

Thursday was a perfect day for the IPSHA Winter Carnival!  We had 23 Soccer teams, 7 AFL teams, 3 Hockey teams and 21 Netball teams from 12 schools playing throughout the day.  I am always extremely impressed with our teams; excellent skills, teamwork and they displayed outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day.  All the students involved should be extremely proud of their efforts.  

The AFL component of the day was an official Dockers Cup tournament, so scores were kept, and it came down to the final game between JTC and Newman College to determine the overall winner. It was in very tight tussle, with the teams going goal for goal in the first half.  It was a very physical encounter, and it was great to see our boys stepping up and taking on the challenge.  The JTC boys took charge and ended up winning by 15 points!  

School Holiday Claremont Football Club AFL Masterclass

Claremont Football Club are offering an AFL Masterclass opportunity, open to Years 5 and 6 students. Please refer to flyer for further 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 News

Rehearsals

Choir and instrumental ensemble rehearsals for the final week of term are as follows:

Primary Strings Mini Recital

Congratulations to students in the String Orchestra and Mini Minors who presented their first morning concert for the year on Tuesday. The students delighted the audience with their beautiful playing and demonstrated the amazing progress they have made this Semester. Special thanks to Mr Kros, Mr Pitt, and Ms Partridge for their work with the ensembles at early morning rehearsals.

Music Eisteddfod – External Tutors

All John XXIII students are invited to perform in the Music Eisteddfod, the College’s annual House Music competition on Sunday 4 and Monday 5 August. 

While students learning through College tutors will have their applications lodged automatically, students learning through external tutors will need to complete an entry form, available online through SEQTA Documents or by completing the link below:

Entries close on Wednesday 24 July at 3:00pm. Please contact the Music Department with any queries via email music@johnxxiii.edu.au 

Instrumental Lessons – Withdrawals and Enrolments (Semester 2)

Withdrawal from instrumental lessons for Semester 2 have now closed. 

For families wishing to enrol students in lessons for Semester 2, please complete the following online enrolment form Instrumental Lesson Enrolment Form. 

Australian Guild of Music and Speech (AGMS) Virtual Festival

Students who undertake instrumental lessons are invited to enter the AGMS Virtual Festival.   

To participate, students are required to upload a video of their performance to the appropriate category. All participants receive feedback on their entry and awarded bronze, silver, gold, or platinum level for their performance. Entries close on 25 June. 

Please use the link below for more information or to place an entry. 

Enter the 2024 Virtual Festival | AGMS

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

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

A Synodal Church: Responding to the Signs of the Times

An evening with Fr Frank Brennan SJ

John XXIII College is delighted to invite you to an insightful community event.

In an engaging evening, Fr Frank Brennan SJ will explore the concept of a synodal church: a church that listens, dialogues, and journeys together.

• Date: Tuesday 16 July 2024
• Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm
• Location: Thomas More Exhibition Centre, John XXIII College, John XXIII Avenue, Mount Claremont
• This a free event but registration is essential at: www.trybooking.com/1229490 

Key discussion points will include:

Responding to modern challenges: How the principles of synodality can help the church navigate and respond to current social, cultural, and political issues.

Inclusivity and participation: The importance of involving all members of the church, including those who are often marginalised, in decision-making processes.

About Fr Frank Brennan SJ

Fr Frank Brennan SJ is a Jesuit priest renowned for his work in human rights and social justice.

He chaired the National Human Rights Consultation and served on the Religious Freedom Review panel.

He has been appointed to a number of government advisory groups, including the Voice Co-Design Senior Advisory Group for Indigenous representation.

Fr Brennan’s accolades include the Order of Australia (AO) for his services to Aboriginal Australians. He has also authored several influential books on law, social justice, and religious freedom.

Upcoming Inspire Event

Building Courage and Resilience in Children and Adolescents

Join Karen Young, founder of 'Hey Sigmund' and author of best-selling books, for an informative session on helping children build courage and resilience. Learn practical tools and strategies to support your children in overcoming adversity and fostering a brave mindset.

Monday, 22 July 2024

6:00pm - 7:30pm

Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre

RSVP and details: https://www.trybooking.com/1225467

Hosted by INSPIRE Parent Association.

Containers for Change 

Thank you to all the families that have been donating their recyclable containers to the College fund. The member ID number has changed recently for the College to C11452850.

If you are donating your 10c Containers under the College account, you will have to start using this number. 

All of the money raised from your donations goes to Caritas or Lifelink.

Heritage Lane Car Park

Families are reminded to be courteous and considerate of our neighbours and student safety when driving and parking at the College. We have numerous car parks across the campus designated to ensure the safety of the community and help with traffic flow.

The recent installation of a boom gate at the Heritage Lane car park ensures that this parking area is available for staff use only and mitigates some of the previous safety concerns that have been raised. Please do not use this area as a drop-off zone or park in front of the boom gate, as this obstructs staff access to the car park, potentially creating more safety concerns. We appreciate your efforts in adhering to the guidelines, which can be found on the School Traffic Management and Parking Guidelines page of the newsletter.

Sacramental Certificates

Parents are requested to email a copy of their child’s Sacramental Certificate (Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation) to Mrs Petsos in Primary Reception nancy.petsos@johnxxiii.edu.au for our College records.