Secondary

Dear Families 

Student voice is a powerful way of empowering young people to shape their educational experience. By actively involving students in decision-making processes and valuing their perspectives, we create learning environments that foster belonging, agency and engagement with issues that are relevant to their immediate experience. This week we held our first Global Café for the year: a student voice forum where leaders from across Years 7 to 11 worked alongside the Year 12 Student Representative Council to discuss the development of the College’s Reconciliation Action Plan and to brainstorm ideas regarding recess and lunchtime activities to support student wellbeing. There was great energy and robust discussion regarding these two strategic objectives, and we look forward to continuing working with students to problem solve issues that matter to them and improve their Secondary experience.  

Today’s Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival was a fantastic way to end the week. It was wonderful to see House spirit in action with strong participation by students across both the main race and the novelty events. Congratulations to Loreto House for taking out the Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield and St Louis House for winning the Spirit Award. Thank you to all staff, in particular Ms Jessica Pillera and Mr Darren Kowal for their exceptional organisation, well done to all students for their participation and House pride, and thank you to the Year 9 parent volunteers for providing staff with a BBQ lunch.   

This week also saw the celebration of Loreto House Day, an occasion to mark the significance of one of our College Founders, Mary Ward. A courageous pioneer for girls’ education and justice for the most vulnerable in 17th-century Europe, Mary’s faith in God and conviction to improve the lives of those in need was unwavering in the face of condemnation from the authorities of the day. As early as 1612 Mary Ward said to her first companions that 'there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things. And I hope in God that it will be seen in time to come that women will do much'. Mary’s legacy was her belief in the capacity of women, which in turn led to her conviction that the key to unlocking this capacity was education for girls. In our contemporary context, we continue Mary Ward’s legacy to empower all of our students to challenge themselves to realise their potential and strive to make a positive impact on the world around them. Thank you to Mr Ciaran Gallagher, Loreto House Coordinator and Homeroom Teachers for leading students in a range of activities in celebration of the day.  

Loreto House Prayer 

Loving God  

You are the parent of all parents;  you are the friend of all friends.  

You are the source of all goodness and give us everything we need.  

We pray that we may share what we have and have the strength to generously give of ourselves.   

 

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, and with the intercession of our founders:  

Holy Mary, mother of God  

Pope John XXIII                  Pray for us  

Ignatius of Loyola           Pray for us  

Mary Ward                             Pray for us  

Secondary Photo Day 

A reminder that Tuesday 7 May is Secondary Photo Day with Year 12 cohort, family and catch-up photos on Tuesday 13 May. Students are expected to wear the correct winter uniform, including a blazer and tie. Please refer to the SEQTA email sent earlier in the week for more information.  

Mothers’ Day Mass 

All families are welcome to attend Mothers’ Day Mass, followed by morning tea on Friday 10 May at 7:30am in the St Louis Sports Centre.  

Term 2 Dates 

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Year 12 ATAR Geography Excursion

On Tuesday, Year 12 ATAR Geography students braved the wintery weather and attended an excursion to the Bold Park Ecology Centre. The purpose of the excursion was to conduct an inquiry into the restoration activities at the Park and complete fieldwork that complimented their study of biodiversity loss and the impacts of land cover change. Students considered the historic disturbance, the ongoing threats associated with urbanisation, the importance of urban bushland areas and explored the use of fieldwork data in monitoring restoration success to guide decision-making for the future. Thank you to Mrs Kalo Bell who accompanied the students on the day. 

Chris Morris

Head of Learning Area – Humanities and Social Sciences

Calling all artists – Christmas art competition

Students of John XXIII College are invited to create an original artwork on the theme of ‘Christmas’.  The winning entry will appear on the Principal’s 2024 Christmas card. 

Artwork Specifications 

• Size: A4 or A3 
• Medium: 2D (drawing, painting, collage, digital) 

How to Enter 

• Secondary: submit entries at Student Reception and include name, Homeroom and year. 
• Primary: drop off entries at the Library and include your name and year. 

Submission deadline: Monday 10 June, 3:30pm. 

Entries will be evaluated by the Art Department and the Principal. 

Terms and Conditions 

Artwork must reflect the theme of Christmas and align with the Catholic nature of this time. Entries must adhere to the College’s ethos and values. Only original artwork will be accepted. Each student can submit only one entry. Winners will be notified via email.

Good luck to all participants!

Join us for our annual Community Autumn Planting: supporting native wildlife and sustainability

Join us for our annual community autumn planting session tomorrow from 8am until 10am, as part of our sustainability initiatives at the College. Together, we'll be planting native trees and shrubs that offer vital food and habitat for our native bird species, focusing on supporting the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo. Parents, students, and teachers are all encouraged to attend this meaningful event. We will meet at the Year 12 car park on the eastern side of the College. We look forward to you joining us and helping to make a positive impact on our environment together.

Adrian Sims

Sustainability Coordinator

Calling all bakers! 

Can you help us make a splash with our upcoming Rowing Club Cake Fundraiser? We are asking the John XXIII College community to support us with this cause by baking a cake or two to contribute and support our team. Your delicious donations will help us raise funds for the John XXIII Rowing Club. For more details: 

Join us as we walk together towards reconciliation

We invite the community to join us for an enriching journey of discovery, reconciliation and truth telling as we walk Galbamaanup (Lake Claremont) with Dylan Collard. Delve into the rich tapestry of our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, guided by Dylan's knowledge of language, history, and culture.

• Date: Saturday 18 May
• Time: 8:00am – 10:30am
• Meeting Point: Playground and BBQ area at the end of Lapsley Road. Parking is available off Lapsley Road near Lake Claremont Golf Course.

The event is free, however registration is essential.

Students exploring Lake Claremont with Dylan Collard

Dylan Collard, a passionate advocate for preserving Noongar language and culture, recently escorted our Mary Ward Secondary students to Lake Claremont to explore the beauty and significance of Noongar country and language. 

SPORT

Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival

What a day!! The 2024 Cross-Country Carnival was a huge success. The weather was perfect, setting the stage for a big day of running and fun. The House spirit and passion were evident throughout the carnival, with many students from each year group running the course and competing in the novelty events.

The contest for the Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield was very close. It all came down to our Senior student races. There can only be one recipient of the cup, and on the back of some impressive results, it was Loreto House who won on the day. Well done to all students in Loreto and to every other student in the competing House who pushed all the way through. 

The competition for the Spirit Award is very attainable for every House and House spirit was at an all-time high this year. With points awarded for the three spirit events (Tug-of-war, Bombardment and Dodgeball), cheering and for each student that completed the course under the cut-off times, it was a closely fought competition between all Houses. Congratulations to St Louis House for taking out the coveted award.

A big thank you to all staff and students for a truly magical day!! 

Please find results from today's carnival using the following links:

• 3km Years 7-8 
  https://bluechipresults.com.au/results.aspx?CId=11&RId=1730&EId=1
• 4km Years 9-12
  https://bluechipresults.com.au/results.aspx?CId=11&RId=1730&EId=2

We now turn our attention to the SSWA and ACC Interschool Carnivals. More information will be posted in next week's notices and newsletter. Cross-Country training sessions will continue every Tuesday and Thursday from 7am to 8am until the ACC Cross-Country Carnival. All students are welcome to join our morning training sessions. 

Northern Associated Schools (NAS)

Well done to all students and coaches who have been training in preparation for the Winter NAS Carnival and ACC Lightning Carnivals. It is finally here, with all teams taking on the other NAS schools at various locations. It will be a day for new friendships, experiences and hopefully some premiership flags for the College. 

The attached document contains all the information, including the venues for each sport and the staff who will be accompanying these students. 

First 18

Our team played their first game this last week against Newman College. It was a great opportunity for our Years 10, 11 and 12 boys to experience playing all together as a team for the first time. The boys had a great day and came home with the win. This week the team came up against SEDA College. They started strong with a 3-goal lead; however, they just got pipped at the post and went down by 3 points. We have no doubt the team will regroup and use this loss as motivation to train hard and prepare as best they can for their game against Shenton College next week. Thank you to Mr Darren Kowal and Mr Scott McDonnell for all their time and efforts in coaching our team. 

Eagles Cup 

The team made up of Years 8/9 students, started their campaign against Bob Hawke College. They have been training hard in the lead-up, with Mr Bill Quartermaine leading the charge. The boys came home with a convincing win (6.7) 43 to (1.1) 7. We are sure that the boys will take this winning confidence into next week's game against Shenton College. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Angelina Smythe (Year 10) for her outstanding achievement! Not only has she qualified in multiple events, but she's also earned her spot in the 13-19 years swimming team representing School Sports Western Australian at the Gold Coast this July! Way to go, Angelina!

Congratulations to Jenny Biddle (Year 10) and Tilly O'Connell (Year 11), who are playing for the Australian women’s team in the U19 World Floorball Championships in Finland. The team from across Australia met in Finland this week for a week-long training camp prior to competing in the championships next week. Both players are pictured with the Australian head coach and the assistant coach. We wish you all the best with the competition next week.

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport