Secondary

Dear Families

Welcome back for Term 2! We hope that students and families enjoyed a restful break and quality time with friends and family over Easter and the holiday. It is always a joy to have students back on campus following the holidays, and we congratulate them on settling back into the new term well.  

Congratulations to students, staff, parents and alumni involved in this year’s College musical whose months of hard work have culminated in a series of stellar performances for the audiences this week to enjoy. They have worked incredibly hard to bring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to life on our stage and create something special for our community to enjoy.  

Our Rowers enjoyed a successful camp over the holidays as part of their preparation for this term’s season. We look forward to seeing them in action at regattas throughout the term. Thank you to Claire Woolfitt, Rowing Coordinator and the coaching team for supporting students through this valuable experience.  

We look forward to the annual Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross Country carnival next Friday. A compulsory school day, students will commence the day with a service to commemorate Anzac Day, with the Cross Country carnival commencing after recess. Students are required to wear their sports uniform with House shirt for the day and must also wear a hat. The canteen will not be open for recess or lunch service, but students will be able to order online lunches prior to the day. Please see the Sports section below for more information.  

Health Centre  

The Health Centre provides valuable support to students when they are unwell or injured. When a student presents to the Health Centre, our experienced College Nurses, Jo Cook and Judy Buckley, may assess their fitness to remain at school and decide that the student is too unwell to return to the classroom.  In this case, parents will be called to collect their child. It is important that parents keep their contact details up to date with the College, including an alternative contact, so that in the event of a student being too unwell to remain at school, they or the alternative contact can be easily contactable. For the comfort of an unwell student and the safety of others, particularly in the case of an infectious illness, parents or alternative contacts are requested to collect the student within an hour of being contacted.  

Please note that the Health Centre has changed its email address. Please direct all queries to health.centre@johnxxiii.edu.au.  

Parking Reminder 

To ensure the safety of our students, particularly during busy times at the beginning and end of the school day, please use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones marked around the campus. When parking, we request that drivers use allocated parking spaces in visitors’ car parking bays only. For pedestrian safety and to reduce traffic congestion, drivers picking up students should only use visitors’ parking bays or the drive-through facility, and we encourage families to stagger their arrival and departure times where possible. When we exercise patience, follow staff and signage instructions, and are considerate of others during these busy times, we can maintain a safe and smooth experience for everyone. 

Winter Uniform  

With the commencement of Term 2, students will be required to transition to the winter uniform. As the weather can still be warm at the beginning of the term, students may continue wearing the correct summer or winter uniform until Monday, 11 May. The Uniform Code can be found below. Staff are guided by the Positive Behaviour Framework to address instances when students do not wear the uniform correctly. Please ensure that your child’s uniform fits correctly and that they are ready to transition into the winter uniform by Monday, 11 May, with the correct items.  

Canteen Winter Menu 

Our canteen has a new autumn menu for Term 2 with plenty of quality choices for students to enjoy and purchase directly from the canteen. 

Term 2 Key Dates

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Guest Speaker Incursion: Senator Michaelia Cash

On Tuesday morning, 21 April, Year 10 students had the valuable opportunity to hear from the Honourable Senator Michaelia Cash as part of the Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences course. The incursion directly supported key Western Australian Curriculum syllabus points, helping students deepen their understanding of Australia’s democratic system, the role of Parliament, and active citizenship.

Senator Cash shared insights into her personal journey to becoming a senator, outlining her career pathway, responsibilities, and experiences in federal politics. Students gained a first‑hand perspective on how laws are made and the importance of civic participation in Australia.

The session concluded with an engaging question-and-answer segment, during which students asked thoughtful questions about Australia becoming a republic, the current war in Iran, and the day-to-day processes a Senator must work through in Parliament. The incursion was an informative and engaging experience that brought classroom learning to life.

During recess, the Senator enjoyed learning more about the College on a walking tour and meeting Year 11 and 12 Politics and Law ATAR students in the Circle of Friends Café. 

Thank you to Isaac McCready (Year 10), Mr Stephen Harris, and the Year 10 HASS Teachers for their help with organising this event. 

Chris Morris

Head of Learning Area – Humanities and Social Sciences

Robotics Club 2026

The JTC Robotics Club is one of the first schools in WA to acquire the newly launched LEGO Computer Science and AI Kits, allowing us to compete in the inaugural year of the First Futures LEGO Competition. The Computer Science and AI Kits are designed to equip each student with the necessary coding skills to create a strong foundation in the programming and design cycle. 

Robotics Club will launch on Wednesday, 29 April, in the library at 3:15pm - 4:30pm. This year, the Robotics Club is offered to students in Years 7 to 9 due to a change in competition.  We have space for 16 students. Please fill out the expression of interest here by Tuesday, 28 April: Robotics Club Expression of Interest. 

You will be notified on the afternoon of 28 April if you are successful.

• Meetings: Wednesdays from 3:15pm - 4:30pm in the Library
• Term 2 Focus: Learning how to use and code the new LEGO Computer Science and AI Robotics Kits
• Term 3 & 4 Focus: Preparing for the First LEGO Futures Competition

Anna Davila

Head of Learning Area - Technologies

SPORT

Cross-Country Carnival

The Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival on Friday, 1 May, many students have already been training really hard in the lead-up.

All students will run a 4km loop for this year's carnival. This aligns with the ACC Interschool Carnival, where all students from Years 7 to 12 will be required to run 4km.

• This is a special event day that all students are expected to attend
• The carnival will look slightly different this year. Please review the attached schedule carefully.
• At the conclusion of recess, all students are to gather in the SLSC and sit by their House banners
• Attendance will be taken at the beginning and end of the carnival
• Dress: Sport uniform with House shirt, students MUST wear a hat for all activities throughout the day. Students do not have to run the course in their hats.
• There is now a common lunch break; the canteen WILL be open at lunch. Students must order lunch if they would like lunch from the canteen.
• A coffee van will be on-site, 'Velvet Betty'. Staff and Year 12 Students will be able to access this for the day. (No food supplied.)
• NO BAGS are to be brought down to the oval
• Bibs will be allocated 30 minutes before each race. This is also when you are encouraged to complete a short warm-up before your race. Bibs must stay on shirts all day.
• Year 7s will receive their bibs in Homeroom.
• A siren will sound when the cut-off time is reached for each race, and all students must make their way to their white marquee for Year group presentations and rest station
• There will be a St John First Aid set up at the finish line on the day; however, it is imperative that students who require asthma puffers, EpiPens, or other medication have them with them at all times throughout the day. 
• Students will also participate in House novelty events, with results contributing to the overall Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield.
• Parents/spectators welcome

Cut Off Times for House Points: 

 Students will compete for their Houses on the day and for a chance to make the School Sport WA Cross-Country team (Years 7 to 10 on Thursday 21 May) and the prestigious ACC Cross-Country team (carnival on Thursday 28 May). 

Schedule 

Map

Cross-Country Training Schedule

Time: Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Meet: The Pavilion 6:50am

Training: 7:00am - 8:00am

Location: Some sessions will be at offsite locations as outlined below. The group will leave together from the College, do not meet at the venue. If you are late arriving to school, there will always be a group running on the ovals that you can join, Any program changes will be communicated in SEQTA notices.

Head coach: Mr Tremayne

Alumni assistant coaches: Ciaran Doyle and Ruby Verleg

Year 7 Winter NAS

All Year 7 NAS teams and Lightning Carnival teams have now been posted in the College notices. Well done to all the students who have trialled and brought great enthusiasm to Year 7 NAS. The training schedule is attached below. All students in a NAS Team must attend both training sessions in the lead-up to the carnival on Monday, 11 May. If students are unable to attend, they must email their team teacher. 

Students who are listed on the Lightning Carnival teams can train, if they wish, on the listed training afternoons.

Rugby 10's

If you are interested in taking part in the Rugby 10's competitions this year, please complete the expression of interest form. 

The second training for all will be on Thursday, 31 April, in the afternoon.

Teams will be combined boys:

• Years 7/8
• Years 9/10
• Year 11/12

Rugby 10's Expression of Interest – Fill out form

AFL Development Program 

An exciting opportunity is developing into reality for our senior boys' AFL participants. Credit to Mr Charlie Galbally (father of George Galbally, Year 10) for being so proactive in this space. He will be assisted through the Swanbourne Tigers Junior Football Club, John XXIII Alumni Coaches and our very own Mr Darren Kowal to run these fitness and skill development sessions. Students in Years 10 to 12 who are interested in developing AFL-related skills and fitness are encouraged to take up this opportunity.

Session One will commence on Friday morning of this term (May 8) and run from 7:00am to 8:00am, continuing on Friday mornings for the remainder of the term.

Please note: this is not a 'come and try' theme. This program will be for current season players, designed to improve their capacities with like-minded football athletes.

Eagles Cup Fixtures

Senior Eagles Cup (First XVIII) fixtures:

Training:

• Tuesday 28 April - 7am-8am
• Monday's from Week 3 - 3:30pm-4:30pm

Years 8/9 Eagles Cup Fixtures:

Training dates TBC

We wish the teams all the very best in their efforts to represent the College in these competitions.

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport

Congratulations

Congratulations to George Galvin (Year 11) on his selection to compete at the 2026 National Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast. With a demanding program across six events—including the 400m IM, 100m Butterfly, 200m IM, 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke and 100m Breaststroke—this is a fantastic achievement. Well done, George!

Also, congratulations to Finn Wibrow who has made his Colts debut for Claremont Tigers Football Club.  

Congratulations to Harry Farnan (Year 9 ) and his U16 Hoops Factory teammates on an outstanding achievement at the Adelaide Easter Classic Basketball Competition. Competing against strong opposition from across four states in a tournament of more than 600 teams, the boys played seven games over three and a half days to claim the U16 Division 2 Championship. A fantastic result!

Congratulations to Sasha Pallis on her outstanding performance at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast. Competing in the Open Women’s Beach Relay, Sasha and her team claimed the gold medal—an incredible achievement. As the youngest and least experienced member of the team, she competed with great maturity and composure. Well done, Sasha!

Share your child’s achievements

We love celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students in this section of the newsletter. If your child has recently represented at a regional, state, or national level, or been part of a team that has achieved a significant result (such as a premiership or championship), we would love to hear about it!

Families are invited to share details and a photo by emailing newsletter@johnxxiii.edu.au. Please include your child’s name, year group, event or activity, and a brief description of the achievement.

To ensure fairness and consistency, we can only feature information received directly from families that meets the above criteria. If no image or details are provided, we may not be able to include your child’s achievement in the newsletter.