Around The Primary
Dear Families
Today we had a wonderful start to the morning with our Mass, dedicated to mothers and mother figures, followed by morning tea. We appreciate all the families who joined us for our special celebration. We especially thank Ms Allen and Ms Lumley for preparing the Mass, Mrs Haydon for organising the music and staff for their hard work with the set-up for this large event.
The students were buzzing with excitement as they entered the St Louis Sports Centre with their loved ones, and it was great to hear the laughter at morning tea and see the proud smiles on parents’ faces. We hope you enjoy the lovely slideshow.
We take pleasure in celebrating the important role families play in our school community and showing our appreciation for the love and care you provide to your children every day.
Happy Mothers’ Day! Thank you for being the guiding light in our students’ lives.
Kind regards,
Antoinette De Pinto
Head of Primary
Mothers’ Day Prayers to share with your families
We pray for our mothers, grandmothers and all who have a mothering role in our lives.
May they be filled with Wisdom to love and teach their children.
May their children always show them respect and loving appreciation.
Let us pray for women in our community who look forward to giving birth:
- for new mums.
- for mums who are pregnant with another baby.
- for mums-to-be, hoping to have a baby in the future.
May they be blessed with peace in this time of waiting and hope.
We pray for our mums, grandmothers and all family members who now live forever in the Risen Christ.
Let us remember to name them in our hearts.
May the happy memories and stories of their lives inspire us to live in ways that are good.
Let us pray the ‘Hail Mary’ together.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, and with the intercession of our Founders
Pope John XXIII – Pray for us
Mary Ward – Pray for us
Ignatius of Loyola – Pray for us
Dates to Remember
| Wednesday 14 May | 9:00am-10:00am Year 6 Blue Bike Incursion |
| Friday 15 May | 9:00am Primary Assembly hosted by Year 2, Roncalli Hall |
| 11:00am-3:00pm Years 3-6 Interhouse Cross Country Carnival, Secondary ovals |
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.
Counsellor's Corner
The most inspirational people I know aren’t famous and don’t have a huge following. They are quiet world-changers, continually making ordinary life a little more beautiful. Yes, they are all parents.
Parents instill pride and build character. Parents grow our children’s wisdom and provide a safe place for them always to come home to.
Parents have the greatest influence on children during the first twelve years of their lives. Once adolescence hits, the ability to guide them is reduced as they become increasingly independent, and as they look to their peers and other outside influences to guide them.
Here are 10 ways that parents can keep our relationships strong, create resilient children, and have a positive influence on children.
1. Be available
2. Be warm
3. Listen, but don’t fix
4. Set limits
5. Play
6. Be grateful
7. Be fair
8. Set high expectations
9. Talk to them about your struggles.
10. Love them and show it every day
10 Ways to Have a Positive Influence on Your Children - Happy Families
Parent Webinar
Please find attached a free parent webinar flyer on Wednesday 14 May to support families with information on meeting children’s sensory needs.
Please contact me if you have any questions via email natalie.alach@johnxxiii.edu.au
Natalie Alach
Primary School Counsellor
Sports Update
Cross Country Interhouse Carnival
There has been a change to the times of races for our Interhouse Cross Country Carnival on Friday 16 May. Please see the table below.
| 11:00am | Year 5 Runners |
| 11:55am | Year 6 Runners |
| 1:30pm | Year 4 Runners |
| 2:00pm | Year 3 Runners |
All students will have a practice of the course in lessons to help them decide between the long and short courses. Training on Tuesday and Thursday will be the final opportunities to run the course.
We look forward to seeing lots of family and friends cheering on our runners!
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 Update
Primary Ensembles
Please see below for rehearsal times for ensembles next week:
| Ensemble | Date | Time | Venue |
| Wanju Voices | Monday 12 May | 7:30am to 8:30am | Osborne Room |
| String Orchestra | Tuesday 13 May | 7:15am to 8:00am | Osborne Room |
| Mini Minors | Tuesday 13 May | 8:00am to 8:30am | Osborne Room |
| Year 6 Band | Wednesday 14 May | 7:30am to 8:00am | Performing Arts Centre |
| Year 5 Band | Wednesday 14 May | 8:00am to 8:30am | Performing Arts Centre |
| Primary Singers | Thursday 15 May | 8:00am to 8:30am | Osborne Room |
| Chapel Choir | Friday 16 May | 7:30 to 8:30am | Chapel |
If you have any queries regarding Primary Music, please contact me via email: catherine.haydon@johnxxiii.edu.au
Catherine Haydon
Primary Music Teacher
Register for the Premier’s Reading Challenge
The Premier’s Reading Challenge encourages students to discover the joy of reading, improve their literacy skills and enjoy amazing stories.
The challenge runs until 27 June 2025. To complete the challenge, students in Kindergarten to Year 10 read 12 or more books.
Students can register for the challenge here: The challenge - Premier's Reading Challenge