Around The Primary

Dear Families

The large number of parents and grandparents that joined us for our Music Assembly this morning was fantastic.

Special thanks to the Wanju Voices and Primary Singers for showcasing their musical and singing skills. We are grateful to Mrs Haydon and Mr Johnson for preparing the students so well for their first performance of the year. It was great to see so many happy students on the stage, as well as the proud siblings and families in the audience.

Parent Teacher Interviews begin next week. These interviews are a core part of the Primary Assessment and Reporting process and enable both teachers and parents/caregivers to work in partnership for the benefit of the child. Thank you to all those who have already booked an interview time with teachers.  Please refer to instructions below on how to log in and create bookings.

Every year, we give an olive tree sapling to each Kindy child as a keepsake of their entrance at the College. Our hope is that as the saplings grow and flourish, so too will the children. In the years ahead, our goal is for each child to discover and use their God-given gifts and talents through the opportunities offered in their homes and here at John XXIII College. 

As students learn how to take care of the olive tree, we hope they will also develop an understanding of our Christian commitment to take care of one another and the environment.

We would love to receive some photos of the trees planted in their new home gardens this year, as well as some photos of children and their thriving olive trees planted in previous years. 

From little things big things grow.

Please email Nancy Petsos - nancy.petsos@johnxxiii.edu.au with your photos/

Happy Harmony Day!

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary 

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. 

Super Stars

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

Counsellor’s Corner

Hello and thank you to all the staff, parents and especially students at John XXIII College who have made me feel very welcome.  I am excited to begin my role as Primary School Counsellor. 

I little bit about me, I am a mother of two teenage children and French bulldog owner.  I enjoy being outdoors, especially the beach and spending time with friends and family. Something that makes me unique, is that I have one green eye and one blue eye. 

I am a Senior Social Worker who is passionate about supporting our children through their life journey.  I strongly recognise the significant, and at times challenging role of parents and seek to empower families to have healthy, secure relationships throughout the ups and downs of life. 

My workdays are Monday to Thursday, and I can be contacted either via email - Natalie.alach@johnxxiii.edu.au or phone - 9383 0469.

Natalie Alach

Primary Counsellor 

Parent Teacher Interviews 

As part of the Primary Assessment and Reporting process for Kindy to Year 6 students, Parent-Teacher interviews will be taking place next Thursday after school on 27 March and all day on Friday 28 March.  This is a valuable time for parents/caregivers to spend with the class teacher to discuss your child’s progress.

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.

All parents/caregivers are required to book their meeting online via the SEQTA Engage Parent portal under Booked (formerly Parent Teacher Online).  Bookings are open to parents from Thursday 20 March from 3:30pm.  The booking process will close on Monday 24 March at 9:00am. 

Please refer to below instructions on how to log in and create bookings. 

After logging in, you can select a suitable time to meet with your child/children’s teacher/s. All interviews will run for up to 15 minutes.

If you would like to book an appointment to see a Specialist teacher, please contact them directly via e-mail to set up a mutually convenient time.

Parents/caregivers that have recently attended an IEP meeting are not required to book another interview with class teachers. 

If you experience any technical difficulties, please contact ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au

'Booked' Interview Management System

For these interviews we are introducing a new online booking system called Booked (formerly known as PTO). ‘Booked’ is an online system that will make the process of Parent Teacher Meetings easier for everyone. Using ‘Booked’, you will be able to book the interview time/s that suit you best using a computer or, on the ‘Booked’ app if you are using a mobile phone.Booked’ allows parents to schedule their own interviews with teachers. Parents have access to ‘Booked’ to book interview times from 3:30pm, Thursday 20 March to 9:00am Monday 24 March. Please access the system as follows: 

• Go to the College website via the following link: https://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/events-online-bookings
• Click on the ‘Booked’ icon.
• Once the ‘Booked’ website has opened, select ‘Obtain PIN/Password’ and enter your email address.
• Parents will receive an email with their ‘PTO / Booked’ credentials, as well as an automatic sign in link to the site.

We recommend parents download the ‘Booked’ app onto their phone as a convenient way to track interview times on the day. You will be prompted to add a school code, which is qh4r8. From there, simply follow the on-screen instructions:

• When you log on, the system only displays your own child/children. Bookings are made for individual parents/carers, not for couples. Couples can however log on to the system simultaneously to coordinate bookings.
• If two parents/carers wish to attend a single interview time slot, one parent/guardian should make the booking on their joint behalf, then both can attend.
• You will only see time slots that are still available at that moment in time and as time slots are booked for teachers, those time slots are no longer displayed as available. ‘Booked’ prevents double-booking of teachers or parents/carers.
• When you have made all the bookings you require, you can download or email yourself a report of your bookings, and/or an iCal calendar file.
• You can log back into ‘Booked’ and change your bookings any time up to Monday 24 March (9:00am).
• If you see an exclamation symbol displayed along-side the class name, it indicates this teacher recommends that you book an interview.
• Other parents may be making bookings at the same time as you are. It is possible, though unlikely, that a time slot is displayed to you as available but is then booked by another parent shortly afterwards. If you then attempt to book this time slot it will not be available, and a message will be displayed to indicate this has occurred.

Please contact the College at ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au if you do not receive this email or are unable to log in.

Once logged into ‘Booked’, you will find the classes that are available to book for your child.  Should you have multiple children across Primary and Secondary, you will be able to view their classes together, providing a clear overview of the interviews available.

Please note:  All Primary Parent/Teacher interviews will take place in classrooms. 

Sports Update

Cross-Country

It has been another great week of cross-country training and the slightly cooler mornings have been well received.  The runners have been working on their pacing and controlling their efforts through some fartlek style training.  As we practice this more our runners will become more familiar with how their body feels when working at different intensities and they will be able to transfer this into their cross country racing.  Please note there is no training on Tuesday 1 April.

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

Please see below for rehearsal times for ensembles for Week 8 – 

Palm Sunday – Wanju Voices at St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco

At the special request of Monsignor Kevin Long, Wanju Voices have been invited to sing at the 9:00am Mass at St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco on Palm Sunday, 13 April. We look forward to seeing many families join us for this special occasion.

Music Photo Day

Music Photo Day takes place on Friday 4 April. Information regarding uniform requirements and timetables have been emailed to parents of students involved in these ensembles. Please see the Music Page of the Newsletter for further details.

Catholic Performing Arts Festival 

Entries are now open, for the 2025 Catholic Performing Arts Festival. Students learning through the College can enter via their tutors, while students learning from external tutors can lodge their entries through the Music Office.  The online form available via SEQTA documents (please note that scans/copies of sheet music are also required). 

Entries into the Catholic Performing Arts Festival close on Thursday 8 May.

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

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Uniform Shop Open – Friday 28 March

Extended Opening Hours during Parent Teacher Interviews

The Uniform Shop will be open on Friday 28 March from 8:00am to 4:00pm during Parent Teacher meetings.  As this is a pupil free day, it is the perfect time to attend with your child and purchase any winter uniform items required. No appointment is necessary. It is also a good opportunity to bring in any winter items that no longer fit to be recycled as secondhand.

Men of John XXIII Event

Please join us for a breakfast event tackling the changes and challenges of fatherhood, from early childhood to adolescence.

Our guest panel will explore this subject, facilitated by compere Glenn Mitchell. There will also be ample opportunity to network, discuss fathering, and come together as a community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with other dads and guardians and gain valuable insights. While focused on fatherhood, the discussions are relevant to all parents and guardians, male and female, so all are welcome.

Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Time: 6:45am for a 7:15am start

Location: The University Club of Western Australia, 1 Hackett Drive, Crawley

Cost: Includes plated breakfast PLUS a complimentary Men of John XXIII cap!

$65 per person | $500 Table of 8

Registration: www.trybooking.com/1364764 

Hosted by Men of John XXIII

Our special guests

•             Compere: Glenn Mitchell

•             Sarah Maconachie

•             Paul Jeffery

•             Dr Bruce Robinson

•             Alexandria Henderson