Secondary
Dear Families
Whilst everyone loves the holiday break, a school isn’t its whole self without the energy that students and staff bring, and it was wonderful to see students return this week ready to commence Term 4. I hope that families enjoyed a safe and happy break with loved ones. For our Year 12 students, the holidays saw the commencement of their trial WACE examinations and the final few weeks of their time at John XXIII College. We welcomed them back on campus today, and we look forward to sharing the special week ahead with them in the lead-up to their Day of Invitation and Valete ceremonies.
Staff Professional Learning
On Monday, staff engaged in a day of professional learning to continue our focus on the strategic objectives of ‘Inspiring Educational Excellence’ and ‘Cura Personalis’. In support of our 3-year College goal - to respond to the needs of students through effective student identification, tracking of student data and differentiated learning strategies to ensure learning growth – Secondary staff throughout the year have developed and worked towards the achievement of individual professional goals to strengthen their positive impact on student learning. Assisted by a coaching approach and framed by action research methodology, staff used Monday to reflect on evidence of their impact and their progress to date with their goals.
In support of Cura Personalis: care of the whole person and the Wellbeing Framework, staff continued their exploration of the RULER Approach: a social and emotional framework developed by Yale University that teaches emotional intelligence with the goal of creating a healthier, more equitable, innovative, and compassionate society. Research shows that emotions influence:
- Attention, memory, and learning
- Decision making
- Creativity
- Mental and physical wellbeing
- Ability to form and maintain positive relationships
- Academic and workplace performance
By acknowledging the value of emotions in our everyday effectiveness, RULER aims to infuse the principles of emotional intelligence into the immune system of each school, informing how leaders lead, teachers teach, students learn, and families support students. The College has adopted the RULER Approach to strengthen the wellbeing of all members of the community, with training of the RULER principles commencing with staff. On Monday, staff explored the first of the four RULER tools: the Mood Meter. The Mood Meter enhances self- and social awareness and supports the development of a nuanced emotion vocabulary and a range of strategies for regulating emotion.
Recognising that we all experience a range of emotions along a continuum of high or low energy and high or low pleasantness, the Mood Meter helps us to understand that all emotions are valid, and that we have a choice as to how we want to regulate our mood and feelings.
The Mood Meter: How do you feel?
Led by a fully trained facilitation team, staff will complete RULER training by the end of 2025 and be ready to implement it with students and parents thereafter. More information on the RULER Approach can be found at What is RULER? - RULER Approach.
Positive Behaviour Framework
As part of our ongoing commitment to foster a positive and supportive learning environment, we recently conducted a review of our Behaviour for Learning Framework and in partnership with students and staff, we have developed an overview that clearly outlines our expectations for positive behaviour and provides strategies to support the management of inappropriate behaviours. The hierarchy of information provided in this overview is designed to assist not only our students but also our staff and parents in understanding and reinforcing the behaviours that contribute to a thriving educational environment. Importantly, this document was co-designed with input from our students, reflecting our commitment to ensuring their voices are heard in matters that impact their school experience. These newly developed practices were shared with students on Wednesday to provide clarity and a shared understanding of our expectations for a positive environment for all.
Warm regards
Shani Andrews
Vice Principal - Head of Secondary
Year 11 Reflection Day
On Tuesday, our Year 11 students participated in their Reflection Day, which was designed to complement their Religion and Life course. The students had the opportunity to visit three religious communities – the Perth Mosque, the Buddhist Society and Temple David – where they explored how different religious beliefs shape the way Australians seek meaning and purpose in their lives. We are grateful that our hosts provided valuable insights into their faith practices and encouraged a deeper understanding of Australia’s spiritual and cultural diversity. Students were provided with the opportunity to see the common religious values of compassion, justice and peace shared across various faiths while still appreciating the uniqueness of our Catholic identity.
Join us at the 2024 John XXIII College Visual Arts Exhibition!
Discover the incredible talents of our students as they showcase their outstanding artworks, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and ceramic works. The exhibition runs from Monday 14 October to Friday 18 October from 9am to 4pm and on Saturday 19 October from 11am to 2pm and takes place in the Thomas More Exhibition Centre.
Don't miss the official opening night on Monday October 14 at 5:30pm – everyone is welcome to attend. Celebrate excellence in the Creative Arts and have your say by voting for the People's Choice Award. Following the opening, you have the opportunity to move into our Media Night viewing from 7pm.
We look forward to seeing you there!
SPORT
Volleyball Club
All students interested in playing Volleyball are invited to attend volleyball sessions on Monday mornings at 7:00am to 8:00am starting in Week 3, Monday 21 October. This is open to all students and no experience needed. Students will have the opportunity to learn the basics and more in a fun and relaxed environment. Please complete the form attached if you are interested.
NAS Golf
NAS Golf will run every Thursday morning from 7:00am to 8:00am, meeting at the northwest corner of the ovals. Students are welcome to bring their own clubs (7 Iron, Wedge and Fairway wood). There will be College clubs for those who don’t have their own. We are looking forward to seeing you all there.
West Coast Divers Underwater Hockey
For students interested in trying underwater hockey, please find the flyer below. Open to anyone aged 12 to18 at HBF Stadium.
Year 12 Coaching Expressions of Interest – 2025
Year 12 students interested in giving back to the wonderful world of sport at John XXIII College in 2025 are invited to complete this registration form. There are many opportunities to come back and coach, umpire, and support sports. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, jessica.pillera@johnxxiii.edu.au.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Scott, Luke and Joe (Year 10) on their acceptance into the Western Australian Institute of Sport Talent Identification and Development Program for rowing! These dedicated athletes train on weekdays with the Swan River Rowing Club Senior Squad and on weekends with the WAIS Squad.
Jessica Pillera
Head of Sport