Secondary

Dear Families

I congratulate the Year 12 Student Representative Council (SRC) for their impressive start to leading their Secondary peers this year. This week, the SRC promoted International Women’s Day among Secondary students, raising awareness of the 2026 theme ‘Balance the Scales’ to provide every girl and woman – regardless of background or identity – the right to be safe, heard and free to shape their own lives. Their efforts have closely aligned with their vision: to promote authenticity by embodying compassion, encouraging participation, and fostering an inclusive community where all can thrive. Alongside Luke Bostelman, Assistant Deputy Principal – Year 12, and Liam Smith, Head of Senior Years, I commend their efforts to lead with integrity, purpose and passion, and to be positive role models for Secondary students.

At yesterday’s Secondary Assembly, we celebrated the achievements of our swimming champions from the recent Interhouse Swimming Carnival and wished our ACC A-Division Swim Team every success for the Interschool carnival on Wednesday, 25 March. As Harmony Day (Saturday, 21 March) approaches, we heard from Wellbeing Captains, Grace and Elizabeth, of the imperative to appreciate and celebrate the strengths diversity brings to our multicultural society. To further the value of embracing other cultures, Felicia and Joseph shared their insights from last year’s Japanese Study Tour.

Interim Reports

To assist with preparing for Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews on Thursday, 26 March (3:45pm – 6:00pm) and Friday, 27 March (9:00 – 3:15pm), Interim Reports will be released on Friday 20 March via SEQTA. Now that Term 1 is well underway, the Interim Report provides a useful gauge on students’ work habits and progress in their courses. Parents will be able to book interview times for the Parent-Teacher-Student Interview once Interim Reports are published on Friday, 20 March.

Parent Teacher Student Interviews: Thursday, 26 March (3:45pm – 6:00pm) and Friday, 27 March (9:00am – 3:15pm)

Over these two days, Parent-Teacher-Student interviews will be held both online and face-to-face. These interviews are an important opportunity to help you and your child speak with their teachers about their academic progress and work habits. To facilitate meaningful feedback and discussion with teachers, the following suggestions may be useful:

• Read the Interim Report before you attend. Interim Reports will be available on Friday, 20 March via SEQTA.
• Identify and discuss areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for each subject.
• Seek clarity regarding one strategy suggested by the teacher for your child to practice to strengthen their approach to their learning. This should provide helpful information to implement a plan that, over time, results in learning growth.

SEQTA Update – Action Required

Families are asked to check their inboxes for an important email titled 'Important notice: SEQTA update'. This message outlines steps to re-register your SEQTA Engage account following the recent system upgrade. Please follow the instructions provided in the email at your earliest convenience. For assistance, contact ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au. 

Uniform Shop

To coincide with the upcoming Parent-Teacher-Student interview meetings, the Uniform Shop will be open on Friday, 27 March from 7:45am to 12pm. With Term 2 approaching and the need for blazers as part of the winter uniform, this will be an opportunity for parents to visit the Uniform Shop for fittings and purchases. Appointments are not necessary.

Consent2Go

Thank you to all families who have been engaging with our new excursion management platform, Consent2Go. With excursions and camps now underway, parents will receive notifications of upcoming activities, some of which require parental consent and review of the medical information provided at registration. Parents will be able to easily update information via Consent2Go as required.

Parent Communication Flow Chart

To assist parents contact the most relevant staff member regarding a query, we have developed a communication flow chart. We welcome parent contact via email or phone call, and when a meeting on campus with a staff member has been agreed, a time convenient for the parent and the staff member will be arranged. View the Parent Communication Flow Chart below.

Inspire presents The Fathering Project Breakfast – Tuesday, 24 March

Join the John XXIII community for an inspiring presentation by Ashlee Harrison, founder of WA charity Zero2Hero. Following breakfast and time to network, Ashlee will present on how parents can strengthen connection, resilience and wellbeing in their children, helping them to flourish in our College community.

• Tuesday, 24 March 
• 6:45am – 8:45am
• Neil Donaldson Pavilion, 10 McGillivray Road, Mount Claremont
• $39 per person

• Bookings are essential — secure your spot

   

Term 1 Key Dates 

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Year 10 River Cruise

Last night the Year 10 cohort celebrated their annual social with a River Cruise on the Swan River. The dancefloor on board was full from start to finish. I didn’t know we had so many dancers in the group! 

Students also enjoyed taking in the views of the city lights and sharing pizza with friends. Thank you to the Year 12 SRC students and to the College staff who attended for their support in making the event a wonderful experience for Year 10 students. 

James McLaughlin

Assistant Deputy Principal – Year 10 

Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day

When: Saturday, 21 March Time: 8:00am - 9:30am   

Meeting Point: Meeting behind the Science Garden at B8

We invite all interested parents, students, and alumni from the John XXIII College community to join us for a Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day to help our native Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos thrive.

This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to our environment through planting, weeding and caring for our existing garden beds. All tools will be provided—just bring yourself, comfortable clothing, closed footwear, a hat, and sunscreen.

Participating students can count this time towards their Christian Service-Learning (Roncalli Service) hours.

Together, we can nurture our shared environment, strengthen our campus surroundings, and set a positive example for future generations.

Community Garden Care and Maintenance Day – Fill out form

LEGO & DUPLO Donations Wanted

Our Library is seeking donations of LEGO and DUPLO bricks for use in a range of student activities. These resources will support:

• Primary and Secondary Library activities
• Secondary Wellbeing activities

• Creative play and hands‑on learning projects

   

If you have any spare LEGO or DUPLO at home that is no longer being used, we would be very grateful to give it a new life at school.

Donations can be dropped off at the Library at any time.

Thank you for supporting our students’ creativity and wellbeing.

Jean Redfern

Library and Learning Services Educator

SPORT

Interhouse Swimming Awards

Champions and Runner Ups

Records 

Grace Czajko 

• Year 10 50m Breaststroke in a time of 34.52s 

Angelina Smythe   

• Year 12 Girls 50m Backstroke in a time of 33.24s 

Sasha Pallis 

• Year 12 Girls 50m Freestyle in a time of 27.79s   

Year 12 Girls Campion 50m Freestyle Relay  

• Grace Nicol, Emily Hutchinson, Mia Colombera, Sasha Pallis  

 Year 12 Boys Ward 50m Freestyle Relay 

• Tighe O’Toole, Taj Dorrington, Luca Howard, Dom Jeffery  

ACC Swimming 

Congratulations to all students who have been selected for our 2026 ACC A-Division Swimming Team!

We had a fantastic first relay session yesterday morning with all team members fine-tuning their relay changeovers and starts. These are double points on the big day and contribute to our success. It is so wonderful to see the team's excitement and energy. 

Please take note of the following: 

• Thursday, 19 March are compulsory swimming training for all RELAY members at the College Pool at 7:00am to 8:00am.
• Monday, 23 March there will be a compulsory team session after school 3:30pm to 4:30pm followed by our team dinner in the TMEC from 5:00pm to 6:15pm 
  • Dinner RSVP

• If you cannot attend please email Miss Pillera or Mr Kowal

   

Wednesday, 25 March - ACC A-Division Carnival 

• All team members are encouraged and eligible to purchase an interschool jumper and swimming cap from the uniform shop. 
• All team members must compete in COLLEGE BATHERS. Girls on the team are welcome to purchase the race bathers. 
• We can't wait to show everyone what John XXIII can do. Let's train hard and stay healthy!
• Back to Back in 2026?! One Team, One Dream. 

On the week of the ACC Carnival team members will be allowed to wear their College Sport uniform and Interschool Jumper for the week. 

Years 9/10 NAS

All Years 9 to 10 John XXIII College teams hit the courts and fields on Tuesday for the first of the NAS Carnivals. All students represented the College with pride and showed 'sport in the right spirit'. We are proud of all the efforts they have shown in the lead-up, and this wouldn’t have been possible without our wonderful staff, alumni coaches, parents and guardians for early morning drop-offs and late finishes. 

Results

Premiers

• 9 Girls Beach Volleyball 
• 9 Girls Frisbee

Second 

• 9A Boys Basketball
• 10 Boys Frisbee

Third

• 9B Girls Basketball 
• 9 Boys Frisbee
• 9 Boys Indoor Beach Volleyball 
• 10A Girls Basketball 
• 10 Girls Frisbee
• 10 Girls Indoor Beach Volleyball 
• 9/10 Boys Indoor Cricket 

Forth 

• 10A Boys Basketball 
• 10B Girls Basketball 
• 9A Girls Basketball 

Fifth

• 9B Boys Basketball 
• 10B Boys Basketball 
• 10 Boys Indoor Beach Volleyball 

Years 11/12 Summer NAS

Congratulations to all Years 11 and 12 students who continued to trial this week. All teams will be posted in next week's notices.  

Please note that there are still a few places available on the Years 11 and 12 Girls AFLW Team. Students are encouraged to contact the appropriate Senior NAS Coach to join a team or volunteer as a helper on the day.

Trial and Training Schedule 

First XI Cricket

John XXIII’s First XI Cricket team ended the season with a win against Swan Christian College. 

Losing the toss and choosing to bowl, the team put on a strong bowling and fielding performance, minimising the opposition's scoring opportunities. Standout bowling performances came from Matt Mignacca with 2/11, Daniel Holmes with 3/21, and Jack Hodge with 3/18. 

Swan Christian scored 8/111 for John XXIII to chase from their 20 overs. Despite an early wicket, John XXIII had a 59-run second-wicket partnership between Lachie Martin and Jack Stockdale, scoring 17 and 29 runs respectively. With a small collapse in the middle order, Co-captains Matt Mignacca and Ollie Syminton steadied the run chase with a 47-run partnership, scoring 26 and 24 runs each. Reaching the total in the final over with 2 balls to spare.

Well done to the team for the season, and a big thank you to Coaches Michael Reynolds and Tom Syminton for all their amazing work with training and games. There are high hopes for next year with a young team.

SSWA Tennis

A wonderful week of tennis for our Years 7 to 9 Herbert Edwards Cup and Years 10 and 12 Mursell Shield boys and girls representatives during their tournaments this past week. Miss Jodi Power and Mr Conor O'Hara have been fabulous in helping the squads prepare for their matches during the past 5 weeks of training. By all accounts, the players acquitted themselves very well and represented the College with a good deal of prowess and humility. Well done to Matisse Newcombe, who won a $50 Rebel voucher donated by Healthway. Matisse was chosen as a worthy recipient for displaying sun-smart and healthy eating habits during the Herbert Edwards Cup tournament on Tuesday.

The competition format involves players competing in teams of four (with a rotation of players throughout the day if more than four in a team) against other schools in both singles and doubles play. Congratulations to all our participants on their efforts, especially the following representatives who managed to make the quarter finals in their respective tournaments:

Years 7 to 9 Boys Herbert Edwards Cup:

Pete Lorenz, Oliver Relota, Aidan Humphreys, and Luke Watson.

Years 10 to 12 Boys Mursell Shield:

Luke Nicol, Jack Turner, Kieran Long, Bailey Vincent, and Chris Tan.

Our Years 10 to 12 Girls played in their Mursell Shield competition earlier today. We sincerely hope they were able to perform to the best of their abilities and enjoy some success along the way. 

ACC Basketball 

The ACC Basketball Championship final game between JTC and Mater Dei College delivered and did not disappoint. Mater Dei controlled much of the game, holding a seven‑point lead late, but JTC refused to fold. In a stunning final-minute surge, they strung together clutch stops with two consecutive 3-point hits by Conor Bradley and a final buzzer-beater by Luca Lee. It was a comeback that has kept JTC in the Division 1 bracket for the 2027 season. Well done to all the boys involved and to Mr Simon Carrello for leading and coaching the team for the season. 

Fr Gaetan Pereira SJ Visit

College Sport Captains Dom and Molly recently had the privilege of meeting with former College Chaplain, Fr Gaetan Pereira SJ, whose legacy continues to shape our sporting community. As the namesake of the Interhouse Cross-Country Shield, Fr Gaetan’s commitment to service, perseverance and spirit was reflected in a meaningful conversation that connected past and present. It was a special opportunity for our student leaders to honour the history behind the shield they compete for.

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport

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’d 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.