Around The Primary

Dear Families 

Our students in Pre-Primary and Years 1 to 3 have had a great week of swimming lessons and even though the weather hasn’t been as warm as usual, the enthusiasm for their lessons has been excellent.  Across the board students have made good progress with their water confidence, stroke development and safety skills around water. They can now look forward to a summer filled with fun and fitness activities in the water.

The annual Christmas Concert, featuring students from both Primary and Secondary Ensembles, is scheduled for later this afternoon. Families are encouraged to bring along a picnic, blankets, and chairs for this festive outdoor event, and to come ready to sing along while dressing in seasonal attire. Everyone is welcome to join us, with pre-show entertainment beginning at 4:30pm and the concert commencing at 5:00pm in the Library Courtyard.

We express our sincere appreciation to the families of John XXIII for their generous donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries and gift vouchers for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas hampers. To facilitate timely preparation and distribution for Christmas, our final collection day is on Monday, 1 December.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Staff News

As we approach the final weeks of the school year, I would like to inform the Primary community that we will be farewelling Mrs Thomas (Year 3 Teacher) at the end of the Term. We express our sincere gratitude to Sonia for her dedication, hard work, and exceptional service over many years and look forward to her involvement in relief work next year.

We bid farewell to Ms George (DT Teacher) and Mrs Reddell (Year 5 Teacher) as they will both be welcoming babies in the new year.  We will keep families updated about the new additions to their families.

Also, Ellen Badock (MW Education Assistant) will be concluding her short-term contract, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

2026 Term Dates

The 2026 Term Dates have now been published and are available to view on the College Website - Parent Information | Term Dates | John XXIII College 

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar - Calendars | John XXIII College 

By subscribing to the College calendar, you are automatically alerted when details of an existing event are changed. 

Consent2Go

 Streamlining parents’ online College experience: digital updates for 2025 and 2026

Over the coming months, the College is upgrading its online platforms to assist families more efficiently access College information and manage student details. 

A trusted provider in schools across Australia and New Zealand, Consent2Go provides a digital solution to enable parents to keep their child’s health records accurate and provide consent for school events, excursions and camps. 

Consent2Go will be implemented in readiness for Term 1 2026. 

To facilitate this, the College needs parents’ help to ensure their child’s contact and health details are accurate prior to implementation. Parents received an email invitation today to update student contact and health information by Friday, 19 December. In the future, this will become a simple yearly process to keep information current. Registering and updating students’ details is a user-friendly process that will take approximately 10 minutes. 

Information regarding the implementation of Consent2Go and other digital platforms to enhance parents’ user experience was provided to all families yesterday. If you did not receive this communication yesterday or the email invitation today, please contact ithelpdesk@johnxxiii.edu.au. 

Presentation Evening

Our College Presentation Evening will be held in the St Louis Sports Centre on Thursday, 4 December, beginning at 6:30pm. As this is an important community event for our College, all students in Years 6-11 are expected to attend.

Ticket Information and Seating

Parents will be able to book a maximum of 2 tickets per family on Trybooking up until Wednesday 3 December using this link – https://www.trybooking.com/DHOUZ  

Students do not require a ticket as they will sit with their class and teacher.

Parent/Family Entry

Extra parking will be available on the College playing fields and there will be separate entry and exit points to allow for traffic flow. Entry to the St Louis Sports Centre will be through the north-facing doors (that is, from the oval).

Arrival Time

All Year 6 students are required to meet in their Year 6 classrooms by 6:00pm. Guests are to be seated by 6:15pm for a 6:30pm start.

Dress Standards

Students are to wear their full school uniform. Hair needs to be neat and tidy.

Departure

The Presentation Evening is scheduled to conclude at 8:30pm.  All students will need to be collected from the St Louis Sports Centre.  Students will not be permitted to meet parents in the car park. 

We look forward to seeing all families on the night.

Wellbeing Weekly

Make Connection Your Goal This Summer

As the school year winds down and the summer holidays approach, families are gifted a rare window: more time together. While long days and unstructured time can sometimes feel chaotic—especially if you’re juggling work or multiple children—they also offer a powerful opportunity to reconnect.

The truth is that these coming weeks don’t need to be filled with elaborate outings or constant entertainment. What our kids need most—whether they’re five or fifteen—is us. A little one-on-one time, relaxed conversations, shared laughter, and simply being present can do more for your relationship than any parenting strategy ever could.

So, this summer, let’s make connection the goal.  Everything else is just a bonus.

Simple Ways to Connect

• Start the day together: Share breakfast without screens and talk about what you’re looking forward to.
• Play their way: Join in a game they love—even if it’s messy or silly.
• Take a walk: Fresh air and movement often spark great conversations.
• Create a tradition: A weekly movie night, picnic, or bedtime story can become a cherished memory.
• Listen more than you talk: Sometimes, the best connection comes from simply hearing what’s on their mind.

When we slow down and spend time with our children, we give them the greatest gift: a sense of belonging and love that lasts far beyond the holidays.

This message was inspired by an article I read written by Justin Coulson.

Toilet Training Online Workshop

Ngala has a free online workshop on Monday, 15 December, exploring the issues and discussing practical strategies and resources to assist children in acquiring the toileting milestone.  Please click the link to join - Successful Toileting - Ngala

If you have any queries, please contact me via email: natalie.alach@johnxiii.edu.au 

Natalie Alach

Primary School Counsellor

Sports Update

Swimming Success!

Our Pre-Primary and Years 1 to 3 students have enjoyed a fantastic week of swimming at Claremont Aquatic Centre. They demonstrated great organisation before and after lessons—hopefully with minimal mix-ups of socks, goggles, and towels!

The progress in swimming technique, water confidence, and safety skills has been impressive. These lessons are an essential part of our students’ development and wellbeing. We’re excited to see our Year 3 students take the next step next year with lessons at Cottesloe Beach.

Year 4 Redball Tennis Tournament

This afternoon, our Year 4 students showcased their skills in an Interhouse Redball Tennis Tournament. It was wonderful to see students put into practice everything they’ve learned through our tennis program in a fun, yet competitive environment. Their enthusiasm and sportsmanship made the event a great success!

Christmas Holiday Sport

Tennis 

Nick Kirkbride and his coaches at City Beach Tennis Club are running their holiday camps again this summer.  Nick is offering a 10% discount to our students.  School Holiday Clinic Enrolment | Coastal Tennis | Western Australia

Soccer

Pro Football Training are running soccer camps on the College Secondary ovals in the lead up to Christmas. Check out the flyer for details. 

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 

Congratulations to all the ensembles who performed at the Christmas Concert. For most ensembles, rehearsals have now concluded for 2025. 

Rehearsal Times

Please see below for rehearsal times for next week -

Primary Instrumental Recitals

We are looking forward to hearing our primary students perform at the Primary Instrumental Recitals on Monday. Please note the schedule below. Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend.

2026 Music Lesson Enrolments

Enrolments are now open. Please see below for options. Enrolment forms are available online Music Lesson Enrolment Form 

Save The Dates

Please note the following music performance dates for this term:

Western Australian Young Voices

Enrolments for the 2026 season of WAYV – West Australian Young Voices – are now open! WAYV offers vocal training, performance opportunities and the chance to work with some of WA’s foremost choral educators and conductors, performing a wide range of repertoire. Auditions are open for students in Years 6 to 12, for placement in intermediate and advance ensembles. For students in Years 1 to 5, a beginner ensemble offers an introduction to choral singing with no audition required. Registrations via the following link:https://wayoungvoices.com.au/auditions 

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

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Sacramental Certificates

Parents are requested to email a copy of their child’s Sacramental Certificate (Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation) to Mrs Petsos in Primary Administration, nancy.petsos@johnxxiii.edu.au, for our College records.

Is your child using the Southern Route Charter Bus in 2026?

With the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closing from February 2026, adjustments will be made to the College’s Southern Route charter service. Parents are asked to review the proposed 2026 timetable and route and provide feedback by 12 December 2025. More details available here.