From the Principal
Rites Of Passage
As the school year concludes, it has been fascinating to attend important ‘rite of passage’ events. This week our Year 6 students celebrated the end of their Primary schooling experience and our Year 9s experienced the culmination of their Rite Journey classes with a 15 km walk interspersed with challenges and activities. The specific ‘rite of passage’ activities are symbolic representations of the journey through school. As our students grow and mature we enable them to celebrate important milestones and reflect on what they have learned. They can also eagerly look forward to the exciting times ahead. Many thanks to all the teachers assisting with such important events and to all our parents for their wonderful support.
I also had the pleasure of also attending a Pre-Primary Liturgy last week. It was great to see our younger students experiencing the joy and anticipation of Christmas. Now that we have entered the season of Advent, I encourage families to attend local parishes to really embrace and appreciate the message of the coming of Jesus at Christmas.
The end of the school year is always tinged with some sadness as some students and families leave the College.
At our Presentation Night, we acknowledged and thanked some outstanding staff as they move into retirement. Congratulations to Mr Rod Downey, Mr Jim Fitzpatrick and Mr Andrew Locke all of whom have made outstanding contributions to the College as teachers. Thank you and well done also to Mrs Jan Watkins (Admin), Ms Dawn Suschodolski (Home Economics) and Mrs Lesley Patterson (Learning Enrichment) as they move into retirement.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the following members of staff as their time at the College comes to an end.
Miss Georgette Alliss English
Ms Catherine Fry-Walker Religious Education
Mrs Carmelina Grassi Languages
Mrs Julie Hawes Accountant
Mrs Genna Haines Pre Kindy Teacher
Mrs Lucy Hodge Admin
Ms Jodi Johnson Education Assistant
Miss Jacqui Keogh Music
Mr Martin Kolka ICT
Ms Tania Papalia English
Miss Natasha Prka Education Assistant
Mr Chris Richards-Scully Marketing
Miss Emma Scally Home Economics
Mrs Amanda Sutton Education Assistant
Ms Robyn Tunney Education Assistant
Ms Sarah Ware Vocational Educational Training
Thank you to all our families for an excellent school year. Best wishes to all members of the John XXIII College community for the Christmas vacation.
Together, let us seek justice.
Yours sincerely
Robert Henderson
Principal