Secondary

Dear Families

Today’s Interhouse Cross-Country carnival was a fantastic way to end the week. It was wonderful to see House spirit in action with strong participation by students across both the main race and the novelty events. Congratulations to Koolyangarra House for taking out the Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield. Thank you to all staff, in particular Ms Kononen and team for their exceptional organisation, the wonderful parent volunteers and students involved in the running of the day.  

This week also saw the celebration of Loreto House Day, an occasion to mark the significance of one of our College Founders, Mary Ward. A courageous pioneer for girls’ education and justice for the most vulnerable in 17th century Europe, Mary’s faith in God and conviction to improve the lives of those in need was unwavering in the face of condemnation from the authorities of the day. As early as 1612 Mary Ward said to her first companions that 'there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things. And I hope in God that it will be seen in time to come that women will do much'. Mary’s legacy was her belief in the capacity of women to do much, which in turn led to her conviction that the key to unlocking this capacity was education for girls. In our contemporary context, we continue Mary Ward’s legacy to empower young women to challenge themselves to meet their potential, take risks and strive to make a positive impact on the world around them.  

Photo Day 

A reminder that Tuesday 9 May is Secondary Photo Day with family and catch-up photos on Tuesday 16 May. Students are expected to wear correct winter uniform, including blazer and tie. On the day, students are required to present the individual order form envelope distributed in Homeroom last week, even if they are not ordering a photo. Please refer to the SEQTA email sent earlier in the week for more information.  

ySafe Parent Hub 

Since its inception in 2013, ySafe has become Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education. Known for their multidisciplinary approach, ySafe’s diverse team of experts include clinical psychologists, ex-police officers and teachers. Their combined experience in child development, research, policing and classroom contexts provides a unique insight into the challenges and opportunities that participating in a digital environment presents to students, parents and schools. One of the benefits of our partnership with ySafe is parent access to a comprehensive range of current resources. The John XXIII College Online Safety Hub supports parents by providing practical insights and advice based on current research and trends impacting young people. The collection of resources is updated on a regular basis and well worth accessing.  

Primary School hosting Mother’s Day Mass 

Primary students will be hosting a Mother’s Day Mass for mothers and mother figures on Thursday 11 May at 7.30am in the St Louis Sports Centre. All Secondary families are welcome to attend and celebrate the special mother figures in their lives.  

Term 2 key dates 

• Secondary Photo Days: Tuesday 9 May and Tuesday 16 May (family and catch-up photos)  
• Mass for mothers and mother figures: Thursday 11 May, 7:30am 
• Year 9 PLUS Camp: Monday 15 May to Wednesday 17 May 
• Year 11 and 12 Examinations: Monday 22 May to Friday 2 June 

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

Politics Q&A Seminar

Last Monday, our Years 11 and 12 Politics and Law ATAR students welcomed Federal Member for Curtin, Ms Kate Chaney, to the College. Ms Chaney had been invited as part of a series of Politics Q&A Seminars which will be held throughout the Semester, providing an invaluable learning opportunity for our ATAR students to enhance their understanding of critical aspects of the curriculum. Ms Chaney shared her expertise and spoke about her role within Federal Parliament, and on a number of contemporary issues including accountability of parliament, the role of Independents, the Teal movement, electoral reform, and the Voice to parliament referendum. Students were afforded an opportunity to ask a range of questions in an informal setting which provided a wonderful atmosphere for academic discussion to flourish. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Chaney for enriching student’s understanding and passion for politics. The next Politics Q&A Seminar will be held on Monday 8th May with Dr David Honey MLA discussing topics such as the role of the Opposition and state politics.

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented

Year 10 Food Technology food trucks - place your order

Come and support our Year 10 Food Technology class and their food trucks taking place on Tuesday 9 May at lunchtime. All meals are $5.

Arancini balls in red sauce 

Katsu chicken sushi

Beef nachos 

Fried chicken and chips 

Acai bowls in berry or tropical

Shawarma chicken wrap 

Year 11 Café - place your order

Come and support our Year 11 Café taking place on Friday 12 May at lunchtime.

Chilli hotdog $5

Guacamole bacon hotdog $5

Sticky date muffin $3

Raspberry brownie $3

Oreo milkshake $3

Year 12 ATAR Geography Excursion

On Thursday 3 May, Year 12 ATAR Geography students attended an excursion to the Bold Park Ecology Centre. The purpose of the excursion was to conduct an inquiry into the restoration activities at the Park and complete fieldwork that complimented their study of biodiversity loss and the impacts of land cover change. Students considered the historic disturbance; the ongoing threats associated with urbanisation and the importance of urban bushland areas and explored the use fieldwork data in monitoring restoration success to guide decision making for the future. Thank you to Ms Kalo Bell who accompanied the students on the day. 

Chris Morris

Head of Learning Area – Humanities and Social Sciences

John XXIII College Tree planting

The College will be planting native trees and shrubs and weeding on Saturday 20 May, 2023, starting at 8:00am and finishing at 9:30am. The aim of the planting is to offset carbon emissions from the College, provide food and habitat for native bird species focusing on the endangered Carnaby Black Cockatoo.

We are calling for interested parents and students from the John XXIII community to assist with this initiative. If you are interested in assisting, please complete the following form. Many of the seedlings to be planted have been grown by the Sustainability Club and science classes with the assistance of Trillion Trees Australia. All equipment will be provided, please ensure you wear comfortable clothing and suitable closed footwear. Also don’t forget to bring a hat and sunscreen. Meeting point is at B8 Science Garden at the College.  Students who participate will be able to use the time as part of their service learning hours.

Adrian Sims

Sustainability Coordinator

SPORTS

Fr Gaetan Pereira Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival

2019 was the last year we ran the Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival as a whole secondary College. Due to COVID-19 and construction taking place on campus, the last three years the carnival has been modified to year groups racing for one period over the course of the day. This change resulted in the loss of our special spirit award events and the cheering and atmosphere the day normally provides. This year saw the return of our whole college coming together and what a day it was!

The day was blessed with perfect running conditions and provided a wonderful competitive atmosphere. The House spirit and passion was evident for the duration of the carnival with many students from each year group running the course and competing in the novelty events.

The contest for the Fr Gaetan Pereira Shield was very close. On the back of some very impressive individual results, it was Koolyangarra House who won the day with the lowest overall score.

The competition for the Spirit Award has really escalated over the past few years and the participation from each House was at an all-time high. With points awarded for the three spirit events, cheering and for each student that completed the course under the cut-off times, it was a closely fought competition between all Houses. Congratulations to Loreto House.

Winter NAS Trials

An enormous thank you to all students who participated in our NAS Trials this week. All teams will be posted in the notices next week.

Our Winter NAS games will start in Week 4. Please find the Years 7-10 Fixtures attached below.

ACC Champions League Boys Basketball

Our senior basketball team competed in the first Round of 16 of the ACC Championship on Wednesday, going down to basketball specialist school and perennial finalists John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School by 14 points.

The boys played a tough nosed physical defense, displaying composure in the face of intense pressure. With their average winning margin of more than 80-100 points, the opposition were caught off-guard by the John XXIII spirit and tenacity that are now synonymous with the senior basketball program at the College. The boys rallied at the end of the first half and into the second half the margin was single figures. With one minute 30 seconds to go on a running timer the shots from range started to fly, which led to the score extending beyond the true reflection of the contest. Whilst we did not shoot the ball as well as previous rounds, our incredible defense kept us in the game and is a credit to the team for sticking to the game plan.

We wish John Septimus Roe all the best for the remainder of the competition. Congratulations to all players on the day. Our students certainly represented the College with distinction.

Andrew Osnain and Simon Carrello

Senior Basketball Coaches 

First XVIII AFL

Our team played their first game this Wednesday against Newman College. It was a great opportunity for our Years 10, 11 and 12 boys to experience playing all together as a team for the first time. Unfortunately, the result was not what we were hoping for, going down 80 (12.8) to 21 (3.3). We have no doubt the team will regroup and use this loss as motivation to train hard and prepare as best they can for their game against SEDA next week. Thank you to Mr Darren Kowal for all his time and effort coaching our team. 

Interschool Jumpers

All interschool jumpers are back from the embroiders. Students are welcome to collect these from the Uniform Shop next week. 

Cross-Country Training

Cross-country training sessions take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:50am-8:00am. These sessions will continue up until the ACC Cross-Country Carnival. 

All students are welcome to join our morning training sessions. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Matilda O’Connell, Year 10, who recently competed in the Under 15 National Hockey tournament in Darwin representing Western Australia as a goalkeeper. During the tournament Matilda was recognised twice as the best player afield by Hockey Australia.

Sara Kononen

Head of Sport