Around The Primary

Dear Families

Lent began on Wednesday.  The Kindy to Year 2 students participated in an Ash Wednesday class prayer reflection and the Years 3 to 6 students gathered to attend the Ash Wednesday Mass. Special thanks to Ms Allen for organising this lovely Mass and to Mrs Haydon for preparing the choir. 

During these liturgies we were all marked with ash on our foreheads and invited to 'look' into our hearts and try to do something good during Lent, such as, using kind words and actions, praying each day, reading a story from the Bible, listening carefully to parents and teachers.

Father Edmond Nixon, CSsR reminded the children about Lent being a special time of getting ready for the feast of Easter by trying to live the way Jesus showed us to live. With the Lenten season beginning, let us help our children to reflect on compassion and justice in our world by giving what we can to Project Compassion. Please encourage your children to ‘give up’ some of their money to help others in need by filling the Project Compassion boxes in their classrooms.

Let’s all try and make Lent 2023 a good spiritual time!

We hope many families can all come along and support the Year 4-6 students at the Swimming Interhouse Carnival next Tuesday 28 February.  Please wear your parent badge.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary 

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/for-parents/calendars and subscribe to the Primary Calendar.

Year 6 Leadership Day

Year 6 students have spent time reflecting on their roles as leaders of the Primary school. They have discussed what it really means to be a leader and brainstormed the qualities that good leaders display. 

The students revisited the John XXIII Primary Student Code of Conduct and began learning the Leaders' Pledge which they will recite at the upcoming Leaders' Assembly on Friday 3 March. 

To further reinforce these positive messages about leadership, last week the students attended an adventure excursion to Ern Halliday Recreational Camp. The aim of the excursion was to develop students’ teamwork skills and provide opportunities for the students to support one another as they stepped outside of their comfort zones.

The students wore their Year 6 Leaders shirts proudly and demonstrated courage as they ziplined and climbed up giant crate towers. Our staff were very impressed with the exemplary behaviour of our Year 6 students and even the staff at Ern Halliday commented on their manners, listening and bravery. 

Thank you to Miss George, Ms O’Connor, Mr Williams, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Gilmour, Ms Brown and Mrs Standing for accompanying the students on this excursion. 

At the Year 6 Leadership Day there were lots of fun activities including crate climb, flying fox and various team building activities. In the crate climb, we put on helmets and harnesses. Afterwards, we stacked milk crates on top of each other to create a staircase and some students climbed the staircase to try and touch a yellow ball that was hanging from the ceiling. I climbed the staircase, and it was really scary, but exciting at the same time. In the Flying Fox, we put on helmets and harnesses again, and then we learnt about the different jobs. They were the foxy/ladder person, the flyer (the person on the flying fox), and the cone person, who brought the rope back.  In the team building activities, we did lots of fun activities. My favourite was a game where you had to stay silent and you had to find the correct path over square carpets, while people told you the correct answers. 

Jamie Haydon 6G

The Leadership Day was full of fun and unique experiences, my personal favourite being the ‘crate climb’. This activity was where a staircase made out of crates was built, then we had to attempt to make our way up the wobbling structure and touch a yellow hanging ball, whilst our other classmates supported the tower. This was so much fun but the best bit of all was jumping off the tower with your harness at the end. Another memorable activity was the zip line. We were taught how to tighten our harness and secure it to the rope with a carabiner. I did the trust fall on the zip line and would do it again a million times over! The feeling of flying through the sky was unbelievable! After you had your turn, you next helped others get off the zip-line. One person wheeled a ladder to a marker and the other pulled the rider towards the ladder. After our exhilarating time in the air, we did some team building games. It was an interesting experience to see how people worked together and how it is hard to agree on a solution in a large group. Overall, the day was a time I will never forget, I learnt so much and had so many adventures.

Ciara Thornton 6G

Kindy 2025 Interviews

Kindy 2025 Interviews are commencing in Term 2.  If you have not submitted an Application Enrolment Form, please do so by the end of Term 1.  For your convenience, please use this link:  New Submission (johnxxiii.edu.au)

Sports Update

The excitement is building amongst the Year 4 – 6 students for this year’s Interhouse Swimming Carnival.  On Tuesday 28 February, Bold Park Aquatic Centre will be full of the JTC House colours and spirit.  

I look forward to seeing many families cheering on our swimmers.  Please wear your parent badge.

If you have any queries about anything sport related, please contact me via email steve.williams@cewa.edu.au. 

Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator

Music Update

Primary Music Calendar

Please note the following dates in your diaries:

Friday 10 March – Music Ensemble Photo Day

All College Primary and Secondary music ensembles (choral and instrumental) will be photographed on Friday 10 March. Students in instrumental ensembles are required to bring their instruments to school on this day for inclusion in the photos. Primary students are photographed in College Uniform with black shoes and College socks (no tights). 

A schedule for photo day will be distributed shortly to students involved via the Music Department; all photos will be held in the Old Lecture Theatre. For any queries, please email: music.secretary@johnxxiii.edu.au 

Friday 24 March – Primary Choral Assembly

Wanju Voices and Primary Singers will be performing at the Primary Assembly in Roncalli Hall at 9am.  Parents of choir members are welcome to attend.  Please remember to wear your parent badge.

Sunday 2 April – Palm Sunday Mass, St Joseph’s Church

Primary choristers will be invited to represent the College to sing at the 9am Palm Sunday mass at St Joseph’s Church in Subiaco. More information regarding this special occasion will be sent out during the term.

Chapel Choir

Chapel Choir is open to all Year 2 - 12 students who love singing, with a focus on liturgical music. Rehearsals commence at 7:30am in the Chapel with Mrs Haydon and Mr Johnston. The Chapel Choir then sings at Community Mass (commencing at 8am). The next Chapel Choir rehearsal and Community Mass is Friday 3 March. Please contact Mrs Haydon for more information. 

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

Mrs Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher