Around The Primary

Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term One! I hope you are all safe, well, and rested as we commence the new school year.

The staff and I have enjoyed welcoming the students back to school, settling them into their classrooms and providing a calm, safe, organised, and positive environment in which they can work and play in.  Many thanks for making sure your family was on time for school and for helping to support children with a calm, ‘can do’ attitude! It is terrific to see so many parents wearing their badges (and masks), thank you!  All parents and guardians need to continue to say ‘goodbye’ to the children at the classroom doors.

As always, the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and whole school community is our highest priority and at the forefront of our planning. We will continue to share expectations and practical information regarding changes to any aspects of school events and procedures.  There are certainly some things beyond our control - your trust, cooperation, support, and encouragement will go a long way to helping staff. 

The staff have been busy making our classrooms look amazing and preparing programs. Here is a sneak peek of lots of smiling faces around the Primary ready for the learning journey ahead in 2022.

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

Sports Update

Welcome back!  I hope everyone is well rested and ready for another huge year of sport.  I would love to have lots of pictures of our families being active over the summer for my display, so please email them through to steve.williams@cewa.edu.au 

We have a range of extra sporting opportunities taking place before and after school.  Some sessions are free of charge and don’t require booking whilst sessions with external coaches require booking and payment.  Attached is a summary of all extra-curricular sporting opportunities for the year.  This document is also available to view on SEQTA Engage under the Primary Sport tab.

If you have any queries about anything sport related, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Mr Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator

Primary Choirs

Primary Singers

Primary Singers is open to all students in Years 2 and 3. Rehearsals are with Mrs Haydon on Thursday mornings at 8:00am in the Osborne Room. The first rehearsal is on Thursday 10 February.

Wanju Voices

Wanju Voices is open to all students in Years 4 to 6. Rehearsals are with Mrs Haydon on Monday mornings from 7:30am to 8:30am in the Osborne Room. The first rehearsal is next Monday 7 February.

Chapel Choir

Chapel Choir is open to students from Year 1 to Year 12. This is a very special choir as it includes both Primary and Secondary students and is a fantastic opportunity for younger students to rehearse and perform with more experienced vocalists. Chapel Choir rehearses with Mrs Haydon on Friday mornings from 7:30am to 8:00am in the Chapel, and then remain in the Chapel to sing at Community Mass from 8:00am to 8:30am. Parents and siblings are also welcome to attend this Community Mass each week. Please note that, due to the Secondary Swimming Carnival on Friday 11 February, the next Chapel Choir rehearsal and Community Mass is on Friday 18 February (Week 3).

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

Mrs Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Counsellor's Corner

The beginning of the school year seems a good time to introduce myself to new parents and remind others of my role as Primary School Counsellor. In this role my hope is to compliment the work done by both parents and teachers in developing children’s social and emotional skills. I try and make my interventions a positive experience focusing on making children feel happier within themselves and more confident to deal with social situations and friendship issues.  I don’t see my role as just treating problems as some might think but rather finding opportunities to teach important social skills and build resilience. 

I also recognise that life can present sad and challenging situations and I will be sending out information shortly about the Seasons for Growth small group program for children experiencing grief or significant change. Over the year, I will also run a small group program on anxiety and work with teachers to develop children’s friendship skills.

It has been such a joy to see so many children return so enthusiastically to school. I understand this is not so easy for all children and I have spent this week going around the school offering support to those finding it a little challenging. Our goal is as always, to see all children thrive so If you have any concerns about your child, come past my office for a chat or email. 

I am available at school Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday mornings.  My direct number is 9383 0469 and I can be contacted anytime by email:  anne.murphy@cewa.edu.au 

To conclude, I like this simple message from our parenting expert Michael Grose at this uncertain time - https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/wellbeing-practices-that-work/

Mrs Anne Murphy

Primary Counsellor

KG 2024 Enrolments

Kindergarten 2024 sibling interviews are taking place soon, please ensure you have enrolled!

Please direct any enquiries to Lizz Schollum, Enrolments' Manager, via email lizz.schollum@cewa.edu.au