Around The Primary

Dear Parents

Today was certainly a fantastic, fun-filled Friday celebrating John XXIII Day! Our whole school community commenced the day with a lovely Mass in the St Louis Sports Centre. 

We were blessed with perfect winter weather to be outside and the students embraced the opportunity to be involved in the range of activities on offer. They certainly had lots of fun with friends and teachers at the various sports games, superbly organised by our Year 6 leaders. 

During the day the Years 3-6 students also enjoyed a silent disco and the younger students participated in a very entertaining and musical and story-telling experience with Rebecca Flanagan of Musical Experiences for Children.

The students really embraced the train ride around the College grounds. Special thanks to Mr Henderson, Mr Pearson, Mr Castiglioni and Mr Reimer from Grounds and Maintenance and also Mr Del Pizzo and Mr Williams for sharing their amazing train driving skills.

Special thanks to all the staff for their hard work behind the scenes to ensure the students celebrated John XXIII Day in style.

All money raised today goes to support the wonderful work of the Jesuit Missions and Mary Ward International.

It is always good to revisit the stories of our three Founders - Pope John XXIII, St Ignatius and Venerable Mary Ward. In the lead up to John XXIII Day, the teachers have taken this opportunity to share the great stories of our founders who lived out their faith with optimism, courage and integrity. I hope you have enjoy reading some of the students’ reflections about Pope John XXIII.

We now look forward to the weekend to rest and relax in readiness for another busy week in the Primary School.

Kind regards,

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

All About Pope John XXIII 

I think Pope John XXIII was special because he was loving and kind to everyone. No matter what people had done, he still loved them like Jesus did.

Juliet Kong 2G

Pope John XXIII was special because he talked about God and encouraged people to go to church. I hope to always be like him because he was kind to all people.

Nicholas Ainslie 2G

Pope John XXIII lived in a small village in Italy. He was a kind, young man that was born into a poor family. We should be like Pope John XXIII because he was a nice person, he cared for others, he forgave bad people and that is why we should be like him!  

Avalei Edwards 2B

Pope John XXIII saved Jewish people in the war and prayed with prisoners. He was kind, he was generous, he helped others.  

Theo Gnech 2B

Pope John XXIII was actually named Angelo Roncalli and changed his name when he became Pope. He helped in the hospitals in Word War 1 and saved the Jewish people in World War Two. He prayed with prisoners and forgave their sins. I hope to be like Pope John XXIII because he was like Jesus and forgave many people. 

Madeleine Miller 2B

While I was learning about John XXIII, I heard this one quote that just resonated with me and will probably be in the back of my mind in all of the tough moments that I have, ‘Consult your dreams and hopes not your fears. Think not about your  frustrations, but about your unfilled  potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed but with what is still possible for you to do.’ 

This inspired me to not focus all of my energy on the negatives but the positives, it inspired me to be more optimistic and never think the outcomes of things are set in stone. It inspired me to do my utmost best in every single thing that I do and never give up. I am proud to attend a school named after such a brilliant man that everybody thought would do so little when he was elected Pope but did so much. Pope John XXIII was a man that was not afraid to embrace change and played a big part in modernising the Catholic Church. 

Zack Barley 5G

John XXIII was born into a Catholic family, he was one of 13 children and his name was Angelo Roncalli. His family were poor but generous in spirit. When he was only 11 he started to study to become a priest and when he turned 76 his dream came true and he became a Pope. He remained humble and he never took advantage of his position. I think John XXIII is an amazing person because he followed his dream until he finally became a Pope.

Sasha Watt 5G

St  John XXIII was one of 13 children and was part of a very poor family but they always opened their home to those in need. St John XXIII is a role model to me because he was a very kind person who evolved the world of religion to how it is today. He continued to change the religious world as he lived. He was declared Pope when he was 76 he and was thought to be a care taker. But instead he wanted to express his ideas of improving the catholic religious community. He formed the Vatican 2 Council which consisted of Archbishops who played a crucial role in updating the Catholic Church. Three years after he died he was announced a Saint. I am honoured to be part of a school where he is our founder.  

Xavier Parker 5G

John XXIII was born into a loving Catholic Family in Sotto il Monte, the foothills of the alps in Northern Italy. His name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli and he was one of thirteen children. He became a Pope at 76 years of age. I am very proud to go to a school that is named after such a good person. John XXIII is one of our school’s founders because he made change and our school came together and changed because it was once a girls and a boys’ school. After he died, John XXIII became a saint because he performed two miracles. I think John XXIII is a loving and humble person. 

Lydia Defrancesco 5G

 Pope John XXIII was a kind hearted and brave man. He was born in Sotto il Monte in Italy and his full name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli. He was born into a family of 13 with him being the third child in his family. He lived in poverty.  He started studying to be a priest at the age of 11 years old! Later he became a saint but even before that people would call him a saint because of all his good actions. When Angelo was 76 years old he became Pope, he was not expecting to be asked to take over such a big role. People thought that because of his age he would just stay for a few years and not make any changes but Pope John XXIII shocked people by making changes to the Catholic Church. Some people were not happy with his decisions but he was brave and keen to update the Catholic Church which was when he welcomed the word ‘aggiornamento’ which means updating in Italian. Overall, I feel Pope John XXIII was a man of kindness and joy and was a very good Pope. 

Anashe Marerwa 5G

Personally I am very proud to go to a school named after such a remarkable, kind and loving person. Although Saint John XXIII was born into a poor family of thirteen children and had poor farmers as parents they still had the basics for their survival needs. Even though Saint John XXIII was born into a poor family they still let others into their family home. Saint John XXIII inspires me because he was very kind and loving to people of all faiths and religions. Saint John XXIII became Pope at the older age of 76, although people thought he would just be a care-taker Pope.  He decided to modernise the church in order to keep up with the times. He never took advantage of his position. This remarkable man performed two miracles and was named a saint three years after he tragically died. Saint John XXIII played a significant role in encouraging world peace and showed bravery by saving Jewish people. I think he is a wonderful saint and role model. 

Callan Griffiths 5G

Dear God,

Please help me to be more like Saint John XXIII, a caring, kind and loving person who never gives up. 

Thank you God for bringing Saint John XXIII into my life. He has inspired me to be a better person and care for people that are most important in my life. He taught me to ‘consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams,’ which is in his quote that is very inspiring to me.

Amen 

Janaya Douglas 5G

Dear Pope John XXIII,

You were blessed by God since the day you were born.

Help me to be more like you.

Thank you for all the amazing things you have done.

You were such a great leader as a Pope and you changed the world with your love.

You were the Pope of innocence and peace.

You were hardworking, loving and peaceful.

Amen

James Bradock 5B

Pope John XXIII change the world with his insights of a new church.

In 2014 he became a Saint and it was an occasion to rejoice and remember.

Even today he is in our hearts and will stay there forever.

We will remember him because Pope John XXIII is here in our school community today.

Hannah Engelbrecht 5B

Saint John XXIII,

You are an amazing person and you worked hard in your life.

Trying to be more like God, you always remembered your family and you never forgot how much they meant to you.

You influenced others to be more loving, humble and peaceful and to act more like yourself, Jesus and God.  Throughout your life you tried hard to make a difference.

If everyone was like you, then the world would be a much nicer place to live in.

You are a great leader and role model and you are such a loving, humble and peaceful saint.  You are a big influence to our school community and we are proud to have our school named after you.

Campbell Tonkin 5B

Dates to Remember

Year 6 End of Primary School Mass

Tuesday 8 December at 9am

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

Snuggle Up With A Good Book!

It is wonderful that so many families have sent in photos of children snuggling up with a good book – we hope you enjoy browsing through the great pictures in the gallery.  Remember to keep sending these photos to your child’s class teacher. 

Discovery Kids

Sports Update

Year 3 to Year 6 Cross Country Carnival

Excitement levels were high and the weather was perfect for our Interhouse Cross Country Carnival last Friday.  We witnessed outstanding individual efforts as well as fantastic sportsmanship and House spirit.  

After the points from all year groups were added up, the final results were extremely close.  Well done to all runners!

Athletics Training 

All students in Years 3 to 6 are welcome to attend athletics training every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm on the Secondary Oval.  It’s a great opportunity to practice the different track and field events.  No sign up is required, just come along!  

Pre-Primary

Our Pre-Primary classes have been working hard to improve their hand-eye coordination whilst enjoying some balloon challenges!

Mr Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator