Dear Parents, Students and Friends of John XXIII … · Congratulations to…… Ruby Meegan (Year 6) who obtained an A in her AMEB (Fourth Grade Violin Exam recently). Well done,

Issue 35

13 November 2009

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of John XXIII College.

It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and pride of the Year 1 students as they care for their garden. There are a variety of plants growing in their garden—garlic (one young man told me he was growing it so his mum could make him garlic bread for breakfast!!), watermelons and flowers of every colour and description and a variety of unnamed plants. It must be one of the universal joys of childhood to plant a seed and to wait expectantly for the first signs of life to break through the surface. I did suggest to them they might like to donate their plants to the fete committee but I think that all those little plants are heading to adorn the gardens of the Western Suburbs. Congratulations to our junior gardeners. I sincerely hope that their experience of nurturing plants will create in each youngster a love of gardening and care for our environment that will last a life time. On Wednesday, we remembered those who have died to protect the freedoms we enjoy in Australia. Our Primary students prepared and lead a very poignant ceremony of prayer and reflection. Our special guests were Alumni of St Louis and Loreto, Paul and Colleen de Pierres and Yvonne Christian-Day. I quote from Mr de Pierres’ address to the students. A famous saying goes that “there are no unwounded soldiers in war” and it is impossible for us here in this wonderful school, in this prosperous state, in this peaceful country to begin to know the horrors of war. For my small part, as a former infantry soldier in Vietnam, I can honestly say to you that I found nothing at all pleasant about war. Between August 1914 & November 1918 many countries of the world fought the great war for civilisation with incredible ferocity and loss of life until Germany, called a halt. Some 16 million people were dead, amongst them 63 thousand Australians, and another 21 million more were wounded, damaged or insane from their experiences. Was it worth the terrible cost? We could easily say no, but then what price do we put on the wonderful free life we have in this great land, Australia? At various times in our history we

as a nation have seen freedom under threat and sent our forces to help protect it and at this very moment young Australians are again on active service in Afghanistan. When the guns finally fell silent on the western front in France at 11 a.m. on 11th of November, 1918 the world paused to reflect and to hope and pray that it would truly be ‘the war to end all wars’…………………sadly it wasn’t!! On remembrance day each year we halt for just a couple of minutes to acknowledge the sacrifice of those who have given their lives for Australia. If we possibly can on the 11th of the 11th we should stop, pray for the souls of our fallen and recognise our debt to them .. Then go on with our lives in ways that are true to their gift to us…. In a society of freewill, generosity, tolerance and respect for each other. A big Thank You to Mrs Stephanie Carne for her work during the holidays to create beautiful liturgical drapes for the chapel. At the moment the colour is the evocative olive green of the Australian bush. Soon we will move into the vibrant purple of Advent. The visual changes in the drapes will help all who gather to pray and celebrate in our chapel to note the changes in the liturgical season. Yours sincerely, Mrs Anne Fry - Principal

Congratulations to…… Ruby Meegan (Year 6) who obtained an A in her AMEB (Fourth Grade Violin Exam recently). Well done, Ruby

Around the Primary The whole College commemorated Remembrance Day with a service which was held on the Chapel Lawn on Wednesday. Thank you to the children from Years 3 to 6 who led the Paraliturgy so beautifully. Swimming lessons begin next week for children in Preprimary, Years 1 and 2. The lessons run for 2 weeks and will be held at Claremont Swimming Pool. Please remember to label everything including goggles so items can be returned easily to their rightful owner. Upcoming Events 16/11 PP – 2 Swimming lessons commence for 2 weeks 16/11 Year 6 Camp at Ern Halliday Campsite commences for 3 days 20/11 Kindy Orientation for children attending Kindy A in 2010 PP – 2 Assembly in the GBLT (Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre) at 9.00am hosted by Year 1B Yr 3 – 6 Mass in the College Chapel at 9.00am hosted by 5G

Mrs L Gardner Cluster Leader K—2 Ms A Coniglio Cluster Leader 3—6

Canteen Roster for Week 6 Year One Monday 16th November Liz Lawless, Marie O’Rourke Tuesday 17th November Ragan Haythorpe, Anita Manners Wednesday 18th November Loretta Clark, Kristin Serra Thursday 19th November Felicity Smith, Catherine Anderson-King Friday 20th November Sonia Jones, Jo Elliot Thanks Maureen Taylor - Canteen Coordinator

Year 6 Parents Coffee Morning Monday 16 November After School Drop Off (9am onwards) Come and have a coffee with the Year 6 Mothers after you have waved your children off to Camp Deli Chi Chi Mt Claremont See you there

Year 8 Parents Christmas Celebration

from 7.30pm, Friday 27th November 2009

at Neil and Paula Hackett’s House, 27 Kathleen Street Cottesloe BYO Drinks & plate of festive nibbles Dress: A touch of Christmas Glitz

METROPOLITAN STUDENT INCIDENT WARNING - HIGH ALERT Following a further email from the Catholic Education Office, as in previous warnings this serves as a reminder to encourage all students to be vigilant and alert when in the area and when travelling to and from school.

Prayer Group Tuesday St Thomas Claremont You are welcome to join the Tuesday morning prayer group.

We are mainly mums from the school community that get together in quiet prayer and reflection. Even if you are just curious, pop in. It is a refreshing way to start the week.

Cuppa first at 9.00am in the meeting room, then in the Church at around 9.15am. Finishes around 10.00am.

John XXIII College Year 6

parents Christmas

party

Saturday 21 November 7 pM

Paganin’s house 13 Doyle st

Mosman Park

$30 For dinner

BYO

Payment to Front office

OR

YR 6 COORDINATORS

OR BSB 306-047

Account no: 0396540

Ref: your surname By 17 November

Last weekend about 20 old boys of St Louis gathered together in Crawley, to reminisce about their golden days in 1959. About 30 years ago, generous townspeople in Perth, who provided the financial foundation for new John XXIII, our school, were probably asked then, What was it in the Jesuit school that appealed to people? No doubt it was the quality of the humanistic and ordered education that in particular the Jesuits were offering. It was also the quality of the Jesuits themselves who were formed in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. The Spiritual Exercises are a program of spiritual formation which is based on ‘Ignatius' own experience of how God had dealt with him. The purpose of the Exercises was to bring a person to FREEDOM; " to free itself from all disordered affections and after it has freed itself from them, to seek and find the will of God, concerning the ordering of our life and of the salvation of our soul". Today when Ignatius speaks of 'disordered affections', he means those tendencies, desires, longings within us that take us away from God rather than towards Him. The students in our schools are victims of these disordered affections. Often their peer group determines the style of their clothes, their language, their drinking habits, their sexual behaviour, their partying and weekend, raging, and even their experimentation with drugs. They are bound by the values of a consumer society, a society moulded by advertising; a society which is often self-centred putting the me first! They must have the latest IPods and computers of their own, a mobile phone and soon their own car. Then they talk of being free, while conforming to a particular way of life which is forced on them. Ignatius would say that they are trapped and hence it is not easy for them to be free for seeking and finding in freedom, ‘God' desires for them so that they will achieve joy and peace of heart. In a recent talk on justice in Australia, Fr. Frank Brennan SJ posed a question which has stuck with me. Do we eat to live, or do we live to eat? Given the number of people who eat out and the constant assessment of restaurants in the press, it is a challenging question on priorities in life. The same question could be applied to other areas, do we make money to live: do we live to make money? It raises the question of where is the focus in our lives. To put it simply, if the spirit of the Spiritual Exercises is not operative in the Community, then it ceases to be a Ignatius Community as Ignatius envisioned it. Fr. Gaetan Pereira - College Chaplain

Musical Memoirs Year 8 Music Recital –Wednesday 18 November – 7pm – Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre. All welcome. Up and coming date for diary – Carols by candlelight on the Chapel Lawn – Sunday 6 December commencing at 7pm – a picnic concert with choirs, instrumentalists and lots of audience participation.

Ms Toni Strong - Music Coordinator

CARD MAKING WORKSHOP - no experience necessary. Come along and help us assemble lots of lovely cards for the Fete in the Craft Room (old Yr 7 Classroom) from 9am -12noon Tuesday 10/11/09 Morning Tea provided PRESERVES - We are about to start production of Preserves for the Fete, so if you would like to be involved, please contact Kate Parker [email protected] Ph: 0415 844884. Are you able to source the following: tomatoes, onions, lemons, oranges, olives, strawberries, figs, apricots? If so, please advise Kate Parker, as we would be very grateful for any donations/discounts. WHITE ELEPHANT - We now have storage at the Royal Showgrounds. Please contact Andrea Paluch ([email protected]) or Claire Vlahov ([email protected]) for drop off times.

GARDEN MORNING Fete Gardening Morning this Thursday November 12th, 8.45am -11am in the maintenance department. It would be great to see some new faces! Please wear closed in shoes. Any queries contact Angela Knight 0408 341 834.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FOR SALE

ALL PROCEEDS TO GOA SCHOOL IN INDIA FOR STREET CHILDREN There are a limited number of bottles of superior quality oil for sale. The oil comes from olives gleaned from local verges and parks in and around Mt. Claremont. The oil is of the highest quality as it is cold pressed within 2-3 days of picking. There has been excellent feedback on the superior quality of the olive oil. All proceeds from the sale of oil are donated to Loyola School which is for extremely poor street children. There are two basic varieties of oil available: a full bodied one with peppery finish; the other is a mild, slightly fruity oil. The oil comes in two sizes: 750ml wine bottle costs $18; 187ml bottle for $4.50. The small bottles would make ideal Christmas gifts. All enquiries to: [email protected] or [email protected]

The shop will be closing for 2009 trading on Friday December 4 at 12. Opening dates for January will be advised soon. Please note that second-hand items (and that includes blazers) will not be accepted in January or February so please

get those in before we close. Blazers need to be returned to the shop before the end of November in order to receive the full refund of $100. Remember that the blazer does not need to be cleaned. Please bring a card to swipe, since we do not always have enough cash in the shop. Thank you. Ms Bev Sainsbury - Uniform Shop Coordinator

Parking As a College, we are relatively well serviced with car parking facilities. Despite this, we continue to have major congestion and safety issues around the College.

Please observe all speed and parking restrictions that specifically relate to the school zone.

Do not park in the bays reserved for people with disabilities unless you have the appropriate permits.

Do not ‘double park’ and leave your vehicle.

Please do not park in the kindy/pre-primary car parks if you do not have children in these years.

Do not park in the staff car park zones.

Please do not park and leave your car in “kiss and drop” lanes as this creates huge delays.

Please do not park in the “kiss and drop” lanes and then do your children’s hair

Please respect our neighbours properties With these common sense guidelines and a courteous approach, we can all ensure that our traffic management is safe and efficient.

YEAR 11 PARENTS UPDATE TERM 4

Hi Everyone Well, the end of another school year is looming and Term 4 is always hectic with Christmas approaching as well. Just a few things to communicate to you, as we know how busy everyone is.

YEAR 12 VALETE DINNER Thank you to everyone who helped out with the Valete Dinner to make it such a memorable night for the Year 12’s and their families. Huge thankyous, especially, to Angela Knight who did an amazing job of getting it all together, and Devon Harding. Congratulations, and thankyou on a job really well done!

CARNIVALE Collections for the White Elephant Stall are now underway. Household goods, sporting equipment, toys and books can all be dropped off at the Claremont Show Grounds – Gate 1 (Follow Signs to Storage Unit). Dropoff days are Wednesdays and Fridays 8.30am – 10.00am. Quality Pre Loved Clothes and Accessories are also being sought and can be dropped off daily at the school behind the pre-primary area gate. All the details are in the school Newsletter and any help will be hugely appreciated by the Carnivale team. YEAR 12 CO-ORDINATORS – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We will need some volunteers to become next year’s Year 12 Co-ordinators. Please consider this now as we need to make sure we have someone to fill our shoes for next year! It is far from a difficult job and very rewarding. The Parent Auxiliary is very well structured and our role is simply that of a social one in bringing the parents together and keeping in touch with them. Please let us know if you are interested and we’d be very happy to have a chat.

John XXIII College

Alumni WHAT’S ON THE CALENDAR FOR 2009/2010 IN THE ALUMNI DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND BEYOND Inspire Breakfast in conjunction with Parents Assoc & Community Relations 7.00am – 8.30am 24 November 2009 Fiona Wood – Guest Speaker Caterer – Katrina Sykes $20.00 per head Osborne Room (Year 7 lawn for breakfast) MICAH Week Specifically for Year 10 students 7th – 11th December 2009 8.30 – 10.45 Ben Gauntlett – Guest Speaker Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre Alumni Reunions to mark in your diary

Young Alumni Sundowner Classes of 1996 – 2008 Mosman Park Bowling Club 6.00pm – 8.00pm Thursday 10 December 2009 Cost $25.00 per head 10, 20 & 30 Year reunions Classes 1999, 1989, 1979 John XXIII College 5.30pm 19 December 2009 Further information from the Alumni Development Officer Congratulations to………... Paul Grandoni (Class of 2005) who was recently elected to the position of President of The Australian National University Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society. The Chapter represents the interests of the top fifteen per cent of students at ANU, and includes such members as: PM Kevin Rudd, Chief of the ADF Angus Houston, Previous GG of Australia His Ex. Major General Michael Jeffery, and so forth.

Paul was born in Adelaide on the 14th of M a y , 1 9 8 8 a n d commenced at John XXIII College in Year 2, graduating in 2005. Paul grew up in Claremont. After Secondary school, Paul studied at UWA for two Semesters, from Semester 2 2006, enrolled in a B. of Computer Science and a B. of Economics. Started studying at the ANU from Semester 2 2007, in a B. of Economics. Paul is currently enrolled

St Mary’s/CBC Leederville 30 Year Reunion Yr 10:1977 – YR 12:1979 When: Saturday 28 November, 2009 Time: 7pm to closing Location: Brisbane Hotel, 292 Beaufort Street RSVP Email: [email protected] OR 0418 948 587 OR grazia.stewart@gmail Contacts: Grazia Stewart (nee Bolzonella), Deb Cooper (nee Brinkworth) or Paul Cooper

in a B. of Commerce and will be starting his Honours year from next year, majoring in Accounting and Corporate Sustainability (respectively). Paul's other interests are issues of sustainability, politics, and he has a ‘green thumb’. He is also interested in International Law and after his current undergrad he intends to do a Juris Doctor at Oxford . After his postgraduate coursework Paul may come back to Australia. Paul is a strong advocate for community involvement – in the past he has been a member of the Claremont Youth Advisory Council, a member of the WA Ambassador Committee for The Foundation for Young Australians (and then for the ACT for a 2-year Term). Whilst at John XXIII College, he was President of the Young Vinnies, a member of the HOPE Environmental Group, part of Peer Pals, and also the Inigo Peace and Justice Group. To represent the top fifteen per cent at ANU is an honour, and we send our congratulations to Paul. Anna Gingell nee Muir (Class of 1978) Alumni Development Officer

50 Year Anniversary The Rotary Club of Nedlands and City of Nedlands are celebrating their 50 year anniversary. One of the initiatives is to compile a 50 year time capsule. To this end Ellie Korn, one of the leaders from Year 6 and a recipient of an Outstanding Award at Speech Night, has been chosen to deliver an A4 envelope

containing information about John XXIII College. If you are interested in attending the City of Nedlands Festival on the foreshore at Matilda Bay, the formal ceremony will take place from 4.00pm Sunday 15 November 2009.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO MOTHER/DAUGHTER BREAKFAST.

NOW ON TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2009

Due to scheduling problems, the inspire breakfast for Mothers and Daughters from Years 6,7,8 & 9

with guest speaker Fiona Wood fracs am, will now be held on Tuesday 24 November 2009 at 7.00am

in the Osborne room at John XXIII College

Details and invites will follow shortly.

A joint initiative of the Parent Association, Careers, Alumni and Community Relations at John XXIII College

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal The St. Vincent de Paul Society is once again providing help to families in need this Christmas. The Young Vin-nies Christmas Appeal aims to help families to be able to celebrate Christmas well. The College would like to be able to make up Christmas hampers for families. The Society is also seeking to pro-vide gift vouchers to families so that they can do their own Christmas shopping for presents. Any donations of money will be used for this purpose. The list below gives some suggestions for suitable donations for Christmas hampers. These can be placed in the box either at the Front Office or at Student Recep-tion.

Christmas Pudding Long Life Custard Bon Bons Plain or Sweet Biscuits Cordial or Soft Drink Spreads Pancake Mix Jelly/Powdered Custard Tinned Vegetables Milo, Coffee, Tea, Sugar

It is important to remember your hamper must contain non perishable food items. To ensure the hampers you are so generously donating are delivered to families this Christmas, please donate before 20th November.

Thank you for your most generous support at this special time of year.

As part of our Centenary Celebrations, we have pleasure in inviting you to attend our Presentation Mass, Morning Tea and Open Morning on Wednesday 18th November 2009. Details are as follows: 9:00am – Centenary Mass beginning at Rowe Park and processing into the Church 10:00am – Morning Tea at St Thomas’ Primary School 10:30am – Open Morning in classrooms. Please RSVP to Jan Odgers at St Thomas’ by Wednesday 11th November 2009, either by telephone 93848680 or email [email protected] We do hope you are able to attend.

Year 7 Transition The bus-y-ness of the year 7 learning and teaching continues at a great pace with our students participating in many aspects of College life. Skills have been developed and challenged in writing expositions, creating myths and legends, using spatial awareness and measuring time in mathematics, researching cultures, using languages, thinking and working scientifically, developing self management skills, reflecting on being created individually by God, and designing, making and appraising tasks.

This week, the year 7s have had the opportunity to participate in two key activities related to life skills. The Surf Life Saving Association has visited the school to present a course in Resuscitation and Emergency First Aid to all Year 7s. This initiative, provided through the support of the Catholic Education Office, provides our students with important life skills. Congratulations to our students on the way they have participated in this important learning. Thanks to Mr Darren Kowal for coordinating the program.

Seek Justice are words that have echoed around the classrooms culminating in our students being offered the chance to raise funds for St Patrick’s, Fremantle. Mr Andrew Landells arranged for all classes to have the opportunity to cook and serve a basic but nutritious meal for a buddy class. The students responded enthusiastically to the cooking, serving and especially the eating. The students contributed to the cost of the meal, being the donation to St Patrick’s.

Important notes are being sent home requesting information about preferences for 2010. Please do not hesitate to make contact with teachers if you would like to discuss the options available to your students.

Whilst our year 7s have been accepting the responsibilities associated with Transition to Year 8 with lockers, combination locks and Tutor Groups we have welcomed the 2010 year 7 students and parents to John XX111 College for their orientation events. We thank the College community for their support of these events. The following groups assisted us:

Year 7 parents cooked sausage sizzle lunch for the incoming students on their orientation day

Year 7 parents served refreshments and supper at the orientation evening

The school maintenance team set up and managed the logistics of the orientation events

The Community Relations team and office staff coordinated the communication

Year 7 teachers, Learning Enrichment and Language teams planned and presented a great range of orientation activities for the “new” students.

Many students assisted with tasks ranging from filling bags, to welcoming students, to performing and presenting key information.

A wonderful community working together to make a difference. THANK YOU.

Mrs Sue Benson - Year 7 Coordinator

Congratulations to……… Congratulations to Rachel Truscott, Year Eleven and

Grayson Neal, Year Ten on receiving Japan east Asia network of exchange students and youth scholarships for 2009. Rachel and Grayson will be receiving return air-tickets and will spend two weeks in Japan from Dec 2nd to 18th,

2009 with a group of students selected from throughout Australia. We look forward to hearing their experiences upon their return. Ms Glass - Learning Area Coordinator (Languages)

Year 10s Visited By The Paraplegic Benefit Fund As part of the year 10’s Key for Life program road trauma survivors Anton Zappelli and Symon Still from the Paraplegic Benefit Fund visited the school to speak about their experiences and inspire safe road behviour. Both presenters are from PBF Australia, a national charity working to reduce the incidence and impact of spinal cord injury. Between 300 and 400 people sustain a spinal cord injury each year in Australia. About half of these are a result of motor vehicle trauma. The peak age group of sustaining the injury is 15-25 year olds. This is why PBF was organised to come and speak to our year 10s. Both Symon and Anton have sustained spinal cord injuries on the road and are confined to wheelchairs. They both shared their stories of how unsafe behaviour on the road resulted in their injuries and ending of their dreams, goals and plans in their young lives. Both students and staff were moved by the presentations and all are encouraged not to take the important things such as freedom, health and independence for granted. One poor decision on the road can result in permanent injury that may affect the rest of their lives. To learn more about the Paraplegic Benefit Fund please visit their website at www.pbf.asn.au. Support their programs by becoming a PBF member. PBF has over 80,000 members nationally. If a PBF member is to sustain a permanent spinal cord injury then the charity pays them a member benefit of $100,000 within week of diagnosis. Stay safe and make the right decisions on our roads.

SHELL NOVICE SWIM MEET Come down to Challenge Stadium on Saturday, 5th December at 12noon and participate in a fun swim meet against other novice swimmers from around the metro area. If you are between 6 years and 14 years of age, just download the Entry Form at www.wa.swimming.org.au before 23rd November and come down for a great afternoon of racing fun. You will receive a swim cap, certificate and official race times. If your school enters the most competitors your school will receive $300 and a visit from a former or current Olympic swimmer at a school assembly. For more information contact the Junior Liaison Coordinator, Paulette on 0438 908 264.

N O R T H E R N D I S T R I C T S T O U C H ASSOCIATION, INC “SUMMER OF TOUCH FOR JUNIORS” NDTA is pleased to offer options for junior boys and girls aged 8 to 15 for summer 2009/2010 If you are interested please see Mr Maxwell in the P.E. Office for a flyer.

Reabold Tennis Club Reabold Tennis Club U/16 Division 1 pennants team is looking for any interested John XXIII College girls to play tennis. If they would be interested in playing please give Terry a call on: 9287 1213 (home); 9366 2851 (work); 0438 121 358 (mobile).

WA State All Schools Track & Field Championships The WA State All Schools Track & Field Championships were held at the State Athletics Centre from 30/10/2009 to 1/11/2009. Well done and congratulations to the following students who represented the College with distinction; Hannah Cadlolo Jack Lockwood Adrian Pearce Ned D'Souza Harry D'Souza Ronan Colleran Tim Jones Mr David Maxwell - Sports Coordinator Years 7— 9

Health Information NATIONAL SKIN CANCER ACTION WEEK 15 NOV – 21 NOV Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. Every year more than 444,000 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer and 1,700 people will die from this disease. Being SunSmart is a simple and effective way of reducing your risk of developing skin cancer. Most skin cancers can be treated if found early. Protect yourself in five ways from skin cancer: SLIP ON PROTECTIVE CLOTHING – look for clothing

that covers as much skin as possible. Look for material with high UV Protection Factor (UPF)

SLOP ON SPF 30+ SUNSCREEN – Sunscreen should

not be relied on as the only form of sun protection. No sunscreen provides 100% UV protection – remember to use in combination with protective clothing, hats and sunglasses.

SLAP ON A HAT – Slap on a hat that provides as much

shade as possible to your face, head, neck, ears and eyes. There are three main styles of hats that provide adequate sun protection:

Broad brimmed – brim of at least 7.5 cm Bucket or ‘surfie-style’ hats – with deep crown and brim

of at least 6cm Legionnaire hats, which have a flap that covers the neck. Baseball caps and visors are not recommended as

they leave the ears, sides of face and back of the neck exposed.

SEEK SHADE- Staying in the shade is one of the most

effective ways to reduce sun exposure, but remember that other sun protection measures (clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen) should also be used to avoid reflected UV radiation.

SLIDE ON SOME SUNGLASSES- When choosing

sunglasses look for: Frames that fit close to the face Wrap around styles that reduce UV entering from the

sides. Sunglasses that meet Australian standards and have an

eye protection factor (EPF) of 10. REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR SKIN REGULARLY

AND SEE A DOCTOR IF YOU NOTICE ANY UNUSUAL SKIN CHANGES.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.cancerwa.asn.au

Jenny Hill - College Nurse