ELC Bulletin - Term 1, Week 1

MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF PRIMARY

Dear Parents and Carers,

After another week of highlights for many students, I am very proud of how swiftly everyone has got back into the groove of our schooling week. Students are bouncing in with excellent punctuality and full of smiles and greetings, and I do recognise the efforts at home to make this happen after the holidays.

A regular daily chore that is important is the making of school lunches. This is an activity the children can be involved in particularly if they are helping to choose the contents while doing the weekly shopping. Breakfast and school lunches have a considerable impact on the ability of children to concentrate during their lessons as well as providing nutrients for growth. Prominent child psychologist, Dr Michael Carr Gregg, notes that research studies relating to diet and nutrition of young people have determined that there is a direct effect on brain development and learning. This means that what children eat directly impacts their academic outcomes.

Thank you for ensuring the students have had a healthy breakfast before coming to school so they are ready to start the day in the best possible way. Children do often prefer the sugary joy of Fruit Loops and Coco Pops but their consumption before school is not a great gift for the teachers. A balanced breakfast, morning tea and lunch gives students the best opportunity to engage correctly in the classroom and to learn to the best of their ability. Thank you for your support with this.

Mark Douglas,
Head of Primary School


WELCOME TO CAVE 2024
Welcome to a new year! I have the honour of teaching your precious children this year in CAVE (Christian and Values Education). I am looking forward to getting to know them more over the course of the year. As we explore the Bible, I hope your children will ask many questions and our class discussions will hopefully prompt further thinking. I encourage you to engage in conversations about what they have learnt. Please feel free to email me with any questions you have regarding CAVE or any curly questions that your child asks throughout the year. My email address is ngalvin@stmarks.wa.edu.au.
Warm regards,
Neroli Galvin
CAVE Teacher K-Y2

ELC WATERING AND OTHER OUTDOOR TASKS
Please follow the link provided below to add your name to the shared Term 1 roster if you are able to assist. Thank you.
Details are provided in the roster document. Our pot plants and garden beds are in desperate need of some assistance during these hot summer days.

ELC Outdoor Enviro Volunteer Roster

OTHER ELC PARENT HOUR OPPORTUNITIES
There are currently no other opportunities available. A link will be provided, via the Weekly Bulletins, for parents to add their names to a shared roster when opportunities do become available.

2024 ELC CHILD COLLECTIONS
Thank you to parents for completing the online form regarding the collection of your child(ren). The online form is now closed as class lists have been generated from the information provided prior to the cut off date of 5/2/2024.
Please email elcreception@stmarks.wa.edu.au to advise any additional or changes to regular arrangements to drive through or child care collections and to provide names of friends or family members who have permission to collect your child(ren).
Student name cards will go home towards the end of this week or early next week for parents to display on the passenger visor of their car when collecting children via drive through.
A link to our ELC Drive Through Guidelines is provided below in case you missed it in the Back to School Welcome Guide sent out at the end of the holidays.

2024 ELC Drive Through Guidelines

• A friendly reminder that it is 40km/h in School Zones.
  
  
• Please drive with caution as there will be lots of excited children making their way to and from school.
  
  
• Remember, during drop-off and pick-up times, the traffic in and around the School can get very heavy, and some behaviours put our students - your children - at risk. In particular, please be aware of double parking, overtaking and exiting the School, as these can limit driver and pedestrian fields of vision, and can cause accidents.
  
  
• Please do not double park at any location, including (but not limited to): Kiss ‘n Drive points, St Marks Drive, School parking lots, access gates and across our neighbours’ driveways
  
• Please DO NOT park in our neighbourly businesses' carparks, including the Endeavour Centre, Mitre 10, Better Pets, AutoMasters, SuperCheap, and Whitford Family Centre. Should you require additional parking Whitford Shopping Cnetre has kindly allowed us to use the bays next to Muzz Buzz.
  
  
• Please do not overtake stationary cars on the School grounds, especially in Kiss ‘n Drive zones.
  
  
• When exiting the School grounds, please ensure you look both left and right carefully before re-entering St Marks Dr, particularly around our neighbour’s driveways.
  

Kiss ‘n Drive locations
There are a number of Kiss ‘n Drive drop-off points around the School, including Whitfords Avenue entrance (Gate 4), Early Learning Centre (via Gate 3), Eastern Access Road (via Gate 3) and outside the Performing Arts Complex (via Gate 3 or Gate 2). There is an additional Kiss ‘n Drive bay on St Marks Drive (travelling east to west). To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, please ensure you adhere to the following:

• Kiss ‘n Drive bays are strictly ‘no parking’ areas whether or not you are in your vehicle.
• Students must exit from the passenger-side doors as quickly as possible.
• Students must use the designated crosswalks located at each Kiss ‘n Drive within the School grounds.
• Do not overtake vehicles who are ahead of you in the Kiss ‘n Drive queue.
• Please be patient, drive slowly and be aware of other road users.
• At pick-up time, If your child is not at the Kiss ‘n Drive when you arrive, please follow the Traffic Warden’s directions and move forward to rejoin the queue.
• For the Kiss ‘n Drive drop off located in the ELC please adhere to the attached ELC Drive-Thru Guidelines for 2024 located in the ELC Welcome Pack on the School’s website.

Please find below a few friendly reminders to help the beginning of the school year go a little more smoothly:

• Make sure you update your child’s year and class on the online lunch ordering system (Quickcliq). If not updated, it will go to the wrong classroom.
  
  
• Have you downloaded the School App? It is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
  
  
• Don't forget to change your preferences/subscriptions on the App for the correct year group of your child/ren. Otherwise, you will get information that is not relevant to you!
  
  
• Remember to be neighbourly during drop-off and pick-up; please park in designated bays, do not block driveways and refrain from parking in the neighbouring businesses' car parks. Please adhere to our Kiss 'n Drive Guidelines, which are found in the Back to School Guide.
  
  
• Don't forget to start keeping an eye on the School App for opportunities to grab those Parent Commitment Hours. The program is a policy of the School and requires a minimum of 10 hours of commitment per family per annum.
  
  
• Have you read the Back to School Guide and the Student Information Handbook (versions are available for both Primary and Secondary)? They are available on our website - the link is here.

Did you know that our Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is run on-site every Friday during term time? We'd love to see your little cub there this Friday!

Join us from 8.45 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. for lots of fun and games. Little Lions Playgroup is a community-based group run in conjunction with Playgroup WA and caters for children up to school age. Families attending our Kindy and not in session on Fridays are more than welcome to join as well.

For more information and to book your spot, please email us, osa@stmarks.wa.edu.au or join our Facebook group HERE.

Everyone is welcome - you do not need to be an Old Scholar (former student) of St Mark's to attend.

The 2023 Endeavour yearbook will be distributed to families who attended St Mark's in 2023 during Term 1 of 2024.

The eldest child will be given the family copy. Additional copies will be available for purchase, and details regarding this will be advised in Term 1.

Emails will be sent to all parents of the Class of 2023 during Term 1 in 2024, with a reminder to collect their copy.

To ensure emails to the Student Services team are dealt with promptly, please address future emails to each sub-school reception, as follows:

Early Learning Centre – elcreception@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Junior School Reception – jnrschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Middle School Reception - midschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Senior School Reception – snrschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Parent Reception – parentreception@stmarks.wa.edu.au

If your child will be absent, late to class, or if they will need to leave early to attend a medical appointment please notify the School by emailing absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au. Please include your child’s name (first name and surname) and class/year level in the subject line of the email. Please do not send absentee/appointments/late information to any other email address - it must go to absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au no matter what year group your child is in. Thank you.

Join Dr Matt O'Connor for a down-to-earth and practical half-hour event where ConnectEd chats about navigating the wonderful world of emotions with our little ones on Thursday, 1 February 2024.

Can't make it to the live event? No problem! Hit 'interested' or 'going' and follow their page on Facebook, and you'll receive a notification so you can watch the recording later.

Click here to register your interest.

Tickets are selling fast, for our Old Scholars' Milestone Reunion on Saturday 24 February 24.

All Old Scholars who graduated from St Mark’s in 1994, 2004 and 2014 are invited, and we can't wait to see you all and hear what you've been up to since leaving the land of maroon and blue!

Ticket details are available here.

If you have not received an email regarding the reunion, it means we do not have your current email - please update your details here.

The P&F is excited to be hosting Paul Dillon from DARTA for a Parent Session on Monday 26 February 2024.

Paul Dillon Parent Seminar: Teens, parties, alcohol and vapes: What do parents need to know?During adolescence, teens develop a biological need to be around friends, and it is important to provide them with opportunities to socialise with their peers whenever possible. Using the most current data available, this presentation will examine the use of alcohol and other drugs by school-based young people. Simple strategies will be provided to help ensure teens are able to interact with friends on a Saturday night and, at the same time, reduce the risk of underage drinking and the potential dangers associated with such behaviour. In addition, up-to-date information will be provided on vaping, particularly in relation to young people. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area.

When: Monday 26 February 2024

Time: 7:00pm - 9.00pm

Where: St Marks Anglican Community School, St Marks Drive, Hillarys WA 6025

Cost: FREE | Secure your free tickets here.

To check out more about Paul and his work with DARTA head here.

Start 2024 with a fun night out, Saturday 17 February 2024, at the Fathering Project Quiz Night.

Grab a seat ($20 per person) or grab a table (tables of 8 ppl), then grab some nibbles (and drinks) and head along for a fun night out!

For people who want to come, but can’t make up a table of 8, no problem at all, groups will be formed on the night.

Awesome prizes are available on the night, both through the quiz itself and the awesome raffle.

So get behind a great fundraising activity; tables are limited - so get in early!

The link to the tickets is here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1167661

Redhage Basketball is back for Term 1 at St Mark's! Check out the flyer attached for more information.