The Lion's Roar - 10 May 2023

GYMNASTICS STAR

Congratulations to Millie in Year 11 on her selection to represent Western Australia at the 2023 Australian Gymnastics Championships on the Gold Coast in the next few weeks.

STARRING BASEBALLERS

We are excited to share that a number of our students have been selected to take part in the National Little League Baseball Development Tournament held in Sydney in June. Congratulations to the following Year 6 students:

• Kye
• Ryder
• Emerson

Good luck, boys!

AFL TALENT

Well done to Year 12 student Luker who has not only been named in the U/18’s State Squad to represent WA at this year’s AFL National Championships but has also notched up his third game in the WAFL league with Subiaco. Congrats, Luker!

ON STAGE STAR

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Chloe, on being awarded a full scholarship to Dance Force (Gold Coast) where she will study Certificate IV in Dance. Auditions were held in Perth earlier this year and only a selected few are successful. This is an awesome achievement - well done, Chloe!

Our School community is still being impacted by COVID-19. We appreciate, when contacting the School to report your child’s absence that you are letting us know if they have tested positive for COVID-19. Please continue to do this.

While nowhere near the levels reached in previous years, the number of cases within our students and staff is not insignificant.

Current advice from the WA Department of Health is:

1. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should stay at home for at least 5 full days and until your symptoms resolve.
2. If you have COVID-19 or are a close contact, do not visit high-risk settings such as:
   ~ hospitals, unless urgent medical care or treatment is required.
   ~ residential disability, mental health and aged care facilities,
   ~ other healthcare settings (e.g. GP, dental and physiotherapy clinics, Aboriginal Medical Services).

The School has RATs available for our community to use. If you would like to collect some for use in your home, please ask at any of the Receptions within the School.

We have seen an increase in the number of students presenting to the Wellness Centre with COVID / Cold and Flu symptoms, so please keep your child at home if they are sick.

Please be reminded that students with any symptoms should not be sent to school regardless of a negative RAT test. If your child presents to the Wellness Centre with any cold or flu, or COVID symptoms, we will have to call you to come and collect them. For information regarding the latest rulings relating to COVID cases, please click here.

Unfortunately, there are still lots of other viruses in the community, and we need to protect our staff and students.

If your child is sick with any illness, please keep them at home.

Thank you for your understanding.

Wellness Centre Team

Supervised Homework Club

• Years 6 - 9
• Tuesday 3.30pm - 4.30pm
• Library Glass Room

We will start the term by checking all the assessments are in the diary and recorded on the term planner as well as checking in on our organisation for each subject.

If there is something you would like us to support your child with, please don’t hesitate to contact us. rrourke@stmarks.wa.edu.au, kswan@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Mrs Rourke and Mrs Swan

The next quarterly payment is due on 16 May 2023.

Any queries, contact familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Now that the wet weather is upon us, we are sure that you've reached for the trusty umbrella only to realise it's broken from the last time it blew inside out!

Never fear. We've got you covered!

The Uniform Shop has large-sized, sturdy St Mark's umbrellas available to purchase, and at just $27.50, you can't go wrong!

• 127cm wide canopy for extra rain protection
• Non-slip handle
• Folds down neatly for easy carrying
• Includes umbrella cover for easy storage

They are perfect for those weekends on the sporting sidelines, walking to/from school, and even make a great gift for an Old Scholar!

Grab yours today!

We wish to inform our families that after a lengthy process in consultation with our Uniform Team, we will be outsourcing the management of our Uniform Shop to external supplier, Tara Uniforms (trading as Matrix Uniforms). We have a very good relationship with Tara Uniforms, who have been a long-standing supplier of St Mark's uniforms. As with all outsourcing opportunities, there will be some changes; however, we believe that these will benefit our School community greatly.

Here is a breakdown of the changes:

What will remain the same:

• The friendly uniform team will still be on hand to offer the fabulous assistance they always have
• Design and quality will remain the same
• Parent Commitment Hours for the uniform shop will still be in place
• The Uniform Shop will still be in the same location at school
• The Uniform Shop will still be open on Monday and Wednesday

What's changing:

• Tara Uniforms will supply and stock our uniform needs from 1 July 2023
• We will have online ordering available from Term 3 - more details to come
• Opening hours will change slightly to better accommodate peak morning trading
• There will be no capability for second-hand uniforms to be sold in the Uniform Shop

Second-Hand Uniforms

The Uniform Shop is no longer able to take second-hand uniforms. If you are chasing second-hand items, please join the Facebook group here.

Those families who have second-hand uniforms currently on consignment in the Uniform Shop will need to collect them before 30 June 2023. Any outstanding credits for items previously sold will be applied to your school account.

Those families who have items that haven't sold will be contacted, and the items will need to be collected before 30 June 2023.

Tara Uniforms will not have the option to sell second-hand uniforms on consignment.

Tara Uniforms will commence operation from 1 July 2023. We will have further information over the coming months.

You may also have heard that Lyn Waite, our Uniform Shop Manager, is currently on long service leave and on a segway to retirement, and Diana Kelly has been promoted to the position of Uniform Shop Manager to replace Lyn. If you missed your chance to wish Lyn well, we are pleased to advise that she is returning to the Shop from 15 - 24 May 2023 for staff holiday cover.

Our beloved onsite traffic warden, Marie, is leaving us! Marie has been a wonderful member of the St Mark's community, keeping our students, staff and families safe manning the PAC crossing for nearly ten years.

Marie's departure from her role creates an opportunity for someone else to step into her shoes. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying, please download the job description below and contact us at principal@stmarks.wa.edu.au

The Traffic Warden is responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient movement of students, adults, and vehicles on the School Grounds during the main drop-off and collection times of 8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm.

Download the job description here.

In 2022, our Year 4 and 5 students joined the global art movement, ‘Botjoy’.

Botjoy is the creation of Portland, Oregon, artist Gary Hirsch. Gary encourages people to ‘steal his idea’ and create bots as an artistic vehicle for people to experiment with how art can support, recognise and celebrate others.

We started drawing and designing robots for the back of dominoes, and like all fabulous ideas, it gained traction and support, growing into large-scale murals specifically designed for our Year 4/5 area.

Each one of the bots featured in the mural was the creation of a Year 4 or 5 student and represents qualities we foster in our Primary students at St Mark’s. The murals were painted during after-school family painting sessions in 2022.

We hope that these bots spread joy, courage, love and gratitude throughout our School community.

View our Botjoy video here.

The Wise Bible Guy can frequently be found roaming the streets of the Primary School, often best spotted in the afternoons with his relatively majestic beard seen blowing in the south-westerly sea breeze. He’d heard about the recent use of A.I. and wanted to harness its powers so he could get back to drinking more cups of tea.

To help him on this quest, Year 4 and 5 Junior School students assisted him in the last week in creating a Chapel song and music video, which is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. Some students from 4 Mason and 4 Martino helped sing the chorus, and various other (very excited) students, after begging their parents’ permission, came in early last Thursday morning to help film the music video.

‘Human’ creativity was used in writing the song and performing the actions, but the instrumental backing track was created entirely using the A.I. platform, ‘Soundful’. The platform allows users to create instrumental tracks in a variety of genres, free for personal use. Thanks to the Wise Bible Guy Family Trust, students could utilise his premium membership of Soundful to be able to distribute their production publicly.

If you see these students around the community, please congratulate them on their superstar performances.

You can listen to or watch the song, ‘Jesus Is Our Healer’ here:

YouTube (music video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfZOJDh-F5o

Spotify (audio only): https://open.spotify.com/track/2v0uIQEtFSU7FVDYlMNPUk?si=4LfQfVANSyC-fcM5GFqOVA

Apple Music (audio only): https://music.apple.com/au/album/jesus-is-our-healer-feat-kids/1685919837?i=1685919840

In keeping with tradition, our Secondary Interhouse Cross Country Carnival was run on Friday as part of St Mark's Day. We couldn't have wished for better conditions, and some would say a little bit Goldilocks like, not too hot, not too cold, just right!

Our Secondary School made their way down to Mawson Park, where House pride was on the line, and the battle to earn valuable points was very real. Congratulations to everyone who participated; you really did exemplify our values of community and respect. The displays of sportsmanship, grit and determination made us all very proud to wear the maroon.

The overall results are as follows:

• 1st Place - Challen
• 2nd Place - Moyes
• 3rd Place - Watkins
• 4th Place - Carnley

Congratulations to the following students on their individual results:

YEAR 6

• Boys Runner-Up - Zac Neame
• Boys Champion - Lucas Barron
• Girls Runner-Up - Jasmine Elkin
• Girls Champion - Audrey Bingham

YEAR 7

• Boys Runner-Up - Charlie Killow
• Boys Champion - Henry Malkin
• Girls Runner-Up - Sophie Lind
• Girls Champion - Ailey Robertson

YEAR 8

• Boys Runner-Up - Jesse Minetto
• Boys Champion - Isaac Kay
• Girls Runner-Up - Ruby Sudintas
• Girls Champion - Ashlyn Stanford

YEAR 9

• Boys Runner-Up - Ezra Greive
• Boys Champion - Cohen Pressley
• Girls Runner-Up - Emily Duff
• Girls Champion - Ella Lambie

YEAR 10

• Boys Runner-Up - Tom Linehan
• Boys Champion - Lachy Bean
• Girls Runner-Up - Asha Pressley
• Girls Champion - Elyn Bawden

YEAR 11

• Boys Runner-Up - Jett Butler
• Boys Champion - Kaleb White
• Girls Runner-Up - Mia Farrar
• Girls Champion - Tabitha Love

YEAR 12

• Boys Runner-Up - Owen Brown and Luker Kentfield
• Boys Champion - Baylee Payne
• Girls Runner-Up - Samantha Brigden
• Girls Champion - Charli-Rose Carlyon

Each school term around Australia, GPN runs free, full-day workshops that teach high school girls and gender minorities in Years 7-12 to code using Python. GPN events are all about learning together, making new friends and having fun with technology. No coding experience is required!

Date: Saturday 20 May
Time: 9am
Location: University of Western Australia (UWA).
Bring: your laptop (we will have some laptops available for students that can't bring one)
Cost: FREE
Bonus: Free Pizza lunch!!!
Register: Here via EventBrite

Perth GPN workshops are run by volunteer tutors from Perth’s IT community - teachers, people working in industry, and students and staff from Perth’s universities.

Join them for a fun day learning to code, meeting new people, PLUS free pizza lunch.

The third annual Middle School Music Eisteddfod will take place in Week 4 on Wednesday 17 May, from 3.35 pm in the PAC. There will be a formal adjudicator, Ms Jess Herbert, who will provide feedback to each individual performer, and a select number of students will be awarded medals for performances deemed Excellent and Outstanding overall.

With over 46 entries received, it is sure to be an absolutely fabulous afternoon of music-making!

The sessions will run as follows:

• 3.40pm - 4.45pm - Year 6
• 5.00pm - 5.40pm - Year 7
• 5.50pm - 6.50pm - Year 8

Families, friends, students and teachers are all welcome to attend one or more sessions to support these young, upcoming musicians. If you are planning to come along, please secure your free tickets through: https://www.trybooking.com/CIGCR

If you have any further questions, please email Miss Leah Guelfi lguelfi@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Entries are now open for the twenty-first annual Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists 2023, run by The City of Subiaco.

This visual art award is open to all Western Australian school students and encourages imagination, innovation and creativity.

To enter, visit > http://www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/.../shaun-tan-award-for...

Entries close Monday 22 May.

Mrs Wharton encourages students to submit artworks completed either at school or at home.

The AVCAT scholarships, including the Long Tan Bursary, are tertiary scholarships for the children and grandchildren of Australian ex-serving veterans. Scholarships are $4000–$6000 per year for three years.

Applications open on 18 August 2023, Vietnam Veterans' Day, and close at midnight AEDT on 31 October 2023.

Apply online at avcat.org.au

The Christian Leaders Scholarship helps cultivate meritorious young Christians to be the next generation of leaders. The Scholarship is offered by a group of Christian leaders in their personal capacity to promote Christians making a positive impact in our society.

The scholarship is open to students commencing full-time university studies in 2024; and students currently in their first year of university studies. Applications to the Scholarship are currently open and will be evaluated as they are received. The Scholarship may be awarded to worthy applicant(s) before the closing date on Sunday 4 June 2023.

For more information, please visit Christian Leaders Scholarship | The Ichthys Community or contact the Scholarship Committee at christianleadersscholarship@gmail.com.

Can you think of a current Year 11 student who is curious and interested in all things science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM)?

Would they like to learn about future pathways and engage with other like-minded young people from all around Australia?

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM (NYSF) YEAR 12 PROGRAM ARE NOW OPEN!

We know our families are keen to get their volunteer hours up for the Community Participation Program (also called the Parent Commitment Hours Program), and we are often asked where can I learn about the opportunities available.

We have ongoing opportunities to participate in the Cafeteria and the Uniform Shop - to book your spot head to the School's website here.

Adhoc opportunities exist both in and out of standard working hours and are communicated on the St Mark's School App and in The Lion's Roar Newsletter as they arise. So make sure you download the School App (and select Volunteers in your subscriptions tags), as advertised opportunities are snapped up quickly!

By working together to support the School, we can continue to build a strong and vibrant community for years to come for the benefit of our students.

We are seeking parents/caregivers who would like to assist as ushers and serve morning tea for the Community Matinee of the Secondary School’s Production of School of Rock on Tuesday 25 July from 9am to 1pm. This is the first day of Term 3.

We are also seeking parents or students wanting to fulfil commitments for their Duke of Edinburgh, to be ushers for one or more evening performances from 6:30pm – 10:00pm on Wednesday 26 – Friday 28 July. Both of these can be used for P&F parent commitment hours.

Please email smckibbin@stmarks.wa.edu.au if you can assist, stating which day or for any inquiries.

To celebrate the Junior School’s Inaugural Languages Week – International Food Stall, we are seeking the assistance of families who are able to provide (either made or purchased) finger foods from the five continents of the world. Ideally, we would like to have five different food types, which can be simple taster foods from Africa, America, Asia, Australia/NZ and Europe.

Parent commitment hours can be obtained by those who are able to assist with the provision of food.

We will also require the assistance of five helpers per continent stall for the serving of the food – this can be continued help from those supplying food or those that can help to serve only. Assistance will be required for pack up and clean up.

Planning is in the infant stages, but we have a clear idea of how we would like this to succeed. The Week wil be held in Term 3 on Monday 31 July, from around 10.30am to 1pm for setup and service, clean and pack up from approximately 1 – 2.30.

We are excited to provide this opportunity to our students and hope for some enthusiastic families to participate to make this a success. Parent commitment hours are available to those who help.

Please contact Madame Woodley at nwoodley@stmarks.wa.edu.au or Stacia Higgins dshiggins6@outlook.com to offer assistance and your ideas for food provision.

Many thanks for your support.

This month on SchoolTV - The State of Youth Mental Health

Parents and carers can play a crucial role in their children's mental health. As a result, staying informed on the current state of youth mental health is vital, as it affects not only individuals but also families and communities. According to recent research, the frequency of mental health disorders among young people is increasing, with anxiety, depression, and self-harm being among the most common challenges.

One of the reasons being attributed to this rise is the heightened stress and anxiety that many young people face in today's society. Academic success, social media, and family issues are all influencing factors. Many young people are still suffering the long-term consequences of the pandemic, such as social isolation, uncertainty, and loss.

Parents can play an important role in their children's mental health. Creating a safe and open environment for your children to talk about their emotions, thoughts, and feelings is vital. Encouraging healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and proper sleep can help reduce their stress levels and boost your child's overall mental health. There are also many resources and services available to children, adolescents, and their families, such as school counsellors, various mental health organisations, support lines, and of course, mental health professionals. It is important to remember that seeking help is a show of strength, not weakness, and that early intervention is critical in addressing young people's mental health difficulties.

This edition of SchoolTV, discusses some of the major mental health issues affecting young people and how to support a child experiencing them. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month's edition https://stmarks.wa.schooltv.me/newsletter/state-youth-mental-health

On Wednesday 10 May, Elevate Education will be hosting its first free webinar of the term for parents. Elevate Education works with students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation.

By tuning into their webinar series, you will learn how you can help better support your children at home by reinforcing the skills they learn at school: Wednesday 10 May | 6:30 - 7:30 pm (AEST) How to Help Get (& Keep) Your Child Motivated

Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:

• What impact does praise and reassurance have on your child’s motivation?

• What are the best type of goals to be setting with your child?

• How can you help your child create meaningful and lasting motivation?

Click on the link to register for free https://get.elevatecoaching.info/au/schoolwebinar.

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 POSTMEN invite you to our FIRST EVER ELC ONLY event - Paper Planes and Pizza on Saturday 20 May 2023.

Come along for an epic afternoon of friendly competition and learning as we design, build and fly paper planes in a test of speed and distance! A great opportunity to spend some quality time with your children and have some fun!
There will be a variety of challenges, including the longest flight time and greatest distance travelled.

We hope to see you along at an event all kids and fathers/father figures can enjoy, no matter their talent or experience.

Remember, paper planes are more than just an activity; they signify forward movement, soaring high and reaching for the stars!

Tickets are $5 each, and bookings can be made here.

The Parents Prayer Group (PPG) meet fortnightly to pray for the students, staff and school community.

We will be meeting every second Friday 9am in the school chapel, starting 5 May. The meeting dates this term are Friday 5/5, 19/5, 2/6, 16/6 and 30/6.

Please sign in at reception.

All are welcome.

Please share any prayer requests by emailing parentsunitedforprayer@gmail.com or call Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.