The Lion's Roar - 15 November 2023

MUSICAL STAR

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Sam, on achieving Grade 3 with Honours (A) for Violin over the weekend. His hard work and dedication to his instrument are paying off!

Well done, Sam!

MINI GOLF CHAMP

Following on from a previous Star Snippet we ran a couple of weeks ago; we are excited to share that Jackson, in Year 11, and teammate Ethan won the Junior Competition of the inaugural Mini Golf Championship of WA held at Collier Park GC on Saturday.

These talented amateur golfers romped to a sizable margin of victory with a three-under-par 18-total of 43.

Congrats, Jackson!

OLD SCHOLAR SHINES

Congratulations to Old Scholar and Class of 2001 member Alana Em (Hancock) on being awarded the Shining Star in STEM/STEAM/Digital Education in Schools Award at Women in Technology WA Inc. (WiTWA) 25th Anniversary Awards Night.

This is the same award that our very own Digital Technology Teacher, Mrs Michelle Chomiak, won last year!

It is fabulous to see our alumni excelling in their field and providing a positive impact on the educational community.

SINGING SCHOLAR

In other amazing Old Scholar news, Ben Del Borrello (2018) has just been announced as a Young Artist with the WA Opera! During his time at St Mark's, he did ATAR Music and sang in True Voices and Secondary Choir. You can read more about Ben's involvement in the Young Artist Program here.

Word has it, he is also currently a House Choir conductor for Middle School House Singing next week!

Congratulations to our Middle School Ethics Team, who took out the highly contested third place at yesterday's Middle School Ethics Olympiad. We surpassed formidable opponents from Iona, Christchurch Grammar, Trinity, MLC, Wesley, as well as teams from Singapore and Hong Kong.

We are extremely proud of the team's efforts. With this achievement as our foundation, we're setting our sights on the Gold for next year.

In an exciting and culturally enriching semester, our Year 9 students embarked on a fascinating journey into the heart of Mexican culture by delving into the traditions of the "Days of the Dead." This unique exploration served as the inspiration for their outstanding body of work this semester. The students showed remarkable enthusiasm in learning about the intricate customs, vibrant colours, and profound symbolism associated with this annual Mexican celebration. Through a variety of educational resources, they gained a deeper understanding of the significance of this tradition and its connection to family, remembrance, and honouring loved ones who have passed away.

One of the highlights of their semester was a highly successful clay sculpture project, where the students translated their newfound knowledge into beautiful and evocative three-dimensional artworks. These stunning sculptures were not only a testament to their artistic talents but also a heartfelt tribute to the Mexican culture they had studied. We are incredibly proud of their creativity, dedication, and the meaningful connections they've made with the world beyond their classrooms, which have enriched their academic experience.

This semester has been a true celebration of cultural diversity and creativity, and their impressive work is currently on exhibit in the Busselton building outside the Art rooms.

Students from the Junior and Middle Schools came together with their parents, worked alongside each other and cooked meals for the Salvation Army. It was a great afternoon, and the kitchen was a buzz with St Mark's community spirit. It was great to see new faces and families coming along for the first time. Seven full Bain Maries were filled with amazing cooked meals (approx. 140 individual meals).

Over the course of 2023, we have provided over 550 meals in Bain Maries for the Homeless and those in need. The Old Scholars Association and the St Marks Community can be really proud of themselves.

The Salvation serves these meals on the weekends to those who are homeless and/or living on the streets, primarily in the CBD and East Perth.

Jason Reynolds from the Salvation Army was very grateful for the prepared meals and sincerely “Thanks” the St Mark's community for its contribution to the Salvation Army in 2023.

This is a fantastic initiative for a very worthy cause run by the St Mark's Old Scholars Association.

Well done to all the students and parents who attended the afternoon.

The OSA would like to note a special thanks to Mrs Gilham and Mrs Snape from Food Technology for allowing the OSA and the St Mark's Community to prepare and cook meals in their classrooms once a term – Thank you! We sincerely appreciate your support.

We are thrilled to share that Year 12 student Tiffany Zheng's artwork, titled 'In My Head,' has earned a coveted place in The Art Gallery of Western Australia's annual exhibition, The West Australian Pulse. This showcase highlights the creative prowess of WA's talented graduating high school artists, providing a glimpse into the perspectives that will shape our future.

The selected artworks by graduating Year 12 students in 2023 offer insights into the private, social, and artistic concerns of the younger generation, capturing the essence of their evolving worldview. Tiffany's piece, 'In My Head,' exemplifies the calibre of talent present in the Class of 2023.

The Pulse Perspectives exhibition is scheduled to captivate audiences at the Art Gallery of WA in 2024, offering a unique opportunity to witness the artistic expressions of tomorrow's influencers.

Additionally, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Tiffany for receiving the P&F Art Excellence Award earlier this term.

'In My Head' Artistic Statement:

My artwork is the representation of the duality of my introverted personality as a Chinese-born person trying to fit in the Australian culture and society. My mixed media artwork shows the contradictory personalities that people see and my inner world, and trying to break the constraints of showing the true self.

The clay sculpture represents me and my real physical life, though the cloud-like fragment represents the imaginary thoughts seeping from my imaginary world through a door, which is the connection between the imaginary and reality, as it is in the painting. Part of my head is broken and open in the foreground of the painting, and the imaginary world inside my head is shown. The imagined landscape in the painting reveals all my thoughts behind the introverted personality shown to the others, the freedom, unrestricted and bravery without the fear of socialising or showing myself.

Using the strategies of surrealism, I have tried to illustrate my duality of my introverted life and my free inner world. Contorting, melting, twisting, and composing subject matters are some of the tools used by artists like Dali Salvador to express their inner turmoil and desires. I used the unconventional forms of me to represent the unrestricted me being in any form I like in my own world. I was also influenced by the contemporary surrealistic sculptures, which present the unrealistic thoughts in reality more physically, so I chose to use sculpture to represent me in real life and show the broken restrictions of my introverted personality with my gradually expressed true self. My sculpture and painting show the contradictions between my outward shyness and the inward freedom and confidence, to show people my increasing confidence to show my true self as assimilating in the Australia society.

Our Year 10 Business, Marketing and Management students will be showcasing their business prowess with the Christmas Market Day Stalls on Wednesday 29 November.

Staff and students (Year 6 - 12) are invited to support their innovative stalls at secondary school lunchtime. There will be plenty of amazing products for sale, with all profits going to the students' chosen charity. Make sure you bring some cash on the day.

Below are some of the stalls involved:

• Merry Mugs
• Santa's Workshop - baubles, tree ornaments, snow globes, earrings, mugs
• Christmas Canes and Cards
• One Stop Christmas Shop - stuffed baubles
• Christmas Co - bonbons and Santa sacks

As the week goes on, we will add stalls to the advertising campaign.

Don't forget to have your say on the 3-week mid-year break via the below survey before Friday 17 November 2023. If you have already completed the survey, please disregard this notice.

Please see the email that was sent to families a few weeks ago:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe we are already mid-way through Week 3 of Term 4. I hope your family has settled back into the school routine over the past few weeks.

As you are aware, we have an extended break for our mid-year (July) holidays, which has been a feature of our school calendar since 2017. To assist with future planning, we would like to gauge your feedback regarding the 3-week break by completing the attached survey (link below). Please note the term dates in the school calendar for 2024 are already set, and this includes the 3-week mid-year break.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this short survey before 5:00 p.m. on Friday 17 November 2023. Click here to complete the survey.

Thank you for your assistance with this.

Next year, we are introducing a series of before-school career-focused sessions for our Senior School students and are looking for Old Scholars (former students) or parents who can assist.

These career-focused sessions will provide our students with the chance to hear from St Mark's alumni or parent/community members about their careers. The sessions aim to help students decide upon their career path relating to tertiary study and General/ATAR pathways, as well as gain insight into the world of work.

If you are comfortable speaking to groups of students and willing to share your experiences of studying, working and life after high school, we'd love to hear from you. Please note that at this stage, we are looking to create a register of potential speakers with the aim of rolling these events out in Semester 1, 2024.

Please contact Amanda Kemp via email for further information or if you'd like to join the register to share your experiences.

Our Deputy Head of Senior School, Mrs Berghan, and Head of Year 12, Mr van Winsen, are jumping in the pool to complete a 9-hour team swim to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Mental Health.

As part of a team of four, the Marine Monkeys, they will be swimming their hearts out on Sunday 26 November, at Hale School for Swim for Life (Men’s Talk). A company that works with groups to provide “safe and supportive small group settings that encourage men of all backgrounds to share, connect and experience.”

We would love for our school community to get behind our dynamic duo as they aim to raise $2000.

If you are in a position to help with any amount, please head to https://pages.donately.com/swimforlife-mtalk/fundraiser/marine-monkey-s/

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

Please ensure School Fees are finalised for 2023.

FINAL Monthly Fee Payments are due Monday 27 November 2023.

Thank you,
Family Accounts

Calling all Year 6 - 10 Coding Legends!

Just a quick note to let you know that registrations for the next Girls Programming Network Workshop are now open.

Please help to spread the word! Bring a friend!

This is a fun day where women teach girls to code in Python; we play some games and hear about how non-IT women use their coding skills in the industry. Most importantly, you also get to meet other girls with similar interests in coding/computing/gaming. Research has shown these factors play a big part in the confidence and success of girls in computing.

The date for Term 4 is Saturday 25th November - 9:30am to 3:45pm

• Location: UWA E-Zone
• Cost: It's FREE!
• Included: snacks for morning tea & Pizza lunch!!!
• BYOD: bring a laptop if you can (there will be a small number available for use if you are unable to)
• Dress code: wear normal weekend casual clothes
• Bookings Essential (only 80 places available) https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/girls-programming-network-coding-workshop-tickets-734580519107
• Facebook Info Page: https://www.facebook.com/GPNPerth

Attendance is on a casual basis, so if you go to one, there’s no commitment to go to more. If you like it, then come back! If you don’t, then don’t. It's that simple. You can bring a friend if you like!

We are excited to share that our supplier of our uniforms now offers online ordering.

Head to https://shop.tarauniforms.com.au/brand/st-marks/ to view the range and place your order at your convenience.

Please note that orders are to be collected from the Uniform Shop onsite at School during their opening hours.

Interested in starting an instrument? Studies show that playing a musical instrument lowers stress and increases well-being – why not start something new next term and enrol online? Our Instrumental Music Handbook contains all the instruments we have on offer and lots of other useful information. Enrolment is ongoing unless a withdrawal form is lodged at least two weeks prior to the end of term.

If you would like to withdraw from instrumental lessons for Term 1 2024, please complete the online withdrawal form before your tutor’s withdrawal deadline of Friday 17 November 2023. After this deadline, another term of music lessons will be charged for before the withdrawal can take effect.

As a way of encouraging excellence in education and rewarding high achievement, St Mark’s is offering a limited number of Academic Scholarships for students entering Year 6 in 2025 (current Year 4 students). Registrations for the 2025 program are now open and close on Friday 16 February 2024. The Scholarship is open to all*, inclusive of current and waitlisted students, as well as to those with no current connection to the School.

Up to four Scholarships are available, with partial tuition fee remission. The number of Scholarships awarded each year and the percentage of tuition fee remission is at the discretion of the School Council.

The Scholarships are awarded based on the performance of the student in the Scholarship examination. Shortlisted candidates may also be interviewed prior to final selection of Scholarship recipients. Scholarships will be awarded for the student’s entire secondary school career at St Mark’s (Years 6 to 12), subject to ongoing review.

The testing will be conducted independently by Academic Assessment Services at St Mark’s on Saturday 24 February 2024.

A Registration Fee of $105 will be charged by Academic Assessment Services for each child sitting the examination. Please note that an additional fee of $50 will be incurred for late registrations. Your registration will be confirmed by Academic Assessment Services.

More information, including key dates and eligibility, is available on the School website. Registration for the Scholarship testing should be submitted online here by Friday 16 February.

If you have any other queries regarding the 2025 Academic Scholarship Program, please email scholarships@stmarks.wa.edu.au or call (08) 9403 1342.

*Excludes international students.

Applications for the McIntosh Memorial Scholarship are now open to those students about to commence or currently undertaking tertiary study.

Eligibility

• Open to descendants of persons who have and/or are enlisted for service in any branch of the RAAF and Commonwealth Air Forces.
• The applicant must be an Australian citizen or resident.
• Residing in Western Australia.
• Undertaking their first course of full-time tertiary education and in any year of that course.

The closing date is 30 November 2023, and information is availablehere via the scholarship flyer.

We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education's next free webinar will be taking place on Wednesday 22 November.

Elevate Education works with our 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 22nd November @ 6:30pm (AEDT)

How You Can Build Resilience in Your Child

Click here to register for free

​​​​​In this webinar, Elevate will be showing parents:

• What resilience means, what it doesn’t mean, and why it’s important;
• How to help build your child’s resilience levels, both in and out of school
• How to help your child break their ‘fear of failure’

Thanks to everyone who attended our final General Meeting last night. It was great to see you, don’t forget to log your hours.

A huge thanks to our guest speakers, who spoke on two very different topics, both highlighting how passionate our community is about St Mark’s - what we do both within and outside of the schoolyard.

Shirley McKibbon (Head of Library and Information Services) and Kelly Curran (Head of Digital Learning) spoke about their recent trip to the ISTE conference in Philadelphia (USA) and their presentation at this major digital learning event. They took enthusiasm and passion for their topic with them and brought lots of learnings and experiences home to share with the St Mark’s community.

Bryce Teo (Christian Education teacher and part of the Chaplaincy team) was part of the St Mark’s student/teacher trip to the remote Parnngurr community recently - a journey of 1600 km, taking a day and a half to complete (one-way!). He talked about the welcoming community spirit, the interactions between the Parnngurr and St Mark’s students - both in and out of the classroom - and the trip they all took on country. It was an amazing trip all around, making wonderful memories and connections.

If anyone would like any more info from the presentations last night, please reach out to secretary.pf@stmarks.we.edu.au.

The P&F want to remind our families to please log their hours. Please see the attached letter regarding Parent Commitment Hours for 2023. PCH Letter.

If you have completed hours this year, log them here 2023 Parent Hours Log.

You can also check the hours you have logged by clicking on Parent Commitment Hours Detailed and entering your family code. This document is updated at the end of each term.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah McCormack at parentcommitment@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Next year, all current P&F positions will be dissolved, and the P&F Association will be looking for fresh nominations for the 2024 committee.

If you have considered joining the Committee or someone who would love to be involved please send an expression of interest for the P & F 2024 committee to secretary.pf@stmarks.wa.edu.au or email them for more information.

The St Mark's Parents and Friends' Association (*P&F*) continually provides a high level of support to the School by funding projects that are not essential for education, but have a positive effect on our School community.

The P&F is inviting staff, parents and students to submit project proposals for funding in 2024.

Criteria for Project Funding Project ideas are being sought from the School community.

Funding applications and projects will be assessed against criteria set by the P&F in conjunction with the School Executive.

As a general guide, projects should:

• have a positive impact on our School community (this may include parents and the broader School community, not just students);
• not be for normal classroom resources, substitutional for, or incremental to, School budgets;
• preferably not be restricted to an individual year group or subject;
• be considered appropriate by the School Executive (among other things, in keeping with the School's values
• be non-recurrent in nature so that the P&F input is not spread too thinly or committed for many years.

If you have ideas that meet these criteria, please:

• research the idea;
• obtain indicative costs if possible;
• talk the ideas through with your Department Head (or similar);
• and email a letter of request, together with supporting documentation outlining the project details and costs, to treasurer.pf@stmarks.wa.edu.au by Tuesday 21 November 2023.

The P&F will consider all applications over the December 2023/January 2024 school holidays and may contact you for further details or invite you to attend a meeting to present your proposal.

Examples of projects that have been funded (or part-funded) by the P&F in the past are:

• Foyer refurbishment in the Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex
• Sheltered area outside the Junior School Phys Ed office
• Whitfords Avenue shade shelters
• Toyota Coaster bus
• Air-conditioning in the Chapel and Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex
• Bike shelters
• The St Mark's App
• Outdoor seating
• Membership to the Sustainable School Shop
• SunSmart UV indicator

We look forward to hearing from you.

Do you love to chat, give back to the School and are great at notetaking?

Well if this sounds like you then the OSA would love to hear from you!

The OSA are looking for an Old Scholar who would like to join the OSA Committee and undertake the role of Secretary. The committee meet once per month, and if you are a current parent, you can earn Parent Commitment Hours!

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in please contact the OSA President, Philippa Lonie via email.