Congratulations to Year 8 student Isaac, who has been selected for the Athletics West WA State Cross Country Team to compete in the National Championships. We wish him all the best as he heads to the completion in Canberra next week!
Good luck, Isaac - we are all cheering you on!
A huge thank you goes out to the remarkable dedication exhibited by our St Mark's community during the P&F Busy Bee held on Saturday. The event was marked by an inspiring display of community unity, as numerous parents and students joined forces to contribute their efforts to the school.
The tasks that were successfully accomplished during the event have had a wonderful impact on the overall aesthetics of the school:
The day concluded on a high note around midday, as everyone came together to enjoy a well-deserved barbecue and engage in friendly conversations.
We have been informed that the traffic warden employed by the Police Children’s Crossing Unit is NOT AVAILABLE at the designated crossing on Endeavour Road near the roundabout at Banks Avenue from Thursday 17 August 2023 until the end of term.
Please be extremely vigilant when crossing the road as no traffic wardens will be present during this period.
Quarterly fees are now due - please ensure you pay them promptly.
Please contact familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au if you have any queries.
Please note that any medication brought to school for administration by the nurse must be in original pharmacy packaging with pharmacy label detailing doseage etc, and handed in by an adult to the Wellness Centre.
Thank you for your understanding.
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
This coming Friday is the Secondary (Yr 6 - 12) House Athletics Carnival. With 24 buses in and around the school on 18 August it will be a busy time in all our car parks and on surrounding roads during drop-off and pick-up times.
The Whitfords Avenue entrance to the Kiss and Drive area will be full when the buses arrive and depart. Buses in St Mark’s Drive and internally near the admin building will also add to congestion in these areas.
During the afternoon pick-up, it may be necessary to close the Whitford Avenue Gate 4 carpark/Kiss and Drive area to cars to allow for the buses to arrive (this is dependent on the timing of the buses). We suggest parents collect their children from Belrose Park.
We ask that parents remain patient if caught in traffic.
Please remember to drop off and pick-up your children from the designated Kiss 'n Drive Points. Please do not use the staff car park for this purpose.
If you are a parent of a student involved in the upcoming Primary Production, please click on the following link to open the revised rehearsal schedule from Kristy Raymond: Revised Primary Production Schedule - Term 3 can be downloaded here.
We were pleased to welcome 19 fourth-year Bachelor of Education students from Edith Cowan University to St Mark’s this week for a showcase and immersion event.
These students are in their final semester of university before becoming graduate teachers. The focus of the immersion was successful strategies to aid senior secondary education in HaSS. Over the course of the morning, our guests workshopped with our Year 11 and 12 Geography and Business Management and Enterprise students. They discussed the nature of learning in Year 11 and 12 and successful teaching strategies that benefit them in their learning. This was followed by a debrief from our Principal, Steven Davies, who spoke about the traits he looks for in graduate teachers.
The partnership between the HaSS Department and ECU continues to grow, with lecturer Dr Katie Thiveos giving her time and expertise in our HaSS classes over the year.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST YEAR 10, 11 and 12 students
🌍 Hey there, eco-champions of the future! 🌱 Ready to make your voice heard and shape the world you'll inherit?
Join us at Minister Whitby’s Climate Action Forum, your front-row ticket to the most crucial conversation of our time!
Imagine standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow young trailblazers as the Minister spills the tea on our State's progress in the battle against climate change. But hold up, it gets better! This ain't a monologue; it's your chance to dive into the nitty-gritty with a heart-pounding Q&A session. 🔥 Ask the tough questions, challenge the status quo, and let your ideas sizzle.
🚀 The future's in your hands, and this is where it all begins. Don't just sign up, sign up for a better world. Seize the mic, own the moment, and let's spark a sustainable revolution together! 💪🌎
Sign-up Climate Action Forum Sign-Up
See the official flyer here.
Each school term around Australia, GPN runs free, full-day workshops that teach high school girls and gender minorities to code using Python. Their events are all about learning together, making new friends and having fun with technology. No coding experience is required!
The Perth GPN for Term 3 2023 will be held at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
This event will be BYOD (bring your own device), so bring your laptop with you. They will have some laptops available for students who can't bring one.
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, and meeting new people, PLUS free morning snacks & pizza lunch.
Download the flyer HERE
Book your spot HERE.
We are looking for parent volunteers to donate catering/ baking items for our upcoming Year 11/12 Recital Night! It's an incredible opportunity to showcase your culinary talents while supporting our young musicians. Whether you're a seasoned chef or just love to whip up delicious desserts, your catering donation will play a vital role in making this event a harmonious success, with all proceeds going towards the 2024 New Zealand Music Tour!
Please sign up for Year 11/12 Recital Night!
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/DbydCAf
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
Any questions please contact our Music Tour Fundraising Co-ordinator, Naomi Jeffs on naomij@node1.com.au
We are excited to share that during September, the St Marks Music Tour has been given a fundraising jar at Grill’d Hillarys Marina!
What does this mean? Well, if you buy a burger at Grill’d Hillarys Marina (not Whitford Shops), you will be given a token to pop into the St Mark's fundraising jar. The more tokens, the more fundraising dollars for our Music Tour.
So, get going to the Marina during the month of September, shout the family Grill'd for lunch or dinner and pop the tokens in the St Mark's jar.
Last Wednesday, the Junior Boys and Girls Rugby Squads took part in some exciting rugby fixtures.
The Girls Squad mixed in with two other girls' schools to create Barbarian-style teams. This was the first taste of Rugby for some of the girls, and they did not look out of place. The physicality in the games was impressive, as was the work ethic on show. It was very pleasing to see skills practised in training on show. The girls improved with every game. We are looking forward to seeing how their skills progress over the season.
Our Junior Boys squad had their first hit out against Joseph Banks. This was a great introduction for the boys into running rugby. The opposition let the ball do the work, with the majority of their tries being scored on the wing. The boys did not give up and fought hard but unfortunately came away with the loss. Our next fixture was against Lake Joondalup Baptist College. The whole squad worked very well in this game and came away with the win. At one point in the game, all players on the field were playing their first game of rugby. This was exciting to watch. The playing numbers in this age group are exceptional, with 18 in the squad. There were a lot of smiles after the game, which was great and a few bumps and bruises.
On the whole, both squads performed very well and are building nicely for the season.
6/7/8 Boys
Girls Squad – WIN
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
Applications for the 2024 ATO School Leaver Program are now open. Applications close on 30 August 2023.
If you're a 2022 or going to be a 2023 Year 12 graduate, the ATO School Leaver Program can kick-start your career. You'll receive:
At the ATO, you'll do work that matters. Be part of an organisation that:
Head here for more information.
Are you in need of some extra Parent Commitment Hours?
We are chasing 8 officials to volunteer for the ACC Athletics carnival on 14th September.
Also, if any parents are interested in athletics coaching, we are looking for additional coaches for 3 weeks on a Tuesday and Thursday morning 7am-8am (Aths knowledge needed).
If any of the above volunteer opportunities sound like your thing or you are in need of Parent Commitment Hours please get in touch. Contact Mr Simmons via email.
Our next P&F General Meeting is being held on Tuesday 22 August in the PAC. We are looking for a couple of donations of food and wine.
Please get in touch if you are able to help: auxiliary@stmarks.wa.edu.au
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch
The Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is back for Term 4 , and we'd love to see your little cub there this Friday!
Join us every Friday (during St Mark's term time) from 8.45am - 10.30am 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.
Those 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.
Join us on Tuesday 22 August 2023
We are excited to welcome Ben Pronk, DSC from The Resilience Shield as our guest speaker at the forthcoming P&F General Meeting.
For further information regarding what The Resilience Shield is about, please head to www.resilienceshield.com.
Download the event information here.
We look forward to seeing you there!
By popular demand, we have five tables of 8-10 people available to purchase for the P&F Quiz Night on Saturday 9 September. Be quick, as once they are gone, that's it!
If you are interested in a bigger-sized table then please purchase the required tickets online and send a note to nguptawork@gmail.com with the participant details.
How's your general knowledge?
Book your tickets because our highly-anticipated P&F Quiz Night is only 1.5 weeks away, and ticket sales CLOSE 31 AUGUST!
It's time to dust off those thinking caps, gather your brightest buddies, and get ready for an evening filled with brain-teasing fun and excitement! Fantastic prizes await the victorious teams, so make sure to bring your A-game!
Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to showcase your knowledge prowess and have a blast with friends and family.
Spread the word, invite your friends, and let's make this Quiz Night an unforgettable one!
See you all there!
Get your game face on – the POSTMEN are back with the annual Games Day!
A fantastic afternoon for fathers or father figures to come along with their kids and enjoy a range of different and interesting board games that might test your fine motor skills, critical thinking or your power to deceive other players.
We’ll have a helper there for every table so that it’s easy to get straight into the games and round the afternoon off with pizzas for an early simple dinner.
Thanks to Adam from boardgamesdirect.com.au for bringing along a range of games for us to play and enjoy on the day – if you find something you really like, you’ll also be able to place an order to get your own copy for home.
We will have some awesome prizes on offer and, of course, our annual epic Klask tournament!
To see what this awesome day is all about check out the event video here: Games Day 2023 Promo.mp4
Ticket bookings are open now - click here!
The POSTMEN (Papas Of ST Mark’s Engagement Network) encompasses all Fathers and Father Figures with children currently attending St Mark’s and is aligned with the ‘The Fathering Project’. The POSTMEN Committee is currently searching for new members, particularly for those who have children in the ELC or in Year 3. 4 or 5.
Members of the committee meet periodically to organise events and attend to any general committee business.
Acting as a member of the committee is a great way to contribute to the school community, develop some great connections with other Dads at the school and help to support opportunities for Dads and their kids to build great connections and lasting memories.
Committee members are expected to actively contribute and participate in the following:
As some of our founding members children transition through to Senior School and start approaching graduation, we’re searching for some new members who can bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to this fantastic cause and continue the legacy of The POSTMEN.
Besides the sense of personal fulfilment that comes from contributing to the community and being part of an awesome group of people, the school has opted to recognise activities undertaken by the POSTMEN committee as qualifying for Parent Commitment Hours.
For more information, please see the following links:
https://www.stmarks.wa.edu.au/community/fathering-projects-postmen
If you have further questions or are interested in applying, please feel free to contact any of the following standing committee members:
Committee Member Name |
Phone |
|
Josh Newton |
0403 466 132 |
|
Damon De Nooyer |
0407 818 704 |
|
Mark Burgess |
0406 050 034 |
The Parents Prayer Group (PPG) meets fortnightly to pray for the students, staff and school community. We will be meeting every second Friday at 9am in the school Chapel, starting 4th August (Term 3 dates are 4 August, 18 August, 1 September and 15 September).
Please sign in at reception and perhaps stop by the coffee van on the way.
All are welcome.
Please share any prayer requests by emailing parentsunitedforprayer@gmail.com or call Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.
Hamersley Athletics Centre has an information day coming up at the beginning of September for the athletics summer season. Hamerlsey caters for ages from tiny tots all the way through to U17s and now also senior ages.
Click here for further information.
Future Engineers is being run during the October school holidays.
The program will take place from Monday 2 to Friday 6 October 2023 and is open to all high school girls in Western Australia from Years 8-12. It showcases the exciting STEM careers in the energy industry through interactive presentations and site visits.
More information is attached. Interested students, please complete the attached student application form here and email to wise@subseaenergy.org.au