The Lion's Roar - 17 February 2021

We are keen to acknowledge our students' (and past students) successes in and out of school, so if your child has had time in the limelight, let us know. It could be a story on achieving their black belt in karate, being a part of a winning community sports team, selection to a State or National Team, or any other significant event, we want to hear about it. Submit your news and photographs to newsletters@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Wildlife Warriors

We were delighted to hear that our Primary School students are extending their service commitments in our community, outside of the initiatives undertaken at School. Stefanie Christopoulos and Isabel Galvao from 4DOW held a cake stall outside of their home to raise money for the Native Animal Rescue in support of the charity's work following the recent bush fires. The girls' homemade treats were very popular, and they raised $96 for the cause! Well done, girls!

Heptathalon Success

Congratulations to Madison Esquivel on her success at the recent WA Combined Events State Championship. Madison received a Bronze Medal in the U15 Women's Heptathalon. A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events, so this is a significant achievement. Well done, Madison!

Double up for Dance

Shae Clayfield (Year 12) has been successful at the Revolution of Dance West Coast National Championships, held here in Perth at the Crown Towers Ballroom in January. Shae and her dance partner, Taleisha Kuipers (who attends Peter Moyes Anglican Community School) placed 1st in the 18 years duos/trios section with their Tap Duo, making them "Twice National Champions" (Jan 2020 & Jan 2021); a huge achievement for both of them. Well done, girls!

Historically, St Mark's students have performed well in the annual Plan your Own Enterprise competition, and 2020 was no different. The nationwide competition is run by the Business Educators of Australasia, in association with the Business Educators of Western Australia. The competition requires students to create a full business plan for an idea of their choosing. Elements of the plan include marketing, competition analysis, and financial requirements.

Two of our students, Leo Harvie and Lachlan Reid (Year 12), received Special Recognition Awards for their respective business plans, submitted in the 2020 competition. Both plans had a strong focus on sustainability, showcasing ways to re-purpose or repair items that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.

Leo Harvie’s business plan revolved around fixing and re-purposing designer sneakers. Understanding the popularity of “cool kicks” with teens, Leo’s idea certainly met the needs of the target market. Similarly, Lachlan’s business idea fixed and re-purposed surfboards. His competition analysis revealed there are very few competitors in this market. Congratulations to both boys on the innovative ideas.

K-5 PARENT / TEACHER MEETINGS: 23-25 February 2021

The Parent / Teacher meetings are scheduled to take place as follows:

• Tuesday 23 February - Year 1 and Kindergarten Turtles
• Wednesday 24 February - Pre-Primary
• Thursday 25 February - Years 2 – 5 and Kindergarten Starfish

Information will be emailed to all Primary families (K-Y5) this week on how to schedule a time to meet your child’s teacher. This will be done electronically using Parent Teacher Online (PTO).

YEAR 5 BASKETBALL TRIALS. If your child would like to try out for either the boys or girls Year 5 Interschool Basketball Carnival on 31 March, we will be having trials on Friday 19 February from 12.45–1.15 pm in the Hall. There is no need for students to bring a change of clothes as they will be in their Friday House uniform.

NAPLAN – YEARS 3 & 5 NAPLAN will take place on Tuesday 11 May – Thursday 13 May (Term 2, Week 4). Year 3 and Year 5 students will today bring home the original of the following document: NAPLAN 2021 - Information for Parents and Carers

K-1 PARENT CLASS REPRESENTATIVES: If you are interested in taking on this role, please email jcollie@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Y2-5 PARENT CLASS REPRESENTATIVES If you are interested in taking on this role, please email jabbott@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

In Year 2 to Year 5, Visual Arts students begin the year by completing an expressive, open ended drawing task as a way to get the creative flow happening in the art room. This task is open ended and often involves responding to different stimuli. For the Year 3s, we started the year by exploring line, shape and colour, inspired by the variety of music we played during class. A great start to Term 1!

By Mrs Lorinda Wharton

Primary Choir News

A reminder to sign up for our Primary Choirs, The Crescendo Kids and Take Note online here! Everyone is encouraged to get involved - no experience needed. These groups will both start rehearsing in Week 4.

Viva Ritmo Choir

A wonderful group of singers across Years 3-5 have put their hand up to be in our new choir and attended auditions this week. Sadly, not everyone can be in this group. The successful list of singers for Viva Ritmo Choir, 2021 will be published on Friday 19 February. The list will be in the Music foyer and Primary classroom doors. Parents of the members of the choir will also receive an email with their welcome letter outlining the details our new choir.

Singers who missed out on a Viva Ritmo spot this year, are encouraged to join The Crescendo Kids or the Take Note Choir.

There are few before and after school clubs, including study sessions, getting underway for Middle and Senior School students. Students are encouraged to check the Daily Notices for updates and opportunities.

YEAR 7 HOMEWORK CLUB

When: Tuesdays 3.30-4.30pm in the Library Glass Room

Why: Support with organisation and study skills. Learn how to:

• Use your diary
• Plan homework
• Write Study notes
• Revise
• Plan
• and complete your homework!

The Year 7 Homework Club will be supervised by Mrs Rourke, Head of Learning Diversity and Inclusion.

HaSS TEACHER HELP SESSIONS

The Humanities and Social Sciences Department is offering regular help sessions across the week, including options before and after school. Students in Years 7 to 10 can attend any session. Year 11 and 12 students are encouraged to attend the sessions for their specialist areas. All sessions take place in S225. Download the schedule here.

AFTER SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDY SESSIONS

When: Thursdays from 3.40 - 4.30pm (please see schedule below)

Where: D1

Who: Any student from Years 6-12 to who needs some extra help with their science studies. You do not need to stay for the entire session if you don't need to.

Week 3: Y6-Y10 Science, Year 11/12 Psychology and Integrated Sciences

Week 4: Y6-Y0 Science, Year 11/12 Psychology, Human Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Week 5: YY8-Y9 Science and Psychology, Y7-Y9 Science, Y10 Biosci, MMS Biology

Week 6: Y7-Y10 Science, Integrated Science, Chemistry and Physics

Week 7: Y7-Y9 Science, Y10 Biosci, Y10 Marine and Maritime Studies, Biology

Week 8: Y7 and Y0 Science, Y11/12 Psychology, Physics and Chemistry

VISUAL ARTS CLUB

Year 6-12 Visual Arts Club re-commences for 2021! Year 6-12 Visual Arts Club will commence this Wednesday afternoon in B3 and B4 from 3:30pm-4:30pm. All welcome.

DEBATING

Calling all debaters! The Western Australian Debating League (WADL) Interschool debating competition is back on this term with gusto. The competition is divided into three sections;

• Students in Years 7 and 8 debate in the Novice competition.
• Students in Years 9 and 10 debate in the Junior competition.
• Students in Years 11 and 12 debate in the Senior competition.

So if you love the cut and thrust of a good meaty discussion; if wrestling with ideas tickles your fancy, and an evening of sharpening your word use to a deadly point appeals, then please contact Mr Bailey and check Daily Notices.

COMPUTING CLUB

The new Computer Club is open to all Middle and Senior School students. It will be held on Tuesdays in B2 from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. Students are encouraged to come along with their own project ideas, or we can help the find their passion! For more information, please chat to Mr Blair or Mrs Chomiak. The Club gets underway next week - we look forward to seeing you there!

PS: The Computing Club is keen to get volunteers from our parent and alumni groups, to mentor and help our future IT gurus. Please email rblair@stmarks.wa.edu.au if this is something you would like to get involved with.

Year 7 Immunisations

Parents of Year 7 students are reminded that they need to return the immunisation forms by this Friday (19 February 2021). The immunisations take place on Thursday 4 March, and Year 7s should wear their sports uniform on this date.

Top Tip!

Check out the Before/After School clubs and study groups for students in Middle and Senior School

Shrove Tuesday was acknowledged in the Middle School on Tuesday, thanks to the support of the many parents who volunteered to cook the 600 pancakes required for eager students.

Organised by Middle School Chaplain, Ms Rowena McMicking, the event was a great success. Ten parents, eight frying pans, eight dozen eggs, 12 kilograms of flour, 18 litres of milk and two kilograms of sugar equated to many happy tummies and a practical observation of Pancake Day, which became part of Shrove Tuesday in the Great Britain in the 16th century.

Back then, people would go to church the day before Lent began, to confess and be forgiven or 'shriven' their sins. The same day they would feast on the rich ingredients of milk, eggs, sugar and butter, because for the seven weeks of Lent they would fast, eating only very plain food until Easter celebrations take place.

Different countries started to make different traditions:

• Great Britain: pancakes
• Germany: fasnacht (potato doughnuts)
• Sweden: semlor (marzipan cream buns)
• Spain: omelettes

Middle School Students who came to the Connect Bible Study group, which runs every Tuesday at lunch time in the Floreat building, learned more about the history of Pancake Day, played some games and made new friends.

Getting settled back into the rhythm of the School year might take some time, especially after an unexpected interruption of last week's lockdown. We have compiled some useful information for parents, which may make it easier for you to find who can help with what!

The 'Back to School Survival Guide' was published in the last week of January, and is available as an e-book. The interruption does mean that some of the details of some events listed in the Guide have changed, so please refer to the most recent communication from your child's Head of School for confirmation of any activities.

Important Reminders:

• When emailing the school, please ensure you have your child’s first name, surname and class in the subject line. This is essential to ensure we identify the correct family.
• Notifications of absences, late arrivals, early departures or appointments during the school day should be sent to absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au
• Notifications of holidays taken during the school term should be sent to principal@stmarks.wa.edu.au

COVID-19 Requirements: All parents must sign in when on campus

Short visits: Any parents/visitors walking on campus for drop off/pick up or Uniform Shop purchases must register their presence on school grounds through either the SafeWA app, or by signing the manual contact register at relevant subschool reception areas, Wellness Centre, Uniform Shop or Cafeteria.

Longer visits: If parents/visitors are staying on campus for longer than just a drop off or pick up (e.g. parent rosters, teacher meetings, etc) then they must sign in at any reception area through the "Who's on Location" device. This will ensures we have a list of people on campus in case of emergency. Please wear the label generated by the device. If they have signed in via the "Who's on Location" device at reception, then it is optional to complete the SafeWA app or manual contact register.

Uniform Shop and Cafeteria volunteers are not required to sign in via the "Who's on Location" device at a reception, but are required to sign in via the SafeWA app or the manual contact register.

The Uniform Shop will be extended its trading hours at the end of Term 1, to accommodate families who will need to purchase winter uniform items.

2021 Fee Statements will be emailed to families this week. The format of the statements has changed considerably this year and this downloadable guide on how to read your Family Fee Statement explains how the statement looks and the information included on each page.

If you have any queries regarding your statement please contact Mrs Kaye Smith by email at familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au or by phone on 9403 1338.

We're off to a great start, with many parents already actively involved in accumulating their parent commitment hours. As a reminder, it is a condition of enrolment that all families contribute 10 volunteer hours to the School (per family, not per child) each year. Here are some great options for getting started:

SCHOOL BANKING

If you are looking for an easy and fun morning volunteer position, why not sign up for the School Banking program in the ELC. For more information email Ros Hawker. School banking takes place on Thursday mornings in the ELC Imaginarium, between 8.30am and 8.50am.

THE ST MARK'S ART SHOW

The St Mark Art Exhibition is a long standing tradition of our School. It focuses on local artists and is a highly respected event in the local Art Community, and is traditionally held on the last weekend of the October school holidays. As well as being a very successful community event, the Art Exhibition is a key contributor of funds to the P&F. The 2021 St Mark's Art Exhibition and Sale of Work is set to take place between 16-18 April (subject to any COVID-19 regulations at the time).

The Art Show owes its success to the hard work and dedication of the parent volunteers on the Art Show Committee. The committee of willing parents meet regularly in the lead up to the event, attend to all aspects of the exhibition. Headed by Coordinator Phil Knight, the Art Show is seeking volunteers for a variety of both big and small roles, including advertising, treasury, artist registry, ticket sales, catering, signage, screens, music, security and sponsorship. Some roles will be ideal for parents who are only able to volunteer outside of business hours, while others would suit those with daytime availability. No knowledge of art is required - just a willingness to give it a crack! So if you are keen to get stuck in to any of the roles (or even share a role with a friend), please contact Phil Knight at artshow@stmarks.wa.edu.au

SCHOOL FETE

The School Fete is set to take place in the second half of 2021 (COVID-willing!). Wes Buzza, the Fete Coordinator, is keen to build a up team of volunteers to take on a myriad of big and small roles on the Fete Committee and get the plans in place for a great day of fun and fundraising. As with the Art Show, some roles will be ideal for parents who are only able to volunteer outside of business hours, while others would suit those with daytime availability. Helping out in a Fete year is sure to ensure you smash your 10 hour goal! If you would like more information, please email fete@stmarks.wa.edu.au

PS: If you are a kitchen king or gardening guru, you may want to get busy on making your preserves or establishing some seedlings!

With two big events planned for this year, our P&F coordinators are calling for expressions of interest from the wider community, and we'd like your help in sharing the news.

St Mark's Art Exhibition: Expressions of Interest invited (artists and exhibitors)

The St Mark's Art Exhibition is a highlight on the social and cultural calendar of St Mark’s Anglican Community School. The event, which is scheduled to takes place April this year, brings together professional and amateur artists to showcase Western Australian talent across a variety of mediums. Expressions of Interest from artists to participate in the 2021 St Mark's Annual Art Show are now invited. We would love to see both new and returning artists at this year's event. Artists working across any medium are invited to get in touch: sculpture, oils, pastels, watercolours, charcoal, pencil, jewellery, design, resin and more!

If you would like more information, please email P&F Art Show Coordinator, Phil Knight, at artshow@stmarks.wa.edu.au. Expressions of Interest are also invited for potential event sponsors or other contributors. Businesses with a connection to the St Mark's community are encouraged to get in touch.

St Mark's Community Fete: Expressions of Interest (entertainment)

If you know of a dance studio, martial arts program, circus performer, musician, or any other entertainer that would like to take centre stage at the Community Fete on 30 October this year, please get in touch! Email Wes Buzza, the P&F Fete Coordinator, at fete@stmarks.wa.edu.au for more information on how you could get involved in keeping the crowds entertained this year.

Quiz Night: Back on this Saturday!

Great news - the Quiz Night is on this Saturday! Only two tables left, so book now! If you have questions about the planned event, please contact Josh Newton via email or call 0403 466 132

A very limited number of tickets are now available for the 2021 Production of ‘The Addams Family’, thanks to recent changes in COVID-19 capacity requirements. Don't miss out - book yours today!

In the kooky upside-down world of the Addams Family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family still has to deal with many of the same challenges as any other family and the spookiest of all is that the Addams kids are growing up. They must face up to the one horrible thing they've managed to avoid for generations: change, and their dark, macabre, beloved daughter Wednesday falling in love.

In this section of the newsletter, we share updates from local sporting, cultural and church groups that might be of interest to St Mark's families.

GIRLS PROGRAMMING NETWORK: GIRLS TEACHING GIRLS HOW TO CODE

Edith Cowan, believed that education was the key to growth, change and improvement. ECU is proud to continue her legacy by actively advancing the role of women in science, technology, engineering and maths through the following initiative. ECU is inviting girls from Years 7 - 12 to join them for a day of computing, creating, and collaborating. ECU hosts four different GPN workshops over the year catering for first time programmers and seasoned coders! With women from Perth’s IT community, girls will be guided through the creation of your own game or app, meet like-minded people and learn about the tech industry.

• When: Saturday 20 February, 8 May, 7 August, 23 October
• Time: 9:45am to 3:45pm
• Where: Building 18, Level 1 and 2 (Parking area 14 – Visitors parking and drop off area, Lakeside Drive entrance)

Register for Term 1 here or for further information contact Michelle.Ellis@ecu.edu.au

RUGBY PLAYERS WANTED!

Wanneroo RUFC is looking for Under 16s players for the 2021 season. Training takes place Mondays and Wednesdays from 5pm - 6:30pm at the Kingsway Sporting Complex. Games are on Saturdays. Call Coach Garry on 0431 436 210 or Sam on 0480 216 413

WEEKLY KIDS CLUB AT KALLAROO ANGLICAN CHURCH

Kallaroo Anglican Church hosts a Weekly Kids Club for Pre-Primary – Year 6, at 1 Aristride Ave. The fun takes place on Wednesdays during school terms, from 4.30-5.30pm. There are two separate groups: “Sparks” for PP – Y3, & “Flames” for Y4-Y6. The sessions include bible time, games, food and fun! All are welcome. Cost is $2.50. For more information, contact Gordon Killow at the church office, 9401 8151.

GREYHOUNDS CHRISTIAN SOCCER CLUB REGISTRATION DAY

When: Saturday 20 February 2021

Where: Emmanuel Christian Community School

When: 10am – 2pm

Online registrations open Saturday 13 February through www.playfootball.com.au or register and pay on the day. For more information, please head to their Facebook page.

WHITFORDS CITY FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYERS WANTED

Whitford City Football Club have vacancies in teams in the following age groups:

• U8 Girls (Born in 2013)
• U9 (Born in 2012)
• U10 Girls (Born in 2011 or 2012)
• U12 Girls (Born in 2009 or 2010)
• U13 (Born in 2008)
• U14 (Born in 2007)
• U15 (Born in 2006)

Our home grounds are situated at Warrandyte Park, Craigie. If you are interested in getting involved please contact Lisa at registration@whitfordcityfc.com.au