The Lion's Roar - 19 October 2022

SOARING HIGH

Congratulations to Ella in Year 4, who recently competed in the WA Gymnastics State Championships in Acrobatics.

Ella's trio placed first for their balance routine, second for their dynamic routine and overall were awarded Level 3 State Champions!

Well done, Ella and the team!

BASKETBALL ALL STAR

We are excited to share that Year 11 student Beau has been selected for the ACC All Stars boys basketball teams. They will take on the School Sport WA team on Sunday 23 October, at Bendat Stadium.

Congrats, Beau!

We have had a number of complaints from local residents regarding our school community parking/stopping and blocking driveways on St Marks Drive during dropoff and pick-up times.

Please be neighbourly by keeping driveways and roadways clear and only park in the designated parking bays.

Thank you.

Monday 14 November is a Student Free Day.

Staff will be utilising this day for Curriculum Planning and therefore students should not attend school on this day.

It is magpie swooping season, and we have had reports that there are a number of magpies nesting in the trees around the school. The crosswalk and pergola area near the PAC seems to be affected more than other areas.

Please be careful when moving around the school grounds.

As part of being a child-safe organisation, St Mark’s keeps relevant child-safety messages at the front of mind of our community. It is timely to remind our community of some useful messages to discuss with our children.

It is important that we all take sensible steps to minimise any risk to our safety and wellbeing, and so we encourage all parents to reiterate these important protective behaviour messages at home. When travelling to or from school, children should:

• Travel in company when possible. Try to walk with / stay with friends, and don’t go alone. Do not wander off or go out of sight

• Walk on the right-hand side of the road, so you face oncoming traffic

• Wherever possible, leave space between yourself and the roadway

• Stay in areas that are well lit

• Plan trips to avoid areas hidden from view (such as bush or behind shopping centres)

• Keep earphones and headphones off to stay aware of surroundings

• Keep mobile phones, if available, turned on and ready to dial an emergency number if that is necessary

• Keep away from cars that stop nearby

• Do not hesitate to run if you feel at risk

• Report suspicious behaviour to parents, school, the police, the bus driver, etc

• Say ‘NO’ loudly and repeatedly, if unsure in a situation

• Yell ‘HELP’ as loudly and repeatedly as possible, until heard. The noise and attention is a deterrent.

• Find a safe adult (a police person or someone similar) or a safe spot (if fearful) such as a school, shop or safety sign. Someone wearing a uniform is not necessarily a safe person

• If safe, photograph or memorise the number plate of suspicious cars. Report number plates and descriptions of threatening people to police

We have a new member of the St Mark’s Team we would like to introduce you to, but it is a little hard when the individual doesn’t have a name. You may have seen this particular individual popping up on our e-signs and screens located around the School, plus on our social media. Can you guess what or who it is?

To help you out - our newest team member is a cartoon-winged lion.

Our students will know from wearing the St Mark’s uniform proudly and seeing our logo around School that we have a winged lion in the school crest. From earliest Christianity, a winged lion has been the symbol of our School’s namesake - Saint Mark. The lion represents courage, bravery and valour, and along with our school values, underpin all aspects of life at St Mark’s. As a cartoon version of the winged lion on our crest, it is hoped that it will bring a sense of fun, friendliness and community to our School branding. Our winged lion is a well-rounded character who tackles any challenge with courage. It has a passion for learning and, just like our students, is friendly and kind, adaptable and inclusive.

To introduce the newest addition properly, we need the help of our students to name them. To enter, students need to complete the online form and submit their suggested name. There is a great prize up for grabs for the winning entrant. Entries close at 4.00pm Friday 21 October. Complete the online form here.

Click the video here to see our newest team member.

From Friday 14 October 2022, COVID-19 mandatory isolation requirements will be removed. This change was agreed to earlier this year at National Cabinet.

We believe that further information on how these changes impact schools in Western Australia will be provided to schools, and we will communicate any revised guidelines to our community.

Current settings remain in place until midnight Thursday 13 October 2022. Please visit healthywa.wa.gov.au for up-to-date COVID-19-related support and advice.

We all have an important role to play in supporting a healthy community by following the advice outlined on healthywa.wa.gov.au.

Thank you for your continued support of the School community in keeping our community safe.

Our Year 10s are hoping you are all still collecting your plastic bread tags!

The tags are recycled locally, raising funds to buy wheelchairs for needy children and adults, mainly in South Africa. Click here to learn more about this great cause.

Collection points are in the Library and at all School Receptions - ELC, Primary , Middle, Secondary and Main Reception.

For more information regarding our Bread Tag Collection please download the FLYER HERE.

To ensure emails to the Student Services team are dealt with promptly, please address future emails to each sub-school reception, rather than the staff member, 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

Please return all St Mark's Team Sports Uniforms to the PE office. We are still missing a lot of them and with no team sports at the moment there is no need for students to keep them.

Mock exam results are out, so now is the time to get a spot in the ATAR Exam Boost Workshops.

These one-day targeted exam preparation workshops will help students answer different exam questions. Students will practise exam-style questions and receive feedback on their answers from an experienced ATAR teacher with insight into what examiners are looking for in students’ responses.

To view the flyer and timetable click here

Are you in Years 6 - 12?
Do you want to learn HTML and CSS?

Learn how to write web pages in HTML and CSS while you compete with students from around the world!
Web.Comp (Beginners) is designed for students with no prior experience in web development and covers everything necessary to get started building real websites. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

Along the way, we'll also cover many of the techniques behind good web design so your sites are both easy to use and beautiful to look at.

An intermediate level is also available for more experienced web legends.

• Open to all students Y6 - Y12
• The competition starts on October 24th 2022.
• It runs over five weeks
• Do it in your own time, or come along to Computer Club on Tuesdays after school for support.

If you are interested, you need to:

• email Mrs Chomiak or Mr Blair
• or attend Computer Club on Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm in B2

The Girls Programming Network is for high school girls and gender-diverse students in Years 7-12 who are interested in learning how to program or improve their coding skills. GPN is a unique opportunity to make friends, meet people with similar interests, and learn about Perth's tech community.

The Term 4 workshop is fast approaching on 19 November so book your spot today! Local technologists and teachers host the free, full-day programming workshop.

Head to the booking link HERE to book your spot.

Middle and Senior School Students are invited to wear funky socks and/or funky shirt as part of the Year 9 Kindness Project on Wednesday 26 October.

Bring a gold coin donation. All donations will go towards purchasing gift boxes from Soul Gestures which will be paid forward as a random act of kindness.

Do you need some support to get homework done or need some help with assessments, study skills and organisation?

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, in particular, 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 Intermediate Band were excited to travel down to Frederick Irwin in Mandurah to participate in the combined ASC Middle Schools Band Day last Friday. They worked on new pieces with guest conductor Tim Newhouse, met other musicians from other schools and finished the day with a concert performing their latest works.

At the same time, the 93 students involved in the 2023 ASC Concert travelled to the same school to participate in the ASC Reading Day, which kick-starts learning the concert repertoire with other ASC schools. Our music staff were hard at work helping to run sessions all day, and the Orchestra, Massed Choir, Stage Band, String Orchestra, Concert Band and Select Choir all had a chance to rehearse their new pieces and spend time with students from other ASC schools.

On Sunday night, the Descant Get Enough Quartet were invited to the North of Perth Winners’ Concert, where they performed with other section winners and were officially presented with their shield and certificate for placing first in the Open Vocal Ensemble category of the North of Perth Festival.

Well done!

On Saturday 15 October, many families from our School brought their children to perform for the community event Relay for Life held at Joondalup Arena.

Passionate local volunteers organise the Relay event. The event brings communities together to celebrate Survivors of Cancer and recognise the unsung heroes - their Carers. Participants honour those they lost during a candlelight ceremony, while others continue to raise funds to support people affected by cancer and fund research and prevention programs. Teams complete laps around the track throughout the Relay to signify that we're making strides towards a cancer-free future every day.

The St Mark's community had 99 performers as young as Year 2 through to Year 11 who performed for 45 minutes a mixture of songs and dance items.

It was a privilege to help provide entertainment to the walkers. The event organisers have complimented and praised our students for their performances and have already asked us to return in the coming years.

Last Friday evening we had the opening of the Annual Year 11 and 12 Art Exhibition celebrating the work of our ATAR and General Art students. The exhibition was open on Monday and Tuesday in the SAC staffroom this week, the work will then be exhibited at the Valedictory celebrations this Friday night.

The opening night was a great success, and the P&F awarded three prizes to our talented students:

• Aaron Cox won the P&F Art Acquisition award
• Emilia Wild won the Special Mention Award
• Sky Biesse won the Excellence Award

Teen vaping: An update for parents
Monday, 14 November 2022
7.00-8.30pm (AEDT)

Vaping (the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or 'vapes') continues to be an issue that attracts a great deal of attention and debate across the country. Vaping is a new phenomenon, with the first e-cigarette invented in 2003. As a result, many parents have little or no experience with the issue, as the devices simply weren't around when they were in their teens.

This session will examine what we currently know about the use of e-cigarettes and vaping amongst Australian school-based young people. This area is constantly changing, and parents attempting to make sense of the information provided by the 'pro-vaping' and 'anti-vaping' lobbies may find it challenging to navigate. As we move towards the end of the school year, parents are likely to need as much assistance as possible.

Cost: $25 plus GST

This event will be live-streamed, but for those unable to attend live, a recording of the event will also be made available for a period following the event's conclusion.

To register for the event, please go to the following link.

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 2022, Vietnam Veterans' Day, and close at midnight AEDT on 31 October 2022.

Apply online at avcat.org.au

We are excited to advise that applications for the Old Scholars' Association Scholarship are now open.

The Scholarship is awarded to a Year 9 student who excels and commits across a number of sporting, cultural, extra and co-curricular pursuits, community as well as academic commitment and specialist areas. The Association is looking for a well-rounded student that embodies the spirit of St Mark’s Anglican Community School.

The Scholarship will provide a partial fee remission of 25% in the level of the tuition fee payable by the successful student each year and will continue until the student leaves St Mark’s, or for three years.

Applications will close on FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER 2022 AT 4.00PM.

For further information, please head to the OSA webpage and download the application form here.

Our Science Department has a Parent Volunteer opportunity for those still needing to fulfil their Parent Commitment Hours.

We are urgently chasing volunteers to assist on:

• Tuesday 1 November between 8.30am - 3pm to assist with cleaning classrooms/labs

If you are unable to help on 1 November, we also have the dates below available:

• Week of 7-11 November between 8.30am - 3pm to assist with cleaning classrooms/labs

If you are available all day or even part of the day, please help us out! If you can assist or would like more information, please contact our Lab Tech.

Parent assistance is required for Year 11 exam supervision.

The exams will run from Tuesday 1 November to Friday 11 November at various times. If you are interested in volunteering, please email snrschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au

City of Joondalup Youth Awards 2023 are now OPEN and close on Sunday 13 November 2022.

The City of Joondalup is committed to developing young people in the community and in addition to a range of youth services and events, makes available the City of Joondalup Youth Awards.

These awards recognise and reward young people in the City by encouraging them to commit to further studies. Students in Year 10 can apply for an amount of $1000 to assist them in completing their ATAR, general or alternate studies.

For full eligibility requirements and to apply visit http://www.y-lounge.com.au/school-awards/ or access the flyer below and download the application kit here.

The St Mark's Parents and Friends’ Association (“P&F”) continually provide a high level of support to the School. The P&F generously supports 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 2023.

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;
• benefit a large number of families and preferably not restricted to an individual year group or subject;
• should be considered appropriate by the School Executive (among other things, in keeping with the School’s values, manageable and maintainable); and
• should 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 22 November 2022.

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

We will meet every second Friday 9am, starting 21 October, at the Home Coffee Bar, Ocean Reef.

All are welcome.

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

Dads and Father Figures, the POSTMEN annual campout is JUST DAYS AWAY!

Kids of any age at St Mark’s can come on down and spend a day and a night bonding with Dad and creating memories that last a lifetime.

Opening from 10 am on the Saturday for people to come and peg out a site and pitch their tent, we’ll be kicking off some planned activities from 1pm including a dodge ball tournament and Dads vs Kids Capture the Flag (last year was a draw, so there are bragging rights to be won!).

You don’t have to be a hardcore camper to weather this one, we’ll be putting on dinner in the evening with hot dogs and burgers and helping you get going in the morning with bacon and egg rolls, cereal and fruit. We will definitely also invite our friends from the local coffee van to come and help us open our eyes Sunday morning.

We can’t guarantee a good night's sleep, but we definitely guarantee fun.

You can choose to go all in for activities or just enjoy kicking a footy or throwing a frisbee on the oval with your kids whilst meeting a few of the other dads at the school.

Book for the whole experience, or just the afternoon and dinner or just come along for the activities.

When: Saturday 5 (open for entry at 10am, activities start at 1pm) - Sunday 6 November (pack down and exit for 10:30am)

Where: St Mark’s Anglican Community School

Tickets: Full Family Ticket $30 (includes Dad/Father Figure and all kids, all activities, cooked dinner and cooked breakfast)

• Saturday Ticket $20 (includes Dad/Father Figure and all kids, all activities and cooked dinner)
• Afternoon Ticket FREE (includes Dad/Father Figure and all kids) – please register still via the booking link

Bookings at: www.trybooking.com/CCPJK

Queries to Josh Newton (0403 466 132 / josh.newton@r-group.com.au).

See you there POSTMEN!

Our Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is on for Term 4!

Our Little Lions Playgroup is a community-based group and is run in conjunction with Playgroup WA.

It is held every Friday during term time from 8.45am - 10.30am, and caters for children up to school age.

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.