Our Year 12s started their graduation celebrations today, with the traditional Walk of Honour. The Class of 2021 made their way through the School campus, cheered on by their peers from Kindy to Year 11, staff and Old Scholars. It was a fantastic start to what will be a busy week to mark the start of the next chapter in their stories.
Thanks to Year 11 students Wade Tunbridge and Taylah Buis for the photographs.
A quick reminder of key events coming up as part of our Year 12 celebrations.
Breakfast at Joondalup Resort
Students are to be at Joondalup resort for a 7:30am start to breakfast. The students who have nominated requiring transport from the resort back to St Mark’s will be travelling by maxi taxi. The breakfast is designed to be a celebration for our students where they reminisce on their time at St Mark’s.
Dress at Breakfast: Our students requested late last term permission to wear smart casual attire at breakfast and we agreed to this giving them some guidelines. Those guidelines include that all normal uniform requirements regarding nails, make-up and hair are met as students need to attend Valedictory in the evening meeting these requirements. Smart casual attire should be of a standard that complies with St Mark’s expectations, appropriateness, modesty and respectability. Those students who are unsure as to whether their attire meets the required standard should seek clarification from their Pastoral Care Tutor or Head of Year before next Friday.
Colour Run
Students will be returning to School for the Colour Run at approximately 9am. Students are able to wear any shorts/tights they choose and we are ‘gifting’ them a t-shirt for the event. There will be an ice cream van on site with students able to get a free ice cream. We expect that students will leave the campus around 11am.
Valedictory
Students are to wear their formal winter uniform, including ties, blazers and for those who wear skirts, tights. All normal uniform requirements in terms of nails, make-up, and hair apply, including that boys should be clean-shaven.
Families are to arrive at St Mark’s at 5:30pm for House Videos and Pastoral Care Group speeches.
3P Photography are photographing during the ceremony and will be available for individual and group photos before and after the event. They will be at the School from 5:30pm until 8:30pm.
Families are to make their way to the Pavilion at approximately 6:00pm for the formal graduation ceremony. Seating is unallocated. Students will meet outside the Pavilion so that they can process in together as group.
Two of our Year Groups in Senior School will be hosting fundraisers next week - so make sure you have some gold coins handy! These activities are for students in Years 6 to 11 only.
On Wednesday 27 October, Year 10s are hosting a fundraiser for Foodbank WA. In exchange for a gold coin donation, students will be allowed to wear their PE uniform along with one PURPLE item. There will also be a bake sale in the quad at lunch, with items priced from 50c to $2.
Foodbank WA provides food and groceries to over 400 registered charities that provide emergency food assistance to people in need. Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the front line charities who are feeding vulnerable Australians. Foodbank provides more than 70% of the food rescued for food relief organisations nation-wide.
There are 472,000 people living with dementia in Australia, with this figure predicted to reach 1,076,000 by 2058 if no action is taken. Dementia is what describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, movement, problem-solving or communication. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. It is progressive, which means the symptoms will get worse over time. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a natural part of ageing. It is possible to live well with dementia.
On Friday 29 October (Week 3), WEAR YOUR FUNKY SOCKS and bring a gold coin donation to raise awareness and money for Dementia Australia. Join us in the quad at lunchtime for a meet and greet with Flick Palmateer, at St Mark's Old Scholar and Dementia Ambassador - Flick recently came 3rd in Australian Survivor!
Music will be playing and tins for donations will be around to donate!
ALL sport uniforms used this year are due back to the PE office ASAP. This includes Senior Girls AFL, Memorial AFL Team, Touch Rugby, Principals Cup, Athletics Singlets, Athletics Shirts & Rugby shirts/shorts. We are currently missing 80+ uniforms. Any uniforms not returned by 22 October will incur a replacement fee. This could be up to $100 depending on the uniform borrowed.
The students in the Middle school Academic Extension program cordially invite you to attend a special event to share what they have been working on this year.
Primary school
Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the summer school holidays. VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations. They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water. Enrol at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim
Secondary school
If your child is over 13 years old, you can enrol them in VacSwim so they can get their Bronze Medallion during the summer school holidays. They’ll learn advanced survival, rescue and resuscitation skills to help keep them and others safe in the water. Enrol now at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim
The Girls' Programming Network (GPN) is a program developed and run by girls for girls. GPN is a unique opportunity to make friends, meet people who have similar interests, and learn about the tech industry. The Term 4 event is targeted at girls in Years 6-12 interested in learning how to program or improve their coding skills. A day where they will learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of computer science. No coding experience is required as the GPN Team (also all girls!) will be teaching them the skills they need, and by the end of the day, our future female tech gurus will have made a small but satisfying program!
Each term is different, each workshop is different, but what is the same, is that we do this all in python! Join GPN for a fun day learning new things, playing games, and meeting new people (but no boys!).
Saturday 23rd of October - 9:45am to 3:45pm
Location: ECU Joondalup campus - School of Science Building 18. GPB will be working out of the computer labs located on Level 2 (take the lift or stairs to the second floor). Registrations will also be on the first floor.
Cost: Nil (it's free!)
Session times: - 9:45am to 4:00pm
BYO morning tea and lunch - At this stage please bring along your own food (lunch and morning tea). We can pop some foods in the fridge if need be. We have water-filling stations on level 2, so also bring along your water bottles.
Parking and drop off: Please park at visitor car park 14, where you can park and come in to drop off your child/children. The entrance is Deakin off Lakeside Drive. See Google Maps for directions.
The weekly Social Touch Rugby games are back! We look forward to welcoming you on Monday evenings from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on the Secondary Oval. All are welcome to attend - staff, parents and Old Scholars - no matter what your fitness level. Beginners are encouraged to come along and give it a go. For more information, please contact Senior Chaplain Scott Rowland at srowland@stmarks.wa.edu.au
The St Mark's Parent Prayer Group will be meeting on the following Fridays this term:
The group meets at 9.00am in the Chapel. Why not grab a coffee after drop off and join in the session! Everyone is welcome. For more information please contact the Prayer Group coordinator via ParentsUnitedForPrayer@gmail.com.
We have a number of parent volunteer opportunities coming up - can you help? These, and other volunteer opportunities, are listed here. Information on how to log your parent hours, and to confirm what hours you completed in Term 1, 2 and 3 is also available on that page (scroll down to below the volunteer opportunities table). Term 4 hours will be added at the end of the year.
Exam Supervision - 2 to 12 November
Our Senior School team are looking for parent volunteers to supervise the Year 11 exams, between 2 November and 12 November. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. For more information, email absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au and put 'Exam Supervision' in the subject line.
Fete Assistance
Get involved in the 2022 Fete! We are still on the lookout for some parent volunteers to assist with the management of;
- Waste control
- COVID Safety
- Entertainment
- Setting up and packing away of the Fete
Teams of two or 3 people would be really helpful for these important tasks.
Electrician: to meet our safety requirements, we are looking for the services of an electrician to check and sign off our "Electrical Safety" as part of the City of Joondalup Event Application.
For more information on these opportunities or to volunteer, email the Fete Coordinator fete@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop is in need of volunteers - click here to find a slot that matches your schedule! New slots added this week.
A big thank you to all the parents and children who came along to the Busy Bee last week. It was a perfect day to get things done - mulching, cleaning, varnishing and more!
REMINDER! The next Fete Drop Off Day is taking place this Sunday 7 November, between 9am and 11am.
We are looking for second-hand items such as books, toys and household items - all need to be in good, clean condition.
We cannot accept used soft toys, bedding, shoes, clothing or electrical items.
Small packing boxes are also needed (banana box or wine box size), to help with sorting and storage before the Fete.
Drop off point is the main driveway at the roundabout near Main Administration Building.
New items such as prizes for Fete Raffles and Silent Auctions, novelty pencils, new small toys and soft toys (as prizes for game stalls) are also requested.
Volunteers are needed to help on Drop Off Day - Sign Up here!
The St Mark's Dance, Drama, Media, Music, Visual Arts, and Photo Digital Design students present the Year 9 and 10 Arts Performance Night, Beginnings from Endings. We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday 27 October at 7pm in the Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex. Tickets are free and can be booked at www.mytickets.co.
Our Intermediate Band attended the annual ASC Middle School at Frederick Irwin ACS in Mandurah on 15 October. Close to 80 students from St Mark's, St George’s, Peter Carnley ACS, Peter Moyes ACS and Frederick Irwin came together to enjoy a fabulous day of music-making under the directorship of Mr Tim Newhouse. The fun and energy that comes from this day is quite infectious.
Many lasting friendships are made across our ASC schools and the students have a thoroughly enjoyable time as their confidence improves and their musicianship is enhanced through this fantastic ensemble experience. The students always look forward to the day and come away buzzing!
The Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts Exhibition opened with a fantastic event last Friday. Attendees were blown away by the high standard of work produced by our students. A special congratulations to Ashton Bain on receiving the P&F Art Acquisition Award for 2021. Congratulations on a very successful exhibition!
Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place. The hyperconnected nature of our current environment means that we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. As a result, many children and their parents are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety.
Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to this digital landscape. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. It is therefore important for adult carers to check in with their children and be aware of what information they may have been exposed to. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. Providing children with the skills and strategies to cope will enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically.
The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. This can be inherently stressful and overwhelming, not only for parents and carers, but children alike. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.
This Special Report suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings of overwhelm that you or your child may be experiencing. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.
The St Mark's Old Scholars' Association invites all members of the Classes of 1991, 2001 and 2011 to their Milestone Reunion on Saturday 6 November. Tickets are available now at just $25pp.
