The Lion's Roar - 22 September 2021

This week is the final week at St Mark’s of two members of staff who have given enormous service to our community over many years.

Mrs Peta Sinclair is a foundation staff member, first serving the School in a voluntary capacity from mid-1985. Mrs Sinclair soon became the Principal’s Secretary/Executive Assistant and has served each of the School’s four Principals in that capacity. Mrs Sinclair will take leave and then retire from St Mark’s after 36 years.

Mr Bob Thomas leaves St Mark’s after 35 years of service in a variety of teaching and leadership roles and has positively influenced many of our students over that time.

St Mark’s Anglican Community School owes both Mrs Sinclair and Mr Thomas our gratitude for their selfless service to our community over such a long time. They leave us with the very best wishes of our whole community for the many happy times they have to look forward to in their future away from the School.

Congratulations to all involved in the 2021 CAS Sport Program - thanks to their efforts, St Mark's has once again been recognised as the 2021 Overall Coastal & Associated (CAS) Champion School! This is an excellent result and represents a collective effort from staff, students, and parents who have participated, coached and support the CAS sport program in 2021.

• Champion School 2021: St Mark's Anglican Community School
• Champion School Summer 2021: St Mark's Anglican Community School
• 3rd Place School Winter 2021: St Mark's Anglican Community School
  

The sustained success of our CAS sports teams provides an excellent level of competition for a range of different sports available to our Year 7 to 12 students. We look forward to striving for the title in 2022!

St Mark’s continued its strong run of recent performances at the Perth Philosothon at UWA last night by finishing in 4^th position for the second consecutive year. Competing in the biggest ever competition against 23 other Perth schools, the largely inexperienced team that included a new Year 7 category this year, consisted of Kailyn Sotirov (Year 7), Kai Morrow (Year 8), Maya Best (Year 9), Stella Brown (Year 10) and Sophia Manners (Year 11) had spent many weeks throughout Term 1 and 2 in preparation for this prestigious competition. These preparations consisted of numerous lunchtime discussion meetings, readings and research, and a practice event against our neighbours St James’, who were entering their first competition.

The topics for discussion in the Community Inquiry discussions this year included:

• Eco-consciousness – What does ecological consciousness involve or require?
• The Philosophy of Sport – Is the main value of sport to entertain spectators and participants?
• Robots and Friendship – Can a computer ever be our friend?
• Scared Spaces – In what ways should sacred spaces be respected?

Students were placed in discussion groups in year groups of 12 students for the first two rounds, and then in mixed year groups for the final two rounds. The students were marked on their critical thinking, their creative thinking, and their collaborative thinking, and awards were given at the end of the evening for the highest scoring student in each year category and the highest scoring school teams.

The stand-out performer on the night was Kai Morrow who placed third in the Year 8 category, and also took out the Don Monro prize awarded to the Most Creative Thinker. This was a huge achievement in his first Philosothon, and is testimony to the hard work and original way of thinking that is often demonstrated at our weekly Philosophy Café.

As a team, St Mark’s finished in 4^th place, beating many previous winners of the competition in the process. St Mark’s placed in 2^nd for their Creative Thinking, 2^nd place for their Collaborative Thinking and 7^th place for their Critical Thinking. This was a wonderful achievement as the students proved themselves to be highly accomplished competitors and were outstanding ambassadors for the School.

Special thanks also go to Mr Kendell for acting as Facilitator on the evening, Taleisha Butler who attended most of the training sessions and was our un-needed reserve, and Chloe Graham for attending many of our training sessions. Thanks also go to previous winner, Jordyn White, for attending many practice sessions to share her expertise and advice.

Final Standings were:

1. St Stephen’s - 423 Points
2. Willetton SHS – 418 points
3. Iona Presentation College – 411 points
4. St Mark’s ACS – 407 points
5. Sacred Heart – 393 points
6. Scotch College – 391 points

Thank you to Mrs Samantha Brown for the photograph of our team.

Robert Whittingham (4THO) competed in the Act, Belong, Commit, Dwellingup 100 Mountain Bike Race on Saturday 18th September 2021. He rode unaccompanied in the 15km Joey - U11 group and achieved a 3rd place result with a time of 59 min and 53 secs. Only 18 seconds behind second place and 55 seconds behind first place. There were a total of just over 1300 riders who competed in the event across all categories and age groups. This was Robbie’s first competitive mountain bike race. Congratulations on an awesome achievement, Robbie!

Congratulations to the Year 11s who sat the Alliance Française Exam during Languages Week, as all passed well, and a number achieving distinctions. Congratulations to:

• Libby Giles
• Skye Reid
• Lhani Morgan
• Alannah Campbell
• Nina Whitwam
• Daisy Taylor
• Esme Lester
• Cameron Belben
• Lucas Dubresco

St Mark's School Psychologist, Angela Byrne, is hosting Q&A sessions for parents of children from Kindy to Year 5. The time for the 23 September session has been changed to 2pm to 2.45pm.

The September topic is on learning new ways to respond to your child's BIG emotions. Knowing how to stay calm and support your child to learn how to cope when they are feeling angry, sad, or nervous, is not always easy - particularly when we are felling uneasy too. We will discuss our experiences and learn how to better manage those big emotions, that can show up for everyone!

The venue is the International Room, located just behind the Uniform Shop. You can attend one or both sessions. There is no need to RSVP, but you will be requested to scan the SafeWA QR code, or complete the manual register on arrival. We recommend parking on St Marks Dr or the surrounding area.

On Thursday 16 September, the annual Primary School Eisteddfod was held. We had over 110 performances, with students from Years 2 to 5 taking to the stage in both the Performing Arts Complex and PAC 8 Band Room. Entrants received House points for participation and extra points for stand-out performances. Whilst the competition was very close throughout the day, Carnley was the winner of the House Shield. Certificates of participation, excellence and outstanding will be presented to students in early Term 4.

Musicians performed in front of their parents and peers and were formally adjudicated by our very own Mrs Kristy Raymond and guest adjudicator, Miss Brianna Louwen. The adjudicators spoke glowingly about the quality of the performances and gave all musicians constructive feedback to take back to their tutors. They were also impressed with how well prepared our young musicians were and noted how confidently they came across on stage. A big thank you to our amazing tutors who helped their students in preparation for this event and on the day.

Well-done to all our musicians. We hope to see you on stage again in 2022! Below is a list of those musicians who received special acknowledgement for their performances.

Year 2:

• Outstanding: Chloe Nelson (piano), Chase Tate and Chloe Nelson (piano duet)
• Excellent: Ansh Gupta (piano), Harper Todorovski (piano), Chase Tate (piano)

Year 3:

• Outstanding: Olivia Gethin (violin), Elyssa Nicolay (violin), Nate Myers (drums)
• Excellent: Edward Carter (guitar), Ben Andrews (cello), Eliana KC-Howe (piano)

Year 4:

• Outstanding: Haley Jooste (piano), Sebastian Kluver (drums), Zoe Barker (piano)
• Excellent: Declan Claassen (drums), Caiden Owen (cello), Zach Nicholson (marimba), Eloise Lynch (cello), Hamish Cole (piano), Anzu Haywood (piano)

Year 5:

• Outstanding: Eva Mellor (violin), Max Maguire (drums), Chanel Webb (violin), Koga Haywood (saxophone), Lauren Used and Kyra Sandy (clarinet duet), Emma Carter (piano)
• Excellent: Lua Wilson (viola), Callan Webb (drums), Hazel Foley (flute), Gemma Parlongo (saxophone), Phoebe Bierma (marimba), Emily Whittingham and Orla Cook (flute duet), Jay Brown (trumpet), Sophie Lind (clarinet), Ben Clark (piano)

Thank you for all of your overwhelming generosity in support of the Ping Pongathon. Children had a marvellous time on Friday afternoon and engaged with the fight against slavery across our world. The Junior School raised over $1400, which will go towards rescue missions in support of this worthy cause. Thank you so much again; you have truly made a difference.

Last day of Term 3

The term ends on Friday 24 September and students finish at the normal time of 3.15pm - this will be a free dress day for students in Years 2 to 5 (see note below on Operation Christmas Child).

First day of Term 4

Monday 11 October is the first day of Term 4 and students should come to school in summer uniform, including their hat. The first attendance day for Kindy Turtles will be Wednesday 13 October. ELC students are not required to wear track tops and bottoms, but they may do so if they wish. Remember to apply sunscreen before school every day and ensure that students have their School hat and water bottle at school every day

The Uniform Shop is open during the holidays - click here for opening times.

Swimming Lessons (Term 4: 8 until 19 November)

All Pre-Primary to Year 4 students will participate in daily lessons as part of the curriculum. Year 5 students will have surfing lessons. More details will be provided to parents early in Term 4. Pre-Primary to Year 4 parents will be required to supply information regarding their child’s swimming level at this time.

Student Free Day (Term 4: Monday, 15 November)

The School will be closed for Primary and Secondary students as this will be a Curriculum Planning Day for staff. Parents will need to make alternative arrangements for the care of their child/children on this day.

Operation Christmas Child

The Year 3 students are still seeking the following donations for our Operation Christmas Child project:

• Something for personal hygiene - flannels, bars of soap (no liquids please)
• Something to wear - new clothes for boys and girls aged 2-4 and 10-14
• Something to play with - bouncy balls, yoyos, skipping ropes
• Something special - bracelets, necklaces, small books, hair clips
• Something for school - coloured pencils, sharpeners, small notebooks

All donations need to be brought to school by the end of the term and can be placed in the boxes located in the Year 2/3 open area.

There will be a FREE DRESS DAY on the last day of Term 3 (this Friday 24 September) for all students who bring a gold coin donation to school. The money raised will go towards postage of the boxes. Many thanks for your support of this important project. Please contact Mrs Greaves via email at egreaves@stmarks.wa.edu.au should you have any further questions.

The 2021 House Performance Night was a fantastic evening. It was particularly wonderful to once again have parents and friends in the audience after their COVID-19-enforced absence last year. The event showcased performances from Band, Glee, Dance and Drama - they certainly know how to 'bring it' on stage!

The results were tight, with some events only having one point difference between winner and runner up in each category:

House Drama

1. Carnley
2. Watkins
3. Moyes
4. Challen

Middle School House Dance

1. Carnley
2. Watkins
3. Challen
4. Moyes

Senior School House Dance

1. Moyes
2. Challen
3. Carnley
4. Watkins

Earlier this term, the Year 11 and 12 ATAR and General Art students visited Northbridge to view the Pulse Perspectives Art Exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA viewing the best work of Year 12 art from the 2020 school year. The students also visited Central TAFE and had a tour of all of the different ARTS studios, from Film and Television, to Fashion Design to Ceramic and Painting studios. They learned what is on offer for further study in the years ahead and where those courses could take them. Students also visited another exhibition of student work at the META art gallery at Central TAFE, where they saw examples of the work of our own talented artists on display!

Spencer Rogan (M12.2) has been working on his INTEGRITY Graffiti art sign for the 2021 Year 12 cohort celebrations. He is pictured here with the finished result. This word symbolises the focus of the Year 12 group for the year. Spencer designed this artwork and painted it himself in his own time in preparation for its placement in the entrance of the walkway for the Valedictory evening. This design has also been painted on a skateboard deck by Spencer and hung in the SAC top floor permanent art display. Well done, Spencer, on leaving your mark on St Mark’s! His Moyes PCG is very proud of him and this achievement and can be seen here with the work.

Geography students have been very busy and engaged in the real world by taking part in field trips, seminars and learning experiences that have reinforced that Geography really does MATTER! Year 8 students explored the northern coastal region from Scarborough to Iluka. They recorded evidence and completed field sketches on the processes of erosion and the impacts of climate change. Students had to finally propose strategies that could be implemented to manage the beach and coastal areas in a sustainable way.

Professor Peter Newman from Curtin University was our Geographer in Residence during the middle of the term and Year 9 to 12 students participated in a range of lessons that included lecturers and tutors from Curtin, as well as an international student from Columbia. The challenges facing the metropolitan area of Perth with traffic congestion and transport planning were the topics that Peter Newman and his team focused on. Even our Year 4 students consolidated their enrichment program by hearing about the latest project, Coastal Snap, which reinforced their learning, listening and taking action in the community.

Finally, our Year 11 students conducted data collection in the field as they visited various McDonald’s stores throughout Perth. The franchise business model was initiated by Ray Kroc, who founded the McDonald’s Corporation. Students met a franchisee who owns five stores in the northern suburbs of Perth, and he was very informative as he shared his experiences of working with multinational business.

All in all, Geography (and geographers) matters!

All St Mark’s Secondary sport uniforms (except for rugby) are due back ASAP. This includes AFL, Touch Football, Athletics and Principal's Cup. Please return all items to the Phys Ed office in Cottesloe building no later than Friday 24 September. A replacement fee will be levied for uniforms not returned.

Old Scholars vs Year 12s Dodgeball: 1pm on 17 October

The soon-to-graduate Class of 2021 will take on the Old Scholars (both those who are 'more experienced' as well as more recent graduates) in a game of dodgeball on 17 October. It includes a free sausage sizzle, and the chance to unwind after mocks, and to chat about life after St Mark's.

Library Opening Holiday Opening Hours

The Year 12s have enjoyed the environment in the secondary library to study during the year. For some students, this is the place where they study best. Year 12 have access to the library to study during both weeks of the holidays. The hours are 8am to 4pm and students must wear their sports uniform.

The Year 12 Photography and Digital Design students have been working very hard to put together an Exhibition, showcasing some of the work they have produced for their Certificate II and III qualifications. It is a very professional display of photography and digital design work with 6 black display boards, a skateboard design wall, two ‘hip’ cafe style poster walls and several large scale low key portraits of prominent students within our School community, which display the qualities we value here at St Mark’s. These portraits are permanently fixed to the walls adjacent the Senior Academic stairs and are part of their Exhibition.

The Exhibition is open to students and staff during the day, with family and friends invited to view the results of two years of hard work on Thursday 23 September, when the exhibition is open until 5.30pm. We kindly request that all visitors scan in with the SafeWA app on arrival.

The Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts students invite you to attend the 2023 Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts Exhibition.

The Exhibition takes place in the Staff Room in the Alan Cadby Senior Academic Centre, and will be open between 8am and 4pm from Wednesday 11 October to Tuesday 17 October.

All are welcome to come along and view the works - all guests must sign in at Main Reception when attending during the day.

The official opening of the event takes place on Friday 13 October, from 4pm to 6pm.

St Mark's is excited to release another series of School Holiday Workshops. We have workshops of all different types including: multisport camps; engineering; creative digital design; mixed media art; spring cupcake decorating; Lego; robotics; space; YouTube plus a charity movie marathon screening of 'The Secret Life of Pets I'; and 'The Secret Life of Pets II'. Some are day programs and others run for just a couple of hours so there is something for everyone!

Spring workshops are open to both St Mark's and external students (with the exception of the movie screening due to licensing which is for St Mark's students only). Get in quick to secure a spot these holidays as numbers for all workshops are limited.

Find out more.

Music Ensembles

All ensembles will be starting rehearsals in Week 1 of Term 4 as usual. The only exception is Secondary Choir, who will be heading out on an excursion on Wednesday 13 October and therefore do not need to arrive at school at 7.15am. If you have any questions, please contact your ensemble director.

You can log your parent hours online, at any time. The P&F recommend that you log your hours as soon as possible after completion of the task. A separate submission should be made for each activity completed.

Please contact the P&F's Parent Commitment Coordinator, Mrs Sam Bean, at parentcommitment@stmarks.wa.edu.au if you have any questions regarding the Parent Commitment Hours program.

Need to check how many hours you have logged?

If you have logged hours in Term 1, 2 or 3 this year, but aren't sure how many you have completed, you can now check your information in the documents below. All you need to do is search the PDF for your Family Code (as shown on your Fee Statement). Please note that the document will be updated at the end of Term 4, 2021.

• Parent Hour records (summary of total hours to date per Family Code) as at 24 October 2021
  
• Parent Hour records (detailed, includes individual entries per Family Code) as at 24 October 2021
  

OCEANSIDE LITTLE ATHLETICS

REDHAGE BASKETBALL IS BACK AT ST MARK'S

Former Perth Wildcat and Olympian Shawn Redhage is bringing his basketball skills program to St Mark's in Term 4. To find out more, you can download the flyer here.

MARK LEE SOCCER AT ST MARK'S

Mark Lee’s Before School Soccer is back in Term 4! Mark and his team of coaches are delighted to be back in Term 4 on Friday morning’s from 730am-830am

Dates 22nd October to 19^th November (6 weeks)

Time 7.30am-8.30am

Cost $119 per child

The program is open to all ages and children will be placed in age appropriate groups.

Children in Year 5 and Year 6 are invited to attend our 4v4 Tournament which will take place each Friday morning. Children can make up their own teams or we will simply organise each week.

Each week will be a different theme (Champions League, World Cup, EPL etc)

To register your child, simply call/text or email Mark on 0430 788 703 or email mark@mlfc.com.au.

BEFORE SCHOOL TENNIS LESSONS

Pop Tennis will be conducting before school tennis lessons at St Mark’s Anglican Community School in Term 4 for children from Years 1-6. All equipment is provided, and children received a free ANZ Hot Shirts shirt when they register.

Details of the program for Term 4 2021 are as follows:

• Years 1-3 Monday 18^th October 2021 (8 weeks)
• Years 4-6 Monday 18^th October 2021 (8 weeks)
• 7.30-8.15am
• $130 / child

To register please email info@poptennis.com.au or text Glen on 0433 340 646 with the following information:

• Child’s Full Name
• What year your children/s are in
• Child’s Date of Birth
• Mobile number
• Email address

The Innovation Institute, in partnership with the WA Auscyber Innovation Hub and the City of Joondalup, are proud to present Cyber Saturdays 1.0. This program will introduce young people aged 12 to 18 years to the emerging and exciting world of Cyber Security and the many opportunities that are happening in this industry. Don't miss this chance to engage with leading education and industry providers and be involved in utilising Cyber Security to solve real world problems with local business. Book your place here - tickets are free, and places are strictly limited.

St Mark’s has been contacted by the Whitfords Avenue Medical Group to offer a service to St Mark’s families.

The Whitfords Avenue Medical Group will offer a Pfizer vaccination clinic on Wednesdays, open to students who are 12-18 years of age, inclusive, in line with the WA Government’s recent stance on eligibility for vaccinations. Students will need to attend the premises for the vaccination/s.

St Mark’s is not endorsing the Whitfords Medical Group for this purpose, nor encouraging or discouraging families to have vaccinations. The decision to do so lies with our families, but this is an opportunity you may wish to consider.

If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please contact the clinic contact directly by telephone on 93074222, or through their website at www.whitfordsmedical.com.au.

Blazer Orders and Extended Trading Hours

It is essential that blazers for 2022 are pre-ordered by no later than 6 October 2021. Pre-ordering of blazers is essential, as the Uniform Shop only keeps limited stock during the course of the year. By ordering now, you can be assured the blazer will be delivered in time for Term 2, 2022.

We do make sure that the blazers are fitted with room for growth. The cost of the blazer is $170 and a deposit of $80 will be required when placing your order.

Any order can be refunded before the start of Term 2 2022 if you change your mind or buy a second hand blazer.

To help families prepare for the change to summer uniform in Term 4, and to take 2022 blazer orders, the Uniform Shop is extending its trading hours as follows:

• Wednesday 22 September: 8am to 2pm and 3pm to 5pm
  
• Monday 4 October: 2pm to 5pm
• Wednesday 6 October: 8am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm
• Friday 8 October: 8am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm

The Uniform Shop will reopen on Monday 11 October, from 8am to 11.15am and then from 2pm to 5pm.

Class of 2020 One Year Reunion: 12pm on 17 October

The St Mark's Old Scholars' Association invites last year's graduates to celebrate one year since their Valedictory on Sunday 17 October from 12pm in the Ken Fairfield Hall. Please RSVP to osa@stmarks.wa.edu.au by Tuesday 12 October for catering purposes. The 2021 Dodgeball Challenge will follow at 1pm, and we'd love to have the newest Old Scholars stay on - and this year, they'll be on the Old Scholars' Team!

Old Scholars vs Year 12s Dodgeball: 1pm on 17 October

The soon-to-graduate Class of 2021 will take on the Old Scholars (both those who are 'more experienced' as well as more recent graduates) in a game of dodgeball on 17 October. It includes a free sausage sizzle, and the chance to unwind after mocks, and to chat about life after St Mark's.

Milestone Reunion: 7pm on 6 November

The OSA is hosting the 2021 Milestone Reunion, where past students from the Class of 1991, 2001 and 2011 can come together and reminisce about life at St Mark's back in their day! Ticketing details and information on what's planned will be shared soon. In the interim, make sure your contact details are up to date - simply email community@stmarks.wa.edu.au.