The Lion's Roar - 24 February 2021

As you will see as you browse today's edition, The Lion's Roar newsletter and the School website have had a makeover! If you had particular pages bookmarked or saved as 'Favourites', you may need to update your links. Things to look out for are:

• Information on the Uniform Shop and Cafeteria are now under the heading of School Services
• The Parents link at the top of every page will take you directly to SEQTA Engage, which is where you will find the majority of information, including the recently updated link to record your parent hours. During the course of this year, there will be a new parent portal made available via a link on SEQTA Engage, which will provide you with access to your family fee accounts, and the ability to update your personal information.
• We have updated the content so that it reflects more accurately who we are as a School.

We encourage you to explore the pages of the new website, which is predominantly aimed at families considering submitting an application for enrolment. The new Parent Portal, along with SEQTA Engage, will house the majority of information relevant to current families. We will provide you with an update on when this will be rolled out as soon as we are able to do so.

If you have any feedback, please email community@stmarks.wa.edu.au. We'd love to know what you think!

Meet our BMX Champion!

Roman Riches-Depiazzi (C7.2) recently became the Western Australian State BMX Freestyle Champion, a fantastic achievement! Unfortunately, he has been temporally sidelined due to a broken elbow, but hopes to return to his winning ways soon. Congratulations, Roman, and all the best for your recovery!

Track and Field

Jasmine Gray (M8.2) competed in the WA State Track & Field Championships on the weekend and won a silver medal in the U15 long jump and a bronze medal in the U15 triple jump. She has qualified to represent WA at the Australian Track & Field Championships in Sydney in April. Congratulations, Jasmine!

Musical Success

William Lynch (5ROB) and Eloise Lynch (4PET) successfully auditioned for Western Australia Youth Strings (WAYS) Orchestra last week, with William playing viola and Eloise playing cello. They were required to prepare and perform contrasting pieces of music for the audition, and show competence at sight reading music.

WAYS is the primary non-school based youth strings orchestra in Perth catering for primary and junior high school aged children. The orchestra rehearse weekly at Newman College and hold several performances across Perth throughout the year. The orchestra has a repertoire of classical, jazz and contemporary music under the Directorship of Ms Sarah Clare.

William and Eloise would like to thank their tutors, Miss Cristina Filgueira, Mrs Edel Taylor, and Mrs Barbara Malinowski, for their extra help in getting ready for the audition.

Rottnest Swim

Last weekend, a number of St Mark's students hit the water for the annual Rottnest Swim, is a 19.7km open water swim from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island. We initially shared Ella Robertson's story on social media, and were delighted to receive more information on other students who braved this amazing journey. Here are their stories:

Congratulations to Year 10 student, Ella Robertson (CH10.2), who was part of a team who participated in the past weekend's swim to Rottnest Island. Ella swam with her father, uncle, and her friend, Lucy. Lucy and Ella are just 15, so this is an extraordinary achievement, especially since their team completed the swim in just 6 hours and 45 minutes! Two more St Mark's Year 10s - Sophie Gleeson (C10.1) and Griffin Nicolay (W10.1) - took on the role of support paddlers for Ella's team.

Also participating were Year 12 students Madison Toovey (CH12. 2) and Olivia Clarke (C12.1), who swam as a duo. They completed the swim in a fantastic time of 6.36.09.57, placing them fourth overall in the Female +28 age group.

Sisters Amy (W9.2) and Katie Waddell (W12.2) also faced the challenging conditions. The girls competed in the different teams and categories, but left Cottesloe at the same time, in the same wave. Katie swam with three of her friends from the Mullaloo Surf Club (Team Channel Chasers), coming in 10th in their category. Amy's team (the Confused Clubbies) came 7th in their category, coming in just a short time after Katie! The Confused Clubbies were all aged 14, so completing the swim in such fantastic time is terrific!

Congratulations to Henry Miller (M11.2), who also completed the swim., as part of a team that included two Old Scholars, Callam Smith (2017) and Tom Rance (2019), along with Jake Shepherd.

If we've missed any other participants, lets us know, by completing the form below.

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 via the form below.

YEAR 2-5 INTERHOUSE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our 2021 Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday, 5 March at HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont. Spectators are permitted but all in attendance must register using the SafeWA app or paper registers at the event. Please refer to the Primary School Bulletin, or check the information in the Documents Portal on SEQTA Engage.

St Mark's Netball Club

Registrations for the independently run St Mark's Netball Club open ton Tuesday 2 March. For more information, please email Naomi Cove at president@sm-nc.org

School Banking takes place twice a week, and students are able to attend either session to add to their Dollarmites wallet. More information about the program is available here, or contact Ros Hawker.

If you would like to earn some parent hours while your child is learning to save, the ELC School Banking roster is looking for more volunteers. Contact Ros Hawker if you would like to get involved.

Mr Brad Gill, who has been Head of the St Mark’s Junior/Primary School since January 2016, has accepted a position at Scotch College, Perth, as their Head of Middle School, commencing at the beginning of Term 2 this year.

Mr Gill has led our Junior School with distinction. His energy, enthusiasm, and expertise in working with our young people has inspired great confidence in our students, their families and our staff. Our children thrive in the Primary School under Mr Gill’s leadership of the curriculum and the activities that make up the whole school experience for a child.

This is an exciting move for Mr Gill and in line with his career aspirations, and we wish him every success in his new role. He will leave us with our very best wishes and with our gratitude for the contribution he has made to the education of our students at St Mark’s and the very positive impact he has had on our community. I am sure we will find an opportunity for our community to express their thanks before the end of the term.

We will soon commence a process to appoint from within the School an Acting Head of Primary School for the remainder of the year. Later in the year we will conduct an extensive and open process to appoint a new Head of Primary School commencing at the beginning of 2022.

The handover process will be a smooth and effective one. We have an excellent team of staff in our Primary School, and they will continue to do their best for our children and to inspire confidence in our community.

As students settle in to the day to day routines at St Mark's, we have reminded students of the requirements set out in the Student Code of Conduct, particularly in regards to the use and storage of mobile phones while on School grounds. We would appreciate parents and carers' support in reinforcing these rules.

Middle School students (Years 6 to 8) may not keep their mobile phone in their pocket or in their computer case or pencil cases during School hours. The mobile phone must be kept in lockers at all times, until the end of the day. Mobile phones are not to be used at School between the hours of 8.00am and 3:25pm, including at recess and lunch times.

Senior School students (Years 9 to 12) may have their mobile phones at School, but they should be in the student’s locker or pocket, and silent at all times in the classroom and playground. If students need to use their phone – to communicate briefly with parents, work, or the like, they should make use of the ‘phone zone’ available in Senior School Reception.

Many smart watches offer phone and messaging services, and for Middle School students we require these to be kept on "Aeroplane Mode" during school hours, and Senior School students are required to adhere to the same requirements that apply to mobile phones.

Please check the Student Code of Conduct for more information about how these requirements are applied.

To start the special Assembly, Josie Zhang and Will Brook, in their new roles as Head Prefects of St Mark's, delivered an inspiring speech acknowledging the hardships of last year, but communicating a shared positive outlook for 2021.

Middle School Captains, Asha Pressley and Lachy Bean, joined the prefects and the other Year 8 Captains who have committed to uphold the School Values and to be responsible in their respective roles. You can read the Investiture Service booklet here.

YEAR 12 PREFECTS

• Head Prefects: William Brook and Josie Zhang
• Academic Prefects: Aaliyah Butler and Rhianna Hepburn
• Arts Prefects: Ashton Bain and Shae Clayfield
• Chapel Prefect: Laney Rowland
• House Activities Prefect: Geoffrey McQuade
• Service Prefects: Monique Lanham and Isabelle Matthews
• Sports Prefects: Madison Toovey and Jessica Van der Mescht
• Wellbeing Prefects: Rachel Lowndes and Tye Thomson
• Carnley House Prefect: Adelina Artemov
• Challen House Prefect: Joshua Brown
• Moyes House Prefect: Eva Popovsky
• Watkins House Prefect: Katie Waddell

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAPTAINS

• Captains of Middle School: Lachy Bean and Asha Pressley
• Carnley House Captains: Annika Henery and Theo Hoskin
• Challen House Captains: Mitchell Stanford and Dempsey Kieran
• Moyes House Captains: Jake Sumner and Mia Used
• Watkins House Captains: Maddison Hedges and Callum Foley
• Academic Captains: Owen Hoskin and Milana Artemov
• Arts Captains: Bella Cooper (Performance) and Cooper Prideaux (Production)
• CAS Captain: Shahla Matthews
• Chapel & Community Service Captain: Ruby Spath
• House Activities Captain: Sophie Cole
• Music Captain: Roxy Baranovschi
• Sports Captains: Michael Kirby-Smith and Jasmine Gray
• Wellbeing Captains: Riley Daniel and Siobhan Symonds

Leaders are also being appointed in other roles across the School, with the Year 7 Pastoral Care Captains for Semester 1 announced recently:

• Blake Foresst
• Roman Riches-Depiazzi
• Fraser Kennedy
• Nathan Butler
• Hudson Mortimore
• Mia Shelley
• Jaxon Farrar
• Phoebe Love

Our Year 12 prefects have taken the lead in helping students new to St Mark's to settle in, through hosting informal meet ups in the Library during recess and lunch. They will be on hand to welcome and chat with any student in Years 6 to 12 who may be finding the transition into St Mark’s tricky. If you have any students who might benefit from a place to go, and friendly faces to see, please encourage them to go to the library to meet with the prefects. They have developed a roster and have organised simple games for them to play, such as Uno, Connect 4 and more!

In addition, the Senior School team will be hosting morning tea and lunch for all new students in Years 9 to 12. The aim of the morning tea and lunch are to develop, support and increase interaction between the new students, and also allow the School to gain feedback on their experiences as new students. It is hoped that the insights we gather will help improve the experiences for future new students.

Career Development is Everybody’s Business

The Education Department Career Development is Everybody’s Business roadshow starts in Kalgoorlie on 28 February and travels to major centres throughout Western Australia. Our local event will be held at the Joondalup Resort on Thursday 27 May. Register here

30 March Future Industries Future Jobs Roadshow

Cyber Security, Data Science, Life Sciences and Renewable Energy experts come together in this special Panel Forum event. The Innovation Institute is hosting five of these events across the Perth Metro area and Mandurah during 2021. The the first event in our area is on Tuesday 30 March at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School in Mindarie, and is open to students, parents and the wider community to attend for FREE. Get your ticket HERE.

University News

CQU: Principal Recommendation Scheme

The Principal Recommendation Scheme is an ideal entry pathway for all Year 12 students to CQUniversity's undergraduate courses whether you’re studying ATAR or not. This means that, as a Year 12 student applying for university, you no longer need to wait for your Year 12 results to receive an early offer for your course. To be eligible you must:

• Be studying Year 12
• Provide a letter of recommendation from your Principal

Applications are now open. Apply or find out more at cqu.edu.au/prs

Curtin Course Updates

• Advanced Biomedical Sciences: Designed for high-ATAR students, this new course offers two specialisations for students to choose from: Clinical Medical Science and Discovery Bioscience. View course.
• Biomedical Sciences: This new course has three specialisations for students to choose from: Human Biomedicine, Molecular Genetics and Pharmacology. View course.
• Nutrition and Food Science: Prerequisites for this course have changed. Applicants need to have completed at least one ATAR course from: Biology, Chemistry, Human Biology, Integrated Science and Physics. View course.

ECU

• 17 March ECU Future Student Information Expo: The ECU Information Expo will introduce you to a wide range of courses and the excellent support services you can expect as a student. Register HERE
• ECU Open Days: For information go HERE.

Murdoch

• NEW Portfolio Entry: Portfolio entry is designed for students who perform well in subjects / activities associated to the desired course, and who are motivated toward and capable of university study. The range of courses available has been widened to include sciences and humanities. Find details HERE.
• NEW English Requirement: Murdoch believes that if you have been taught in English for two years and you did your ATAR, your English is good enough for you to get through your university course. Passing your ATAR, without English, will get you a place at Murdoch.

Notre Dame

• Good news! In recognition of their focus on student outcomes and industry engagement, The University of Notre Dame Australia has been promoted to a Table A university. Read more. As a result, from January 2021, eligible Notre Dame undergraduate students will have access to a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) and can defer their fees onto HECS-HELP. This means students will now pay the same fees as if they were attending a public university. View 2021 fees
• Notre Dame tops rankings in the Graduate Outcomes Survey: The University of Notre Dame Australia has once again been ranked #1 in Australia for Overall Satisfaction among graduates according to the latest Federal Government’s nationwide Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2020 Graduate Outcomes Survey released on 16 November 2020. Notre Dame was also ranked #1 in Australia for Skills Scale (90.6%), as well as #1 in WA for Full-time Employment (76.6%) and Overall Employment (88.7%) (undergraduate and postgraduate categories).

UWA

• UWA Open Day - Sunday 28 March: Save the date for UWA Open Day. Join us on campus on Sunday 28 March from 10am to 2pm and discover how you can achieve your study and career goals with us. Explore our vibrant campus, talk to our leading academics and graduates, and experience all that UWA has to offer. For information go HERE.
• 10 March Data Science at UWA: If you’re a female student interested in studying data science and where a career in data science can take you, join us on campus for the Data Science at UWA session. Following the session, you will have the opportunity to attend our annual Women in Data Science (WiDS) Perth 2021 event where you’ll hear from industry leaders, UWA graduates and student clubs making their place in data science. Registration is essential, more information here.
• A Day at UWA: If you would like to spend a guided day at UWA through the July holidays you should book now. For information go HERE.

Other Uni News

Applications for University Medical Aptitude Test (UCAT) Open on 1 March: Students wishing to study medicine can register for the UMAT Here. Testing begins on 1 July and you may take the test only once per year. The final day to take the test is 11 August. Results will be delivered to universities in early September. Students wishing to undertake medicine in WA should apply using the normal TISC process. Students wishing to apply for medicine in another state should look up specific requirements for their university of choice.

Training News

Construction Futures Centre

Grab the family and head on over to the Construction Futures Centre where you’ll learn about the many diverse career opportunities within Western Australia’s building and construction industry. We’ve taken virtual reality, augmented reality, videos, games and kinetic sand and designed specific hand-on interactive experiences to educate and inspire the next generation of construction workers.

• Date: Sunday, 7th March 2021
• Time: 10.00am – 2.00pm
• Address: 104 Belgravia Street Belmont
• Admission is free and registration is essential. Click Here to Register.

Andy has won a number of awards for his large, expressive portraits and now works in his studio to create dynamic landscapes of the West Australian bushland, both realistic and abstract. In addition to his studio practice, Andy Quilty is a lecturer in Fine Arts at UWA’s School of Design.

During the workshop, Andy inspired the students to work with a variety of media and tools to create free flowing and expressive landscapes drawn from the grounds of St Mark’s, on large sheets of paper. The students will take this style of working with landscape and media into their current bodies of work and we very much look forward to the outcome after such an inspiring start to the process.

In Term 3, Andy Quilty will be returning to St Mark’s to be an ‘artist in residence’ in the St Mark’s Visual Art Department for a week. This has been funded by our incredibly supportive P&F and will involve Andy working in a studio-style space, creating work for the students and community at large to witness. At this time, Andy will also run workshops for students across the sub-schools and for members of our parent community to attend.

We can’t wait for his highly anticipated return!

St Mark's Anglican Community School and Sacred Heart Catholic College are excited to confirm the 2021 Careers Expo is set to take place in May this year, following the cancellation of the 2020 event.

The evening is aimed at students from both schools in Years 9 to 12, and we encourage parents and carers to attend with their child. Exhibitors include UWA, Curtin, Notre Dame, Murdoch, ECU, North Metro TAFE, the Jobs and Skills Centre, Defence Force, CareerLink, apprenticeship providers, registered training organisations, industry representatives, gap year options and more!

Date: Monday 17 May 2021

Time: 6pm - 8pm

Location: Sacred Heart College, Hocking Parade, Sorrento (Koort Centre).

For more information, please contact Linda Whiteside, Head of Careers at lwhiteside@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Year 6 students are invited to sign up for the Term 1 Year 6 Basketball competition, aimed at having fun and getting active.

We are providing Year 6s with an opportunity to play basketball after School in Term 1. Students can nominate on their own, or with a friend, and will be put into mixed teams, and be entered into a round robin fun competition.

The aim of the Term 1 competition is to:

• meet new friends
• promote sportsmanship
• enjoy leadership opportunities
• get introduced to the CAS sport program

Nomination information will be provided in PCG time, in their Phys Ed classes, or can be collected from the PE office in the Cottesloe Building (next to Middle School Reception). Nominations are due by the end of Week 4 (Friday 26 February).

The sessions will take place after school on Thursdays, commencing at 3.30pm and finishing at 4.30pm. Students will meet in the Pavilion first, before moving to the competition venues (Pavilion/Hall).

• Round 1: Week 5 - Thursday 4 March
• Round 2: Week 6 - Thursday 11 March
• Round 3: Week 7 - Thursday 16 March

If you have any questions, please email Mr John Simmons at jsimmons@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Students completed a coffee workshop and tour of the roasting facility with James Wilson (Old Scholar, Class of 2009) who runs the training at Brew.

During the workshop, students learnt about the coffee harvesting process, how different blends are created, how to extract the perfect shot, and top tips for steaming milk. On the tour of the facility, students were able to witness firsthand the different roasting and filtering processes that coffee beans undergo in order to create different blends.

James also demonstrated to students how to create all the coffees on a typical menu in a Perth café, and explained what potential careers and pathways there are in the coffee industry. Students had the opportunity to taste a range of different coffees and at the end of the tour were able to enjoy a meal together in the Café.

The Year 11s have left with a new insight into all the factors that contribute to creating that perfect cup of coffee, and they are so excited to start making coffees for staff later this term.

Did you know we have a thriving and supportive community of Facebook groups for parents? All the groups are connected to the School's Facebook page, and are set up by year group. The groups are all closed or private groups, moderated by parents and parent reps.

You are encouraged to join if you have a Facebook profile. All you need to do is to click on the relevant link below, asked to join. You may be asked a question before you are accepted into the group, as well as to acknowledge that you agree to the rules set up for that group.

If you don't have a Facebook profile, the parent reps will make every effort to ensure you get the information shared within the group via email. Simply send an email to your parent rep and let them know you are interested in being kept up to date.

If you have any questions on Facebook groups, please email community@stmarks.wa.edu.au. The names and contact details of parent reps will be sent out via email soon.

PS: If you'd like some tips on keeping your personal Facebook profile secure, check out these handy hints from the Office of eSafety Commissioner.

The Parent Prayer Group is pleased to advise that it will return to meeting on campus this term. The group will be meeting in the School Chapel this Friday (26 February) at 9am. Grab a coffee at the coffee van before we start! Please remember to sign in at Reception, and scan the SafeWA App. We encourage everyone to follow physical distancing requirement and hand hygiene. All welcome! If you have questions, call Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.

The new link for logging your parent hours is now ready for action!

The form is to be used by parents/carers to log the parent commitment hours they have completed in 2021. A separate submission should be made for each activity completed. The link is now available on SEQTA Engage, or by clicking on the button below.

St Mark's has been founded on the concept of parental contribution toward a wide range of tasks necessary for the proper functioning of the School. Active involvement in the life of the School is both a precondition and a continuing condition of enrolment, and all families are required to provide a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer service per year, through supporting community activities or by providing practical help to the School. Each family is responsible for logging their own hours using this form. The School requires a minimum of 10 hours commitment per family, per annum, but many families provide well in excess of this requirement. The Parent Commitment Hours program is administered by the St Mark’s Parents & Friends’ Association (P&F). If the 10 hours commitment is not obtained, a fee of $330 will be levied by the P&F.

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.

A quick note from Family Accounts to advise parents and carers that tuition fee quarterly reminder emails were sent out today. If you would like to change your payment preferences, or have any other questions related to the Fee Account, please contact the Family Accounts officer at familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au. Payment plan forms and other information is available here.

Help St Mark's Anglican Community School's fundraising initiatives and causes, and get a year of unlimited offers and savings. Start your Entertainment Membership today to support St Mark's Anglican Community School, get a year of amazing 2-for-1 offers, discounts and savings AND a bonus $10 or $20 eGift Card.

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St Mark's is no longer connected to the Operoo (previously known as CareMonkey) system. The School cannot close accounts on behalf of parents, as the information available in those accounts is owned by the parent/carer. If you no longer want to use the system for your child, you are able to close your account. Information on how to close an account is available here.

Please note that if the Operoo/Caremonkey system is used by other clubs or groups that your child belongs to, closing your account will affect this.

Did you know that the St Mark's Old Scholars' Association offers a merit-based scholarship to a Senior School student each year? The Scholarships are awarded annually, and provide partial fee remission for the successful candidate for their final three years of schooling - Years 10, 11 and 12.

The first recipient was Aaliyah Butler, who is now in Year 12; and the second was Molly Bean, now in Year 11. The third scholarship was awarded last year to Stella Brown, who is in Year 10. The photo below is of the first two students to have received the Scholarship, Aaliyah and Molly. Stella was not able to join us for the photo this morning, but should be equally proud to have been selected out of the many applicants in 2020.

Current Year 9 students will be provided with information on the application process later this year, so watch this space!