The Lion's Roar - 24 March 2021

Tennis Star on the Rise

Congratulations to Amy Findlay (W8.1) on receiving a direct entry into the 12/U Australian Claycourt Tennis Championship. We wish her all the best as she travels to Canberra in April to compete.

More success from our Nippers!

Last week, we shared news from four of our students involved in the recent Nipper Championships. This week, we can add another success story!

Ella Brigden (4T) competed at the Sunsmart WA Nipper Championships at Scarborough Beach. Ella competed for the Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club Under 10s. Ella won Gold medals in the board race, and the board relay. A Silver medal in the Surf Team race, and Bronze medals in the Ironperson and Cameron Relay. She should be proud of her efforts; and good to hear of the results for the work she does. Well done, Ella!

This term we provided the Year 6s with an opportunity to play in an afterschool basketball program. More than 50 students nominated to participate, and a ten-team round robin competition got underway.

The three goals of the Term 1 competition were to help students make new friends, give them the opportunity to demonstrate sportsmanship and get a great introduction to CAS School sport - and we are delighted to say we have achieved all three!

With lots of sweat, cheers and laughs the competition was very exciting. Students played with modified rules, meaning that if all the players on a team put points on the scoreboard, their team received a bonus of 10 points! It was a very close competition, so our congratulations to Team 7, who finished on top.

A big thank you goes to our parent helpers, Mrs Nicholson and Mrs Thompson, as well to an amazing group of Year 8 students who volunteered their time to score and referee.

Update Your Medical Action Plans

Now is a great time to check in with the nurse to see if your child's Medical Action Plan is up to date, and to check whether medications stored at the School have reached their listed expiry date. If your child has had a recent or new diagnosis that requires a Medical Action Plan, please ensure that the Wellness is provided with a copy.

For more information, please email nurse@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Allergy Awareness

We have a number of students with severe nut allergies (anaphylaxis) at St Mark's. We encourage all families to be 'allergy aware' and avoid sending nut-based products (including cashew nuts and peanuts) to School. Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening health condition, and our risk-minimisation strategy needs your support.

Please keep unwell children at home

Thank you to all the families who are helping us keep the School community healthy, by keeping their unwell children at home. It is essential for the health and wellbeing of our whole community - students, staff and parents - that students who are unwell be kept at home.

Healthy WA shared these tips to help prevent the spread of viruses:

• Cover coughs and sneezes with your inner elbow, or use a tissue and throw it in the bin straight away.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use antibacterial hand sanitisers, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Clean surfaces and objects regularly such as doorknobs, keyboards, phones and toys.
• Stay at home and limit your contact with other people.

Learn more about hand hygiene and protecting yourself from viruses such as influenza.

Signs and Symptoms

Common symptoms of a cold include coughing, low-grade fever, a sore throat, sneezing and a blocked or runny nose. Colds are spread through droplets in the air – from coughs or sneezes, for example – and on surfaces.

Influenza, or 'the flu', commonly causes symptoms such as high fever, dry cough, muscle ache and fatigue. Less common symptoms include sore throat and a runny nose. Children may also have abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. It spreads from person to person through droplets in the air.

What does the WA Department of Health advise?

The WA Department of Health has the following information on their website:

Day care and school staff have a key role in preventing the transmission of diseases in day care and the school environment.

While it is often difficult to prevent the transmission of common respiratory (colds/flu) and gastroenteritis infections that occur, every effort should be made to minimise the spread of infection by encouraging:

• staff and children at school or childcare to stay at home in the early stages of illness as at this stage they can be infectious and shed the virus, bacteria or parasite through coughing, sneezing, contaminating surfaces and personal contact.
• school staff and students who are ill should not to return to work/daycare until they are symptom free if they have a cold or flu and for at least 24 hours if they have had gastroenteritis.
• staff and children at day care, healthcare workers and food handlers who have had gastroenteritis should not return to work until they are symptom free for at least 48 hours.
• parents to seek medical advice if their child has ongoing symptoms of illness.

The Uniform Shop has extended its trading hours for parents who wish to purchase items prior to the winter uniform changeover.

• Wednesday 24 March: 8am – 2pm and 3pm - 6pm
• Monday 29 March: 8am – 11am and 2pm – 6pm
• Wednesday 31 March: 8am - 2pm and 3pm – 6pm (last trading day of Term 1)

In addition, the Uniform Shop will be open on selected dates in the April holidays:

• Wednesday 14 April: 8am – 12pm and 2pm – 6pm
• Friday 16 April: 8am – 12pm and 2pm – 6pm
• Monday 19 April: 9am – 12pm and 2pm - 5pm

Stock Update

If you have ordered a girls' shirt, girls' tie, boys' tie, jumpers, sports shirts, winter shorts and trousers, we are pleased to advise that these have now arrived. Pre-ordered items can be collected on Monday 29 March. Unfortunately, blazers have not yet arrived. We will alert parents via the School app as soon as they arrive.

Students return Tuesday 20 April 2021, and are expected to be in their winter uniforms from this date. Uniform requirements and pricing is available on the website.

All parents and carers are invited to join the Parent Prayer Group, who meet every second Friday during the School term. The Prayer Group meets at 9am in the School Chapel. For more information, please email Wing Shattock at ParentsUniteForPrayer@gmail.com. Term 2 Prayer Group meetings commence on 30 April.

Last Friday, the School advised parents and carers in our Primary School (Kindy to Year 5) that, after expressions of interest were received and interviews conducted, Mr Mark Pressley has been appointed as Acting Head of Primary School for Terms 2-4, inclusive, this year.

Mark’s experience in leadership, and his overview of the operations of the Primary School, will be valuable assets as he assumes this acting position. We are confident that he will lead the Primary community very well during the final three terms of this year.

Protecting children in their digital worlds is an ever-evolving task for Australian families. Now more than ever parents are looking for guidance on how to manage screen time and navigate the world of games and social media.

We are therefore pleased to help our parent community by offering a crucial and engaging education session with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education. This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the most important points that all families need to know about online safety, covering key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber safe home for kids of all ages.

If you’ve ever struggled with getting your kids off their games and into bed, worried about the content of the games that they are playing, or felt concerned that your child was spending too much time in the digital world, this workshop is for you!

Date: Tuesday 30 March 2021

Time: 6pm

Venue: Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex.

RSVP: Booking is essential. Due to capacity restrictions, we kindly request only one parent/carer per family attend this event. This event is aimed at Middle School families, though parents and carers from other year groups are welcome to register. Tickets are strictly limited, so you will need to act quickly.

Mrs Michaela Hammersley-Ellis is a teacher and PhD research student from the School of Education at Edith Cowan University. She is looking into students' experiences of stress at school and what they find helps them to cope. Over the coming semester, she will be making visits to the school and hoping to talk with volunteering students in the Middle School about their experiences of stress, their coping strategies and support systems as part of her research. She is seeking expressions of interest from students who are willing to participate.If your child would like to take part, or simply if you would like more information, please email Mrs Hammersley-Ellis directly via mhammers@our.ecu.edu.au

Applications to participate in the 2021 ASC Piano Competition close next week, and we encourage all our pianists to get involved. Entries need to be submitted to Mrs McRae by Monday 3 May.

This highly successful annual Piano Competition will be held at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, in the Allan Shaw Centre, on Wednesday 2 June.

Any student enrolled at St Mark’s can sign up for this competition and are highly encouraged to join in, no matter whether you learn piano at St Mark's, or through an external provider. All entrants must, however, be under the guidance of a piano tutor. Please ask your child's teacher to read the instructions and decide which section is appropriate for your child.

Once this is done, with assistance from their piano teacher, contact Mrs Cathy McRae at cmcrae@stmarks.wa.edu.au with the following details:

• Full Name
• ASC Category – section
• Score title/composer
• Duration
• Diversity Section (if chosen) – short description
• If the student will be buying lunch on the day.

All this information must be submitted to Mrs McRae no later than Monday 3 May 2021.

The Quadrangle was abuzz with more than just the sound of excited students on Friday - it was also buzzing with the sound of clippers, as an amazing group of staff and students shaved, cut or coloured their hair in aid of the World's Greatest Shave.

Group fundraising efforts have seen the team raise close to $19,000 (at the time of publication) - a really fantastic achievement, and every member of the team should be really proud of what they have managed to raise. There is still time to donate, to help the team reach their $26,000 goal. Two staff members joined the students for the big event: Principal, Steven Davies, and Head of House, William Brock!

Thank you to everyone involved in making the day a success, especially to the Year 12 Prefects for their leadership and commitment, whether it was by shaving their heads or sizzling sausages. Thank you also to the parents of the participants for attending, and to the volunteers who help cut, shave and colour.

The photos below are from Year 12 student, Renee Wood-Gush, who is using the photographs as part of her portfolio of work for her Cert III (Photo Digital Design). If parents and carers have additional photos, please feel free to submit via the form below, or by emailing community@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

St Mark's was a sea of blue and goodwill, at the Carnley fundraiser for Beyondblue, a support service that provides mental health support to Australians of all ages.

Students in Years 6 to 12 wore blue, bought ribbons, butterflies, and keep cups, had their faces painted and were entertained by a flashmob dance (which included plenty of staff!), as well as some uplifting music. It was a fantastic day that sparked plenty of smiles and with information on how you can look after your mental health.

Funds were still being tallied at the time of publication, but at last check, it was already over $700! Thank you very much to the Carnley Prefects and Captains, and Head of House, Ms Carissa Tucker, for making it a memorable day.

Plenty of news, updates, suggestions and opportunities for parents, carers and students in Senior School.

Families have the biggest influence on career decisions!

New research shows that parents and families have the biggest influence on career decisions. You can find this report and career activities, and lots of ways to help your kids to explore and find their right path out of school on the Families and Carers page of MyFuture.

University News

CQU

29 March CQUni Live Facebook Chat

Thinking about starting a university qualification in 2021? If you’re considering CQUniversity, you probably have a few questions.

Get to know CQUniversity a little better at our Online Chat Session. All you need to do is head over to our CQUniversity Facebook page and send us a message during the session and you’ll receive real-time answers to all your questions.

When: Thursday, 29^th April 2021 Time: 1 – 4 PM Where: Facebook Messenger

Register to receive an SMS reminder when the Online Chat Session is about to start!

Curtin

Curtin Scholarships: Year 12 students should register now for scholarship alerts. Throughout the year you will see the sorts of scholarships that are available. Make applying for scholarships part of your life throughout your university career. Register for Curtin Scholarship Alerts HERE.

ECU

Fashion Weekend Workshops: ECU’s Fashion Weekend Workshops provide an introduction to creative draping methods for fashion research and construction. Participants will be shown strategies for generating ideas for garment through sculptural manipulation of cloth and found garment. These intensive classes run every Saturday for five consecutive weeks from the 8 May - 5 June, 1pm-4pm, and are taught by Fashion Graduate and Designer in Residence D’arcy Coad. Book now!

11 April ECU Open Day at Joondalup

Murdoch

7-9 April Murdoch Campus Day Out for Year 12s (School Holiday Program): Murdoch is hosting three specialist days from 7 – 9 April so that year 12s can visit the campus, meet experts, chat to current students and explore the facilities. Each day focuses on different speciality areas, students can choose to go to one or to all three. Check details HERE. 9 April is recommended for international student.

7 April Murdoch Campus Day Out for Year 12s

Day 1:

• Veterinary Science & Agriculture,
• Engineering & Environmental Science,
• Health or Technology.

8 April Murdoch Campus Day Out for Year 12s

Day 2:

• Law & Criminology,
• Social and Cultural Studies & Education,
• Creative Media & Communications
• Business

Notre Dame

14 April Notre Dame Medicine Information Session: Medicine is available at Notre Dame for students who already have a degree. Last year Notre Dame held their Medicine Information Session online and it was excellent. They are doing the same again this year. If you register for this online information session the first year you would be able to apply would be 2025. You can register HERE.

UWA

Sunday 28 March UWA Open Day: This is the first of the Open Days for 2021.

Friday 16 April UWA Campus Tour: Take a tour of the UWA campus and find out about UWA courses, entry requirements, mature-age entry and alternative entry pathways. Can't make it to one of our campus tours or live overseas? You can still view the UWA Perth campus via our virtual tours. Sign up and keep up-to-date with UWA here.

Friday 16 April, 10am UWA ATAR Music Boot Camp: Get ATAR-ready with hands-on workshops including effective practice strategies, performance anxiety, aural and theory, performance etiquette, tricky rhythms, study tips, and much more. Tickets are $20 (scholarships available). Register now.

UWA Enrolments Open for 2022: Year 12s can apply for places at UWA based on their Year 11 results. UWA found that less than 1% of those students who were given early offers for 2021 failed to complete their ATAR. This year they require students to complete their WACE with their ATAR. Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Podiatry and Optometry are not available for early offers.

To be considered for an early offer, student’s year 11 results must be at least 3 points higher than the stated cut off points. If a student’s year 11 ATAR doesn’t meet this standard, their final year 12 ATAR must meet the requirement. Applicants must finish their WACE with ATAR. Students are required to demonstrate competence in English to be offered a place.

• PREREQUISITES: Students wishing to be considered for courses that have pre-requisites, can consider doing bridging courses at the start of uni.
• SCHOLARSHIPS: If you enrol at UWA with an ATAR of 99.5 you automatically get the Lawrence scholarship. UWA has over 600 scholarships available.
• HOW TO APPLY: Go to uwa.edu.au/how-to-apply

Training News

Skill Hire: As part of the Governments investment into training and employment, Skill Hire are now delivering Job Ready Skill Sets for key areas designed to increase the employability of jobseekers. https://www.skillhire.com.au/

Other Opportunities

Friday 9 – Friday 16 April Youth Week KickstART Festival: If you are interested in a career in the Arts, don’t miss the KickstART Festival that is part of Youth Week WA. Find the program of events HERE.

Thursday 29 April – Saturday1 May Perth Careers Expo: This is on at the Perth Convention Centre from Thursday 29 April to Sunday 1 May. Entry is free and individuals and families are welcome. All West Australian universities, many training providers and industry representative will be there to answer your questions. Find more details HERE.

St Mark's Anglican Community School and Sacred Heart 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 open to 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!

Make a note in your diaries (reminders will be published closer to the time):

Date: Monday 17 May 2021

Time: 6pm - 8pm

Venue: Sacred Heart College, Hocking Parade, Sorrento

Year 10 Visual Arts students recently visited the Sculptures by the Sea Exhibition at Cottesloe Beach, starting with the display inside the Cottesloe Golf Course Cub House, where small maquettes of the works were on show.

The students then headed out to view the much larger works, at the beach, foreshore, and out on the rocks.

It was a spectacular day and the students enjoyed getting up close and personal with the amazing and varied works of art. They answered questions about many aspects of the exhibition, including addressing the meaning behind some of the artworks, as many had an environmental comment. Some artworks were kinetic sculptures (a sculpture that moves), and some were site-specific and made sound through wind motion. The general favourite was a 4m long sewing needle that was stuck into the ground with rope as thread that was seen stitching up a large split in the grass area; commenting on the need for society to care and fix the damage we are doing to our land and planet.

Parent teacher interviews form an integral part of the continuous feedback model adopted by the School. . Teachers of students in Years 10, 11 and 12 are looking forward to meeting parents at the interviews scheduled for Monday 2 August. The link to book your slot is located in the maroon bar on the top of each page of the website. We welcome parents and students to meet with the staff to discuss progress and improvements in various subject areas.

PLEASE NOTE: Families of students in Years 6 to 9 will have the opportunity to see their child's teacher at a later date. Bookings for these year groups cannot be made now - bookings will open closer to the time, and parents will be advised via email and the School App when this occurs.

Technical Support

Your log in details for PTO will remain the same as they were in previous years. Please note that the log in details are not the same as the ones you use to access SEQTA Engage. If you cannot recall your log in details, or if you are new to the School, please follow these steps:

1. On the right hand side, click on Obtain PIN.
2. Enter the email address through which you receive the majority of your communication from the School.
3. An email with your unique PIN will be sent to your registered addressed.
4. Return to the link, and enter the details as provided in the email.

If you did not receive an email after completing Step 2, or if it gives an error message in relation to your email address, please contact Carol Penney on 9403 1384.

If you are new to using PTO, the following videos may assist: Using PTO in Automatic Mode and Using PTO in Manual Mode. Videos can be viewed at any time.

Next week, students and staff in Middle and Senior School will be celebrating HaSS Week. HaSS Week is aimed at raising awareness of all things to do with History, Economics and Business, Geography, Civics, and Philosophy through a series of fun learning activities and displays. Encourage your child to chat to their HaSS teacher about how to get involved.

There are a number of opportunities coming up for parents who are looking for ways in which to add to their parent commitment hours tally for the year. Please take note of the contact details and/or information on how to register to participate.

Football Coaching at St Mark's

Mark Lee Football Coaching is delighted to be back in Term 2 at St Mark’s Anglican Community School

• Friday 7^th May to Friday 11^th June
• 7.30-8.30am
• 6 week program
• Children from Kindy to Year 6 can attend. Children will be placed with their own age group.
• $119 per child

Simply email Mark at mark@mlfc.com.au or call/text 0430 788 703

State Schoolgirls AFL Team

Is your daughter interested in playing Australian Rules Football? Is she excited to improve and develop her football skills? Is she keen to represent Western Australia? Is she aged 15 years or younger (as at 31/12/21)?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then encouraged her to try out for the 2021 State Schoolgirls AFL Team. Working closely with the WA State Academy, including having access to their full resources, girls will get a positive footballing experience and education, no matter their ability or the path they follow in the future. If you think this might be for your daughter, download this flyer for more information.

Redhage Basketball at St Mark's

Former Perth Wildcat and Olympian, Shawn Redhage, is bringing his basketball program back to St Mark's in May. For more information on dates, times and costs, please download the flyer, or visit the website at www.redhagebasketball.com.

A Night at the Museum

The Australian Army Museum of WA presents a Night at the Museum. For the first time, the Army Museum of WA will be open at night to the public. As well a visiting the galleries, you will see volunteers in period uniform, military vehicles past and present, WWII Movietone newsreels, the new Victoria Cross gallery, flag lowering ceremony and the Australian Army Band Perth.

Friday 16 April and Saturday 17 April at the Artillery Barracks, Burt St, Fremantle, 6pm to 10pm. Tickets available online.