The Lion's Roar - 26 May 2021

St Mark's is is pleased to confirm the beginnings of a new friendship with Parnngurr Community School. Earlier this year, four of Parnngurr's School Board members visited St Mark's to discuss ways in which we can establish authentic relationships between staff and students at the two schools.

Last year, Mr Scott Rowland (Senior Chaplain at St Mark's), Mrs Sharon McCarthy (Head of Health & Physical Education) and Mr Daniel Lehman (Head of Humanities and Social Sciences) were able to visit Parnngurr, and enjoyed the experience of two-way science learning on country. They also met with some of Parnngurr's community members to deepen their understanding of Martu culture and two-way learning.

The St Mark's Parents & Friends' Association is pleased to be hosting Louise Edwards as guest speaker at the Term 2 General Meeting. Louise is a registered pharmacist (Bachelor of Pharmacy with first class honours) who has also completed a Bachelor Degree majoring in Psychology. She has a passion for mental health education, and has taught Mental Health First Aid in a wide range of industries, including schools.

Date: Tuesday 8 June 2021

Time: 7pm

Ticketing: Please book online (tickets are free)

Parents who attend the General Meeting are entitled to claim two parent commitment hours per family.

The P&F Art Committee is pleased to announce that tickets for this year’s St Mark’s 34^th Annual Art Show Opening Night are now available for purchase here.

Priced at only $20, which includes canapes and drinks, this is a fantastic way to enjoy a social night out and support local WA artists. Some student art will also be on display this year, along with a variety of original paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, mixed media artworks, glass art, textiles, ceramics, and jewellery. Feature Artist, Lucy Gray, will have her work on display, and there will also be live music, and a raffle for all attendees.

Artist Registrations are still open and further details are available on the website: website

Help us to spread the word by telling your friends to come along for some fun! It’s a great value night out.

General Art Show enquiries can be directed to artshow@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Congratulations to our Cross Country stars! Charlie Killoh (5HUE), Daniel File (5ROB), Charli-Rose Carlyon (M10.2) were all in action at the School Sport WA State Cross Country trials.

Daniel came in at 17th overall, and was 13th boy (Age 11 Category). Charlie came second overall in the group (Age 10 Category), and qualified for the State Team, and is set to participate in the Interstate Championships later this year. Charli-Rose (Age 16 Category) came in third overall. Congratulations!

In other SSWA news, Ashlyn Stanford (6.2) has been selected for the Basketball 12s Girls State Team. Well done, Ashlyn!

Tom Linehan (CH8.2) was selected in the 13 – 19 Swimming State Squad, and Harry Linehan (6.2) was selected 10 – 12 Swimming State Squad. The final teams for both squads will be announced on Friday, 4 June 2021. Best of luck!

Students in Years 2 to 5 are invited to the Term 2 Disco, which will be taking them to the deepest oceans and the furthest skies!

Date: 11 June 2021

• The theme this term for Year 2/3 students is The Ocean. Years 2 and 3 will attend from 5pm until 6.30pm in the Y4/5 Area

• The theme this term for Year 4/5 students is Outer Space. Year 4 and 5 students will attend from 6.45pm until 8.15pm in the Y4/5 Area

Tickets: Book online

The cost of each disco ticket includes a snack and drink (please discuss with your child their choice of confectionery/drink PRIOR to the disco). In the interest of safety, children must wear enclosed shoes at all times. When picking up your child at the conclusion of the disco, parents are asked to wait outside the Y4/5 Area; please be aware of any COVID precautions that may be in force at that time.

Please note: All booking fees charged by Humantix (the ticketing platform St Mark's is now using) go to supporting educational initiatives in indigenous communities. Humantix is a not-for-profit organisation.

Last week Tuesday, our young athletes in Years 2 to 5 took part in the Primary Interhouse Cross Country Carnival. The level of enthusiasm and participation was fabulous, and their behaviour throughout the day was wonderful. There was plenty of House spirit on show as the children cheered for their teammates and friends. All students are to be congratulated for their efforts. In addition, we had some exceptional performances in the event during the day, and these children can be very proud of their achievements.

The overall winner was Moyes, with Challen in second, Carnley in third and Watkins in a valiant fourth position. The individual results are as follows:

INTERSCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY EVENTS

The top six finishers from the Interhouse Cross Country will be participating in the Regional NIPSSA Interschool Cross Country Carnival (for Years 2 to 6) taking place at Mawson Park on Friday 25 June.

The top five finishers at the Regional NIPSSA Interschool Cross Country Carnival at Mawson Park on Friday 25 June (Years 4, 5 and 6) will be selected to run at the 2021 Primary Champion schools Cross Country Carnival at McGillivray Oval on Thursday 12 August.

Applications to participate in the first ever Middle School Music Eisteddfod close this week, so make sure you submit by Friday! The Eisteddfod will take place on Wednesday 9 June, from 3.30pm to 6pm. It is open to all students in Years 6, 7 and 8, regardless of whether they undertake music lessons at St Mark's, or through external providers. Students are welcome to perform as individuals, or to create their own ensembles and perform in groups. It will be a celebration of all our Middle School musical talents!

To register your interest, please click the relevant link:

Individual Entries

Ensemble Entries

This term, Mrs Tammy Gruber’s Visual Arts Year 8 class completed their scratch board and paint self-portraits. The students were inspired by the artwork of Western Australian Indigenous Artist Julie Dowling. Julie Dowling’s self portraits reveal her innermost connections to her people’s traditional lands, and in her work, she uses her body as the vessel that contains these memories. This influenced the Year 8s and they chose a landscape that they felt connected to, one that held significant memories for them. The students thoroughly enjoyed the project and results were outstanding. Well done Year 8s!

The Australian Youth Representative to the UN is the only role of its kind in Australia. It is annually appointed by UN Youth Australia in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Since 1999, the Youth Representative has been tasked with representing the views of young Australians both domestically and abroad as well as leading the largest annual face-to-face consultation of young people in the country.

Each year, the Youth Representative leads an extensive, nationwide consultative tour to engage with and discover the issues that are most important to young Australians. Known as the ‘Listening Tour’, this 6-month journey typically sees the Youth Representative travel to every State and Territory, engaging with young people in urban, regional, and rural areas. For more information please click here.

If this sounds like something your child might be interested in, please encourage them to contact Ms Kelly Nebel, Deputy Head of Senior School.

By Rivah Scaddan

As part of the Geography course for Term 2, all the Year 10 Humanities and Social Sciences classes had the opportunity to explore various areas within Yellagonga Regional Park as part of our fieldwork assessment, including Lake Goollelal and Neil Hawkins Park.

It was a busy day, with many activities awaiting us to assist with the completion of our fieldwork assignment. We began with an insightful talk from Casey Kickett, a Noongar woman, who taught us about the history and cultural significance of the area surrounding Lake Goollelal, with a focus on the Wesleyan Mission Farm and its impact on Noongar people. Ms Kickett informed us that she is currently campaigning to give a voice to the Aboriginal children who were separated from their families, worked and often died on the Mission Farm, and to acknowledge them in an appropriate manner by removing a plaque commemorating the Mission Farm.

We then visited the Luisini Winery, which was once one of the largest wineries in Western Australia. We were given the opportunity to examine the site and gained an understanding of how we could make changes to influence the management of the site.

The second half of the excursion saw us travel to Neil Hawkins Park, where we completed a series of questions about the history, use and ecosystem services of the area, including the different Noongar seasons and how Aboriginal people have used the resources within the wetlands to their advantage. This was very engaging and gave us an opportunity to discover more about the region’s significant history. The excursion concluded with us completing a detailed fieldwork sketch on the Yellagonga Wetlands, which was definitely a highlight!

I want to thank all the teachers who accompanied us on the excursion. Special mentions to Ms Bakalis, Mr Lehman, Mr Kendell, and Mr Rogers who organised the excursion and planned all the creative and fun activities for us to enjoy. It was an awesome day, and I’m sure all the Year 10s had fun, explored new things and gained a good understanding of the significance of some key features of Yellagonga Regional Park and its wetlands environments.

In the School's various 'Buddy' programs, older students are frequently teamed up with younger ones, acting as mentors or to teach them something new. It is not often though, that our younger students get to teach the older ones, but that's exactly what happened in the Year 11 Marine Studies program recently. Year 6 student, Callum Morrissey, a keen fisherman, spent a period demonstrating how to rig a variety of fishing lines, as part of the Year 11 course unit on fisheries management. Callum's enthusiasm was infectious, and the Year 11s learned a lot!

There was more learning to follow, with Mr Andy Garswood, a School parent, marine engineer, business owner and experienced commercial fisherman, came and spoke to the students about lure construction suited to specific species. This forms part of the Year 11s next assessment where the students will have to engage with the project-based learning design process to construct a prototype and test a lure on a species of their choice that we find along the WA coastline.

By William Brook

The Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts class are in the process of creating portraits of inspirational Australians. We’ve created lino block prints to imprint symbols on the background which are meant to represent an aspect of the sitter’s personality. In our class we have portraits of Steve Irwin, Dick Smith and Margot Robbie as well as some lesser-known personal inspirations. We are looking forward to sharing the final product.

We are delighted to announce that more Holiday Workshops will be running at St Mark's this winter. Many are full day offerings and students from other schools will also be welcome. Further information and booking links will be out soon.

The Children's Crossings and Road Safety Committee is advising that the Whitfords Avenue near Belrose Entrance children’s crossing (Type A) is currently being reviewed by the Children’s Crossings and Road Safety Committee (CC&RSC). These reviews are held periodically in all crossing locations.

In order to complete the review two sets of surveys (x2 AM and x2 PM) will be conducted at the location along with a site assessment. Please encourage student pedestrians to utilise the facility so that a true picture of the school community’s needs may be gathered.

On completion of the review a report will be forwarded to the CC&RSC for their consideration and recommendations.

If you require further assistance in this matter please do not hesitate to contact the Children’s Crossings Unit (CCU) on 08 - 6274 8767.

St Mark's is encouraging all parents to participate in the National Independent Schools Association (ISA) School Choice Survey. ISA is the peak body representing the interests of Australian Independent schools and their state and territory associations.

The research aims to identify what families consider important when choosing a school (Independent, Catholic or government), what they value about the school in which their children are currently enrolled, the reasons why some families choose not to enrol their children at an Independent school and their voting preferences. The survey will also gauge overall impressions of Independent schools as compared to government and Catholic schools and the impacts of COVID-19 on parents' choice of school.

School Choice Survey

The survey closes on 1 June 2021. The survey is anonymous and conducted independently of the School.

Being Neighbourly

Please be mindful of our neighbours in the homes and businesses around the School. Parking in the Endeavour Business Centre (cnr of Banks and Endeavour) is restricted to clients of the Centre’s tenants. The parking areas next to the Whitfords Family Centre and Endeavour Child Care facilities are also strictly reserved for their clients. Please do not block the driveways of homes on St Marks Drive.

Student Vehicles

Older students who drive their own vehicles are not permitted to park on the School grounds.

School Parking Patrols

The City of Joondalup has advised all schools that, in an effort to provide a safer environment for everyone, City of Joondalup Officers will be conducting patrols of school parking in the mornings and afternoons throughout the school term. It is imperative that drivers are aware of this, and park in accordance with the parking conditions which apply near schools, as penalties may apply. For more information on parking around schools, please visit the City of Joondalup’s website.

Kiss ‘n Drive locations

There are a number of Kiss ‘n Drive drop off points around the School, including Whitfords Avenue entrance (Gate 4), Early Learning Centre (via Gate 3), Eastern Access Road (via Gate 3), and outside the Performing Arts Complex (via Gate 3 or Gate 2). There is an additional Kiss ‘n Drive bay on St Marks Drive (travelling east to west). To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, please adhere to the following:

• Kiss ‘n Drive bays are strictly ‘no parking’ areas whether or not you are in your vehicle.
• Students must exit from the passenger-side doors as quickly as possible.
• Students must use the designated crosswalks located at each Kiss ‘n Drive within the School grounds.
• Do not overtake vehicles who are ahead of you in the Kiss ‘n Drive queue.
• Please be patient, drive slowly, and be aware of other road users.
• At pick up time, if your child is not at the Kiss ‘n Drive when you arrive, please follow the Traffic Warden’s directions and move forward to rejoin the queue.

Manned Crossings

There are manned crosswalks at a number of locations. Traffic Wardens appointed by the Children’s Crossing Unit of the WA Police are located on Whitfords Avenue (Belrose Entrance), Endeavour Road (Banks Avenue), Whitfords Avenue, and on Cook Ave.

In addition, we have a School Traffic Warden located at the Kiss ‘n Drive points outside the Performing Arts Complex. Please follow the instructions of the wardens to help keep our children safe.

Walking/Riding to School

• St Mark’s encourages students to walk or ride to school where possible, and we stress the importance of using the
  roads safely. Helmets must be worn when riding to and from school, as required by law.
• Remind students to take note of the traffic around them, and be aware of other road users, including cars and pedestrians.
• Be aware that, even if a cyclist rings their bell, pedestrians may not immediately recognise it as warning of an approaching bicycle. As such, when there are pedestrians on a shared pathway, cyclists should slow down and give the pedestrian time to move to safety.
• Students are to dismount and push their bicycles at crosswalks.
• Students are not to ride their bicycles in the School grounds - they must dismount.
• Primary School students should park their bikes next to the multi-purpose court near the Primary Oval. Middle and Senior School students should park their bikes in the bike racks behind the Dunsborough buildings.

We've been marking Canteen Week on our social media channels this week, including challenging our community to find a name for our Cafeteria. The old canteen was known as 'The Lion's Den', and we'd like to change things up a bit. We have had some suggestions posted on our Instagram feed, but you can also submit your idea by emailing canteen@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

We'd love to see names inspired by its location next to the quadrangle. The quadrangle is a hub for Middle and Senior School students during recess and lunch, and is also one of the few venues where we can fit the whole School - from Kindy to Year 12 - for special events. Other prompts to consider are: our proximity to the ocean, the School's history, the area's indigenous history or our School Values.