A group of Year 5 students - William Lynch, Daniel File, Jay Brown and Jaiden Oliver - took their aerodynamic paper plane designs to the IPSHA Paper Plane Competition, held at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School yesterday afternoon. Their design (and piloting) skills were fantastic - they definitely were our Top Guns! Special congrats to Danny, on taking out the top spot in the Year 5 Category for Distance! Great job, Year 5s!
Has your child represented Western Australia in 2021 via selection in a State sporting body? If so, please complete the attached application form and we will consider their application to be placed on the honour board in the Len King Sports Pavilion.
All Primary School families are invited to our annual Christmas Concert, hosted by the Crescendo Kids and Take Note Choir.
Date: Friday 3 December 2021
Time: 5pm to 7.30pm
Venue: Junior School Oval
Bring: Picnic rugs and drinks
Free sausage sizzle from 5pm to 6pm. Concert commences at 6pm. Coffee van will be onsite.
Over the last few years, the Global Citizenship Council with the help of students and families from the Primary and ELC have participated in a Christmas toy collection for the Heathridge Salvation Army. This year we have been contacted by the Centre to help them in a very big way. They are in desperate need of shopping items due to the continuing impact of COVID-19 in our local area.
Our Global Citizenship Council have prepared a fantastic video explaining how you can get involved.
The collection will run from Friday 29 October to Friday 26 November.
We thank you for your ongoing support of this very important cause. Over $300 was raised from our Donation Bag collection last term and these funds have also been donated to the Heathridge Centre to buy supplies for the above appeal.
The following items are desperately sought for families in need:
| Year Group | Wish List Items |
|---|---|
|
Kindy to Year 1
|
Coffee, Milo,hot chocolate, family size bottles of shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste etc
|
|
Year 2
|
UHT full cream milk, tins of baked beans/spaghetti, 2-minute cup noodles bowls (the ones you can just pour hot water into)
|
|
Year 3
|
Canned tuna/sardines/salmon, muesli bars, fruit cups
|
|
Year 4
|
Chips, biscuits, Christmas festive cookies, cakes, chocolates
|
|
Year 5
|
Dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent
|
There are 472,000 people living with dementia in Australia, with this figure predicted to reach 1,076,000 by 2058 if no action is taken. Dementia is what describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, movement, problem-solving or communication. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. It is progressive, which means the symptoms will get worse over time. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a natural part of ageing. It is possible to live well with dementia.
On Friday 29 October (Week 3), WEAR YOUR FUNKY SOCKS and bring a gold coin donation to raise awareness and money for Dementia Australia. Join us in the quad at lunchtime for a meet and greet with Flick Palmateer, at St Mark's Old Scholar and Dementia Ambassador - Flick recently came 3rd in Australian Survivor!
Music will be playing and tins for donations will be around to donate!
The Uniform Shop advises that the large school backpacks and unisex sport shorts have been delayed in Singapore, due to shipping problems. They are now expected in January 2022. If you ordered one of these items, we will alert you as soon as they have arrived.
PS: Are you looking for volunteer hours? Sign Up here!
With international borders gradually reopening, we hope it won't be long before ASC International (ASCI) resumes welcoming international students back to the ASC schools around Australia. In anticipation of this, ASCI is seeking expressions of interest from St Mark's families who would be willing to host a student.
A home stay provides the student with the opportunity to live in home setting, taking away some of the stresses of living away from family. It also gives them insight into Australian culture, and the chance to further build on their English-language skills. In return, your family with have the opportunity to learn more about your guest's home country and expand your own global horizons - at home! Many lifelong friendships are built through home stays, and it can be very rewarding for you as a host family, as well as for the young person who comes into your care.
If you would like to find out more about hosting a regional, interstate or international student, please contact the ASCI's Accommodation Coordinator at homestay@asci.edu.au. Hosts are paid a weekly fee.
As a way of encouraging excellence in education and rewarding high achievement, St Mark’s is offering a limited number of Academic Scholarships for students entering Year 6 in 2023 (current Year 4 students). Registrations for the 2023 program are now open and close on Friday 11 February 2022. The Scholarship is open to all*, inclusive of current and waitlisted students, as well as to those with no current connection to the School.
Up to four Scholarships are available, with partial tuition fee remission. The number of Scholarships awarded each year and the percentage of tuition fee remission is at the discretion of the School Council.
The Scholarships are awarded based on the performance of the student in the Scholarship examination. Shortlisted candidates may also be interviewed prior to final selection of Scholarship recipients. Scholarships will be awarded for the students’ entire secondary school career at St Mark’s (Years 6 to 12), subject to ongoing review.
The testing will be conducted independently by Academic Assessment Services at St Mark’s on Saturday 19 February 2022.
A Registration Fee of $95 will be charged by Academic Assessment Services for each child sitting the examination. Please note that an additional fee of $50 will be incurred for late registrations. Your registration will be confirmed by Academic Assessment Services.
More information, including key dates and eligibility, is available on the School website. Registration for the Scholarship testing should be submitted online here by Friday 11 February.
If you have any other queries regarding the 2023 Academic Scholarship Program, please email scholarships@stmarks.wa.edu.au or call (08) 9403 1342.
*Excludes international students.
On Tuesday 26 October, the three Year 2 classes presented beautiful concerts in the Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex, showcasing what they have learnt throughout the year. The students were so excited to show their families the songs that they have learned to play, finishing with the classic tune, Hot Cross Buns.
It was so heart-warming to see the pure joy and excitement on their faces! The audiences were suitably impressed with the sound that the students produced and their confident presentation.
The Year 2s have attended weekly 40-minute string classes where they have had the opportunity to learn either the violin, viola or cello in a class ensemble setting. Miss Leah Guelfi would like to thank the three strings tutors Barbara Malinowski, Cristina Filgueira and Edel Taylor for their work throughout the year. She would also like to thank all the students for a successful year of music making, and she looks forward to seeing many of these students continue in the music program in the future.
A form will be emailed to Year 2 parents shortly to nominate whether your child will be continuing their instrument in 2021. Any queries can be emailed to lguelfi@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Calling all musical Year 4 and 5 students – anyone who will be in Year 5 or Year 6 in 2022 is invited to apply to be part of the 2022 Band Program! Interested students and parents have the opportunity to attend Band Interviews this week where they will be able to trial instruments, meet tutors and discuss their instrument choices with the Director of Music. Application letters for each year group are available on the Primary Parent Portal. An email will be sent out later this week with further information. In the interim, if you have questions, please contact Eloise Thomas on 9403 1350.
The St Mark's Parents and Friends' Association are pleased to be introducing two members of our local community who have some inspiring stories to share:
Jason Snell, who completed the "Marathon Des Sables" aka the Ice, Water and Fire Challenge in 2019, which saw him conquer the English Channel, Mt Everest and the Sahara Desert, will be sharing some stories of his adventures and who inspires him.
Sue Oldham, a well-known member of the Mullaloo SLSC, will also be sharing her story with us. Sue is a Perth Zoo docent, and has completed multiple Rottnest Channel and other long distance swims, despite only taking up the sport later in life.
Date: Tuesday 16 November
Time: 7pm
Venue: Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex
Tickets: Free, but bookings are required. Book here.
Drinks and nibbles will be served at the conclusion of the talks.
Guests are entitled to claim two parent commitment hours per family for attending this event.
The St Mark's Old Scholars' Association invites all members of the Classes of 1991, 2001 and 2011 to their Milestone Reunion on Saturday 6 November. Tickets are available now at just $25pp.
REMINDER! The next Fete Drop Off Day is taking place this Sunday 7 November, between 9am and 11am.
We are looking for second-hand items such as books, toys and household items - all need to be in good, clean condition.
We cannot accept used soft toys, bedding, shoes, clothing or electrical items.
Small packing boxes are also needed (banana box or wine box size), to help with sorting and storage before the Fete.
Drop off point is the main driveway at the roundabout near Main Administration Building.
New items such as prizes for Fete Raffles and Silent Auctions, novelty pencils, new small toys and soft toys (as prizes for game stalls) are also requested.
Volunteers are needed to help on Drop Off Day - Sign Up here!
St Mark's is trialling the DiGii Social platform with Year 6s, as part of our Digital Literacy program, to help students learn to be responsible internet citizens, and how to look after themselves online. They have recently released some tips and resources with the School in relation to children accessing inappropriate content, such as Squid Game. The lesson plan discusses inappropriate content being viewed and shared and what children need to do to if they see anything that causes worry, fear or harm.
If you would like to know more about how you as a family can talk about inappropriate content such as Squid Game, DiGii Social have a great blog post on how to approach this topic. The greatest protective factor is a grown up who listens before lecturing, who connects before they correct, and who shows up equally emotionally steady in the best of times and worst of times. If you are concerned about content that your child has been exposed to and it’s impact on their emotional state and behaviour, please be brave enough to seek help. Start with your family GP. Some children are more influenced by what they see online – usually inadvertently – and early help seeking saves lots of family and parental stress.
ReachOut.com also has some useful information for parents.
Did you know...
The five dimensions of learning about online safety are:
We have a number of parent volunteer opportunities coming up - can you help? These, and other volunteer opportunities, are listed here. Information on how to log your parent hours, and to confirm what hours you completed in Term 1, 2 and 3 is also available on that page (scroll down to below the volunteer opportunities table). Term 4 hours will be added at the end of the year.
Exam Supervision - 2 to 12 November
Our Senior School team are looking for parent volunteers to supervise the Year 11 exams, between 2 November and 12 November. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. For more information, email absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au and put 'Exam Supervision' in the subject line.
Fete Assistance
Get involved in the 2022 Fete! We are still on the lookout for some parent volunteers to assist with the management of;
- Waste control
- COVID Safety
- Entertainment
- Setting up and packing away of the Fete
Teams of two or 3 people would be really helpful for these important tasks.
Electrician: to meet our safety requirements, we are looking for the services of an electrician to check and sign off our "Electrical Safety" as part of the City of Joondalup Event Application.
For more information on these opportunities or to volunteer, email the Fete Coordinator fete@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop is in need of volunteers - click here to find a slot that matches your schedule! New slots added this week.
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.