The Lion's Roar - 3 November 2021

The WA All Schools Championships is the premier event for school athletics competition in the State, with a number of St Mark's students competing over three days (29 to 31 October). Congratulations to all the students who took part, including Madison Esquivel, Michael Kirby-Smith and Charli-Rose Carlyon.

Madison competed in the U16 Girls long jump, finishing on the podium in third place, the U16 Girls 200m hurdles (5th place), U16 Girls 90m hurdles, making the preliminary finals, and concluding her outstanding weekend with a first place in the U16 Girls triple jump.

Michael competed in the U16 Boys 400m and 200m, making the preliminary finals in both, and finishing 6th overall in the 200m finals, a fantastic achievement.

Charli-Rose came first in the U18 Girls 1500m, and first in the U18 Girls 3000m, as well as 4th in the U18 Girls 800m, another outstanding performance.

Well done to all three of our participants!

Last week Friday, St Mark's joined Sacred Heart Primary School and Wembley Downs Primary School in the inaugural Tee-ball Champion Schools Tee-ball Competition. It was fabulous day out in at the Empire Ball Park in Thornlie, with 12 students from Year 4 and 5 giving the competition a go. We had a very successful day out, coming in as Runners Up in the competition. Well done to all our participants!

This semester, St Mark’s business students in Years 9 to 11 'invested' $50,000 in some of the top 200 public companies traded on the market through the ASX Stock Market Game. It has been a volatile period for shares over the last 8 weeks and students found finding companies increasing in value challenging. Congratulations goes to Lachlan Gooch in Year 11 who was the highest ranked student in the School, with a final portfolio value of $52,965. This placed Lachlan 33rd in Western Australia. Congratulations, Lachlan!

The Pre Primary to Year 4 swimming lessons and Year 5 surfing lessons commence on Monday 8 November. The students will participate in daily lessons for two weeks (excluding Monday 15 November). Please ensure your students have all needed items with them every day. We strongly encourage you to label all items with your child's name to ensure any misplaced items can easily be returned.

Students must wear their sports uniform to and from School each day for the duration of the swimming lessons. It is recommended that students wear their bathers to School under their sports uniform (remember to pack underwear to change into) and bring a pair of thongs to wear to the pool. All swimming gear (bathers, rash vest, goggles, towel, comb, brush, underwear, etc) are to be labelled with the student’s name and taken to the Centre in a bag, also labelled.

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.

Medical, permission and waiver forms are now well overdue for the Year 9 Outdoor Adventure Studies Camp. All forms need to be returned as a matter of urgency, to the PE/OE Office or via email to class teachers. Medical and dietary information needs to be processed and submitted to the venue by Friday.

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.

Sports honour Board Application 2021

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!

***BOOKINGS CLOSE 10PM TONIGHT!***

It's once again time for the annual Fathering Project St Mark's Camp Out, organised by the POSTMEN (Papas of St Mark's Engagement Network). The POSTMEN invite all dads and father figures with children attending St Mark's (in any year group) to join them for a fun-filled afternoon and easygoing camp out on the Junior School Oval. You can participate in the Dads vs Kids 'Capture the Flag' Championship, enter the Dodgeball Competition, or just chuck a frisbee or kick a footy with your kids on the Oval. It is a fantastic experience to spend time with your kids, and mingle with other dads from St Mark's.

When: Saturday 6 November, with arrival and tent set up from 10am. Activities commence at 1pm. Pack away and depart by 11am on Sunday 7 November.

Where: Junior School Oval

Tickets: $25 per family for overnight (includes dinner and breakfast), or $15 per family for just the afternoon activities (includes dinner). Book online.

For enquiries or questions, please contact Josh Newton from the POSTMEN Committee on 0403 466 132 or email josh.newton@r-group.com.au.

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.

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.

A reminder for families to pay outstanding school fees and charges by the due dates in the table below. Families must contact the Family Accounts Officer, Mrs Kaye Smith, at familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au if they are unable to meet the due dates.

The Uniform Shop will be offering extended trading hours to help parents prepare for Term 1, 2022. Please take note of the following dates:

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS

• Monday 15 November (student-free day): 8am to 11.15am then 2pm to 5pm
• Monday 29 November: 8am to 11.15am then 2pm to 6.30pm
• Wednesday 1 December: 8am to 2pm then 3pm to 6.30pm
• Monday 6 December: 8am to 11.15am then 2pm to 6.30pm (Last trading day for 2021)

REOPENING TERM 1 2022

• Thursday 20 January 2022 (Pick up day for pre-ordered items ONLY): 8am to 12pm then 2pm to 4pm. No other purchases can be made on this day.
• Monday 24 January 2022: 8am to 12pm then 2pm to 6pm (all sales)
• Thursday 27 January 2022: 8am to 12pm then 2pm to 6pm (all sales)

The St Mark's Parents and Friends’ Association continually provide a high level of support to our School. The P&F generously supports the School by funding projects that are not essential for education, but have a positive effect on our School community. The P&F is inviting staff, parents and students to submit project proposals for funding in 2022.

Criteria for Project Funding

Project ideas are being sought from the School community. Funding applications and projects will be assessed against criteria set by the P&F in conjunction with the School Executive. As a general guide, projects should:

• have a positive impact on our School community (this may include parents and the broader School community, not just students);
• not be for normal classroom resources, substitutional for, or incremental to, School budgets;
• benefit a large number of families and preferably not restricted to an individual year group or subject;
• should be considered appropriate by the School Executive (among other things, in keeping with the School’s values, manageable and maintainable); and
• should be non-recurrent in nature so that the P&F input is not spread too thinly or committed for many years.

If you have ideas that meet these criteria, please:

• research the idea;
• obtain indicative costs if possible;
• talk the ideas through with your Department Head (or similar); and
• email a letter of request, together with supporting documentation outlining the project details and costs, to treasurer.pf@stmarks.wa.edu.au by Tuesday 30 November 2021.

The P&F will consider all applications over the December 2021/January 2022 school holidays and may contact you for further details or to attend the meeting to present your proposal.

Examples of projects that have been funded (or part-funded) by the P&F in the past are:

• Foyer refurbishment in the Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex
• Sheltered area outside the Junior School Phys Ed office
• Whitfords Avenue shade shelters
• Toyota Coaster bus
• Air-conditioning in the Chapel and Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex
• Bike shelters
• The St Mark's App
• Outdoor seating
• Membership to the Sustainable School Shop
• SunSmart UV indicator
• Marquees (portable) for sports events
• Shade sails
• Electronic signboard on Whitfords Avenue
• Outdoor table tennis tables
• Basketball/netball rings
• Drones for the certificate program in drone piloting
• Flag poles
• Storage for play equipment
• CORE play equipment
• P&F Art Acquisition Award
• Various murals and art pieces around the school

The P&F is inviting all students from Years 2 to 12 to enter a competition to design a poster to promote the 2022 Fete. Please share this information with your children. The details are also available in Daily Notices on SEQTA.

WIN A GOLDEN TICKET!

Design a poster to promote the 2022 Fete and you could win a Golden Ticket, which will entitle you to enjoy free food, drink and a fun activity (details to be confirmed) at the Fete! There is a prize for a Primary School (Years 2 to 5) and a prize for Middle/Senior School (Years 6 to 12).

The poster will need to include the following information:

Date: 12 March 2022

Time: 10am to 3pm

Venue: St Mark's

Special features/stall information that could be highlighted: side show rides, stalls, food and drink, Dunk a Teacher, displays, market stalls, competitions, raffles, silent auctions, Trash 'n Treasure stall, book stall, toys and games (all stalls and rides will be cash only)

Parking: Secondary Oval

Competition Entry Information

The poster needs to be A4 size and be able to be printed and produced in a digital format. ( It can be a scanned copy of a hand drawn poster) to the Fete Coordinator at fete@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Closing date for entries: 17 November 2021

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
  

Has your child shown an interest in learning a musical instrument? We are delighted to offer students access to a wide range of instruments, including woodwind, brass, strings and more! Please download the flyer for more information. It includes a guideline of what instruments are recommended for each year group.

Please note that current enrolments are ongoing, unless the Music Department is notified well in advance that your child will not be continuing in the next term. Please contact Ms Eloise Thomas at ethomas@stmarks.wa.edu.au for an online enrolment form (or a withdrawal form if your child will not be continuing lessons).

Last week staff, students and parents were invited to join a free drawing workshop led by professional visual artist, Andy Quilty. It was lovely for our creative community to come together for this event. Andy was outstanding in his delivery of a fun session which encouraged attendees to think outside the box with their art.

Andy was our artist-in-residence for Week 3 of this term, sharing his knowledge with our secondary students. Andy lectures in Fine Art at UWA and is the Program Patron for the Military Art Program Australia. He facilitates workshops in schools, correctional facilities, community groups and Indigenous art centres. He has been a finalist in a number of significant art awards.

It was a privilege to host Andy at St Mark's and we thank him for his time. Thanks also to teachers Nadine Bastow and Kerise Delcoure who organised this fabulous experience for the St Mark's. We'd also like to thank the St Mark’s Parents & Friends’ Association for their financial support of this event.

Thank you to all Year 2 Students for their wonderful enthusiasm shown throughout the year during the String Program. In order for us to plan for 2022, we require all Year 2 families to fill out a form to let us know your child’s intentions for next year in regards to learning an instrument. Please download a copy of the letter for further information, and links to relevant forms, which must be received by the end of Week 6, Friday 19 November.

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.

We have shared recently some news of magpies guarding nests in the local community, and while territorial behaviour will cool off as the chicks grow, the warmer weather has also seen other wild residents make an appearance in the streets of Hillarys, including the slithery kind!

The WA Parks and Wildlife Service has the following advice in regards to what to do if you see a snake. Snakes are an integral part of the natural environment and play an important role in wildlife ecosystems, even in our metropolitan areas. Snakes are protected species in all states in Australia.

Precautions

• Take care in bushland and grassy areas.
• Walk and/or cycle in cleared areas only, where you can see the ground.
• When bushwalking, wear long trousers and boots or other enclosed footwear that preferably cover the ankles.
• Keep a watchful eye on the ground about a metre ahead of where you are walking, and avoid entering areas of long grass, rushes and undergrowth.
• Around your home remove long grass and items lying on the ground such as corrugated iron, which may provide cover for snakes.
• Reduce mice numbers around the house.

If you find a snake

Do not approach or aggravate it in any way. Most bites occur when people accidentally step on snakes, or while attempting to kill or move them. Most feel the vibrations of your footsteps and move away before you even get close. Alternatively, if you find a snake right at your feet, it is recommended that you remain perfectly still until the snake moves away.

ECU is Inviting students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 in 2022 to come and explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in an interactive and engaging environment through the CREATE program designed and developed by ECU School of Engineering.

ACTIVITIES

• Robotics
• Civil Engineering
  

DATES: 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, & 20th January 2022

TIME: 9:15AM – 3:00PM

For more information, including registration details, please download the flyer.