The Lion's Roar - 30 March 2022

Congratulations to Ben (Year 6) who competed in the Nipper State Championships at Scarborough on 19 and 20 March. Ben won a silver medal in the Under 11 Male Board Rescue. He was also part of the team who won a silver medal for the Under 11 Male Cameron Relay. Well done, Ben!

The monsters have arrived in Year 3!

The students have created exploratory drawings to form the basis for a pinch pot ceramic monster. They are currently being fired in the kiln and we promise no monsters have been hurt in the process!

These Year 3 classes are to be commended on their creativity and unique monster forms. The Year 3 Monster project is often the highlight of the year for students, providing a great base for students to explore new materials and techniques.

See the Year 3 Monster Mash here.

A friendly reminder that this Friday 1 April is the Year 6 Parent-Teacher interviews. This will be a pupil free day for Year 6 students only.

The Year 9 Automation and Security students have had an introduction to drones this term. They learned all about the safety requirements and passed an Australian Government “Know Your Drone” safety quiz to earn a certificate.

The students then learnt how to program their drone using Blockly code, putting all their safety knowledge into practice. They finished off by programming their drones to navigate an obstacle course of hoops and bars.

This was the first time this activity has been run, and students are very keen to do it again!

HaSS Week is a state-wide celebration of all things Economics, Geography, Philosophy, History and Business. After having to delay the celebrations from Week 7, it was great to be able to celebrate this week.

It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm of students and staff getting involved in a range of activities. These included a biodiversity conservation display to raise awareness of our threatened native species, and the beginning of a lasting artwork to celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of St Mark’s.

The activities will continue, with an Amazing Race and the beginnings of a project to create 1000 paper cranes to commemorate peace.

School photos for all students (K-12) will take place Week 2 of Term 2.

Photo order forms will be sent home with students on the first day of Term 2. These forms are to be completed and then returned to your child’s class teacher/PCG tutor as soon as possible.

All St Mark's students are to wear the School's winter uniform in Terms 2 and 3. Further information regarding uniform requirements can be found here.

Please note that our order of jumpers and blazers has unfortunately been delayed. We will notify families once these items have arrived.

To assist families needing winter uniform items, the Uniform Shop will be open for trading as follows:

Extended opening hours for Term 1:

• Wednesday 30 March: 8am - 2pm and 3pm - 6pm
• Monday 4 April: 8am – 11.15am and 2pm – 6pm
• Wednesday 6 April (last day of Term 1): 8am - 2pm and 3pm to 6pm

School Holiday Trading Hours:

• Monday 18 April: Closed for Easter Monday Public Holiday
• Wednesday 20 April: 8am – 12pm and 2pm – 6pm
• Friday 22 April: 8am - 12pm and 2pm – 6pm
• Monday 25 April: Closed for Anzac Day Public Holiday
• Wednesday 27 April (first day of Term 2): 8am – 2pm

Just a friendly reminder that today's Art Club is for Year 9 and 10 students. Next week will be for Years 7 and 8. Thank you.

With our CAS season finishing last week, only two competitions were still going, Girls Touch Rugby and Year 6 Basketball. Both sports saw an extra week added to their season with some highly anticipated finals.

Girls Touch Rugby: Tuesday (Year 7-12) Mr Rowland and Mr Limpitlaw

Who would have thought the grand final game would be played between team Blitz and Yozza?! Beast and 7 Disciples will play for third and fourth.

After not winning a game all season, Yozza hit their stride late and stole an upset victory against second-placed Beast.

The young blood for Yozza and Beast were on show, with Casey and Sophie wreaking havoc over their opponents.

Blitz had a come from behind victory against the 7 Disciples, who were missing key players. Ella was exceptional, running the ball hard and pulling off some highlight bullet passes.

Players of the game: Sophie and Ella

Year 6 Basketball: Thursday Mr Bastow and Ms Lee

All teams played each other over the seven-game season resulting in the final ladder positions. The top 8 were split into two pools with semi-finals in place.

All four semi-finals were played, with each winning team advancing to the final playoff game:

Playoff for 7^th: Team 4 took the win in a real battle, with Gemma kick-starting the victory by scoring first.

Playoff for 5^th: In a very close one, Team 2 only won by two points over Team 6. Dylan was the last to score, with his shot being the game-winner.

Playoff for 3^rd: This was a high scoring final with 28 points scored. Highlights were everywhere, but Ollie’s monster 3-pointer was the best! The shootout ended with Team 5 getting the win 16-12.

Playoff for 1^st: Extra time was needed in this epic playoff for the title. All the pressure was on Team 1, who had been the favourites all season. They led early, with James and Phoebe leading the charge, but Team 3 slowly worked their way back into the game. Team 3 pressed hard with lots of pressure, and with Nick and Cooper scoring at will, they overran and won the game in an upset 15-12.

Congratulations to all the Year 6s who participated; the season was a huge success. A big thank you to our Year 8 Leaders who stepped up to assist with scoring and umpiring.

Next Term

For Year 7 – 12 students, we plan to return to our Interschool program.

Sports on offer will be:

• Netball (girls): Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Senior 10-12
• AFL (boys): Year 7, Year 8/9, Senior Year 10-12
• Soccer (mixed teams): Year 7, Year 8/9, Senior Year 10-12

Next week will be sign-ups. Details will be emailed and in the notices.

The Principal’s Cup is back with a bang! This hotly contested competition saw our all-star teacher team taking on a confident student line-up, with badminton being the chosen sport this time around.

It was an instant success with many students and staff turning up to battle it out for the first official winner for the year. The students started strong, pushing the teachers back, but unfortunately the taste of victory was short-lived as the teachers made a strong come back.

The final score was 3-1.

Thank you teachers, staff, and students for participating.

Aidan and Megan, Sports Prefects

Pop Tennis will be conducting before school tennis lessons in Term 2 at St Mark's for children from Years 1-6. All equipment is provided.

Details of the program for Term 2 2022 are as follows:

• Years 1-6 (eight week course)
• 7.30am - 8.15am
• $140 per child

To register, please email info@poptennis.com.au or call Glen on 0433 340 646 with the following information:

• Child’s Full Name
• What school year your child/ren are in
• Child’s Date of Birth
• Mobile number
• Email address

Paralympics Australia are conducting a Para Sport Come n Try Day at Bendat Stadium on Wednesday 20 April. These are fantastic events and a great way for kids to have a go at some Paralympic Sports. For more information please contact Paralympics.

From astronaut training to telescope taming, there's something for everyone these school holidays! Step out of reality and into our galaxy with Gravity Discovery Centre. Keep scrolling to see what's coming up this April!

Rocket Science 101 for Kids

Get Active: Astronaut Training

Tame Your Telescope

Observe the Cosmos Day and Night

MBA Sports Coaching are seeking sports enthusiasts, 17 years and over, to join their coaching team. For further information and eligibility criteria please contact MBA Sports Coaching or phone 0467 156 964.