The Lion's Roar - 31 May 2023

You may remember two short years ago that one of our St Mark's students, Callum, and his mate were out for a surf when they needed to jump into action and apply their Nippers training to rescue a 6ft man at risk of drowning. We are pleased to say that the two boys have been awarded The Bronze Medallion for Courage – Youth Award for their courageous efforts.

At the 2023 Coastal Bravery Awards ceremony over the weekend, Callum was one of 31 individuals to be honoured by Surf Life Saving WA. Nearly 160 guests gathered for the fifth bi-annual event to celebrate SLSWAs highest recognition for acts of bravery.

The Bronze Medallion for Courage – Youth Award is awarded to any person under the age of 16 who performs a lifesaving act demonstrating courage on the West Australian coast or, in the case of a member of Surf Life Saving WA, where they may have used the skills learned through their participation in surf life saving, to perform an act demonstrating courage away from the coast.

We are incredibly proud of Callum's selfless and courageous effort.

Callum and Brodie - Bronze Medallion for Courage – Youth Award Synopsis

At only 13 years of age, Mullaloo SLSC members Brodie and Callum applied their skills learned as Nippers to go to the aid of an adult male at risk of drowning. With a channel running across in front of the club, the calm waters on top belied the strong undercurrent, which had caught out the couple who had gone for an evening swim.

Out for a surf, screams alerted Brodie and Callum to their distress. While one of the individuals had managed to make their way to the shore, a male had been caught in the strong currents and was struggling to stay afloat under the dumping waves out back.

Paddling out to the exhausted man, they were able to drag him onto Brodie’s board, attempting to paddle him back to shore. Despite Brodie’s small board not being suitable for transporting a six-foot adult male, and with the individual slipping from the board numerous times as they navigated their way through the waves, they were able to make it back to shore safely.

Following the rescue, the man stated that he had feared for his life and didn’t know what would have happened if Callum and Brodie hadn’t come to his rescue.

You can read more about the awards here.

BRILLIANT BOULDERING

Isla, in Year 4, recently competed in the Portside Youth Festival Bouldering Competition in Willetton and was very proud to achieve her first podium and second place in the Youth E category (9 years and under). Having completed the ten-set climbs on her first attempt, Isla then took part in the Superfinal. It was very tight, and after two climbs, the result was decided by just one move.

Well done, Isla, you are a superstar, and we wish you the best of luck in achieving your goals!

TERRIFIC TUMBLING

What an awesome effort from Year 7 student Noah who came 6th in Level 6 Under 17 at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in Tumbling on the Gold Coast last week. This 12-year-old certainly has a bright future ahead of him in gymnastics!

PREM 1 PROWESS

Congratulations to Year 12 student Bailey on his debut with the Whitford Hockey Club Premier Mens Division 1 team over the weekend. The Prem 1 Division in hockey is the equivalent of football's WAFL.

We hear he had some great hustles against some current Kookaburra players, including Australian Captain Aran Zalewski!

The Term 2 St Mark's Salvation Army Cook-Up was held on Thursday 18 May. This is a fantastic initiative for a very worthy cause run by the St Mark's Old Scholars' Association.

Twelve families (students and parents) from the Junior and Middle Schools came together to work alongside each other and cook meals for the Salvation Army. It was a great afternoon, and the kitchen was a buzz with St Mark's community spirit. The families cooked and prepared eight full Bain Maries filled with amazing cooked meals (approx. 120 meals) that were to be served to the homeless and sleeping rough in the city by the Salvation Army over the weekend.

Thank you to all students and parents who attended the afternoon; Jason Reynolds and the Salvation Army Team are truly grateful.

We have seen an increase in the number of students presenting to the Wellness Centre with COVID / Cold and Flu symptoms, so please keep your child at home if they are sick.

Please be reminded that students with any symptoms should not be sent to school regardless of a negative RAT test. If your child presents to the Wellness Centre with any cold or flu, or COVID symptoms, we will have to call you to come and collect them. For information regarding the latest rulings relating to COVID cases, please click here.

Unfortunately, there are still lots of other viruses in the community, and we need to protect our staff and students.

If your child is sick with any illness, please keep them at home.

Thank you for your understanding.

Wellness Centre Team

Our beloved onsite traffic warden, Marie, is leaving us! Marie has been a wonderful member of the St Mark's community, keeping our students, staff and families safe manning the PAC crossing for nearly ten years.

Marie's departure from her role creates an opportunity for someone else to step into her shoes. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying, please download the job description below and contact us at principal@stmarks.wa.edu.au

The Traffic Warden is responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient movement of students, adults, and vehicles on the School Grounds during the main drop-off and collection times of 8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm.

Download the job description here.

This annual event is open to students who learn an instrument with a tutor, either at St Mark's or privately. Vocalists are welcome to apply, but they must be taking lessons. A guest adjudicator will provide feedback, and every performance entry will gain house points towards winning the House Music Shield for 2023. Whilst there are no individual winners of this event, the adjudicator will award Excellent and Outstanding medals to exceptional performers in each year, which will also go towards the House Shield.

Interested students in Years 2-5 should perform one piece of their own choice. If students learn more than one instrument, they can enter one piece on each instrument. All students should use accompaniment, either live (provided by the school) or backing track. Please note that extremely keen Year 2 String player applications will be accepted subject to teacher approval.

Click here to register.

• Early bird cost of $10 and closes Monday 12 June
• All other entries are $15 and close Monday 19 June

This fee covers multiple entries on individual instruments and covers piano accompaniment (if required), a technical rehearsal and a formal adjudicator.

All students will be required to wear house shirts on this day. They will either be an active member of our audience to support their peers or performing themselves. We can’t wait to see who the Champion house is for 2023!

Please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Raymond if you have any questions.

Interested in starting an instrument?

Studies show that playing a musical instrument lowers stress and increases well-being – why not start something new next term and enrol online? Our Instrumental Music Handbook contains all the instruments we have on offer and lots of other useful information. Enrolment is ongoing unless a withdrawal form is lodged at least two weeks prior to the end of term.

If you would like to withdraw from instrumental lessons for Term 3, please complete the online withdrawal form before your tutor’s withdrawal deadline (most have this as Friday 16 June). After this deadline, another term of music lessons will be charged for before the withdrawal can take effect.

Due to popular demand, David Goldfinch has opened up another half day of teaching and is taking enrolments for Term 3.

David is an experienced piano tutor and music teacher who loves to make learning music fun, and his lessons quickly book out. As a St Mark’s parent himself, he loves working with our students and can cater for a wide variety of genres (classical, jazz, contemporary etc.).

If you’d like to start lessons with David in Term 3, please complete the online enrolment form and put David Goldfinch in the “preferred tutor, if any” section.

This week’s presentation from The Resilience Project focuses on Gratitude.

Gratitude is paying attention to the things that we have right now and not worrying about what we don’t have. We practise this by noticing the positives that exist around us.

Research shows that practising gratitude rewires our brains to overcome negative bias (which can lead to anxiety and depression) and see the world for what we are thankful for. It is also shown to broaden thinking and increase physical health through improved sleep and attitude to exercise.

View Part 2 of the series, 'Gratitude' here:

There are many ways in which you can practise gratitude, including starting a gratitude journal. You can simply use a notebook to list three things that went well for you each day, or use a more comprehensive Wellbeing Journal, like those created by The Resilience Project.

Source: Psychology Today

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

The use of mobile phones and technology in schools has been a highly debated topic internationally, including in Australia. Almost all states and territories in Australia have implemented full bans on mobile phones during class, recess, and lunch times while allowing students to carry their phones during travel to and from school.

Critics argue that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of such bans, but this is a mischaracterisation. Studies have shown the positive impacts of mobile phone bans in schools. One study conducted in 2016 found that banning mobile phones led to an increase in student performance, with test scores improving by 6.4% of a standard deviation. Similar studies from Spain and Norway also supported these findings.

For parents concerned about mobile phone separation anxiety in their children, it is important to acknowledge it as a real issue and discuss the negative effects of phone addiction, such as sleep problems and mental health issues. Gradually introducing phone-free periods at home, setting clear expectations and boundaries and modelling healthy behaviours can help your child cope. It is also crucial to establish a support network and seek professional help if needed. Implementing mobile phone bans in schools allows for better focus on teaching and learning, minimising distractions and interruptions.

This Special Report will help address mobile phone separation anxiety and provide guidance on supporting your child’s wellbeing during this transition period. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.

Click on this link to view the Special Report.

We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education will be hosting a free webinar for our parents on Wednesday 7 June.

Elevate Education works with our students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you will learn how you can help better support your children at home by reinforcing the skills they learn at school:

• Wednesday 7 June @ 6:30pm (AEST)
• ​How to Help Your Child Prepare for Exams

Click here to register for free

This webinar will be discussing:

✅ High Priority Work: The kinds of work students should be focusing on in the build-up to exams to maximise marks

✅ Time Management: How to ensure your child has enough time to prepare for their exams

✅ Practice Papers: How to prepare effectively using past questions and practice papers

Did you know that our Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is run on-site every Friday during term time? We'd love to see your little cub there this Friday!

Join us from 8.45 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. for lots of fun and games. Little Lions Playgroup is a community-based group run in conjunction with Playgroup WA and caters for children up to school age. Families attending our Kindy and not in session on Fridays are more than welcome to join as well.

For more information and to book your spot, please email us, osa@stmarks.wa.edu.au or join our Facebook group HERE.

Everyone is welcome - you do not need to be an Old Scholar (former student) of St Mark's to attend.

Please see attached what school holiday programs are on offer in July within the City of Wanneroo,

Click here for the programs available.