The Lion's Roar - 5 April 2023

THE AUSSIE CHAMPS

Congratulations to two of our Year 10 students, Jackson and Jurgens, who joined members from Australia’s 314 Surf Clubs to compete in more than 480 beach and ocean events last week. It is the largest event of its kind, only compared to the likes of the Commonwealth Games!

Jackson achieved the following results for his events:

• 7^th Champion Lifesaver of Under 15s (competitors must be in the Top 2 of the state to compete in this event)
• 9^th in Surfing Under 15s
• 10^th in Board Relay Under 15s

Jurgens achieved the following results in his events:

• 11^th in Surf Team and Individual Under 15s
• 11^th in 2km Open Ocean Swim Under 15s

We have also heard that Jurgens is headed to the Australian Swimming Championship in Gold Coast for 2 weeks.

What fabulous achievements for both students! Well done, boys!

ROCK ON

Congratulations to Year 8 student, Levi, on a fantastic performance at the Indi Bar Stage last Saturday. He plays lead guitar in his two bands, Mini Soda and Colourblind, as part of the Rock Scholars program.

Well done, Levi!

ATHLETICS ACE

Charli-Rose in Year 12 has placed 2nd at the National Australian Athletics Championships in Brisbane over the weekend. Racing in the U20 Women's 5000m, not only did Charli-Rose win a silver medal she also achieved a PB of 17:07.98 minutes.

Way to go, Charli-Rose!

The highly anticipated Years 3 - 6 NIPSSA Interschool Swimming Carnival took place on Friday, 31 March, at the illustrious HBF Arena Joondalup, after last year's carnival was cancelled due to COVID. The students, brimming with enthusiasm and zeal, exuded an aura of exultation and displayed impeccable performance, giving tough competition to the other schools, including Whitford’s Catholic, St Stephen’s Duncraig, St Stephen’s Carramar, Peter Moyes, Lake Joondalup Baptist School and Padbury Catholic School.

This year, the invincible St Mark’s once again reigned supreme, seizing the throne for the 12^th time. The School’s outstanding performance, which resulted in a whopping 596 points and catapulted them to the first position on the scoreboard, whilst Lake Joondalup Baptist School and St Stephen’s Duncraig secured the second and third spots with 558 and 540 points, respectively.

All staff of St Mark’s, beaming with pride, lauded the efforts of every member of the St Mark’s team for exhibiting excellent sportsmanship and roaring cheers for every participant, irrespective of the team they represented. The contributions of Mrs Denham, Miss Martino, Mrs Lee and the diligent parents who helped on the day were also recognised and appreciated.

The electric ambience created by the cheering support from the students was nothing short of phenomenal, resonating with deafening intensity and generating a fantastic atmosphere.

A well-deserved pat on the back to all participants for their unwavering commitment and dedication.

The final scores were as follows:

Michael Barton,
Primary Phys Ed Teacher

It has been a clay-filled term, with Years 2 and 3 all completing a Ceramic piece. Year 2 students completed a beautifully embellished fish using the slab technique, and Year 3 students created the popular pinch pot monster.

Well done to our budding artists!

From the 22 to 24 March, the St Mark's Year 6s went on their school camp. It was held at Ern Halliday Recreation Camp, which is located southwest of St Mark’s.

The year 6s were split into two groups- the Lions and the Monkeys. 6.1, 2 and 3 were the Monkeys, and 6.4, 5 and 6 were the Lions. All participated in lots of different activities, including archery, going on a flying fox, beach team building games, surf lifesaving, and lost pilot (which is a game that involves teamwork, using radios and learning how to read a map). The aim of the camp was to try to help them learn new skills, build teamwork, try new things and have fun!

The menu on camp had many different types of food, ranging from Mexican dinners to assorted cookies as snacks. It was a change for many when breakfast consisted of hot, cooked meals such as sausages, bacon, and eggs. There were plenty of cereals and two types of toast. Lunches were usually wraps or rolls with choices of chicken, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.

The movie night was a highlight for lots. It was called ‘Racing Stripes’, but for most, the snacks said it all. Students were allowed a cup of salty popcorn, and different flavours of gelato, for instance, mint choc chip, vanilla, milk chocolate, and more. Picnic rugs were allowed, and it was a very enjoyable night overall.

In the afternoon, students were asked to pick two out of three activities to try. These were either Zumba, a type of dancing, Fit Box, which mainly consisted of boxing, and Tranquil Minds, a meditation session. Tranquil Minds was popular with the children as it was calming after the exhausting yet fun activities. They were fun, and the Year 6s appreciated the lively evening.

On this camp, the Year 6s learned many different skills. It was challenge by choice, and by making it so helped them to come out of their shells and face their fears. It was an enjoyable and exciting camp, full of new people, new places and foods. Sleeping in the dormitories was a good way to challenge self-control. Overall, it was an amazing camp that was beneficial for the Year 6s and will absolutely help them to overcome challenges, grow and transition into that steady rhythm in middle school.

Haley and Emmalyn
Year 6 Students

Congratulations to our fabulous students who won awards in the Education Perfect Global Languages Championship 2023!

This competition was a wonderful opportunity for our students to have fun celebrating the languages they are learning with peers from over 2,000 schools worldwide.

Here is what some of our students had to say about their achievements:

I decided to challenge myself with this competition, I found it fun, and it gave me opportunities to extend my knowledge of my language and learn more! I found this beneficial for my upcoming test, and helping me try new opportunities. ~ Sienna, Year 8

I really enjoyed this opportunity to compete in this competition; I hope to be able to do this again. I learned a lot about the language I have been taught for the year that I otherwise wouldn’t know, and I am glad to share this experience with the other 4 winners. ~ Amelia, Year 8

Bonjour! I am very pleased to of won an award for the EP world championship!!! I have worked so hard, and my efforts have won me an award!!! Merci! ~ Jayden, Year 8

Get Technical: Behind the Curtain of 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' was an amazing experience for all who went.

The students learnt about the different career options when working in live theatre. These included Stage Management, Lighting, Sound, Wigs/Hair/Make-up, Wardrobe, Props, Mechanists, Flys and Automation, and each department gave a live demonstration of what they do during the show. A representative of each department also gave a brief description of what their role is in the show and the courses and work experience they got to become the backstage crew.

Overall, the students had a great time and found the experience interesting and useful, as they now have a better understanding of the wide selection of careers that are available in live theatre.

Emily Hart and Josh Emslie-McCarthy,
Year 12 Students

The Middle School Captains are calling for donations from our community of warm, comfortable clothing and business attire.

We are looking for winter warmies for St Matthew’s Anglican Church and “Dressed for Success” business attire for the Whitfords Parish during Week 1 of Term 2.

Items required include warm, comfortable jackets, hoodies, track pants, jeans, sneakers, blankets, doonas and also business attire.

Items can be dropped off at the Hall during the first week of Term 2.

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.

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.

The Uniform Shop is open during the following extended hours to grab your winter uniform needs:

• Monday 3rd April 8am - 11am and 2pm - 6pm
• Wednesday 5th April 8am - 2pm and 3pm - 6pm

School Holiday Trading

• Wednesday 19th April 8am -12pm and 2pm - 6pm
• Friday 21st April 8am - 12pm and 2pm - 6pm

Please note normal trading hours will resume on Monday 24 April.

We wish to inform our families that after a lengthy process in consultation with our Uniform Team, we will be outsourcing the management of our Uniform Shop to external supplier, Tara Uniforms (trading as Matrix Uniforms). We have a very good relationship with Tara Uniforms, who have been a long-standing supplier of St Mark's uniforms. As with all outsourcing opportunities, there will be some changes; however, we believe that these will benefit our School community greatly.

Here is a breakdown of the changes:

What will remain the same:

• The friendly uniform team will still be on hand to offer the fabulous assistance they always have
• Design and quality will remain the same
• Parent Commitment Hours for the uniform shop will still be in place
• The Uniform Shop will still be in the same location at school
• The Uniform Shop will still be open on Monday and Wednesday

What's changing:

• Tara Uniforms will supply and stock our uniform needs from 1 July 2023
• We will have online ordering available from Term 3 - more details to come
• Opening hours will change slightly to better accommodate peak morning trading
• There will be no capability for second-hand uniforms to be sold in the Uniform Shop

Second-Hand Uniforms

The Uniform Shop is no longer able to take second-hand uniforms. If you are chasing second-hand items, please join the Facebook group here.

Those families who have second-hand uniforms currently on consignment in the Uniform Shop will need to collect them before 30 June 2023. Any outstanding credits for items previously sold will be applied to your school account.

Those families who have items that haven't sold will be contacted, and the items will need to be collected before 30 June 2023.

Tara Uniforms will not have the option to sell second-hand uniforms on consignment.

Tara Uniforms will commence operation from 1 July 2023. We will have further information over the coming months.

You may also have heard that Lyn Waite, our Uniform Shop Manager, is currently on long service leave and on a segway to retirement, and Diana Kelly has been promoted to the position of Uniform Shop Manager to replace Lyn. If you missed your chance to wish Lyn well, we are pleased to advise that she is returning to the Shop from 15 - 24 May 2023 for staff holiday cover.

The 2022 edition of the School's yearbook, Endeavour, have been distributed to students via their classroom/PCG teacher.

The book has been sent home with the eldest child in each family. Those students who had siblings in Year 12 in 2022 will not receive a copy even if they are currently the eldest child at school, as we have invited the Class of 2022 to come in to collect their copy.

Families who are new to St Mark's in 2023 will not receive a copy of the 2022 edition.

We hope you enjoy reading through the book with your children as you share memories of the many wonderful activities undertaken during the course of 2022.

If you have any questions related to the 2022 Endeavour, please email Amanda Kemp.

Wow! It seems like only yesterday we were at the beginning of the year and now we are almost at the end of Term 1! Please be aware that the end of Term 1 is Thursday 6 April due to Good Friday on 7 April.

For your information, here are the term dates for 2023:

2023 Term Dates

Term 1: Monday 30 January to Thursday 6 April

Term 2: Wednesday 26 April to Friday 30 June

Term 3: Tuesday 25 July to Friday 22 September

Term 4: Monday 9 October to Tuesday 5 December

K-12 School photos will take place during Term 2, Week 3.

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

Please also take a look at the following flyer, which contains more detailed information: 2023 Photo Day flyer

Please download the photo schedule here.

We have had some requests from our community to advise the term dates for next year. Please see below the term dates for 2024:

Term 1: Monday 29 January to Thursday 28 March
Term 2: Tuesday 16 April to Friday 21 June
Term 3: Tuesday 16 July to Friday 20 September
Term 4: Monday 7 October to Friday 6 December (the Secondary Presentation Ceremony will be held on Monday 9 December)

Key features for 2024:

• The extra week to make the three-week mid-year break is taken at the end of Term 2 in 2024, not at the beginning of Term 3 as has been our practice.
• This relocation of the third week allows for an evening of the length of Terms 2 and 3 – 10 weeks each rather than 11 and 9 weeks, respectively. This is consistent across all WA ASC schools.
• The Secondary Presentation Ceremonies are held the (school) day after the school year ends for students.

Fancy running or walking 12km with some friends, students, and teachers? St Mark's has entered a team in the HBF Run for a Reason. Please join our team for a morning of community, exercise, and fun.

Details:
Date: 21 May 2023
Time: 8am (be there at least 30 minutes early)
Start: The event starts on William St in the city near the Perth Underground station
Finish: Gloucester Park. Finishing times will vary with all hopefully finished by 10am
Transport: Students are required to find their own way to and from the run.

Think you can meet the challenge and achieve your own personal goals?
​
What next?
Chat to Mr Lehman or email dlehman@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Chat to Alex Chirico or email achirico@stmarks.wa.edu.au

More information:
https://www.hbfrun.com.au/

Don't forget:
When you are registering, register as an individual then as part of a team. Our team name is St Mark's Anglican Community School.

Hope to see you there!

Students in all ASC Schools who are in Years 9 to 11 in 2024, are invited to apply for the service learning trip to Samoa. The trip will take place during the September School Holidays in 2024.

For more information, download the flyer here.

“SAVE THE DATE” for the Middle School Eisteddfod, Week 4, Wednesday 17 May, 3.30pm - 6.30pm in the PAC.

Open to all Middle School students who learn an instrument at school or privately.

More information to come!

All students should be taking their instruments home the same day after lessons or rehearsals and should not be leaving their instruments at school all week or over the weekend.

Regular practice is so important for musicians, and if a student is not practising in between lessons, they are not getting the full value out of their lessons! Regular practice equals consistent improvement, which leads to greater student satisfaction and higher levels of engagement – positive reinforcement all round! We have sadly noticed an increase in instruments left forlornly over the weekends and would love to see our storeroom empty each Friday afternoon.

In the Term 1 Holidays the Music Department is having some flooring work done on one of our instrumental storerooms, which involves emptying out all the contents, so it is vital that all hired/loaned instruments are taken home by Thursday 6 April at the latest. The only instruments at school on Thursday should be those of students with rehearsals or lessons on that day.

Calling all Old Scholars who have children currently attending St Mark's ...

We will be holding our annual Old Scholar Generations photo on Tuesday 9 May 2023 at 7.45am. If you and your child/ren would like to be included in our Old Scholars Generations Photo please book your spot by clicking the 'Book Tickets' button.

Please note that students will be required to be in winter uniform.

Date: Tuesday 9 May 2023

Time: 7.30am for 7.45am photo

Venue: St Mark's Anglican Community School Hall

Book your spot here.

The POSTMEN invite you to our FIRST EVER ELC ONLY event - Paper Planes and Pizza on Saturday 20 May 2023.

Come along for an epic afternoon of friendly competition and learning as we design, build and fly paper planes in a test of speed and distance! A great opportunity to spend some quality time with your children and have some fun!
There will be a variety of challenges, including the longest flight time and greatest distance travelled.

We hope to see you along at an event all kids and fathers/father figures can enjoy, no matter their talent or experience.

Remember, paper planes are more than just an activity; they signify forward movement, soaring high and reaching for the stars!

Tickets are $5 each, and bookings can be made here.

As winners of the last Interschool Billy Cart Derby, St Mark’s hosted this year's competition on the senior oval Sunday 26 March.

The POSTMEN put forward some outstanding carts and costumes to go head to head against some friendly rivalry from other Fathering Project Dads Groups from Currambine PS (The LADDS), Beaumaris Fathering Group (BFGs) and Burns Beach Primary.

Local Member for Hillarys, Caitlin Collins MLA, opened the event with Paul and Adrian from The Fathering Project team, and even some of the friendly officers from the Hillarys Police Department came along to let the kids explore their vehicles as well as issue some speeding fines to Billy Carts going just a bit too fast.

Congratulations to the Currambine LADDS, who took away the trophy on the day, so the plaque that has been hanging proudly in our Junior Reception now passes to them. We’re already looking forward to winning it back next year!

Go POSTMEN!

Check out the day's excitement here.

The Whitford Football Club are looking for girls in Pre-Primary to join their Club. See the flyer below or check out their website here.

Please find below details of the Chapel Services at our local parishes:

Whitfords Anglican Community Church - onsite at St Mark's Anglican Community School

• Thursday 6 April – 7:00pm, Maundy Thursday Eucharist
• Friday 7 April - 9:00am, Veneration of the Cross
• Friday 7 April - 12 noon, Good Friday Family Service
• Saturday 8 April - 7:00pm, Easter Vigil Eucharist
• Sunday 9 April - 9.00am, Easter Day Eucharist with Baptisms

Kallaroo Anglican Church - 3 Aristride Ave, Kallaroo

• Friday 7 April – 9:30am, Good Friday Service
• Sunday 9 April – 9:30am
• Sunday 9 April – 5:00pm

Heathridge Anglican Church - 113 Lysander Drive, Heathridge

• Thursday 6 April – 6:30pm, Maundy Thursday Eucharist
• Friday 7 April – 9:00am, Good Friday Service
• Sunday 9 April – 6:00am, Easter Day Dawn Service
• Sunday 9 April – 9:00am, Easter Day Service

St Nicolas Anglican Church - Cnr Poynter Drive and Beach Road, Duncraig

• Thursday 6 April – 7:00pm, Maundy Thursday Eucharist
• Friday 7 April – 9:30am, Good Friday Solemn Communion Service
• Sunday 9 April – 6:00am, Easter Day Dawn Service
• Sunday 9 April – 9:30am, Easter Day Family Celebratory Eucharist