The Lion's Roar - 8 June 2022

Congratulations to Year 11 student Charli-Rose on her win at the recent School Sport WA Secondary XC Championships representing St Mark's.

Well done, Charli-Rose; we can't wait to see what the Championships in August bring!

Bullying statistics show that one out of every five students reports being bullied. In St Mark's Middle School, we are hoping to bring down that number significantly.

How you ask?

By creating awareness around the school, students will feel confident in standing up for their peers. As kindness is our theme this year, we want to make sure our Middle School is a safe and caring environment. If we can create a school that is a bully-free zone, everyone can look forward to the school day. Never feel scared to talk to a trusted teacher if you feel unsafe.

We will put actions in place to make our Middle School a better and safer environment. Some of these will be putting posters up, talking to younger year levels and recess catchups. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please contact us.

Always feel free to come to one of your MS leaders for someone to talk to, advice, or help. 😊

Jemima Lovell and Kailyn Sotirov
Year 8 Captains

This morning a group of fantastic Year 7 students, as well as Mrs Chomiak and Mr Blair, took part in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Australia and New Zealand Finals.

St Mark’s was represented by two teams in the top 10 across Australia and New Zealand. This alone is an amazing achievement for these young people as there were almost 500 team submissions in the competition this year. Then to consider they were amongst the youngest to be involved, and they did it all in one day via Teams in classrooms (thanks Covid) at the end of a busy Term 1.

Congratulations to our two teams:

Fire Management Drone - Sophie H, Isla C and Belle C

Epilepsy Assistance Glasses- Jonathan O, Luka S, Tom M and Kai M

A special shout out to all the supportive staff who helped them on the day.

We will have a medal and trophy presentation at a future assembly.

The St Mark's Computer Club is back for all Years 6 - 12 students!

If you are a computer whizz or just love all things IT, then make sure you join us after school on Tuesdays 3:30 - 4:30pm in B2.

Things on offer are:

• Exploring coding with Scratch
• Creating games with PyGame
• Cyber Security
• Learn to build a website
• HTML Web Competition
• Bebras Computational Thinking Competition
• Virtual Reality

Our Old Scholars' Association are calling for expressions of interest from those looking to join a fortnightly playgroup. The OSA anticipate that the playgroup will be held once a fortnight, from 9am - 10.30am in the Parish Centre at the Whitfords Anglican Community Church (on St Mark's ACS grounds).

Please email osa@stmarks.wa.edu.au to register your interest and include the following information:

• Your name:
• Email address:
• Number of children to attend:
• Ages of children attending:
• Are you an Old Scholar of St Mark's?:

Please be advised that the St Mark's Uniform Shop is now taking pre-loved clothing.

All items must not have stains or holes and must be neatly presented. Blazers do have to be dry-cleaned and with no colours on them. No old-style garments will be taken e.g. newer font style on the garment only.

Please keep in mind that the Uniform Shop will not advise parents if their pre-loved items have not been accepted.

For further information please contact the Uniform Shop directly via email.

Please be aware that a Late Payment Fee of $22 will be added to accounts for late payments unless contact is made with Family Accounts.

Quarterly Payments are due on the 3rd Tuesday of each term.

**The 2nd Quarterly option fees were due on 17 May 2022**

Please contact Family Accounts via email familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au should you require further assistance.

Thank you.

At the end of last year, staff participated in the first of four days of professional learning in the Berry Street Education Model. It is necessary to undertake the Days 2 and 3 of training together at the beginning of Term 3 this year.

As a result, students will not resume Term 3 until Wednesday July 27, one day later than has been published in this year’s planner.

We will remind families of this throughout Term 2.

On Wednesday 15 June, our Year 9 and 10 Specialist and Certificate II Music students will have the opportunity to share their talents with a live audience in the PAC. There will be a range of different solo instrumental, vocal and ensemble performances covering a diverse range of genres.

You can secure your free tickets through Trybooking: www.trybooking.com/CACQO

Our guitar and ukulele students will be performing a special concert for family and peers on Tuesday 14 June in the PAC Auditorium from 6pm.

This will be a free concert and all are welcome to attend!

Ticket bookings are not required for this concert.

In Term 3 our Primary Interhouse Music Eisteddfod is taking place in the PAC Auditorium on Monday 1 August. This is for Years 2 - 5.

Save the date as applications to register will be open on Tuesday 14 June.

Withdrawals from the Instrumental Music Program must be received by Friday 17 June.

If your child has shown interest in learning an instrument, we have 19 incredibly talented Music Tutors at St Mark's who would love to welcome your child to the world of music, with applications for Term 3 enrolments now open.

St Mark's offers the following options: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Baritone Horn, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Percussion, Piano and Voice.

Please check out the Instrumental Music Handbook if you'd like more information.

Both enrolments and withdrawals from the instrumental music program are now completed online. If you have questions, please contact the Arts Administrator, Jaina van Reyk, at artsadmin@stmarks.wa.edu.au or on 9403 1350.

Withdrawals - New 2022 Withdrawal Form

Enrolments - New 2022 Enrolment Form

Please note that the deadline for Term 3 enrolments and withdrawals is Friday 17 June. Withdrawals after this date will be processed at the end of Term 3 and another term's fees will be incurred.

The West Australian AMEB Award is an exciting initiative recognising the commitment individuals of all ages make to the performing arts. Parents and teachers can register students for the award.

In a school or community arts environment, the award acknowledges an individual’s engagement in ensembles, productions, and other collaborative activities whilst advancing their skill development through a recognised program.

The award is recognised by leading arts and cultural organisations and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority of Western Australia (SCASA).

Bronze, Silver and Gold awards recognise skills developed and the level of participation in performances, broadening activities, and examined skill development. In past years, St Mark’s has had students achieve their Bronze and Silver awards.

For more information or to register, click here.

This semester our Year 6 art students have been extending their pencil skills into self-portraits, inspired by artist, Ben Heine. They have worked hard to create a range of tones and express their identity.

Last Thursday, we took over 50 students to the ACC Cross Country. With a modified preparation, clash with exams and unavailability of some runners, our team represented the School proudly. Every student needed to run with some running up multiple ages to allow us to qualify for team points. Thank you to Lucas S, Kai B, Ethan C, Charley W, Jett B and Nikita I for racing up an age group without hesitation.

We had 26 students taking out positions within the top 100 (most races had 450 runners) and Charli-Rose (Year 11) finishing on the podium in second place in the Senior Girls division. As a team, we finished 14^th out of 81 schools.

Well done to our Cross Country Team, and thank you to the staff involved. We couldn't be prouder of your efforts!

Off and racing videos:

• Girls
• Boys

Please find below the current Parent Commitment Hour reports logged up to 1 June 2022. You will need your family code as shown on your St Mark's account statements to check your individual log.

Parent Commitment Hours Summary

Parent Commitment Hours Detailed

Unfortunately, the mental health of young people has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. As many families settle back into pre-COVID routines, there seems to be a pervasive sense of optimism about what lies ahead.

Unfortunately, children and teens are not immune to what is now being termed the “psychological pandemic”. Young people are at risk of not achieving the primary demands of developmental tasks such as procuring independence, identity formation, as well as obtaining and maintaining peer relationships. What kids need most in the current environment is support, understanding, empathy and encouragement from caring adults. They live up or down to the expectations we set for them.

If there is a panacea to the adversity caused by the pandemic, then it is the building of resilience. Resilience is the capacity to face, overcome, be strengthened and transformed by adversity. Never before have parents needed the skills, the knowledge and the strategies to build resilience in their children as much as they do now. There are seven integral and interrelated components that makeup being resilient that can help young people thrive and develop healthy coping strategies.

This Special School TV Report explores the “7 C’s of Resilience” and includes suggested strategies on how adult carers can best facilitate them. 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 seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report.

Check out what is on offer for the July School holidays with the Perth Youth Theatre. They offer a range of holiday programs along with term-time courses.

July School Holiday Programs

The Anglican Schools Commission International are seeking caring families to host, regional, interstate, and international students. We invite you to be a part of the ASCI homestay community where you will be supporting education, whilst developing strong foundations for cultural understanding.

• NO COST TO REGISTER
• LONG TERM HOSTING
• SHORT TERM HOSTING
• SCHOOL HOLIDAY HOSTING
• HOSTS RECEIVE A FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT*

All enquiries to Accommodation Coordinator | homestay@ascschools.edu.au

Visit the link Become a Host Family - Anglican Schools Commission (ascschools.edu.au) for more information

*T&Cs apply

ASCI Hosting Information Flyer

Westfield Whitford City is asking for our school community's input by having your say in helping them shape Westfield Whitford City for the future.

​​Your feedback helps Westfield Whitford City help you, as they evolve the centre to better meet your needs. Please complete their quick 2-3 minute survey here.