The Lion's Roar - 8 November 2023

EPIC EFFORT

Three of our Year 9 students truly excelled epicly over the weekend! Clearly the triathlon on Thursday was not enough for Charlie, Ethan and Jasper as they headed south to compete in the Eagle Bay Epic Adventure Race.

The event saw the team take on a 9km trail run (Jasper), 1.5km ocean swim (Ethan), 7.5km ocean paddle (Ethan), and finish with an 18km mountain bike ride (Charlie).

The boys completed the course in 3hrs 42 mins and won the U18 Boys division.

What an amazing effort!

Our Deputy Head of Senior School, Mrs Berghan, and Head of Year 12, Mr van Winsen, are jumping in the pool to complete a 9-hour team swim to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Mental Health.

As part of a team of four, the Marine Monkeys, they will be swimming their hearts out on Sunday 26 November, at Hale School for Swim for Life (Men’s Talk). A company that works with groups to provide “safe and supportive small group settings that encourage men of all backgrounds to share, connect and experience.”

We would love for our school community to get behind our dynamic duo as they aim to raise $2000.

If you are in a position to help with any amount, please head to https://pages.donately.com/swimforlife-mtalk/fundraiser/marine-monkey-s/

Amidst a scorching summer-like day last Thursday, we took our team of 34 dedicated triathletes from Years 7-11 to compete at the Secondary SSWA Triathlon held at Champion Lakes.

We had one individual participant (Dylan) and 11 teams take on the challenge, and we are delighted to share that our entire team delivered exceptional performances despite the hot conditions.

A special shout-out goes to our Year 9 boys, who exhibited outstanding prowess by clinching 2nd and 3rd place medals in their respective age categories.

Triathlon results are as follows:

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the dedicated staff members who provided their support and a huge congratulations to all our amazing students who participated!

Last Friday, it was our Year 5 and 6 students' turn to bravely take on the sweltering summer-like conditions at Champion Lakes for the SSWA Primary Triathlon. We're thrilled to announce that, for the 6th consecutive year, our incredible Primary Triathletes emerged victorious!

With a formidable team comprising 39 Year 5 and 6 triathletes, participating in 13 teams and including ten individual Aquathon competitors, our school truly excelled. We're ecstatic to share that we secured second place in not just one but three divisions - A, B, and D.

Our Aquathon (involving a 1km run, 200m swim, and another 1km run) competitors shone brightly, with them all finishing in the top 20. The results are detailed below:

Each and every one of our triathletes displayed unwavering determination and exceptional commitment. We couldn't be prouder of our team's outstanding efforts.

We are delighted to announce the exceptional achievement of one of our Year 11 students, Bella Gonano, who recently secured the top position in the Western Australian "Plan Your Own Enterprise" (PYOE) competition. Bella's innovative business idea, "Bella's Bottles," impressed the judges at the PYOE Awards Presentation Evening, sponsored by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Bella's journey to success was marked by her dedication and creative thinking in her Year 11 General Business Management and Enterprise class. "Bella's Bottles" is a business plan that promotes sustainability by delivering reusable wine bottles and turning them into refillable candles with the individual's choice of scent. Her idea not only addresses environmental concerns but also provides a convenient solution for consumers.

Bella's success is an inspiration for all our students, reminding them of their potential to make a difference in the world through dedication and creative thinking.

Congratulations, Bella!

Fantastic Time Saver OR Environmental Evil?

Yoghurt Pouches – or “Squishies” might be a time saver, but at what cost?

Well, the financial cost is large; at the cheapest, they equate to $1.21 per 100g, whereas a 1-litre tub equates to as little as 41c per 100g.

But what is the real cost to our environment?

The pouch of only 70 grams (about four tablespoons) is NOT RECYCLABLE and is another piece of single-use plastic that is not necessary.

SOLUTION

If yoghurt has to be consumed at school, you could invest in a reusable pouch that is washable and can be used over and over again, OR put yoghurt in a Tupperware reusable container, OR EVEN BETTER, save it for home when it can be enjoyed chilled!

Next year, we are introducing a series of before-school career-focused sessions for our Senior School students and are looking for Old Scholars (former students) or parents who can assist.

These career-focused sessions will provide our students with the chance to hear from St Mark's alumni or parent/community members about their careers. The sessions aim to help students decide upon their career path relating to tertiary study and General/ATAR pathways, as well as gain insight into the world of work.

If you are comfortable speaking to groups of students and willing to share your experiences of studying, working and life after high school, we'd love to hear from you. Please note that at this stage, we are looking to create a register of potential speakers with the aim of rolling these events out in Semester 1, 2024.

Please contact Amanda Kemp via email for further information or if you'd like to join the register to share your experiences.

Please ensure School Fees are finalised for 2023.

FINAL Monthly Fee Payments are due Monday 27 November 2023.

Thank you,
Family Accounts

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

Calling all Year 6 - 10 Coding Legends!

Just a quick note to let you know that registrations for the next Girls Programming Network Workshop are now open.

Please help to spread the word! Bring a friend!

This is a fun day where women teach girls to code in Python; we play some games and hear about how non-IT women use their coding skills in the industry. Most importantly, you also get to meet other girls with similar interests in coding/computing/gaming. Research has shown these factors play a big part in the confidence and success of girls in computing.

The date for Term 4 is Saturday 25th November - 9:30am to 3:45pm

• Location: UWA E-Zone
• Cost: It's FREE!
• Included: snacks for morning tea & Pizza lunch!!!
• BYOD: bring a laptop if you can (there will be a small number available for use if you are unable to)
• Dress code: wear normal weekend casual clothes
• Bookings Essential (only 80 places available) https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/girls-programming-network-coding-workshop-tickets-734580519107
• Facebook Info Page: https://www.facebook.com/GPNPerth

Attendance is on a casual basis, so if you go to one, there’s no commitment to go to more. If you like it, then come back! If you don’t, then don’t. It's that simple. You can bring a friend if you like!

Our teachers are amazing! Even though we have lots of staff on camp during the time the Open Water Champs are on, Mrs Humble has put her hand up to organise our teams.

If your child is keen to participate in the OWS Schools Championships please see the information below:

Who can compete:

• Year 7s, 8s, 10s (unfortunately our Year 9s are on camp)

Trials:

• If required, they will be on Wednesday 15 November: 7am - 8am

Events available:

• 250m
• 500m
• 1.0km
• 4 x 250m Relay

Competition Date:

• Friday 24 November 2023 @ Coogee Beach

Interested?:

• Contact Mrs Humble or Mr Simmons to register your interest.

With Christmas approaching, it’s time to start thinking outside the box for Christmas presents. How good would it be to not only think outside the box but also support the 2024 NZ Music Tour?

$14 from every Entertainment Book sale will go towards the 2024 New Zealand Music Tour fundraising efforts. Single City membership for 12 months is $69.99, but right now, you can get a bonus upgrade to a multi-city membership, saving $50. As a special bonus until 6 November 2023 you will get 25% off the books, and an extra $10 goes to your chosen charity!

Go to entertainment.com.au and make sure you choose ‘St Mark's Anglican Community School’ as your chosen fundraiser.

We are excited to share that our supplier of our uniforms now offers online ordering.

Head to https://shop.tarauniforms.com.au/brand/st-marks/ to view the range and place your order at your convenience.

Please note that orders are to be collected from the Uniform Shop onsite at School during their opening hours.

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 1 2024, please complete the online withdrawal form before your tutor’s withdrawal deadline of Friday 17 November 2023. After this deadline, another term of music lessons will be charged for before the withdrawal can take effect.

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 2025 (current Year 4 students). Registrations for the 2025 program are now open and close on Friday 16 February 2024. 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 student’s 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 24 February 2024.

A Registration Fee of $105 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 16 February.

If you have any other queries regarding the 2025 Academic Scholarship Program, please email scholarships@stmarks.wa.edu.au or call (08) 9403 1342.

*Excludes international students.

Applications for the McIntosh Memorial Scholarship are now open to those students about to commence or currently undertaking tertiary study.

Eligibility

• Open to descendants of persons who have and/or are enlisted for service in any branch of the RAAF and Commonwealth Air Forces.
• The applicant must be an Australian citizen or resident.
• Residing in Western Australia.
• Undertaking their first course of full-time tertiary education and in any year of that course.

The closing date is 30 November 2023, and information is availablehere via the scholarship flyer.

The P&F's final General Meeting for 2023 is fast approaching, and we'd love to see you all there.

This meeting, aptly titled 'Beyond the Schoolyard, ' features two presentations that share the experiences of our students and staff away from the classroom but which are still very much entrenched in learning.

Parrngurr Perspectives

During the early morning of Saturday, 2 September, an excited group of twelve Year 9 students and five staff members started their long 1600km journey by road to Parnngurr in the East Pilbara desert country, and what a trip it was.

On Monday morning, the Parnngurr students and St Mark’s students were introduced, and by Wednesday night, they were saying goodbye as good friends. In those few days, they had camped together on country, built humpies (shelters), swam in a remote rockpool, sung karaoke, learnt Martu words from an Elder and eaten kangaroo tail and grubs. They played, chatted, and learnt from each other.

The 2022 trip was the start of a strong friendship between our schools, and 2023 cemented that friendship.

Presenting, Sharing and Learning in Philadelphia

Join our Head of Library and Information Services, Shirley McKibbin, and Head of Digital Learning, Kelly Curran, as they recount their recent trip to the ISTE Conference in the United States (International Society for Technology in Education). Shirley and Kelly proudly promoted St Mark’s at the conference by presenting a session about our Learn curriculum in Middle School and how they maximise the use of technology applications to enhance and transform student learning. Their minds were buzzing with the huge range of workshops and presentations on offer, and they returned freshly inspired and invigorated with exciting new concepts and projects to share with our staff and students.

BEYOND THE SCHOOLYARD - P&F General Meeting details:

• DATE: Tuesday 14 November
• TIME: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• VENUE: Senior Academic Centre
• PCH: 2 family commitment hours can be logged for attendance

The P&F want to remind our families to please log their hours. Please see the attached letter regarding Parent Commitment Hours for 2023. PCH Letter.

If you have completed hours this year, log them here 2023 Parent Hours Log.

You can also check the hours you have logged by clicking on Parent Commitment Hours Detailed and entering your family code. This document is updated at the end of each term.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah McCormack at parentcommitment@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Next year, all current P&F positions will be dissolved, and the P&F Association will be looking for fresh nominations for the 2024 committee.

If you have considered joining the Committee or someone who would love to be involved please send an expression of interest for the P & F 2024 committee to secretary.pf@stmarks.wa.edu.au or email them for more information.

The St Mark's Parents and Friends' Association (*P&F*) continually provides a high level of support to 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 2024.

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;
• preferably not be restricted to an individual year group or subject;
• be considered appropriate by the School Executive (among other things, in keeping with the School's values
• 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 21 November 2023.

The P&F will consider all applications over the December 2023/January 2024 school holidays and may contact you for further details or invite you to attend a 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

We look forward to hearing from you.

The POSTMEN (Papas of St Marks Men's Engagement Network) would like to acknowledge the support provided by the following Middle and Senior School students at our Annual Campout event held over the weekend on the Junior School oval at St Mark's:

• Ruby DeNooyer
• Anika Grugeon
• Jorja Skelton
• Ella Park
• Grayson Burgess
• Dylan Grugeon
• Jett Newton

All seven of these students went out of their way to provide support to the POSTMEN by helping run activities and events, helping cook BBQs, helping other kids and ultimately making the event a success for 250 dads and kids of St Mark's. It was wonderful to see the willingness and ease with which they all volunteered their time, often at the expense of joining in with others, to help ensure everyone had a great time.

It is truly a great school community we have, and the POSTMEN are grateful for the continued support the School provides us in running events for dads and father figures of St Marks and their children!

Kind Regards

POSTMEN Committee

Do you love to chat, give back to the School and are great at notetaking?

Well if this sounds like you then the OSA would love to hear from you!

The OSA are looking for an Old Scholar who would like to join the OSA Committee and undertake the role of Secretary. The committee meet once per month, and if you are a current parent, you can earn Parent Commitment Hours!

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in please contact the OSA President, Philippa Lonie via email.

The Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is back for Term 4 , and we'd love to see your little cub there this Friday!

Join us every Friday (during St Mark's term time) from 8.45am - 10.30am 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.

Those 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.