Junior School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 9

This week concludes the first term and I am very proud of the efforts of our students. There has been excursions, incursions, performances and carnivals. Students have made new friends, learnt new instruments and taken on fresh challenges. The first school term always requires a greater degree of flexibility and resilience and I have been thoroughly impressed with our Primary School students. Even Monday's student briefing was humming with the energy and enthusiasm of the children. They clearly are not tired yet!

Each holidays I remind everyone that it is important to encourage your children to detach from their devices during this time. With each year that passes, and more research data available, it is clear there are significant benefits from unplugging and engaging in real-life experiences. Reading books, passing a rugby ball, playing board games, or simply being outside and shooting hoops are all important activities for children to experience in their holidays. It is also perfectly fine if they use the dreaded ‘b’ word. The feeling of boredom is a chance for children to engage their imagination. This can be hard at first but becomes easier the more they do it.

This Thursday is our Interschool Swimming Carnival. I am sure our swimmers will give their very best and show the determination and sportsmanship that St Mark's students are renowned for. I would like to thank all other students, parents and staff involved for their efforts in supporting the children and enabling this event.

Next term, school will resume on Tuesday 16 April and I am hoping that some cooler weather will be ready to greet us, minus the rain of course. I look forward to seeing our students return with fresh haircuts, winter uniforms and big smiles, ready for some exciting learning.

Finally, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, and I am certain our local parishes would welcome your support and attendance at this important celebration. Have a safe and relaxing vacation.

Mark Douglas
Head of Primary School

Please note that the below was sent via SEQTA email on Monday, 26 March 2024.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Parking in public spaces around St Mark’s

I trust this email finds you well and that you are looking forward to a break with your family after a purposeful and busy first term back at School.

I am writing to you today to request your assistance with an ongoing situation that St Mark’s is seeking to manage.

The St Mark’s office continues to field regular complaints from the businesses surrounding St Mark’s as our community are utilising private parking spaces in the different centres when dropping children at, and collecting children from, school.

The areas we are referring to include:

• Endeavour Centre (cnr Endeavour and Banks Ave)
• Whitford Business Centre (Mitre 10, Better Pets, Auto Masters, Supercheap Auto)
• Endeavour Childcare and Whitford Family Centre

In the most recent contact with the school, one of the businesses in the centre across the road advised that they had to deal with a cancelled afternoon appointment as an elderly couple could not access parking in the Business Centre parking lot. Upon further inspection, it was found that approximately 70% of the car parks were being utilised by St Mark’s parents collecting their children from school.

While I understand the convenience of parking there, I ask that you do not utilise the car parks in any of the centres surrounding St Mark’s as the School does not want to tarnish the relationships we have with the local business community.

Our school community benefits from strong relationships with the business community, and compromising this relationship may result in the loss of benefits such as the use of the Muzz Buzz carpark for Year 12 students and as an overflow for major organised events, plus the multitude of hands-on educational opportunities that arise from the positive relationships we have established over many years.

If we cannot gain the support required to respect the business community’s parking spaces, the City of Joondalup Rangers may intervene in the area at critical times of the day.

As a St Mark’s community, it is our responsibility to foster our positive relationship with Westfield and the Scentre Group for the benefit of our students. In addition, we must always be respectful of our near neighbours and not intrude on their amenity by parking on their verges and in their driveways.

Thank you for your support in this matter. I hope that you and your family have a blessed Easter break.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Steven Davies
Principal

Please note that before school Running Club on Thursday 28 March is cancelled due to the Interschool Swimming Carnival.

The Junior School Sustainability Garden has been planted with many seedlings and plants that will require watering over the school holidays. If you would like to obtain some parent hours by watering the garden over the holidays or during Term 2, please follow the link below and put your name down in any available time slots: 2024 Watering Roster - Term 2

Last day of Term 1 is Thursday 28 March (normal finish time) for a two week break. First day of Term 2 is Tuesday 16 April. Please note that students are to wear winter uniform in Terms 2 and 3 (please see Uniform Shop article below for opening times).

For information, the 2025 term dates are now available on the St Mark's website here.

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 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: 2024 Photo Day flyer

Please view the Photo Day Schedule here.

Students must wear the formal winter uniform for school photos.

K-12 students will participate in various events to celebrate St Mark's Day on Wednesday 24 April.

You may have noticed that during Term 1, we have been making changes to the frequency and content of both The Lion's Roar and the Weekly Sub-School Bulletins.

As a reminder:

The Lion's Roar will be published three times per term on a Wednesday, in Weeks 1, 5 and 9. The content will continue to include our favourite section, 'St Mark's Stars', but will also feature a poignant message from the Principal or Heads of School as well as stories and articles gathered from around the School. Think of it as an extension of the school's social media platforms and a way to showcase the opportunities and activities in which our students are immersed.

The Weekly Sub-School Bulletins will continue to be sent weekly but will include the additional reminders and notices that would normally be in The Lion's Roar and often repeated in the Bulletin.

During Term 1, the distribution method for The Lion's Roar and the Bulletins will remain the same: via SEQTA email and an alert on the School App. However, past copies of the 2024 Bulletins will also be available on the School's Website. These are available through the link that will be sent weekly to view the current issue. Please note that these landing pages for the Bulletins are not freely accessible to the public and require the correct link to view.

ADDITIONAL CHANGES FROM TERM 2

Please note that from the beginning of Term 2, the Weekly Bulletin will no longer be sent via SEQTA email; you will be able to access it only through the School App. Please ensure you have downloaded the App to your device and set your preferences.

Please continue to send your stories and St Mark's Stars to newsletters@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Please see the link below regarding information received from the Premier of Western Australia and Minster of Education, regarding the new WA Student Assistant payment.

WA Student Assistant Payment

In addition, you may also locate the student WASN information on your child's Report, or students are able to access this through the SEQTA Engage plash page (bottom left hand corner under the student name and after "//").

St Marks has been provided with the new Australia Concussion Guidelines for Youth and Community Sports. The safety and well-being of our students is paramount, and these guidelines aim to ensure prompt and appropriate action in the event of a concussion.

The mantra for these guidelines is simple: “If in doubt, sit them out”. This means that if there is any suspicion of concussion during school activities and after school activities, it is imperative to remove the student from play and seek appropriate medical attention.

Furthermore, we kindly request that parents notify our school nurse if a child has a sustained concussion outside of school hours. Please find attached the link to the guidelines for review and understanding.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to the safety of our students.

The Year 8 Extension class is writing poetry about “Walking in the Footsteps” by others. As such, we would like volunteers from our school community to share their experiences regarding their journey to Australia.

Students would like to delve into the reasons why this country was chosen, why they left their country of origin, their experience when they first arrived, what they miss from their country of origin, whether it was how they thought it would be, and whether they experienced any negatives along with the positives.

We would love to see photos or documents that reflect their journey and their history.

Our participants would need to be available on Monday 29 April from 9.50am to 10.40am at St Mark's.

We value you and the stories you have to share as part of the St Mark’s Community.

Please register your interest before the end of Term 1, or for further information, please contact Mrs McGibbbon, at pmcgibbon@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Please note that Parent Commitment Hours can be obtained by volunteering your time to speak to our students.

A short reminder that next term, our Winter Uniform guidelines are in place.

Below are the uniform shop extended opening hours for the upcoming Easter 2024 holidays.

Also a reminder that from the start of Term 2 2024 the trading hours during term will be:

• Mondays : 7.45am -11.15am
• Wednesdays : 7.45am – 11.15am
• Thursdays : 1.00pm – 4.30pm

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

We will hold our annual Old Scholar Generations photo on Tuesday, 30 April 2024, at 7.45am. If you and your child/ren would like to be included in our Old Scholar Generations Photo, please book your spot by clicking the link at the bottom.

We will be hosting a light breakfast catch-up in the Quad from 7.00am - 7.45am.

Please note that students will be required to wear formal winter uniforms.

Date: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Time:

• 7.00am for light breakfast and catch-up
• 7.45am for 8.00am for the Generational Photo

Venue: St Mark's Anglican Community School Hall

Please note that we will have a videographer filming the morning to capture footage of our wonderful Old Scholars and their families to promote the Old Scholars' Association.

Book your spot here.

• From 1 March, Primary and Secondary School students must have a valid Student SmartRider to travel for free on Transperth services for any journey Monday to Friday until the end of the school year.
• Students must tag on and off, or they will receive a default fare. If their SmartRider goes into negative balance as a result, they will not have access to free travel.

Please find below the Easter Service times for Kallaroo and Whitfords Anglican Church

Kallaroo Anglican Church

Good Friday 9:30am

Easter Day 9:30am & 5pm

Whitfords Anglican Church

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES

Sun 24^th 09:00 SUNDAY OF THE PASSION

Mon 25^th 19:00 STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Tue 26^th 19:00 TENEBRAE

Thu 28^th 19:00 MAUNDY THURSDAY

Fri 29^th 09:00 VENERATION OF THE CROSS

Fri 29^th 11:00 GOOD FRIDAY

Sat 30^th 19:00 EASTER VIGIL

Sun 31^st 09:00 EASTER DAY

The Friends of Hillarys and Kallaroo Foreshore and Perth Natural Resource Management are presenting a free fun educational family event during the holidays, and St Mark's students and their families are invited. There will be displays and interactive activities to engage children and their families with the beauty and wonder of the plants and animals of the dunes and marine environment of the Hillarys and Kallaroo Foreshore. The event will take place on the morning of Saturday 6 April at the south end of Hillarys Beach, near the Northside Drive beach car park from 9am to 12 noon. The flyer with all information can be accessed here.