Junior School Bulletin - Term 2, Week 6

A big thank you to all students, staff and parents involved in today's Interhouse Cross Country Carnival. The weather was perfect for the early races and although it was warmer later on, our students' determination to run did not waiver.

There are always so many highlights when spending time watching the children give their best at a sport that revolves heavily around effort. It certainly brought a smile to my face watching the final sprint to the finish line as students who had ran close for the whole race decided to put in everything they had to make up one more place in the end. A tough challenge to overcome is when students fall, particularly at the beginning of a race, but they get up, brush themselves off and put in the big strides to try to catch up. This is showing resilience.

Another highlight for these events is the sportsmanship. It was great to see students who, after winning or coming in the top places, took the time to high five other competitors as they finished. Likewise, our competitors who had battled through to the end being met with cheers and applause for their own individual effort.

Mr Barton will provide more details next week with age champions and runners up, but importantly the House Shield for our 2024 Interhouse Cross Country was won by Challen House. Well done to all of the children in that House, as well as all the other competitors who made today a wonderful event.

As always, Mr Barton had a well organised carnival and I would like to thank him and the other staff who worked to give this opportunity to our students.

Mark Douglas
Head of Primary School

This term we will be collecting items to donate to the Joondalup Grace Anglican Church as part of their outreach program. To help us with this task we are asking for donations of the following items from the ELC and Primary School community:

• ELC: Cup two-minute noodles only
• YEAR 2: Ring pull tin meals: Heinz big eats or harvest meals
• YEAR 3: Ring pull tins of tuna or salmon or sardines
• YEAR 4: Ring pull chunky tin soups
• YEAR 5: Small and large UHL milk

Collection boxes will be in the ELC, Year 2/3 block and Year 4/5 block for you to place your donations in. Please may we ask that every family contributes to this valuable cause. Our Primary School Global Citizenship motto is ‘Be the change you want to see happen’. We ask you please help us to achieve this! Thank you.

The flyer for this worthy cause can be found here

We are delighted to share the highlights of a wonderful recent incursion at St Mark's. Our students had the pleasure of spending time with Glenn Swift, a renowned storyteller, who visited our school to captivate and inspire our young learners.

Glenn Swift's visit was a resounding success. He enchanted the children with his dynamic storytelling and poetry recital, sparking imaginations and bringing characters to life. Our Year 2 and Year 3 students learned how to present poetry in an interesting and engaging way. It was fantastic to see our students actively participating and embracing the art of performance.

We are pleased to announce that Glenn Swift will return to our school on Wednesday 5 June, to work with our Year 4 and 5 students. We are confident that this workshop will be equally enriching for our older students.

We are also thrilled to announce an exciting new opportunity for our Years 2-5 students: the inaugural St Mark's VERSE-atility Competition. This initiative aims to nurture a love for poetry and develop the students' public speaking skills. Mrs Fransz has been diligently exploring poetry with the students during their library sessions and will continue to do so throughout Term 2. Students are learning how to recite poems in an engaging and clear manner, honing their ability to connect with their audience.

During Term 3, all students will have the opportunity to present a prepared poem to their classmates. They will receive constructive feedback from their teachers to help them improve and gain confidence. From each class, three students will be selected to advance to the semi-finals, where they will showcase their talents to year level peers.

We believe this competition will be a fantastic way for our students to express themselves creatively, build their confidence, and enjoy the beauty of poetry. More information about the competition will be provided next term.

Natasha Robertson
Literacy and Numeracy Coach

Flyers are being sent home this week from the Scholastic Book Club. If any families are interested in purchasing books, please note that orders and payments are ONLINE only at https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/parent/login.aspx and need to be submitted before Wednesday 5 June 2024. If you have any queries, please email primarylibrary@stmarks.wa.edu.au

We look forward to welcoming our Junior School students to another fun-filled School Disco on Friday 7 June 2024 and tickets can be purchased here. The theme for both discos is 'Outer Space'. All children are welcome to dress up in a costume based on this theme but children do not have to dress up if they do not wish to.

Students will attend in two sessions, based on their Year Group. The discos will be held in the Year 4/5 Open Area at the following times:

• YEARS 2 and 3 will attend from 5pm until 6.30pm. The theme is 'Outer Space'.
• YEARS 4 and 5 will attend from 6.45pm until 8.15pm. The theme is 'Outer Space'.

Please ensure you collect your child promptly at the conclusion of the disco from inside the Year 4/5 Open Area. The $7 ticket includes a snack and drink. In the interest of safety, children must wear enclosed shoes at all times.

Medication at Disco: If your child has asthma or anaphylaxis, please ensure they bring their medication from home to the Disco; all medication is to be labelled and passed to Mr Pressley upon arrival at the Disco.

For disco enquiries, please contact Mark Pressley at mpressley@stmarks.wa.edu.au

For ticketing enquiries, please contact community@stmarks.wa.edu.au

The 2024 Premier’s Reading Challenge was launched last week. It will run from 6 May until 6 September and is open to all school children in Western Australia, Kindy to Year 10. Establishing a life-long love of reading is so important in the development of students’ literacy skills. The challenge program is designed to encourage students’ reading enjoyment and in turn, their future outcomes. Register for the challenge here, log the books you read and you’ll be entered into the draw to win weekly prizes and prizes for the school. I look forward to seeing lots of our children participate in the Challenge - happy reading!
Mrs Fransz, Primary Library teacher

We are looking for volunteers to cook 10-20 meals for the Salvation Army Term 2 Takeaway Food Containers Program (either for Parent Commitment Hours / Student IGNITE Hours / Duke of Edinburgh Hours).

We are seeking volunteers to prepare meals at home next weekend (25/26 May) for the Salvation Army.

Takeaway food containers can be collected from Junior School Reception from Monday 20 May.

• 10x Meals = 1.5 x Parent Commitment Hours
• 20x Meals = 3.0 x Parent Commitment Hours

Meals need to be substantial; no soups are required. It is preferred that full gluten products are used.

Below is a list of options that you can cook. Meal suggestions include:

• Chilli Con Carne (mild)

• Spaghetti Bolognese

• Pasta Bakes

• Pasta Carbonara

• Tuna Mornay

• Lasagne

(You may deviate from this list, but we ask that the meal prepared contains either a pasta or rice accompaniment and is not heavily spiced).

The takeaway food containers are provided. These will have a sticker on them that you will need to complete with the name of the meal and the date it was cooked or frozen (please state on the sticker).

Meals will need to be dropped off on the morning of Monday 27 May 2024. I will have a collection point from 7.45am by the Flag Pole roundabout in front of Junior School Reception for you to 'drop n go' the meals to me.

Please do not hesitate to email me, Andrew Coffin, at andrewcoffin@bigpond.com or call (0415 862 907) if you have any further questions.

If your child will be absent, late to class, or if they will need to leave early to attend a medical appointment please notify the School by completing the form on the School App or emailing absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au. Please include your child’s name (first name and surname) and class/year level in the subject line of the email. Please do not send absentee/appointments/late information to any other email address - it must go to absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au no matter what year group your child is in. Thank you.

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