Middle School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 2

Please find below information regarding the Middle School Parent Information Evenings:

• Year 6 Evening
• Year 7 & 8 Evening

Dear Year 6 Students

We will be holding basketball tryouts for the Primary School Sports Competition for 2024.

If you are interested in trying out for the boys' or girls' teams, please attend the tryout on Tuesday 13 February the Hall from 3:40 to 4:40.

Please wear your PE kit.

If you are unable to attend but are still keen to tryout, please let your teacher and me know. I look forward to seeing interested players at the tryout next week.

Yours sincerely

Mr John Stewart
Head of Middle School

Information regarding HaSS Help for Secondary students please click on the flyer here.

Great news! The Perth Girls Programming Network (GPN) is back for Term 3 and will take place on Saturday, 17 August.

The Girls Programming Network is for high school girls and gender-diverse students in Years 7-12 who are interested in learning how to program or improve their coding skills. GPN is a unique opportunity to make friends, meet people with similar interests, and learn about Perth's tech community.

Tickets are essential, and you can book yours here. Download the flyer here.

Save the date for the other 2024 GPN workshop dates later this year ...

• Term 4 - 23rd November
  

Thank you to our families of Secondary School students for their strong support of our Secondary Interhouse Swimming Carnival held at HBF Stadium on Friday 2 February.

The ability to access four different swimming pools to provide many opportunities for our students to get into the water across a variety of events meant that the participation rate of our students was very high. There was a good mix of competition and participation in the program, and it was an enjoyable day. The Carnival is an important part of our curriculum at St Mark’s.

It was disappointing for all that, at the end of the day, getting our students onto buses and back to the St Mark’s campus was less successful. We apologise to the Moyes students and a number of Carnley students who found themselves without a bus to transport them home at the same time as students in the other House groups. We understand that the late return to school for those students caused inconvenience for them and their parents and disrupted other activities that were planned for that Friday afternoon, and we are very sorry that this occurred.

The School has already begun a review of the Carnival and the organisation and processes supporting it with a view to avoiding a similar situation next year and subsequent years.

Your support is appreciated and valued.

Please see attached flyer with parent information regarding NAPLAN for later in Term 1. For infomation, NAPLAN is for all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students.

Students in Years 6 to 9 are invited to Homework Club in the Library on Tuesday afternoons from 3.30pm - 4.30pm.

This is a general Homework Club that is supervised by a teacher from the Learning Diversity and Inclusion team. Students may sit quietly in the Library Glassroom to complete their homework with help on hand as required. Assistance with organisation and planning for assessments is also available during this session. Students are encouraged to bring their diary so that the homework club teacher can make an attendance note for parent and student records.

We look forward to welcoming new as well as past students who have attended.

When: Wednesday 21 February 2024

Time: 6:00pm - 7.30pm

Where: St Marks Anglican Community School: St Marks Drive, Hillarys WA 6025

Cost: FREE; however, bookings are essential. Book your ticket here

Join Claire Eaton as she presents an evening of practical information, strategies, tips and tools for our Middle School families to help your children transition to Years 6 and 7 with more resilience, optimism and confidence

The P&F is excited to be hosting Paul Dillon from DARTA for a Parent Session on Monday 26 February 2024.

Paul Dillon Parent Seminar: Teens, parties, alcohol and vapes: What do parents need to know?During adolescence, teens develop a biological need to be around friends, and it is important to provide them with opportunities to socialise with their peers whenever possible. Using the most current data available, this presentation will examine the use of alcohol and other drugs by school-based young people. Simple strategies will be provided to help ensure teens are able to interact with friends on a Saturday night and, at the same time, reduce the risk of underage drinking and the potential dangers associated with such behaviour. In addition, up-to-date information will be provided on vaping, particularly in relation to young people. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area.

When: Monday 26 February 2024

Time: 7:00pm - 9.00pm

Where: St Marks Anglican Community School, St Marks Drive, Hillarys WA 6025

Cost: FREE | Secure your free tickets here.

To check out more about Paul and his work with DARTA head here.

Please click on the following links to open information from the Music Department:

• Secondary Music Ensembles 2024
• Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule
• Instrumental Music Handbook 2024

If you have any music enquiries, please email artsadmin@stmarks.wa.edu.au

We are excited to launch the 2024 Secondary Musical!

We are inviting all interested Year 6-12 students to audition for the show. All the information is in the audition pack below, including the registration link. Please note the following key info:

• Audition Dates- Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February in the PAC
• Open to all Year 6-12 Actors, Singers, Dancers and Triple Threats
• Once you book an audition, you will receive an email from TryBooking with an audition form. Please fill this in prior to your audition.
• AUDITION SIGN-UPS ARE NOW OPEN.

Audition Pack: CLICK HERE

Any questions about auditions, please email me direct at chmcrae@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Thanks!

Mr McRae

The Secondary Assistance Scheme is available to parents/guardians with children enrolled in Years 7 to 12 who hold an eligible concession card (a Pensioner Concession Card or a Health Care Card).

The SAS consists of two allowances:

• $235 Education Program Allowance (payment made to the school); and
• $115 Clothing Allowance (payment made to the parent/guardian).

Parents/guardians in receipt of the ABSTUDY School Fees Allowance from Services Australia (Centrelink) are not eligible for the SAS, but they may apply for the ABSTUDY Supplement Allowance.

Applications open at the commencement of Term 1 2024 and close on 28 March 2024. Forms are available from Main Reception during Term 1 between 8am and 4pm.

Please check the eligibility criteria here.

To ensure emails to the Student Services team are dealt with promptly, please address future emails to each sub-school reception, as follows:

Early Learning Centre – elcreception@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Junior School Reception – jnrschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Middle School Reception - midschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Senior School Reception – snrschool@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Parent Reception – parentreception@stmarks.wa.edu.au

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.

• A friendly reminder that it is 40km/h in School Zones.
  
  
• Please drive with caution as there will be lots of excited children making their way to and from school.
  
  
• Remember, during drop-off and pick-up times, the traffic in and around the School can get very heavy, and some behaviours put our students - your children - at risk. In particular, please be aware of double parking, overtaking and exiting the School, as these can limit driver and pedestrian fields of vision, and can cause accidents.
  
  
• Please do not double park at any location, including (but not limited to): Kiss ‘n Drive points, St Marks Drive, School parking lots, access gates and across our neighbours’ driveways
  
• Please DO NOT park in our neighbourly businesses' carparks, including the Endeavour Centre, Mitre 10, Better Pets, AutoMasters, SuperCheap, and Whitford Family Centre. Should you require additional parking Whitford Shopping Cnetre has kindly allowed us to use the bays next to Muzz Buzz.
  
  
• Please do not overtake stationary cars on the School grounds, especially in Kiss ‘n Drive zones.
  
  
• When exiting the School grounds, please ensure you look both left and right carefully before re-entering St Marks Dr, particularly around our neighbour’s driveways.
  

Kiss ‘n Drive locations
There are a number of Kiss ‘n Drive drop-off points around the School, including Whitfords Avenue entrance (Gate 4), Early Learning Centre (via Gate 3), Eastern Access Road (via Gate 3) and outside the Performing Arts Complex (via Gate 3 or Gate 2). There is an additional Kiss ‘n Drive bay on St Marks Drive (travelling east to west). To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, please ensure you adhere to the following:

• Kiss ‘n Drive bays are strictly ‘no parking’ areas whether or not you are in your vehicle.
• Students must exit from the passenger-side doors as quickly as possible.
• Students must use the designated crosswalks located at each Kiss ‘n Drive within the School grounds.
• Do not overtake vehicles who are ahead of you in the Kiss ‘n Drive queue.
• Please be patient, drive slowly and be aware of other road users.
• At pick-up time, If your child is not at the Kiss ‘n Drive when you arrive, please follow the Traffic Warden’s directions and move forward to rejoin the queue.
• For the Kiss ‘n Drive drop off located in the ELC please adhere to the attached ELC Drive-Thru Guidelines for 2024 located in the ELC Welcome Pack on the School’s website.

PAYMENT NOMINATIONS must be submitted by Tuesday 6 February 2024. Download the Payment Form here.

There is no need to submit a payment nomination if you have paid your 2024 fees in full. Thank you.

• Annual Fee Due 13 Feb 2024
• Quarterly Fee Due 13 Feb, 30 April, 30 July, 22 Oct 2024
• Monthly Fee Due 25^th of each month Feb to Nov 2024, or the next business day if the 25^th is not a business day
• Fortnightly Fee Due Friday fortnightly commencing 16 Feb and ending on 8 Nov 2024

Subject and music adjustments will be amended later in February once payment nominations and queries are effectuated.

Please contact Kaye at familyaccounts@stmarks.wa.edu.au if you have any queries.

Thank you for your patience during this busy start to the 2024 school year.

Medication at School

If your child requires medication to be administered during school hours, the medication needs to be dropped into the Wellness Centre. Parents are required to complete the Wellness Centre documentation in order for staff to administer the medication. All medication must be in its original packaging with a pharmacy label and clearly labelled.

Medication Expiry Dates

Please ensure that you keep a record (and set a reminder) for the expiry date of all medication supplied to the school, including Epipens and Ventolin carried by older students. Please contact the Wellness Centre on 94031331 if you are unsure of the expiry date for medication held at School.

Medical Action Plans

It is recommended that Medical Action Plans are reviewed every 12 months and should be no more than 2 years old. If your child has a new or updated Medical Action Plan, please email the updated plan to nurse@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Keeping sick children at home

It is more important than ever for our School community to remain vigilant when it comes to the spread of viral infections. Sending a child to school when they have even the mildest of symptoms can have a much bigger effect than many might think. While it might be just a sniffle for one child, it could put another at harm of a more virulent form of the same virus, no matter if it is a tummy bug, the common cold, influenza, or COVID-19.

Please do not send your child to school if they are showing cold or flu symptoms such as coughing, sniffles, runny noses or fevers, or if they are experiencing symptoms of nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, even if the symptoms are mild.

Reminder to all families to update your School App subscriptions on your mobile device for 2024. You may otherwise be missing new extra-curricular, general or appropriate year-level notices.

Please find attached a handy how-to guide. If you have not downloaded the School App - go to the App Store or Google Play and search for St Mark's ACS.

Did you know that our Old Scholars' Association Little Lions Playgroup is run on-site every Friday during term time? We'd love to see your little cub there this Friday!

Join us from 8.45 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. 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. 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.

Tickets are selling fast, for our Old Scholars' Milestone Reunion on Saturday 24 February 24.

All Old Scholars who graduated from St Mark’s in 1994, 2004 and 2014 are invited, and we can't wait to see you all and hear what you've been up to since leaving the land of maroon and blue!

Ticket details are available here.

If you have not received an email regarding the reunion, it means we do not have your current email - please update your details here.