Middle School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 3

Dear Parents

I am writing regarding the upcoming Year 7 Point Walter Day Camp. In previous years, we have been able to offer an overnight stay to the Year 7 students at some locations in the Perth area. Our review of these camps has proven that these locations were unsuitable for Year 7 students. We have also faced significant challenges finding accommodation for 192 students plus staff for an overnight stay. Therefore, last year, the decision was made to change the camp into a day camp. Carnley and Challen houses will attend on the first day, while the remainder of Year 7 attend a normal school day. Moyes and Watkins will attend on the second day, with the remainder of the cohort attending their timetabled classes.

The camp's purpose is to assist the children in building strong relationships with their peers in their Pastoral Care Groups, students in other Pastoral Care Groups, and their Pastoral Care Tutor. While we are disappointed not to offer an overnight opportunity, we believe the activities planned for the two-day camps will greatly benefit our students.

I will share further information regarding the camp arrangements with you soon, and I look forward to joining the students after camp in the upcoming weeks.

Yours sincerely

Mr John Stewart
Head of Middle School

Dear Year 6 Students

If you are interested in attending Year 6 basketball training you are invited to attend a training session on Tuesday 27 February, from 3:40 to 4:40 in the Hall

Please wear your PE kit.

Yours sincerely

Mr John Stewart
Head of Middle School

As Challen's fundraiser event is swiftly approaching, we're reaching out to our wonderful community for support. This year, we're thrilled to partner with OzHarvest once again, an organisation founded in 2004 by Ronni Kahn AO. Starting with a single van in Sydney to tackle the issue of food wastage, OzHarvest has grown into a leading food rescue operation. Their mission is to 'Nourish our Country' by saving quality surplus food from businesses and delivering it to charities aiding those in need.

On Wednesday 21 February 2024, we are asking our Year 6 - 12 students to bring in non-perishable food items to contribute to the cause. In return, students will have the opportunity to wear their PE uniform for the day, along with something green, to show their support for OzHarvest's mission.

OzHarvest's journey from a single van to a national presence, with offices in major cities and a network of volunteers, demonstrates the power of community and the impact of collective action. Their efforts have not only provided countless meals to those in need but have also paved the way for legislative changes that support food donation across Australia. By participating in our fundraiser, we're not only contributing to their goal of halving food waste by 2030 but also becoming part of a sustainable food culture that values every morsel.

Remember to bring your non-perishable items next Wednesday, and let's dress in our PE uniforms with something green to show our unity in making a difference.

The OzHarvest bins will be available to drop your items into.

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.

On Monday 19 February, at approximately 12.15pm, the School will hold a lockdown drill for all students and staff. The drill has been scheduled since the beginning of the year and follows the emergency drill plan of one per term.

Please note:

The purpose of evacuation and lockdown drills is to practice the required procedures and processes and to become familiar with them in case we need to put them in place at some time in the future. We all need to know what to do so we can keep safe.

There are any number of reasons why an evacuation or lockdown may be necessary for a school – a fire nearby or in some part of the campus, a severe weather event, or even a runaway animal from the local circus that strays onto our grounds!

You know best whether your child may need a discussion at home ahead of the drill to put it in perspective for them.

If you have any concerns for your child, please contact the appropriate teacher (classroom/PCG) at the School ahead of the drill to discuss it.

Please be remined when music students are bringing their instruments to school they need to be stored in the Music Department. Please see attached information on how to store instruments.

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.

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

Our HaSS department is looking for members of our community who are business owners and would like to share their insight into starting/owning/running their own business with our current Year 11 and 12 General Business, Marketing and Enterprise students.

We would especially love to hear from our trades, small businesses and start-ups.

If you are comfortable speaking to groups of students and willing to share your experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

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

Tara Uniforms is changing the opening days/times of our uniform shop to provide the St Mark’s community with a greater choice of opening days and in response to the changing needs of customers due to the increase in online ordering.

With effect from Monday 12^th February the uniform shop will be open on Thursday afternoons, and the trading hours for Term 1 2024 will be:

• Mondays : 7.45am -11.15am and 1pm – 5pm
• Wednesdays : 7.45am – 11.15am
• Thursdays : 1.00pm – 4.30pm
  

For Term 2 2024 onwards, the trading hours will be:

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

St Marks Netball have opened registration for this year's winter season competition. To register please use the links below. *Please note each child must be registered in the correct competition based on their year group. *

• Y2-4 NetSetGo: https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/register/3e1004
• Y5-7 Junior Competition and NetSetGo: https://www.trybooking.com/COSJL

Registrations close 23 February – don’t wait and register today! For further information regarding this season please head to our website: Season Details 2023 | SMNC (sm-nc.org)

If you have any questions, please email president@sm-nc.org and one of our Committee Members will be in touch.

The Parents Prayer Group (PPG) meet fortnightly to pray for the students, staff and school community.

We will be meeting every second Friday 9am in the school chapel, starting 18th October.

Please sign in at reception and perhaps stop by the coffee van on the way.

All are welcome.

Please share any prayer requests by emailing parentsunitedforprayer@gmail.com or call Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.

The Joondalup Festival is back with 21 days of fabulous shows, events and activities. With the fun set to begin on 2 March, here are some of the Joondalup Festival 2024 highlights!

Click here for the Festival Highlights

Click here for the Festival Program

We have received a number of emails and notifications that our families are continuing to park in our neighbouring businesses. Please do not park in the following neighbouring businesses when dropping off/collecting children or when attending school-based events:

• Endeavour Centre (cnr Endeavour and Banks Ave)
• Whitford Business Centre (Mitre 10, Better Pets, AutoMasters, SuperCheap)
• Endeavour Childcare and Whitford Family Centre

The bays in the above areas are purely for the businesses who operate out of those premises and their customers. They are not for our school community to utilise.

Should you require additional parking, Whitford Shopping Centre has kindly allowed us to use the bays in the carpark where Muzz Buzz is located.

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.

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.

If your child will be absent, or late to class, or if they will need to leave early to attend a medical appointment, please notify the School by 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

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.

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, rather than the staff member, 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

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.