Middle School Bulletin - Term 2, Week 3

Please find Letter attached from the Deputy Head of Middle School regarding the Keeping Safe Curriculum being run this term.

On Tuesday, 7 May, we will hold Parent-Teacher Interviews for Years 7 to 9. In light of this, all Secondary students (Years 6 to 12) will be dismissed early from School on this day at 1pm.

The secondary library is trialling having no Middle School students on laptops before school and during recess and lunchtime. This is to encourage our younger students to read, have conversations or play games with their peers and give their brains a break from staring at screens or doing schoolwork.

Before school will also be laptop-free unless a student shows they absolutely need that time to complete unfinished homework or study for a specific test that day.

This trial is only for Middle School students.

The secondary library is already a mobile-free zone from 7:30am for all Yr6-12 students.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

As we strive to create a safe and focused learning environment at our middle school, we kindly request that all item drop-offs for students and any visits to the school premises be coordinated through our designated Parent Reception area.

Additionally, for the safety and security of our students and staff, we require that all parents/carers and visitors sign in at Parent Reception upon arrival. Those without the check-in sticker may be stopped and asked to return to Reception to complete the sign-in process.

Your cooperation in delivering items to the Parent Reception and adhering to our sign-in policy is greatly valued and contributes to the smooth functioning of our school community.

We have a number of students with severe nut allergies (anaphylaxis) at St Mark's. We encourage all families to be 'allergy aware' and avoid sending nut-based products (including cashew nuts and peanuts) to School. Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening health condition, and our risk-minimisation strategy needs your support.

St Mark's is again looking for volunteers to assist with supervision for the upcoming Year 11 exams from Tuesday 29 October to Friday 8 November.

Sessions are broken up into two time slots, morning (08:00am to 12:00pm) and afternoon (1:00pm to 4:30pm).

Please sign up here. Please only choose 1 session time per family to allow all families a chance at helping.

The St Marks Busy Bee is scheduled for 11th May - 8.30am to 12.00pm.

This event is a great opportunity to bring our community together to support the school, and will be followed by a sausage sizzle.

Please bring your own tools on the day, including:

- paint brushes and containers for paint

- wheelbarrows

- shovels, forks and spades

- cleaning products, sponges, buckets and squeegees.

Please meet at the Quadrangle at 0830 and don't forget to bring gloves, hats and water bottles

Parent commitment hours are available for families that attend or for those wishing to provide food/drink donations for the event.

Please email busybee@stmarks.wa.edu.au if you are able to attend or have food/drink donations for the day.

P&F Committee

The SEQTA Engage App now allows parents to notify the school of their child's absence. We encourage all families to use this method for reporting if your child is late, leaving early, or absent for a day. For absences longer than 3 days, please email using the absentee email address.

To enter your child's absences into SEQTA Engage, simply log in as usual, and you'll see a new tab called Absence at the top of the Welcome panel. Remember to include your name and reason for absences in the comment section.

Thank you for your support!

With Term 2 now underway, we thought it was timely to remind our families to be neighbourly when parking around the School and also adhere to the Kiss n Drive rules.

• Please note that both Whitfords Avenue and Endeavour Road are school zones, so the speed limit is 40km/h during school hours.
• Drive carefully and be alert for pedestrians.
  Please do not park in neighbouring business' parking bays, including the commercial complex directly next door (which includes AutoMasters and Better Pets), the Endeavour Business Centre across the road, Endeavour Child Care and the Whitfords Family Centre. The bays in these facilities are set aside for their customers.
• Older students with P-plates/Drivers licences should park across the road near Muzz Buzz
• Remind your children to cross at points where Traffic Wardens are in operation.
• Please drive with caution, as there will be lots of excited children making their way to school.
• Please do not double park at any location, including (but not limited to): Kiss ‘n Drive points, St Marks Drive, School parking areas, access gates and across our neighbours’ driveways.
• 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.
• 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.

Thank you all so much for your assistance!

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