Senior School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 1

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Welcome to the 2024 school year. I trust that you had a restful break and your child is looking forward to a successful year. It is wonderful to have the students back and hear their excited chatter as they returned from their holiday break. As you are aware, we have our Year 9 to 11 Parent Information Session on Monday 5th February from 5:30-7:30 pm (Week 2).

We are excited to be able to announce that we have secured some wonderful guest speakers to present to you on Monday.

Katie from Elevate Education will discuss ways you can best support your child in their studies. We will be introducing a study skills program, run by Elevate Education who will upskill our senior school students on a number of strategies to implement in the class room and when they are studying at home. These have been strategically placed throughout the year to ensure they get the most out of the sessions. Elevate also provides fortnightly webinars that parents can have access to. We will provide information to all families about how to access these sessions next week. We will also share an E-Book with strategies on the best ways to support your child’s learning through Senior School.

If you attend the Information Session on Monday, you will receive the same messages so you are able to support your child at home;

• Time Management: How you can help your child manage his/her time effectively, so they can maintain a balanced routine and not leave tasks to the last minute, and avoid distractions.
• Study Support: What kind of work is most valuable in helping to achieve higher marks? Presenters will discuss what good study looks like so parents can help their children work smarter.
• Motivation: Sometimes, the most difficult part of studying is simply being motivated enough to do the work. This seminar will help you understand the key drivers behind student motivation, and how to leverage these to help your child reach his/her potential.

We are running 1 session which is 45 minutes (6:45-7:30pm in the PAC).

Mr Paul Searle from SDERA will also be presenting 2 sessions on the evening, which will give you the most up to date information on alcohol and other drug and the importance of having common community approach.

Please find the attached schedule for session in the link below. Please choose the sessions you wish to attend, taking note of the room and time. There is no registration required.

Yr 9 to 11 Parent Information Evening Schedule is in the link below.

2024 Year 9-11 Parent Information Evening Schedule

We look forward to seeing you on Monday evening.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Brittany Berghan
Deputy Head of Senior School

We have CAS trials in the first two weeks of Term 1. Please see the attachment below for the sports on offer for Term 1 and when/where trials will be.

The season starts runs from Week 3 – Week 9 during Term 1. Games are on the same days as trials, and games will be played from 4pm - 5pm at School and away against local ACC Schools.

Year 10-12 students please look out for opportunities to participate in a one-day carnival in Week 5.

For any queries, please speak to Mr Simmons.

Download the trial information here.

Students in all ASC Schools who are in Years 9 to 11 in 2024, are invited to apply for the service learning trip to Samoa. The trip will take place during the September School Holidays in 2024.

For more information, download the flyer here.

• 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.

Please find below a few friendly reminders to help the beginning of the school year go a little more smoothly:

• Make sure you update your child’s year and class on the online lunch ordering system (Quickcliq). If not updated, it will go to the wrong classroom.
  
  
• Have you downloaded the School App? It is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
  
  
• Don't forget to change your preferences/subscriptions on the App for the correct year group of your child/ren. Otherwise, you will get information that is not relevant to you!
  
  
• Remember to be neighbourly during drop-off and pick-up; please park in designated bays, do not block driveways and refrain from parking in the neighbouring businesses' car parks. Please adhere to our Kiss 'n Drive Guidelines, which are found in the Back to School Guide.
  
  
• Don't forget to start keeping an eye on the School App for opportunities to grab those Parent Commitment Hours. The program is a policy of the School and requires a minimum of 10 hours of commitment per family per annum.
  
  
• Have you read the Back to School Guide and the Student Information Handbook (versions are available for both Primary and Secondary)? They are available on our website - the link is here.

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.

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 2023 Endeavour yearbook will be distributed to families who attended St Mark's in 2023 during Term 1 of 2024.

The eldest child will be given the family copy. Additional copies will be available for purchase, and details regarding this will be advised in Term 1.

Emails will be sent to all parents of the Class of 2023 during Term 1 in 2024, with a reminder to collect their copy.

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 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.

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

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

We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education will be hosting a free webinar for our parents on motivation on Wednesday 14th February.

Elevate works with our students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you’ll learn how you can help support your children at home by reinforcing the skills they’re learning at school.

Their upcoming webinar on motivation will give you some easy-to-implement strategies to help your child get focused on achieving their goals this year.

Parent Webinar: How to Get (and Keep!) Your Child Motivated 

Wednesday 14th February 6:30-7:30pm

Click here to register for free

Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:

• Using praise and reassurance to motivate your child
• Setting relevant and effective goals for your child
• Helping your child to stay motivated long-term

We hope to see you there!