Senior School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 4

• Year 12 families are reminded requests for Course changes are now closed. Further requests will only be accepted under special circumstances after the Year 12 Parent Teacher interviews. Please be aware that the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) clearly stipulate the final deadline for enrolment changes for Year 12 students is Wednesday 28 March.

• Year 11 families are reminded requests for Courses changes are now closed. Further requests will only be accepted under special circumstances after the Year 11 Parent Teacher Interviews scheduled for Monday 11 March.

Our School community, like the wider community, continues to be impacted by COVID-19. We appreciate, when contacting the School to report your child’s absence that you are letting us know if they have tested positive for COVID-19. Please continue to do this.

While nowhere near the levels reached in previous years, the number of cases among our students and staff is not insignificant.

Current advice from the WA Department of Health is:

• Manage your symptoms with rest and pain relief. Remember to check with your doctor if you are eligible for antiviral treatment.
• Stay at home until your symptoms resolve. This could take up to 10 days or more. A minimum of 5 days is a good guide.
• Don’t forget to tell anyone you have had close contact with that you have COVID. You’re most infectious 2 days before symptoms start.

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 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.

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.

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.

We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education will be hosting a free webinar for our parents on time management on Wednesday 28 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.

Sign up for the session below to learn how you can help your child to balance their priorities and stay on top of their workload.

How You Can Help Your Child Manage Their Time

Wednesday 28th February 6:30-7:30pm (AEDT)

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

✅ Align expectations on homework with your child

✅ Help your child balance their schoolwork and social life

✅ Set up a weekly planner tool with your child

We hope to see you there!

Click here to register for free

Toxic achievement culture is characterised by the entanglement of self-worth, achievement and the relentless pursuit of academic or extracurricular success - at any cost! This phenomenon goes beyond the mere quest for success. it embeds a belief in students that their merit is exclusively tied to their achievements, often propelled by intense external pressures from families, schools, and society.

Some students are overfilling their schedules with activities aimed at "getting ahead". However, the consequences are proving to be detrimental on students' mental and physical health resulting in burnout and heightened levels of stress. This culture is also being aggravated by parental expectations, peer competition and a relentless comparison ethos often driven by social media.

There is nothing wrong with having ambition, but it's crucial to ensure that this desire doesn't push our young people into a toxic cycle of achievement and make them feel that they must achieve in order to matter. The relentless drive to excel is leading many students to prioritise accolades over genuine learning and personal growth, often at the expense of their own wellbeing and interpersonal relationships. As adult carers, we need to advocate for a more balanced and holistic approach to achievement, emphasising the importance of resilience, wellbeing, and the pursuit of diverse interests.

This Special Report will help you understand the signs of toxic achievement, and how to address them so as to teach students how to adopt a better work/life balance.

Read more here.

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

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
  

We have been informed of a number of traffic and road safety incidents involving our St Mark's community.

Please ensure that when parking along St Marks Drive that all driveways are kept clear and you only park in designated carbays not along the kerbing. On-street parking, including the Kiss and Drive facility on St Marks Drive, is subject to the City of Joondalup's bylaws.

Please find below a general reminder about on and around campus road safety:

• Do not ‘park’ in the Kiss n Ride pick-up zones. If your child is not at the pick-up zone, then continue forward and rejoin the queue for another lap. This gives time for children to make their way to the location.
• There is no pedestrian access through Gate 3 next to the ELC. The pedestrian access from Endeavour Road is located between the ELC and the Whitford Family Centre.
• 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 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.
• 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

Our 'Back to School Guide' has some guidance around traffic management around the school. The most important aspect, though, is to be patient and mindful of the young children present, as well as be considerate of other drivers and families.

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

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.