The Lion's Roar - 11 November 2020 | 11 November 2020
Congratulations to Aaron Jackson (M12.1) on achieving his Bronze Award in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award program. He joins a growing list of young people from our School expanding their horizons through the Duke of Edinburgh and Ignite awards programs. For more information on the programs, please contact Jane Upson at jupson@stmarks.wa.edu.au
Congratulations to Sydney Jodas (4DOW) on her success in the 4 Times Table Club! When Sydney joined the Club in Term 2, she knew her 2, 5 and 10 times tables, and by the time the Club wound up last week, she has mastered all 12 tables at random. This was the first year the Club has run, but we hope to be back bigger and better next year. The Club was game-based to encourage the students to enjoy learning their tables. They embraced the variety of games and thoroughly enjoyed the healthy competition. Well done to all involved!
In the lead up to NAIDOC Week, Year 4 Toovey participated in the COSPAR-K Paint the Sky Competition. The competition encouraged students to explore the ancient ways Aboriginal Australians observed the solar system to better understand and manage our precious natural resources. Students were asked to visually represent their knowledge of Ancient Aboriginal Astronomy, and our solar system, in an original piece of artwork. They were also asked to write a 50-word statement on what inspired their artwork.
St Mark's had two students, Indi Howe and Jay Brown, receive National Finalist awards and will have their artworks digitally remastered; and they will be featured at the 43rd COSPAR International Scientific Assembly in Sydney in January next year. The artworks will be displayed on the wall of the international Convention Centre, or featured on attendee name badges and lanyards.
In her statement, Indi said her painting was based on the 'Emu in the Sky' constellation. She said she really enjoyed doing it because she loves both art and painting. She used lots of black, with red, orange, yellow, green and dark blue for the Milky Way, and flicked on stars with white paint.
In Jay's statement, he used lots of dots and lines, as these are commonly used in Aboriginal Australian art. His work is based on the 'Seven Sisters', a constellation of stars that told the story of a man to tried to marry sisters of different blood lines.
Well done to all of Year 4 Toovey, with a special acknowledgement to Indi and Jay as National Finalists.
Want to know more?
Are you keen on learning more about NAIDOC Week, or would you like to attend a NAIDOC Week event? Check out these free resources from the City of Joondalup.
Working with Yelakitj Moort Aboriginal Association, the City of Joondalup has released five videos for NAIDOC exploring language and culture. Join Robyn Collard and Elder Marie Taylor and learn to count in Noongar language and pronounce tricky words.
View the City’s FULL PROGRAM of NAIDOC activities for the month of November here.
Learn more about JOONDALUP MOORO BOODJAR here.
With over 50 students competing in this year’s SSWA Secondary Triathlon event, we had one of our biggest teams ever. In hot and windy conditions, all students, whether participating in a team or as individuals, competed at a high standard and resulted in us achieving some excellent results across all categories.
It was an awesome effort by all members of the St Mark's Team, and, in particular, those students who doubled up in both the Individual and Team events. Thanks to the North Coast Triathlon Club and Triathlon WA for providing some expert knowledge and guidance from their experienced coaches in the lead up to the event.
In their final SSWA Triathlon event representing St Mark's, our Senior competitors, Daniel Buis, Rhianna Hepburn, and Madison Toovey, have represented the School at an exceptionally high level for a number of years, and we thank them for their contribution and long term commitment to the Team.
By Mr Patrick Squire, Head of Interschool Sport
The full list of results is available here.
Individual Competitions - Overall 2nd place and St Mark's Top 10 finishers
| Name | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Buis | Senior Boys | 2nd place and State Team selection |
| Rhianna Hepburn | Senior Girls | 1st place and State Team selection |
| Madison Toovey | Senior Girls | 2nd place and State Team selection |
| Natalie van Selm | Junior Girls | 6th place |
Team Competition: Overall 3rd place and St Mark's Top 10 finishers
| Names | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Elyn Bawden, Mya Poat and Jasmine Gray | Year 7 Girls | 3rd |
| Yohanna Jackson, Sydney McClean and Annika Henery | Year 7 Girls | 6th |
| Natalie van Selm, Asha Pressley and Amy Findlay | Year 7 Girls | 8th |
| Madison Esquivel, Demi van Rensburg and Amy Waddell | Year 8 Girls | 4th |
| Tal Arbel, Henry Miller & Mitchell Lonnie | Year 10 Boys | 4th |
| Cameron Paton, Archie Butterworth & Nik Wurster | Year 10 Boys | 5th |
A team of 37 Year 4, 5, and 6 students took on the challenge of competing in the Primary Schools Triathlon, which took place last week at Champion Lakes. Arriving at the event as back-to-back Champions - thanks to excellent results in the last two years - the expectations were high for another strong result.
The consistency and performances of our teams ensured we came out winners of the Champion School category for the third year in a row!
Credit has to be given to all members of the Team, giving their best effort, whether it be in the swim, on the bike, or the run. Full results are available here.
Primary Triathlon 2020 - Selected Results
| Team | Division | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Powell, Mitchell Thorley and Finlay Patterson | Division A | 6th |
| Harry Linehan, Loch Campbell and Lucas Sutton | Division B | 4th |
| Lua Wilson, Oscar Johnson and Charlie Killoh | Division D | 2nd |
| Mackenzie Hall, Grace Frazer and Elissia Atkinson | Girls Division | 1st |
| Mackenzie Davis, Chiara Whurster, Ella Lambie | Girls Division | 2nd |
The weekend's weather was the perfect setting for the 4th Annual POSTMEN School Camp Out. This year we expanded from the Junior School to include the ELC and Middle School and had a total of 160 attendees with children ranging from 3 to 14 years old.
We started the day with a brief about The Fathering Project and the POSTMEN, whilst the kids had a scavenger hunt then rolled into the traditional Dads vs Kids Capture the Flag Challenge. For the first time in four years, the dads emerged victorious (much to the kids disgust!).
After footy and frisbees on the Oval with Dad, it was time for our first ever Dodgeball Tournament, with 11 teams of various ages furiously vying for the title of Dodgeball Champions. Then time for a movie whilst the BBQs fired up to feed some hungry bellies. After settling down for the evening, the children ran around until probably a bit later than they should have, whilst the dads had a good chat together.
Before we knew it the sun (and kids) were up, and it was time to get the day underway. We rolled into breakfast as the coffee van pulled up, and a long line very quickly formed. Bacon and egg rolls, fresh fruit, and a range of cereals with a selection of juice boxes got devoured, before everyone pitched in to help tidy up and leave the Oval spic and span ready for the school week.
Thanks to the POSTMEN Committee for all the effort in putting on the event, and the amazing POSTMEN dads for joining us for an outstanding weekend.
If you would like more information on the POSTMEN, please email Josh Newton at josh.newton@r-group.com.au
On 31 October, more than 60 members of the St Mark's community, including parents and children, came together to complete a range of maintenance and cleaning tasks around the School. Our volunteers came equipped with wheelbarrows, screwdrivers, rakes, buckets, and more - all of which were quickly put to use. The eager group managed to get through oiling all the wooden seats, poles, and equipment, as well as cleaning locker exteriors, mulching, sweeping, and the list goes on!
It was a beautiful day for working outdoors, and there was a very cheerful atmosphere, with people meeting and getting to know other members of the community over a sausage sizzle at the end of the day. The wider community got involved as well, with snags for the sizzle donated by the British Sausage Company and Mt Barker Chicken, with the Mullaloo IGA donating tea, coffee and biscuits.
Thank you so much to our awesome volunteers!
Over the weekend, a group of St Mark’s girls took part in a Girls' Programming Network workshop at ECU Joondalup, where women teach girls how to code in Python. The event is held once a term, and this time, there were 70 students with 20 mentors.
St Mark's participants included Year 7 students Ruby Spath, Asha Pressley, Ella Jackson-Pierce, Hayley Van-Zyl, Summer Elkin, Siobhan Symonds, and Ashlyn Cole.
There were coding activities, bingo, talks from mentors in industry about how they use coding in their job, and the opportunity to make friends with other like-minded girls. The girls had a great time and can’t wait for the next one!
The countdown is on in the Junior School Art room as our many budding artists finish their projects. The final touches are being applied to the Year 5 Mural before it gets hung later this week.
Year 2 have finished their Chameleon Mixed Media works and are very proud of their achievements. These works feature a range of art forms including drawing, printmaking, sewing, and painting.
Year 3 are busy completing their nature journals, featuring drawings of the beautiful plants we have in our community garden.
Year 4 are completing their animal drawings, where they have used simplification and repetition to create some impressive effects.
Year 5 students are also completing some self-portrait collage works.
Young Adult Art Space (YAAS) is back!
Whitford Library is open to the public again from Monday 30 November 2020, and the City of Joondalup wants to celebrate by showcasing the community’s emerging artists. The Young Adult Art Space (YAAS) is looking for original work by artists aged 12-18 who live or study in the City of Joondalup. Students are invited to submit their own work, or to speak to their Visual Arts Teacher. If it’s an original piece (or a reproduction of the artists own work) of 2D art sized A5 – A3 the City wants to show it off. The YAAS space will be open during the school holidays; you don’t have to wait until next year to share the amazing talent. Contact Whitford Library on 9400 4870 and ask for Michelle or Christine, or go to Young Adult Art Space webpage for more information.
Sunsmart Kids Tri Event
After the recent successful Primary and Secondary Interschool Triathlon events, we are sure there are plenty of our young people who are keen to give triathlons another go. The North Coast Tri Club is inviting students to come along to their Kids Triathlon at Craigie Leisure Centre. See flyer below for more information.
Academy for Enterprising Girls
The Academy for Enterprising Girls is a website jam-packed with great stories and inspiring videos to help young Australian girls to build core skills to start their own business, change someone else's for the better, or create something new. As part of this, they are running a series of webinars to introduce girls to women who have interesting and fulfilling careers. So far in the series, they have hosted a microbiologist, an astronomer, an astrophysicist, and several entrepreneurs.
This week, the webinar is with the founder of Hello Cass, Emma Koster. This is a chance to hear how Emma turned a problem existing in her community into a social enterprise, helping thousands of people in need.
For more information, please visit the Academy's website or Facebook page.
Growing Up Digital Survey
Are you a parent, carer or grandparent of children aged 5 to 17? Do you wonder how digital media and technologies that they live with might affect their wellbeing, health and learning? If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, we would invite you to share your views with here. This survey is run by the Gonski Institute of Education at the University of New South Wales.
