Junior School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 6

The Benefits of Nightly Reading

For parents of students in Years 3–5, now is a great time to check in with your child about their progress towards their Accelerated Reader (AR) target for the term. As we are now past the halfway point, all students should ideally have achieved at least 50% of their reading goal. You can easily check your child’s progress by asking them to log into Accelerated Reader at home and clicking on the “Progress” tab. This will display a rocket ship graphic that shows how far they have travelled towards their reading target for the term.

There is no secret formula for achieving the termly reading goal — it simply comes down to regular, consistent nightly reading. Establishing a positive reading routine at home can make a significant difference. Some helpful tips include:

• Set a consistent time each night so reading becomes part of the daily routine.
• Sit with your child while they read. This can become a special and reliable time where they know they have your full attention.
• Share the reading by alternating paragraphs or pages so that you are both actively involved.
• Ask questions about the text and new vocabulary to help check their understanding and encourage deeper thinking about what they are reading.

Research consistently shows that regular reading brings a wide range of benefits for children. Students who read frequently tend to develop stronger spelling, as they are repeatedly exposed to correct word patterns and vocabulary. Reading also supports improved writing, as students naturally absorb sentence structures, descriptive language, and storytelling techniques. In addition, regular reading strengthens comprehension skills, helping children to better understand and analyse information. Finally, sustained reading helps build attention and focus, as students practice concentrating on a text for extended periods of time. Just 15–20 minutes of reading each night can have a powerful impact on your child’s learning and confidence as a reader.

Kind regards

Mark Pressley
Acting Head of Primary School

This week our Year 3 and 5 students will begin their NAPLAN exams. These will occur on Wednesday 11 March and Thursday 12 March, with Friday 13 March being a catch-up day. NAPLAN will take place again next Monday 16 March and Tuesday 17 March, with the remainder of next week allocated to catch-up assessments. As always, a healthy breakfast and plenty of sleep will allow students to work their best during this time.

Further information can be found in the attached flyer.

Year 2 – 5 class teachers will be conducting parents interviews in the last 2 weeks of term. These interviews offer the opportunity for teachers to provide a summary of the past term, outlining the strengths, challenges and goals for your child. Further information about how to book a meeting time with your child's teacher will be available in next week's Bulletin.

The majority of interview times will be during the Wednesday afternoon of Week 8 and the Tuesday afternoon of week 9. At these times students will be involved in House music and sport activities while class teachers meet to conduct interviews in the classrooms. All Year 2-5 students are to wear their House uniform to school on these dates, Wednesday 25 March and Tuesday 31 March.

Book club catalogues are going home this week. Orders can only be made online so there is no need to send any paperwork back to school. Orders are due FRIDAY 13 MARCH.

How to order Book club online

1. Log in, or create a new account at LOOP ORDER
2. New parents can follow the wizard to set up a child’s profile.
3. Click the ORDER tab and select the child’s school and issue of Book club.
4. Select your child’s name.
5. Enter the product item number from the Book club catalogue.
6. Make a payment via credit card.

Thank you

Any queries, please email primarylibrary@stmarks.wa.edu.au

The WA Government Dental Health Service located at the Craigie Heights Dental Therapy Centre has requested from the School some personal information about our students in Pre Primary – Year 6, inclusive, to allow them to provide their service to families. The information they require is:

• Student name
• Date of birth
• Year group and class

The School Dental Service provides free general dental care to eligible school children at school-based Dental Therapy Centres. More information about the service provided to children may be found HERE.

The Dental Health Services’ Privacy Statement may be found HERE.

St Mark’s has conducted due diligence in respect to the Department of Health’s policies with regard to their collection, use, retention and storage of personal information and are satisfied that it complies with the Australian Privacy Principles outlined in the Privacy Act.

St Mark’s is engaging with the WA Department of Health for the benefit of our students’ oral health. Should you not wish the School to provide the information requested by the WA Government Dental Health Service please contact the School Nurse by email at nurse@stmarks.wa.edu.au to let us know of your decision.

Unless we hear otherwise from you, the School will provide the information for your child to the WA Department of Health Dental Service and Craigie Heights Dental Therapy Centre on Monday 30 March 2026.

If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the Nurse at the School on 9403 1300 or nurse@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Yours sincerely

School Nurse

If your child will be arriving late or needs to leave early, please notify the School with a reason via the St Mark’s App, SEQTA Engage, or by emailing absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

This applies to all year groups. Please note that notifications sent to other email addresses may not be received.

When emailing, please include your child’s first name, surname, and class/year level in the subject line.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

To help ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff, we kindly ask all parents and carers to follow the procedures below when visiting the school.

• All parents and carers must report to ELC Reception or Junior School Reception upon arrival.

• Please sign in at ELC Reception or Junior School Reception before entering the school grounds for any appointment or visit.

• A visitor name badge will be issued and must be worn at all times while on site.

• Visitors are required to sign out at ELC Reception or Junior School Reception before leaving.

These simple procedures help us maintain a safe, secure and well-managed environment for everyone in our school community.

The St Mark’s P&F have locked in the date for the Term 1 Busy Bee!

• DATE: Sunday, 22 March 2026
• TIME: 8.30am - 12.30pm

We’d love for you to join us at the Term 1 Busy Bee! Come along, roll up your sleeves, and help us create a beautiful native garden outside the School’s Main Reception. It’s a fantastic opportunity to earn Community Participation Hours, connect with other families, and make a lasting difference to our school environment. Everyone’s welcome, no gardening experience needed, just your enthusiasm and community spirit!

We are also seeking the support of any St Mark’s families who have a landscape gardening or landscape design business and would be willing to support the project. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated as we shape this new garden space.

We’ll also be firing up the BBQ for lunch, so if gardening isn’t your thing but you enjoy cooking up a snag, we’d love for you to help out at the BBQ station. Volunteers are needed for both gardening and BBQ duties, so there’s a spot for everyone!

Volunteer Your Time. Earn Community Participation Hours. Make a Difference.

What to Bring

• Gardening Equipment – shovels, wheelbarrows, general gardening/landscaping tools (If you have any)
• Gardening gloves (if you have them)
• Hat & sunscreen
• Water bottle

If you have any questions, please contact our team at busybee@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Otherwise please sign up here:

https://signup.com/go/QQpvhdw

We're using SignUp (the leading online SignUp and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming SignUps.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/QQpvhdw

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.

Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Together, we can create a vibrant outdoor space for our community to enjoy for years to come.

Hosted by the St Mark’s P&F Association

All parents, carers and community members are invited to enjoy a coffee, share a conversation and take the opportunity to meet and connect informally with Ms Roseanne Madden (Acting Principal) and Mr Nick Irwin (Acting Deputy Principal).

• Date: Friday, 20 March 2026
• Time: 8.30 - 10.00am
• Venue: Marnjamoortup

The coffee van will be on campus from 7.45am, and everyone is welcome to enjoy a coffee before or after drop-off while connecting with fellow parents, carers and community members in a relaxed and informal setting.

No RSVP required, please feel free to come and go as you wish.

Year 12 Drama presents a Site Specific performance of scenes from ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.

This musical about a high school senior with severe social anxiety who lies about being best friends with a classmate, Connor Murphy, who recently died by suicide. After a therapeutic, self-addressed letter is mistaken for a suicide note, Evan creates a fabricated, viral friendship, finding himself in a whirlwind of lies that ultimately lead to a journey of self-discovery, guilt, and the pursuit of connection.

Note: Sections of this performance will take place in various locations such as the Senior Academic Centre and Outdoors. Some walking to venues will be required and no stairs will be accessed. The performance will take place in one level

Content Warning: This Performance Contains Mature Themes and references to mental illness and self-harm.

BOOK HERE

SMNC are currently looking for years 2-5 to register for this winter season of netball. Offering the Net Set Go program to introduce those enthusiastic beginners to the game and rules of netball. Netball not only helps children stay active and healthy but also fosters teamwork, discipline, and communication skills—essential attributes that will benefit them throughout their lives. SMNC offers a great way to make new friends, build self-confidence, and develop a lifelong love for the sport. Don't miss out on this chance to play the number one sport in town. To register, simply click on the link below:

https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/register/080e47

Your child's future in netball starts now!

Wendy Giles
President SMNC