Junior School Bulletin - Term 4, Week 3

Dear Parents and Carers

As you may be aware, there has been a shuffle of jobs this week which sees me writing to you as the Acting Head of Primary. With Mr Davies taking leave for the remainder of the year, the following people have changed roles to cover his absence:

Acting Principal – Ms Roseanne Madden

Acting Deputy Principal – Mr Mark Douglas

Acting Head of Primary – Mr Mark Pressley

Acting Deputy Head of Primary (Y2-5) – Mr Jason Keenan

The students have already taken to these changes taking great delight in calling me, Mr Douglas and asking Mr Keenan if he likes being Mr Pressley.

Without an EA there is no tEAm

Today, our staff came together at recess to honour our wonderful education assistants and give thanks for their tireless patience, empathy, and dedication. At St Mark’s, our education assistants are vital members of our teaching team. They not only support students in their learning but also provide strength and reassurance during challenging times or moments of anxiety. Often, it is our caring education assistants who meet students before school to help them settle, listen to playground worries, and offer the encouragement needed to persist through difficulties. Rarely seeking the spotlight, they deserve our heartfelt recognition for the compassion, commitment, and care they show every day to our students.

Kind regards

Mark Pressley
Acting Head of Primary School

Book club catalogues went home this week. Orders can only be made online so there is no need to send any paperwork back to school. Orders are due WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER.

How to order Book club online

1. Log in, or create a new account at LOOP
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. Apply promotional codes that children may have earned from previous issues.
7. Make a payment via credit card.
8. Feel great about the scholastic rewards that have been earned for the school!

Thank you

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

Primary Art is collecting materials for our upcoming weaving projects. If you have any old wool, ribbons, lace, raffia, or similar materials, please bring them to the Primary art room. We look forward to weaving your things through our art! Thank you.

Monday 17 November is a scheduled Student Free Day as it is a Curriculum Planning Day for staff.

Parents will need to make alternative arrangements for the care of their child/children on this day.

Please click on the following links to access information regarding Orientation Day in the Junior School on Friday 28 November:

• Letter to current Year 1 to Year 4 students: Junior School Orientation Day
  (current Y1-4 students are to wear their House uniform on Orientation Day and report to their current 2025 classrooms as usual on that day)

• Current Year 5 students: https://www.stmarks.wa.edu.au/welcome-pack/year-6-welcomepack (Y5 students are to wear their sport uniform on Welcome Day and report directly to the Middle School, Floreat Building at 8.20am)

The Salvation Army Great Cook Up will be hosting its final cook up for 2025. This is a fantastic initiative for a very worthy cause, run by the St Mark's Old Scholars Association once a term and gives students from Years 2 to 5 the opportunity to come together with their parents, work alongside each other and cook meals for the Salvation Army at the Alan Cadby Senior Academic Centre (Home Economics rooms in the Secondary School). It is always a great afternoon and the kitchen is continually a buzz with St Mark's community spirit. The St Mark’s Old Scholars Association will be providing all the food and ingredients, all you need to do is simply turn up and help prepare and cook the meals. Further details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday 5 November 2025
Time: 3.40pm (after school) until approximately 5/5.30pm
Where: St Mark's Home Economics rooms (Alan Cadby SAC)
Who: Only 12 x family places are available (two groups per meal batch) - parents will be notified via email
Sign-up link: Cooking for the Salvation Army - 2025 Term Four

This initiative is being organised by The St Mark's Old Scholars Association and should you require any further information regarding this activity then please email Andrew Coffin at andrewcoffin@bigpond.com or mobile 0415 862 907. Thank you.

St Mark's is again looking for volunteers to assist with supervision for the upcoming Year 11 exams from Tuesday 4 November to to Friday 14 November.

Sessions are broken up into two time slots, morning (08:00am to 12:00pm) and afternoon (1:15pm to 4:45pm).

Please sign up here.

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

Join us for our upcoming General Meeting, an evening of connection, learning, and community spirit!

• Date: Tuesday, 28th October 2025
• Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM for pre-event drinks | Event starts at 7:00 PM
• Location: PAC

Community Hours:
Attendance at this event counts for 2 hours of Community Parent Participation time.

Guest Organisation: Lionheart Camp for Kids
Lionheart is a Western Australian not-for-profit dedicated to ensuring that children, teens, and families are not grieving alone. Their mission is to build a connected, compassionate, and caring community where grief is understood as a natural and healthy response to loss.
Lionheart provides support programs for families who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or caregiver, and also delivers educational sessions for schools, hospitals, and health professionals.

Speakers:
Shelly Skinner, Founder & CEO, Lionheart Camp for Kids
Laura Butshiire, Operations Manager, Lionheart Camp for Kids

Topic: “No Child Should Grieve Alone”

Come along for an inspiring evening that highlights the importance of community, compassion, and care for young people experiencing grief.

RSVP now and be part of this meaningful event

EdStart run an awards program to acknowledge talented students across Australia. They aim to support some of Australia's young minds in the following categories.

• Performing and Visual Arts
  Passionate about performing or visual art and would like to undertake training or a project to further their passion or showcase their talent
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  Has an innovative idea or initiative in response to a particular need that we can help get off the ground
• Sport and Physical Wellbeing
  Talented in a particular sport or is passionate about health and physical wellbeing
• Environmental and Social Impact
  Would like to launch an initiative or program to address a particular environmental or social issue

The program is open to students from primary and secondary schools across Australia. Students can nominate for an award category by completing the online form below.

Nominations close Friday, 31 October 2025.

Learn more here: https://edstart.com.au/award

Please be aware that the Uniform Shop will be open during the following additional hours:

• Thursday 6th & 13th November - 1pm - 5.30pm
• Monday 17th November 8am - 3pm

Also, please keep in mind that the last day of trading for 2025 will be Monday 8th December 7.45am - 11.15am.

We invite all parents and carers to share their thoughts in the 2025 St Mark’s Community Survey. Your feedback is vital in helping shape the future of our School. The survey, conducted in partnership with McCrindle, takes just 10 minutes to complete and is open until Monday, 3 November 2025.

Click here to complete the survey.

Thank you for taking part, you are helping to shape the future of St Mark’s and ensuring that we continue to improve for our students.

The Parents Prayer Group (PPG) meet fortnightly to pray for the students, staff and school community.

We will be meeting every second Friday 2pm in the School Chapel. We will be meeting on Friday 24/10, 7/11, 21/11, and 5/1. Please sign in at reception. All are welcome.

Please share any prayer requests by emailing parentsunitedforprayer@gmail.com or call Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.