Middle School Bulletin - Term 1, Week 1

Dear Middle School Families,

Welcome to the 2026 school year! It has been a wonderful start, and I want to thank all parents for helping your children return well prepared, positive, and eager to learn.

As we begin the year, I would like to remind you of our upcoming Parent Information Evenings:

• Year 6 Parent Information Evening
  Tuesday 10 February, 6:00 pm in the Chapel Building
• Year 7 & Year 8 Parent Information Evening
  Wednesday 11 February, 6:00 pm
  – Year 7 families will begin in the Chapel at 6:00pm
  – Year 8 families will begin in the PCG Rooms at 6:00pm, then join us all in the Chapel for the whole‑group session at 6:45 pm.

Across both evenings, you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s PCG Tutor, hear from our Acting Principal, Ms Madden, your child’s Head of Year, the Head of Middle School, and others who play a key role in supporting your child’s learning and wellbeing.

These sessions are an important part of our partnership with families, and I hope you can join us.

We look forward to a fantastic year ahead.

Warm regards,

John Stewart
Head of Middle School

Dear Middle School Families,

Welcome to the 2026 school year! It has been a wonderful start, and I want to thank all parents for helping your children return well prepared, positive, and eager to learn.

As we begin the year, I would like to remind you of our upcoming Parent Information Evenings:

• Year 6 Parent Information Evening
  Tuesday 10 February, 6:00 pm in the Floreat Building
• Year 7 & Year 8 Parent Information Evening
  Wednesday 11 February, 6:00 pm
  – Year 7 families will begin in the Chapel
  – Year 8 families will begin in the SAC, then join us all in the Chapel for the whole‑group session at 6:45 pm.

Across both evenings, you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s PCG Tutor, hear from our Acting Principal, Ms Madden, your child’s Head of Year, the Head of Middle School, and others who play a key role in supporting your child’s learning and wellbeing.

These sessions are an important part of our partnership with families, and I hope you can join us.

We look forward to a fantastic year ahead.

Warm regards,

John Stewart
Head of Middle School

We warmly invite parents and the wider St Mark’s community to join us for a special Parent Info Evening With Julian Pace and Melissa McGuiness focused on wellbeing, connection and resilience.

Date: Monday 9 February 2026
Time: 5:50–8:00pm
Venue: Chapel at St Mark’s
Tickets: Book here

The evening will begin with a Year 9–12 Parent Information Session, after which our guest speakers will commence at 5:50pm. Our broader community is very welcome to join us from this time.

Meet our speakers

Julian Pace – Founder & CEO, Happiness Co
Julian Pace is the Founder and CEO of Happiness Co, a globally recognised movement dedicated to improving lives through happiness and wellbeing. His journey is deeply personal, shaped by the loss of his father and several loved ones to mental health challenges. Julian’s storytelling is authentic, vulnerable and empowering, offering practical tools for personal leadership and emotional resilience.

Returning after a wonderful parent session in 2025, Julian’s 2026 session will focus on strengthening meaningful connection between parents and adolescents. He will explore why feeling seen, heard and valued is critical to young people’s mental health and resilience, and share practical, everyday ways to build trust and open communication at home—especially during times of change, challenge or conflict.
https://happinessco.org

Melissa McGuinness – Co-Founder, YOU CHOOSE
We are excited to welcome Melissa McGuinness, co-founder of YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety. Melissa will speak with our Year 10–12 students during the day, and her work powerfully complements the wellbeing focus of the evening. Following the tragic loss of her son Jordan in a 2012 car crash, Melissa has transformed grief into action, empowering young people to take responsibility for their choices and look out for one another. Her message centres on courage, accountability and speaking up when it matters most.
www.youchooseyrs.org.au/founders

A huge thank you to our P&F and OSA for generously sponsoring our guest speaker, Melissa McGuinness.

We hope you can join us for this meaningful and impactful evening.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Year 6 at St Mark’s! It is a pleasure to welcome both our new and returning families to what promises to be an exciting year.

As the first year of our Middle School journey, Year 6 offers a wealth of new opportunities for your child to "Explore and Flourish." From sports and music to the arts, specialist subjects, and various extracurricular clubs, this is the perfect time for young people to step outside their comfort zones and try something new. The Homeroom teachers and I are dedicated to supporting and encouraging every student as they navigate these new experiences.

Settling Into Middle School
The transition into a Middle School setting naturally brings both opportunities and challenges. Our first week has been focused on establishing clear expectations and successful routines. While there have been occasional moments of worry, which is quite normal during a significant transition, we are incredibly proud of the students’ resilience. There is already a wonderfully positive atmosphere as they support one another and celebrate small victories each day.

Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
As Head of Year, my priority is ensuring your child feels safe, supported, and valued. Working alongside our dedicated Homeroom team, we use our FLOURISH positive education program and daily Homeroom time to foster a sense of belonging and self-worth.

Our core focus areas for 2026 include:

• Belonging: Feeling safe, accepted, and included within the St Mark’s community.
• Contribution: Becoming an involved and active contributor to school life.
• Potential: Supporting and developing individual abilities and potential.
• Organisation: Building essential study and organisational skills.
• Resilience: Developing emotional wellbeing and healthy coping strategies.
• Support: Ensuring students know exactly who to turn to when they need help.
• Friendship: Understanding and growing healthy, positive relationships.

Communication and Partnership
We understand that the first few weeks can be overwhelming. It is common for students to feel more tired or emotional than usual as they adjust. We are here to partner with you during this time:

• For Wellbeing Concerns: Please contact your child’s Homeroom teacher via email in the first instance.
• For Academic Concerns: Please contact the relevant subject teacher via email.
• Email Format: [first initial][lastname]@stmarks.wa.edu.au (e.g., kbailey@stmarks.wa.edu.au).

Technology and Parent Portal
For all families, and particularly those new to St Mark’s, I highly recommend using our Parent Portal. This is our primary communication hub and provides access to SEQTA, where you can find timetables, subject overviews, assessment dates, and teacher feedback. If you have any login difficulties, please contact our team at IT@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Important Dates for Term 1
Please mark these key events in your calendar:

• Friday 6 Feb: Swimming Carnival
• Monday 9 Feb: Y Lead Incursion for Year 6 (all day)
• Tuesday 10 Feb: Year 6 Parent Information Night (6:00pm–7:30pm, Floreat Building)
• Tuesday 24 Feb: New Parent SEQTA Information Night
• Monday 2 Mar: Labour Day Public Holiday (No School)
• Tuesday 24 Mar: World’s Greatest Shave
• 25–27 Mar: Year 6 Ern Halliday Camp (specific dates per group to follow)
• Monday 30 Mar: Year 6 Parent/Teacher Interviews (No School for Year 6)
• Thursday 2 Apr: Last Day of Term 1

The Year 6 Team and I look forward to meeting you at our Information Night next Tuesday, 10 February, in the Floreat building. It will be a wonderful opportunity to hear more about the year ahead and meet your child’s Homeroom teacher.

Warm regards,

Kellie Bailey
Head of Year 6
St Mark’s Anglican Community School

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the 2026 school year! I look forward to beginning our journey together with the Year 7 cohort as their new Head of Year. My contact with parents/caregivers is also an important part of my role, and I welcome the opportunity to get to know you as our parent community and your children. I also want to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to the new students and families who have joined us this year. I hope that your child is becoming more settled and is sharing the excitement in beginning at St Mark’s.

In my role, I work closely with all Year 7 students and their new Pastoral Care Tutors to support their pastoral and academic needs. Our team this year are:

C7.1 Mrs Claire Larsen clarsen@stmarks.wa.edu.au

C7.2 Mr Joseph Magee jmagee@stmarks.wa.edu.au

CH7.1 Mrs Kylie Hall khall@stmarks.wa.edu.au

CH7.2 Mrs Katie Douglas kdouglas@stmarks.wa.edu.au & Mrs Lesley Galjaardt lgaljaardt@stmarks.wa.edu.au

M7.1 Mr Trent Browner tbrowner@stmarks.wa.edu.au & Mr Michael Bastow mbastow@stmarks.wa.edu.au

M7.2 Mr Josh Andrews jandrews@stmarks.wa.edu.au & Mrs Tiffiny Johnson tjohnson@stmarks.wa.edu.au

W7.1 Mrs Kate Gillam kgillam@stmarks.wa.edu.au & Mrs Talita Butchart tbutchart@stmarks.wa.edu.au

W7.2 Mr Angus MacLeod amacleod@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Our priority is for your child to always feel safe and supported at school and to care for their wellbeing and emotional development. Our area for focus this year is to:

• Build on their sense of belonging and self-worth,
• Explore opportunities to build relationships,
• Be active in promoting a healthy emotional and social climate within school,
• Know and use coping strategies for when things go wrong,
• Know how to have a healthy body, mind, and spirit,
• Become more independent,
• Develop their personal organisation strategies and being ready to learn,
• Try their best, even when it gets hard,
• To find their ‘niche’ and explore all the opportunities St Mark’s has to offer.

A reminder that your first point of contact is your child’s Pastoral Care Tutor; this is the staff member who sees your child every day in a pastoral capacity. Contact with the Pastoral Care Tutor may include issues regarding uniform or punctuality, any circumstances that have arisen at School or at home that could affect your child in the school environment or any pastoral information that needs to be communicated to teachers. The Pastoral Care Tutor will then, if need be, direct the message with my support to another staff member to ensure that the information reaches the appropriate staff. Another significant role of the Pastoral Care Tutor is to deliver the FLOURISH wellbeing program every Monday.

Our sense of belonging and relationship building will be further cemented with our Year 7 Camp to Woodman Point Recreation Centre in Week 4 of this term. An exciting adventure that the students will thoroughly enjoy.

It promises to be a wonderful year with the Year 7 students, and I thank you in advance for trusting us with your child. We as a pastoral team have your child’s best interests at heart and we want them to be successful and happy.

Please save the date for Wednesday 11th February for our Year 7/8 Parent Information Evening and on behalf of the Middle School and Year 7 team, we look forward to seeing you there.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Rebecca McManus

Head of Year 7

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we begin a new school year, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your family. This year marks an important milestone for our students—their final year in Middle School. It is a time of growth, leadership, and preparation as they transition toward Senior School. Our focus is on raising expectations, strengthening routines, and setting every student up for success.

Our theme for the year, “Better Together” will guide our approach both inside and outside the classroom. This message will be championed by our Year Captains and echoed throughout the Middle School as we work to build a culture of collaboration, respect, and shared responsibility. We believe that when students, families, and staff work in partnership, we create the strongest foundation for learning and wellbeing.

We deeply value the partnership we share with parents and caregivers. Your trust in us is essential, and we ask that you continue to place confidence in our care as we work collaboratively for the growth and success of every student. Each child develops at their own age and stage, and together we can support them to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Your child’s Pastoral Care Tutor is your first point of contact for any pastoral or wellbeing concerns. For academic questions or subject‑specific matters, please reach out directly to your child’s class teachers. Clear and timely communication helps us support your child effectively, and we value the strong relationships we build with families.

Emma Leadon Carnley 8.1 eleadon@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Sam Testa Carnley 8.2 stesta@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Nadia Forte Challen 8.1 nforte@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Herman Henderson Challen 8.2 henderson@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Krystal Tasovac Moyes 8.1 ktasovac@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Mitch Sabido Moyes 8.2 msabido@stmarks.wa.edu.au

John Spriggins Watkins 8.1 jspriggins@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Blair Limpitlaw Watkins 8.2 blimpitlaw@stmarks.wa.edu.au

This year, we are excited to introduce “To Do” a new digital tool that allows students to record and manage their homework on their device. This platform is designed to promote independence, organisation, and a greater sense of ownership over their learning.

We have also booked Elevate Study Skills sessions to help students develop and strengthen effective study routines. These workshops will support them in building habits that will serve them well throughout Middle School and into Senior School.

As always, we remain committed to upholding our school values and nurturing the development of good people—young individuals who show integrity, kindness, resilience, and a willingness to contribute positively to their community. Middle School is a formative time, and we are dedicated to guiding students as they grow academically, socially, and personally.

Key dates, events, and important information will be communicated through the school app and our weekly memos. These updates are essential for staying connected with what is happening across the school, so we encourage you to check them regularly. I look forward to seeing you at our Parent Information Evening on Wednesday 11 February starting at 6pm, more information to follow.

We look forward to a wonderful year ahead—one filled with growth, achievement, and shared success. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. Together, we can ensure that this final year in Middle School is a memorable and meaningful one for every student.

Blessings

Mrs McGibbon

Head of Year 8

Under WA road safety laws, only individuals aged 16+ can use eRideables or eBikes with the motor engaged.

To manage safety and ensure road safety laws are followed, from the start of Term 1 of 2026 (2 February), eRideables and eBikes will not be permitted on school grounds by students under 16 years old.

More information

To learn more about eRideable and eBike laws, penalties, buying guides and safety, visit the Road Safety Commission website at: www.wa.gov.au/organisation/roadsafety-commission/erideables

As part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, we’re thrilled to invite our School Community to the Marnjamoortup Festival — our premier birthday event — taking place on Friday 6 March on Marnjamoortup, affectionately known to many Old Scholars as the Quad.

Expect a relaxed evening filled with community, celebration and a healthy dose of nostalgia. Enjoy live music from our incredibly talented student bands, followed by tunes from Red’s Tribe featuring vocals from our amazing Ms Guelfi. Add roving entertainment, substantial food offerings, a cash bar and plenty of opportunities to reminisce, and you’ve got a celebration worth breaking the rules for.

EVENT DETAILS:

• Friday 6 March 2026
• 6.00pm – 10.00pm
• Marnjamoortup (The Quad), St Mark’s Anglican Community School
• Dress: Smart (with your dancing shoes!)
• Parking: Junior School Oval, enter via Gate 4 on Whitfords Avenue
• Please note: this is an 18+ event
• RSVP by Friday 20 February 2026
• Tickets: $30 - Includes a complimentary drink on arrival and substantial finger food
  https://events.humanitix.com/marnjamoortup-festival-st-mark-s-40th-celebrations

Come celebrate 40 years of St Mark’s — we can’t wait to see you there.

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 2026 and close on 2 April 2026. Forms are available from Main Reception during Term 1 between 8am and 4pm.

Please check the eligibility criteria here.

The Australian Government Department of Education would like to notify you that we have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information.

Under the Australian Education Regulations 2023, the school is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:

• names and residential addresses of the student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s)
• student residential address (excluding student names)
• whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
• whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status).

Can families please update their information on Consent2Go by Wednesday 11 February 2026.

If your child will be absent, arrive late, or need to leave early, please notify the School with a reason for the absence via the St Mark’s App, SEQTA Engage, or by emailing absentee@stmarks.wa.edu.au. This applies to all year groups; 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.

Absences of three or more consecutive days require a medical certificate. Requests for extended leave or holidays during the school term must be submitted in writing to principal@stmarks.wa.edu.au for consideration.

We are pleased to offer the opportunity to enrol in Chess Club again for Term 1 2026.

If you child is in Secondary School and would like your child to participate, please use the link below to register. Please note places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

https://events.humanitix.com/chess-club-2026-term-1

The club will run from Week 1 of Term 1 through to Week 9 of Term 1, with a total cost of $140 for the Term (plus GST and booking fees). Payment is required in full at the time of enrolment.

Please note that missed sessions are non-refundable.

We look forward to another great semester of learning, strategy, and fun through chess!

Kind regards

John Stewart

Head of Middle School

The Health Centre would like to welcome you back to a new school year.

Please update the health records for your child on Consent2Go. It is important to provide us with current Action Plans for diagnosis where relevant. Please update permissions for Non-prescription medication if you wish for your child to receive them in school.

Parents are reminded that students are not permitted to self-administer medication or bring it to school. The Health Centre provides medications such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and antihistamine for student needs. If your child requires any of these during school hours, they may attend the Health Centre to see the nurse (Tracey or Laura) for assessment.

Any further questions please don’t hesitate to email us, nurse@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Kind Regards

Health Centre Team

Get ready to colour, cut or shave for a cause that truly matters. On Tuesday 24 March 2026, St Mark’s will once again take part in the World’s Greatest Shave, proudly supporting the Leukaemia Foundation.

This is a powerful opportunity for our community to come together, show compassion, and make a real difference. Last year we came so close to our fundraising target — and this year, we’re aiming even higher with a goal of $23,000. Let’s hit it together!

What’s happening on the day?

• Hair spraying and a Bake Sale at recess, run by our Year 12 students

• Main shaving event during lunch in the quad

Get involved

Students and staff are encouraged to take part by shaving, cutting, colouring, or fundraising. Families can support by donating or spreading the word.

Join or donate via our St Mark’s Team Page:
https://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/join/StMarksAnglicanCommunitySchool2180

Calling all hairdressers!

If you have a family member or friend who is a hairdresser and would be willing to donate their time on the day, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Mrs Parsons: lparsons@stmarks.wa.edu.au

Let’s start building excitement, spreading the word and encouraging our students to get involved. Together, we can make 2026 our biggest and best World’s Greatest Shave yet!

Calling all former students from the Classes of 1996, 2006 and 2016 - Your Milestone Reunion is coming up on Saturday, 21 February, and we’re celebrating at a brand-new venue — the Whitford Brewery (because we’re all adults now).

Even better? You’ll also be helping us celebrate the School’s 40th birthday! Forty never looked so good.

Worried you won’t get your nostalgia fix? Relax — there’s a school tour beforehand, so you can revisit the classrooms, relive the memories and say, “Wow, that looks smaller than I remember.”

Old friends, milestone years, a brewery and a birthday — honestly, what could go wrong?

Start rounding up your classmates and book your ticket today! Book your ticket here