Middle School Bulletin - Term 4, Week 2

YEAR 6: Week 3: Christmas Cards for the Elderly and Letters to Year 5 Buddies

Students will work creatively and thoughtfully to complete a Christmas Card with a handwritten message for an elderly resident in an aged care facility. These will be delivered personally to the residents. Our current Year 6s will also write a letter to an incoming 2027 Year 6 student so that they feel welcome when they come to St Mark’s. The letter will be in a pack that our new Year 6s will receive on Welcome Day.

YEAR 7: Week 3 : The Resilience Project

Students will engage with INSPIRE content from The Resilience Project, which focuses on developing gratitude, empathy and mindfulness to support mental health and wellbeing. Through stories, discussion and reflection activities, students begin building the language and habits that underpin resilience, positive relationships and a school culture that fosters kindness and inclusivity.

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/school-wellbeing-program/

YEAR 8: Week 3:The Resilience Project

Students will engage with INSPIRE content from The Resilience Project, which focuses on developing gratitude, empathy and mindfulness to support mental health and wellbeing. Through stories, discussion and reflection activities, students begin building the language and habits that underpin resilience, positive relationships and a school culture that fosters kindness and inclusivity.

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/school-wellbeing-program/

Do you love asking big questions, debating ideas, and thinking deeply about the world?

The Think Tank is calling on curious, creative, and courageous Year 5 and 6 minds to step up.

This will be an afternoon club run in the Primary Enrichment Room on Wednesday afternoons 3:30-4.15pm (Please bring an afternoon snack)

This event would start Week 3 Wednesday 28 October (please note, this club will not run in Week 5, Wednesday 11 November).

The Think Tank is where students sharpen their critical thinking through philosophy-style discussions, problem-solving challenges, Lego-play, puzzles, and real-world dilemmas. In a world of fast opinions and fake news, you’ll learn how to question information, build strong arguments, and express your ideas with confidence and respect.

Participation provides valuable preparation for academic competitions and the opportunity to represent the school in high-level challenge events. If you enjoy thinking hard, working as a team, and being stretched beyond the classroom, this is for you.

Please complete the form below if you would like your child to be considered for a place in this club.

When you submit this form, it will not automatically collect your details like name and email address unless you provide it yourself.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=zeU4ux80VUeu6aHCK8mQ3vJB3yN7ANZBum6gBCL6FFpUM1M0QktTSkk1MjZDWU5IQlVaTjAxMlhOTCQlQCNjPTEu&route=shorturl

The St Mark’s Chess Club is back for Term 4 and will commence on Thursday 22^nd October, running from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm in C1.

Current members are warmly invited to return, and any students who are interested in learning how to play chess or developing their skills further are very welcome to join. Students will have the opportunity to learn from the number 2 ranked chess player in Australia, making this a wonderful opportunity for both beginners and experienced players.

Cost: $112 plus GST and booking fees

Students interested in joining can register https://events.humanitix.com/secondary-chess-club-term-4-2026

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We would like to remind families that students who are travelling overseas may experience restrictions when accessing some school systems and learning resources.

To help maintain the security of our network and student accounts, access from overseas locations may require additional approval before it can be enabled. If your child will need to access school work while travelling, please notify the school prior to departure so that the necessary arrangements can be made.

When advising the school of your child's absence, please include the dates of travel and indicate whether they will require access to school resources while overseas. This will allow us to work with our IT team to ensure access is available where appropriate.

We recommend contacting the school as early as possible before travel to avoid any disruption to learning.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

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

Signing In

• All parents must report to Parent Reception upon arrival.
• Parents must sign in at Parent 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 must sign out at Parent Reception before leaving.

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

Dropping Off Items

• All items for Middle School and Senior School students must be dropped off at Parent Reception.
• Students will be contacted to collect their belongings during the school day.
• Parents are not permitted to go to Middle School Reception or Senior School Reception. These areas are designated for student use only.

We appreciate your cooperation in following these guidelines and thank you for helping us maintain a safe and orderly school environment.

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.

ATAR Exam Focus Program and Master Class program for Term 4, 2026.

Year 10 & 11 Exam Focus Program

• The Exam Focus program consists of 8 hours of teaching broken up into 4 sessions of 2 hour duration over 4 weekends.

Year 7 – 9 Master Class Program

• 1 hour classes held over 7 weeks, last class being Saturday 28 November.

Check out the upcoming events at St Mark's and ticketing links here.

With the AFL off-season here, we wanted to share an opportunity from Athletic Institute, who are running a 10-Week AFL Off-Season Program for players aged 13–15. It's designed to help players make the most of the off-season and head into pre-season stronger, fitter and ready to go.

What's included

• Performance testing at the beginning and end of the program
• 3 x Strength & Conditioning sessions per week
• An individualised 8-week running program based on testing results
• Weekly recovery at The Recovery & Wellness Institute, including sauna, hot & cold plunge, steam room or compression boots (age restrictions apply)
• Female footballers are now welcome, with dedicated female sessions running if numbers support this

Program details

📅 Dates: 27th October – 19 December

🕕 Times: Tuesday 6–7pm, Thursday 6–7pm, Saturday 9–10am

💲Cost: $89/week for 8 weeks ($712 total), or $612 upfront (save $100)

🔐To secure a place: pay the first week ($89) when you sign up. Your next payment is taken seven days after the first session.

🗒️Sign up by: 26^th October

If your player wants to keep developing over the off-season, have a look and see if it's a good fit. Questions? Contact Athletic Institute on (08) 9409 9404.

👉 Sign up here: https://momence.com/m/937596

👉 Link to Instagram Info Reel HERE

👉 You can also watch owner Corey take West Coast Eagles Player Elijah Hewett through an off-season gym session HERE

If your player wants to keep developing over the off-season, have a look and see if it's a good fit. Questions? Contact Athletic Institute directly on (08) 9409 9404.

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, starting 23rd October. Please sign in at reception. All are welcome.

For enquiries or prayer requests, please message Wing Shattock on 0433 002 151.