In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• Social media shake up – important information for all parents,
• Ms Dunn’s Digest,
• Mrs Resta’s Reflections,
• Parenting with Mr Gilchrist,
• A note from our school nurses,
• Public notices,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

I am delighted to see our Houses and ovals brought back to life by the presence of our students for what I am sure will be another wonderful St Stephen’s School year! 

I trust that you have all had a restful and restorative holiday break and are ready for a jam-packed term. It’s certainly been a busy start for us all and there are a lot of events to bring us together. Please keep an eye on our school calendar linked below so you have every opportunity to participate. 

One of the key issues parents speak to our pastoral care team about is social media and with the imminent changes to the age limit for social media access (see full details below) it is vital that we all stay up-to-date on what this means for our young people and inform ourselves about the broader issues relating to young people and online engagement. To that end, I am really pleased that we have been able to secure Kirra Pendergast to present on “Staying safe on Social” on Thursday 6 March at 7pm in the Duncraig Theatre. Kirra is an international online expert, with experience in advising young people, families and governments so I am extremely interested to hear what she has to say. Please book now as places are limited.  

I look forward to seeing you there and wish you well for an enjoyable term. 

Take care and God Bless, 

Donella Beare, Principal

Social Media Shake-up

On November 28, 2024 the Australian Federal Government passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill. The new legislation will make it illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to use certain social media platforms starting in 2026.  

This includes Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X.  

The legislation aims to protect young Australians from online harms and ensure their safety and well-being. Social media platforms will be required to take reasonable steps to enforce this age restriction. In good time, the Government has indicated they will provide guidance for parents, carers, and children to help them navigate this change. 

This means that if your child will be 15 or younger in 2026, it is advisable to start preparing now by removing their access to social media. Additionally, if you have not yet given permission for your child in this age range to use social media, we strongly advise against doing so. 

This legislation aims to protect young people in Australia at a critical stage of their development. As a School we support this new Bill, which has largely bipartisan support from both major parties. 

The Bill will place the responsibility on social media platforms, not parents or young people, to take reasonable steps to ensure fundamental protections are in place. This is about protecting young people – not punishing or isolating them – and letting parents know who is in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing. The evidence on the potential and real harm caused by poor social media conduct and online victimisation is extensive. 

From the introduction of this Bill onwards, our school will face significant limitations in addressing pastoral concerns that originate on social media. If a student has a social media account which contravenes the new legislation, our capacity to intervene in issues such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content, or other social media-related concerns will be more restricted. 

We understand that for some, this may be a significant adjustment, but it is essential for ensuring the safety and well-being of our students. By taking proactive steps now, you can help your child transition smoothly and comply with the upcoming regulations. 

We will continue to provide updates and government materials throughout 2025 to help you and your family navigate this legislative transition.  

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Welcome back to all returning families, and a very special welcome to students and families joining our community for the first time. I am always extremely grateful to our St Stephen’s School community for the positive support we receive and share with students, parents and the broader community. This was showcased at our annual Year 12 Ball held on 23 January and we look forward to all the great things 2025 will bring through the year.   

Over the next few weeks there will be several events to provide an opportunity to meet current families and staff. Please check the school calendar for these events through the year.    

A gentle reminder that students are to wear their summer uniform throughout Term 1. The Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays 8am-4pm and Thursdays 1pm-4pm.  Details of uniform requirements can be found in the Parent Handbook on the Parent Portal.  

Like most schools, we have roads and drop-off/pick-up areas that become extremely busy. Before and after school in particular, are bad times for traffic congestion. The safety of students, staff, parents and visitors is our priority. Please make use of the drop-off zones to minimise congestion in these areas. We also ask drivers to please keep traffic flowing and avoid stopping for prolonged periods.    

Year 12 Commissioning ceremony – Friday 31 January

Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus

Mrs Resta’s Reflection

We are starting 2025 with the roll out of our wellbeing program which has been rebranded IGNITE. This program acknowledges that academic success and student wellbeing are intertwined. Our IGNITE whole school approach is research-based and aimed a nurturing the holistic development of our students. 

The program is based on six pillars. 

I – Individual Student Voice The program provides opportunities for student advocacy and seeks to empower students to take ownership of their education. 

G – Growth through Leadership Through leadership experience provided in the program students learn to collaborate and make a positive impact on their community. 

N- Nurturing inclusivity and diversity Our inclusive environment values individual difference and promotes a culture of empathy and acceptance. 

I-Integrated community partnerships While partnering with organisations we enrich student experiences by providing real world opportunities. 

T- Thriving through active engagement We encourage our students to put their faith into action by actively engaging in service and outreach. 

E- Empowerment for a sustainable future We empower students to take ownership of their future world. Equipping them to make a positive impact on our global environment. 

Make sure to look at your child’s timetable and ask them about IGNITE! 

Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning

Parenting with Mr Gilchrist

As the new academic year begins, a fresh start with new goals is often front of mind for both students and staff alike. When setting goals for 2025 it is important that students apply the ‘SMART’ goal principle. 

What exactly is the goal? Be specific. Perhaps it is achieving a “B grade” for maths at the end of 2025 or maybe it is to become involved in more co-curricular school activities.  

Is this goal measurable? Knowing what percentage equates to a B grade is helpful and being aware of when the many co-curricular opportunities run is essential. Last year your child may have achieved 65% and knowing that 68% was the cutoff for a B is perhaps the motivation for that 3% increase.

Improving that small amount may be possible by ensuring that the student is diligent in double checking their work and submitting all tasks on time. The jump in the grade may be achievable by the end of Semester 1 but it may take until the end of the year. Further involvement with co-curricular events may require some rearranging of other tasks so you can do more. 

Whatever the goal, be it academic or personal, as parents you can support your child by regularly checking in with them regarding the hopes and dreams for 2025.  

I encourage parents to take the time to find out what goals your child has for 2025 and in doing so, working together, we can help our students to achieve both their short-term and long-term aspirations. 

Mr Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

A note from our School Nurses 

We have noticed a number of students arriving at school in the morning requesting medication. To ensure the smooth operation of our Health Centre, we kindly request that medications such as paracetamol, antihistamines, and ibuprofen be administered at home before school or be provided by parents for minor ailments. Please note that these medications will only be dispensed as determined by the School Nurse, and not from the Health Centre before recess. 

Public notices

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates  and you can check full details of the 2025 term dates on our website.

Welcome Year 7 Parents 

A warm welcome to all the new families who have joined St Stephen’s School in 2025.  

To help you connect with other families you’re invited to join the ‘Class of 2030 SSS’ Facebook group. You will be asked to answer some security questions but once you’re part of the group it will serve as a useful way to communicate with one another, ask questions and organise social get togethers like parent nights or family days.  

Please note this group is not run by the school but by volunteer parents however the School’s parent code of conduct applies to all users of the Facebook group. To remind yourself of the code please visit the Parent Portal: Plan the day>Policies, forms and handbooks>Parent Policy, Form and Handbook Centre>Parents and Wider School Community Code of Conduct Policy. 

To join the group simply follow this link – https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1MMpbcyPHK/ or scan the QR code. 

The parent volunteers are also organising a parent sundowner. All Class of 2030 parents are welcome. Details below.

Please note the following key dates for Term 1 in the 2025 academic year:

• Wednesday 12 February – Secondary School photo catch up day 

• Thursday 13 February – ATAR, General and VET Information evening 6.30 – 7.30pm 

• Wednesday 19 February – Year 7 Camp, Year 8 Camp 

• Friday 21 February – ACC Swim Camp 

• Tuesday 25 February – The Arts Tour information evening, 6.45 – 7.30pm Cousins Hall

• Thursday 27 February – ACC Swimming Carnival 

• Thursday 6 March – Parent Series, Kirra Pendergast “Safe on Social” 

• Wednesday 5 March – Year 7 SEQTA evening 6.30 – 7.30pm 

• Tuesday 25 March – Music ensemble photos, 7.45am 

• Tuesday 8 April – St Stephen’s School worship. Tickets available mid-term.

• Thursday 10 April – The Arts Tour departs 

• Friday 11 April – Term 1 ends 

In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• Ms Dunn’s Digest,
• Mrs Resta’s Reflections,
• Parenting with Mr Gilchrist,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

2024 has been a whirlwind year, filled with many wonderful events celebrating our forty-year history, and at this point of the year we have the opportunity to celebrate our reason for being – the students of St Stephen’s School. 

I have the enormous privilege of watching our young people at both campuses begin their school lives as nervous little ones, going on to graduate from primary into high school and finally making their own way into a future beyond school. It is a progression of which I never tire, as each year group carries a different spirit and leaves their own legacy in our school.  

I am extremely proud to be part of the community of educators whom you have entrusted with the pastoral care and education of your young people. I look forward to coming together as a community to celebrate our students’ individual and collective achievements at our upcoming Presentation Evenings. 

I look forward to seeing you there, and wish you well for a safe, happy and restful festive season and blessed Christmas. 

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) 

Take care and God Bless, 

Donella Beare, Principal

Tickets for Presentation Evenings 2024 are still available

Tickets are still available for the 2024 St Stephen’s School Presentation Evenings. Bookings are essential but tickets are all free of charge.

All attendees, including guests, staff, awardees and performers must book a ticket. Parking will be provided on the oval.

Book online here https://ticketing.humanitix.com/tours/presentation-evenings-2024

Ms Dunn’s Digest

As the year winds down, let us embrace this holiday season as a gift – a time to renew our minds, bodies and spirits. Just as the vibrant summer fun fosters growth, let us also take time to rest, reflect, and care for ourselves, as Jesus invites us to find peace and restoration in Him.  Self-care is not only an act of renewal but a foundation for creativity, enabling us to approach the new year with fresh ideas, energy and inspiration. 

This Christmas, may you be filled with the light of Christ, the joy of loved ones, and moments of peaceful reflection. Let us cherish the gift of His love during Christmas. Allow it to guide and nurture our creative spirits.   

I look forward to greeting students, parents and staff in the new year ready to embrace fresh opportunities with faith, energy and imagination.  Wishing you a joyful holiday season.

Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus

Mrs Resta’s Reflection

This is by far one of the more exciting times of the year. A time to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students, and a time to say one last farewell to our Year 12 graduating Class of 2024.  

At Duncraig campus we are looking forward and finalising our Presentation and Awards Evening that takes place on Tuesday 3 December. We look forward to seeing many of our families there as they enjoy the accolades of a fruitful 2024. 

On another high note. St Stephen’s School, Duncraig entered our first Ethics Olympiad. Mrs Amanda Rogers, our Gifted and Talented teacher, organised this opportunity and nine students across Years 7 and 8 participated.   

The teamwork shown by the Year 7 team was mentioned by more than one judge during the day.  The Year 8s listened to every piece of feedback and totally changed their approach and switched up their presentations.   

 I’m so proud to announce that St Stephen’s School Duncraig (White Team) won the Bronze Medal in the Year 8 competition! Honourable mentions were also awarded to the Year 7 Purple Team by the judges!

Well done and congratulations to all involved. We are excited for what the future holds for St Stephen’s School, Duncraig in this space. 

Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning

Parenting with Mr Gilchrist

With summer holidays around the corner, there are many opportunities for our students to experience the great outdoors. During these holidays I would encourage our students to get out from behind their computer screens, to be active and perhaps start something new. 

 Things to do that come to mind include: 

• Go to the beach 
• Learn to surf or go for a snorkle 

• Take a bike ride 

• Walk through the national park or follow a hiking trail 

• Go camping or fishing 

• Go on a picnic 

The list of possibilities is endless and they don’t require you to be super fit or even particularly organised but by being active your children will be helping their mental health and build closer connections with those who they choose to share their experience. 

 Hopefully at the end of the summer break some of these activities may become part of their weekly routine, providing a place of comfort, security and significant personal face to face connections. Merry Christmas! 

Mr Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Campus highlights

Our Class of 2025 student leaders on their Captains’ Challenge!

Timae farewells our outgoing Dean, Mr Phil Timms with the ceremonial handing over of the blue wig of honour to incoming Dean, Melissa Beale.

Year 9 “Rite Journey” Homecoming event

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates  and you can check full details of the 2025 term dates on our website.

Please note the following key dates for Term 1 in the 2025 academic year:

• Tuesday 28 January Primary students return, Year 7 orientation 

• Wednesday 29 January Secondary students return 

• Tuesday 8 April St Stephen’s School worship 

• Friday 11 April Term 1 ends 

In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• Ms Dunn’s Digest,
• Mrs Resta’s Reflections,
• Parenting with Mr Gilchrist,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

While Term 4 is something of a whirlwind with a lot of events and activities in every part of our school, it is a time of year which I genuinely appreciate. 

The term provides us with the opportunity to look back and reflect on how much our young people have accomplished and grown over the course of the year. This year we have also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the humble beginnings of St Stephen’s School, and how much we’ve achieved together as a community over this time. 

Term 4 brings our community together to celebrate the things that unite us, a belief in the value of serving others and a connection to God. 

It is also a time which triggers anticipation of warm weather, family fun, relaxation and holidays after another busy and satisfying year of school! 

Planning is well underway for our end of year Presentation Evenings, and in our 40th year we look forward to welcoming you all to be part of our celebrations so please make sure you book your free tickets via the link below. 

I hope, like me, you can enjoy Term 4 for all the opportunities it presents.  I look forward to seeing you soon. 

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare – Principal

Tickets for Presentation Evenings 2024 are now available

We are delighted to present the 2024 St Stephen’s School Presentation Evenings. Please join us to celebrate all that our students have accomplished in 2024. Bookings are essential but tickets are all free of charge.

All attendees, including guests, staff, awardees and performers must book a ticket. Parking will be provided on the oval.

Book online here https://ticketing.humanitix.com/tours/presentation-evenings-2024

Ms Dunn’s Digest

We wish all our Year 12 students well in the upcoming exams and assessments.  The educational journey is one for both you as the parent/guardian and your child/children.  At our celebratory graduation evening we invite a parent to share their proud moments and experiences.  With the permission of Genevieve Hays here are her reflections for the graduating class of 2024.  Her speech says it all! 

Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus

 My name is Genevieve Hays.  As a family we have a long association with and many points of connection to this wonderful school community. 2024 rounds out 20 years for Derek and I being parents at St Stephen’s.  Two decades of time, time we chose to invest into the education of our children. We talk about spending time or wasting time but intentionally spending is investing.  In those 20 years we have invested time in: 7,200 trips to or from school, not including the uncounted trips for forgotten computers or correct uniform pieces and left behind musical instruments across those years. 

Time spent doing parent hours in classrooms, at fetes, attending assemblies, music concerts, drama evenings, Synthesis exhibitions, cross countries, athletics carnivals, lightning carnivals. Evenings of eminence, science fairs, parent teacher interviews, orchestra festivals and presentation evenings and the like.  

Time spent doing over 1000 loads of washing uniforms, including around a dozen different types of school socks across girls, boys, ELC, PS and HS variations, none of which seemed to ever make it into the wash in pairs in our house.  

Time spent on spelling words, times tables , reading books, homework assignments, creating book week costumes and googling answers to maths problems to try to help with maths we couldn’t understand.  

Time is both a relentless and gentle force in our lives. It moves forward, unwavering and constant and yet it gives us countless moments to cherish, memories made. 

For each of us here tonight time has played a unique role in our journey to this day.  

For parents  – The time between birth and graduation seems to both drag at times and also fly by. A fellow parent sent me a text asking a question about grads day and began the message with “Can you believe our babies are on the verge of graduating?…’ The answer is both yes and no.  

The school FB account recently posted pictures of those who have been at the school from the first kindy class of 2011 through to 2024’s year 12s we see here – photos of blonde haired chubby cheeks and pigtails next to, juxtaposed with chiselled jawlines and poised beauty. Photos of time passed. I may have gotten a little teary.  

Weren’t they those little cuties only a moment ago? 

I remember dropping our children off at kindy, which for us was one of their first forays out into the world beyond our home. I remember the tentative steps, shyness at meeting new people and the tears (mostly mine) that surrounded this time.  

The time of school years seemed to stretch forth endlessly before us at this starting point. And now here we are at the completion of that journey. As parents time has afforded us the front-row seats to the growth of our children across their school years where we have witnessed and invested into the ups and downs of their academic achievements and struggles, to their social and personal development – each phase a testament to their time spent here at St Stephen’s School. The excellent and the challenging times.  

The graduating of our children forces us to face the passing of time and to both celebrate and perhaps regret how our time has been spent in those years.  

Time shifts for our family now…away from the daily routines of school life to a new and as yet unfamiliar rhythm of having no children going to school. Time though with a new freedom in it…especially from the chasing up of Consent-to-Go emails that I always seemed to miss.

To the teachers – Thank you!! Deeply and sincerely we thank you for obvious time and the behind-the-scenes time, the paid work hours of time and the personal investment of time that goes into the excellence and passion that you each have brought to your classrooms and the lives of our children. Thank you for those moments in time where you have seen our child uniquely and met them where they have been at, thank you for the tiresome moments of repeating yourself or of bringing timely rebuke. Thank you, teachers, for investing your time into helping make each graduate here today the people they have become between kindy and year 12.  

To the graduating class of 2024 –Today is a day of both reflection and anticipation.  Your years at St Stephen’s may have felt long and perhaps arduous at times but now may feel like they are ending suddenly. Your time and how you have invested it up to this point has largely been dictated to you inside the confines and familiarity of the daily routines of the school timetable.  

Time for each of you now opens up, expands and grows larger. This ending of one era of time for you is a new beginning of the next chapter of your life’s story.  

How will you invest this time? 

Time spent at St Stephen’s has afforded you wonderful opportunities to not simply learn in a classroom but to experience the world whether through incursions, excursions, camps, service learning interactions with the communities we live in, of the diversity of lived experiences across our city, experiences of other cultures and school trips; dive tours and overseas trips.  These are the experiences that will now launch you into broader opportunities for you to pursue further studies or jobs out of the experiences you have had at school. These experiences have shaped you; have helped to forge your identity and hone your talents and have helped develop in you new skills.  

May I encourage you to choose wisely how you invest your time. Choose who and what will be worthy of your time. 

Society likes to criticise this generation as being time wasters – too much time spent being consumers of meaningless short-form content etc However I don’t see that. I see a generation ready to invest time in seeking, questioning and critically thinking about the world around you and who you will become in it. 

Standford University describes this generation in terms like ‘authentic’ and ‘questioning’ and ‘curious’ and ‘pragmatic’. Ones looking for inter-generational dialogue to help make sense of the world’.  

Questioning and seeking and relating to others takes time. They are worthy pursuits in your investment of time.  

No matter what you are planning to spend your time on as you leave school, As a person of faith I encourage you amidst your seeking to invest time seeking God. It will enrich your life. In this I encourage you not to let what you may have experienced so far through school, or church or family to be the end point of that search.  

In the Bible, in a book called Jeremiah God speaks to us and says: 

Jeremiah 29:12-14 NIV
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you. 

What a great promise! 

In closing, I encourage you all to embrace the passage of time at St Stephen’s with gratitude and intention. Celebrate your achievements, savour your experiences, make the most of every moment and as parents we congratulate you.  

Mrs Resta’s Reflection

Good Luck to all Year 12 students who will be starting their ATAR exams next week and to our Year 11 students who will preparing for their second round of exams and assessments  

I would like to talk about active study. 

This is exactly what it says it is. Try some of these tips and see if it makes a difference to your study routine. 

• Practise examples 

• Make definition and formula cards 

• Say it aloud 

• Explain it to someone 

• Visualise it. 

• Actively read, underline, highlight annotate 

• Practise under time pressure 

Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning

Parenting with Mr Gilchrist

Looking after yourself 

Looking after your emotional wellbeing can help you navigate some of the challenges of raising teenagers. The following ideas are taken from https://raisingchildren.net.au/ The Australian Parenting website. This site suggests ways to help you to Look after your own wellbeing while parenting teenagers. Consider the following. 

1. Keeping things in perspective can help with this. For example, if you’re having an argument with your child, you could try asking yourself, ‘Do we really need to fight about this? Can I let this one go?’ When you let go of small issues, you save your energy for more important issues like your child’s health, safety and wellbeing.
2. Looking for positives can help with your emotional wellbeing too.  For example, if your child offers to help someone out, you might say to yourself, ‘Nice – I’m glad I’ve taught my child to think about others like that’. It’s time to congratulate yourself on all the good work you’ve done to get your child to this stage.
3. Activities like mindfulness, muscle relaxation and breathing exercises can help you learn to calm down and relax. This is good for your wellbeing generally, and it can also be useful in challenging situations. For example, these strategies can help you manage natural and common emotions like stress, anxiety and even anger in healthy ways.
4. Family rituals can build family togetherness and wellbeing. They can help you all feel positive about your family relationships. And rituals help teenagers feel loved and part of the family. No matter how bored they might seem, teenagers find rituals comforting. Examples might include a regular Sunday night dinner, regular family outings or religious ceremonies.
5. Self-compassion helps you be kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of raising teenagers. Self-compassion is good for you, because it reduces stress and anxiety. And it’s good for your child, because you can better support your child when you’re feeling good yourself. Self-compassion also sets a great example for your child. 

Mr Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Campus highlights

Congratulations to our Class of 2025 House and School Captains! (some of our Captains were out at other school events on this day)

Alethea – Dean, Mrs Kirra Muni (Acting)
Our Alethea School Captains are Elissa Groves (left) and Isla Blair (second from left). House Captains are Ainsley Montile (next to Dean), Jonathan Groenwald, Jessica May and Macy Carter (not pictured).

Carana – Dean, Mr Stuart Gale
Our Carana School Captains are Amelie Wardlaw and Max McCullough (back row). House Captains (L – R) are Joshwa Ruiz, Alyssa Hardingham, Joshua Lynn and Harrison Harrup-Gregory.

Timae – Dean, Mr Phil Timms
Our Timae School Captains are Luke Herrmann (not pictured) and Emily Charlton (pictured centre). House Captains are Isabel Bradley (left), Isaac Pearson (not pictured), Jacob Atkinson and Victoria Hill.

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates and full details of the below events.

Join us for a wonderful evening of family-friendly fun!

– Food trucks
– market stalls
– live entertainment
– face painting, and
– a cuddly animal farm!

In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• Our WA Charity Direct Student Committee needs your help,
• Ms Dunn’s Digest,
• Mrs Resta’s Reflections,
• Parenting with Mr Gilchrist,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

It’s an exciting and invigorating time of year on so many levels.  

The sun is shining, the mornings are brighter, trees are in bud and there is excitement for the warmer months ahead after an especially wet Winter.  

For our Year 12s and their families there is a similar sense of anticipation for what comes next. Of course, there is the challenge of final exams, assessments and completing certificate requirements for our VET students, although there is also the expectation of the innumerable options and opportunities for our students after graduation.  

This time is especially poignant for the Duncraig Class of 2024 as we say farewell to our very first class of kindergarten students who began their education journey with us back in 2011 when the ELC was established. They have all come so far, and we are very proud of all of them.  

As parents and educators, we have done all we can to nurture and develop our young people and now must trust them to step forward with greater independence than ever before. They have all come so far, and we are very proud of all of them. 

As we head into the last week of term, Year 12s, I encourage you all to continue carrying yourselves with dignity while enjoying this wonderful time of celebration. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all and your families.  

Finally, congratulations to our athletics team for being crowned B Division Champions at yesterday’s ACC Athletics Carnival! What a feat! Not only were our team overall winners, they were also:

• Junior girls runners up
• Junior boys champions
• Senior boys champions
• Overall boys champions

This is especially remarkable given that we are the smallest school in the Division and had 13 students out with injuries! Thanks to all the students who stepped in at the last minute to compete in their absence. You made us all very proud. Thank you to also to Matt Richmond, Head of HPE and all the HPE staff for their dedication and commitment in training and supporting our students to this exceptional outcome!

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare – Principal

Can you help? The WA Charity Direct Student Council needs you

Would you like to support children undergoing cancer treatment, assist women experiencing homelessness, enable research into melanoma or help to foster literacy by funding a “Story Dog”?  By making a donation to the St Stephen’s School WA Charity Direct Student Committee you can help fund a range of important not-for-profit projects. Read the full story and find out how you can help here.

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Expect More, Achieve More: Lessons from the Paralympics
The Paralympics prove it—greatness isn’t just about ability; it’s about daring to defy expectations.

As the Paralympics light up our screens with some truly awe-inspiring athleticism, I recommend listening to Dylan Alcott.

Dylan’s journey is phenomenal. From winning gold in wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Paralympics to smashing records in tennis—15 singles and 8 doubles Grand Slam titles—he’s proven time and again that limits are meant to be broken.

Beyond his athletic achievements, Dylan is also celebrated for his philanthropy and the impactful work he does through the Dylan Alcott Foundation.

Dylan’s speech was his insight into the real challenge he faces: not his disability, but the low expectations others have about what people with disabilities can achieve.

How often do we, even unintentionally, set the bar too low? With our children, our families, ourselves? By watching these Paralympians, it is a reminder that it’s critical we widen our lens and recognise that every single person has unique strengths just waiting to shine.

With the lead up to the end of year whether you child is studying for exams, going on work experience, competing and following their path we aim to always encourage, support, resource and champion the fullness of their potential as parents and educators to see what extraordinary things unfold.

Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus

Mrs Resta’s Reflection

This is always an exciting time of year in the Secondary School. We are walking our Year 12 students through their final weeks of high school. The term will conclude with the culmination of twelve years of schooling, the 

Year 12 Graduation. Please take some time to chat to our Year 12’s about their reflections and their future plans. Take a moment to pop into the House Farewells and the Year 12 worship on Thursday. If you have got your tickets enjoy the Grad Dinner at Perth Convention Centre or simply pop down for a photo before the event.  

Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2024. You have what it takes to make it in the world. You have made it to the next stage. You are well equipped for the next part of the journey. We look at the young men and women you have become with great pride. We know you are ready for whatever life may bring. 

Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning

Parenting with MrGilchrist

With the changing of the seasons and the arrival of warmer weather, more and more opportunities to get out and about arise. The school holidays are just around the corner and it is a good opportunity for families to reconnect away from the busy-ness of life.  

During these holidays I encourage families to plan to make the time to ‘do something together’. Perhaps you could go to a movie, go camping, ride your bikes or go for a walk to the beach. For some, going out for a meal together may be the opportunity to catch up and simply ‘chew the fat’. It doesn’t matter what we do to connect, what works for some families won’t work for others. The key to connection is being intentional, being relational and creating multiple opportunities to engage with one another outside the hum drum of everyday experiences. It is these shared activities, both the big events and little simple things, that strengthen our relationships, building trust and a sense of belonging. Enjoy catching up with your loved ones. 

Mr Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Campus highlights

Interhouse Athletics Carnival
Was it the Carana costumes that led to their triumph in the Interhouse Athletics? You be the judge!

There were some nail-biting moments in the Year 7 boys’ high jump as Hugh Kraut smashed Max McCullogh’s, record.

Bohemian Rhapsody had everyone spellbound at the Arts Assembly

In a St Stephen’s School first, our students produced three books as part of the “Write a book in a day” competition!

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates and full details of the below events.

• Wednesday 18 September – Grads Festival events and Year 12 Graduation Dinner
• Thursday 19 September – Year 12 Grads worship and farewell
• Friday 20 September – last day of Term 3
• Tuesday 8 October – first day of Term 4 – see page 26 of the Parent Handbook for guidance on uniform
• Thursday 17 October – Synthesis exhibition opening night

In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• Hear from our new Deputy Head of Secondary (Teaching and Learning), Nicola Resta,
• Parenting tip from Deputy Head of Secondary (Care), Russell Gilchrist,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Community notices,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

Term 3 has definitely begun on a very high note with the season of The Addams Family well underway as I write. I am so very proud of our community coming together and drawing on each other’s skills, experience and talents to produce such an excellent show! If you haven’t bought tickets yet, I sincerely encourage you to make some time to come along with the family. It’s funny, visually stunning and both the dramatic and musical performances are of an incredibly high standard.   

Thank you to all our staff who have gone above and beyond to support our student actors and musicians to shine in what I am sure will be a memory of a lifetime.  

It’s a bittersweet time of year for everyone at secondary level. We’re proud to see how far our Year 12s have come and can sense their readiness to take the next step into the world and yet it’s only a few short weeks before we will say our formal goodbyes at our graduation events. I trust that everyone will enjoy this time together. 

Finally, good luck to all students who are taking part in the Athletics Carnivals next week! 

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare – Principal

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Reconnecting
Seeing the return of students this past week enjoying conversations with peers whilst moving to classes and the sharing of lunches around the campus has been a highlight. The vibrancy of engagement in Houses, the preparation for our whole school production The Addams Family and the Year 12s upcoming preparations for all their ‘lasts’ is a reminder that the end of the year is drawing closer.  

For all of us, when was the last time you spoke to your child about their schedules? Sometimes it is tiring just hearing about everything they do.  Research shows adolescents get the least amount of sleep.  Consider what your son or daughter does in a 24-hour day.  Maybe they are a best friend or support person, a late-night studier, a “give it all” athlete, a devoted volunteer, a social media devotee, a son or daughter, a brother, sister or grandchild. Psychologists call this role overload: when you have too many roles to play. We all support our children to believe they can be and do anything. All opportunity requires balance and awareness of cultural societal expectations. 

It is helpful, however, to remind our young people that plenty of sleep and excellent nutrition are critical to optimal functioning. It may seem tedious to position these reminders so regularly, yet for a growing brain, there is no substitute for good basic routines. 

Applying positive habits, we can help with the “training routine”.  As parents the well-worn strategies that can assist with your child’s study and general well-being include: 

1. Nine hours of sleep per night 
2. Ample fuel (oodles of fresh fruit and vegetables, as opposed to processed food) 
3. Regular exercise 
4. Limiting access to electronic devices, especially at night 
5. Not permitting technology in the bedroom for sleep time 
6. Enabling a one-hour wind-down period before sleep 
7. Separating the study space from the sleeping space 
8. Helping to prioritise and plan the week’s commitments 
9. Choosing optimistic thinking around challenges. 

This link may also be helpful in your discussions with your child/ren – https://www.sleepfoundation.org/teens-and-sleep 

Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus

Message from our new Deputy Head of Secondary (Teaching and Learning)

One of my favourite French Authors is Antoine de Saint Exupery. As I begin my new position, I find myself reflecting on his quote “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”  

In short, it is impossible to predict the future. As our students prepare for their final two years of high school they are often bombarded with the question “What do you want to do when you’re older?”  We should hold Saint Exupery’s quote in our minds as we talk with our young adults. Their job is not to foresee their future but to enable it. Quite simply, take the next steps. 

This week I have been counselling our Year 10 students in their subject selections for upper school.  There are some common themes that arise from these conversations I want to share with you. 

• Students do not need to map out the rest of their lives at this point but should simply have an idea of what a Year 13 looks like. 
• Choose subjects that, with appropriate effort, you are likely to achieve success. It is important to achieve the best possible results to keep more options open in the future. 
• Research future university courses and attend open days. 
• Ask questions and reach out to our Career Advisor here at school. 
• As parents and guardians, keep informed.  
• Try asking “How” questions. “How can I help you find that out?” 
• Be supportive and non-judgmental of your child’s decisions.  

I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming weeks and feel privileged to be part of your journey. 

Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary (Teaching and Learning)

Parenting tip

“Citius, Altius, Fortius” – Swifter, Higher, Stronger
With the arrival of the 2024 Paris Olympics, I have found myself spellbound by the performances of these elite athletes. Their individual brilliance and successes have been captivating. However, amongst appreciation of these performances, I have been reflecting on the question, what characteristics do each and every one of these athletes, have in common and what lessons can we learn from their greatness. 

 For me, there are four clear themes that allow for their success. 

1.  Defining a vision and set SMART goals – Each athlete knows what they want to achieve and set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals. The vision is to be the best athlete they can possibly be, to be an Olympian and possibly a gold medallist. 
2.  Embracing failure or setbacks as a stepping stone – Each athlete at Paris has experienced disappointment through combinations of injury or poor form, bad luck or technical glitches. Working through these setbacks has built resilience and determination to do better and to overcome. 
3. A growth mindset – The Olympic athlete is never satisfied that they have performed the perfect race. With the achievement of a personal best comes the new goals: faster times, lifting heavier weights, finding a new more challenging limit. The athlete attitude that he or she can always improve and should never be satisfied. 
4. Determination to do their best – Each athlete has given hour after hour of their very best in both in training and in competition prior to the Olympics. Doing your best on all occasions, regardless of the situation, prepares the athlete for excellence. Hard work is required whether performing in front of the 100,000 spectators or alone in the backyard or the family home.

At St Stephen’s School, we know that God wants us to give of our best for the sake of others. So let’s apply these lessons to our everyday living being the best person you can possibly be, determined to do better and to overcome when challenges arise, understanding that we each can always improve and by simply doing your best on all occasions, you can make a difference. 

Mr Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Campus highlights

Some highlights of The Addams Family in rehearsal!
We look forward to sharing photos from the live show in our full school newsletter in Week 6. In the meantime, these are a few fun pics of our cast and crew in rehearsals. Thanks to alumnus, Callum Smith, from CSmith Photography for capturing these moments for us! A few tickets may still be on sale by the time you read this. Bookings can be made online here.

HASS ON TOUR!
During July, 48 Year 9 students and six staff from the Carramar and Duncraig campuses participated in a 10-day educational tour to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. This extensive cross-campus HASS Tour was an incredibly busy one, and everyone enjoyed the new experiences and friendships that were made.  

While the Tour was bookended by visits to the MCG and Sydney Opera House, in Canberra the group attended the old Parliament and current Parliament Houses, Questacon, the National Museum, the Australian Mint, the National War Memorial and the Australian Institute of Sport. There was even time at the Thredbo ski-fields, where the students very much enjoyed the snow. They absorbed a considerable amount of Australia’s history, culture and democracy, with education and fun going hand in hand as it should.  

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributes funding of $510 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. 

Special thanks to our Tour Coordinator, Mrs Taylor as well as Mr Barnes, Ms Erasmus, Mr Osborne, Ms Koutsoukos, and Ms Glacken for working with the awesome students who participated in this very successful tour. 

COMMUNITY NOTICES

A leadership opportunity for your kids!
Host a visiting Japanese student in August for a short 13-night stay and give your child the opportunity to connect with a new culture and enrich their worldview. The program is available across both Duncraig and Carramar school campuses from 23 August – 5 September.

 ✔️ Create Friendships: Welcoming a student sparks real friendships and cultural connections that last a lifetime.
✔️ Cultural Enrichment: Share your daily life and learn about Japanese customs and traditions firsthand.
✔️ 24/7 Bilingual Support: Receive 24/7 bilingual support and a $650 payment to help cover costs.
Apply via this link 👉 https://www.goldil.com.au/st-stephens-aug 

Do you have any old glasses sitting around at home?
As part of our Service Learning tour to Vietnam in January 2025, one of the organisations we are partnering with, Hearts for Hue, have informed us that they would sincerely appreciate any donations of old reading glasses. We have placed a collection box in Secondary Student Services at Duncraig, and Student Services at Carramar for you to drop in any old, unwanted glasses. Thank you for your support!

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates.
Please click on the images below to book for each event aside from the prayer group for which no booking is required.

In this newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• Community spirit,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• A farewell from Dr Criddle
• Parenting tip from Dean of Carana, Stuart Gale,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Community notices,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

It has been a busy and fulfilling term for us all at St Stephen’s School. After starting the term literally with a bang when we achieved our goal of attaining the world record for most confetti cannons launched simultaneously, our students have gone on to some excellent achievements in the Arts, interhouse and inter-school sports and we have supported our senior students through the first round of major exams of 2024. 

On Monday we are looking forward to officially opening our brand-new, state-of-the-art Science building although I’m sure you’ve heard from your children about the fantastic features and the beautiful spaces in the new building. These new facilities have already sparked scientific interest and enabled a range of experiments not previously possible.  

We’re also releasing tickets for The Addams Family on Monday, so I encourage you to book your tickets quickly to avoid disappointment and come along to support our incredibly talented performers from both campuses. You will receive an email from me on Monday morning so keep an eye out for that. 

Thank you to all our staff for their commitment to coaching, rehearsals, extra academic support and running retreats and excursions which enrich the lives of our students and help to make our school community a vibrant one. 

I trust that you all will enjoy a happy, safe and peaceful mid-year break. We look forward to welcoming you all back for Term 3. 

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare – Principal

Community spirit 

One of our students, Darcy Metcalf, was involved in a life-changing car accident in 2023. He spent four months in Royal Perth Hospital and is currently undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Fiona Stanley Hospital. His recovery is slow but progressing. He’s reached a point where he’s nearly ready to be home with his family, and his medical team are working towards discharging him within the next eight weeks. Chailee Richards, a close family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for renovations to the family home that will accommodate Darcy’s wheelchair and future independence. Please keep Darcy in your prayers, and visit his Go Fund Me page to contribute in any way you can. Thank you on behalf of Darcy, his family and his great support network. 

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Mindsets matter!
Latest research states that a student’s mindset has significant influence on their levels of attainment in Mathematics, reading, Science and more. Students who possess ‘motivation calibration’ can identify what motivation looks like in everyday life and are most likely to succeed.

It is important to note ‘motivation calibration’ is different to ‘motivation’.  Students who self-identified as “wanting to be the best and wanting top grades” scored only 5% higher than those who did not.

What does motivation calibration actually look like?  It means to consistently do more than what is expected and always completing tasks to a high standard and then calibrating to this norm to improve study habits. Students with good motivation calibration scored 13% higher in their results.

Having a growth mindset and a sense of belonging has a positive effect on student outcomes.  Utilising self-regulation strategies and perseverance improves mindsets and is a promising way to support achievement and help students attain their personal best.

Recharge time!
At this time of the term students have been involved in exams or completing assessments and managing an increased workload. With the upcoming term break this is a timely reminder for our families to recalibrate and to be intentional in being in the present moment.

We can practice this by sitting quietly and tuning into our body or just breathing, or more actively practice through walking, mindful listening or through prayer. Research has shown the flow on benefits include increased resilience, concentration, and ability to learn.

There are also several apps that can be helpful to practice being mindful. Some recommendations are ‘Headspace’ and ‘Smiling Mind’. They provide listening activities of various lengths and can be listened to before starting homework, study or going to sleep.

Holidays are an opportunity to re-set, too!

Some quick tips to help maximise study

• Eliminate all distractions such as mobile phones, TV and access to sites such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
• Keep the house quiet during study time.
• Provide good lighting, cool temperatures, and a desk with a supportive chair.
• Keep the workspace neat and clear of clutter.
• Maintain an upright posture while studying.

Good organisation habits of successful learners to discuss with your children include:

• Recording regular commitments and upcoming work set in advance.
• Scheduling work to help keep workloads in perspective and prevent tasks being suddenly due or overwhelmingly large.
• Making to do lists and crossing items off to provide a feeling of accomplishment.
• Chunking tasks into small sections to complete.
• Seeking clarification from a teacher when a task is not completely clear, well in advance of the due date.

Wishing you all a safe and rejuvenating break with your families and looking forward to your return for Term 3.

Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

Farewell from Dr Criddle

My time at St Stephen’s School is coming to an end this term, and I will miss this community dearly. It has been a privilege to be part of this incredible school and to contribute to its story.

I have a lengthy history here. My first ever teaching role, as a brand-new graduate, was at Duncraig campus back in the mid-1990s. I held many roles in my first teaching position such as teacher, instigator of inter-school debating, CAS Coach, Head of Department, and founding staff member at Carramar – one of the first staff to work cross-campus. I left SSS to expand my career and enjoy opportunities at other schools across Australia.

When I returned to St Stephen’s ten years ago, wonderful reconnections were made. In particular the opportunity to work K-12 acro

ss all five of our sites with all our staff (both teaching and non-teaching) as the inaugural Director of Teaching and Learning was fantastic. There have been colleagues who I taught, parents I taught enrolling their children and alumni returning to contribute. While no place is perfect, the number of people choosing to reconnect with the school is significant, and reflective of why I returned. In total I have worked nearly 18 years of my career here and have never been stagnant, have always enjoyed the challenges.

This is a school with a culture that supports “giving it a go”. Our students are all-too familiar with my mantra which is for all to have a growth mindset – to approach tasks with curiosity, give your best, and understand that if you are struggling there will always be a strategy to assist. We are part of a school community that supports and enables this, understanding that we are all connected and want to belong.

As an educator, I often don’t see the wonderful ongoing effects and results until much later when an ex-student returns to tell their story or when I am lucky enough to bump into them elsewhere. We are curating the future and creating possibility every day, with a long-term view to the potential of every student and staff member.

In farewell, I offer this reflective prayer that I presented at a recent devotion. It holds much meaning for me.

I wish all in our community the very best for the future possibilities ahead.

Liz Criddle – Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching & Learning

Parenting tip

In this edition we thank Dean of Carana, Stuart Gale, for sharing his insights and experiences relating to social media, technology and teens.

As we all know, technology plays a huge role in our lives and most of the time for the better. However, we do know that teenagers can struggle to regulate their own screen time and need assistance and guidance in managing their online interactions, and whether they know it or not (or even like it or not) they actually do need us to help keep them safe online.

As a parent of three teenagers myself, I am all too aware of the influence technology can have in our homes and on the lives of our kids. In my own home, we have had to address our use of mobile phones and computers and put strategies in place to help keep our kids safe online.

Social media
There are potential dangers online that many teenagers come across daily. Social media can be a huge part of a teenager’s daily life, and used well it can be beneficial, but there are many traps kids can fall into.

The impulse to obsessively check Snapchat and achieve ‘streaks’ can be a pressure for our kids, the constant ‘ping’ of notifications coming through at all times of the day or night can lead to anxiety and interrupt regular sleep patterns. Location and privacy can be problematic if the settings aren’t managed carefully.

The internet
The internet can be all pervading in our homes if we let it and so it is helpful for us as parents to be aware of what our kids are watching and participating in.

Pornography is all too easy for our kids to access. In a recent Australian study of 15–29-year-olds, 100% of boys and young men and 82% of girls and young women reported ever viewing pornography. The median age for first exposure was 13 years for boys and 16 for girls. Clearly, the young people in our care are certainly in that ‘at risk’ phase so we must be vigilant.

Online gaming
Gaming can also be of concern for some of our kids. Games are becoming more violent and more realistic in their violence, and sexual references and nudity regularly appear in video games that our children can access. Exposure to racist, misogynistic, and extreme perspectives are concerning, especially when teenagers don’t yet have the tools to analyse these ideas.

What can we do?
In the context of these issues, an important first question is whether we are comfortable with devices being in our kids’ bedrooms outside of our direct supervision. I encourage you to think carefully about this one, and to make the call and remove them if you are concerned. Your kids may not like this to begin with, but it will help them, and the whole household, in the long run.

Fortunately, there is a lot of help and advice available to parents. Of course, we must work with our kids to educate them and keep them safe at the same time.

There are also safeguards we, as parents can apply to our kids’ computers and phones to restrict certain content, turn off the device at night, and restrict what is watched or downloaded.

Below are some links to guide you through the process of setting up safeguards on your child’s device whether they have an Apple or Android device.

If you have an iPhone or Apple computer, you can use Apple screen time:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphb0c7313c9/ios

https://support.apple.com/en-au/108806

Family sharing lets you set up permissions for your child’s Apple device from your own device:

https://support.apple.com/en-au/108380

Microsoft family safety for Microsoft devices:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/family-safety

For Android mobile devices:

https://families.google/familylink/

Parental control apps

There are also many apps that parents can download onto our own phones to set up safeguards on a teen’s device.

https://www.techradar.com/best/best-parental-control-app-of-year

https://au.pcmag.com/parental-control-monitoring/44998/the-best-parental-control-software

https://www.safewise.com/au/best-parental-control-apps-software/

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/parental-controls

We urge you to seriously consider applying these, regardless of how well it appears your teen is using technology. I use these with my own kids not because I don’t trust them, but because I know the world they live in can be extremely difficult to navigate. There are temptations and pressures in their world that we just didn’t have when we were kids and it’s our responsibility to help them work through these pressures as best they can. It’s not about trust, it’s about guarding their minds and their hearts.

If you have any questions or would like some further guidance in any of these matters please don’t hesitate to be in contact with your teen’s Dean of House or Campus leadership team. As the saying goes, ‘we’re all in this together’ so if we can work in partnership our children can only be better off.

Stuart Gale – Dean of Carana, Duncraig campus
(on behalf of the Deans at Carramar and Duncraig)

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE CAMPUS

Class of 2024 Year 12 Retreat
Thanks to Amelie van Wyk for sharing her thoughts about Retreat on behalf of the Class of 2024. Many thanks to all our staff who made Retreat a memorable experience for all our students.

Rookie Debating Grand Final
In last week’s Rookie Debating Grand Final “The Point Provers” in the affirmative took on “The Debating Dynamos” in the negative on the topic “Should Australia implement a four-day school week?”  After a well-argued debate, The Debating Dynamos took the honours. Congratulations to the best debater on the day, Eli Lawson, Year 6 best debater, Poppy Gilbert, Year 7 best debater and Grand Final Chairperson, Elliot Wright (pictured right). Thanks to our staff and Year 11s Jacob Atkinson and Victoria Hill for their guidance and support of our Rookie Debaters!

ACC Cross-country update
We’re incredibly proud of our ACC Cross-country team. After months of gruelling preparation we are proud that our female team was placed fourth overall with St Stephen’s School Duncraig placing ninth overall out of 84 schools. We also had some fantastic individual honours with Emma Hill- Year 7 (ninth), Willow Potter – Year 10 (ninth), Isabella Heathcote – Year 11 (second). Congratulations to all our runners and thanks to our HPE staff for their training and mentoring support. We’ve just heard, too, that Isabella (pictured centre) has been named in the School Sport WA Cross-country team which will be travelling to Melbourne to compete in the National event in August. Good luck, Isabella! 

Career Expo and University Interviews

Representatives from over 50 organisations came together for our 2024 Careers Expo. Hundreds of students and parents from both Carramar and Duncraig campuses were able to ask questions about courses, occupations, career pathways and business opportunities for their future.  We were especially blessed to have some of our parents presenting on behalf of their workplaces and industries. Everyone walked away with information to support their future career decision plans.

Despite torrential rain on Thursday 6 June, over 50 students and their parents from Years 10-12 came to the library after school to have individual meetings with representatives from Universities and North Metro TAFE. Students and parents were able to ask questions about specific areas of interest and alternate pathways to courses such as engineering, medicine and physiotherapy. It was fantastic for students to be reassured that there are many options available to them. They were all encouraged to continue to get the best possible marks that they can – whether that was ATAR or General courses – as that was the best way to ensure there were options for them when they finish Year 12. Everyone who attended appreciated the opportunity to get advice that was specific to their own pathway and abilities.

2024 Inter-house Surfing results

Some great surfing was on display last week during our Interhouse Surfing Competition! Congratulations to all involved and a huge thank you to our HPE staff, Chelsea Unwin and Sean Nugent for their coordination of a fantastic day.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Train with AFL pros
Calling all footy players aged 14-17! Join the Athletic Institute to train like the pros with football skills from AFL player Elijah Hewett, mindset training by premiership player Mark Hutchings and fitness testing benchmarked to AFL standards and more! Don’t miss this chance to elevate your game, book now at https://athleticinstitute.com.au/ 

Do you have any old glasses sitting around at home?
As part of our Service Learning tour to Vietnam in January 2025, one of the organisations we are partnering with, Hearts for Hue, have informed us that they would sincerely appreciate any donations of old reading glasses. We have placed a collection box in Secondary Student Services at Duncraig, and Student Services at Carramar for you to drop in any old, unwanted glasses. Thank you for your support!

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates

• Friday 28 June – last day of Term 2
• Monday 22 July – first day of Term 3 – winter uniform

In this Newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s Message

We can now proudly say that we’re Guinness World Record holders!  You can see the official statement on the Guinness World Records website. What a fantastic way to celebrate our 40th anniversary!

Thank you to everyone who played a role in ensuring everything went well for the record attempt! Each staff member carried out their role exceptionally and our students’ behaviour and engagement was outstanding, so much so, that it was commented on by some members of the media in attendance.

The attempt involved more than 900 students being transported by bus from our Carramar and Padbury campuses to join their peers at Duncraig, where we formed a giant “40” before setting off our environmentally friendly, biodegradable confetti cannons.

It is truly a proud moment in the history of St Stephen’s School!

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare

Ms Dunn’s Digest

A highlight these last few weeks is seeing the return of students, the amazing Autumn weather and the students enjoying walking and talking as they move to classes and the sharing of lunches on the Quad and around the campus.  

This led me to reflect on the holiday break and how rewarding it was to have the time to have meaningful conversations with my own children. For each teenager this may look different.  Although my daughters are now at university, I have learnt to factor one-on-one time differently for them both.  For one of my daughters going to a café allows us to have a deeper conversation on where she is at any given time whereas for my other child a side-by-side activity such as cooking or dog washing works best for a conversation to occur.  Taking time to truly focus on the individual and show genuine interest and gratitude for the little things that arise and being with there to listen to the unknowns, to acknowledge and understand without trying to fix it for them was a great reminder to slow down and be present.  It is all they really needed from me, and the importance doesn’t diminish with age or time.  

Resilient Youth Australia report that over 90 000 teenagers been Years 7 to 10 say they cannot identify an adult in their lives who listen to them.  It is hard to substantiate if this is reality or teenage perception and it is not that we don’t listen as much as getting the conversation started.   

In building positive relationships and communication, a key component to success is highlighting and amplifying the positives in our daily interactions rather than negatives or catastrophising. A shared interest is a great starting point and helps retain connection and positivity during those challenging times where life doesn’t always unfold the way we wish it to be. It makes a big difference when we listen just to understand. 

Take care,
Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

Pace yourself

We had outstanding team and individual performances in the ACC  “B” Division Swimming Carnival and congratulations go to all of the 125 members of the St Stephen’s team. We came FOURTH! 

• Junior Girls Runners up 
• Junior Boys Winners 
• Overall Boys Winners 

These results are outstanding, and my thanks to the staff of our HPE Learning Area for their support of the team with intensive training sessions and outstanding motivation!

Our Interhouse Cross-country day was a stunning success and congratulations to all our runners, including the two overall champions Ben Hayes who is champion boy for the second year in a row, and Isabella Heathcote our champion female runner for a fifth year in a row. The staff race was hotly contested and well done to Mr Nicolson who placed first. 

While I am congratulating our sports stars, I want to recognise all our students who participate in any way in the sporting opportunities and competitions in the school. Your personal best is important. Physical competitions are about both competing against others and competitiveness for yourself. You know what you can achieve and how far to push yourself to get to the next level of your next goal. This does not always mean sprinting a marathon though! We all need to learn to pace ourselves and get to those growth goals gradually. At the start of the term, I spoke to our teaching staff about my most recent attempt to complete a 10km fun run, where I started way too fast, spent the first few km slowing down, almost ‘expired’ halfway through, before finding my pace and finishing well.

This term, let us pace ourself, finding the energy and motivation to get to the end of each week and then the end of term. Recognise the sense of accomplishment for the small goals, and the big goals will follow. 

Liz Criddle, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching & Learning

SECONDARY HIGHLIGHTS

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

No-one could have missed the EXCITEMENT and achievement of the school’s attempt to achieve a Guinness World Record in our first week of term!

WE’RE IN OUR NEW SCIENCE BUILDING!

The Science staff have, with great excitement, commenced teaching in the newly refurbished Science building. This state of the art building includes new dedicated classrooms for our main subjects areas – Physics, Biology, Human Biology, Marine and Maritime, Psychology, Chemistry and Physics!

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates

14 May Careers Expo 

We are excited to present our 2024 Careers Expo, where we’ll have more than 50 organisations at the Duncraig campus sharing information on the huge range of pathways available to students once they leave school. There’ll be something for everyone! Parents and students from both Carramar and Duncraig are welcome to attend this free event. We look forward to seeing you there! See the Facebook post

8 May Parent Series with Vanessa Kay

In partnership with Parenting Connection WA and Ngala, St Stephen’s School is proud to host Vanessa Kay as she presents “Understanding behaviour through a self-regulation lens” as our first session in the Parent Series, 2024.

Vanessa Kay is a self-regulation consultant with a diverse background that includes teaching, behaviour intervention and counselling. Vanessa is the founder of InnerWise Education and brings a unique blend of personal insight, professional expertise and a genuine passion to share this valuable knowledge.

This free presentation provides a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between parenting and applied neuroscience, with a particular emphasis on the crucial skill of self-regulation and understanding the impact of stress on the brain and body. By the end of the presentation, parents will walk away with a deeper understanding of how stress impacts behaviour and the long-term benefits of self-regulation skill development over traditional behavioural methods.

This session is suitable for parents and caregivers of all school-aged children. Tickets are free but booking is essential

20 May Year 9, 10 and 11 (2025) Subject Information Evening  

In this Newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• A moment of appreciation for parents,
• Highlights from around the campus,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s Message

We’ve had a beautiful start to our 40th anniversary year, with such a lot happening in every part of our school.

I’m delighted to see our students settling in positively in a new academic year, and some wonderful inter-House spirit alive and well in our swimming carnivals. Congratulations to all our swimmers who put in such a fantastic effort for their Houses, to our staff who organised and ran the carnivals and to everyone who was able to come along and support them. 

Our music staff and students are busily rehearsing for our Night of Giving Thanks which is coming up on Tuesday 26 March. If you haven’t already done so, please book your free tickets. This is one of the most beautiful events of the School year as we celebrate and give thanks which is especially apt in our anniversary year. I hope to see you there.

We’re also looking forward to our Guinness World Record attempt which has been re-scheduled for Friday 19 April – the end of the first week of Term 2.  The schedule will be the same as our original date, with some additional reminders coming out in the first week of term. If you have any questions, though, please reach out to our Community Relations team 

We’re now just one week away from Easter which is one of the most important seasons of the year for my family, and I am very much looking forward to an opportunity to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Easter. No matter how you celebrate, may it be a time of rest, relaxation, peace and stillness.

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Wishing you all a Happy Easter 

I hope you and your family enjoy a lovely Easter and holiday break.  

Below are some articles and discussions you may like to have with your child/ren over the break while you are sharing some valuable time together. 

During adolescence friends matter and staying connected with them is essential to a young person’s health and wellbeing. It is at this time of their life when they are more attuned to social status and eager to gain peer acceptance, far more than when they were children or later when they become adults. Not being able to socially connect with their friends is likely to be much more distressing for them than any other age group. Fortunately, the online or digital world has provided them with a place to interact with their peers and although ‘staying connected online’ is not the same as ‘staying connected in person’, most experts believe that online contact can still be helpful. Unfortunately, increased use of social media also has some negatives.  

 Without guidance, they may: 

• fall into the trap of saying things online they would not normally say to someone’s face. 
• not understand that there is nothing ‘private’ once it is shared online. Just because they are chatting in a private group, doesn’t mean the information can’t be copied and shared to others. 
• that talking about one individual negatively with a group online is a form of bullying behaviour. 

Within the I.G.N.I.T.E wellbeing program Homeroom teachers work with the students to address friendship dynamics, emotional and social maturity, and social media usage out of school.  It is important that family, other parents and the school environment support and guide the students’ changing social world as they learn to navigate and make good choices as they become more independent.  

Justin Coulson suggests ‘5 Better Conversations to Have About Screens’ and his tips regarding screen time and our teens . 

If anything, adolescents need your help in establishing boundaries as they traverse their teenage years. While they want more privacy, total independence and privacy is not such a good idea. Whether it is creating a safe and attractive place in your home where your child and her friends can hang out or creating a network of parents to supervise a group. As parents we all encourage our daughters to understand that we are there for them and their friends when they need a responsible adult. Justin Coulson has some good tips about navigating your teens quest for independence.  

Helping a teenager manage friendships is tricky, and sometimes very hard. With communication, boundaries, and supervision, your child can develop and maintain healthy relationships. 

The beginning of Term 2 

Term 2 commences on Tuesday 16 April, all students should be wearing their winter uniform. Now is a good time to check all garments are clean and in good order and give the shoes an extra special polish. 

I look forward to seeing you all when school recommences. 

Take care,
Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

A moment in appreciation of parents

As parents and carers, we often find ourselves making sacrifices for our children. Driving the kids to football or netball training, an extra music concert or drama performance may arise, perhaps it is spending extra time helping our kids with their homework or supporting their learning. The list of sacrifices is never ending and whilst we do these things because we care, they do come at a cost. A sacrifice of time, of finance or perhaps to our own opportunity to find rest and recoup ourselves from our own daily grind. 

Young people don’t always know how to express their appreciation for all that parents do as an expression of their love and whilst we don’t sacrifice for the accolades, be encouraged that they do appreciate your efforts and hopefully one day, they too will understand the importance of sacrifice for the sake of others.

Finally, as Easter draws near, I am reminded of the incredible sacrifice Christ made for each one of us. He made himself nothing so that you and I might spend eternity with Him in heaven if only we would ask Him into our lives. Happy Easter! 

All the best,
Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Study and Regular Physical Exercise

Regular exercise is beneficial for our students for several reasons, impacting both their physical and mental well-being, and helping them become better learners. Exercise can make a difference, especially as a brain-boosting activity. It assists with cognitive function such as memory and learning, plus stimulates the release of chemicals good for brain health. Obviously physical benefits are achieved such as cardiovascular health and better sleeping patterns. And the important benefits to mental health cannot be overlooked. Exercise is known to reduce stress by increasing the production of endorphins, and to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, improving overall mental health. Our students are supported with study skills through Forum and Education Plus and we encourage parents to access the Study Skills Website also. 

In good health,

Liz Criddle, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching & Learning

SECONDARY HIGHLIGHTS

DEBATING UPDATE – Mr Howie Jakeway 

This year, we have six teams competing in the WADL Schools’ Debating Competition, three in each division (Novice, Junior and Senior). Each Tuesday, the school runs a ‘WADL Workshop’ which is lead by Jacob Atkinson and Victoria Hill. The idea behind these workshops is to train the students up on how to build their case, how to effectively rebut, points of information and how to work as a team. It’s worth noting that Victoria Hill has been selected for the WA State Debating Team and will travel to Adelaide to compete at the end of this term. She is the first St Stephen’s student to be selected in a state debating team. Following a restructuring of host schools by WADL, the debates this year will be held at Shenton College. It is amazing to see how alive and well public speaking is at St Stephen’s School. 

THE RITE JOURNEY CALLING AND DEPARTURE – Ms Sian Freeman 

The Rite Journey calling and departure event was held at Sorrento beach at the beginning of March and was a truly memorable experience! It’s heart warming to see families coming together and students expressing their gratitude to their parents through their handwritten letters. The presence of school staff underscores the significance of this journey for the students. The students were embarking on their first challenge, which was a walk from Sorrento to City Beach along the ocean, it was exhilarating. The beautiful weather added to the enjoyment of the experience. It was wonderful to hear that the students embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and shared plenty of fun stories along the way. The spontaneous swim and indulgence in cold ice cream reflected the joy and camaraderie of the occasion. It’s events like these that create lasting memories and strengthen bonds within the school community. 

A Note from the Canteen

The canteen for the last week of the term will have:

• normal menu on Monday and Tuesday
• limited menu of drinks, sushi, snacks only on Wednesday and Thursday

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates

• Tuesday 26 March – St Stephen’s School Night of Giving Thanks 
• Thursday 28 March – last day of Term 1
• Tuesday 16 April – students return for Term 2 – Winter uniform
• Tuesday 16 April – Rookie Debating Workshop (Year 6/7 students and parents)
• Friday 19 April – Guinness World Record attempt
• Wednesday 24 April – Senior Music Concert

In this Newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• Safety around Duncraig Campus,
• Tips for parents at the beginning of a new school year,
• Setting your students up for success,
• Parents’ Series 2024 – Hot Topics: an invitation to our first event,
• Dates for your diary,

Principal’s Message

It’s been a wonderful – albeit very warm – start to 2024.

We are delighted to welcome a new group of Year 7 students to Secondary with all the energy, enthusiasm and potential they bring. Welcome back to all our returning students, and to any new families joining us for the first time. We also acknowledge our Year 12 students, the Class of 2024, and the important leadership role they play in our School community. May each of you carry a strong sense of the support of our community throughout this important year.

In our 40th year, we celebrate our shared history as one community across two campuses. In each of these forty years, generations of staff and students have contributed their own entries to the story of St Stephen’s School, and in this anniversary year together we will together create many more memories.

Our first whole of community event is our Night of Giving Thanks on Tuesday 26 March. Please mark this date in your diary and keep an eye out for booking details closer to the event. I hope to see you there as we celebrate and give thanks for the many blessings with which our School has been graced.

Until then, take care,
Donella Beare

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Welcome back to all returning families, and a very special welcome to students and families joining our community for the first time. I am always extremely grateful to our St Stephen’s School community, the positive support we receive and share with students, parents and the broader community. This was showcased at our annual Year 12 Ball held on 25 January and we look forward to all the great things 2024 will bring through the year.    

Over the next few weeks there will be a number of events to provide an opportunity to meet current families and staff. Please check the school calendar for these and other events throughout the year.    

A quick reminder that students are to wear their summer uniform in Term 1. The Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays 8am-4pm and Thursdays 1pm-4pm.   

Like most schools, St Stephen’s School has drop-off/pick-up areas that become extremely busy, particularly before and after school. The safety of students, staff, parents and visitors is our priority so please, make use of the drop-off zones to minimise congestion and please avoid stopping for long periods to keep traffic flowing. We also ask parents not to drive through the staff carpark to drop students as it delays bus drop offs and staff parking.    

Technology is changing rapidly, and the use of e-scooters and other electric rideable devices are being used for commuting and recreational purposes. New rules have now been introduced to keep e-riders and other West Australian road users safe.  Please have a look at the Road Safety Commission website for information related to e-rideables and young people.

Please familiarise yourself and your child with the following rules to maximise safety for everybody in our community with all transport options to and from school –   Student Transport Options 

Take care,
Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

Did you know that it’s illegal* to park on the verge?

It surprised us too, but we’ve done some research recently after a number of complaints from local residents regarding vehicles parked on verges during school pick up and drop off times. Unfortunately, a number of residents have reported damage to their property due to parking by members of our School community. The City have let us know that they will be increasing their parking patrols during peak times so please work with us to restore our relationship with our neighbours and ensure you do not receive a parking infringement. We understand that pick up and drop off times can be stressful for everyone concerned, so please consider coming a little later for pick up or slightly earlier for drop off to avoid the busiest times. Thanks for your support in making ours a safe environment for our whole community.

* Clause 42(2) of the City of Joondalup Parking Local Law 1998. This law prevents motorists from parking on a road verge without the adjoining property occupant’s consent.

Tips for parents at the beginning of a new year

The beginning of a new academic year brings new experiences for each of our students. Work at school will be different from earlier years. Perhaps the content is more difficult, the workload greater or the time constraints tighter.

Friendship groups change, relationships can become complex and as a result, it is important that parents and carers provide support for our students, addressing these changes not with anxiety, fear or apprehension but rather address the experiences head on as challenges and opportunities to grow. 

We know that a safe and supportive home life, where health and wellbeing are encouraged, is paramount in helping to provide a solid foundation on which students can prepare for academic success. Here are a few hints that might assist you to support your children throughout this year.

All the best,
Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Setting your students up for success

Embarking on a new school year provides an excellent opportunity to establish meaningful goals for personal and academic growth. By helping your child set goals for their school year, they can focus and you can help them shape the kind of student they aspire to become. Goals should be SMART:

SPECIFIC:  Encourage your child to avoid vague goals like ‘I want to do better in Maths’. Instead be detailed. Exactly what do you want to achieve? 

MEASUREABLE: Have a way to measure progress. Define clear indicators that signal achievement, enabling your child to track success along the way. This could involve setting specific targets such as ‘I want to achieve a ‘B’ grade level in all my in-class assessments’. 

ACTION-ORIENTED: Create short-term goals that outline the action steps needed, such as ‘I will set up a study plan by the end of this week.’ 

RELEVANT and REALISTIC: Goals change, so if the goal is no longer relevant, it needs to change. Stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone but don’t be unrealistic. 

TIME-BASED: Have a ‘to complete by’ date to aim for. 

You can help your child frame their goals in a positive and success-focused manner. Instead of focusing on what they want to avoid or improve, emphasise the positive outcomes you aim to achieve. A positive growth mindset fosters resilience, optimism, and a greater likelihood of success. 

Dr Liz Criddle
Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning 

Parents’ Hot Topics 2024 – Learn more about our pastoral care system in our first session

In 2024, we are introducing a series of parent seminars entitled “Hot Topics”.

Feedback from our parents/guardians through our satisfaction surveys has indicated interest in more opportunities for parents to be involved in the life of the school. While this has been challenging between 2020 and 2022, we are excited to re-engage with parents in our 40th anniversary year. “Hot Topics” will be a practical series, covering a variety of contemporary issues in K – 12 education, providing you with an opportunity to grow your understanding of our philosophy and response to a range of current educational issues. The first “Hot Topic” will look at our approach to contemporary K-12 pastoral care. Incorporating our Six Pillars of Care, this seminar will have an emphasis on our IGNITE pastoral program, and will be presented by members of our leadership team, our Deans and other members of our pastoral care support team.

Each Term we’ll address a different “Hot Topic” and alternate between or a morning or afternoon session.

Tickets are free but booking is essential – click here to reserve your seats.

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates

• 20 February – Parent Series “Hot Topic”: The Six Pillars of Care at St Stephen’s School
• 21 – 23 February – Year 8 camp 
• 21 – 23 February – Year 7 camp 
• 26 March – St Stephen’s School Night of Giving Thanks 

In this Newsletter:

• Principal’s message,
• A message from Ms Dunn,
• Parenting note,
• Secondary highlights,

Principal’s Message

The end of another school year is upon us and with that comes a myriad of emotions. Anticipation of the upcoming summer break, quiet contemplation about what was achieved over the course of the year, regret that perhaps we didn’t achieve all that we wanted to, excitement at seeing another group of students graduate from St Stephen’s School and sadness as we say goodbye to staff and students who leave us at the end of this year. Each emotion reflects a part of life in a school and we give thanks for the opportunities that this year has provided. Thank you to our school community of parents, students and volunteers for your ongoing support. Our community is at the heart of St Stephen’s School and makes it the Christ-centred, student-focussed, community-based school that it is. I wish you a safe and happy Christmas, and look forward to seeing you in 2024. 

Until then, take care,
Donella Beare

Ms Dunn’s Digest

It is always a pleasure to join together with parents, our partners in learning, to acknowledge important milestones in the students’ lives and to celebrate their successes. Both the Primary and Secondary Presentation Evenings were joyous acknowledgements of the collective efforts of our students. The achievements of the year give a sense of pride in goals met, challenges surmounted and optimism as we look forward to what can be achieved in the New Year.

To the Class of 2023, thank you for being advocates and leaders of the School. We wish you well in your future endeavours.

As the holidays begin and Christmas approaches, we wish all parents and students a restful holiday and well-earned break, with time spent enjoying family and friends.

Take care,
Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

Parenting note

As we finish another school year, take time to rest and recuperate, the Christmas holidays allow families to spend  valuable time together. The business of the year means that time with loved ones can often be reduced to a quick phone call or text message when what we really need to do is sit down and chat face to face with one another. This Christmas holidays, take the time to organise to catch up over coffee and cake, meet on the golf course, spend time playing board  games with the kids. Whatever you choose, it does not matter but make a concerted effort to build relationships with  those who matter. Spending time together allows us to build stronger connections and support networks. 

All the best,
Russell Gilchrist, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care

Secondary highlights

The annual secondary Presentation Evening was a showcase of student talent across the breadth of teaching and learning at the school. Several musical items were enjoyed by the school community and a number of different awards were presented. Students were recognised for academic achievement, for their willingness to serve their community as an involved citizen, and for extensive commitment to learning areas.  

Awardees included Ben Lyon the inaugural recipient of the Maths Medal, Kayla Allmark and Amberley Grace for the Athlete Development Program Scholarships, Victoria Hill and Nathasha Ruiz were recognised for leadership, and Abbey Carpenter and Maichael Noye for citizenship. Major award winners included – 

• Sportspeople of the year: Tahlia Papworth, Oliver Bridgman, Hayden Windsor  
• The Vocational Dux Proximae: Hollie Dalwood  
• The Vocational Dux: Sholai Cantwell 
• Academic Dux Proximae: Nathasha Ruiz 
• Academic Dux: Thomas McIntyre

The St Stephen’s School Award recognises an individual who demonstrates noble characteristics and attitudes such as respect, empathy and gratitude within our community. This year’s recipient is committed to learning, shows a willingness to serve and endeavours to empower the people around them – we congratulated Braden Gostlow on achieving this award. 

While we are incredibly proud of our awardees, we want to celebrate and acknowledge the work of all our students. The significant efforts of our students and their ability to keep a growth mindset is fantastic. I encourage all our students to continue to strive to be their best.  

Dr Liz Criddle
Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning 

Coming in September 2024 

We are excited to announce that the historic Lou Morrison Kimberley Tour for Year 8s will have a new look next year, exploring more back to country opportunities for our students and reconnecting with old acquaintances.  

We are currently working on a new itinerary that will hopefully include visits to Larrawa Station, a fully operational cattle station, Mimbi Caves where we will tour the amazing caves and engage with their local community, camp at Merry Pool and Parry’s Lagoon, participate in a Welcome to Country, dot painting and Aboriginal language lessons at Laarri Gallery as well as enjoy the gallery art display, and return to Frog Hollow where we will camp and participate in activities with the students of Purnululu School. Before flying home, you will be able to enjoy a visit and dinner at Lake Argyle. These are just some of the new additions to the tour.  Further information to come early in Term 1 2024. 

Source: Donna Wilson – Service Learning Tours Officer 

2024 School fee payment options 

In 2024, similar to 2023, parents/guardians will not be required to re-select a preferred payment method and frequency at the beginning of the school year.  The payment method (direct debit, or credit card, or BPAY) and frequency of payment (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, two or three or four instalments or annual upfront) that you had in place in 2023 will continue automatically in 2024. 

The dates to note for payments (based on frequency) next year are:  

• 1 upfront payment due on 29 January 2024 (2% discount); or 
• 43 weekly payments starting on Monday 29 January 2024; or 
• 22 fortnightly payments starting on Monday 29 January 2024; or 
• 22 fortnightly payments starting on Monday 5 February 2024; or 
• 10 monthly payments starting on Friday 2 February 2024; or 
• 10 monthly payments starting on Saturday 17 February 2024; or 
• 2 instalments on 18 February 2024 and 18 July 2024; or 
• 3 instalments on 18 February 2024, 18 May 2024 and 18 August 2024; or 
• 4 instalments on 5 February 2024, 22 April 2024, 29 July 2024 and 14 October 2024. 

(Where a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, payment will be processed on the next business day.) 

You will not be required to take any action, unless you would like to change the method of payment or frequency of payments. In which case, please contact the Accounts Receivable team on 9243 2103 or email accountsreceivable@ststephens.wa.edu.au as soon as possible. 

If you wish to change your credit card, or bank account details, you are able to do this at any time throughout the year via the Parent Portal. Click on the ‘School Payments’ tab and select login under Manage stored cards and direct debits to bank accounts or use the following link https://edinfo.ststephens.wa.edu.au/ManageStoredCards.aspx 

In January 2024 your annual fee invoice will be available for you to view on the Parent Portal in the ‘School Payments’ tab by logging into Statements and receipt history or use the following link https://edinfo.ststephens.wa.edu.au/fin.aspx 

Source: Accounts Receivable team

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates
See our website for 2024 term dates

• From 12.30pm Wednesday 6 December – Monday 15 January – Student Services reception closed
• Wednesday 20 December 2023 – Wednesday 3 January 2024 – St Stephen’s School administration closed
• From 15 January 2024 – click here to view Duncraig Uniform Shop opening times
• 29 January 2024 – Pre-Primary – Year 6 return
• 30 January 2024 – Years 7 – 12 return