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In this newsletter:
- Principal’s message
- Ms Dunn’s Digest
- Mrs Resta’s Reflections
- Parenting tip from Mr Thomas
- Public notices
- Dates for your diary
Principal’s message
As Term 3 unfolds, I continue to be inspired by the energy and dedication of our students and staff. It’s wonderful to see both campuses buzzing with learning, activities and meaningful connection across all year levels.
A special congratulations to our Carramar Secondary students who participated in this week’s Athletics Carnival, your enthusiasm and House spirit were a joy to see! Best of luck to our Duncraig students as they prepare for their carnival next week.
With Year 12s entering their final months at St Stephen’s School, we acknowledge both the anticipation and emotion that come with this season. It’s a special time to reflect on their journey and look ahead with hope and pride.
We’re also preparing to welcome cyber safety expert Kirra Pendergast to our Duncraig campus in Week 7 for a parent presentation on navigating social media and keeping our young people safe online. I encourage all families to attend this important event.
Please continue to check our online calendar and social media channels to stay connected with the many exciting activities happening throughout the term.
Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare, Principal
Ms Dunn’s Digest
I hope everyone has enjoyed a well-deserved break and are now re-energised for a busy term ahead.
A warm welcome to our new families joining the St Stephen’s community. We look forward to meeting you in the near future.
An interesting piece I read to reflect on for the start of term and recent parent/teacher meetings.
Boosting motivation to increase learning
We all know people who are naturally motivated in life, who will have a go at anything and keep going until they reach their goals. I read an article that discussed what parents can do to help to increase motivation in children, and how to avoid decreasing it!
Motivated students aren’t always the highest achievers in the class, they are the students who have a “can do attitude”, who are willing to give anything a go and will persevere with a task, even if it becomes difficult. And, of course, these attributes lead to progress and success.
Dr Andrew Martin, a leading expert on child motivation refers to motivated kids as “boosters” who have “a natural belief in themselves and their capacity to achieve”. Furthermore, he defines “those who restrict their chances of success through fear of failure and avoidance as ‘mufflers’; and those who self-sabotage and believe they have little control over whether or not they succeed as ‘guzzlers’”. So, what can parents do to “push the boost button” and increase motivation?
- Try to focus on success, rather than failure. Often parents and teachers focus on mistakes made and what a child cannot do, without acknowledging learning achieved or skills attained. Remember to recognise progress made, whilst continuing to make plans for future learning.
- Teach your child new, resilient thinking habits. Build success into their lives, challenge negative thinking and catastrophising, recognise their strengths, and acknowledge improvement.
- As parents and as teachers we must encourage, recognise, and acknowledge perseverance in students. We should aim to praise effort and perseverance – rather than ability. After all, ability is innate, but effort and perseverance can lead to improvement. So, rather than saying “you are so clever”, you might praise the effort taken to learn a difficult concept.
- Avoid always assessing your child’s progress in relation to others by only comparing them to the ‘standard’. It’s important to assess their individual improvement or effort, to increase their intrinsic motivation. This is more motivating than a desire not to let you (or the teacher) down through their placement in a cohort. Ask your child how their achievement compares with their past achievement, what effort they put in, what they learnt. These questions tell you more than a class average and they build motivation.
Rosemarie Dunn, Head of Campus
Mrs Resta’s Reflection
This Term started with a celebratory assembly to acknowledge the following students and their achievements in following areas.
2025 WA Economics Competition.
This competition drew in over 5,000 participants from across the state. Among those thousands, several of our students have stood out. They not only received Distinctions, placing them in the top tier of all participants, but even more impressively — all of these students advanced to the Grand Final round. Reaching the Grand Final is an outstanding achievement that reflects a strong understanding of economics. These students performed exceptionally well under pressure, standing among the very best young economists in Western Australia.
Even more remarkably, four of these students achieved a perfect score, answering 100% of the questions correctly in the final round. Congratulations to Zachary Walker, Felix Boswell, Danika Marsh and Melissa Selby.
ADP Awards
Our wonderful Athlete Development Program (ADP) in partnership with Athletic Institute presented some recent specialist awards. Congratulations Carly Moore (Gymnastics), Ella Harbison (Athletics), Noa Langhi and Mateo Langhi (Martial Arts), Tyson Jones (Swimming), Blake Sexton (Baseball), Charlotte Caldwell (Horseriding), Owen Challen (Boxing) and Willow Potter (Triathlon). Which leads us to our….
ACC Awards
Our cohort of ACC ALL STARS has grown with Jack Whyte, Jesse Whyte, Joe Bridgeman, Martin van Staden and Lucia Petropulous all becoming ACC Swimming All Stars. Congratulations also to Isabella Heathcote for becoming an ACC Cross Country All Star.
STEM Awards
Congratulations to Elissa Groves and Joshwa Ruiz who were the TOP ATAR students for Science and presented with STEM Awards by Dr Masoumeh Zargar from the School of Engineering at ECU.
Mrs Dunn welcomed the following new staff to Duncraig Secondary.
- Mr Kenneth Taylor – Maths
- Mr Harry Tanner – HPE
- Ms Antonella Raschilla – Science
- Ms Anne Butler – English/Drama
- Ms Gabrielle Watts – English/Drama
- Mr Jorgen Torgersen – HASS
We have had many success stories of our student’s achievements over the holidays in their own personal passions. Please check our socials for their stories.
In addition we welcomed back Year 9 students form the Bali Tour and HASS Tour.
This Term we will be saying Bon Voyage to the French Tour who depart in the last week of term. We look forward to hearing about your adventures.
Additionally, look out for our Arts Assembly and our Sports Award Assembly where we will be celebrating our top performing ARTS and Sports students.
Mrs Nicola Resta, Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching and Learning
Parenting tip
with Mr Craig Thomas, Carramar, Deputy Head of Secondary – Care
The Power of Unplugging: Why Families Need Screen-Free Time
Recently, a video popped up on my social media reflecting on the 10th anniversary of a spoken word video by Gary Turk titled “Look Up”. At the time, the video invited us to pause, reflect and reconsider the way that we engage with technology and highlighted that although there are endless connections with social media, it is leaving individuals feeling more isolated. It’s message was clear – disconnect to reconnect. After 10 years, Gary recently released a follow-up with a tragic twist. Technology has continued to evolve over that time but the core issue still remains: we spend more time online and less time truly living.
Let’s face it, screens are like that clingy friend who never wants to leave your side. They’re fun, helpful, and always around… but sometimes, they just need a little space. In a world where notifications buzz more than bees and scrolling can feel endless, taking a break from digital devices isn’t just refreshing, it’s essential.
Disconnecting from devices has been shown to improve mental health, strengthen relationships, encourage creativity and improve quality of sleep.
So how can we follow Gary’s advice and “Look Up?” Whether it’s swapping TikTok for a walk, or trading gaming time for a good old-fashioned board game, unplugging gives our minds a chance to breathe, our eyes a rest, and our relationships a boost.
What does unplugging look like?
- Create Tech-Free Zones: Designate areas like the dinner table or bedrooms as screen-free spaces.
- Set a Digital Curfew: Agree on a time each evening when all devices are turned off.
- Lead by Example: Children model what they see. When parents unplug, kids are more likely to follow.
- Plan Screen-Free Activities: Try a family picnic, a nature walk, or a weekend without devices.
This week, I encourage families to take on the challenge of unplugging by trying one of the suggestions. We all might be surprised by what we discover when we simply “look up”.
COMMUNITY 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.
Please note the following key dates for Term 3 in the 2025 academic year:
- Monday 11 August – Alethea Week
- Tuesday 12 August – Interhouse Athletics
- Wednesday 13 August – Science Showcase (Carramar Campus)
- Monday 25 August – Year 12 Cohort Photos
- Wednesday 27 August – Interhouse Music Festival
- Friday 29 August – Year 11 River Cruise
- Saturday 30 August – St Stephen’s School Foundation Event
- Tuesday 2 September – 12 ATAR Music and Drama Evening
- Tuesday 2 September – Arts Assembly
- Monday 8 September – OLNA Round 2 Begins
- Friday 12 September – Year 8 Lou Morrison Kimberly Tour begins
- Friday 19 September – Year 10 and Year 11 French Tour begins
- Wednesday 24 September – From 1pm Year 12 Grads Festival
- Thursday 25 September – Year 12 Grads Day to 1pm
- Friday 26 September – Year 12 Graduation Evening
- Friday 26 September – Term 3 Ends
- Saturday 27 September – ATAR Practical Exam, Drama, Music, Phys Ed Studies begins
