In this newsletter:
- Principal’s message,
- A message from Mr Andrews’,
- Tips for parents at the beginning of a new school year,
- Year 12 Commissioning
- Parents’ Series 2024 – Hot Topics: an invitation to our first event,
- School-based immunisation,
- Absentee procedure,
- Safety on e-rideables
- 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
Mr Andrews’ Almanac
Embarking on the journey of high school will be at times exciting and daunting for our Year 7 students. To ease this transition, many schools, including St Stephen’s School, organise a series of unique and crucial experiences early in the school year. Your child, whatever their age, will remember orientation to high school and those first days setting foot on campus. Coming up very soon is the Year 7 Camp.
The intentional timing early in Term 1, holds value in fostering a sense of camaraderie and connection among students.
For those transitioning from our Primary School, the camp serves as a bridge, allowing them to forge new friendships and strengthen existing ones in a different environment. Simultaneously, for students arriving from local, regional, or international destinations, the camp becomes a melting pot of diverse backgrounds, creating a tapestry of cultures and perspectives.
The early timing of the camp ensures that students build a support system right from the start. Engaging in team-building activities, sharing laughs in the dining hall, and navigating challenges together creates lasting bonds that extend beyond the camp. This sense of unity not only enhances the overall high school experience but also contributes to a positive and inclusive school culture.
Some students will feel some nerves at the prospect of going on camp. We make camp a compulsory activity as we see the value of participation every year, when the newest cohort to our Secondary School return with a stronger sense of self, bonds and group identity. This is also true of all of our camps and retreats. Please encourage your child to see camp in a positive light in the lead up.
I want to take this chance to thank our Dean of Parresia House, Mrs Suzy Mettam who has made preparations for this group of Year 7s.
Bennet Andrews, Head of Campus
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 (Duncraig Campus)
Year 12 Commissioning
In the first week of term, we held our Year 12 Commissioning, which is one of many beautiful traditions in our School. It’s an opportunity for the Year 12s, as the most senior students in our school, to publicly commit to their role as leaders, mentors and role-models in their final year. Their red Year 12 ties are a symbol of this commitment and a reminder of what it means to be a true servant leader in our school.
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.
School-based immunisation program for Year 7 and 10 students
Year 10 students are scheduled to receive MenACWY (Meningococcal ACWY) vaccine on Wednesday 21 February 2024.
- Year 7 students are scheduled to receive HPV (Human Papilloma Vaccine) and dTpa (Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis) vaccines on Tuesday 6 August 2024.
- VaccinateWA (VWA) online platform will be used to gain parent/carer consent for student vaccinations. School-based immunisation program healthywa.wa.gov.au – please see the “How to provide consent section for VWA”
More details will be emailed directly to parents and guardians
Source: Katie Farmer, Nurse – Carramar Campus
What to do if your child is absent or running late for school
If your child is running late, leaving early or will be absent from school for the day please let our friendly team at Student Services (Reception) know. You can:
- email absenteecarramar@ststephens.wa.edu.au,
- phone 9306 7100, or
- SMS 0428 863 144
Remember that, if students arrive late or leave before the end of the school day, they need to sign in and out at Student Services. Full details of our procedures can be found on p. 32 of our Parent Handbook.
Source: Student Services – Carramar Campus
Safety on e-scooters
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.
Dates for your diary
Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates
- 12 February – Interhouse Swimming Carnival, Challenge Stadium
- 13 February – Pancake Day: a whole of campus event run by House Captains
- 14 February – R U Legal: Year 11 and 12, Year 5 and 6
- 14 – 16 February – Year 7 Camp
- 26 March – St Stephen’s School Night of Giving Thanks