Photo above: Year 7 Student Councillors – Erin Garland, Jared Ranieri, Mr Tyrie, Ethan Myers and Cerys So.

Dear Parents and Families,

It has been great to see nearly all our students return to Kennedy this week and this has created a sense of normal operations at the College. Our goal is to continue with all campus-based learning opportunities for students to help them prepare for forthcoming assessments and continue to give them a sense of place in this uncertain time. Whilst the past weeks have been challenging, it has been pleasing to see our students show so much resilience and determination in their return to school and face to face teaching. We know that the current situation may change at any time and we will always do our best to keep you fully informed.

Mother’s Day

I was saddened to have to cancel our Mother’s Day morning tea this year. Our past events have been wonderful opportunities to catch up with our mums and grandmothers and we certainly missed having them on campus for this special event. I hope everyone has had an opportunity to see our Mother’s Day message on Facebook and Instagram. Our students certainly did a great job of expressing their love and appreciation for their mums. Hopefully, we will have a special event next year.

Technologies Build

The last stage of our current master plan is progressing very well and is still on track to be completed by the end of Term 3. It is exciting to see our dream for a state-of-the-art Technologies Centre come to fruition. The Centre will provide a wonderful focal point for the College’s STEM program and allow us to enhance our Technologies opportunities for students. The quality and design of the build is outstanding, and we look forward to our official opening and inviting families for a tour.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

I had a moment of enlightenment on Sunday as I spent time with my lovely mum, and I saw my children honouring their mum. I saw again on Mother’s Day that mums have a unique place in their children’s lives. Mums can care and sacrifice in a way that looks very different to the care and sacrifice of a dad. I personally have a great relationship with my kids as their father, but mum is their default for a wide range of needs. And as my kids honoured their mum, it was clear to me that the character of mums contribute a significant portion of the image of God as a parent.

God is referred to as “Father” regularly in the Bible, however we can get caught comparing our Heavenly Father to our earthly fathers, our earthly father will always be a limited representative of what God is like. I would like to suggest that our Father in Heaven has such an expansive and dynamic character that we only truly see His personality when we see that Mum’s and Dad’s, living the very best version of themselves, offer the closest resemblance to God.

God's character is so vast that its such a wonderful lifelong discovery journey just getting to know Him. My personal journey started in Year 12 when I found out that Jesus was a real and personal character. I have been finding, over the last 30+ years, that there is always more to know about Him.

On Sunday, I saw afresh that mums in action, loving, caring, sacrificing, defending, championing and relating to their children are an incredible display of God’s beautiful heart toward us.

May you enjoy the lifelong discovery journey of meeting and knowing God.

“So God created mankind in His own image, in His image God created them, He created them male and female.” Genesis 1:28

Welcome back to what is hopefully a more ‘normal’ term. I was very excited to see all the Year 7s' smiling faces in person. I would like to commend everyone on their resilience and adaptability.

During Form time we have been exploring the feelings the Year 7s are having at the moment and explaining that if they are feeling anxious or worried, that is quite normal. We have then been filling their emotional toolbox with strategies and enhancing the acknowledgment of their support network. We then moved into the idea of positivity and will continue that over the upcoming weeks.

At the end of Term 1 we held Student Council and House Captain elections. I would like to congratulate our student representatives for 2020:

• Councillors – Erin Garland, Ethan Myers, Cerys So and Jared Ranieri.
• House Captains – Josh Nathan (King), Riley McDonnell (Forest), Sienna Lilly (Eyre) and Cooper Barron (Stirling).

Please remember if you have any queries do not hesitate to contact me at gtyrie@kennedy.wa.edu.au.

I am proud of how quickly and confidently our Year 8 students adapted to off-campus learning at the end of last term. The coronavirus pandemic presented an obstacle like nothing we have experienced before, but the students confidently rose to the challenge of learning at home. We have had to navigate new technology, find the discipline to maintain our scheduled lessons, and learn to work in close proximity to other family members.

It is great to now have our students back on campus and in the classroom. There is a very positive vibe amongst the Year 8 students who are very happy to be socialising with their friends once more!

We are continuing to focus on positive education in our Pastoral Care sessions, equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to approach their learning in a positive way and to look after their mental health. We are also continuing to look after and look out for one another around the College.

So much has happened since the last newsletter, COVID-19 has changed our personal lives and school lives in many ways.

The Year 9 Camp had to be cancelled and the whole school had to go onto off-campus learning. We can be very thankful that the situation in Australia and particularly WA has been so well-managed.

The return to College in Term 2 has gone well and after two weeks, we are back to almost full attendance. The excitement of the students has been palpable as they have missed each other over the past five weeks. I hope they have gained a renewed appreciation for the College and their friendship groups. Even though we have returned to College it does feel different with an emphasis on good hygiene with hand sanitisers, social distancing wherever possible and still no assemblies or year group meetings. There is still no room for complacency and we will continue to work to keep your children as safe as possible. It is good to have them back in the classrooms!

As an educator for over 16 years (how has it been this long already!) I can categorically say the COVID-19 situation is by far the most unusual incidence I have experienced. The impact this condition is having on students is unquantifiable as yet; however, we must acknowledge the importance of returning to normalcy and ensuring students gain a solid routine as quickly as possible. I must commend the attitude and response of students to the stresses of this situation. Students have taken all of the difficulties in their stride and are continuing as if nothing had ever happened. It makes the whole “Keep Calm and Carry On” motto seem more apt than ever.

Our focus for the Year 10 students for the next few weeks is resilience. We examined resilience in the form of delayed gratification, students not seeing the results of their hard-work until years from now when they have good jobs, along with real-time resilience. If the COVID-19 situation is anything to go by, I feel our students are already very resilient and I am so impressed with their attitude throughout—well done Year 10s!

I cannot believe we have nearly completed three weeks of Term 2!

I recognise that it has been a difficult time for students, parents and staff even though the situation in Western Australia has been well handled and people have been responsible in the way they have handled the restrictions. There are places where the restrictions have been much tighter with people barely able to leave their homes.

Our prayers are with those who have experienced loss during this time and I hope you have been able to find some positives such as a cleaner world, families exercising together and less traffic! Let us all continue to see the positives around us.

I have missed seeing the student’s wonderful faces around, having the students back at the College has been fantastic! They energise us as teachers and we really appreciate teaching them face-to-face.

We still hope to have our Community Service event with the wildlife rescue but have currently postponed it until further notice.

Please keep safe, look after your loved ones and let us remember to wash hands and keep physical distancing in place. God bless you all.

It is great to see all our Year 12s back and ready to focus on their Term 2. I have been encouraging them to make the most of being back at school and I have truly been amazed at the amount of students who said they are glad to be back. I think the time at home in isolation has made them realise that school is an excellent place for learning and socialising but also that their friends gather in the same place day after day.

There is definitely an air of excitement as Universities and TAFE are sending out information for next year and we are keeping students informed of any information that we receive as soon as possible. I’m really looking forward to this term and even though this has already been a very memorable year for these students I am excited about making it a really special Year 12 experience and continuing with all as much of the final year as ‘normal’ as possible.

Anxiety centres around a part of the brain called the amygdala and reflects a fight or flight response to a threat. When it comes to anxiety, dangerous things, important things, or meaningful things can all feel the same. There is a range of ways that can help deal with anxiety. Please click here to read this article from our Deputy Principal: Pastoral Care.