Students commence Term 3 on Tuesday 21 July 2015 at 8.15am.
Please note that the students are to wear full winter uniform for Term 3.
We hope that you have a restful and safe break during the holiday period.

Photograph: Outdoor Education Camp

Dear Parents   

It has been wonderful to celebrate Semester 1 achievements at our special academic assemblies over the past week.  These have provided the opportunity to acknowledge the success of so many students across all Learning Areas.
As we approach the end of Term 2, I would like to congratulate all students on their hard work and thank them for contributing to all aspects of College life. Whilst Kennedy offers many opportunities for students it has been very pleasing to see so many embrace the extra-curricular activities that have been made available to them. So far this semester has included:

• A range of inter-school sport competitions including the SAS program.
• A range of adventure based camps.
• Ongoing academic tutoring for all students.
• Numerous Arts based performances and excursions.
• A very successful study tour to England and Europe following the footsteps of the ANZACS.
• This week, 38 Year 10 students will spend the first week of the holidays skiing in Queenstown and then touring New Zealand.
• These holidays 13 Year 11 students will travel to Cambodia with 3 staff members to work in a school in Phnom Penh.

I am sure I have missed many other components of our extra-curricular life. It is this wide range of activities that make Kennedy a vibrant and dynamic organisation and so pleasing to see families welcome and accept the opportunities available. On behalf of the Kennedy Staff I wish everyone a safe and relaxing semester break.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8 ESV)

How often do we pray for something but only half believe for it? To have the kind of faith that we are asked to have as Christians can be difficult. It is difficult in some circumstances to believe for the things that we are praying for with all of our hearts. In James we are told that if we need wisdom that we can just ask for it – but the only catch is that we need to ask with COMPLETE faith – no doubting. If we ask with doubt in our hearts then we are classed as a double-minded man (or woman) and should not expect to receive anything.

God is a loving father who longs to bless us within His will. Of course he would want to bless us with wisdom if we ask with the right heart and the wisdom lines up with his will for our lives (he may not give us the wisdom to pick the winning lottery numbers – then again he just might) but even though our request for wisdom has to line up with Gods word and will for our lives – that is not the focus of the passage in James 1:5-8. We MUST ask with complete faith, and again I think having that complete faith - where there is a complete ABSENCE of doubt - is harder than we think.

We need to come to a place where we can ask for the things that we need from God with complete faith. Do you need wisdom in your life right now – ask believing that the same power that enabled Christ to raise people from the dead and perform miracles – is now available for us. Ask for the wisdom that you need right now and believe 100% that you will receive it.

God bless,
Adam

At this time of year, when Semester 1 reports are sent out, a common thought amongst parents is how should I talk to my child about their report. It may be that the report is a disappointing one, or that it is a good report but not as good as you believe it could be, or even that it is very good but you don’t want to get carried away with it. After looking at a few articles I believe these 10 tips may be useful.

1. Begin early. Talk with your children about grades before reports come out.  Don't wait until you hold the report in your hands before you begin this important communication.
2. Remember, your children are not their grades. Grades are only a partial reflection of who and what they really are, know, and are capable of becoming. Grades measure only what your child's particular school defines as smart. That narrow definition of intelligence does not measure emotional intelligence, spontaneity, integrity, trustworthiness, fortitude, sensitivity, creativity and a host of other important characteristics.
3. Rewards are ineffective if a love of learning is your goal. What getting rewards for grades really teaches children is that you don't study so you can learn and grow, you study so you can get a treat or special concert tickets. You are teaching your children that learning is not the goal; grades are.
4. Move up in consciousness before you move in with action. Take three deep breaths or count to ten before you say anything in response to a report. Talk to yourself before you talk to the child. Remind yourself that he or she is not his or her grades. You cannot change these grades. It is where the child goes from here, what he or she does with the information that is important. When you have all that in mind and you are emotionally under control, move to action using the following rules for discussing grades.
5. Listen more than talk. When discussing a report, ask lots of questions. Ask your child: How do you feel about these grades? What do you attribute them to? Were there any surprises on this report for you? What are you most proud of? Are there any disappointments here for you? What is one goal you have for next time?
6. Be descriptive rather than evaluative. Evaluative words like "good job," "excellent," "superb," "lousy," "pitiful," and "poor" are not helpful. Evaluation does not teach or give the child useful information. Describe what you see and leave the evaluation for the child. "Looks like you're a bit down from last time." "Two teachers mentioned missing assignments." Children who receive a positive report need affirmation, not evaluation. Affirm what they have accomplished with descriptive comments. "I notice you went up in two classes." "Every one of your teachers said they enjoyed having you in class."
7. Separate the deed from the doer. "I love you and I don't like this report" helps the child see that it is the results you don't enjoy, not the person. Help your children see that they are not their report. Likewise, stay away from comments such as, "I love you so much when you bring home a report like this." This style of communication obviously tells the child that your love is linked to high grades, so if the grades go down so will your love.
8. Focus on solution seeking. Attention to solution seeking infuses the discussion with positive energy and helps you concentrate on moving things forward to a different ending. Fix the problem rather than fixing blame by searching for solutions.
9. Punishments don't work. Consequences and natural outcomes do. What are natural consequences of poor grades? Having a tutor work with you on Saturday mornings or after school. Explain to your child that "opportunity equals responsibility."
10. Communicate positive expectations. One of the best things you can do for your children is to expect their success and communicate that to them. Use surprise talk when presented with a negative report. "Wow. This is surprising," and "I never expected this" are ways to communicate that you hold higher expectations of them than the report reflects. When they bring home a positive report, use surprise talk in a different way. "Knowing you the way I do, this type of report doesn't surprise me." "This doesn't surprise me. Not after the way I have seen you study and prepare for tests. Congratulations."

The Kennedy Baptist College Community Service Program is an essential part of the Kennedy Journey that our students experience during their time at the College. The program extends from the Year 7 Memories Project with the Lakeside Baptist Church Seniors group, to the Year 8s assisting the Swan River Trust with foreshore protection, the Year 9s working with St Bartholomew’s House in the city, the Year 10s with Autism WA, and the Year 11s undertaking the role of Red Cross Blood ambassadors.

This term the Year 12s as a whole group undertook a significant support project to assist the homeless. They participated in the organising, making and supplying of food for Manna Kitchen charity in East Vic Park. This involved a wide range of aspects including bringing ingredients to school, giving their time and energy to the project, as well as donating funds to cover material costs.

The students worked with Mrs Batley and the passionate Year 12 form teachers (Miss Casella, Mr Groom, Mr Owen, Mr Forsdike, Mrs Howard, Mrs Austen, Miss Foxton and Mrs Harris) for many hours preparing the food both in their form rooms and the Year 12 Common Room area.
The project was a major success involving year group wide engagement, with all students contributing in some way. Mrs Batley and a group of students delivered the final product to the Manna Kitchen in Week 10 of the term.

We as a College are very proud of our Year 12s efforts with this project and their overall embracement of the opportunity to support and assist others in the community.

Fans of Kung Fu movies will be well aware of Bruce Lee and his amazing abilities on-screen but it is his off-screen passion that I am interested in today; he sums up his attitude with a quote that I feel should apply to all Year 7 students – He said “long term consistency trumps short term intensity”.

The crux of his message is obvious; to achieve your goals you must work methodically and surely towards achieving those objectives, not just put in short term bursts every once in a while.  This is particularly true when it comes to school and achievement, in that many students will need to facilitate a complete change in attitude towards school and work to be able to achieve the most they are capable of.

 To do well on an assignment you must begin early and do small amounts of it over the course of the time until it is due.  This in turn needs planning and preparation to ensure that it is done to a satisfactory manner.  The same goes towards study, a small amount of study done every day will ensure that when the test time comes around you won’t need that frantic last minute burst of study that is never as effective as if you had maintained the long term consistency I am suggesting.

 The same must be said with your overall goals.  By now you should have set your goals in Coneqt-S, if you haven’t try it soon.  Your goals should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound - but they should also be attempted every day, small pieces done consistently is the best way to achieve your goals and will ensure you can feel justifiably proud when you do make it.

Ultimately Bruce Lee’s attitude allowed him to achieve greatness on the silver screen and by applying his motto and work ethic to your own study/goals you can also achieve great success.

Community Service

We had a wonderful group of students performing Community Service on Tuesday afternoon at the Kent Street Weir along the Canning River.  Watching them cleaning up the riverbank so enthusiastically and diligently made me realize again what a privilege it is to work with these students. They are an exceptional group and are an absolute pleasure to engage with.

Many walked in mud, crawled under bushes and literally raced to get pieces of litter leaving the area much more beautiful than when we arrived. It was a good feeling and very satisfying to see the students take such pride in giving up their time for the community and developing their social conscience.

The following is an article written by Darcy Pearson and Sofia Gaevaya, two of the students who attended:

“Twenty seven students enjoyed an ice-cream supplied by Mr Ashton on their way to the weir. After a short safety briefing by Mr Batley, we split into groups and spread out, some starting slowly and others having a race. Mrs Munsie introduced her group to a “Line Search” technique. Some girls went to extremes for the community by walking through mud to find rubbish. We searched for rubbish from corner to corner walking along the miniature train track and along the river bank collecting everything in sight. A few boys found three pipes overloaded with rubbish and we collected so much our bags were ripping. After completing our cleanup we had a fun group photo and headed back to school. Overall this was an educational experience whilst having fun and helping the community”.

We are also very proud of all the students who achieved awards at our assembly on Wednesday. We are also proud of the students who have worked hard but not received an award. We pray that all the students will have a restful, constructive and safe holiday and make the most of every opportunity.

It’s been a long term and we enjoyed honouring our academic achievements in the assembly this week. A big congratulations to the subject award winners, multiple A award winners and academic house awards. I would also like to acknowledge all the students who worked to their best and achieved great results in their reports. For some who may have been disappointed with their results I hope that they are spurred on to improve their results for the end of the year.

We celebrated the end of the first semester with our ‘Lazer Blaze’ social activity. 68 students came along and played lazer tag at Southlands and had a great time. It was great to spend time with the Year 9s and see them interact with one another and forge and strengthen their relationships within the year group. Next term we will go to Bounce, a warehouse filled with trampolines, for our social. I wish all the Year 9s and their families a safe and relaxing holiday.

As the term comes to a close we should be using it as a time to reflect on the achievements of a successful first half of the year and then look forward with excitement for the rest of the year and beyond. Last Wednesday we celebrated the academic achievements of our upper school students. I would like to congratulate all the award winners. For those who didn’t receive an award, I know that there are many of you who are still meeting the Kennedy standard of excellence with your effort. Well done and keep going.

Now is time for a quick reflection on your effort and an evaluation on where improvements can be made as we move forward. We move forward to consolidate prerequisites for Year 11 or other career paths, and to build study skills and a work ethic that will enable us to work smarter and achieve greater in the future. For those who did not do as well as they hoped this semester I would like you to ponder on the following quote:

"We learn wisdom from failure much more than success. We often discover what we will do, by finding out what we will not do." Samuel Smiles

God Bless and have a safe, enjoyable holiday.

As I come to the end of my acting position as Head of Year 11, I am very grateful for the support I have had from the Year 11 students and their parents/guardians. Next semester, Mrs Laura DeGois returns from maternity leave.

This semester has seen many students achieve pleasing results in their examinations. Earlier in the term, a focus on study techniques and creating study timetables assisted the students in their organizational skills. Last week, several Year 11 students received Academic Subject Awards and Certificates of Achievement. A special congratulation goes to Isabella and Lauren Dowling, who received six ‘A’ grades this semester.

Many students have donated blood for Red Cross as part of our year group’s Community Service and this will continue next semester. I am very proud of our students for being so selfless and caring for others in the community.

The Cambodia trip is approaching and the students who are attending this tour are looking forward to the opportunity to serve. I pray that this group of students and the staff members attending have a safe trip and continue to be blessed. The Newman Indigenous trip commences at the end of Term 3, from September 21 to 30. There are still a couple of positions available if your son or daughter would like to attend.

The next social event on the calendar is the Year 11 River Cruise, with tickets on sale now. Please ensure that you return the permission envelope, with the $60 for the purchase of your child’s ticket. It promises to be a wonderful night.

Have a safe and relaxing holiday break. Once again, thank you for your support and best wishes for the future.

‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever’.
Mahatma Gandhi.

Six months of Year 12 are nearly over. As a parent or caregiver of a Year 12 student you may be wondering where the year has gone?  As a student you may be thinking it cannot end fast enough. Year 12 is always an exciting year as the challenges of a very different future, after years of schooling, and the uncertainty thereof, is always daunting. However, know this, that you have been well-prepared for any future you may face, with its ups and downs. You will always have others around you to help, guide, love and nurture you. Focus on forming good friendships and be a good friend in return.

This has been a busy term especially with exams part way through. The week after exams the Year 12’s had a barbeque and games afternoon which was well attended. Nations Youth ran the games which included a slippery slide and a huge blow-up obstacle course. It was refreshing to see how the students tackled all the challenges with enthusiasm and great hilarity. Mr Pether flipped the hamburger patties while Mrs Plenty and the form teachers played games and supervised. 

As this will be my last newsletter I take this opportunity to thank the form teachers, Mrs Howard, Miss Casella, Mr Owen, Mr Forsdike,  Mr Groom, Miss Foxton, Mrs Harris and Mrs Austen for their support and hard work over the past term as they nurture and encourage the students. Mrs Plenty for helping and guiding students and going beyond her call of duty.

Lastly, to the wonderful Year 12 group. Thank you for the dynamic year group that you are. I absolutely loved being your Acting Head of Year. I was thrilled by the fact that you all so readily accepted me, allowed me to become a better person and your enthusiasm and generosity of spirit towards the homeless. May you all be blessed as you come back next term and have a relaxing, well-earned holiday.

The Administration Office will be closed on Friday 3 July and during the first week of the school holidays. The office will re-open again on Monday 13 July. Please also note that the office will be closed on Monday 20 July for a staff development and training day.

HOLIDAY HOURS

The uniform shop will be open in the 2nd week of the school holidays
Monday 13 July to Wednesday 15 July from 9.00am to 3.30pm.

TERM 3 UNIFORM SHOP HOURS

Monday to Wednesday
8.00am – 12.30pm
1.00pm – 3.45pm
Closed Thursday and Friday

To view Uniform Policy click here

WILL YOU HELP?

We are seeking parent helpers to assist with fitting days on the following Saturdays for both morning shifts (8.15am to 12 noon) and afternoon shifts (12.45pm to 4.45pm):

5 September
12 September
19 September
17 October
If you are available for any of these dates and times please call contact the College.

On 24 June and 1 July we honoured students who performed well in Semester 1 at our College Award Assemblies. At these two events awards were presented for excellence and achievement in the academic and sporting arena. Congratulations to all of the Award Recipients.

Year 10 - 12 Award list 
Year 7 - 9 Award list

During last week's assembly, we annouced the King and Queen of Cross Country. They are Luke Pidcock and Alex Fraser. Luke Pidcock was also awarded the ACC Cross Country All Star 3rd place for U16 Boys.

ACC ALL STAR AWARDS (Assocated and Catholic Colleges of WA) 

"All Star" teams are selected in athletics, swimming and cross country. The team is an "All ACC" honorary team consisting of the best performer(s) in each event across all schools and divisions within the association. It is a great achievement to be selected in an All Star team across more than 60 schools. All students selected in an All Star team are presented with a badge and certificate of acknowledgment from the ACC.

The following lower school students also received an award for their comemorative effort in ACC Cross Country

• U13 Boys 2nd place: Jay Lindorff 
• U14 Boys 1st place: Luke Shaw
• U15 Boys 4th place: Mitch Thomas

Photos

This year we have had a successful run with the Senior Boys Basketball team in School Sports WA Tournaments.  In Term 1 Kennedy finished second on the ladder in the south general pool to be invited to play in the Champion Schools Competition for Term 2.  After a close win over St. Norberts (34-31) and a successful road trip down to Mandurah Catholic College (60-40), we met Willetton Senior High School in the final game to determine who would play off for State Champions against the winner of the Northern pool.
The boys started well, with the game tied at the end of the first quarter.  The momentum swung for the entire game as both teams battled hard.  Willetton took a comfortable lead late in the second quarter and were able to hold onto it for the remainder of the game.  Kennedy rallied and narrowed the score back to 2 points however late in the fourth quarter it stretched back out to a final score of 34-46.
There was a great turn out from many teachers and students to support the boys which was great to see.  Thank you to everyone who came down to Lakeside and created a great atmosphere. 
Congratulations to the boys for the hard work that they have put in not only for this year but for the dedication and effort over the years to get this far at such a high level.  Good luck to the Year 12 students at any future basketball endeavors you try your hands at for 2016 and beyond.

Players involved in this match: Connor Savill, Daniel Grida, Jermayne Spatcher, Calvin Kamara, Brett Dubbelman, Isaac Grida, Tawana Kwaramba and Derek Igbenoba.

Last week was Student Council Week at Kennedy Baptist. This a special week held each term which allows the student Councillors an opportunity to organise activites for the student body and thus have further input into the life of the College. The council leaders including  Head Boy (Lachlan Sims) Head Girl (Lauren Holliday) Deputy Head Boy (Scott Stewart) and Deputy Head Girl (Emily Ferris) each led a team of councillors in running a project. This term the events included live music, a Free Dress Day to fund the Colleges overseas sponsor children, food vans, and a free “slip and slide” activity held on the lawn behind the Research and Study Centre.

One of the highlights was the staff student netball game with the students emerging victorious! Special thanks to all the staff who got involved and especially Miss Kennedy for her assistance. Students enjoyed the week and our councillors learnt a great deal about organising events and further developed their leadership skills.

It was exciting to have over 80 boys attend the inaugural Rugby Gala Day at Kennedy Baptist College. Assisted with the experienced Rugby Coaches in Mike Penhaligon, Jon Finley, Justin Foster, Mr Greg Wood and myself, students were trained in a series of drills to prepare them for the afternoon fixtures. Congratulations to the Year 10 team beating the Year 9 team in their game.

The Year 8 Trial match showcased some exceptional talent and made team selection for the upcoming season a difficult task. It was promising to see many talented Year 7s have a taster of rugby and get involved in the final fixture of the day. Congratulations to all boys who participated and displayed the values of rugby and Kennedy.

Mr J Wood
Head of Learning Area Physical Education

Throughout the semester there have been several camps for the Year 11 and 12 students. These camps have included snorkeling at Rottnest Island, circumnavigating Garden Island and a week-long sailing expedition around Shark Bay.

Outdoor Education Camps are a fantastic opportunity to challenge the students and push them outside their comfort zone. From planning and cooking their own meals, having no running water or facilities, to poor packing resulting in clothes getting wet, the students are constantly presented with opportunities to grow and expand friendship groups.

This year we trialed a new seven day sailing expedition starting at Denham and continuing around the beaches of Shark Bay. This camp provided the students a chance to be aware of their surroundings, conserve water and learn the best mechanisms to leave no trace in the environments that we visited. The students completed their Skippers Ticket, so they were able to motor around the bays and when the winds were optimum, were able to sail and see all of the marine life including; turtles, squid, dugongs, tiger sharks, shovel nose sharks, stingrays, manta rays, dolphins and much more.
The camps have all been fantastic times away which are made better by the students that are on them.

Mrs Kym Scanlan
Health & Physical Education Learning Area

Thank you to those parents who made it to our Term 2 P&F dinner.  The food and company was lovely – and it was also great to see some new faces as well.

Open Day (Saturday 29 August) is the primary focus for the P&F for Term 3 this year. The committee has already commenced preparations for Open Day and is requesting the following areas:

Craft Stall

Have you got talents that can be shared with the rest of the Kennedy Baptist College Community?

On 29 August 2015, Kennedy Baptist College will open its doors to the wider community for Open Day and we at the P&F, would like to run a craft stall to show what our parents and friends can do.

We are looking for volunteers to:

• make butters, preserves and pickles, knit items to sell, and
• make other items that we can sell (soap, jewellery, candles etc.)

If you have a talent please contact Sarah Clifford, a parent volunteer at sarah.clifford@rocketmail.com or 0416 543 566 to register your name and details of how to get involved.

Alternatively, if you feel you do not have the talent or time to spare, but you do have the kindness in your heart and willingness to donate, we are looking for:

• small jars for the butters and jams
• sugar to make the preserves
• large jars
• wool
• oranges, lemons, limes and other fruits and vegetables once the makers of the preserves have come forward.

Again, please contact Sarah Clifford at sarah.clifford@rocketmail.com or 041 6543 566 to organise drop off or collection.

We would like to thank you in advance for your generosity and support and spreading the Kennedy Baptist College Community spirit around.

BOOK CLUB

Every Tuesday after school from 3.20pm to 4pm we meet in the Research and Study Centre – anybody who loves reading is welcome. We generally have between 20 and 30 students from different years coming along. Some of the things we have done include: talking about what we are reading now, genre wars, black out poetry, series discussions, watching a movie based on a book, and each term we play Quidditch – which is a lot of fun.

Here are a couple of comments from our members:  “This isn’t  just the average book club where you only talk about books. There’s stuff like a yummy afternoon tea and games as well. So if you like to read come to book club!!! (Bring your book and a friend).”And another comment. “Tuesday is my favourite day of the week now.”

Mrs Virginia Yurisich
Teacher-Librarian
Research and Study Centre

ETHAN RAINE

Ethan has been selected  to Represent WA at the Ice Hockey National championship - Phil Ginsberg Tournament (under 13’s).  Ethan went through an exhaustive selection process over a period of 4 weeks earlier this year and was selected from over 35 players to be one of 15 players that will represent our state.

Ethan was introduced to Ice Hockey at age 7 by a school friend and has been playing ever since.  Ethan currently plays with the Sea Hawks Peewee team,  with Cockburn Hawks Ice Hockey Club and was elected this year to be one of the Sea Hawks Assistant Captains by his team mates.

This is the first time that Ethan will represent his state even though he has tried out twice before.

The Ginsberg National Tournament and Trophy was named after Phil Ginsberg (1928-1998) who was awarded life membership by Ice Hockey Australia for his dedication to the sport.  This year the Championship will be held in August at Warners Bay, NSW.  The trophy will be contested by Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, ACT and Western Australia.

FEE INFORMATION
• Family Statements will be posted to all families in the second week of the school holidays
• Repairs to Laptops: All outstanding  and current charges have been applied to your Statement where necessary - separate invoices will no longer be issued

PLEASE NOTE :
For Term & Semester payments (Option 2 and 3) Fees are due Friday 31 July. The fees can be paid by BPay, eftpos, cheque or cash
For Monthly payments (Option 4) please check that the fees have been deducted each month from February - June

Extra Charges: If extra charges have been added due to subject changes, laptop repairs, camps etc please make a one off payment to cover the charge.

Please check for any payments missed as we have unknown deposits which have been advertised in previous newsletters not yet claimed.

Please refer all queries regarding the Statement to Mrs Gillian Wood on 93147722 or email  gwood@kennedy.wa.edu.au

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