Photo above: Year 12 Graduation Ceremony. 

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

This is our last newsletter for the year, and it is remarkable to realise how much the community of Kennedy has achieved throughout 2020, despite the challenges we have faced along the way. It is wonderful to reflect on the many highlights across our academic learning areas as well as the co-curricular opportunities provided by the College. These community and personal highlights are the results of the combined hard work of staff, parents and students and I thank everyone for their commitment and ongoing contributions.

A number of teaching staff will be leaving Kennedy at the end of the year and I would like to highlight their commitment and service to our College.

• Mrs Barbara Meadows - English Teacher and Head of Year will be retiring after 22 years of service to Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist College.
• Mrs Agatha Mare - Science Teacher will be retiring after 15 years at Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist College.
• Miss Karen Hanna - Mathematics Teacher, has accepted a position at another College after 16 years of combined service at Kennedy, Winthrop and Sommerville Baptist Colleges.
• Mr Josh Bond - Physical Education Teacher, has accepted a promotion to Austin Cove Baptist College as Deputy Principal.

Several teaching staff will also be on leave next year and we wish them the very best for a restful and productive break.

• Mr Scott Britza - Physical Education Teacher, Long Service Leave
• Mrs Jessica Kennedy - Head of Year 8, Maternity Leave
• Mrs Laura DeGois - Science Teacher, Maternity Leave
• Mrs Bethany Reid - Library Assistant, Maternity Leave

It has also been wonderful to have a number of staff completing fixed-term contracts for a range of leave replacement positions this year. I would also like to acknowledge their hard work and thank them for contributing to our services at Kennedy:

• Miss Caitlin McNaulty - Dance Teacher
• Mrs Anita Ossevoort - Mathematics Teacher
• Miss Liz Rogers - French Teacher
• Mrs Viola Sacher - Indonesian Teacher
• Miss Chanelle Spark - Dance Teacher
• Mrs Liandri Stander - English Teacher
• Mr Tristan Wills - Music Teacher

School Fees 2021

To ensure that Kennedy can continue to provide the highest quality education to every student, the College Board reviews our tuition fee structure annually. Considering the events of 2020, the decision has been made to freeze tuition fees for next year with no increases. We hope this decision helps to support families knowing that the immediate economic future is still uncertain. Our fees for next year will be:

Fees per student $ 9,100
Fees for overseas students per student $ 19,226 

I would like to again thank everyone in our College for their ongoing support this year. As we look forward to an exciting 2021, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic safe and relaxing holiday.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Devotion

Part 5. In this last newsletter for 2020 we will cover our final part of our series looking at the question, "where is God in the light of pain and suffering".

The grand scope of the Bible describes the story of a world made by the all-powerful and all-loving creator God. In earlier newsletters, we have seen that God created and respects the free will of man and will not use his all-powerful attribute to turn us into His puppets. I would like to make our final point for the year with Christmas just on the doorstep. We celebrate the coming of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, into this world. The problem of suffering and separation is God’s central motive in the mission of Jesus Christ. His life perfectly identified with every aspect of the human journey. Jesus came as a vulnerable child who endured the struggle of life from conception to death and can say with authority that He knows our life of pain.

However, the true triumph of this whole mission, and why faith in Jesus Christ is strongest when faced with the challenge of pain and suffering, is that He rose from the ultimate suffering, death. The resurrection of Jesus is the hope that pushes through all levels of pain, suffering and evil. The resurrection of Jesus yells the first point I made in this series. “PAIN, SUFFERING AND EVIL ARE NOT THE END OF ANY STORY”. The life of Jesus tells us there is a way through all that causes the deepest of agony.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the world. It changed the people around Him from fearful and defeated followers at His crucifixion to bold, fearless world changers. After the resurrection, there was nothing that could separate them from that overcoming power of knowing that even death was not king. Jesus had claimed the throne.

It has been my absolute pleasure being the Chaplain of Kennedy through the interesting year of 2020. My prayer for you is that you have a joyful and blessed Christmas time. See you in 2021.

Year 7 Report

It has been a jam-packed and fun-filled final term to an exciting year with the Year 7 cohort. We have just completed our series of information sessions on sexual health. I was very impressed with the students' maturity and would like to thank all the parents who attended the parent information session.

We had a fantastic time at our Social at Bounce, students enjoyed the time together and it created a sense of community and strength under the Year 7s. We also celebrated many talented students at our Year 7-9 Awards Night on Tuesday. It was wonderful to see the Year 7s receiving awards for all the hard work they had put into their studies during the year.

Thank you to our Student Councilors and House Captains who have done a tremendous job leading this year, the skills each of you have contributed have undoubtedly enriched our year group. I would like to thank the Form teachers, Year 11/7 Mentors and our Kennedy Counselling team for working with me as such a great team. This cooperation builds a strong foundation that has allowed such a smooth transition and helps our students become amazing young adults.

I am looking forward to five more exciting, jam-packed, and fun-filled years with this cohort. 

Year 8 Report

As the end of Year 8 draws near and we reflect on the year that was, it is safe to say that this year was one like no other. Combining the obvious hurdles that COVID-19 posed and adding the transition from Year 7 to Year 8 with all the changes that come with such, it has no doubt been a year that will go down in history. Students were faced with multiple challenges on an ongoing and daily basis and I have been impressed with the maturity and growth exhibited by many.

This week we celebrated our students at the Year 7-9 Awards Night. I am proud of all the students that received certificates, making the most of their educational opportunities here at Kennedy. I was impressed with the number of students who were awarded an academic excellence award and commend them on their hard work.

This year has been an incredible year of growth and through the many ups and downs, 2020 threw our way, the resilience and confidence shown amongst this cohort is to be commended. A big thank you goes out to Student Councilors and House Captains who have done a tremendous job. It has been a wonderful year and I have thoroughly enjoyed the time with this year group. As my time with this cohort ends, may I encourage all to continue positively impacting and influencing those around you at College and beyond.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas season. 

Year 9 Report

Christmas is just around the corner and the students are on the ‘home stretch' now. Having missed out on exams in Semester One, quite a few students have felt stressed about their exams in Semester Two. These exams have now finished much to the students’ relief.

Our last Extended Form is on Wednesday in the Year 9 quad and will be a celebration of the past three years as they graduate to the Senior School quad next year. Work Experience will be a big part of next year, so students need to make sure that they have that organised for Week 1 in Term 2. Our College motto is: Strive today; conquer tomorrow. My prayer is that each of the students will always strive today to do their best in all their studies and activities and that this will set them up to conquer tomorrow. Success does not come easily; it takes effort, time and persistence but it is attainable.

Finally, this will be my last communication as a Head of Year in the College newsletter as I retire at the end of the year. I would like to thank all the students and parents for all your support over the years. It has been so encouraging seeing the growth in the students over the last three years. They have come a long way and are now halfway through their College years. I wish them all the best in their future studies and look forward to hearing how they all do. I hope to do some relief work next year, so it will be good to be able to keep in touch with them.

I wish you all a happy Christmas and a safe holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus.

Year 10 Report

And so another year begins to close – and what a year it has been! Many have waxed lyrical about Covid and the impacts it had (and still has) on society and Kennedy Baptist College, however – as always, I want to speak of the students. I feel blessed to have such a special cohort of students with me, their willingness to be positive and open towards their College and the pride with which they embrace the standards and opportunities presented to them speaks volumes of their nature and maturity. Well done to our Year 10s on a successful 2020.

We had our Transition Day on Wednesday 25 October. Transition Day has been created in response to the need for students to understand the very large ‘step up’ in work quantities and expectations from both teachers and parents from Year 10 to Year 11. Students focused on improving resilience, creating good routines, understanding where and how to access help, along with a knowledge of new processes and procedures. It is important that students recognise the effort levels and stress that come with Senior School, both in ATAR and General courses, and are able to respond in a manner that benefits themselves. Historically we have seen students select a General course of study in the erroneous belief that it is an easy path. Transition Day puts paid to that notion and encourages all students in all courses of study to the best of their abilities and achieve as well as they are able.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, especially the Year 10s, a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. May God bless you all abundantly and fruitfully.  I look forward to hearing about everyone’s restful and relaxing break next year.

Year 11 Report

I cannot believe that this is the last newsletter for 2020. I am so proud of the Year 11s and recognise that they have conquered a tough year. We all have no idea what next year holds, but we have learned to adapt and see challenges as opportunities to grow. We discovered a new normal this year. Most of all, we recognize that we cannot take our privileges and freedom here in Perth for granted.

Academically, this year was a significant 'step up' for our Year 11s. Both ATAR and General courses came with an increased workload. I have seen students make the best of their time here at Kennedy this year. The development I have seen in the Year 11 students has been amazing, and how they are slowly transitioning into young adults continues to astound me.

There have been many highlights this year that we are so thankful for – the Year 11 River Cruise; Extended Form activities and presentations by various guest speakers and our Year 11/7 Mentor program. These have been such great opportunities to connect.

I am confident that this group of students will seize their opportunities next year and after College. I encourage students to take some time over these holidays to re-focus and set new goals for 2021. I pray that you all will have a restful and safe holiday and wish you a very blessed Christmas and New Year.

Year 12 Report

Well, it is over, after six unforgettable years, it has come to an end. I would like to extend my congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2020. There have certainly been many highlights and many lows throughout our time together here at Kennedy.

It was such a special occasion on Friday evening at the Graduation Ceremony and a grand celebration of all the hard work and effort that has been put in by the parents, students and staff for the last six years, but in particular this year. It was beautiful meeting out on the Terrace with the pre-service drinks and food. The ceremony was a fantastic time of honouring all the students, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with families that I have come to know so well over the past four years of being their head of year. Please click here for more photos. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these students and am so proud of their efforts and what they have achieved over their time here at Kennedy. As I mentioned in my charge to these students, they are ready to conquer tomorrow. I am praying for a continued blessing on them as they leave our community to join the wider community, whether it be more study or the workforce.

I look forward to catching up with the class of 2020 at the Alumni afternoon on Friday 26 February 2021 at 2.00pm – 3.00pm in the Lower Foyer. This will also be a great opportunity to collect your 2020 Yearbook.

I would like to also thank the parents and guardians for allowing us to be part of your child's journey towards adulthood. I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a restful break over the new year. 

Kennedy News

Back to School Information

Term 4 concludes for students on Friday 4 December 2020. The College will finish classes for all students at 3.15pm. 

Term 1, 2021 will commence on Monday 1 February 2021 at 8.15am. Students are to wear their full summer uniform. 

The Administration office will re-open on Tuesday 12 January 2021. We hope that you have a restful and safe holiday break. 
 

WITHDRAWING OR THINKING OF WITHDRAWING AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR?

In line with the College fee policy, it is a condition of enrolment at least 10 school weeks’ notice (not including scheduled school holidays) of withdrawal of a student is given in writing.

• If you are withdrawing your child from the College at the end of this year, please email our Registrar registrar@kennedy.wa.edu.au prior to the end of this Term.
• If you are contemplating withdrawing your child, please email our Registrar prior to the end of Term 4 with your provisional withdrawal notification. Your provisional notification will not be acted upon until you confirm withdrawal (or continuing enrolment) with a second email. 

College Notices

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 28 January 2021.