Photo above: Students and staff on the Newman Indigenous Tour.

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome to Term 4 at Kennedy Baptist College. I trust everyone has had a restful break and students are eager to continue embracing the opportunities available to them.

Over the holidays Kennedy operated student tours to Canberra and the Pilbara. It has been wonderful to hear the great stories of the experiences students had whilst on these tours. Congratulations to both the staff and students who participated in these extraordinary events. Congratulations to Mr Newell and Mr Dunstan for their hard work in making these tours so successful.

This term will continue to provide a wide range of opportunities for students across all aspects of the College. This includes numerous sporting, musical and community events in addition to continued academic studies which will culminate with examinations for students in Years 8 to 12.

Year 10-12 Awards Night: Tuesday 22 October, 7.00pm

Next Tuesday we celebrate and give thanks for the wonderful achievements of our Year 10 – 12 students. I would like to remind families that this is a compulsory event for students and details for next week will follow shortly. It would be wonderful to have as many families as possible joining us on the night for this special celebration.

Year 12 Last Day: Friday 25 October

Next Friday we will honour and farewell our Year 12 students at a special assembly to acknowledge their last official day of classes at Kennedy. We wish them all the very best as many of these students commence their final preparations for the WACE examinations which will then be used for university entrance. Year 12 Graduation will then take place on Friday 15 November after the WACE examinations. I hope all our Year 12 families can join us for both these special events.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

The start of Term 4 sees the conclusion of formal schooling for Year 12 students. Teachers are privileged to have had an impact on the educational and personal growth of students as they journeyed from Year 7 through to Year 12. The 2019 Year 12 cohort has enthusiastically embraced the opportunities provided to them by Kennedy Baptist College and we wish every student well in their future endeavours.

Over the coming weeks the College community will come together for our annual Awards Nights. Each evening includes the recognition of academic achievements as well as contributions made by students to the wider community. We encourage every student to give their best in every endeavour and I am certain that students will continue to strive for excellence throughout the remainder of the year. I would like to encourage parents to celebrate 2019 with their child at these events.

Students in Year 8 – 11 will complete examinations in the coming weeks. I would encourage all students to prepare for examinations by summarising notes and practicing problems. A good study plan and regular revision is more effective than last minute cramming. Students could allocate 20-30 minutes study for a subject each day (e.g Monday = Maths; Tuesday = English) and set goals of achievement for each session to ensure they can effectively review the content presented during the past semester. Information concerning schedules and dates will be provided in the coming weeks.

Student Leadership is a vitally important part of the student experience at Kennedy Baptist College.    

We recognise the importance of training in developing student leaders and in doing so understand that leadership skills need to be systematically developed through a range of formal and informal procedures. The College allocates appropriate time and resources to ensure this process is fully implemented.

This term we will be training three sets of leaders for 2020. These leadership groups are the 11/7s Mentors, the House Captains and the Student Councillors.

The 11/7s Mentor training will occur on two allocated days and cover topics such as team work, running a small group, developing listening skills and problem solving. The 11/7s mentors will then put their skills into practice when they welcome the incoming Year 7s on Orientation Day.

Training for House Captains and Councillors will involve an overnight camp accompanied by the Heads of Year and the House Coordinators. Commencing with an opening session on leadership from Mr Mark Ashby, the councillors will then examine various topics including Motivating others, Public speaking, Event Logistics, Leading a Team, Organisational tools, and Welcoming new students.

At Kennedy we continue to pursue a targeted and strategic approach to student leadership and these training days and camps are excellent opportunities for the student leaders to come together as a group, develop their skills and plan for the future.

Kennedy Baptist College has been partnering with Transform Cambodia since March 2018, with students from the poorest districts of Phnom Penh coming to the Kennedy Baptist Centre.

Transform Cambodia seeks out and rescues the most vulnerable and neglected street children of Phnom Penh. At Transform they are educated, clothed, and fed, we aim to restore their dignity and hand them the keys to a life of unlimited potential.

There has been amazing support from the Kennedy Community with 85 kids from the Kennedy Centre sponsored. Sponsorship costs just $48 per month and is tax deductible.

We still have children who are waiting to be sponsored. Why not partner with us to make a difference in the life of one of these children. Here are just two of the 12 children who are awaiting sponsorship. Should you wish to sponsor a child or support our centre in Phnom Penh, please contact our Administration.

Year 8 students Amie Hugo and Ava Webb will be coordinating a Beach Clean Up Day in collaboration with Clean Up Australia. The Beach Clean Up Day has been organised as part of a project for the Genius Hour Program students are engaged in as part of their English Extension course at Kennedy. Genius Hour is an academic enrichment program which enables students to spend one period per week pursuing a project they are passionate about. Both Amie and Ava are passionate about spreading awareness about sea pollution and feel strongly about our shared responsibility in creating a better environment than the one we currently inhabit. Amie and Ava invite you to join them on Sunday 3 November from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, at Ammo Jetty, Woodman Point in Cockburn to do our part for the environment as part of their Beach Clean Up Day. Please wear closed shoes, a hat, sunscreen and bring plenty of water.

Over the school holidays we entered our Kennedy guinea pigs into the Perth Royal Showl! During a public voting system our guinea pigs and students did
exceptionally well with Barry as best overall diorama – The Lion King! Our Kennedy students Molly West, Christine Gee and Abigail Brown-Kenyon worked really hard to get them ready and design the dioramas and costumes. I would like to thank the students for their hard work and for promoting the College in such a unique way.

Mrs Elizabeth Lourensz
Senior Science Technician

Champions Read - Readers are Winners!

Champions Read is a College-wide promotion of reading.
Reading is so beneficial for all of us – it builds empathy, develops memory, fosters deep thinking and is a great stress-reliever. It’s a no-brainer to encourage our students to read!

Over the next four weeks, your child’s English teacher will be asking them how much reading they did the day before and each week in the Research and Study Centre we will be tallying and publishing the results. Every 15 minutes of reading is rewarded with a House point and the Reading Shield will be awarded to the winning House at our final assembly. These points also contribute to the 2020 Kennedy Cup.

Competitions -  we will be running “Match the Selfie to the Shelfie” and “Guess the book in the Jar” competitions, and there is a free dress day on 5 November when students will be encouraged to come as their favourite book character – there will be a parade and prizes! More information will be in the notices. Please encourage your child to read – and curl up with a good book yourself! Happy reading.

Mrs Virginia Yurisich
Head of Research and Study
 

Term 3 Reflection

During the holidays, 32 students from Year 8 and four staff members embarked on a wonderful educational tour of our national capital Canberra and the city of Sydney.

Our first stop was Canberra where we were met by our coach driver, Alan, a fountain of knowledge and experience who really enhanced the trip.

Over the four full days we spent in Canberra, students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. We managed to pack in visits to the National Museum, the National Capital Exhibition, Australian Institute of Sport, National Portrait Gallery, Australian War Memorial, the High Court, Questacon, Parliament House, National Electoral Education Centre, the Royal Australian Mint and a drive-by tour of all the Embassies. In the evenings we played some games as we gradually got to know each other more. Perhaps the highlight of the Canberra leg was the laying of the wreath on behalf of the College during a beautiful and reflective Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial by two students, Harrison Palandri and Sophie McGowan.

We then drove on to Sydney where we stayed at the Sydney Harbour Youth Hostel. The view from the top to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge was awesome and being an actual dig site for archeologists made it even more interesting. Whilst in Sydney we explored the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Rocks precinct. We also managed to have a drama class at the National Institute for Dramatic Art (NIDA), a visit to the Maritime Museum, some time to shop at Darling Harbour and Paddy’s Market, a trip to Bondi Beach, ferry ride from Manly to Circular Quay and a morning at Taronga Park Zoo. It was certainly a busy week but the opportunity to be immersed in so much culture and history of our beautiful country was well worth it and I am sure lifelong friendships were formed.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $310 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the College upon completion of the excursion.

Mr Greg Newell
Tour Coordinator

On Sunday 22 September, 10 students from Kennedy Baptist College travelled to Newman for the 2019 Newman Indigenous Tour. The students spent time in Newman, Jigalong, Karijini and travelled to Port Hedland for the return flight to Perth.

Highlights of the tour included a visit to Jigalong Remote Community School, where our students engaged with the Martu students in the classroom as well as on the cricket oval and basketball court. The group also visited the Rabbit Proof Fence in Jigalong, a historical place where Molly and Daisy returned in 1931, after walking 2400km over nine weeks, just to be reunited with family. Students also enjoyed being taught to make damper and create dot paintings by EPIS clients, as well as meeting Martumili artist Billy Atkins at East Pilbara Art Centre and hearing him describe a fascinating dreamtime story. Another highlight of the tour was a visit to Karijini National Park, where students swam in the gorges and were treated to a stargazing tour.

The tour provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about indigenous culture and to build relationships with indigenous people, through meaningful conversations. It was a pleasure to take this group of hard-working, compassionate students. I would like to thank Mrs Wallace and Mr Dunn for attending the tour.

Information about the 2020 Newman Indigenous Tour will be provided this term. I would strongly encourage Year 10 students to consider coming on next year’s tour. Any parents who would like to receive information about the tour can contact Tour Coordinator Mr Murray Dunstan.

Mr Murray Dunstan
Tour Coordinator

Interschool Athletics Carnival

The Interschool Athletics Carnival was held on Friday 20 September at the WA Athletics Stadium. We had high expectations that our team would perform well. The points were very close throughout the day and Kennedy finished 2nd overall. Well done to 2019 Athletics team led by Felix Cricelli, Tara Reid, Ellen Zwitser and Luke Shaw. A special mention to Luke Shaw having attained achieved All Star status for four consecutive years and earning the coveted Letterman Award. In the final proceedings of the day Kennedy placed second in the following categories:

• Junior Boys 2nd place
• Senior Boys 2nd place
• Overall Boys aggregate 2nd place
• Overall Aggregate 2nd place

2019 Interschool Athletics Personal Achievements:

• U/16 Female - Kyrah Daniels 3rd place
• U/16 Male - Brandon George 2nd place
• Open Male - Luke Shaw 2nd place

Click here to view photos. 

Mr Jonathan Wood
Head of Physical Education

We value the support of our volunteers who contribute to the College community! Co-ordination of all our volunteers is managed through the easy to use automated online system SIGNUP.com. Current volunteer opportunities are available with:

• Beach Clean Up Day
• Book Covering Term 4
• Term 4 Beedawong volunteering
• Kennedy Prayer Group​