Dear Parents

As examinations approach it is important to review the reason for such assessments at Kennedy. All assessments provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their achievement so that teachers can review academic progress. The use of assessments as a diagnostic tool is vitally important to staff and strategies are then implemented in response to student performance. This may be in the form of support through additional instruction, tutoring or intensive remediation. However, it may also include extension or enrichment if this need has been identified. Examinations provide a great opportunity to review the semester’s achievement and provide this analytic data. A reminder to our Year 11 and 12 students about the importance of examinations:

•  Year 11 examinations greatly impact on semester grades required for WACE graduation.
•  Year 12 examinations greatly impact on semester marks  and grades that contribute to a student’s ATAR and  WACE graduation prospects.

Community Events

We would like to encourage College families to participate in the following events:

•  Our Mother’s Day morning Tea - Friday 8 May, 9:30am
•  The Parent survey - A great opportunity to provide feedback to the College
•  The HBF Run for a Reason Kennedy Team - A great way to support Kennedy community members affected by cancer

Mr Mark Ashby

Principal

It is hard to believe that we are in the month of May already. Time seems to fly by at such a fleeting speed. With our busy lives it is easy to lose focus and feel under the pump, stressed and at times traumatised.

The following articile was written by Chuck Swindoll about trauma which I enjoyed. I would like to share it with you:

Like potatoes in a pressure cooker, we twenty-first-century creatures understand the meaning of stress. A week doesn't pass without a few skirmishes that beat up on our fragile frames. They may be as mild as making lunches for our kids before 7:30 in the morning (mild?) or as severe as a collision with another car . . . or another person. Makes no difference. The result is "trauma." You know, the bottom-line reason Valium remains the top seller.

The late Joe Bayly, insightful Christian writer and columnist, certainly understood trauma. He and his wife lost three of their children: one at eighteen days (after surgery); another at five years (leukemia); a third at eighteen years (sledding accident plus hemophilia). In my wildest imagination, I cannot fathom the depth of their loss. In the backwash of such deep trauma, Joe and his wife stood sometimes strong, sometimes weak, as they watched God place a period before the end of the sentence on three of their children's lives. And their anguish was not relieved when well-meaning people offered shallow, simple answers amidst their grief.

H. L. Mencken must have had such situations in mind when he wrote: "There's always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong."

Eyes that read these words might very well be near tears. You are trying to cope without hope, and there's no relief on the horizon. You're bleeding and you've run out of bandages. You have moved from mild tension to advanced trauma.

Listen carefully! Jesus Christ opens the gate, gently looks at you, and says: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are . . . overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls]" (Matt. 11:28, Amplified).

Nothing complicated. No big fanfare, no trip to Mecca, no hypnotic trance, no fee, no special password. Just come. Meaning? Unload. Unhook the pack and drop it in His lap . . . now. Does He know what trauma is all about? Remember, He's the One whose sweat became like drops of blood in the agony of Gethsemane. If anybody understands trauma, He does. Completely.

He's a Master at turning devastation into restoration. His provision is profound, attainable, and right.
Allow Him to take your stress as you take His rest.

Matthew 11:27–30

God Bless
Adam

On the last day of Term 1, staff from Kennedy and Mandurah Baptist Colleges were privileged to participate in a series of workshops presented at the College by Michael Pohl, Director of Thinking Education.

Michael has run more than 2000 workshops on the teaching of thinking in schools across Australia, New Zealand, China and many other parts of the world and is a renowned advocate in promoting creativity and thinking in schools. Most educators would agree that this is the future of education. Daniel Pink in his book A Whole New Mind, Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future writes, “The future belongs to a different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people _ artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys”.

The three sessions were entitled “Developing a Classroom Culture of Thinking”, “Blooms Taxonomy as a Teaching Tool” and “Encouraging Student Engagement”. Bloom’s Taxonomy has been part of the education landscape for a long time but has been recently revised to take into account modern research in technology and ways of thinking. Blooms Revised Taxonomy is a hierarchy of learning from the simple to the most complex and has 6 levels.

1. Remembering – Can the student recall information?
2. Understanding – Can the student explain ideas or concepts?
3. Applying – Can the student use the knowledge in another familiar situation?
4. Analysing – Can the student differentiate between constituent parts?
5. Evaluating – Can the student justify a decision or course of action?
6. Creating – Can the student generate new products, ideas or ways of viewing things?

Teachers at Kennedy Baptist College are committed to developing and teaching learning activities that encourage all these levels of thinking, to best prepare our students for the demands of an ever changing world.
 

Over the past 12 months the College has been preparing and planning for this year’s Anzac Day, given its significance in Australian history .On Wednesday 22 April we held a special ANZAC ceremony as part of the nation wide recognition of the 100 years Gallipoli Anniversary.

We invited 3 veterans from the Applecross Branch of the Returned Services League  Rex Kay, Ken Hall and Jim Frawley, to join us for the day. Each veteran spoke to a year group about their military service experiences and then the whole College joined together for a Commemorative Service in the College Auditorium.  The Service was led by the Student Councillors who read diary excerpts from soldiers and nurses involved in the Gallipoli landings. The local member for Tangney, Dr Dennis Jensen, was also a special guest on the day and he presented the College with an Anzac Day Commemoration Certificate containing a message from the Prime Minister.

Following the service a Commemorative Tree Planting Ceremony involving the RSL Veterans and the Student Councillors was held in the grounds of the College .The trees were planted in the front garden under the flag poles and  are intended to serve as a visual reminder to the College community of the importance of Anzac Day.
Overall our College shared a respectful and appropriate recognition of Anzac Day, as students reflected on the sacrifice and bravery of others.

View photos

As we now approach the middle of Term 2, it becomes important for each Year 7 student to stop and assess their progress.  A few important questions need to be asked regarding their schooling – namely; how am I progressing?  Have I achieved the goals I set for myself at the beginning of Term 1?  Am I proud of what I have achieved so far?  Am I working to the best of my abilities?

If you can look back at your first term at Kennedy Baptist College and truly say that you are happy with your progress then I am very pleased with how mature your approach to schooling is and I am excited about all that you can achieve in your future here.  If, on the other hand, you can look back at your first term and think that here is room for improvement, then I would encourage you take the opportunities that present themselves to you inside and outside of the classroom and use them to the best of your abilities. 

Organise yourself; create a study planner whereby you know which subjects you will work on and when.  Attend tutoring; select two or three days a week where you will stay 45 minutes after school to work on the problems you have with a subject or to help you with an assignment or upcoming test.  Don’t just complete homework – study.  Place the learning in your long-term memory so it is there when the assessment time comes around.  Make a dedicated choice to alter your behaviour so that you can achieve your goals and make a decision to distance yourself from those who could prevent you from reaching those goals.

Ultimately, you are the only one who can make a difference in your education and achieve the goals you want along with being satisfied with your efforts.  Stop putting that time to shine off and start embracing your full potential and, as Karen Lamb succinctly put it, “A year from now, you’ll wish you’d started today”.

Last week’s parent teacher interviews were a great success with parents and teachers able to provide helpful feedback. If, for some reason, you were unable to attend, please do not hesitate to contact staff via email if you have information you would like them to know about.

Year 8’s will be writing their first examinations in Week 7 this term. The exams are 90 minutes long so it is the same time as two tests back to back. One of the MESH subjects (Maths, English, Science and Humanities) will be examined before recess each morning during Week 7. Students will then return to normal classes. Students will be tested on all the work they have done this year up to the examination period. Classes will focus on revision of Term 1 work during Week 6 but students should have begun their personal revision by Week 5. (Weeks 1-5: new work, Week 6: revision, Week 7: exams) On top of their regular homework they should be spending 30 minutes each day revising their work in the two weeks before exams. Please encourage your child by helping set up a regular location for them to do their homework and study, and by making time in your family schedule for them to achieve their goals.

After exams we have a community service activity to look forward to, which I will tell you more about  in the next newsletter.

It has been a whirlwind coming back to work after a great time on long service leave during Term 1 and I am enjoying getting to know the Year 9 students. I have heard great things about camp last term and about the quality of friendships that were formed and strengthened in the time away with their peers. As we look ahead to this term and the events that are coming up it will be a busy one.

We have our final NAPLAN testing next week and I have been encouraging the students to give it their best effort and reminding them it is their final NAPLAN. We also will have opportunity for the students to participate in our community service project serving the homeless. We will also have a social in week 10 to Lazer Blaze (formerly Darkzone) and more information will come home on that soon. All this activity along with exams in the middle of term can cause  our students to feel a little unsettled at times.

I spoke to the year group this morning from Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” When things seem too hectic, busy, stressful why not give it to God to help you through these situations.

It has been a whirlwind start to the term for the Year 10 students and parents. We have had an excellent turn out at both of the Parent Information Evenings. They were both informative and I’m sure have given everyone a lot to think about. The next stage in the process is for all students to do the best they can in exams, which they should have started revising for at home and to be looking at those long term ’what am I going to do when I leave school?’ goals. If you would like any information on what your child should be studying, firstly make reference to their subject program and then seek clarification from their teacher if needed.

After exams we will be starting the actual subject selection process. I encourage communication between parents, students and teachers in this process. Remember that every student will have an interview with either the Principal , Deputy Principals or Directors about their subject choices which parents are welcome to attend.

In addition to subject selections and exams our Year 10 Pastoral Care Program has also been very busy indeed. At the end of last term all the Year 10s attended the RAC Streetsmart event at Perth Arena. This was a high impact event that the students found very informative. During our Wednesday period 1 sessions we are focussing on the future; with goal setting, study techniques, career education, and building your reputation in both the physical and cyber realms.

If you would like to discuss anything to do with your student please don’t hesitate to send me an email at gtyrie@kennedy.wa.edu.au
I wish all the Year 10s well in their exams.

Last term the Year 11s spent a few days in Dwellingup at Year 11 camp. The feedback from those who ran the activities for Dwellingup Adventures was that the groups were all really well behaved and that students learned to work well in teams. They were impressed with the level of participation and the leadership displayed by many students. The staff members who attended thoroughly enjoyed seeing students develop in a different setting to the standard classroom environment.

The camp provided students with the opportunity to experience nature and whilst it was a challenge to some, many students felt pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed camping. Students also received a presentation from Perth Wildcats vice-captain Greg Hire, who discussed the importance of students setting goals. Greg has since made mention that some of the students have contacted him to discuss their goals for the future and to ask advice on how to achieve them.

This term the focus for the Year 11s is preparing for exams in Week 6. In Week 3 students will receive a presentation from Successful Student Solutions, a company who explicitly teach students how to create study timetables, how to determine their preferred learning styles and how to ensure they are ready for the exams by studying effectively.
I’m looking forward to this term and am confident that this group of Year 11s can all achieve to their potential in the Semester One exams.

View camp photos

My name is Valme Batley, and I am acting Head of Year for Term 2 while Mrs Meadows takes long service leave.

I have been impressed with the Year 12s over the past two weeks. Great attitudes and a sense of pride in their school. Term 2 is often a stressful term as the word ‘exams’ triggers off many emotions. Chatting to the Year 12s one gets the sense that many want to do well but often procrastinate as they aren’t sure where to start. If this is the case, one suggestion is that they book an appointment via their Head of Year to do a study session with our very competent Research and Study Centre staff who will help them assess what is needed and how to go about getting started.

The expression ‘How do your eat an elephant? Bit by bit is very apt. Study for 30 – 60 minutes at a time and then TAKE A BREAK. Slowly build up the time. Work at your pace and set realistic goals. I encourage students to meet with their mentor teachers and to express their concerns. The program  has been introduced so that students are cared for in a holistic manner.

We had great excitement at school last week on Friday as the leavers jackets were rolled out. The students look extremely smart and have taken pride in wearing them. The councilors are to be commended for their initiative in getting a coffee machine installed in the common room. It seems to be a great success.

Year 9 camp in 2015 began with the high energy, enthusiastic and macho boys for the first 3 days, who loved to race to the top of the rock climbing wall the quickest, be the fastest up the pamper pole, hit the most targets in shooting and see how many times they could fill their plate with food. With a basketball game and a dance being done with the Forest Edge Staff prior to setting out for each activity, the boys absolutely thrived in the basketball resulting in a great challenge for the staff, however, seemed to make themselves busy as soon as the music started to play. Over the time on camp, it was fantastic to see the group develop and by the last day, we had everyone up and dancing.

The first camp certainly set a high bar for the girls who were coming in for the second half of the week and the challenge was warmly met with almost every student up and dancing on the first day. The girls proved that they are just as able to shoot an air rifle, willing to laugh at themselves as they were thrown off a biscuit, push each other to see the activity the whole way through even if they were afraid of heights and standing on the edge of the 20m abseil or get roughed up in a game of basketball.

It was excellent to see each of the students giving all of the activities a go, openly chatting with one another, feeding the chickens and catching them when they escaped, playing sport and setting up games of 44 home and spotlight. The camp was an awesome week, where the students were pushed to step outside their paradigm, whether that be through the activities, team games or making new friendships and will be a definite highlight of 2015.

View camp photos

Back row (Left to right) : Jaymon Needham, Joe Frost, Jack Warwick, Darcy Pearson, Joshua Stephens, Tess Meyer, Maisie Raine, Megan Mak , Abbey Koelen, Sophie Cliff, Kathryn Hill, Sophie McKell, Brittany Bafile
Front row (Left to right) : Celina Yen, Kristen Woodward, Maureen Foster (Artist), Kimberley Koo, Montana Edwards

Under the direction of International Artist Maureen Foster, 20 Kennedy Baptist College students ranging from Years 7 – 11 created a series of spectacular paintings. These works of art are on display in the College’s recently appointed Beedawong Cafeteria.

Indigenous culture is a part of the Australian Curriculum and Beedawong means meeting place  or place of celebration in the Noongar language.

The series of seven paintings were officially launched on 28 April during a celebration morning tea at the College. The paintings depict the Noongar style of painting with a colourful central canvas depicting the meeting place and six other paintings showing footsteps and various animals making their journey to Beedawong.

“The students did a wonderful job. Once they were given the general principles of Noongar Artwork they were encouraged to be “free range” with their ideas and make the art work their own,” said Maureen who is an expert in Noongar Art.

The students loved working on the paintings and with each other.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with a professional artist”- Kathryn Hill
“Being able to express ourselves through art and leaving a lasting legacy for future students was a highlight for me”- Joe Frost

The students found it an enriching experience and the project has helped to develop an understanding of the indigenous artwork and culture within our College.

ARTS CUP

Last week the College held the annual Arts Cup. The event, run by the House Coordinators,  was a fantastic occasion that showcased the array of talent from both lower and upper school students from each house. The contestants who performed were:

• Gugulethu Sibanda 
• Marcus Dyson 
• Madeleine Soltoggio 
• Ethan Black
• Vuk Andjic 
• Alana Guarino 
• Liam Becker 
• Karla Mare 
• Ben Lazzaro 

The Lower School winner was Madeleine Soltoggio from Stirling and the Upper School winner was Benjamin Lazzaro from Forest.

Congratulations to all contestants on their excellent performances. We look forward to seeing more talent being showcased at the next Arts Cup.

Daniel Chan - Arts Cup Coordinator

View photos

On Tuesday 5 May our annual Inter House Cross Country Carnival was held. The weather was chilly but this did not dampen the students’ enthusiasm or participation. Well done to all and in particular the top female and male runners in the following year groups:

Year 7: Chelsea Iveson & Jay Lindorff

Year 8: Skye Prentice & Luke Shaw

Year 9: Piper Irwin, Giverney Dodds & Mitchell Thomas

Year 10: Alex Fraser & Luke Pidcock

Click here for more results and photos.

Term 1 Summer Southern Associated Schools (SAS) has finished and what a season we had! All students who competed should be extremely proud not only of their achievement on the courts and fields but also the way they held themselves throughout the season with their excellent display of sportsmanship.

Throughout the term the 16 teams competed against Carey Baptist College, John Wollaston, All Saints College and Ursula Frayne.

From the 16 teams who competed 12 teams played off for a spot in the SAS grand final, of these 11 won the premiership.  Four teams (Girls Tennis, Boys Touch Rugby, Boys Basketball and Girls Basketball) went on to compete in the Inter-zone (SAS v NAS) final and of these the Boys Touch and Girls Basketball won.

Congratulations to all teams who played throughout the season.Term 2 winter SAS has begun and we wish all teams the best throughout this term.

Miss Jessica Kennedy - SAS Coordinator 

We are hosting a sausage sizzle at Bunnings O'Connor on Saturday 16 May. If you are in the area on the day, we would love you to come down and say hello.

Entertainment Books are back - including the digital version which downloads straight to your smartphone (have it with you no matter where you are). Click on the below link to order now get early bird offers as well - this is a great Mother's Day present!!

Order the 2015 Perth Entertainment Book Now

The school day starts at 8.15am and finishes at 3.15pm, and students are reminded that punctuality is expected at all times including co-curricular and extra-curricular commitments.

Students should arrive by 8.10am for 8.15am Form start, and it is important students attend Form as important information, news and forms are given during Form Time.

Students arriving late must report to Student Services and sign in, as this  ensures we have accurate records and can ensure your child’s safety in the case of an emergency.

Our tasty new Winter Menu is now available, Thai Chicken Curry, Curried Sausages & Mash, Chicken Noodle Stir-fry just to name some of the new items.

SOUPS are also back!  Just $4 with a dinner roll.

Roast Beef & /or Pork and gravy rolls are available for lunch on Tuesdays.

Please peruse our wonderful selection. It is sure to delight.

View Menu
 

Unknown Deposits

The following deposits have been made to the College's bank account. Details are as below:

• 13/4  2588594 School Fees
• 17/4  School Fees

If you have made either of these deposits please contact Mrs Gill Wood in our Finance Dept 9314 7722 or email gwood@kennedy.wa.edu.au

Fee News

Payment by Term (Option 3)

Please note:

If you selected to pay by term, Term 2 fees are due Friday 1 May 2015. Reminder statements were posted out during the second week of the school holidays.

If you have any concerns or queries please contact the College at your earliest convenience.

Please note that the Uniform Shop has amended trading hours from week commencing 18 May to 19 June. Opening hours are as follows:

Monday and Tuesday
8.00am – 12.30pm
1.00pm – 3.45pm

The list below shows the upcoming events for the next 2 weeks. Please visit our website for more dates and events

Friday 8 May
Mother's Day Morning Tea

Monday 11 May
Year 12 Integrated Science Excursion

Tuesday 12 May - Thursday 14 May
NAPLAN

Tuesday 12 May
Year 11 Integrated Science Excursion
Year 11 Accounting & Finance - Meet the Business Leader

Tuesday 19 May
Year 9 Photography Excursion

Wednesday 20 May
Year 9 Photography Excursion
Acoustic Music Night

Click here for a printable copy

Parenting WA Line- Available 24/7 for Parenting events, resources & topics
(08) 62791200 or 1800 654 432 | parentingwaline@communities.wa.gov.au
        Relationships Australia  9489 6322 www.wa.relationships.com.au

Relationships Australia is a leading provider of relationship support services for individuals, families and communities. We aim to support all people in Australia to achieve positive and respectful relationships. Two helpful workshops are available:

All about Anger – working with parents and teenagers

This interactive workshop has been designed to support families where anger is an issue. Anger is explained and helps us to understand that many of us have simply learnt to react to the emotion of anger in unhelpful ways.

Anger Management for Teen Boys – 16-18 years of age

Many men completing our Anger Management course tell us how much healthier and happier their lives would have been had they completed the course as teenagers. Now is an opportunity to learn skills for dealing with anger in an open, interactive one day workshop that will support you throughout the years that lie ahead. It will help you manage stress and help you in building positive relationships in all areas of your life.

For more information on these courses click here

We accept notices from parents, and advertisements from local companies and businesses for a small fee and reserve the right to accept the application for advertisement to be placed in the Newsletter or Notice board. Please email news@kennedy.wa.edu.au for more information.