Photo above: Students enjoying Kennedy day. 

Dear Parents and Families

Last week the Student Council implemented their “Kennedy Day” project, which is a day designed by the students to celebrate the College. It involved an Assembly run by students and various fun lunchtime festival activities organised by our outstanding Student Leadership group. The activities included a petting zoo which was extremely popular, a number of large inflatables, visiting food vans, as well as a themed menu from our Beedawong cafeteria and live music performances from our talented Music students. Both events were very well organised and extremely well supported by the staff and students.

Interschool Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to everyone involved. This week our Interschool Athletics Team is competing in D Division at the ACC Carnival to be held at the State Athletics Centre and all families are welcome to attend. The students had a mini carnival recently and have been practicing regularly in preparation for the event. We look forward to their success on the day.

Tours

We have three tours operating in the coming Term break. Firstly the French Language Immersion Tour which involves two weeks staying with a French host family in the Provence region followed by one week of sightseeing in Paris. The Indigenous Mission Tour for Year 11 students involves students travelling to the North West of WA to develop their understanding of indigenous issues and to participate in local initiatives alongside a local church and community. The Year 8/9 Canberra/Sydney tour involves five days in Canberra visiting Parliament House, Questacon, the National Film and Sound Archive and the War Memorial among others. Also a further three days in Sydney including a night bridge walk, Taronga Zoo visit, the National Maritime Museum as well as  drama workshops with NIDA. We wish our students all the best.

On behalf of the Kennedy Staff I wish everyone a safe and relaxing semester break. I have enjoyed filling in the role as Principal for the term and thank staff and students for their support. Mr Ashby will return from Long Service Leave in Term 4.

Mr Wendell Pether 
Acting Principal

Lord, even when your path takes me through
    the valley of deepest darkness,
    fear will never conquer me, for you already have!
    You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.
    Your authority is my strength and my peace.
    The comfort of your love takes away my fear.
    I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.
Psalm 23:4 (TPT)

New Zealand is full of roads which are both beautiful (as to scenery) and scary (when being driven). I have driven through the Rimutaka Gorge, where you breathe in as trucks pass you on the other side; the Brynderwyn Range where there are no passing lanes because there is no room. The scariest of all though is the Manawatu Gorge, which runs between Palmerston North and Woodville. The knowledge that the gorge has been closed on many occasions, because of landslides, did nothing to assuage my fears.

It is this gorge that springs to my mind when I read this verse. A stretch of road that I could not avoid because we had relatives living on both sides. As we drove through, I would watch stones/boulders bouncing down the hillside in front of and behind, our car. The way I dealt with my fear was I would take a book with me and instead of focusing on what was happening around me I would immerse myself in reading. And that is the idea here in this verse. Where do we place our focus? Do we concentrate on what is happening around us or do we place our focus on the Shepherd who has never failed us? Because that is what faith is. We can place our faith in Jesus because he has shown himself worthy of our trust. Faith is not a leap into the dark; it is a step into the light when all around seems dark.

Year 12 students are completing their final days of formal compulsory schooling. There is a lot of academic activity for the students as they finalise assessments and prepare for final school and government examinations. Practical examinations for ATAR students take place in the first week of the term break with College written examinations following directly afterwards. Year 12 students are expected to be in class on Thursday 11 November.

School Curriculum and Standards Authority

Teachers at Kennedy Baptist College spent the recent professional learning/staff day reviewing current curriculum programs. Almost all learning areas are now implementing the Western Australian Curriculum as defined by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. Teachers utilized student achievement data to examine areas of strength within each program and they explored which areas required greater development or focus. Teachers also reviewed the methods of assessment used within each program.

NAPLAN results

NAPLAN results have not yet arrived at the College, however, I have been able to examine student achievement for this year. The effect of the online assessment cannot be defined numerically, however, results show that the students have achieved above their peers when compared to state and national distributions. The results in Numeracy and Writing for Year 9 were particularly pleasing and showed a significant improvement when compared to the National averages.

As I will be on long service leave for Term 4, I pass on my best wishes to you for the remainder of the year. I look forward to seeing all families again in 2019. Mr Timothy Jiow will be the Deputy Principal: Curriculum for the remainder of 2018.

Community is a word that has great connotations but is not always understood, especially when we are talking about schools and our College. The community within our College is so much more than just what happens within the classroom - although that is a vital component.  Instead community encompasses all that we do, all who belong and all components of our College. Community includes the parents, guardians, grandparents and baby sitters, the ones who cajole, push, encourage and rejoice with our students. Community includes the volunteers who do such great work and aren’t always recognized for their efforts. Community is the sum of all the students, teachers, parents and guardians, providers and producers and all of the human capital involved in our College.

We see amazing examples of community within our College. Students engaging with each other, with their peers, sports team mates and friends both inside and outside of school help to create community. Our community service projects - the opportunities students have to go and make a difference in their local community - be that tree planting, cleaning for Natures Arc, visiting seniors in St Ives, Murdoch and engaging with seniors at Lakeside. Our P&F community are always busy behind the scenes fundraising, volunteering at Beedawong, meeting to better the school and their community. We have links to various churches who are always here working with and socialising with the students, not to mention the social events they put on for our kids.

We endeavour to help create our students into national and global citizens, ones who are aware of their part in the global community and ones who are likely to stand up against injustice and greed. Students demonstrate this through their eagerness to participate in the Newman trip to work with and help the Martu People in central Western Australia.  This is also demonstrated by the many volunteers who join the mission trip to Cambodia to work in the Kennedy Baptist College Centre in partnership with Transform Cambodia and in their desire to help people less fortunate than themselves. Citizens of national and global communities. 

The community created by the College is one that is modelled on our nations ideals of community; mateship, hard work and success, respect for others along with tolerance and fair play. Community is made up of all members, no matter how big a role they play, and it shapes the culture of the College, it’s ideals and values. All community members are highly valued and treasured for the contributions they make - thank you for being a part of our great community.

We are excited to announce our Student Council Executive for 2019. The following positions have been awarded. Head Girl: Eleesha Popkiss, Head Boy: Abraham Doss, Deputy Head Girl: Keely Hatch, Deputy Head Boy: Eric De Sousa. The Student Councillors and House Captains for 2019 will be announced next Monday and will receive their official badges at the Term 4 Assembly.

Mr Alexander King
Acting Deputy Principal Pastoral Care

On Wednesday 5 September, we held our second Kennedy day! This day was to celebrate who we are as Kennedy Baptist College and to give students a fun relaxing day before exams. Kennedy day was organised by the student leadership body with the intention to create an upbeat, fun and positive atmosphere for all to enjoy. Congratulations to our Student Councillors on a well-planned event. 

Thank you to all families that are ordering online and taking the opportunity to use the QuickCliq Service. The winners for the August competition are, Declan Cawthorn 9E2, Holly Barnes 11E1, Shannon Strachan 8K2 and Brendan Von Wielligh 10K1. Thank you for using Quickclick for ordering your lunch. A $10 credit has been added to your account. 

A scenic flight for three people departing Crown Towers Perth. 

The flight will depart from Crown Towers Perth and will showcase Perth’s City Centre, Elizabeth Quay, the Swan River, King’s Park, and more, before heading over the coastline for a low level scenic flight of Perth’s spectacular beaches. The prize will be drawn at the Week 10 Assembly. Get your house points in today! 

Mrs Nicole Robins
Forrest House Coordinator

Year 10 Photography Excursion to Perth Zoo

In Week 8, the three Year 10 Photography classes went on excursion to the Perth Zoo to use their camera skills to photograph an animal portrait. They were aiming to capture a close up, well composed image of an animal, in as natural an environment as the Zoo can offer. The students had a great time seeing all the various animals at the zoo, and got to see a number of animals close up- a kangaroo even stole a map out of a student’s hands! Back at school the students edited their photos to enhance the images, and submitted the finished photos for their task. Thanks go to staff members Ms Macdonald, Mr Markham, Miss Ryan, Mrs Forsdike and Mr Wilkins for attending and supervising.

Year 9 Photography Excursion to Kings Park

This week four Year 9 Photography classes went on two separate excursions to Kings Park, in order to photograph the flowers on display at the park and the cityscape views present from the lookouts. The students had a lot of fun using the photography skills they have learnt this year in order to get some great shots. There were some great shots in the Botanic Gardens, and also some great city shots from the glass bridge. The students then submitted their photos as part of their tasks. Thanks go to staff members Mrs Burgess, Miss Wilmot and Mr Wilkins for attending and supervising the excursion, and Mr Pether for being an excellent ‘flower wrangler’.

Mr Simon James
Media and Photography Teacher

The last day for students for Term 3 is Thursday 20 September. Students commence Term 4 on Monday 8 October at 8.15am.

Please note that students (with the exception of Year 12 students who will wear winter uniform) are to wear full summer uniform for Term 4. We hope that you have a restful and safe break during the holiday period.