It was wonderful to recently spend time with our Parent and Friends Association at our regular term meeting. The P & F team is very enthusiastic about organizing an Open Day that will provide great opportunities for all members of our community. The structure of Open Day will be similar to last year and aims to provide a snapshot of the many facets of Kennedy College life. Often families infer that Open Day is only an occasion to promote the College for prospective families, however our focus will be to make this another chance for current families to experience and view the amazing achievements of our students. We hope everyone can join us on the day. 

NAPLAN and Examinations, what now?
Now that students in Year 7 and 9 have completed NAPLAN the next phase in this testing process is to await results. These results not only show achievement to allow school comparisons, but also provide diagnostic information about student progress. Once these results are available the College will review them carefully to make judgments about current curriculum programs and then develop individual plans with our Learning Needs Staff as required.
Similarly this diagnostic process will be applied to all examination results. The outcomes of exams will be reviewed by both staff and students to develop plans for sustained academic improvement.

ACC Cross Country Competition
This competition provides the opportunity for students across the state to participate in age based races, often with over 200 students in a race. Kennedy had a number of outstanding results reflecting the amazing individual talent of our students. Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 10 for their divisions:
U13 Male: Jay Lindorff 2nd Place
U14 Male: Luke Shaw 1st Place
U15 Male: Mitch Thomas 4th Place
U16 Male: Luke Pidcock 3rd Place
U19 Female: Zoe Hinton 10th Place

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.’ (James 3:1-12) (NIV)

The words we speak over each other have incredible power. It is very easy to go through our day and not pay attention to the way that we speak. Some people are very negative in their thoughts and so their speech lines up with their thoughts. Even the words we speak over ourselves have power to change how we feel.

The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and we need to think about how we are speaking to others. Do we ‘praise’ or do we ‘curse’ the people around us – especially our loved ones. We need to pay attention to the words we speak as it is easy to ‘curse’ the ones around us because we feel we can get away with it.

In all discussions and even arguments we need to treat each other with respect rather than ‘cursing’ others because they do not agree with us or will not do what we want them to do. The verse in James really is talking about the heart – our words come from our heart and we can’t speak praise and curses from the same heart…either we have a heart that loves others and will praise them or we have a heart that is bitter and resentful and will curse others in speech.

To take this further we can ask is it possible to love and praise God without words and actions and then curse others – how can they co-exist. No matter who we are we have the capacity for both – and that is another devotion entirely.

Let’s choose to bless those around us this week with praises instead of curses. Let’s honour God with the way we speak to others not just to Him.

God bless,
Adam

Now that the exam time is nearly over it is pertinent to look at what is coming up over the rest of term. Teachers have been busy marking exams, finalising other Semester 1 assessments and preparing reports. We are all working to very tight timelines to ensure reports are ready for posting and uploading to Coneqt, by the end of term.

Over the final two Wednesdays of the term we will be honouring students who have performed well in Semester 1 at our Awards assemblies. The first of the two assemblies takes place on 24 June (Week 10) and is for Years 10 to 12 and the following week the assembly takes place on 1 July (Week 11) and is for Years 7 to 9. At these assemblies we will be presenting two types of awards. Certificates of Excellence are awarded to students who have achieved the top mark in individual subjects and Certificates of Achievement go to students who have achieved a high number of A grades for the semester. Parents of children receiving awards will receive invitations to the appropriate assembly shortly.

This time of year is also significant for students in Years 10, 11 and 12 as they consider course selections for next year. For Year 10s in particular this is an important time as the structure of Year 11 and 12 is very different from Year 10. All Year 10 students will be assigned a member of Administration to counsel and assist them with this process and will receive email notification of their appointment time in the next few weeks. Parents are welcome to attend with their child. If this time doesn’t suit, please contact the appropriate member of staff stated in the email to reschedule.

Every term the Student Council holds a Free Dress Day and the funds generated are used to go towards the College Child Sponsorship program through Baptist World Aid and Compassion Australia.  The program involves four children located in developing countries around the world. These children are Wilfrancia Philemon from Haiti, Niyonsenga Evariste from Rwanda, Wilder Frederic from Haiti and Sagorika from Bangladesh.

Recently, we were contacted by the World Baptist Aid organisation who have made a special request for assistance in their emergency response to the devastating earthquake that has rocked Nepal.  An estimated eight million men, women and children have been affected and Baptist World Aid Australia is working with three local Christian Nepali partners, United Mission Nepal (UMN), International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and Multipurpose Community Development Service (MCDS), to provide food, clean water, shelter and medical supplies.

In response to this request we held an extraordinary College Free Dress Day on Tuesday 19 May. The purpose was to raise awareness regarding the current challenges facing Nepal and provide much needed funds to assist in the relief process. Over $1800 was raised on the day. These events are valuable in the life and culture of the College as serving and supporting others is an important part of our underlying values.

I want to begin the Year 7 report with a quote by Paul Hawken who said;

“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.” 

This quote, whilst somewhat cynical, gives us impetus to change our perspective, which in turn can also change our behaviour.  Too often we don’t appreciate the good fortune and absolute riches that are a part of our lives.  We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, have family and friends who adore us and love us for being exactly who we are, are able to be ourselves and not be persecuted for doing so and attend one of the best Colleges in the southern corridor where teachers and students go out of their way to ensure you have the best opportunities available.  Too often we take for granted the safety and security with which we are blessed and the bountiful nature of our lives, the gifts and favours granted to us and the ability to live freely and be free.

The case in school is often the same. We grumble about the amount of work we have to do and the effort required doing such.  We complain that our lives are too busy and that we need to simplify whilst still demanding time to sit and stare at the television or message friends online and complain about the things we don’t have, whilst comparing ourselves to our neighbours.  Perhaps, instead, we need to take stock of just how lucky we are, of how great our lives have become and to make time to just stare at the stars and wonder at the glorious creation of God.

I am hoping this newsletter finds all our families progressing well, especially during the challenge of mid-year exams. We have entered the second half of term and I would like to remind you to ensure all jumpers, blazers, sports clothing and bags are clearly marked with your child’s surname and initial as trying to find specific items among similar pieces of student apparel is very difficult.

In Week 10 we will be doing a litter clean up along the Canning River near Castledare as this often has discarded plastic bags, bottles and tins which get into our water ways affecting both fish and birds. We were intending to do tree planting but there are no opportunities presently available. All students will have gloves and bags and be closely supervised and I would encourage as many students as possible to attend. We believe it is important for students to develop a strong volunteer and community ethic which will benefit them in later years and give them a better appreciation for their community and the benefits they enjoy. This is also an opportunity to see and experience nature and encourage them to interact with the natural environment more frequently.

For the health and success of your children I would ask that you ensure they get the appropriate amount of sleep each night, noting that access to electronic devices and social media in their rooms can negatively impact this very necessary rest for healthy teenagers.

 The Year 8s are generally progressing very well and have been a pleasure to work with this year. Half the cohort greatly enjoyed a presentation on cyber bullying last week and the rest will have this opportunity in Week 8.

It’s exam time at the College and you can feel it in the air. In the past weeks we ran through some effective study skills techniques with the students which will hopefully have helped during this time. Last week we had a visit from Nations youth for a ‘brain break’ where the students were able to do some running and jumping on big inflatables. They were also able to do some dunks from a trampoline. It was a great social time for the students and a good breather just before exams.

Last week I took our first form group Eyre to our Community Service activity, serving the homeless. We cooked a BBQ lunch and served the residents of St Bartholemew’s House, an organisation that looks after homeless people in Perth. Students sat and interacted with the residents and even played some games of charades which was fun to watch.

We will have two more activities this term. The next items on our Year 9 calendar are Student Councillor run activities and then in Week 10 our Lazer Blaze social activity.

What an exciting time it is for our Year 10 students. Now that the exams are almost over it is time to start looking at the subjects that they will be choosing for Years 11 and 12. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all parents to be actively involved in this process. Your student will very possibly be feeling anxious about these decisions and your support and advice could be helpful in minimising this stress. More details about the process will follow shortly.

In addition to subject selection choices Work Experience placements are due to be submitted to Mrs Karyn Avalos .If you have not yet done so and are having problems finding a placement please email Mrs Avalos as soon as possible  (kday@kennedy.wa.edu.au) who will be in contact with you as soon as she is able.

During Week 3 a small group of Year 10s attended a Social at Rockface Rock Climbing. A great time was had by all. The biggest social event for Year 10s is the Year 10 formal. Please save the date, Thursday 29 Oct 2015, for this event.

During Wednesday Period 1 this term we have been focusing on appropriate behaviour and reputation both online and in person. Kennedy Baptist College has a zero tolerance policy to bullying and harassment of any sort. If you know of any occurrences or have any queries please contact myself or Mr Dunn.

Lastly, I encourage you all to pray for wisdom and support for the Year 10s and their families at this time.

The Year 11 students have been undergoing mid-semester examinations. Whilst this can be a stressful time, it is also a great opportunity for students to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired during this semester. It has been promising to see many of our students creating study timetables and learning to study for examinations effectively.

In Week 8 Amit Khaira, from Sonlife International, will be speaking with the Year 11s about development tours. This will be highly beneficial for students attending the upcoming Cambodia trip, the Newman Indigenous tour, the Philippines Basketball tour and the Sonlife trip. The presentation will provide valuable insight to all students, with Amit explaining what students and staff should do to ensure development trips have maximum impact.

ARAFMI Mental Health Service will be presenting in Week 9. Mental health is one of the most important issues facing teenagers today. When students feel mentally healthy, they are more likely to live their lives to the fullest. This leads to healthy relationships, making good decisions and being better equipped to handle life's ups and downs.

On Friday 29 May, I had the pleasure of attending the Positive Schools Conference, held at the Fremantle Esplanade Hotel. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, Managing Director of The Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, discussed the importance of students getting enough sleep each day. For a teenager to function at optimum level, it is recommended that students sleep for at least nine hours per night. The other important point he made is that in order to sleep well, students need to avoid computers, mobile phones and other devices that have backlights 30 minutes before going to bed.

Christian D Larson wrote: ' Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.’

As our precious Year 12s write exams I wish them great success. Despite the pressure of exams it is a great way to find out what one doesn’t know and then to work on it to improve one’s marks.

Together with the form teachers and Mrs Jessica Plenty we are thrilled at the enthusiasm of the year group as they embrace their work with the homeless people. A few weeks ago each form was asked to bring a specific ingredient (for the making of chocolate balls) or money. The Year 12s responded well and one Extended Form saw them making and rolling chocolate balls. Our goal is to make 1000 chocolate balls and in a small space of time we made 250. We will continue baking after the exams. The baking will be delivered to the homeless at the end of term.

A social for the Year 12s has been organised on Tuesday 9 June in Week 8. The idea is to get together and relax after the exams. Games, socializing and a barbeque are planned for the afternoon. The event will run from 3.30 – 5pm. Please encourage your child to attend as it is always good to create positive and happy memories.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate the Year 12s who participated in the Music Evening last Wednesday as well as the runners/walkers in the HBF Run for a Reason event. To all the Year 12s thank you for contribution to the College in so many ways.

The HBF Run For a Reason 2015 was a fantastic community event for everyone involved. Over 31000 people in Perth participated in the 21km, 12km or 4km Challenges. We are so proud of everyone from the Kennedy Community who participated and “Ran for a Reason”. We had over 70 staff and students take part, along with Kennedy parents and other family members. Well done to everyone who ran and walked, you are all amazing!!

If you want to see your results, the link is below:
http://www.hbfrun.com.au/results-2015
-Miss Katie Hair

YEAR 11 ACCOUNTING & FINANCE EXCURSION 

Our Year 11 Accounting & Finance students recently went to a “Meet the Business Leader” function at the Crown Hotel. They gained exposure to a large variety of business career opportunities while also hearing first hand accounts from business leaders .The students along with others from over thirty high schools participated in discussions with leaders from Commerce and Industry whilst being treated to lunch.

Mr Milton Forsdike & Mrs Yok Chi Rai

Kennedy students performed well at the recent ACC Interschool Cross Country. As a developing team, we are very proud of our overall 13th Team Ranking. There were 59 ACC schools competing on the day, with around 400 students in each race. Our students competed with great spirit and their efforts achieved fantastic results. Well done to the whole team. The following students achieved places in the top 20.

U13 Male: Jay Lindorff 2nd Place

U13 Male: Cameron Imgrund 19th Place

U14 Male: Luke Shaw 1st Place

U15 Male: Mitch Thomas 4th Place

U16 Male: Luke Pidcock 3rd Place

U16 Male: Jason Duryea 19th Place

U19 Female: Zoe Hinton 10th Place

U19 Male: Daniel Raus 15th Place

The results for all students can be found on the ACC website.

More photos: click here

KENNEDY P&F DINNER

The Kennedy P&F dinner this term will be held on Wednesday 24 June.
Details are:

Place: Himali Gurkha (17 Kearns Crescent, Ardross)
Date: Wednesday 24 June 2015
Time: 7.00pm
Cost: $36.00 per person

Numbers are limited so please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to attend the dinner (with numbers) - please email pandfkennedybaptistcollege@gmail.com

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS

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 link below to order.

Anyone who wants to receive correspondence direct from the Kennedy Parents and Friends Association, please email us at: pandfkennedybaptistcollege@gmail.com and we will add you to our email list. If you have previously asked to be on our list and are still not getting our emails, please email us again (there has been a technical issue).

Order the 2015 Perth Entertainment Book Now

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

Tuesday 2 June - Friday 5 June

Year 8 - 10 Exams

Monday 8 June - Friday 12 June

South of Swan Dance Festival

Monday 8 June
2AB Politics & Law Excursion

Wednesday 10 June
Year 10 AFL Boys Cup

Friday 12 June
Year 10 Extension Science Excursion

Monday 15 - Wednesday 17 June
College Photos

Wednesday 17 June
Year 11 Outdoor Education Abseiling Excursion

Thursday 18 June

• Newsletter
• 3AB Politics and Law Excursion
• Year 8 Vaccination 2

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

PARENTING COURSES FOR JUNE 2015

• Fathering after Separation
• Parent Child Connection
• Kids and Todays Technology
• Parent Teen
• Understanding Stepfamilies
• Mums Raising Boys
• Dads Raising Teenage Boys
• Dads Raising Girls

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.