Photo above: Year 12 celebrating their last day. 

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

It was wonderful to celebrate two significant milestones at Kennedy last week: our Awards Night for Year 10-12 students and the farewelling of our Year 12 students on their last official day.

The Awards Night provided a great opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of all students, and a wide range of awards were presented across all curricular and co-curricular aspects of achievement. It was great to see so many families join us for this celebration! We now look forward to our Year 7-9 Awards Night on Tuesday 24 November, where similar celebrations will occur.

The last day for our Year 12 students provided an excellent opportunity to honour and reflect on their significant contribution to Kennedy. It was not surprising to see tears from students, parents and staff as an entire College farewelled this special group. Kennedy prides itself on the care and support it provides for students and this was certainly reinforced by the heartfelt messages delivered by Form teachers to their students. Our final opportunity to farewell the Year 12 students will be at their Graduation Ceremony on Friday 20 November. This too, promises to be a great occasion.

Year 11 Examinations and 2021 preparation

Examinations for Year 11 students are rapidly approaching. These students now have only one week of formal classes before the examinations commence. I encourage all these students to have a well organised study program in place as they prepare for these important assessments. Achieving the best possible grades now will certainly help to ease any pressure next year. 

All Year 11 students have been informed that they will be expected to attend classes on Monday 23 November. This will allow staff to review their Semester Two results and provide students with preparation packages for 2021. Our goal is to prepare all students for Year 12 as best as possible.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Devotion

Part 3. In the last newsletter, I listed the three assumptions that have been used, in various forms throughout the ages, to challenge the idea of God in the light of the reality of pain, suffering and evil. To remind you, the three assumptions are as follows:

1. God is all-powerful, so He can do anything He wills
2. God is all-loving so, He values His beloved creation
3. Evil is a reality, as there is no life that exists without pain and suffering.

If these statements remain unrefined, then many find faith in God not only a challenge but an offense to their ideals. Many famous ‘atheists’ have reacted to the idea of God, if He exists. Some have been quoted as saying “Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain”.

The affront many feel that God is not “all-powerful”, as the first assumption presents, and He actually can’t fix the suffering that every human encounters. Or, assumption two is incorrect, and that God can fix the evil but He’s not “all-loving”, so He won’t!

How do we defend Faith in an all-powerful and all-loving God? There are many points to make, which I will introduce more in future newsletters, but for this article, I will focus on one main point. God IS all-powerful! However, He has articulated in His written record, the Bible, that His relational character is only expressed in a free-will relationship. That means that only real and free love matters to Him. Love that is freely expressed is the only relationship that fills the heart of God. By putting that boundary on His all-powerful attribute establishes humanity as a unique being and not God’s puppet. God created us that way and thus we are unable to fully control any other person due to that fact. The free-will of humanity, although a great attribute is also the source of some of our greatest suffering, pain and evil. Through the Bible story, God lets us know that He has not abandoned us to the disaster of our free-will being expressed outside of a relationship with Him. The Bible is God’s plan to draw each and every person back into a free-will relationship with Him.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. John 3:16. 

Year 7 Report

What a busy and exciting final term of the first year of secondary school we have ahead of us. Our focus this term is self-care, choices and growing into young adults of integrity. We are running a series of presentations on sexualisation in the media and the impact of pornography, run by Red Ginger Wellness. This includes an informative Parent Information Evening which I would strongly encourage everyone to attend. Details can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.

A big part of self-care is finding time to relax and time to exercise. With COVID restrictions easing, that means we can have our end of year social event. Due to the year group's size, two socials will be held at Bounce Cannington (Please note your child only attends one event). These will be held on Thursday 12 November and Wednesday 18 November. More information will be sent out soon.

I would like to take a moment to thank our outgoing student leaders for 2020. Student Councillors: Jared, Erin, Cerys and Ethan, and House Captains: Sienna, Josh, Cooper, and Riley. You have all done a fantastic job. Thank you! Congratulations to the incoming student leaders for 2021. They will be formally announced at the College Assembly next week.

Year 8 Report

Following the two weeks of school holidays and a significant change in the weather, it is great to see most of the students out and around the College campus - so lively and positively interacting with each other. While the transition towards summer is upon us, the chance to spend recess and lunch breaks together provides students with the opportunity to be more active on the basketball courts, College oval, and around the campus in their summer uniform.

Later this term, the Year 8s will venture down to Forrest Edge Recreational Camp in Waroona. Our students will be tested and challenged through various adventure activities. These activities promise to be fun, interactive, exciting and will test their boundaries and challenge them to push beyond their comfort zones. Students will have the opportunity to try the Ski Biscuit, Target Shooting, Abseiling, Raft Building, Flying Foxes, Pamper Pole and Wall Climbing. All activities will offer opportunities for our students to experience success and personal growth.

Personal growth is a necessary part of life. As our students move through their schooling journey, they will experience both success and failure at different times. We all make mistakes but it is the growth and education behind the learning experience that is important. As Oprah Winfrey says, "We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are". Over the next five weeks, I encourage all students to continue growing and developing academically and socially by positively impacting other's lives and making memories to last a lifetime…

Year 9 Report

Last week the College farewelled the Year 12s. The Year 9s watched the final assembly via live-stream in their Form classes along with other year groups. Forming the guard of honour gave them a taste of what is to come for them in three years. The Year 9s have certainly grown in so many ways; physically, academically, socially and emotionally.  It has been very encouraging to see the growth in so many of our students as they have stretched themselves and embraced the challenges of change. Galatians 5: 22-23 gives us the areas in our lives that we need to grow in: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.’ Let me encourage all of us to ‘grow’ in those areas. We need to be kind to each other.

In Weeks 6 and 7, the Year 9 students will be writing their exams. Students should begin revising their work now in order to prepare for the exams, which will cover Semester Two work. Being prepared for exams is the best way to lessen the stress that many students feel as exams approach. Please make sure your child is getting enough sleep (no devices should be in bedrooms at night), eating well and doing some form of exercise.

Our Year 9 cohort will be graduating at the end of this year to the Upper School Quad (North Quad) and will have new Form teachers for their final three years. They will also have a new HOY as I have decided to resign at the end of this year, after 22 years at the College. I will, hopefully, be back to do some relief and will follow the Year 9s' progress with great interest. It has been a privilege to be their Head of Year for three years. My course of radiation therapy finished last week and I am feeling well. I am very thankful for everyone’s support and encouragement during the last three months.

Year 10 Report

In this most unusual of years, it has been a pleasure to see the growth of our Year 10 cohort into the fine young men and women we see today. When we cast our minds back four years, we remember the timid bunch of students who were both physically and emotionally children in every sense of the word. As the years have passed, we now see our future leaders and it gives me great satisfaction to know our future is in good hands.

Our students have been busy maturing their minds for the rigours of the modern world with a strong focus on positive education. This teaches the students to recognise their strengths and use these strengths to help them through difficult periods of time in their lives. Many are experiencing trying times even now, so it is an excellent opportunity for students to put into practice what they are learning. 

We are also gearing up for our major social event of the year – the Year 10 Dinner Dance. It is excellent to see the gusto with which our students embrace events such as these with a very high demand for tickets and great expectations for a positive evening. I look forward to seeing all and sundry dressed in their finest enjoying an optimistic night of socialising.

Last week we also celebrated the Year 12 students on their guard of honour with renewed enthusiasm and vigour in the knowledge that it will be them who will be doing the same walk in two year's time. 

Year 11 Report

It would be evident to all staff and parents how the Year 11 students have grown this year, not only physically but also emotionally, as we see them mature into beautiful, healthy young adults. It has been an enormous privilege and pleasure to work with them. They have become so easy to lead and I am immensely proud of them all. Their development, maturity and sense of responsibility make them a pleasure to work with!

Their achievements at the recent Year 10-12 Awards Night was proof of their commitment and growth. I would like to give a special mention to our ATAR Dux, Jarrad East, for an exceptional achievement and our General Dux, Elysia Greenshields, who also produced outstanding work.

With only a week to go, the Year 11 examinations are fast approaching and are on everyone’s minds. I want to take some time to encourage the students to follow and return to three basic life steps to help them through this exam time.

1. Get plenty of sleep - no late nights. The most effective time to study is when you feel refreshed and open-minded, perhaps a morning study routine will help.
2. Do not go overboard with coffee, coke, or energy drinks - remember to stay hydrated with plenty of water and eat lots of fruit and vegetables. ‘You would not put bad fuel in your car, don’t put it in your body.’
3. Get exercise - take at least 30 minutes a day and make time for yourself. Physical exercise is proven to help with efficiency, and it is never a waste of time.

I know all students will do really well. Please note that we are here to assist in any way during this exam time. Lastly, it was such an honour to farewell the Year 12 students last week. I cannot believe that this will be us next year! Let us finish well.

Year 12 Report

Last week the Year 12 students had a fantastic final week of College!

On Tuesday, we had a celebration during SAS on the oval with a BBQ, waterslide and games. It was such a fun way to relax after a hectic mock exam schedule and a busy Term 3 with students finalising all their assessments. On Wednesday, we had Form teacher goodbyes, and Chaplain Peter Chase made some breakfast pancakes. Then on Thursday, the Year 12s came to College dressed up in the career they would like to be working in, in 10 years' time. This was another great day of celebration, and after a few awards at recess, we had a mentor lunch with some delicious pizza and took the time to say goodbye to their mentors.

On Friday, the last day, we started the day off with an amazing delicious buffet breakfast put on by the Beedawong staff. The layout of the Beedawong area and Staff lounge was set out in such a lovely way and created an intimate and memorable feeling for students. After our breakfast, we had an emotionally charged and special final Assembly where the Year 12 students were the guests of honour. At the conclusion of the Assembly, the College formed a guard of honour and cheered the Year 12s as they made their way down to the oval. Upon arriving at the oval, the Year 7 students greeted and celebrated them with decorations and confetti. It was lovely to see so many parents join us for the morning tea afterward.  

Overall it was such a memorable week and a great way to celebrate six years of schooling. Our last event for the year will be Graduation on Friday 20 November. Our Graduation Ceremony will start at 7.00pm, and students may only invite two guests. A photographer will take photos of each student as they walk across the stage and will be available after the ceremony for individual and group photos.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank this fantastic year-group and thank you to all the parents who have supported our efforts in getting your child to this point. God bless to all our Year 12s, and wishing you all the best for your WACE examinations. 

• Photos of social and dress up day here. 
• Photos of Year 12 Last Day here. 

Kennedy News

College Notices

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 12 November 2020.