Photo above: Interhouse Swimming Carnival.

Dear Parents and Families,

Term 1 is passing very quickly and it is pleasing to see our students embracing the many opportunities made available to all students in such an enthusiastic manner. We hope this continues throughout the year.


Strategic Planning

Kennedy has a very clear strategic plan in place to ensure that opportunities for students continue to develop and are maximized. This plan includes four major strategic priorities that have driven our preparations for 2020. These include:

1. To enhance the quality of the teaching and learning agenda through the mechanism of innovation using evidenced-based best practice.
2. To invest in the wellbeing of students and staff through proactive intervention.
3. To create a connected community, forging and building upon meaningful relationships within the College and throughout the wider community to further our Christian mission. 
4. To ensure sustainability across all aspects of the College such that Kennedy is well-positioned for the future.

These strategic priorities will be a focus for the next three years and drive the allocation of physical, human and financial resources.


Coronavirus (COVID-19)

There is no doubt that the Coronavirus is going to create disruption in our lives. The College staff have been working hard to develop contingencies and are ready to implement them should a need arise.  From a College position, we are updating you via email on a regular basis to ensure communication is timely and accurate. Should anyone in your family start to exhibit symptoms of the virus we ask that you take the precautionary measure of keeping students at home and seek the relevant medical advice. The link below provides advice on how to deal with this situation should it arise. www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus

Please refer to the below links for updates from the College so far. 

• Novel Coronavirus – COVID-19 Update: 1 (sent 11 March 2020)
• Novel Coronavirus – COVID-19 Update: 2 (sent 12 March 2020)

The College has unfortunately now cancelled the Cambodia mission trip for July and this will be reinstated as soon as it is declared a safe situation. We encourage all staff and families to carefully consider their international travel during the holidays as it could result in an extended isolation period.

New Chaplain

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you our new College Chaplain, Peter Chase. Peter comes to us with a wealth of experience serving as a chaplain in schools and in a pastoral capacity in churches and the community. You will have the opportunity to meet him at various upcoming College events and he will be getting involved with many student activities around the College. Welcome Peter!  


Easter Services

Kennedy Baptist College is a Christian faith-based College committed to providing the best possible educational services. As Easter quickly approaches, it is appropriate to reflect on the basis of this faith foundation. Please see more information below. 

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Hi Kennedy community, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Peter Chase the new chaplain. I drove into the College on Monday 9 March, my first day, feeling literally like a new kid at school. A kid I obviously am not! But those ‘way back’ feelings are so strong and so familiar, I would think everyone would know what they feel like. Although I don’t love feeling them, I have grown to love those feelings of being unsure, nervous and fearful. I find them to be a more sure sign of a healthy approach to life than the fully confident, not a care in the world attitude. My management of nerves, worry and fear has always been to find my motivation and purpose in everything I am doing. When motivation and purpose are what drives me; nerves, worry and fear don’t seem strong enough to stop me. So, on Monday morning, when I got out of the drivers seat of my car to start my first day, motivation and purpose were in the drivers seat of my actions. (I think that’s how I got out of my car!)

What does all this mean for parents and members of the Kennedy community? The first, and probably main thing I would love the College community to know about me is, I am so sure that being your chaplain is my calling, motivation and purpose. Many of you would know the five W's - Who, What, Where, When, Why - the five important questions one must ask when gathering info. And as Drax, a character in the movie The Guardians of the Galaxy asked the very important question, “Why is Gamora?” I want you to know the same thing about me, “Why is Peter Chase (the Chaplain)"? The full story will have to wait for another newsletter, but the short version is, from the moment I left school, (many many years ago), I knew I was to ‘play forward’ what had been done for me, during my schooling, by someone who helped put purpose and motivation into my life. In Year 12, I felt like someone switched the lights on and I could see that my life’s journey was no accident, it was all about purpose. Some have said I’m a little crazy but I can honestly say that is why I have chosen to walk into a school of 1200 teenagers, who I don’t yet know, so I can help them journey through this wonderful thing, life.

I’m sure we’ll get to meet in the future but for now my simple bio is
Peter Chase, married to the wonderful Louise Chase, father of six great children who often leave me in awe of their character as they grow up. I have served and worked in a wide variety of roles/jobs and I love sharing life stories. I look forward to meeting the Kennedy community, all several thousand of you, in the future.

It has been an amazing start to the Kennedy journey for this Year 7 cohort. I am delighted with the attitude and perseverance of the group.  They have settled into their classes well and have been focused and working to the best of their ability.

The Year 11/7 Mentor program has also been a success. It is great to see the mentors acting as outstanding role models for the younger students. I would like to thank them all for going the extra mile and making our Year 7 students feel welcome. On Thursday 19 February our Meet the Teachers Evening was held, it was a great opportunity for students to introduce their subject teachers. In addition to this, we shared some strategies and information to assist our Year 7 student’s transition to the academic rigor of secondary schooling.

Yesterday we voted on our student leaders for Year 7 2020. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who nominated. I was very impressed by the quality of the speeches, everyone should be very proud of their efforts. The successful positions will be announced soon. 

This year the Year 7 students will attend the Year 7 Team Building Day on Friday 1 May (Term 2 Week 1). This is a compulsory event and I hope all students are getting excited. The aim of the day is to provide students with many memorable experiences and promote a sense of resilience and to enhance the students’ problem-solving skills that will assist your child with the often-challenging transition into Year 7. This year the 11/7 mentors will be joining us to encourage the Year 7s to step outside their comfort zone.

I am looking forward to the rest of the year working alongside parents and students, to build further relationships and to provide support. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. 

The first half of term one has flown by! We have now settled into Year 8 and students are all enjoying their new teachers and new classes. Most of the students have made some new friends.

In Form, students are continuing to build relationships with their peers and with their Form Teachers. As Head of Year, I love to move around the Year 8 Form classes and see how different each Form class is. I particularly noticed that the students are taking responsibility and wearing their uniforms according to College standards. 

Our Extended Form program continues to be a fun way for students to get to know each other, develop in their faith and learn about topics that may not come up in their daily lessons. This week we took part in a Positive Education session, with the focus being Self Knowledge. The goal is that students understand who they are so that they are not seeking acceptance from others. We also aim to develop an understanding of how valued we are by God, so we can learn to value ourselves.

We are all looking forward to our social event at Perth Aqua Park later this term, where students will share afternoon tea before boarding buses to the inflatable water park in Baldivis where we will spend an hour having fun with our friends.

At the moment, the Year 9s are very focussed on the upcoming Adventure Camps. These will be held at Forest Edge, Waroona in Week 9 of this term. The students are working on forming their dormitory groups so that they are in dorms with their friends and support groups. I will be working on activity groups, which will be different as the students stretch themselves in adventure type activities under the care of trained supervisors. The girls will be at camp from Monday 30 March until Wednesday 1 April and then the boys will attend from Wednesday 1 until Friday 3 April. As the camps are single-gender, boys will be required to be at the College on Monday and Tuesday of that week and girls will be required to be at the College on Thursday and Friday of that week.

The camps are wonderful opportunities for the students to work on teamwork and gain a deeper empathy and understanding of others. Information on the camps will be coming out on Consent2Go at the end of the week. Could I ask that all parents make sure that dietary requirements and medication needs are all updated on Consent2Go.

Last week in Extended Form the students discussed empathy and understanding under the new Positive Education program that has been implemented at the College. We hope that through this program and other topics that we will discuss over the course of the year that students will continue to develop a sense of community in their Year group.

The term is moving along at a rapid pace for Year 10 students as we reach the halfway mark for our first term. For students, the challenge continues to be to prepare for the increased demands as they continue their studies through secondary school. Hopefully, the round of assessments that learning areas are currently completing will be giving students a new-found belief in their abilities and reinforces the importance of hard work. I would encourage students to not tire as the term progresses but to continue their hard work and dedication.

Year 10s are currently following on from the goal-setting that the students engaged with earlier in the term. They are now examining the idea of facing up to and working through problems. Students are working through issues and difficulties they are facing - both real and hypothetical - which should enable them to navigate the difficulties they will be facing throughout their lives. This resilience training is vital to having dynamic and strong future leaders.

Students have also been inducted into the Work Health Safety talk given to ensure their safety during their work experience tenure. We look forward to our Year 10s experiencing what ‘real-life’ is like outside of school and this experience, hopefully giving many impetus to further their studies and maybe turn their experience into a launchpad for a career.

We have had a good and busy first half of Term 1 with only four weeks to our camp. There was an excellent study skills information session held for parents last week which was expertly presented by the Research and Study Centre. Please click here to read more.

Our Year 11 Transition Camp commences on 8 April at Rottnest Island. We will be staying at Kingston Barracks on the Eastern end of Rottnest and cycling will be a large part of the camp. Activities include walks, water activities, games, small group discussions and cycling. Most events are not compulsory and students can choose to be more or less active. The focus is on relationships and goal setting for the last two years of College.

The Year 11 Mentors have done a superb job assisting the Year 7 students and we have had wonderful feedback affirming the big difference they have made. The Year 7s have felt safe and confident because of the guidance and support they were given by the mentors. When we do something for others we are blessed and the mentors have learned that principle from this experience.

The Year 12 Ball was held on Valentine’s day at Frasers restaurant in Kings Park. Seeing the reaction of the students as they were lead into the grand function room overlooking Perth was amazing and they were blown away with the view. Students had a great time mingling, chatting, having their photos taken by the photographer and checking out the view from the balcony. 

After the excitement of the ball the Year 12s have settled into the term and are working hard. At the end of last year, I asked the students what they are worried about and what they would like us to discuss, outside of their subjects, to better prepare them for leaving high school. The feedback from students was interesting and they wanted us to discuss subjects such as; money, gap year, other options for the year after graduating, stress, managing stress and other topics related to becoming an adult. The number one topic that “worries” them, was money and money management. So as part of our Pastoral Care program this year I have organised some life skill talks that will continue throughout the year.

Last Wednesday we had our first life skills session with the topic being money. We looked at Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor, and his financial advice to teenagers before they move out of home. We also looked at budgeting, tax, superannuation, buying a house and car, shares and the dangers of credit cards. I am hopeful that you as parents will create the space to also discuss these topics with your child at home. This week we had a talk from Rochelle Masters about managing stress which I am sure offered some advice and practical ways to deal with the stress of Year 12.

Our Easter Services are an opportunity for our community to come together and contemplate the Gospel message of Easter. Our Easter services are a compulsory event for all students but more importantly it is an opportunity for families to engage as a community.

This year our services will be in collaboration with Lakeside Baptist Church and we look forward to the wonderful presentations of music, drama and dance that will be presented by so many talented students. Supper will be provided after each service and this should be a great time for families and staff to interact in a social setting.

• Monday 6 April: Eyre and Forrest families.
• Tuesday 7 April: King and Stirling families

Please note that shuttle busses will be available from Murdoch University Carpark 7. We look forward to meeting with you on these special evenings and hope as many parents as possible can join us.

We are excited to announce that we will be launching a dads group with The Fathering Project here at Kennedy and you are invited to hear how you could benefit from forming a Fathering Project Dads’ Group. 

Tuesday 24 March at 7.00pm in the College Staff Lounge. 
Please RSVP here by 20 March 2020.

This is a fantastic opportunity for dads and father-figures to meet up, chat and be encouraged. It will be an informal yet informative event for dads, father figures and school leaders. The Fathering Project Dads Group is an opportunity to have fun with your kids and become part of a strong and supportive network of committed dads within our College community. 

Highschool Musical Highlights with Madelein van Rensburg

As a member of the chorus, I can tell you that we’re coming close to finishing each song to its best. Mrs Anthony is helping us to really project our voices and light up our faces on stage so that you, as audience members, will be engaged and entertained! My role specifically is a skater. At first, I was a little uncomfortable on stage, but I find myself slipping out of my bubble a little more every week... Click here to read more about Madelein's experience. 

Interhouse Swimming Carnival

There was much excitement around the pool at the Interhouse Swimming Carnival. Students impressed us in the main pool with great results in all events and those who took part in the participation events in pool B were able to earn valuable points for their house. After all events were completed, the overall winning House, Eyre was announced!

Congratulations to all students on the day who contributed to a successful carnival atmosphere, with great enthusiasm and fantastic behaviour! Please click here to see more photos. 

Fees - Secondary Assistance Scheme

The State Government, through the Department of Education, provides financial support to eligible parents through the Secondary Assistance Scheme (SAS). The scheme aims to assist low-income families with secondary school costs. Applications close on Thursday 9 April 2020. Please click here to read more. 

Each year we value the support of our volunteers who contribute to the College community by helping at the Café, Research & Study Centre, Uniform Shop, Prayer, Sports Carnivals and Open Day. Co-ordination of all our volunteers is coordinated through the easy to use automated online system SIGNUP.com. Current volunteer opportunities are as below:

• Beedawong Café
• Book Covering
• Prayer Group

​​Please click here to sign up and volunteer.