Photo above: Community Open Day 2021.

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

Thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends Association and all our families who supported the College at Community Open Day. It was extremely pleasing to have so many community members come along and enjoy the Kennedy experience. Open Day provides a great opportunity for the College to show what a dynamic community we have at Kennedy, and it was so pleasing to see everyone sharing their experiences with such a large number of visitors. Our Parents and Friends Executive worked hard to co-ordinate the range of activities and we received much positive feedback from visitors on the day. Please click here for photos.

Arts Performances

It has been fantastic to see our Arts Learning Area shine over the past few weeks. Our Dance Showcase was an outstanding event involving many students and their performances were greatly appreciated. I know all audience members greatly enjoyed the performances and the very high standard presented is a testament to the commitment of both our students and staff. Congratulations to our Arts Learning Area staff for their hard work and commitment to the planning and development of these complex productions. Students will continue to be provided with opportunities to display their exceptional talents and continue the development of their skills and abilities. We look forward to the music, dance, and drama performances planned for the rest of the term. 

NAPLAN Results

In the past week, general whole school NAPLAN data has been released to schools and it is incredibly pleasing to see how our students performed in their cohorts in comparison to the state and national data. Once again, our students have produced year group results way above the state and national means. It was also very pleasing to see students make significant gains from Year 7 to Year 9. This data indicates that Kennedy students are attaining gains in achievement higher than the national means, with the greatest advances in reading and writing. Individual data is expected to be released later this term.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Devotion

Have you ever watched a Surf Life Saver at the beach? They are set up central on the beach, with a great view of the ocean. Most of their job is to watch. Some of their job is action, high energy, using skills at managing the ocean and a person in trouble, but most of the day they are ready and watching. They are waiting for the visible signs of someone in trouble or a raised hand.

The world of the Life Saver is, in some way, a world we are all in. Sometimes we are all watching for visible signs that someone is in trouble, sometimes we are the one in trouble and need to raise our hand. Next week we are recognising “R U OK?” day. The focus of the day is a reminder. A day to say we are all in the “ocean of life” together. Most of the days in this life, we are enjoying the water. Most of the days in this life, we can handle the conditions around us. However, there are some days when we see someone in trouble. There are also days when we are in trouble, and we need to raise our hand.

Our newsletter theme this year has been to look for and live in the Kingdom of God. I hope you can draw the connection between “R U OK?” day and God’s Kingdom. Kingdom living is seen when we spend our precious life for the good of all others. The “R U OK?” message perfectly lines up with what we are designed to be, Life Savers. It’s not just us that are the lifesavers, but God in us, wanting to save lives from the conditions. The ‘ocean of life’ can be very stormy. Like the Life Savers, please keep watching, be ready for others in trouble, jump into action if you’re needed. Also, I encourage you to put up your hand if it’s you who needs some help.

Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became completely calm. Mark 4:39.

Deputy Principal: Curriculum

I hope families were able to attend the College’s Open Day and visit the various curriculum displays. A high standard of student work from all year levels was on display. It was fantastic to see the variety of ways that students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of curriculum. Many students volunteered their time to assist in different Learning Area displays and this reflects the connection they have with the subject and a willingness to embrace service. Thank you to everyone involved in this community event.
 

Year 12 Students

Year 12 students are in the final weeks of schooling with all curriculum programs being completed at the end of this term. Apart from examinations, all assessments will be completed and must be submitted before the holiday break. Students are reminded that to be awarded a grade, they must complete the whole teaching, learning and assessment program. The next three weeks offer an opportunity to finish twelve years of schooling to the best of their ability.

The possible impact of an interruption to Year 12 final SCSA examinations as a result of the pandemic has been considered and a plan to minimize impact and interruption has been developed. The plan has many layers, but I can assure all Year 12 students and parents that every possible scenario has been considered. To ensure the best outcome for students, the upcoming final school examinations are crucial. Year 12 students must apply themselves equally to all examinations as these results are included in ATAR calculations.
 

2022 Timetable

I would like to thank students and families for their efforts in selecting 2022 courses. The selection process was completed very well and efficiently and the complicated process of creating combinations of subjects that maximize student choice and school resources is underway. I anticipate that early in Term 4, current Year 10 and 11 students will be notified of any issues arising from their course selections. there will then be opportunities for these students to make changes to their selections. Year 7-9 students who have missed out on being allocated one of their selected courses or have a course missing in their timetable will have the opportunity to select alternate courses later in Term 4.

Deputy Principal: Pastoral Care 

Kennedy Baptist College has implemented and adopted the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations so young people, families, and those in our community, can feel confident that the College provides a safe environment where children’s rights, needs, and interests are being met. Please take some time to read more information below about the development of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations from our Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission) uncovered shocking abuse of children within institutions in Australia. The Commission recommended taking action to make organisations across the country safe for children. The development of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) is a key national reform in response to these recommendations. The Principles have been endorsed by all Commonwealth, state and territory governments. They provide a nationally consistent approach to embedding child-safe cultures within organisations that engage with children and act as a vehicle to give effect to all Royal Commission recommendations related to child safe standards.

I would like to thank all who contributed to the development of the National Principles and their accompanying guidance material. Development of the National Principles was led by Community Services Ministers across Australia under the Third Action Plan 2015-2018 of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 and the National Children’s Commissioner, Megan Mitchell, in consultation with a broad range of sectors engaging with children. Representatives from key advocacy groups and academia also contributed, as well as children and young people themselves. Adopting the National Principles is an important step to better protecting Australia’s children.

Source: Child Safe Organisations National Principals. Forward by Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia. © Australian Human Rights Commission 2018.

Kennedy Baptist College is always seeking new ways to implement these principles. Principle three states that; Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing. For this reason, Kennedy has introduced a new initiative for Parents and Guardians called Kennedy Insights. Kennedy Insights is a series of seminars designed to help equip our families with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support their children's safety and wellbeing. The goal of our Pastoral Care team is to have one every term. In Term 4 we will focus on Mental Health. Please see more information here for the next Youth Mental Health seminar coming up in October 2021. 

Kennedy News

Annual Father's Day Breakfast

This morning we enjoyed our annual Father’s Day Breakfast. Our Dads were treated to a fun ice-breaker lead by our College Chaplain, a scrumptious breakfast from our Beedawong Cafeteria, and wise words from our guest speaker. Peter Lyndon-James. Peter is the founder of Shalom House, a residential rehabilitation centre located in the Swan Valley.  

It was inspiring to hear Peter as he spoke about his life and the life of those in Shalom House. Peter challenged our Dads to be present in their child/rens lives, not just to worry about the money and to put food on the table but to be the best husband and dad you can be. He reminded our dads that "your money is nothing, but your time is everything" for kids. Peter said, like a small puzzle piece a father is a very important part of the picture, and as men, we have a responsibility to bring up our children in the way that they should go so that they will never depart from it. 

We thank Peter for challenging and sharing his wisdom with all our dads and grandfathers. Thank you to all the dads who joined us this morning, and we wish you a Happy Father's Day this Sunday! 

College Notices

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 16 September 2021.