Dear Parents

It is astounding to realise that this is our last newsletter for 2015. As we reflect on the College events of the year it is remarkable to realise how much the community of Kennedy has achieved. Two wonderful events over the last week have reinforced these achievements and the embracing of opportunities by our students. Our Year 12 graduation and the Year 7-9 Prize Night provided occasions to acknowledge the accomplishments of students this year and it was wonderful to share these experiences with our wider community. Congratulations to all students involved in these events.

At Graduation it was announced that several students have already been awarded early offers to Notré Dame University. Congratulations to:

• Clare Forrest
  Bachelor of Primary Education
• Amy Salmond
  Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
• Kara Simpson  
  Bachelor of Marketing and Public Relations/ Bachelor of Behavioral Science 
  (Other Award winner list can be found here)

Last night I publicly farewelled Mr Don Hart  (Deputy Principal - Curriculum) at the Year 7-9 Prize night who retires this year after 40 years of service in education. Don has given us the gift of his very astute, wise and dynamic leadership in Mathematics and Curriculum and will be missed by us all.

As the year closes we will farewell a number of staff who have all made significant  contributions to our community including  Adam Przytula, (Chaplain), Mr Murray, Mr Loughton, and  Mrs Roberts, (Physical Education)  Mrs Thillainath, (Teacher Librarian), Mrs Ashton and  Ms Chambers (Mathematics), Mrs Summers (English) Mrs Aguero (Art). We wish them the very best with their new pursuits.

Once again I would like to thank everyone in our community for their ongoing support this year. As we look forward to an exciting 2016 I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic safe and relaxing holiday.

Mark Ashby
Principal

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Spak filler. That is what the Senior Pastor of the Church likened me to. The stuff you fill holes with. Not the brick and mortar that makes a wall strong – no – rather I was likened to the stuff you slap on; smooth down; and paint over. Spak Filler.

I am the person you go to do those things which others don’t feel “called” to do. Clean the toilets. Make the coffee. Kids Church. I have even been rung at 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon and asked if I could preach that evening. Somehow, in the next three hours I was expected to do that which the person on the roster had been too busy to do in the previous four weeks. And I did it.

I am to blame though. I am a woman who just happens to be an ordained Minister. So, I over compensated and in doing this I lost my focus. I was doing so many ‘things’ that I somehow had no time for what was really important.

As we come into the season that is Christmas, it is so easy to get caught up in doing “things” because of the expectations of others, as to what Christmas should be like, our own expectations, because it has always been done this way, and yes, maybe even over compensating, due to a perceived loss or lack. At this time of year, it is very easy to lose focus on what is truly important, that over-shadowing the manger is the Cross.

So, my prayer for you this Christmas is that we take time to recognize what is truly important and that we focus on what is eternally significant. That God sent His Son to seek and save the lost and that only in Him, do we have eternal life.

This week I had the privilege of being the MC for our Year 7-9 Prize Night, my last formal public function as Deputy Principal at Kennedy Baptist College. It was a great night, celebrating the achievements of many of our students. At the conclusion of the night I was publicly farewelled and given the opportunity to say a few words, reflecting on my time at Winthrop and Kennedy Baptist Colleges. I would like to share those words here, as my final article for the newsletter.

“Thank you Mark for those kind words and thank you for giving me the wonderful opportunity to work at Kennedy Baptist College. Thank you also to the Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist College communities for all the encouragement and support over the years."

The 18 years I have worked at Winthrop and Kennedy Baptist Colleges represent almost half of my teaching career. Well 9/20, 0.45 or 45% to be precise. It is a clear testament to what a wonderful place this has been to work in. The longest I spent at any previous school was 8 years at Gosnells Senior High School, as it was then called, in the 1980s, the era of big hair and shoulder pads. I valued Baptist education so much I even sent my 2 younger children to Somerville Baptist College, my son was in fact a foundation student. During this time I have had the privilege to work alongside outstanding teachers and staff, all with the common desire and calling to serve God through educating young people. As parents who have chosen to send your sons and daughters here, I believe you have made a very wise decision. I have also had the honour of teaching and interacting with amazing students throughout these past 18 years. I certainly believe that the future of our nation, and indeed of our world, is in good hands. And might I add, the teaching profession has been good to me, so students if you are wondering what you might do in the future I would highly recommend a career as a teacher. Especially that most highest of calling, a MATHEMATICS TEACHER.

There is no doubt that I leave with mixed feelings. I know that this is the right time for me to move on. I am excited by what God has in store for me and I thank him for what he has given me so far. But that excitement is tinged with sadness as the curtain comes down on a 40 year teaching career. I will miss my colleagues, I will miss the students, I will miss the College community but it has been a wonderful 18 years.
Thank you and God bless.”

Kennedy Baptist College values student leadership and has a targeted and strategic approach to developing student leaders.                                                                           
Student leadership is a very significant part of the College community and thus the College allocates time, resources, mentoring and leadership opportunities to further this important process. Over the last few weeks the student leadership has been involved in a range of important activities.

Last week the newly elected student councillors attended a Student Leadership Retreat at Serpentine Baptist Campsite undertaking various training sessions in preparation for their roles for next year. These included Public Speaking, Leading teams, Skill Development, Mentoring and Group Dynamics.

Also our Year 7 student leaders invited their Community Partners, the Lakeside Seniors Group as special guests to a College assembly. The Year 7s regularly meet with the Lakeside Seniors Group as part of their community outreach project. These visits are an intergenerational wisdom exchange where both groups learn a great deal from each other and enables the students to understand that seniors are active and vibrant members of society that have plenty to offer modern society. Part of each session involves Kennedy students interviewing the seniors about their lives and recording this information digitally which will ultimately be turned into an almanac of their lives.  The recording for posterity the combined knowledge and history of the seniors ensures their legacy lives on and is there for future generations to learn from.

At the assembly a video highlighting the program was shown and the seniors joined the Year 7 student councillors for a morning tea afterwards in the College staff lounge. This project has been going for 3 years now and our students are looking forward to continuing enjoying food and good times with the seniors into the future.

Lakeside Seniors and Year 7 students from Elizabeth Baldwin on Vimeo.

And so we come to the final newsletter for the year and the final few days of Year 7 for the class of 2015.  It has been an amazing year, filled with highlights and good times and one that I can genuinely say that I have absolutely enjoyed.  It’s very difficult to imagine that these growing and vibrant young-adults were the timid and demure primary school children that first began almost a year ago.

Some of the growth and development can be attributed to the programs we have in place at the College; The commencement ceremony helped to define the start-point of the students’ high school scholastic lives’ and demarcated for them a clear path to success. the Thrive program, in its inaugural year had a major impact on the behavioural development of the Year 7s and taught them how to behave.  The 11/7s program nurtured the students and helped them to feel a part of the College community.  The form teachers have been and will continue to be a blessing in the lives of our Year 7 students.  Their direction and guidance each morning along with the constant mentoring and influence in the lives of the students have been invaluable in forming and helping to define who each student is in this world. There are too many other things to mention, however the cumulative effect of all the programs is that the students are now more rounded, well developed and in a much better place than when we began at the beginning of the year.

There have been so many highlights and so much fun had that I cannot mention it all here, suffice it to say there have been a few standouts.  Having the grass laid at the eastern end of the Year 7 area has transformed the space, it is certainly a favourite for the girls up there now.  The amount of handball being played is incalculable; any available area is used as long as the ball bounces off it.  The students ‘hanging out’ by the stairs, the more they can chat to each other – the better.  For me it has been a stellar year, one that I have thoroughly enjoyed and will remember for a long time to come.  If I can leave you with a quote to inspire you in your futures, please don’t neglect these years as they really do go very quickly “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ― Annie Dillard.

Well, Christmas is almost here, sorry to put pressure on you, I know that this time of relaxation and pleasure is often not that at all. Frenetic gift buying and preparation for the rellies etc.

Maybe we can all build a bit of peace and harmony into this special time by focusing on what is really important and minimizing the other stuff! Spending relaxing time with your family must be a priority. We never know how much time we will have with each other. Getting away from home always helps if we can as jobs etc. surround us if we don’t go away. Even planning short day trips will ensure relaxation and move the focus to one another.

All of us have changed this year, especially your children. It is time to catch up and regroup while we can and before the next year sweeps us away. Your kids are the biggest blessing you have and relationships the most important things in life.

May God bless you all and keep you safe until we meet again next year. Thank you for entrusting your children to us this year and may you greatly enjoy the lovely adults they are becoming.

It has been a great year and I'm sure the students would agree that now exams are over there is a sense of relief in the air. We have our final community service BBQ lunch this week with Stirling having their opportunity to serve the homeless residents from St Bartholomew's house. Every student that has had the opportunity to come this year has thoroughly enjoyed the experience and in speaking to the staff at St Bartholomew's house and the residents it is generally a highlight for them when we come.

My final message to the Year 9 students has been to make the most of your opportunities and also keep pursuing God next year and beyond. It has been a pleasure guiding the Year 9s this year and I look forward to keeping up relationships with them over the next few years. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday break.

It’s has been a great year for the Year 10s in 2015. We have achieved many things and had a great time. Over these last couple of weeks we have had many great things happen to finish off the year.

We have just completed our 11/7 Mentor training. The 67 students had two full days of Peer Support training and will be an integral part of the Year 7s transition into high school next year. On Friday they get to put their training into practise at the Year 7 Orientation Day. I’m sure the day will be a great success largely in part to our excellent group of Year 10 Mentors.

On October 29 we had the Year 10 Formal. Everyone dressed to impress and a great time was had by all. I would like to congratulate the Year 10s on their behaviour and sense of fun. Below is a link the photos taken by the College on the night.

On Monday 30 November we are running a Transition Day to prepare our Year 10s for Year 11 and 12. This is a full day incursion designed for the Year 10s to enhance the life skills needed to deal with the stress and extra workload of upper school. We are very excited by this new initiative and I would like to thank our College counsellors Golda Newland and Holly Beeck, School Psychologist Jess Plenty all their hard work.

As this is my last newsletter entry for the year I would like to wish the Year 10s of 2015 a happy and safe holiday. I look forward to hearing of your successes next year and beyond. Good luck and God Bless.

As we draw closer to the conclusion of the school year, it is a time to reflect on the wonderful memories created as a cohort. Together the students have participated in many fundraisers, rallied together at carnivals with House spirit and celebrated the achievements of students from all year levels at our college assemblies.  Through Year 11 camp and extended Form activities, students have developed a sense of independence and purpose for their final years of schooling. These activities would not have run as smoothly or with as much enthusiasm if it had not been for our wonderful student councillors. Ancke, Anja, Daniel and Hannah have all worked hard throughout the year and continually displayed the College’s ethos of respect, honour and integrity.

Once students receive their examination results and reports, I encourage all students to use their results as foundation to build upon for Year 12 and to continue to strive for excellence in their areas of passion and interest. The holidays are a great time to establish a sound study regime and familiarise themselves with the course syllabus.

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the Form teachers and supporting staff for their amazing support, vibrancy and leadership, you have  made this year so much more rewarding.

Wishing all families a happy and safe holiday, I look forward to seeing all the Year 11’s return as positive and mature leaders of the College.

The WACE exams are over and the Year 12s are on Leavers’ Week! We pray that they will be kept safe and make wise decisions while away.  It is now a matter of waiting for the results and finalising courses for next year. Remember that the TISC application site is still open and students can go online and change their preferences if they so wish.

The Graduation Ceremony,  held on Friday 20 November  went very well. The Very Reverend Richard Pengelley, Dean at St George’s Cathedral, spoke to the Year 12s and encouraged them to hold fast to their dreams and strive to make a difference in the world. There was a huge attendance at the event and it marked a fitting farewell to this year’s Year 12 cohort. We wish them all God’s blessings and all the best in the future.

A photographer was in attendance and photos are available from the Maverick Photography website. The ID Login is kennedy and the Password is grad201115, which is the date of the graduation.

It just remains for me to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a safe and blessed holiday season.

Matt Taylor our special guest handing out certicfiates to our 2015 Student Leadership. More photos and award winners...

Ruan Albert, Heather Moyle and Joe Frost  with their certificates and prizes after competing in the first ever Kennedy Public Speaking Competition.

On Wednesday 18 November, Kennedy Baptist College held their inaugural Public Speaking Competition. This competition was open to all students in years 7- 10 and with both house points and a $200 Garden City Voucher on offer the rivalry was fierce.

Of the original 12 students who entered, 8 students made it through to the day  - and with a lot of courage they stood in front of their peers and delivered. 

I want to thank all of those involved, both staff and students. The winners were, from Year 7, Ruan Alberts,  Year 8, Heather Moyle and our overall winner, from Year 10, Joe Frost.

We have just wrapped up our annual six week College wide promotion of reading and are very happy with the amount of reading going on in every year – well done to all our students. The whole College read in an extended form as part of Champions Read and here are some photos – it was very quiet and peaceful!
Eyre, King, Stirling and Forrest have all made a big effort and altogether our students have read for 16422.15 hours in Champions Read this year – an outstanding effort – next week in our final Assembly the winning house will be announced.

Mrs Yurisich
Teacher-librarian (Research and Study Centre)

Parent helpers required for the 2016 Kennedy Interhouse swim carnival. If you are able to help on Wednesday 10 February 2016 as a parent time keeper please email jkennedy@kennedy.wa.edu.au

ARE YOU WITHDRAWING YOUR CHILD? One Term’s notice (10 school weeks)  is required in writing to the Principal (via the Registrar: registrar@kennedy.wa.edu.au) no later than Week 1 of the preceding Term. Failure to give the required 10 weeks’ notice will attract a withdrawal fee of 25% of the total annual tuition fee.

CURRENT CONTACT DETAILS (email, address, phone numbers)
If you have recently changed your contact details, please click here to update your details

WITHDRAWING FROM SPECIALIST PROGRAM? Please complete the following form and return to relevant Specialist Co-ordinator. Download a withdrawal form here.

SIGNING UP FOR INSTRUMENTAL PROGRAM NEXT YEAR?
Click here to find out more. Dateline for registering is 18 Jan 2016.

Your child's Semester 2 report and the confirmation of their classes will be posted out on 9 December 2015. Please file all your child’s school reports for safe-keeping. Please note, once graduated, a fee will be charged to access the College archives for copies of mislaid reports.

Once you have confirmation of classes, please place your book order as per the 2016 booklist which is available on Coneqt.p under 'documents' or on the website http://www.kennedy.wa.edu.au/view/general-info/book-lists or click on the following link:

• Year 7 Booklist
• Year 8 Booklist
• Year 9 Booklist
• Year 10 Booklist
• Year 11 Booklist
• Year 12 Booklist

To order via Campion, click here.

Please note that your home delivery order will be dispatched the week ending 22 January 2016.
The total cost of the delivery service is FREE for orders placed by 18 December 2015. After this date a delivery charge of up to $17.50 will be charged.

The Kennedy Yearbook will be ready for collection next year during Term 1 and will be sent home with with your youngest child.

All Year 12's will need to  pick up their copy from Student Services from Term 1 2016, Week 3 onwards.

The Sustainable School Shop provides families with the opportunity to buy and sell second-hand student resources including textbooks, calculators, stationery, and musical equipment all year round. Parents can even trade with other parents from different schools and sell items no longer in use at our College or other previously attended schools.

Simply register on the Sustainable School Shop website: www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au

From Research & Study Centre:

The Christmas tree has just gone up in the Research and Study Centre.  It is such a joy for the College to send presents to families in time for Christmas.  This year all donations will go to local people in need. If you would like to donate a present, please mark it with the age and gender of the person it is intended for and place it under the tree.
Thank you for your help.

Mrs Claudia Hart
 

Hiroshi Nishizawa Year 10 at the Australian Mathematics Prize Night.

200 students from Kennedy Baptist College participated in The Australian Mathematics Competition. This is a competition entered by tens of thousands of students across Australia and around the world.

To receive a High Distinction means placing in the top 2% of all students in that year group.

Congratulations to Hiroshi Nishizawa in Year 10 who received a High Distinction.

The Prudence Award is given to the student who successfully answers the most consecutive questions, starting from Question 1. The Prudence Award goes to Naivadya Garg in Year 8.

Jason Duryea

Jason Duryea  (10K2) , placed third in the state dualtholon held at Champion Lakes on Sunday 4 October 2015. Congratulations and well done.

WA All Schools State Athletics Championships Achievements

Kennedy Baptist College was represented by Alex Fraser, Lexington Mitchell, Luke Pidcock and Luke Shaw at the recent championships held over the weekend of 30 October – 1 November.  Our athletes performed very well with the following results:

Alex Fraser                         U18 Girls 400m 2nd and 200m 5th
Lexington Mitchell            U16 Girls 100m 5th, 200m 5th and 400m 6th
Luke Pidcock                      U16 Boys 800m 5th and 1500m 4th
Luke Shaw                          U16 Boys 800m 1st and 1500m 2nd

Congratulations to all on these outstanding efforts.

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