Photo above: Interhouse Athletics Carnival 2020 House winners. 

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

Kennedy Baptist College has numerous whole school events for students during the year which are great opportunities to come together as a community and support the College values and each other. Last week’s Interhouse Athletics Carnival was one such event. It was a great success and a wonderful opportunity for the College to work together and reinforce the collaborative spirit at Kennedy. I would like to congratulate our students for the way they approached this event and enthusiastically represented their Houses throughout the competition despite the challenging weather. The Athletics Awards will be presented at our next assembly on Wednesday 23 September. 

The Choreography Night on Wednesday was also well supported. The performers were well prepared and showcased their talents to an appreciative audience. Congratulations to all participants and our Arts staff for an excellent evening. In particular, I would like to thank Mrs Del Basso for her efforts with the Dance program and wish her well for her upcoming maternity leave.

Community Open Day - Saturday 22 August: 11am – 3.00pm

A reminder that our Community Open Day is this Saturday. We hope you can join us during the day to experience the exceptional opportunities our students embrace. Thank you to all our families who have made generous donations for the day, your contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you also to Renee Puizina and our wonderful Parents and Friends Association for their hard work in preparing for the day. I have no doubt that we will have a great day together.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Devotion

This week’s newsletter article is going to be a bit of a gush! I want to celebrate the amazing character and culture we enjoy at Kennedy. Last week I was a busy Chaplain as I was the chief cheerleader for our amazing Year 8 organisers, and a cast of helpers, of our inaugural BE BRIO week. BE BRIO week was about advancing a culture of positivity and kindness. I have been encouraging many students with the word BRIO which means to have energy, life and vigour. I have loved seeing the word BRIO become a part of our vocabulary. Just to remind you, that if you ever hear music that just makes you want to dance and move, or just lifts you and brings a smile, that music is being played ‘con BRIO’.

The idea behind this word is that our lives can be, and are designed to be, lived ‘con BRIO’. We are purposed to help others ‘dance and move’ or to ‘lift and make others smile’. I am more than delighted to see students at a young age begin to see their life as a mission. A mission if they choose to accept it, to spend their life lifting and moving others as we all do life together. Jesus modelled this kind of living and it changed the world.

BE BRIO week was only a single week in the Kennedy calendar, but it represented a much larger mission that we are all called to accept. During BE BRIO week, funds were raised for organisations that work to make a difference in communities, students were encouraged to find ways to communicate kindness, students worked very hard to honour all the staff at the College with positive notes and treats. For me, it was one of those weeks that leaves a positive mark on my life. I want to thank all the students (you know who you are) that served, worked hard and gave to make a great week happen.   

Deputy Principal: Curriculum

The second half of 2020 is shaping up to be a whirlwind with events now filling the College calendar. The start of the term included awards assemblies recognising the academic achievements of students across all year groups. The calendar has also included Parent-Teacher Interviews, the Interhouse Athletics Carnival and Community Open Day is just around the corner. Year 12 students are in their final weeks of formal classes with the end of the term usually seeing the end of teaching new concepts. 

Ignoring everything COVID-19 related, you may have noticed that the College made some curriculum changes for 2020. Some adjustments we made were around Interim reports and Parent-Teacher interviews. Interim reports prior to 2020 were issued for all students near the end of Term 1. This year, rather than issue formal reports, each teacher gave feedback on completed assessments through SEQTA. In terms of interviews, the College moved from having three afternoon/evening events to one afternoon/evening and a whole day event. I would be interested in reading any parent feedback on these changes and I encourage parents to message me directly through SEQTA with any observations about the parent interviews or the Term 1 feedback from teachers.

Elective choices for 2021

In the coming weeks Years 7, 8 and 9 students will receive information about selecting elective courses for 2021. The method for making selections is now electronic. The new system was very successful earlier in the year when Year 10 and 11 students selected their courses for 2021. More information about electives and the electronic process will be emailed to students and families in the coming weeks along with a timeline for submissions.

Deputy Principal: Pastoral Care 

There are a number of exciting events coming up on the Pastoral Care calendar.

On Wednesday 26 August, we will be holding our annual student council led Kennedy Day. The vision for the day is to create a special, stand-alone day to celebrate who we are as a College. The goals include:

• Creating an upbeat, fun and positive atmosphere
• Lift the student body up and encourage them
• A day of recharging

The day begins with a student-run Assembly and this year will involve music performances, a student-made video about Kennedy, competitions on stage, a devotion by the College Head Girl and a star-studded teacher vs student table tennis match up. At lunchtime, the councillors close off the upper circle car park and hold a Kennedy festival for all students. This year the student councillors have organised live music, food trucks, a three on three portable basketball competition and an exciting petting zoo.

A friendly reminder that our Father's Day breakfast is on Thursday 3 September. This will be an opportunity to gain valuable insights into fathering and to honour the fathers and grandfathers in our College community. Our guest speaker will be Jim Walker, a former CEO of Westrac and now a Director on a range of corporate boards. He will be giving his insight regarding balancing corporate life with being a dad and grandfather.

On Wednesday 9 September, we will be recognising RUOK Day. RUOK is a nationally recognised mental health awareness day and is designed to encourage each of us to be supportive, understanding and aware when it comes to the very important issue of mental health. Our guest speaker will be Hayden Glass from the Red Frogs organisation who will be speaking to the students about strategies to build and maintain positive mental health.

Another exciting thing happening here at Kennedy is the launch of the Fathering Project on Thursday 10 September. This will be an informal yet informative event for dads and father figures within our community. The Fathering Project is designed to provide an opportunity for fathers to become part of a strong and supportive network of committed dads connected to their school. This will be an opportunity for dads and father-figures to meet up, chat, be encouraged and hear about the benefits of starting our own Fathering Project Dads’ Group.

With these events, we look to continue to build a nurturing supportive pastoral care environment for our students.

Kennedy News

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

The nationally consistent approach to data collection (NCCD) provides all Australian schools, education authorities and the community with a clear picture of the number of students with disability in schools and the adjustments they are provided to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as other students.

The Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the Regulation) requires the operators of government and non-government schools (approved authorities) to provide information to the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (the Department) for the purposes of the NCCD. The information will not identify individual students; no information that could reasonably enable the Department to identify individual students will be provided by approved authorities to the Department.

Further information regarding the NCCD can be found in SEQTA under Documents – Policies - NCCD Fact sheet for Parents & Guardians.

What to Expect at Community Open Day 

• View Student's Work
  Please come and view your child/ren's work on display. 
   
• Technologies Learning Area 
  Check out the new Technologies building that will be fully functional for students from Term 4 onwards.
   
• Support Our Community
  At our P&F stall, you can purchase jams and preserves that have been lovingly made by the P&F. Funds raised at this event will go back to benefit our student community.
   
• Kids Activities and Stalls 
  Kids have the opportunity to enjoy the day by collecting and completing a quiz that can be found on our Open Day Program to win a prize. There will also be some amazing ice cream, coffee, cakes and a sausage sizzle. Food from our cafeteria will also be available. 
   

• Performances
  Enjoy some Music, Dance and Drama performances from our students! There will be two sessions of live music outside the Research and Study Centre. Session one will be from 11.30 - 12.15pm featuring our ATAR Music students (Years 11 and 12) and session two will be from 12.45 - 1.45pm featuring our Ensemble performances (Years 7 to 12). *Students who are performing are required to meet beside the Research and Study Centre, wearing full winter uniform, by 11.15am (if an ATAR Music student), or 12.30pm at the latest (if performing as part of an ensemble in the second set). 
   

• Parent Support Workshops
  We have inspiring and informative workshops scheduled from our Pastoral Care team for parents and guardians. Topics range from communication with teenagers to cyber safety. Please join us at 11:30am for the first session which will be about the 'Importance of Home'! Please visit our website for more times and topics. 

College Notices

Father's Day Breakfast Invitation

Please join us for this year's Father's Day breakfast with guest speaker Mr Jim Walker. Jim is a former CEO of Westrac and now works as a Director on a range of corporate boards. It will be great to hear Jim speak about balancing corporate life with being a dad and grandfather.

Date: Thursday 3 September 2020
Venue: Kennedy Staff Lounge
Time: 7.15am - 8.30am

For catering purposes, we would appreciate your RSVP by clicking the link below before Friday 28 August 2020. Grandfathers are also welcome!

Next upcoming event: Soon we will be lauching the Kennedy Fathering Project Dad's group. If you would like to be part of this launch or had previously signed up, please click here.

Tips for Using the Kennedy App

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The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 3 September 2020.