Photo above: Students at the Year 7 to 9 Awards Assembly. 

Dear Parents and Families,

Next Friday night 10 August we will be holding our Annual Dance Showcase with performances from all our dance students. The students have been working extremely hard throughout this term toward this event and it promises to be a great night. Tickets are available online. 

Interhouse Athletics Carnival

On Thursday 16 August, the whole College will be at the State Athletics Centre for the Interhouse Athletics Carnival. This is a compulsory student event, and all students will be participating in various ways to contribute to the day. Points awarded at the Athletics Carnival count toward the Kennedy Cup. We welcome all parents to attend.

Open Day 2018

Open Day is on Saturday 25 August and we would love all families to embrace the spirit of the day and be involved as much as possible. The Parents and Friends committee have been working very hard in planning for the day and I hope that all families can assist in some way. You will have recently received an email with a range of opportunities needing your support.

Open Day is a great day to present our College to the community and share the wonderful achievements of our students. Often there is a perception that the day is targeted at prospective families rather than current families. However we always welcome our current families to take the opportunity to look around the entire College and see what is happening at their child’s school. We would love as many families as possible to visit on Saturday August 25 to experience the Kennedy journey that students are presently involved in. We hope to see you there!

Mr Wendell Pether 
Acting Principal

The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd,
    I always have more than enough.

This is the opening verse to one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, Psalm 23. It was also one of the first verses I ever learnt as a child, along with John 3:16. I grew up on a farm, we farmed cows not sheep but there were sheep farms around us. Spring time was wonderful. Lambs really are as cute in real life as they are in pictures. I used to watch one of my friends from school walk into a paddock full of sheep and as she called to them by name they would come to her and every time she did this it would remind me of this Psalm. The sheep knew her voice and they trusted her.

When David wrote this Psalm, shepherds lived with their sheep. They would spend every hour of every day with them, guiding them through the hills to find good pasture; protecting them from dangerous animals such as bears and lions and making sure that they flourished by finding the best watering holes. The picture painted by the Psalmist in this opening verse is that the relationship between God and his people is like the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. David reminds us that our God knows what we need and because of this He will lead us to the best place so that we will grow. He will guide us when the going gets tough. He will always protect us so that we feel safe and He does all of this because He wants us to flourish. All we need to do is listen to His voice and follow Him.

The Year 7s are looking forward to our first out of school social activity later this term. Following on from our camp in Term 1, it will be fun for them to relax and enjoy each other’s company in an activity-based environment. We plan to go to Tropical Twist on Friday 31 August. Students will be transported on College buses after school and returned to the College by 6.00pm for collection. Further details on the activity will be sent out electronically later this week.

Congratulations to all the Year 7 students who were awarded certificates at their first Awards Assembly this month. It was great to see so many students receiving certificates for a high number of A Grades as well as those achieving the highest mark in their subjects. We have also welcomed five new students into Year 7 this term and it has been great to see them settle in so well.

Our very popular Community Service at the Lakeside Seniors’ group has continued and we are always so impressed with the calibre of the Year 7 students as they make tea and coffee, mingle and chat and take part in the discussions with the Seniors. This activity is valuable for both the Seniors and the Year 7s as they share ideas and seek to understand people from other generations.

The Year 7 Form teachers are doing a great job each morning in helping guide the students as they settle into high school. This continues to be a challenge for many students as they juggle their studies, homework, assessments and assignments with sport and family commitments. We are working at helping those who need encouragement in these areas.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
- Arthur Ashe

Throughout their journey at Kennedy, students will have the opportunity to participate in many varying types of community service. A letter was sent home earlier this term requesting all Year 8 students bring five dollars to donate towards the Ester Foundation. I have been encouraged to see the amazing response by the students in bringing their five dollars to class and urge those that have not yet brought their money to do so. As explained in the letter the money will be used to buy items for the foundation and each Year 8 students will make a package. This will be done during Extended Form.

During Extended Form in Week 1 the students played various games and interacted well with each other. Last week we saw some students receive Certificates of Achievement during the Awards Assembly. Congratulations to all our award winners.

We are hoping to have a social towards the end of Term 3, and our councillors are hard at work doing a survey to assess what most of the students would like to do. More information on this will be coming out in the next few weeks..

I am thrilled to be Acting Head of Year 8 for this term and look forward to getting to know the group. A reminder that the Interhouse Athletics Carnival is on Thursday 16 August. It is a great opportunity for students to participate for their House and should be a wonderful day.

I pray that we will all have a wonderful Term 3 and that the Year 8s will embrace all the opportunities given to them.

The term is well under way and I would like to remind parents that we have the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Thursday 16 August. I have heard positive reports from the Physical and Education Department with regard to the effort and participation levels of the students in preparation and I look forward to watching our Year 9 students participating to the best of their ability. Those not in the main event will have the opportunity to do tabloids and mini games and will still be able to earn points for their House. Attitude and effort and that everyone does their best are what matter.

We have an opportunity coming up to serve our community, our Year 9 students will be joining me to provide lunch for the residents of St Bartholomew’s House during this term. We will serve a BBQ lunch as our community service at the residence for homeless men. These events have been well received in the past by both the students and the residents and it is great to watch them interact with these gentlemen.

Last but not least, the first round of assessments for this term should be complete by now and I hope all the students are making the most of this to either improve or consolidate their results from Semester One. A reminder that there is tutoring most afternoons of the week and this has proven most effective in assisting students in their studies.

A couple of weeks into Term 3 and it is a busy time already. The Year 10s had an exciting time at the end of last term as they made their Year 11 subject selections. Although this is a relatively stressful time it has also given the students an idea of where they are headed and hopefully it will keep them working to the best of their ability till the end of the year.

This week we started off our life skills series in Extended Form. The students are hearing from the Form teachers on a range of issues, on what they are currently going through and also looking forward to the next couple of years and beyond. The topics are Money, Beyond Year 12, Relationships, Bullying & Resilience and God & purpose. The talks will continue till the end of the year so each student will get to hear each presentation. Please talk to your child about the content as talks are designed to get them start thinking on some bigger questions and challenging their reasoning.

Later this term we will be having our first ever Year 10 gaming social. We will be staying at College and utilising the Auditorium’s big screens and socialising while we play games. It should be fun so please keep an eye out for information later in the term.

As is Kennedy tradition, Term 3 began by celebrating the academic achievements of our students with the Semester One Awards Assembly. I would like to congratulate all the award winners, especially the Year 11s. I would also like to congratulate the Senior Girls Basketball team on becoming State Champions. In the SSWA competition. A mighty achievement.

During Extended Form this term we are having a number of excellent guest speakers. In Week 2 Geoff Westlake presented his Christ Scene Investigation talk and in Week 3 we had Andrea Musulin from the WA Child Protection Society talked about Party Safety. Over the rest of the term we will be continuing with our ‘Keeping Yourself Safe’ theme and having talks on First Aid and other Protective Behaviours. Parents; please keep an eye out in your inbox for extra information on these presentations and use them as a catalyst for conversation about these very important topics.

Later this term the Year 11 students will have the opportunity as part of our community service programme to volunteer at Native Arc. More information will be available soon. Places will be limited so keep an eye out.

The Year 11 River Cruise, which is our next social event for the year will be held on Friday 14 September. An information letter will be distributed, followed by an email from our new Consent2Go system which will cover permission slips and payment.

If you would like any information on the above or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me at the College or by email at gtyrie@kennedy.wa.edu.au

We have seen a smooth start to Term 3 and our Year 12 students have settled back into the College routine quickly which is a testimony to both parents and students with the preparation they have put in prior to the commencement of the term. Upon reflecting on their reports, I encourage our students to take on board the constructive feedback in the comments and discuss ways to progress in their learning with their teachers.

As this is our final term with the cohort our Extended Form program will be a balance between important academic processes as well as life skills that will assist our students’ transition into adult life. Firstly, we will have members from TISC and TAFE to help students prepare for their course applications and reiterate the course requirements and pathways. This is an exciting time for our students and I would really like to remind them of the abundant support they have and to take the opportunity to discuss their goals with their mentors and strive to challenge themselves. In addition to this, students will have a presentation by Dan McGrechan from Frame initiatives to discuss strategies on how to make good and safe choices at Leavers and beyond.

This term is also when we have our next social event which is the Year 12 Spring Fling on Friday 7 September. A night were students can relax and enjoy time with their friends whilst cruising along the river on the gorgeous Crystal Swan. Staff and students in their fancy dress costumes will get to dance, reflect on the busy year and eat delicious food.

Concluding I would like to complement the students on their good behaviour as well as their positive attitude towards maintaining a high uniform standard. I look forward to seeing the students create many lasting memories.

In May 2013, all Education Ministers from Commonwealth, State and Territory governments endorsed the implementation of a nationally consistent collection of data on school students with disability in all Australian schools (Government, Independent and Catholic).

The nationally consistent approach to data collection 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 Parent-Carer Fact Sheet

Miss Jennifer Lamet
Deputy Principal of Curriculum

Last Wednesday we celebrated the achievement and successes of our Year 7 to 9 students. We acknowledged the hard work and commitment of both staff and students and appreciate the fact that student success involves parental guidance and input. Semester One has been an extremely rewarding one and Term 3 has a number of wonderful opportunities for students in all year groups. Please click here for more photos.

Mrs Mandy Beaurain
Public Relations Assistant

This week three Kennedy students, Matthew Bodin (Year 8), Jordan Pescud (Year 7) and Gabby Anthony (Year 7), headed to the 98.5 Sonshine FM studios in Como to record voiceovers promoting our upcoming Open Day on Saturday 25 August. After an exciting tour of the station the recording was on! 98.5 Sonshine FM is a Christian radio station that provides easy listening radio, presenting positive values. You will be able to listen to the voiceovers on Sonshine FM from Monday 13 August.

Mrs Mandy Beaurain
Public Relations Assistant

On Wednesday 1 August students attending the Newman Indigenous Tour held a sausage sizzle fundraiser to help raise funds to aid Martu communities in Newman and Jigalong. The students will arrive in Newman wearing their 2018 Newman Indigenous Tour polo shirts. The artwork on the shirts has been produced by renowned Martumili artist Desmond Taylor. The polo shirts were created by Darkies Designs, established by indigenous entrepreneur and ACT Australian of the Year, Dion Devow. The College would like to thank IGA Leeming for donating the sausages that were provided for the sausage sizzle fundraisers. The support of IGA Leeming is greatly appreciated.

Music Ensemble Night - Wednesday 31 October

This will be a night to feature Kennedy’s Ensembles - Vocal Ensemble, Guitar Ensembles, Stage and Contemporary Bands, and the ATAR and VET Bands. Please save the date as this will be a great night of music performances.

Music Instrumental Recitals - Tuesday 6 to Friday 9 November

Our Instrumental Music program now involves almost 100 students per week which is a great sign of growth of this program. There will be an opportunity for all of our students to perform one solo piece between the dates of Tuesday 6 November to Friday 9 November, in a series of informal music concerts after school from 5.30 to 7pm. Different instruments will be featured across these performances, including performances on Woodwind (Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone), Drums/Percussion, Guitar (Electric and Acoustic), Piano/Keyboard, Trumpet, Violin and Voice.

Year 11 ATAR Chemistry

Across two days (18 June and 17 July) 50 eager Year 11 ATAR Chemistry students took part in Divide and Analyse at Murdoch University. The day consisted of students rotating through three workshops that looked at the theory and use of analytical chemistry instrumentation including an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS) and a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). Students study these particular instruments as part of their course so it was an excellent opportunity to see them in operation and to hear enthusiastic Chemistry staff discuss their operation and usage. Highlights included sampling various drinks for their caffeine content and the ever-popular spraying various salts into the flame of a giant Bunsen burner to create a myriad of flame colours. The staff and students are very grateful to the staff at Murdoch University for hosting us for the day and we look forward to future visits.

Interhouse Athletics Carnival 

The Interhouse Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 16 August from 8.30am to 3.15pm at the HBF Stadium. Please click here for more information and click here to see the schedule. 

We are also looking for volunteers and always value the helping hands of parents at our annual Interhouse Athletics Carnival. If you have some spare time and would like to help out, please email Miss Jessica Kennedy at jkennedy@kennedy.wa.edu.au

Community Open Day

Open Day will be held on 25 August. Open Day is a great way to see the College campus, view student work and meet Kennedy staff. The College will be open from 10.00am - 2.00pm. We hope that you set aside this day to have a look around the College and join us for amazing food, free events and great entertainment. For more information about our Community Open Day, please visit our website here.