Photo above: Humanities staff dress up as historical figures for HASS week.

Dear Parents and Families,

I trust the term is progressing well for all families. One of the major goals at Kennedy is to provide as many opportunities as possible to engage with our community. Over the next few weeks, a number of exciting occasions will help maximise family engagement with the College.

School Survey

Parents, staff and students will be provided with the opportunity to give feedback to the College through our biennial school survey. Parents will be provided with a link to this comprehensive survey, and we hope you will take the time to provide feedback that can be used to continue our journey of ongoing review and improvement. Making some time to consider this review with care and effort would be greatly appreciated.

Community Open Day

Our Open Day on Saturday 24 August is a great chance to visit the College, view displays and performances of current students, and enjoy the College’s hospitality. We look forward to seeing you between 11.00am and 3.00pm. Invite a friend or a family member along and come enjoy the day with us. 

Father’s Day

Our Father’s Day breakfast on Thursday 29 August will be a great time for dads and grandfathers to join us at the College and share with other dads. Our guest speaker will be the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Dawson. We are looking forward to a great morning. Please remember to RSVP below.

I hope you will embrace these changes to help us continue to grow as a united community.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

I enjoy reading the “Letters to the Editor” in the West Australian as they provide an insight into the thinking of the public across a range of topics. One perennial favourite are those letters that address the concept of Jesus as being about love and that because of this he would allow any number of actions. What strikes me is not so much their depiction of Jesus but rather the concept of love that is indicated. A love which will allow anyone to do what they want to do, no matter what, when in fact, the Biblical picture of love is one which places checks and balances around the object of our love so that they will not harm themselves or harm others.

As we come to the word goodness in Galatians 5:22-23, the idea of goodness is that of love in action. It is showing the grace and mercy of kindness with the balance of boundaries. The walls of our homes, the fence around the property, marked lanes on the roads along with speed limits are all examples of boundaries that we accept as part of everyday life. When it comes to our relationships, boundaries are set as we understand the difference between knowledge, which is knowing I can do that, and wisdom, which is choosing not to do it, because it would be unhealthy or unsafe.

Rev. Canon Dr Scot McKnight refers to the Biblical concept of love as a “rugged commitment”, which nothing can break. Goodness then is also a “rugged commitment” to ensure that those we love make decisions which are ‘Kingdom of God’ affirming even if it may cause friction in the short term.

Looking at it one way, you could say, “Anything goes. Because of God’s immense generosity and grace, we don’t have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster.” But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (The Message)

Earlier this term the College recognised students who achieved an excellent standard in their courses. The effort that each student makes to improve their skills and develop their understanding of concepts contributes significantly to the grade achieved. The College commends the effort each student has made. The awards presented included:

• Certificate of Excellence – presented for each course to the student achieving the highest mark
• Certificate of Achievement – presented for each year level to each student who has achieved an A grade in more than two-thirds of the courses studied within the semester
• House Award – presented for each year level to the five students who achieve the highest combined marks

Year 10 and 11 students have submitted course selections for 2020. Information concerning combining TAFE and school has been sent to all Year 10 and 11 students and parents. Any questions regarding combining school with other options can be directed to Mr Ernesto Ramirez or Mr Timothy Jiow.

Year 7, 8 and 9 students will receive their elective choices in the coming weeks. Parents are encouraged to read the course descriptors very carefully as some courses have specific requirements around equipment, after-hours rehearsals and/or minimum skill levels. Students are encouraged to discuss their course selections with their parents with the date of submission for the elective sheets usually set to one week after distribution.

Year 12 students are receiving information about applying for TAFE and University. This is a crucial time for students to meet with their teacher mentor. Scholarship information is available on each University’s website and I would encourage all students to explore these opportunities.

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 and Guardians.

Kennedy recognises the vital role of student leadership in developing the life of the College. The Student Leadership Program provides opportunities, mentoring and training for students to actively participate in the decision-making processes as well as developing lifelong leadership skills.

During this term leadership groups for 2020 will be selected. Students are encouraged to apply for various roles which include:

• 11/7 Mentors - The 11/7 program is designed to facilitate a positive transition for our incoming Year 7 students and ensure they feel safe and welcomed as valued members of our College community. The mentors play a vital part in the smooth transition into high school as they oversee care groups of Year 7s. The many benefits of being a mentor include the opportunity to develop skills such as managing groups, cooperating with staff and peers, planning, good decision making, communicating and the ability to work as a team. This will enable students to increase their self-esteem and confidence. Current Year 10 students have been addressed by Mr Batley during a year group meeting and given the opportunity to apply to be a mentor by completing an application form.
   
• House Captains - The House Captains work with the College’s four House Coordinators to build, maintain and support the promotion and development of the Kennedy House System. It involves the organisation of a number of house activities including: Arts Cup, Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival, Public Speaking Competition, House Point draws and supporting the charity Operation Christmas Child.
   
• Student Councillors - The student councillors work with the Heads of Year to offer responsible service to their College community. The student councillors are involved in a wide range of activities including Open Day, Anzac Ceremony, College Assembles and Social Activities. 

​Year 11 mentors are given two days of leadership training to equip them to mentor the incoming Year 7 students. House Captains and Councillors will attend a training camp during Term 4 to prepare them for the following year.

We encourage students to take the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and serve the College community by applying for the above roles. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the student leaders who have strived to build into our thriving Kennedy community during 2019.

Kennedy Community Open Day is fast approaching and will be held on Saturday 24 August from 11.00am - 3.00pm. 

It will be great to have as many families as possible involved in some way. You might not be able to help on the day, but there are lots of ways that you can help the College community prepare for Open Day 2019. Thank you to all who donated ingredients for jams and thank you to those who volunteered last Saturday making them at our successful Jamming with the P&F event. 

Please click here to see volunteer positions and time slots available on Open Day.

Help us spread the word by inviting your family and friends, please click here. 
 

Open Day Silent Auction Information

For our Open Day Silent Auction, each year group is asked to donate items belonging to a certain theme. We would welcome any other large ticket items / donations that parents or businesses may be willing to provide for the Silent Auction. Please check SEQTA notices for the list of items. 

Silent Auction wrapping will be held on Wednesday 21 August at 5.30pm. If you have some spare time to assist with the wrapping, please sign up here. 

The P&F Association has an annual fundraiser that offers families a lasting record of their valued support to the College in the form of engraved brick pavers. The pavers are permanently installed near the Breezeway at the College. The cost per paver is $50. All details regarding the purchase of a paver are on the order form. (Please note that you will be unable to view the form on a mobile device, alternatively you can collect a form from Student Services or we can take your order at the P&F stall on Open Day.) Closing date for placing an order is 26 August 2019.

What do a bake sale, memory games in the Research and Study Centre, an Amazing Race around the College, a giant world map showing where staff and students were born, a whole College Form quiz and a ‘Welcome To Country’ all have in common?  

They’re just some of the activities organised by the dedicated HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) staff to help the College celebrate HASS Week. HASS Week is an initiative across all schools in Western Australia to celebrate the creative, analytical and inclusive nature of the Humanities and Social Sciences. A big thank you to all the staff and students that got involved in all the activities this week, thank you so much for your support.

The author of 40 children's books. His books explore serious and sometimes confronting subjects in humourous and unexpected ways and aims to promote the value of stories for young people in developing resilience, empathy, smart thinking, optimism and hope as he believes children need inspirational stories more than ever. (More about him)

Morris Gleitzman is coming to Kennedy!

It is an honor for Kennedy to host Morris Gleitzman as he promotes the importance of reading, creativity and story. He will be coming in for an incursion on the 11 September with our Year 7 and 8 cohorts who were introduced to his books late last term and were encouraged to borrow them for the holidays.

Order your book to have it autographed!

How many of his books have you read? If you would like to purchase a copy of one of his books to be autographed, please complete the order form here and return to student services by Monday 19 August.

On Wednesday last week, we celebrated the academic achievement and success of our Year 7, 8 and 9 students. Both students and staff were acknowledged for their hard work and commitment to the College during Semester One. As we look towards Term 3, Mr Ashby, shared the encouraging story of Colonel Sanders (founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken) to illustrate how dedication and hard work can produce great results. A large number of students received awards across all learning areas of the College. Congratulations to all! Please click here for more photos.

Three Kennedy students, Riley Verreyne, Sophie Abbott and Carie Breytenbach, recorded voiceovers at 98.5 Sonshine FM studios in Como to promote our upcoming Community Open Day. After an exciting tour of the station, they recorded upbeat and positive messages which will be used in our promotions. Are you coming to this year’s Community Open Day? 

In these first few weeks of Term 3, the Research and Study Centre is celebrating the Lunar landing 50 years ago with displays of memorabilia and books.Interactive augmented reality posters allow students to experience unique lunar and planetary perspectives through a freely downloadable app on their device or phone. Last week students had the opportunity to participate in an array of space and moon-related activities and competitions in the Research and Study Centre including Stargazing – Moon & Beyond, Myth busters – NASA Moon Landing Hoax and watching astronauts giving story readings as they float around in the space station. Please click here to read more...

Each year Kennedy Baptist College runs a tour to Cambodia to work alongside Transform Cambodia in teaching English language skills to the poorest children of Phnom Penh. Over the July school holidays a new group of 31 students ventured off in the hope of discovery, hard work and a lot of fun! Arriving in the bustling night of the nation’s capital, students got a firm taste (and smell) of what Phnom Penh has to offer.

The next week was spent teaching the students at the Transform Cambodia Kennedy Centre as well as exploring the vibrant city and its terrible past. The students used a range of teaching tools and techniques and formed life long bonds with those they worked with. On the weekend we journeyed north and explored the temples of Angkor and Siem Reap, where students were in awe of the wonders the ancient kingdom had created.

Returning to Phnom Penh, it was time for tear-filled goodbyes and plenty of hugs. Transform Cambodia aims to transform lives and transform a nation. During this tour, I could not help but think maybe they were transforming not just their own nation but ours as well. The leadership and maturity shown by all students was a sight to behold and we thank them for the way they embraced the opportunities before them.

A big thank you must be expressed to Ms Sarah Harris and Mrs Golda Newland who volunteered their holidays to come on tour and to Wayne and Sheryl Patterson for their expert guidance and assistance in Cambodia.
 

2020 Cambodia Mission Trip Expression of Interest

We are now planning for the 2020 Cambodia Mission Trip and have an information evening on the 21 August at 6.00pm for any current Year 9 or 10 students interested in coming along. Please email lausten@kennedy.wa.edu.au for more information.  

Mr Liam Austen
Cambodia Trip Coordinator

The Term 3 House Point prize is a voucher for four people for a 2:15pm Swan River Scenic Cruise. The cruise departs from Perth, travelling along the Swan River to Fremantle, and back. This cruise is 2-hours and 45-minutes long and includes a Captains commentary as you cruise along the river.

Interhouse Athletics Carnival

All students will be competing in the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Thursday 16 August. This is a compulsory event and students unable to participate must email a medical certificate to the Attendance Officer prior to the Carnival. House Captains and students competing in 400m must be at the College by 7.00am for a 7.15am departure to ensure the Carnival is ready for first race at 8.30am.

Students are to wear the full College sports uniform for the entire day and bring their own drinks, lunch and snacks. Please click here for the schedule of events.

SSWA Basketball 

On Monday our senior girls basketball team played in the SSWA state championship final against Willetton SHS. We had a strong start to the game and the girls gave it their all, but in the end we went down in a tough fight 75 – 56. Congratulations to all players for their efforts this season and especially our Year 12 students Tayah Burrows, Montana Turnbull, Danika Turnbull, Skye Prentice and Keely Hatch who played their last game for Kennedy.

Our senior boys basketball team also played on Monday in the SSWA state championship final against Willetton SHS. After beating Willetton in the first round of the finals we were full of confidence going into the game. After a tough first half we were still right in the game in a hard fought contest but unfortunately after giving their all on the court we again fell short 81 -64. Thank you to the team for their commitment and efforts during the season and also our Year 12 students Kayden Malseed, Noah Stewart and Jamie Passmore who played their final game for Kennedy.

The Junior SSWA Basketball Carnival at Willetton Basketball stadium with players from Year 7-9 being eligible to play was held on Tuesday. Both the boys and girls teams played really well during the four games. The girls team performed very well winning three games and finishing second. Our boys team won two games and also finished second. Both teams now qualify for the finals carnival in Week 7. We wish both teams the best as they prepare for these games.

Mr Scott Britza
Health & Physical Education

I love travelling to Cambodia, Vietnam and Bali; but there is still that sense of relief when I get home and know I can drink the water straight from the tap without fear. Which brings me to the shocking statistics around bottled water.

• Worldwide, 1 million plastic water bottles are discarded every minute.
• In Australia, 370 million bottles end up in land fill every year.
• Plastic water bottles take over 1,000 years to biodegrade.
• It takes 3 litres of water to manufacture 1 litre of bottled water and,
• It takes 8 years to recoup the cost of a bottle of water by refilling it with tap water.

The school provides filtered water fountains which are specially designed to refill reusable water bottles. Already, many of our students already provide their own reusable water bottles which is a great habit to get into. Keep up the good work.

Mrs Paulin Burgess
College Chaplain

We value the support of our volunteers who contribute to the College community! Co-ordination of all our volunteers is managed through the easy to use automated online system SIGNUP.com. Current volunteer opportunities are available with:

• Silent auction hamper wrapping evening
• Two volunteers needed for uniform fitting appointments
• Open Day volunteering 
• Book Covering Term 3
• Term 3 Beedawong volunteering
• Interhouse Athletics Carnival - Friday 16 August
• Kennedy Prayer Group 

​​Please click here to sign up and volunteer.

Tom Murray and Tyler Jones

Congratulations to Tom Murray and Tyler Jones who represented WA at the Indoor Cricket National Championships in Melbourne during the school holidays. The WA U/13 boys team had a strong week, winning six of their eight games and narrowly losing to Queensland in the Grand Final. Tom had a very successful tournament scoring 191 runs at a strike rate of 151.59. He was named in the All Stars team and he finished tied second on points for player of the tournament for his age group. In the WA U/17 girls, the going was a little tougher but to the girls credit they fought hard with an impressive victory over the ACT and a couple of close matches with some other states. Tyler was a main contributor with the ball, opening the bowling each game. Over the 10 day match schedule, WA put up a good fight against states with much a larger pool of players to choose from and Tyler and her team-mates all enjoyed the opportunity to compete at a national level in such an amazing facility.