Dear Parents

It was wonderful to celebrate two significant milestones at Kennedy recently. This included our Prize Night for Year 10-12 students and the farewelling of our Year 12 students on their last official day. Prize Night provides a great opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of all students and a wide range of prizes were awarded across all curricular and co-curricular aspects of achievement. We now look forward to our Year 7-9 Prize Night on Wednesday 23 November where similar celebrations will take place. This is a compulsory event for all Year 7-9 students.

The last day plans for our Year 12 students provided a great opportunity to honour these students and reflect on their significant contribution to Kennedy. It was not surprising to see tears from students, parents and staff as we farewelled this special group of students as an entire College. Our final opportunity to farewell the Year 12s will occur on Friday 18 November at the Graduation Night. This too, promises to be a great occasion.

Year 11 Examinations and 2017 preparation

As the weeks of Term 4 pass quickly, examinations for Year 11 students are rapidly approaching. These students now have only two weeks of formal classes before the examinations commence. I encourage all of them to have a well organised study program in place as they prepare for these important assessments. It is timely to remind our Year 11 students that their grades this year contribute to their graduation in 2017. All students must achieve at least 14 unit “C grades” across Year 11 and Year 12. Achieving the best possible grades now will certainly ease any pressure next year.

All Year 11 students have been informed that they will be expected to be at the College for the first day after these exams (21 November). This will provide staff with an opportunity to review exam results and provide students with preparation packages for 2017. Our goal is to prepare students for Year 12 as best as possible.

2017 Tuition Fees

Our College Board is committed to making our quality education services as affordable as possible. Keeping this in mind, the College Board has determined that an increase of 3% in tuition fees will be implemented for next year. This is required to ensure all increases in College costs are covered. Education C.P.I. currently operates at 3.3%.

Our fees for next year will be:

• Fees per Student: $8360
• Fees for Overseas Students per student $17680

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Mark 8:22-26
When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.”

This story has often fascinated me, because it seems as if Jesus had to have two goes at healing to get it right. Was he having a bad day? Can God have an off day? Was it a lack of faith thing? Was this blindness an extra strong type of blindness? We are not given the reason why in the passage. What we do notice, is that after the initial attempt, Jesus hadn’t finished with the man. I am someone who needs to know that God hasn’t finished with me, yet.

It is so easy to look at those who seem to be further along than we are, and compare ourselves with them, and think that somehow it is not fair, but remember, God hasn’t finished with you, yet. When we stumble and say something, or do something that is more of a reflection of what we used to be rather than what we hope to be, remember, God hasn’t finished with you, yet. When we miss out on a job, or opportunity, or position that we had our hearts set on, remember that God hasn’t finished with you yet. When our dreams and hopes seem to have become blurred and lacking clarity, like trees walking around, remember, God hasn’t finished with you but, …I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

We are already three weeks into Term 4 with all years completing the final few weeks of learning and understanding the concepts presented within the curriculum. Examinations will occur for all Years 8-12, beginning 31 October for Year 12 students.

Year 11 students begin examinations in Week 5 and conclude at the end of Week 6. All Year 11 students are expected to attend classes on Monday 21 November. All students will be provided with assessment results including their final mark and grade. Students who completed examinations will receive feedback on their performance in the examination. The information and review processes that will occur on this day are essential for all students.

Year 8-10 students will have examinations in English, Humanities, Mathematics and Science during Weeks 6 from Monday to Thursday. Examinations will occur after morning form and will be completed by recess. Parents are reminded that examinations are not rescheduled. Students will receive feedback on their examinations during Week 7. The curriculum concludes on the final day of College, Friday 2 December.

Each student is encouraged to begin revising for examinations now. The Research and Study Centre has presented study techniques to all year groups and offer refresher courses for all students by appointment. Revision notes, flash cards, acronyms and practise are common techniques for consolidating and recalling the concepts presented.

Tips for parents during examination periods include:

• Help your child find a quiet place to study without distractions. Make sure their table is uncluttered so they can focus better.
• Encourage your child to find out exactly what the test involves - are there past test papers they can look at to help them understand what to expect?
• Encourage your child to ask for help or ask their teacher for clarity if they are unsure of something or if they feel confused.
• Help them to make 'mind maps' to collect ideas and summarise thoughts - use bright colours to help remember important links.
• Help them to plan their study schedule early on so they have sufficient time to study. It can be helpful to develop a clear, realistic plan of what they want to cover in each study session. Can they break it down into small chunks?
• Remind your child to take a short rest and move around in between each part of their study.
• Offer help sometimes. It can be useful having someone to listen or practise with.

Each year the College presents Community Service Awards to recognise the contribution of students both to the College and the wider community. These include the Long Tan Award, the Caltex Best All Rounder Award, the Sportsperson of the Year Award, and the Community Leadership Award.

The Long Tan Award is sponsored by the Australian Defence Forces and recognises students who demonstrate leadership, teamwork, positive values, problem solving, resourcefulness and clear communication. Our two awards were won by Kayleigh Hawke in Year 10 and Daniel Elhaj in Year 12. Both were presented by special guest Commander Peter Foster representing the Royal Australian Navy.

The Caltex Best All Rounder Award is presented in recognition of outstanding student achievement in the following areas: sport, academia and community service. Jordan Waters was the recipient of this award having been involved in many Inter-School sporting teams and carnivals, maintaining excellent grades, and completing community work both at the College through the 11/7s mentor program and also internationally as part of the Transform Cambodia Trip Team. He also fulfilled the very important Student Leadership role of Deputy Head Boy this year.

Michael Domfeh was the recipient of the Kennedy Baptist College Sportsperson Award through demonstrating sporting excellence. He represented the College at Inter-School carnivals as well as being the runner up open male Inter-House Athletics Champion and a House Captain for Eyre. Michael also represented the College as a member of the SAS Tennis and Volleyball teams. Outside of College he was the top goal scorer for the  Senior Men’s First Team for Armadale Soccer Club in the WA Premier League.

Our Community Leadership Award recognised outstanding community service. The recipient  Madison Lun, was a Year 11 mentor to younger students through the 11/7s Peer Support Programme, as well as a member of a community trip that travelled to Cambodia to work on various projects. Madison has contributed positively to the local community through youth work, various cultural activities and being involved in children’s ministry at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church for the last five years. Madison has also been part of the College Student Leadership Program as both a Student Councillor and House Captain.

All our recipients are outstanding students and their names will be displayed on our Kennedy Honour boards located in the College auditorium.

Making good life choices and decisions is a feature of Year 7 for this term. We are encouraging students to become intrinsically motivated and work towards their goals without the need for others to continually persuade them. A part of this is ensuring students follow three simple ideas that help them to recognise what it is they need to strive for, as follows:

• If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it
• If you do not ask, the answer will always be no
• If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place

We are keen for students to become motivated themselves so they don’t have to be pushed by parents all of the time. This covers all aspects of their lives, not just learning but helps students to potentially achieve their goals. Being more ptoactive in how students approach life allows them to keep moving forward and continually learn in the process, a key tenet of Kennedy values. This also includes students recognising their unique virtues - the things that make them who they are - ensuring they use these positively throughout their lives.

We are having a Year 7 social on Thursday 3 November at Tropical Twist in O’Connor from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Students will leave from and return to the College. If you would like your child to attend but would like to pick them up from Tropical Twist, please let me know. There are approximately 80 places available on a first-come-first-served basis and I would encourage all Year 7 students to consider attending this social event with their peers.

We are rushing towards the exams and the year is almost finished. Week 5 is a revision week with the exams ccurringduring Week 6. After the exams concluded, all subjects will begin a new unit in the form of an assignment which will last until the end of the term.

It is important for students to ensure that all notes are well organised from Term 2 Week 8 as this will be covered in the Semester Two exam. Work that was tested in Semester One will be examined again. Each exam is ninety minutes duration, the same as writing two tests back to back. Paying attention to steady revision in class and attending tutoring sessions will enable students to achieve their best results.

We will be having a social this term in Week 7 on Tuesday 22 November at Leighton beach along with the Nations Church team. I would encourage all students to attend.

I wish to thank all parents who have ensured their child's hair, earrings etc have been in line with College rules. The year group has been very neat and well presented and is possibly the best behaved group that I have been Head of Year. They are generally very well behaved, neat and motivated. I had lovely feedback from the teachers who went on the Canberra trip saying the students were fantastic. Well done Year 8s.

Term 4 has come around so quickly and while the end of the year is in sight I have been reiterating to the Year 9s that it is important we finish the year strong. Last Wednesday I spoke to all the Year 9 students about a range of topics including forgiveness, Christianity, discipline and character as well as some stories from my life. It was a great time for me to speak positively into their lives and to encourage and talk about Jesus and the influence he has been on my life.

One challenge I gave the students was taking responsibility for their actions and making wise decisions. Our charter in Year 9 is to look at our character asking “Who am I?” and “Who am I becoming?” This depends very much on our decision making and then taking responsibility for our actions. My encouragement was to have as much fun as possible but know where to draw the line. I explained that unfortunately as we go through life we can’t have fun in every situation which can be a challenge as some students think we should be having fun all the time. My final comment to them on this topic was that there is a time and a place for certain behaviours and hopefully this connected with the students and will guide them to make wise decisions in the future.

In the upcoming weeks we have our final community service where I will have the opportunity to take the Stirling forms to serve the homeless. On Thursday 3 November we have our final social activity for the year at Bounce. It have kept it as cheap as possible ($10) to maximise participation and I am hoping that we can have a great time together as a year group.

As we move into Term 4 and closer to the end of the year, we continue to see the transition of the Year 10s into young adults. One of the most exciting rites of passage coming up is the Year 10 Formal. This is occurring tonight 27 October at Fremantle Yacht Club. We are looking forward to a safe and fun filled evening of good food and great dance moves.

Another major event that has just passed was Work Experience. I would like to congratulate the students on their attitude in the workplace. We have had many positive responses from employers, well done! I would like thank all the employers for making their businesses available.

I would also like to congratulate all of the Year 10 award winners and all those other Year 10 students that continue to put so much effort into doing their best. This is a very talented year group!

Student council elections were held at the end of last term and I would like to congratulate Chelsea Hanham, Callum Peterson, Adam Forsyth and Prarthana Harish on being elected by their peers as councillors. Lastly I would like to thank Kayleigh Hawke, Callum Peterson, Annabel White and Prarthana Harish for their excellent efforts as councillors this year.

Our final term for the year has approached us so quickly. Once again our Year 11 students are met with tight deadlines for assignments as well as preparing for their Semester Two examinations. It is during Term 4 that we reflect on all the wonderful achievements that many of our Senior School students received last week during the awards night. I would like to congratulate all the Year 11 students who received an award for their courses and most importantly for all their hard work and dedication to their studies. I encourage all our Year 11s to continue to persevere in their courses and if those higher grades are only just eluding them, to seek assistance and develop a sound revision program.

As you are aware, examinations will be conducted in Weeks 5 & 6 of Term 4
(7 November - 18 November). It is essential that all students arrive at a reasonable time before the examinations commence and that they are fully prepared for the examination. This includes making sure they have all the equipment required and it is in full working order. Full summer uniform must be worn during the examinations and if students are attending the College for revision with their subject teachers. Students are reminded that we are here to offer support during this time and when times of study become overwhelming the coping strategies discussed during extended forms are wonderful tools to assist them. All Year 11 students are required to return to the College on Monday 21 November to go through their examination papers and prepare for their Year 12 courses.

As we have also just farewelled our Year 12s, I would like to remind our students of the leadership role they now have upon them and that every lesson they have within the classroom is an opportunity for them to challenge themselves and work towards achieving their academic goals.

Last Friday saw us farewelling our Year 12 students. It was a very full week as the students returned from writing their exams to receive their results. Lessons were spent in giving feedback and revising for the WACE exams which start on Monday 31 October. Students who are studying General subjects were involved in finishing off their assignments before the study break.

On Thursday the Year 12 students attended College dressed up as they would see themselves in 10 years time. We had a wide variety of trades and professions represented throughout the day. A pizza lunch was provided for all the Year 12 students as they met for the last time with their mentor teachers. At the conclusion of lunch, the students went into the Auditorium for an informal farewell with their form teachers and amidst much laughter they reminisced over their Year 8/Year 12 photos in a presentation on the screens. If you would like to see the Year 12 Assembly Video click here.

Friday began with a breakfast at Tompkins on Swan and then College buses took the students back to the College for a whole school assembly which was very well attended by many of the Year 12 parents. This was a formal farewell from the College as a whole and in particular the form teachers and the Head of Year who spoke about the different qualities in Colossians Chapter 3 verses 12-15. The form teachers then performed their much anticipated end of year item and dance, much to the amusement of everybody.

The whole school then honoured the Year 12 students with a walk of honour down to the Oval where each Year 12 student was given a balloon by a Year 7 student. These were released and the day finished with a delicious morning tea in the Lower Foyer for all the Year 12s, their parents and all the Staff.

I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the preparations for these events and I would also like to wish the Year 12s ‘All the best’ for their exams which start next week. We look forward to welcoming them back at the College on Friday 18 November for the Graduation Ceremony. There will be a practice run through for this on the day of the Graduation at 9.00am.

On Tuesday 11 October we celebrated our Year 10-12 students. We congratulate all students and acknowledge their hard work and achievements through out the year. The following special awards received are:

Year 10 Dux - Kathryn Hill
Year 11 Dux General - Tyler Liddington
Year 11 Dux ATAR - Rachel Lee
Year 12 Dux General - Mariah Rasmussen
Year 12 Dux ATAR - Isabella Dowling

Year 10 Long Tan Award - Kayleigh Hawke
Year 12 Long Tan Award - Daniel Elhaj
Year 12 Caltex Best All Rounder - Jordan Waters
Year 12 Sportsperson of the Year Award - Michael Domfeh
Year 12 Community Leedership Award - Madison Lun

Year 10 Parents and Friends Excellence Award - Matthew Patman
Year 11 Parents and Friends Excellence Award - Catherine Reilly
Year 12 Parents and Friends Excellence Award - Jazmin Jones

Click here for more photos

Visit to Harry Perkins Institute

A group of Year 9 students had the opportunity of visiting the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research at the end of last term.

We won this visit as a prize from an online auction that was held to raise funds for one of the Cancer Council’s fundraisers, Melville Biggest Morning Tea. A group of Year 9 students formed a syndicate to raise money for cancer research and by raising the most money, we won the prize.

During our visit, we were shown into a lab where we had to wear gloves, lab coats and safety glasses to avoid the risk of contamination to the areas we were working in. We prepared and stained cancer cells to view under a microscope and compared these cells to healthy ones.

We also had a talk from a medical student who taught us more about different cells and their structure and finished our experience by playing a fun game relating to cells. It was an amazing opportunity to visit the Harry Perkins Institute. We learned so much and it was an experience I don’t think any of us will ever forget.

Jacqueline Charlton
Year 9 Student

Our New Website

We are excited to announce that from today 27 October we have launched a new website with easier registration and information for you and for our potential families. Find information with a click of a button! See our new website here.

Caitlin Delaney

We congratulate Caitlin Delaney who is part of a synchronised ice skating team called Infusion Junior. They went to the Sydney Synchronised Festival representing WA in September and won gold. Kennedy Baptist College wishes them all the best when they travel to the Nationals at the end of November.

Douw Hoogenboezem

Congratulations to Douw Hoogenboezem who has been selected to play in the Boys Team of the SSWA U/12 Cricket Team in Canberra next year. Kennedy is proud of his achievement and wishes him all the best.

Year 12s of 2016

The Parents and Friends Association wishes the Year 12s all the best as you leave the College and also to those students taking the WACE exams.

World Teachers Day - Friday 28 October

We provide a morning tea each year to say thank you to the staff and recognise all the work they put in for the students. Can you help by making something delicious for morning tea?  Please bring it to the Staff Lounge on the morning of Friday 28 October before 10.00am. Sweet or savoury items please, some gluten free would be great; ingredients list would be handy and non-returnable containers are important.

Diary Dates for 2017

• P&F AGM and meeting for Term 1:  Wednesday 8 February 2017, 7.00pm in the Staff Lounge.
• Car Boot Sale – Saturday 25 March in the car park.  More details to come.

Keep track of what your P&F Association is up to on our Facebook community page: Kennedy P&F or you can contact us via email on pandfkennedybaptistcollege@gmail.com