Dear Parents and Families 

Kennedy Baptist College is a Christian faith based College committed to providing the best possible educational services. As Easter quickly approaches it is appropriate to reflect on the basis of this faith foundation.The Bible clearly states:

The Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, was conceived by the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit. Fully human and fully divine, he lived on earth a sinless life of perfect obedience. He died on the cross as a sacrifice on our behalf and in our place, redeeming us from sin. He was raised bodily from the dead and ascended to his Father’s presence where he lives forever.

The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life". (John 3:16) Easter (Good) Friday, remembers Christ’s sacrifice and Easter Sunday celebrates His resurrection.

College Sunday is an opportunity for our community to come together and reflect on this foundational message. We look forward to meeting with you on this special afternoon for Kennedy.

Student Holiday Leave

Often families opt to take holidays during term time, however, it is very apparent that this practice has a negative impact on student learning and achievement. I would like to encourage families to examine the impact of these decisions and, where possible, decline from this practice. Students who are absent during the term for holidays may be unable to sit assessments at later dates and will need to take responsibility for the tuition they have missed during this time.

I love reading the letters people write to the editors, whether magazines or newspapers. I understand that the letters are specifically chosen to reflect the bias of the media and that they can then be further edited, but I find them a fascinating snapshot of what people are thinking. I love the immediacy they bring. Twitter with more letters.
Recently the tone and theme of the letters has had me considering the biblical concept of grace, which has often been defined as the unmerited favour of God. This means that you and I are not treated by God the way that we deserve to be treated. That even if we do not acknowledge His existence He still continues to give us the very means by which we can deny Him.
Grace cannot be earned. It has nothing to do with who I am or what I have done. Grace is totally about who God is, about His character and what He has done through Christ. For me one of the most wonderful stories which depicts the grace of God is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 8 where a group of religious leaders bring to Jesus a woman who has been caught in the very act of adultery. According to the Law, they had every right to kill her by stoning her to death and they challenged Jesus as to this fact. His response is found in verses 6 – 8:

….But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Of course they left, because they also knew that by being with her they had become unclean, that is, sinful, according to the Law. The story finishes with this:

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

My challenge to you is to think on the unmerited favour of God on your life and how you can then express that same unmerited, undeserving favour to those around you.

Year 12 is considered by some to be the most important year of schooling. There is a lot of pressure on Year 12 students and it comes from parents, teachers and the students themselves. A question often asked by parents, especially those who have a student in Year 12 for the first time, is “How can we best support our child through this time?” There is a lot of information available on this question, the purpose of this article is to summarise what I believe are some of the key points. Although this is specifically aimed at parents of Year 12s, a number of the points may be useful to other parents.

1. Allow the home to be a place conducive to study. This may mean monitoring/reducing distractions such as TV/social media/social functions so your child can study effectively.
2. Provide a dedicated study area with good lighting, cool temperatures, a table and supportive chair.
3. Discuss expectations, talk about their goals and then support your child in their endeavours. Saying "I am here to help and offer advice when you need it” is more effective than nagging.
4. Encourage your child to have balance in their life. Adequate sleep, exercise, planned recreational/social activities  and maybe a limited amount of part time work can all be part of a balanced lifestyle.
5. Support your child’s study routine. It should be regular, frequent (at least five times per week) and planned. Blocks of up to 50 minutes with 10-15 minute breaks have been shown to be effective way of planning a study timetable.

I realize that some of these may be more difficult to implement than others and may provoke some “interesting” discussions but I hope they can be of some use to you.

Camps are an important and significant part of Kennedy culture and our pastoral care program. Last week our Year 7s were at Fairbridge near Pinjarra, and next week our Year 9s head off to Forrest Edge in Waroona and our Year 11s to Dwellingup.
Our camping program is designed along a continuum which reflects student development and builds on those skills acquired in previous camps. Each camp is a new challenge utilising the experiences gained before.

The camps have various themes including:

• Year 7 camp is designed to bring the year group together as they begin their Kennedy journey
• Year 9 camp is separated into genders to provide opportunities for students to grow develop and discuss specific gender related topics
• Year 11 camp is crafted to enable a common camping experience

These different camps combine to provide an overall extensive and sophisticated program that enables our students to achieve the following outcomes:.

 • Building resilience
 • Developing independence
 • Increasing environmental awareness
 • Engaging in new activities and experiences
 • Overcoming personal challenges
 • Leadership development
 • Team building
 • Encouragement of physical fitness
 • Developing an inclusive year group culture
 • Building positive student-teacher relations

When reflecting on their secondary schooling experience many Year 12 students state the camps as their highlight and we look forward to continued success in this area.

I always find it amazing when I see the students back in their uniforms after having seen them for several days in their civilian clothes; they look so young, small and unassuming.   Admittedly, when I saw them in their civilian clothes they were doing things such as climbing a 15 metre rock wall or abseiling down the other side. There were many activities to choose from, whether it was shooting arrows better than Katniss Everdeen or building rafts that may have been capable of taking on a small amount of white-water.  I even saw some students managing to coordinate a team around a campsite using nothing but a map or a group of 18 students accomplishing tasks that adults would find difficult to complete. 

Whilst those things were sights to behold, some of the best features of the camp were the unseen items; students overcoming a fear of heights so that they know they can accomplish whatever they put their mind to, students working together as a team and finding out that the person in their team they have never spoken to before is actually a great person who is now a firm friend, and students working through fears they may have felt about leaving home or extending themselves.  The unseen achievements is what the Year 7 camp is all about, I do hope that the students have managed to enjoy themselves but also realise that they are amazing individuals that can accomplish anything they put their mind to.

 Coming up presently we have the start of our Community Service Program.  We have had an amazing response form the Year 7 students with nearly half of the cohort volunteering to go and work with the oral history recording sessions and serving the senior citizens in our community.  This strength of spirit and desire to help others is what makes the College and the community a stronger place, thanks to all of those involved.

 We have the student council elections coming up in Week 8.  I would encourage all students who have a desire to lead or make a difference in their community to apply.  Students can expect a comprehensive program that includes public speaking training, learning how to write a speech and how to overcome your fears when talking in front of many people.  We also work through how to deal with disappointment if you don’t receive the position you applied for and how to use that to improve yourself for next time.  Even just trying and working through the process is an excellent opportunity to gain invaluable skills that will last with you for life.  Please consider becoming a student councillor in the Year 7 cohort and both leading and serving the College.

We had a great social at Leighton Beach attended by 64 students, all the form teachers and Mr Pether. The only complaint, which was voiced by almost everyone, was we did not have enough time. What a great group of students making the most of every opportunity and seizing the day.
The sea was warm, the weather hot, the pizza plentiful (even though some boys could have eaten more) the company great and the social interaction wonderful. Upcoming socials will not be held on Wednesdays so all our SAS sport students can also participate.
Next term the social will be tree planting along the Canning River and we hope for another good turnout. In the past, students have enjoyed the tree planting as much as the beach social with a lovely spirit pervading.
A big thank you to all parents who have ensured that all the child’s clothing and bags have been marked with their name.
The interim reports will be out before the end of term and I encourage you to keep in touch with teachers via email if there are any concerns. So far most students are progressing well and learning to take more responsibility for their actions. This is one of the most important things we can teach them by allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions.
I hope the year is proceeding well for all families and if you have any queries concerning your child please feel free to contact the College.

As part of Year 9, students have the opportunity to team up with an organization known as St Bartholomew’s to feed people who are less fortunate than themselves. The first group to attend was comprised of the Student Councilors and House Captains, who were blessed with a gorgeous day by the river in East Perth where a BBQ was cooked while the students played games and heard war and childhood stories. It was a great day and I recommend the opportunity to all Year 9s.

Next week, Monday 23 - Wednesday 25 the boys will be on camp and Wednesday 25 – Friday 27 the girls will be on camp. Please drop off and pick up from Lakeside to avoid any congestion at school. Looking forward to a great camp.

The Year 10s seem to have settled in well to the start of the year. We have had a very exciting swimming carnival and a great presentation from Mrs Sewter in regards to Work Experience. All families, should now have received a Work experience preparation package. Can you please start talking with your child about their Work Experience options. In terms of finding a placement, we strongly encourage that the child is doing this not the parent or guardian as we are trying to instil a sense of responsibility and self-determination. If you have any questions about work experience please contact Mrs Sewter at rsewter@kennedy.wa.edu.au

Today we have Parent-Teacher interviews, with an embedded Careers Expo. Please plan time for your student to take full advantage of this resource.  Next week the 10s are privileged to have the opportunity to attend the RAC Street Smart presentation at Perth Arena. By now you all should have received a permission letter for this event, which should be returned by Friday.  

Lastly I would like to wish you all a blessed and safe Easter.

In Week 8, the Year 11s will be attending camp at Dwellingup. This camp will be extremely beneficial to the students as it aims to improve their teamwork skills, to gain greater independence and to take on new challenges. Students will be involved in activities such as mountain bike riding, hiking, raft building, rafting and low ropes. Each activity will be led by a qualified instructor from Dwellingup Adventures and supervised by a teacher and a youth leader.
On Wednesday 25 March, Perth Wildcats vice-captain, Greg Hire, will be presenting to the whole cohort at Pinjarra Civic Centre. Greg is an ambassador for Youth Focus, an organisation that offers mental health support to teenagers and young adults. He also runs his own charity, A Stitch in Time, which raises much needed funds for Youth Focus. Greg’s story of how he developed into a leader and role model for our youth is inspiring.
On Tuesday 17 March, Courtney Lindsell, Georgia Owen, Tate Szydlowski and Mackenzie Teasdale attended the Red Cross Youth Ambassador training day. In addition to this, Erin Grant, Bridgette Gallagher and Mitchell Tharle all donated blood. The generosity of this Year 11 group is amazing. There are still over 30 other students who are hoping to donate blood during the year. I can’t thank the students enough for being so selfless.

This has been a very full term for the Year 12 students with the Ball, the Swimming Carnival, SAS sport and their focus on their academic studies. The Swimming Carnival was very successful and it was great to see the Year 12s leading by example and getting involved in leadership on the day and their enthusiastic participation in the events. The SAS sports program has also got off to a wonderful start and it is great to see the various teams representing the College well against other schools in the area.

We have encouraged the students to fully focus on their studies from Day 1. With this being a short term and exams taking place in the middle of Term 2 students will need to take time during the holidays to revise work covered in Term 1 to ensure that they are well-prepared for the First Semester exams. A well-balanced life style in terms of work, diet and exercise will ensure the best results for students. We have had Successful Student Solutions come in to talk to the Year 12 students about study habits and techniques. This was followed up by facilitators visiting each of the Year 12 form classes to reinforce what they had learned and walk the students through some of the practicalities of the theory. We trust that these sessions will have been a real help to students.

I will be away in Term 2 on Long Service Leave and Mrs Valme Batley will be acting Head of Year 12. If you have any concerns please contact her at the College. I know she will do a great job and will be encouraging the Year 12 students to become involved in Community Service.

Thanks to all the families who have made arrangements with respect to the settlement of their fees for 2015.

Please Note:  All Fees or Fee Instalments were due by Friday 13 February, 2015.

As a minimum, Term 1 Fees must be made by 27 March 2015.

In response to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the payment of fees we provide the following responses for your benefit:

Question 1:  Does my payment option selection from previous years automatically carry forward to the current year?
Answer:  No. A new Payment Option Form must be completed and forwarded to the college each year.

NOTE - A lack of response to the payment option question does not result in the previous year’s selection being carried forward.

Question 2:   If I select a payment option which enables the fees split by term, semester or monthly payments, will the College issue new invoices reflecting this?
Answer: No. One invoice is issued at the beginning of the year and payments must be made against the original invoice issued.

If you have any concerns or queries please contact the College at your earliest convenience.

Secondary Assistance Scheme

Holders of a Centrelink Health Care Card , Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran’s Affairs Pensioner Concession Card who have a student in Years 7 – 12 may be eligible for up to $350 towards school expenses.

Application Forms are available at reception. Applications close Thursday 2 April 2015.

Image http://youngsmarties.com.au/

This week is Student Council Week at the College which involves a whole range of activities organised by the councillors to promote a positive College environment.

On Monday we had live music at lunchtime played by the College music students.Tuesday was Free Dress Day with students making a gold coin donation for the privilege and all funds going to support the Colleges four sponsor children. Wednesday to Friday involve DJ for a Day opportunities, a Boost Van visit and a Slip & Slide lunchtime activity for students to cool off in the hot sun.

Students enjoyed the week and our leadership group looks forward to next term for more exciting ideas.

On Monday, 9 March we celebrated International Womens Day in the Research and Study Centre. 

We dressed the Centre up in purple and during recess and lunch we had girls only times with Karaoke; Just dance; videos of inspirational women speakers and lots of purple chocolate hearts.
It was great to see so many girls and teachers coming in, supporting it and celebrating. It was an amazing atmosphere.  
Girls could donate a gold coin and the money raised went to Esther Foundation who provide intensive support for young women who are in need. 
A big thank you to all those involved.

Mrs Claudia Hart
Head of Learning Area – Research and Study Centre

Back row: Russel Doubell, Mitchell Tharle, Lauren Demarti,Hannah Marzocchi
Front row: Olivia Butcher, Maddison Lun

On Friday, 6 March, 2015, Year 11 and 12 Drama students attended the Perth International Arts Festival play, Black Diggers, at Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of W.A.

Black Diggers is the story of Indigenous Australians who signed up to fight during World War I.  A little known story of honour and sacrifice, the play explores how Aboriginal men had to hide their heritage to enlist.  Directed by Wesley Enoch and written by Tom Wright, the play is based on research into the lives and deaths of over one thousand Indigenous soldiers who fought for the British Commonwealth in World War I.

The students had a great morning visiting the State Theatre Centre and viewing the play.  They gained an amazing insight into a part of Australian history that has been previously untold and many of them were moved by the bravery of the men, on which the play was based.

Miss O'Malley - Drama Teacher

Year 8 Science students are currently studying a Geology topic.  At Science Club we are enriching their learning with fun hands on activities in Geology.
So far students have examined intrusive and extrusive rocks, studied crystals, made fake pumice from ice cream, trialled different ways to simulate volcanic eruptions and built paper mache volcanoes. 
Year 8 students are invited to join the Science Club next Monday from 3.30pm to 4.30pm in Laboratory 5.3. for our last Geology Session. Next term we will be exploring chemistry topics.

Mrs Williamson and Ms Lourensz - Science Department

As part of the Year 11 Integrated Science General course, the students visited the Canning River Ecology Education Centre (CREEC).  The morning consisted of a number of different structured activities, such as discovering the history of the Canning River and learning about the organisms that live and interact within this river.

The students were given the opportunity to collect some water samples and practice their skills identifying  and classifying some interesting macro invertebrates such as Shrimps, Water boatmen and Mosquitofish.
It was a very enjoyable and educational morning for the students.

Mrs Cassandra Tisdall and Mrs Helen Williamson - Science Department

Next week is our final round of games for the summer competition. All teams are consistently challenging the opposition with high skill levels and good sportsmanship.
We have a large number of teams already qualifying for the finals in Week 9.  Although Year 9 and 11 Parent/Teacher interviews are scheduled for that day and students have an early finish, teams will still need to play their scheduled games. We aim to be back at the College by 3pm.

Miss Jessica Kennedy
SAS Coordinator

We are nearly through a six week fitness program with a group of upper school female students.The girls meet for a circuit style fitness session on Wednesday mornings before school at Lakeside Recreation Centre. The girls are having a fantastic time working out and motivating each other.

We are hoping to run the six week program again in Term 2. Students are encouraged to keep your ears open for more information!

Miss Hair - Physical Education Department.

Reuben Darch

Recently Reuben participated in the first round of the Western Australian State Amateur Golf Championships and did very well, playing mostly against men who will be turning professional in the coming years.

Reuben has been training with the Golf WA development squad for the past 18 months and is currently ranked fourth in the state for his age division. In the coming months, Reuben will transition to include some men’s events into his schedule along with all the junior tournaments.

Well done Reuben. We wish you all the best with your golfing.

Ashleigh Black

Congratulations to Ashleigh Black who came 2nd in her age category in the Ride Advice Short Triathlon which was held on Sunday15 March at Whitfords Nodes Beach Park.
Ashleigh successfully completed a 300m Swim, 7km Cycle and 3km Run – all in great time.

Well done on such an outstanding effort.

If you are interested in taking part in the HBF Run for a Reason in 2015, Kennedy is putting a team together to run this fantastic community event. The run is on Sunday 24 May and the team will be running the 12km. Family members of Kennedy students are welcome to join our team too. If you would like more information, please email Miss Katie Hair in the PE Department. khair@kennedy.wa.edu.au

We encourage all students to participate in our afterschool tutoring program which is available free of charge. Please see the tutoring timetable for more details.

Click here for a printable copy

The list below shows the upcoming events for the next 2 weeks. Please visit our website for more dates and events.

• Friday 20 March
  Year 11 Community Service
  Year 9 Science Excursion

• Sunday, 22 March
  College Sunday,
  1.00pm King & Stirling
  3.30pm Eyre & Forrest
  *Compulsory Event for all students, families are welcome

• Monday, 23 March
  Inter School Swimming Carnival - C Division
  Challenge Stadium

• Monday, 23 March 2015 - Friday, 27 March
  Year 9 & 11 Camps
  *Compulsory Event for all Year 9 & 11 students

• Tuesday, 24 March
  RAC Streetsmart Event Year 10s

• Wednesday, 25 March - Friday, 27 March
  Year 12 OED Sailing Expedition

• Thursday, 26 March
  Year 12 Dance Excursion

• Friday, 27 March
  Year 8/9 Specialist Cricket

• Monday, 30 March
  Kim Hughes Shield
  Integrated Science Excursion

• Tuesday, 31 March
  2AB Geography Excursion
  Years 9 & 11 Parent/ Teacher Evening

• Wednesday, 1 April
  College Assembly
  Term 1 Last Day For Students

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who have offered their services to help make Beedawong run so beautifully. In particular, a big thanks to the new parents/guardians who have volunteered their time. We really do appreciate you all.
The Term 1 menu has been very popular with our hungry students and we look forward to showing off our new Term 2 menu in the near future.

We are also looking for volunteers for Beedawong for Term 2. If you are able to assist please call the College or email Renee Anderson our Cafeteria Manager randerson@kennedy.wa.edu.au

Click here for Term 1 Menu

WINTER UNIFORMS

Winter uniform orders are now available for collection.  If you haven't  placed an order,  please bring your student in for a fitting. 

Winter uniform is to be worn by all students from Day 1 of Term 2. 

HOLIDAY HOURS

The Uniform Shop will be open during the 2nd week of the school holidays
Monday 13 to Thursday 16 April from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

Book covering meets every second Tuesday morning (even weeks) in the Research and Study Centre.  A wonderful group of parents comes and covers lots of new books.  If you would like to come and join them, it starts around 8.30am and finishes by recess.  A cuppa, cake, and training are provided.

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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.