Photo above: Congratulations to all students who were recognised in our Awards Assemblies .

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians and Families,

I trust the term is going well for all families. One of the major goals of 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 be provided to maximise family engagement with the College. This includes:

1. Our Dance Showcase evening tomorrow night. This provides a wonderful opportunity for dance students to perform publicly in our community and promises to be a great evening.
2. Our Open Day on Saturday 17 August, which is a great chance to visit the College, view displays and performances and enjoy the College’s hospitality. We look forward to seeing you between 11.00am and 3.00pm.
3. Open Day will be prefaced this year with a special celebration of the 30 Years since the Colleges’ foundation. This will commence at 10.00am in the Auditorium on Saturday 17 August. We encourage any past students or staff of Winthrop, Somerville and Kennedy to join us for this special event. More information can be found here.
4. Next Friday, when we will hold our Interhouse Athletics Carnival at the WA Athletics Stadium. We encourage all students to support and compete for their House. Families are welcome to come along and support students on the day, with some opportunities for volunteering.
5. A Father’s Day breakfast on Thursday 29 August. This will be a great time for Dads to join us at the College and share together, with grandfathers of Kennedy students also welcome. Our guest speaker this year is Graham Mabury OAM, long time host of 6PR's Nightline program who worked to establish Lifeline in Western Australia.

I encourage you to look out for more opportunities to attend College events this Term, with even more listed in this newsletter.

One recent community event was our Awards Assembly for Year 7-9 students. The presentation of certificates of excellence and achievement to many of our students promotes and highlights the exceptional standards they are reaching. Congratulations to recipients of these significant awards.

We look forward to sharing more opportunities during the Term 3 journey together.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Chats

Words have the power to help or to harm. Words carry weight, and the right word used the right way can lift all those around the one who speaks the word.

Every year at Kennedy, we pick up a particular word and commit a whole week to it. This word is ‘brio’ and next week we are celebrating our ‘Be BRIO Week’. To be brio is to bring life, energy, light, fire and zest to those around you.

The story of Be BRIO Week at Kennedy is quite truly an illustration of this word in action. In 2021, with COVID still influencing daily school life, two Year 9 students begun a class project to run a school activity to engage with students. They grabbed hold of the word 'brio' and made a week-long focus on being difference makers at the College. This week was student run, student focused and lots of fun. The school felt different during that week as students looked to lift each other up and add zest to our College.

The purpose of this week still holds four years on. The two students are now in Year 12 and are about to finish their Kennedy journey. It’s with this in mind that this year’s focus is ‘Legacy’: be brio to such an extent that your light, life and energy continues to leave its mark on others, even after you have gone. 

I would love to encourage every home to lean into the culture of being brio. Bring life, light, fire, energy and zest to all those around you.

Curriculum Report

We recognised the academic achievements of students across all year groups with two Award Assemblies. Well done to all students who continue to apply themselves in class and with revision and practice. At the start of each year, the College seeks to identify and acknowledge students who have improved their results from Semester One to Semester Two. I would encourage all students to remain focused and maintain their positive application in and out of school.

NAPLAN Results

NAPLAN results for Year 7 and 9 will be released through SEQTA under ‘Reports’. In the new format for NAPLAN reports students are placed in one of four categories: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs Additional Support. The first page of the report also describes what a student typically demonstrates within each category Year 9 students who have not demonstrated the Literacy & Numeracy requirements for the WACE will be provided with their first opportunity to sit OLNA at the start of Term 4. More information about NAPLAN and OLNA is being distributed to families.

Year 12 Students

Year 12 students are in their final weeks of scheduled classes with the end of Term 3 concluding formal lessons. ATAR students have College written examinations in the second week of the school holidays and the first three days of Term 4. Now is a great time for parents of Year 12 ATAR students to discuss revision timetables and ways that they can support their child during this intensive time of study and revision. Some simple tips include setting some time aside on a Saturday morning for a coffee or lunch with your child. Establishing a study zone and time that the family respects, especially younger siblings, also supports students who are studying.

Course Selections

Thank you to all Year 7-11 families for completing course selections for 2025. At the end of the year students and families will be informed of their 2025 courses. If possible, information will be released during Term 4 but I am sure everyone can appreciate the complexities in constructing a timetable for all students.

Pastoral Care Report

We have had an excellent start to Term 3 with the recognition of student achievements at two Awards Assemblies. At Kennedy, students are expected to strive for personal excellence in all they do, and these assemblies allow us to acknowledge a wide variety of academic achievements. Congratulations to all award recipients.

During Extended Form in Week 2, we invited our current Year 10 students to apply for a position as an 11/7 Mentor. The 11/7s program facilitates a smooth transition for our incoming Year 7s while the mentors themselves experience significant personal growth by participating in the program. This role helps mentors develop communication, teamwork and leadership skills.

Student leadership, including the 11/7 Mentor program, is a vital part of Kennedy's culture. Our programs provide opportunities for students to participate actively in decision-making processes and contribute significantly to the life of the College. One of the major events organised by student leaders is the annual Kennedy Day, held in Week 6 of this term. Student Leaders develop this day to uplift the student body and celebrate who we are as a College. This year's event will be held on Wednesday 21 August and will begin with an assembly organised by the student Executive Leadership team. Food trucks will be on campus with students able to buy a range of treats. Our student leaders are working hard planning this day and we look forward to celebrating life at Kennedy together.

Throughout the next two terms, Kennedy will be focusing on cyber safety. In today's digital age, we must equip our students with the knowledge and skills to safely navigate the online world.

As we progress through Term 3, I encourage students to make the most of the opportunities at Kennedy and to contact the Pastoral Care team if they require extra support.

Kennedy News

Term 3 Award Assemblies

The third Term at Kennedy Baptist College has started with two assemblies to commend our students on their academic efforts and results, with a Year 10-12 gathering in Week 1 and a Year 7-9 celebration in the following week.

By commemorating the success of our students, we aim to encourage them to continue to believe and persevere, especially as we get closer to the end of the year than the start of it. This message of endurance was reflected in the devotion by our Principal, who explained the story behind famous Olympic film, 'Chariots of Fire'.

To find out more about our Awards Assemblies, check out our latest blog post or click on the below links to see some images of Award recipients. Please note that the link to the images will expire on 15 August.

College Notices

2025 Term Dates

To help families prepare for next year, Kennedy has released the Term dates for 2025 on our website. Please note that these dates differ from public schools.

Trips and Tours - Expressions of Interest Closing Soon

We are delighted to continue to offer our students the opportunity to go on various tours in 2025 and 2026. Thank you to all parents and guardians who have already responded to our official launch. Please be reminded that Expressions of Interest close Friday 9 August.

If students are eligible and want to be considered for more than one tour, you may select more than one tour on the form and rank their preferences. However, all tours have limited places. The tour coordinators will review the expressions of interest and then offer places to students based on their tour selection criteria after the closing date.

Please see our website for more information about the tours on offer.

Road Closure Affecting Campus Drive

2024 Interhouse Athletics Carnival Information

All students will be competing in the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Friday 9 August at WA Athletics Stadium - Stephenson Ave, Floreat. Please see the program for this event here.

This is a compulsory event and students unable to participate must email a medical certificate to the Attendance Officer prior to the carnival. Please refer to the formal communication from Miss Karina Podmore for more information, including regarding transport to and from the Carnival.

We are looking for parent volunteers to assist in running some events on the day.Get a front-row seat to the action by signing-up via the below link!

2024 Community Open Day

You are invited to our Community Open Day on Saturday 17 August 2024 from 11.00am to 3.00pm! This is one of the biggest events on the Kennedy calendar with live performances, explosive Science experiments, and a range of games and activities on offer as families and community members explore our fantastic College. Make sure to make use of this opportunity to journey through the College campus and discover all of our students' amazing work!

Silent Auction Donations

Silent Auction donations can be brought into Student Services during Term 3, up until Thursday 15 August. All items are to be new or unused. As a thank you, students will receive a House point for delivering items. Make sure to check the different theme for your student's year group:

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 15 August 2024.