Photo above: Week 1 Awards Ceremony

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

I hope the term is going well for everyone. At Kennedy, we are committed to providing numerous opportunities for our community to connect and participate. In the following weeks, some exciting events will enhance family engagement with the College. These events include:

1. Dance Showcase – Screen to Stage is a wonderful opportunity to experience the hard work of our dance students in their performances at the Octagon Theatre, UWA, this Saturday night. This is always a fantastic evening.
    
2. Our Interhouse Athletics carnival will occur at the WA Athletics Stadium next Friday. We urge all students to participate enthusiastically and represent their House. We invite all families to join us and cheer on the students throughout the day.
    
3. Our Community Open Day on Saturday 19 August is a great chance to visit the College, view displays and performances of current achievements and enjoy the College’s hospitality. We look forward to seeing you between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm.
    
4. Our Father’s Day breakfast on Thursday 31 August will be an excellent time for dads and grandfathers to join us at the College and share with other dads. This year's guest speaker is Nick Marvin, ex-C.E.O. of the Perth Wildcats. It will be great to hear Nick speak on balancing the demands of modern life with fatherhood.

Yesterday's awards assembly was a delightful occasion to honour the accomplishments of our Year 9 and 10 students. The distribution of Certificates of Excellence and Achievement is a testament to the exceptional standards reached by our students—heartfelt congratulations to all the deserving recipients of these awards.

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

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Chats

I have been contributing articles to the Kennedy Newsletter for the past three years. I write with sincerity, sharing my thoughts and opinions to positively influence our College community's culture.  ‘Move the needle’ refers to the deliberate use of time, energy, gifts and personality to lift the culture of our community to a positive place. We all know that there is an expectation that most things break down, decay, or wear out - cars break down, phone screens crack, and earbuds stop working.  Everything we own needs fixing or replacement at some point.

This reality of ‘things’ breaking down applies to most other parts of life. Relationships, our human bodies and our mental health all seem to fall apart if they are not helped to stay together. There appears to be a ‘force’ that all things break down - in Science, it’s called the Law of Entropy. To recognise this ‘force’ or ‘law’ can leave us all feeling defeated, from mild sadness to wholly overwhelmed. Do we give in to the ‘force’? Do we just let this ‘law’ have its way and let everything decay?

What is the answer? This is a big question for my brief space now so I will use a one-word response. (Cue dramatic music) The answer is BRIO! Brio is to live with energy, a zest for life, and a personal fire to bring light into situations. BRIO is not just positive thinking but living on purpose. BRIO is a deliberate effort to counter the ‘force’ and ‘law’ that seems to cause all ‘things’ to break. So, my simple message is to Be BRIO. 

At Kennedy next week, students from Christian Connect will be organizing a Be BRIO week, featuring a range of activities aimed at spreading positivity and energy.

Curriculum Report

The start of the term included Awards Assemblies to recognise the academic achievements of our students formally. Well done to all who continue to apply themselves in class and with revision and practice after school. I would encourage all students to remain focused and maintain their efforts in and out of school.

Naplan Results

NAPLAN results for Years 7 and 9 will be released through SEQTA under Reports. I encourage parents to take some time to review the new format of NAPLAN, with students now placed in one of four categories: Exceeding, Strong, Developing, and Needs Additional Support. The first page of the report also describes what skills 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 this year. More information about NAPLAN and OLNA will be communicated to families during the term.

Year 12 Students

Year 12 students are in their final weeks of scheduled classes with the end of term concluding formal lessons. ATAR students will have College written examinations in the second week of the school holidays and the first two days of Term 4. It is a great time for parents and guardians 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 actions might include setting time aside for a coffee or lunch on a Saturday morning with your child. Another way to support students is to establish a study zone and time that the family, especially younger siblings, respects.

Course Selections

Thank you to all Year 8-11 families for completing course selections for 2024. Year 7 students will be asked to complete the selection process before the end of the term. This information is emailed and messaged to students and parents. Students and families will be informed of their 2024 courses by the end of the year.

Pastoral Care Report

We have had an excellent start to Term 3 with the opportunity to recognise student achievements at the Awards Assemblies. Students are expected to strive for personal excellence in all they do at Kennedy Baptist College, and these assemblies allow acknowledgement of 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 11/7s Mentor. The 11/7s program facilitates a smooth transition for our incoming Year 7s and ensures they feel safe and valued as members of our College community. This role benefits the mentors by providing the opportunity to develop further skills such as communication, group management, planning, relationship building and teamwork.

Student leadership is a vital part of Kennedy's culture. Our program provides opportunities for students to actively participate in decision-making processes and contribute significantly to College life. One of the major events organised by student leaders is the Annual Kennedy Day, held in Week 6 of this term. This day is designed to celebrate our students and uplift our community. This student-led day was developed to uplift the student body, encourage them, and allow them to recharge. Kennedy Day is a day of celebrating who we are as a school. This year's Kennedy Day will be held on Wednesday 23 August and will begin with an Assembly planned and run by the student Executive Leadership team. Our student leaders will then hold activities in recess and lunchtime with ice cream and bubble tea available to purchase. The students are working hard planning this day and we look forward to celebrating each person who makes Kennedy Baptist College a fantastic learning environment.

Finally, we are hosting two Kennedy Insights sessions this term. Kennedy Insights are opportunities for parents and guardians to gain tools to help them provide the best care.  We will have a Nutrition Workshop in Week 4 and organise another Insight in Week 9 focusing on mental health. We are planning for this speaker to also talk to all our students about mental health as part of RUOK week. Please look for the information we will provide about these events soon.

Kennedy News

Award Assemblies

Kennedy Baptist College has hosted three Award Assemblies this term to honour the achievements of our students. The presentation of Certificates of Excellence and achievements highlights the exceptional standards being achieved by our students. Congratulations to all recipients of these significant awards and thank you to the students' families who could come along and celebrate your students.

We are excited to return to our Auditorium soon.

Year 11 and 12 Pantomime Performance

The Year 11 and 12 Drama General classes performed a pantomime at Leeming Primary School on Thursday 27 July. The students presented a comedic version of the Cinderella story, incorporating comedy moments and audience interaction to engage the Kindy and pre-primary classes. This experience served as an opportunity for the upper school Drama class to gain touring production experience and perform for a real audience, as well as teach the young children about the style of pantomime and how to be a good audience. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

College Notices

2024-2025 Trips and Tours - Expressions of Interest Closing

We are delighted to resume our immersive educational experiences abroad and offer our students the opportunity to go on various tours in 2024 and 2025. Thank you to all the parents and guardians who have already responded to our official launch. Please be reminded that Expressions of Interest close this Friday 4 August.

The following Student Tours are now on offer to students:

For current Year 7's 
2024 Canberra and Sydney Study Tour

For current Year 8's
2024 Canberra and Sydney Study Tour
2025 USA Study Tour 

For current Year 9's
2024 Cambodia Mission Tour
2024 NZ Ski Tour
2025 USA Study Tour

For current Year 10's
2024 Newman Indigenous Tour
2024 Cambodia Mission Tour
2024 NZ Ski Tour
2025 USA Study Tour

For current Year 11's
2024 Newman Indigenous Tour
2024 Cambodia Leavers Tour

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. 

Father's Day Breakfast - Save The Date

Our Annual Father’s Day event will be held on Thursday 31 August in the College Staff Lounge. We are excited to host guest speaker Nick Marvin, former CEO of the Perth Wildcats and proud Dad. Nick will be speaking of his success in the business of sport and on his experience of raising six children.

Please note that places are limited for this parent event.

2023 Kennedy Community Open Day

Come join us at our Community Open Day and bring your family and friends along for a fun-filled day at Kennedy.

You'll be delighted with live performances, explosive Science demonstrations, and delicious gourmet treats. There's something for everyone to enjoy, so don't miss the chance to explore the amazing work of our students and check out our new Foyer and Auditorium.

A bus shuttle service will operate every 15 minutes between the College and Murdoch University Carpark 7. The service will be available from 11:00 am to 3:15 pm. 

We hope to see you there!

Join the Open Day Team!

The P&F is currently looking for donations and coordinators to assist with the planning, preparing, and overseeing a stall on the day. Please click here to sign up to assist, contribute or provide your input! 

Jamming with the P&F

Ingredients collection point 

A designated collection point will be set up at the bus shelter at the turning circle near RASC to facilitate the collection process.  

• Morning drop off (Between 7.45am - 8.45am)
• After school pick up (Between 2.45pm - 3.45pm) 

This will be operating tomorrow, Friday 4 August. Please see here for information on what donations are needed.

Please click here if you are interested in coming along to jam with us on Saturday 5 August.

Silent Auction Donations

Each year we get students involved by donating items for the Silent Auction at Open Day. Below you will find a list of what each year group is encouraged to donate. Students will receive a house point for items delivered. We would appreciate all Silent Auction donations to be dropped off at Student Services by Thursday 17 August 2023. 

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 17 August 2023.