Message from the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians and Families,

This is our last newsletter for the year and it is remarkable how much the Kennedy Baptist College community has achieved throughout 2023. As the school year comes to a close, we reflect on the many highlights across our academic learning areas as well as the co-curricular opportunities provided by the College.

I am sure that we all have wonderful memories that standout for us, moments that are the result of the combined hard work of staff, parents, and students. It was a pleasure to celebrate some of these achievements today with the presentation of a wide range of awards. Thank you to all of our families who have attended our Award Assemblies this year.

I would also like to thank everyone in our College community for their ongoing support during 2023. As we look forward to an exciting 2024, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic safe and relaxing holiday.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Chats

2023 is a wrap! Somehow, we have all been able to hold together the journey of this school year to arrive at the last day. Well done if that’s you! For some reading this, the routine of 8.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday is an order to love, and holidays can feel like chaos with no structure. For others the opposite is true, and we love the rhythm of holidays.

This term, we have been discussing that we best reflect the image of our creator when we hold together ordered creation while resisting the ever-present chaos and decay of everything we hold dear. As we approach Christmas, I want to finish our year with our last look at this theme of Order and Chaos.

Christmas is about Christ, which translates as ‘anointed’ or ‘approved’. Jesus, ‘the Christ’, was sent by God as the true design of what humanity should be like and while humanity, at its worst, often causes great harm and chaos, Jesus is the version of us that can bring peace, unity, and order to our lives. When we celebrate Christmas, we can grasp onto hope that there is good on earth and not constant decay.

There are phrases from Christmas that resonate with people everywhere. “Peace on Earth”, “Goodwill to All”, and “Joy to the World” are great examples. This cry for peace and joy at Christmas time can seem small and weak compared with the chaos of the rest of the year but it doesn’t have to be this way. My desire this Christmas is that we discover a relationship with Jesus the Christ that fuels hope all year long. This is a powerful hope that stands against the chaos of the world because it knows that God’s order is the only answer for humanity. I pray you have peace and joy this holiday time and I look forward to seeing you all in 2024! 

Kennedy News

Celebrating Student Achievements

We are proud of all the efforts of our students and would like to congratulate the following members of our community on their perseverance, sportsmanship, and outstanding achievements: 

• Nathaniel Lindstrom, Josiah Palmieri and Saxon Derecourt represented Lakeside Lightning as they competed at the Foot Locker Under 14 National Club Championships in Victoria. The team took home gold and the U14 Australian Club Shield. Great work boys!
• Aaliyah Garbin broke the state record for Women's Under 12, 68cm 80m Hurdles before competing at the WA State Track and Field Championships two years above her age level. She has now qualified for the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

• Emma Kempson will also be competing at the national Australian All Schools Athletics Championships after achieving outstanding results at the WA All Schools Championships, earning two golds and one silver in her chosen events.

• Oscar Read fought at the Australian Taekwondo National Championships, emerging with a bronze medal. Oscar says that the experience has helped him to realise just how far he has come in his sport of choice.

• Jackson Tassell has been selected in Basketball Western Australia's U14 team that will compete in Southern Cross Challenge, a prestigious national tournament to be held in Victoria in January 2024.
• Heinrich Stander and Sienna Lilly were recognised as King and Queen of the Track for their efforts and results at the Interhouse Athletics Carnival earlier this year.
• Connor Evans represented the state in lacrosse at the U15 National Tournament, playing for the WA Braves.
• Flynn Lewis played well with both bat and ball during a recent cricket game for Kennedy, finishing with 62 runs off 59 balls, and gaining five wickets for 18 runs.
• Harriet Ford has graduated the College with a scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska Omaha in the USA. It is great to see our Specialist Basketball program continuing to help grow great talent.
• Jai Eriksen's short film made it onto the shortlist for the Rock the Boat Film Festival and was shown in cinemas to attendants of the festival.
• Cerys So auditioned for the Australian Girls Choir and sang at the Alinta Energy Christmas Pageant on Saturday 2 December. Cerys has multiple events coming up this holidays, including at the International Test Match between Australia and Pakistan.

There are many events that our students will be participating during the holidays and we wish them all the best. If your child achieves a significant result over the break that you would love for the College to acknowledge, whether it be in sport or academia, please email their Head of Year with more information about their achievements.

Back to School Information

School Term Dates

Term 4 concludes today, Tuesday 5 December 2023. Term 1, 2024 will commence on Monday 29 January 2024 at 8.15am. Students are to wear their full summer uniform. For more information about term dates for 2024, please click here.

Administration Office and Uniform Shop Holiday Hours

The Administration Office will be closed from 12.00pm Friday 8 December 2023 and will reopen at 8.30am 9 January 2024. Please also note that the Administration Office will be closed Thursday 7 December 10.30 to 11.30am.

The Uniform Shop will be closed from Tuesday 5 December at 3.45pm for the school holidays. Incoming Students only will be able to attend the shop for fitting appointments from Saturday 13 January to Friday 19 January.

The shop will then reopen to all families on Monday 22 January (closed for Australia Day). Our team will begin processing Quick Cliq orders from this date and families notified when orders are ready to collect.

During Term 1 of 2024, the Uniform Shop will be open Monday to Thursday 8.00am to 3.45pm, and closed for lunch 12.30 to 1.00pm.

College Notices

Christmas Celebrations

There are many opportunities throughout December to participate in our community and discover the story of Christmas for you and your family. With multiple students and staff attending Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Nations Church, and Lakeside, this can also be a great opportunity to reconnect with Kennedy families over the Christmas break. Some fantastic local events include:

Friday 15 December: City of Fremantle 'Carols from the Koort'

Sunday 24 December: Christmas Eve Services at Nations Church (morning and evening) and Lakeside Baptist Church (night)

Monday 25 December: Christmas Day Service at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 25 January 2024.