Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

As we welcome students and families back for Term 2, we look forward to another enriching and rewarding period of learning, growth, and achievement. Term 2 presents new opportunities for students to pursue their passions, explore new interests, and continue their academic journey with enthusiasm and determination.

We encourage parents to stay engaged and involved in their child's education, whether through attending school events, communicating with teachers, or participating in our upcoming parent-teacher meetings. Your support and involvement play a vital role in your child's academic success and overall well-being.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Together, we can ensure that this term is a fulfilling and successful one for all our students.

Term 1 Camps

It was great to hear so much positive feedback from our Year 7, Year 8 and Year 11 camps. The camps provided our students with invaluable opportunities for growth, learning, and camaraderie, fostering resilience, teamwork, and personal development. Throughout the camps, students participated in a wide array of activities, from challenging outdoor adventures to reflective group discussions. They embraced new challenges, pushed their boundaries, and forged lasting memories with their peers and teachers. Thank you to all staff who made these experiences possible.

Semester Examinations

As we transition into the second term of the academic year, it's crucial to emphasise the significance of the upcoming Semester 1 examinations for our students in Years 9 through to Year 12. These examinations serve as important milestones in their academic journey, providing opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding of the curriculum. Effective study preparation is key to success in these examinations. We encourage your child to establish a structured study routine, set realistic goals, and utilise effective study techniques such as summarising key concepts, practicing past papers, and seeking assistance from teachers or peers when needed.

Additionally, maintaining a healthy balance between study, rest, and relaxation is essential for optimal performance. We encourage your child to prioritise self-care, get plenty of sleep, eat nourishing meals, and engage in stress-relieving activities such as exercise or hobbies. We understand that examinations can be a source of stress for students and parents alike, but with careful preparation and support, our students can approach them with confidence and achieve their full potential.

A reminder to our Year 11 and 12 students about the importance of examinations:

• Year 11 examinations greatly impact on semester grades required for WACE graduation.
• Year 12 examinations greatly impact on semester marks and grades that contribute to a student’s ATAR and WACE graduation prospects.

I trust everyone has a fulfilling and rewarding Term 2 at Kennedy.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Chats

I have met many influential men and women over my years that have left permanent and positive marks on my life journey. I was reminded of one of these people earlier this week when I was cooking pancakes for the Year 12’s and they each tried finding the biggest one to enjoy! A wonderful man called Geoff Bingham, whom I knew personally through the 1990’s and early 2000’s, was someone that lived a life that, even though he has now passed, still speaks truth in my heart.

Geoff was born in 1919 and passed away in 2009 at the age of 90. He was a survivor of the Second World War after being shot and captured in Singapore and spending the final years of the war in Changi prisoner of war (POW) camp. Geoff spoke to me of his time there and painted a picture of humanity that was difficult to comprehend. He spoke of the POW camp that he was in as being a place where humanity was so clearly broken that selfish actions from some individuals created  life and death outcomes. Survival was not guaranteed and, in a bid to survive, some prisoners would commit inhumane acts, including taking food and medication from others.

In this devastating setting, Geoff spoke of finding the reality of God’s power to live a different way. One evening in the camp, Geoff and three other men were about to receive a plate of rice cakes, the nutrients of which were vital in an environment when starvation was so near. These rice cakes came in all different shapes and sizes. As the plate arrived, Geoff, in desperation to find hope in the middle of a seemingly hopeless situation, cried out to God. He needed to know if God was real. This wasn’t a selfish cry for bigger rice cakes. Instead, if there truly was a designer, Geoff believed he would be able to act as His designer intended, with pure love for his fellow prisoners. At that moment, Geoff’s heart became fully focused on the good of others and he received the power from God to take the smallest rice cake available.

Sin, or selfishness, is a terrible thing, and serving just our own self-interests can deeply wound others. I only know of one solution to this selfishness: Jesus Christ the Son of God.

The full story of the Rice Cakes written by Geoff Bingham can be found here.

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: 

• Christian Watson, Kaiyo Tan, Kaitlyn James, and Daniel Eve all qualified to compete at the Swimming Age Nationals on the Gold Coast during the school holidays and competed well for their swimming teams.
• Emma Kempson competed in the Athletics States Competition, winning in the women's javelin event, and has been representing Western Australia this week in the National Athletics Championships.
• Jackson Tassell represented Western Australia in the U14s Southern Cross Challenge. He was one of only seven players selected from the Metro region to compete in this national basketball competition.
• Holly Hughes and Ahlia Jones both competed in a national softball tournament, representing Western Australia.
• Lukas Miovski was promoted to the rank of Cadet Sergeant in the Australian Air Force Cadets and is now the youngest member in the state with this ranking.
• Kade Constantine has been selected in the state team to compete at the Australian Little Athletics Championships at the end of April, taking place in Adelaide.
• Robyn Stander has been named in the Australian Youth Squad for Artistic Swimming and is now preparing for the World Aquatic Championships in 2025.
• Zane Lewis for being named in the Associated & Catholic Colleges of WA's Cricket All Stars Team.

If your child has achieved a significant milestone that you would love to see the school acknowledge, please email their Head of Year with more information about their achievements. Make sure to follow our social media pages for some recent student highlights!

College Notices

Parent and Teacher Interviews

Parent-Teacher meetings are coming up during Week 3 of the term.

On Wednesday 1 May, students will be dismissed at the start of lunch with interviews to take place from 2.00pm to 7.00pm. These will continue on Thursday 2 May from 9.00am to 6.30pm with students to return to school the following day, Friday 3 May.

Interviews are five minutes long and aim to provide parents with an update on students. If there are any significant issues or concerns, then an additional interview of a longer length may be organised at an alternative date with the teacher. Please see the letter sent to parents regarding these interviews for more information and how to book.

P&F Term 2 Meeting & Open Day Committee

Our Parents and Friends Association are meeting during Week 2 of term on Tuesday 23 April 2024 at 5.00pm. This meeting is open to all parents, friends, staff and interested community members who want to assist in and uplifting and improving our College community, even if they have not attended before. The meeting will be held in the Staff Lounge.

Term 2 is a particularly crucial time for our P&F team as they help to prepare for the College's Open Day on 17 August. As part of this preparation, the P&F is organising an Open Day Committee. This committee helps organise some crucial fundraising elements of the day, including the silent auction, baked goods and jam, as well as volunteering on the day.

As part of the P&F's current fundraising efforts, Entertainment Fundraising Books are currently available. Click here or on the banner below to purchase an Entertainment Fundraising Book and contribute to the P&F.

For more information about the importance of the Parents and Friends Association, please email the P&F or visit our website. Members of the Association can also help answer questions about the Open Day Committee via email.

Mother's Day

We are delighted to announce our annual Mother's Day event! This is a great opportunity to bring our community of mums together over hot drinks and delicious food. This year's Breakfast will take place on Thursday 9 May and is exclusively for mothers and grandmothers of Kennedy students.

Our guest speaker for the breakfast is communications specialist Sidhara Udalagama, who currently works for Compassion Australia.

Please RSVP for this event as soon as possible to help with catering and to avoid missing out.

Student Free Day Friday 26 April

Please be aware that next Friday 26 April will be a student free day at the College to allow our staff to attend professional learning seminars, further improving on their skills and teaching abilities. For other important dates in the College calendar, please refer to Parent Lounge.

Student Assistance Payment

The WA Student Assistance Payment has been announced by the State Government to help parents and carers with cost-of-living pressures associated with sending their children to school. Please see the Premier's letter to families regarding this payment here. All Western Australian school students, with a valid WA student number, are eligible for this cost-of-living payment. This 8-digit WA student number, sometimes referred to as a SCSA or student number, can be found on Kennedy Baptist College school reports accessible through SEQTA Engage.

This number can also be found in Parent Lounge. To determine your student's number, please follow the below instructions:

1. Access the College Website (here)
2. Quicklinks (top right)
3. Open Parent Essentials
4. Click on Parent Portals
5. Scroll down and click on 'Parent Lounge Login'
6. Enter username and password
7. Select Students Details
8. Select General Details
9. The WA Student Number can be found within these details

Applications are made using ServiceWA. Please note that applicants require higher than a 'basic' level of identification on the app when seeking this assistance payment (similar to the difference between 30 and 100 points of ID).

Please see the Department of Education website for more information regarding this payment and how to apply.

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 2 May 2024