Photo above: Annual Music Night. 

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

As we approach the end of Term 2, I would like to congratulate all students on their hard work and thank them for contributing to the many aspects of the life of the College. It has been wonderful to see everyone focus on their academic achievements here at Kennedy and continue to strive for the best possible outcomes. 

Three special Assemblies will be held early next term to present students with academic awards and celebrate Kennedy's success. These will be held in the Sports Centre as our Auditorium refurbishments are continuing. We hope you can join us for these special events as we acknowledge the achievement of our students.

Please note the following important dates in the short term:

• Friday June 30 - Staff professional day (Student Free Day)
• Monday July 17- Staff professional day (Student Free Day)
• Wednesday July 19 - Year 8 and 12 Academic Awards Assembly
• Wednesday July 26 - Year 7 and 11 Academic Awards Assembly
• Wednesday 2 August - Year 9 and 10 Academic Awards Assembly
   

2024 Term Dates

Planning is now underway for next year and all families need to be aware that some major changes will take place. Next year, we are planning to commence student classes earlier and adjust our staff professional learning days, enabling us to reduce Term 2 from 11 weeks to a 10-week term. This means that the holiday break between Term 2 and 3 will be three weeks long in 2024. Term dates for 2024 will be:

• Term 1: Monday 29 January – Thursday 28 March
• Term 2: Tuesday 16 April – Friday 21 June
• Term 3: Tuesday 16 July – Thursday 19 September
• Term 4: Monday 7 October – Tuesday 3 December

On behalf of the Kennedy staff, I wish everyone in our community a safe and relaxing semester break.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Chats

Let’s consider birds! Birds are accessible, ubiquitous, and everywhere. Anyone can see them with or without special equipment or training. Watching birds can be done by a child or an Ornithologist...

It requires one special skill... Which is the ability to really see! Waiting, watching, and listening are not glamorous, but are important skills to recognise birds. Spending time watching birds has been shown to improve mental health, restore attention spans, reduce anxiety, and lead to a greater sense of well-being. I would like to think that if I slow down more and watch birds, I will be like some famous bird watchers: Paul McCartney, Albert Einstein, and Agatha Christie. Even Jesus himself was a bird watcher.

Jesus used the phrase, "look at the birds" to help us understand life’s most profound lessons and to illustrate our value to God. Not one sparrow’s life was forgotten by God. To God, you and I are worth much more than the sparrows! Truly considering the birds should remove our worry about life, about the basics of food and clothing, and restore our worth.

Fun fact: An average Songbird can only survive 1-3 days without food, and in challenging conditions, they can only live less than 24 hours! For me, that means that God is calling us to trust Him and come to Him every day! His daily provision is promised and needed for us to survive and thrive in this life. Considering the birds today, we will find that God will supply everything we need.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:25-26

Curriculum Report

I cannot believe that another busy term is concluding. It was terrific to witness the conversation between parents and staff at the start of the term. I would encourage parents to check SEQTA regularly to review feedback from teachers in the form of marks and/or comments. Further queries can be messaged via SEQTA directly to the teacher.
 

2024 Course Selections

Students in Years 8 to 11 are now selecting courses for 2024. Selections are made electronically, with the student and parent/guardian signing off on the desired course selections. Please note that selections must be completed by Thursday 29 June 2023.

The Executive Team have been busy with Year 10 to 11 interviews. These interviews are an excellent opportunity for students to meet with their parents and a staff member to discuss their post-school ambitions. During these interviews, students' results, achievements, and ambitions are used to assist in the course selection process.

Year 7 students will be making selections for 2024 in Term 3. Information will be sent to families early in August. 
 

Semester Reports

All student reports will be issued at the end of the term, on Thursday 29 or Friday 30 June. I would like to remind Year 12 students, this is their last report and as they approach the end of their Kennedy Journey, I encourage all Year 12 students to maintain a committed approach to their studies. 

Finally, I would like to wish all families a restful semester break. I look forward to another exciting Semester Two.

Pastoral Care Report

Our Pastoral Care goal at Kennedy Baptist College is the creation of a safe, nurturing and engaging educational community where students can thrive academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. One of the Four Pillars of Pastoral Care is the outreach program. This includes year-group community services and overseas mission tours. 

The Kennedy Baptist College Community Service program is an essential part of the Kennedy Journey that our students experience 

Our Year 7s began their Community Service this term with a visit to the Lakeside Church Seniors. This was a fantastic opportunity for students to positively engage with a different generation and converse over various topics —our students serve tea, coffee, and morning tea to the seniors. The feedback from our Year 7s was that they had a great time learning different perspectives and hearing valuable stories.  

Our Year 9s had the opportunity to attend St Bartholomew’s House Women’s Service in East Perth for Community Service. We had a tour of the facility, cooked a BBQ lunch. We shared some stories and heard from some women about their journey. It’s an excellent opportunity for our students to be involved with an organisation in the community that helps people in need. Both year groups had the opportunity to give back to others and grow themselves. 

Tomorrow, students have the opportunity to raise funds through a free-dress day. Funds will go towards our Transform Cambodia Kennedy Centre, so I encourage students to donate to this worthy cause. 

Our student leaders are also working together to show gratitude to the Kennedy teachers, appreciating their hard work and the care that they show towards the student body. They presented gifts to the different Learning Areas this week. 

Finally, we look forward to Kennedy Day and our Annual Arts Cup next term, but for now, I hope everyone has a restful and wonderful semester break. 

Kennedy News

Celebrating Student Achievements

Kennedy would like to congratulate the following students on their perseverance, sportsmanship, and outstanding achievements: 

• Renee Morgan competed in the WA State U/16 Girls AFL in April. 

• Finn Annandale qualified for the State Squad Gymnastics Western Australia team. He was very excited that he had the opportunity to represent WA in the level 6 U/17 trampolining! The competition was in Queensland in May. 

• Eban Raymond's Baseball team has won the U/14 WA State Championships and traveled to the National Championships of Australia in May. 

• Morgan Kingwell represented WA in the National Youth Championship Sport Climbing event in Sydney in May 2023. 

• Jasmine Coghlan outstanding dance performances at the Believe Dance Competitions! Her highlight was that she was awarded as the battle winner with her own choreography and qualified for finals receiving a Judge's Choice Award for Future Star Ability.

• Nate Scott participated in the last phase of the WA State School Boy AFL Trials, he was successful in making the team, and we wish him all the best. 

• Christian Watson was offered a place in the School Sport WA Swimming team. The event will be in August, where Christian has been selected to compete in the 50m, 100m backstroke and relays. We wish her all the best.

• Sophea Andrew was selected to represent WA in the 2023 Hockey U/16 Girls Championships and will be competing in August. We wish her all the best.

We would love to know if your child has achieved a significant milestone in any area. Please feel free to email their Head of Year a photo and more information about their achievements. 
 

Annual Music Night

Back to School Information

Term 2 concludes for students on Thursday 1 June 2023. Term 3 will commence on Tuesday 19 July 2022 at 8.15am. Students are to wear their full Winter Uniform. 

The Uniform Shop will be closed on Wednesday 28 June for stocktake and the first week of the school holidays. They will reopen on Monday 10 July to Wednesday 12 July between 8.00am - 3.45pm. *Closed for lunch 12.30 - 1.00pm.    

The Administration office will re-open on Tuesday 18 July. (Please note Monday 17 July is a Staff Personal Development Day). We hope that you have a restful and safe semester break. 

College Notices

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday  20 July 2023.