Photo above: Year 12 Graduation. 

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Families,

It was wonderful to celebrate our graduating class of 2021 last Friday evening. This was a significant occasion to acknowledge their achievements and hard work. It was particularly special to reflect on their journey at Kennedy in such a positive way. I would like to thank all families for their commitment and support toward Kennedy over the years and congratulations to our graduating students. We wish them the very best for their bright futures ahead. 

We now welcome our 2022 Year 7 students for Orientation Day this Friday, and we look forward to celebrating our Year 7-10 students on the last day this year, Wednesday 8 December with a formal Awards Service to acknowledge their achievements. This service will commence at 8.30am and we would love for you to join us for this special celebration.

2022 Planning

Planning is well underway for next year in many ways, and a number of staffing changes have been confirmed that I would like to share. This includes a number of teaching staff who will be leaving Kennedy at the end of the year and I would like to highlight their commitment and service to our College.

• Mr Wendell Pether, Deputy Principal has resigned after 24 years of service to Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist Colleges.
• Mr Greg Munyard, Science Teacher will be retiring after 22 years of service to Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist Colleges.
• Mr Glenn Tyrie, Head of Year 8 has accepted a promotional position at Lake Joondalup Baptist College after 22 years of service to Kennedy and Winthrop Baptist Colleges.
• Mrs Virginia Yurisich, Head of Research and Study will be retiring after 17.5 years of service to Kennedy and Somerville Baptist Colleges.
• Mrs Marina Lochner, Food Technologies Teacher, will also be retiring after 13 years of combined service at Kennedy and Somerville Baptist Colleges. 

There are also several other staff who will be finishing their time with us. This includes:

• Mrs Benita Jordaan, Food Technologies.
• Mrs Cassandra Tisdall, Science.
• Mr Simon Leau, Science.
• Mrs Fiona Elliot, English.

Several teaching staff will also be on leave next term and we wish them the very best for a restful and productive break.

• Mrs Chelsea Cosson, English, Long Service Leave.
• Mr Murray Dunstan, Head of Year 9, Long Service Leave.
• Mr Brad Gunter, Technologies, Long Service Leave.
• Mr Rijk Batley, Humanities, Long Service Leave.
• Mrs Alison Hanham, Research and Study, Long Service Leave.
• Mrs Lara Del Basso, Dance, Maternity Leave.

It has been wonderful to have had a number of staff completing fixed-term contracts for a range of leave replacement positions this year. I would also like to acknowledge their hard work and thank them for contributing to our services at Kennedy:

• Mrs Barbara Meadows, English.
• Mrs Elizabeth Riggs, Drama.
• Miss Jemma Sadler, Mathematics.
• Mrs Rebecca Keshwar, English.
• Miss Carla Swayn, Health and Physical Education.

A result of these changes and a restructure in leadership positions, the following significant appointments have been made for 2022.

• Mr Andrew Dunn, Deputy Principal, Pastoral Care.
• Mr Alex King, Acting Director of Students.
• Mrs Janelle Anthony, Head of Performing Arts (New Position).
• Miss Karina Podmore, Head of Sport (New Position).
• Mrs Beverly Reed, Head of Learning Support (New Position).
• Mrs Natalie Williams, Head of Year 7.
• Mr Murray Dunstan, Head of Year 9.
• Mr David Orr, Acting Head of Year 12.
• Mr Rory Najjar, Acting Head of Year 9 for Term 1.

Mr Mark Ashby
Principal

Chaplain Devotion

Contentment. What is Contentment? It sounds great, and the idea of it is wonderful, but it’s a challenging word. It seems elusive as a state of being, but it is also a very appealing idea in the context of daily life. The lack of contentment seems to be a strong force in every person. If we spend time pondering it - the drive to find contentment and to remain there - seems ever-present in our lives. When any person settles into the idea that they HAVE enough, or that they ARE enough, there is an overwhelming joy and life begins to flow. I find that flow to life is what I hear many people, students and adults, are hoping exists somewhere, we often just don’t know where, most of the time.

I want to direct our thoughts to the idea that life flows when it’s lived in the Kingdom of God. Like when a rotating wheel is balanced and there is no vibration, or when a guitar string is pulled into tune and it resonates the right note, life is to be something similar. There is a flow to the Kingdom of God.

I read a short story many years ago and as I have been writing these newsletter articles this story has been coming to mind. Before we finish this year I wanted to share this story with you. It’s called “The Frisbee Family” and it’s a simple story of a family picnic in a Brisbane park, written by Geoffrey Bingham, an amazing Australian author. I knew Geoff before he passed away in 2009 and I know his heart in this story was to call the reader to seek the life that flows in the Kingdom of God. It’s a challenging story but if you open your heart to its message I hope you are able to enjoy life in the flow. Take some time and click here to read the story. 

Year 7 Report

It has been a great year getting to know this awesome bunch of students and leading them through their first year of high school. Reflecting back on the year, it has been a full, challenging, and new adventure for us all. I am so proud of how students have grown and matured throughout this year.

We have been able to finish off our year with some fun activities including the social events to Lazer Blaze and a Christmas party with the seniors at Lakeside as part of our Community Service program. Students had a great time at Lazer Blaze and it was nice to see them come together showing off some amazing skills. I absolutely love running these socials and getting to know them better along with seeing their enthusiasm and camaraderie being part of our community. These events are valuable in connecting and making friends, and I encourage our year group to continue to come to these events next year to strengthen their friendship groups and have a whole lot of fun whilst doing it. 

Our final Community Service was a Christmas-themed morning tea with the Lakeside seniors. We have loved getting to know these seniors this year and have enjoyed the interactions between young and old. Our students have been amazing with their ability to converse and serve the seniors and everyone enjoyed this experience. Next year we have a similar Community Service opportunity where we will be able to go to Opal Aged Care Centre at St Ives Murdoch to have morning tea with the residents there.

We now look forward to the Year 7-10 Awards Service on the last day this year, Wednesday 8 December. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the Year 7 award winners.

I will continue to pray for the safety of our Year 7 students and their families over the summer holidays and look forward to them returning refreshed and ready to face whatever new challenges are coming next year. 

Year 8 Report

The Year 8s continue to show great growth through the year and they are finishing off on a high note.

Last week we had Kennedy Mental Health Day. It was great to have Mrs Yvonne Kilpatrick visit us and explain that acknowledging feelings both positive and negative is the best way to deal with them. She encouraged students that if they are struggling they should just take a breath, step back and take some time. These things can make a great improvement to our overall mental health. After the talk, our students went back to our Form classes and had a mindfulness session with their Form teachers. I also reflect back on our visits to Opal Aged Care Centre at St Ives Murdoch. We had our last group visit to the seniours group last week. It was once again amazing to see the respect and care that our students gave to the residents in their interactions over a lovely morning tea.

I would like to thank the leaders of Nations Youth and Life Chapel for the amazing work they have done this year. It was a joy to partner with them! To finish off 2021, we will be having an end-of-year activity next week and we look forward to the Year 7-10 Awards Service on the last day this year, Wednesday 8 December. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the award winners.

I have had some time to reflect and it is bittersweet to say that I have accepted a position at another College for next year. I have really enjoyed working with this group of students during their first two years of high school. Each week I am impressed with their empathy, caring and willingness to help each other. They are growing into an amazing cohort of young people who I am already exceedingly proud of. I will miss every one of them and I continue to pray that they will have a blessed and spectacular future. Thank you to all families and I wish you all the best. God bless and remember the best thing you can do is to be kind to everyone all of the time.

Year 9 Report

Congratulations to all Year 9s for completing their Semester Two examinations! I know that as a whole, our cohort has worked extremely hard to prepare for these exams. It has been a stressful time for many students as they spent numerous hours reviewing all course content from Terms 3 and 4. Well done, everyone. I am sure your child will see the fruits of their labor when results are released in a few weeks’ time.

As reports become available, I encourage all families to spend some time discussing the year’s results and asking questions. Are you pleased with the grades you have achieved, or could you have done better? Did you maintain discipline and stick to your study program throughout the year? What measures can you put in place next year to improve? How can your family help you, and how can teachers help you to be your best? Perhaps your child is working too hard and needs to think about how they can achieve a balanced lifestyle next year in order to prevent burnout and breakdowns.

I have seen such personal growth in our Year 9 students this year. There have been challenges as they navigated the complexities that come with growing through teenage years. Students continue to learn how to respect one another and themselves. I recognised how students are learning to take responsibility for their actions and learning to stand up and speak out when they see behaviour that does not reflect our College values. I am incredibly proud of how far the Year 9s have come throughout this year.

This morning students made the big move into the Year 10 area, where they have new Form rooms and new lockers. This is not just a physical move but also requires an intellectual and emotional shift. No longer are they the young kids that joined the College a couple of years ago, they are now maturing into young adults who will soon be the leaders of the College. Congratulations on a great year, Year 9s. Have a restful break. I look forward to seeing you in 2022!

Year 10 Report

2021 has been a big year for many of the Year 10s and I have felt privileged to have had the opportunity to build relationships and journey with them as their Head of Year. 

The year has been busy with many events on the calendar, recently the 10s celebrated together at their social. This was a night with many of them spending hours on the dance floor and in the photobooths.  It was lovely to see almost 200 of them dressed up for the evening and enjoying the company of their peers and Form teachers. I am also proud of our Year 10 Physical Fitness class sweating it out at their end-of-year Triathlon held at Coogee beach in Week 5, a huge ‘well done’ for their efforts that were put in on the day. 

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Year 10s who are the 11/7 Mentors for 2022 and the training days they have just completed this week to prepare for the 2022 Orientation Day on Friday 26 November.  Next week will see the Year 10s spending time as a cohort preparing for life as senior students of the College. Transition day, on Wednesday 1 December,  is a morning where we focus on preparing the students for their chosen pathways of studies. We aim to give them information and feedback on changes and expectations from Year 10 to 11, pastoral care support they can utilise and strategies to achieve both academically and mentally for life in Year 11. I am excited for the students as they focus more on the pathways they take for their future careers, either General or ATAR courses.

As with the changing seasons, many of the 10’s have experienced some highs and lows, and growth in different domains of life.  As we look forward to a seasonal change with the summer break approaching, I encourage the Year 10’s to really rest and rejuvenate before gearing up for Year 11 in 2022. I would like to thank all the students and parents for the support they’ve given to their peers, Form teachers and myself this year.  May you and your families have a blessed Christmas, where you are able to stop, reflect on the year that has been and remember the real meaning of Christmas. God bless.

Year 11 Report

On Monday the Year 11s completed their final day of College for 2021. It is amazing how quickly each year seems to pass. I am incredibly proud of our students, who have faced many challenges yet finished the year so positively. It has been a privilege working alongside the students and their families in my role as Head of Year.

Academically, this year was a significant 'step up' for our Year 11 cohort. Both ATAR and General courses came with an increased workload. I have seen students work extremely hard to achieve their goals. The development I have witnessed in the students over the course of this year has been amazing, as they progress towards adulthood.

There were several highlights in 2021, including the Year 11 Rottnest Camp, Year 11 River Cruise, presentations from Olympic 800m runner Peter Bol and former Olympic Opals player Nat Burton as well as the 11/7 Mentor program. In addition to this, we had the Newman Indigenous Tour, which was a fantastic experience for the students who attended. I have received positive feedback from many people in the local community and in the Pilbara region about our Year 11 students.

I will be enjoying Long Service Leave during Term 1, 2022 and on return will be taking up a position as Head of Year 9. It has been an honour to work with the 11’s this year and I look forward to seeing them represent the College as Year 12’s in 2022. Information has recently been sent out about the Year 12 Ball, which takes place on Friday 18 February at Fraser’s Restaurant in Kings Park. I will be attending the ball and cannot wait to see the students dressed up and celebrating in style. Thank you for your support. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. God bless.

Year 12 Report

Our Class of 2021 ended on a high note with a wonderful Graduation ceremony that was very well attended by family and friends. It was a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate our students. It was a time of nostalgia as we looked back over the last six years; as well as a sense of excitement as we looked at the future for which we had been preparing the students. I thank all parents and guardians for their wonderful support towards the College over the six years of schooling and I thank the students for the privilege it was to be their Head of Year.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity I have had to work with such an amazing group of young people, and I know I could never repeat the experience with any other group. In saying this, I have reflected on my time and have made the decision to resign as Head of Year, but I look forward to continuing to teach and support students here at Kennedy in a different capacity. 

I believe this group of 12s, is a very special group of young people and I know they will achieve great things in the future. They have amazing hopes, dreams, and goals, which I believe many of them will achieve. Being a teacher is about impacting students in a positive way with the hope that they will be a blessing to future generations. Thus, our influence, hopefully positive, will continue on like waves in the ocean. It is a massive responsibility but also a great privilege and I am honoured to be part of a profession that gives me this opportunity. We cannot teach the students all they need to manage in a very quickly evolving world, but we can help develop the character and life skills that will help them thrive in life. What the world will look like when they are my age, in 2064, is beyond my ability to comprehend, but I believe they have the character and skills to conquer their tomorrow... 

I look forward to catching up with the class of 2021 at the Alumni afternoon on Friday 25 February 2022 at 2.00pm – 4.00pm in the Staff Lounge. This will also be a great opportunity to collect your 2021 Yearbook.

I wish them all the very best and continue to pray for the Class of 2021 and that they will experience success in all aspects of their lives. May God bless and protect you all. Click here for Graduation photos. 

Kennedy News

College Notices
 

The next newsletter will be published on:
Thursday 9 December 2021.