In my last newsletter article, I mentioned the prospect of some warmer, drier weather. Despite Spring ‘officially’ commencing its season on 1 September, we have still needed our wet weather gear, and resolve to stay warm. Some impact to our scheduled outdoor activities has resulted from the inclement weather; however, despite this, our students and staff have managed, re-scheduled and embraced the changes positively, demonstrating their flexibility and resilience.

College tours continue to thrive, with students and staff participating in sharing ‘our LJBC story’ with prospective families. Word of mouth is often cited as the reason families consider bringing their children to our College, which is a testament to the positive experiences shared by existing members of our community.

Our Primary students have enjoyed a range of activities from Book Week to Languages Week. Our Year 4s began the first of their AQWA sleepover camps and the Year 6s headed off to camp in the Swan Valley. The Year 1 classes visited Joondalup Library, during which a copy of our 30^th Anniversary History Book A Bright Light was presented to the Library on behalf of the College to contribute to the history of the City, and so that others can enjoy learning about our journey. We received the following note of thanks from the Library:

Dear Mr Sonneman-Smith

A short note to thank you so much for the kind donation of a copy of your recently released A Bright Light - thirty years of Lake Joondalup Baptist College 1991 - 2020.

Congratulations to you all on the exceptional work you have undertaken and the most beautiful book you have created.

Please be assured that we will be delighted to include it in our Local History collection and we look forward to sharing it with the general public as soon as possible.

One of the highlights for students this past week was inviting Dad’s to enjoy a Fathers’ Day breakfast and activities. In the Primary school they enjoyed a range of activities and a Bacon and Egg Roll, while in the Secondary school Father’s Day was also celebrated in the Technologies Café area, where a large crowd of Dads were served by our Foods and Hospitality students.

In sports, Year 3-6 students participated in their pre-athletic carnival events, and on 31 August, with a timely ‘break in the weather’, students and staff enjoyed participating in the annual Lapathon to raise funds for the House of Hope – Africa. Great sounds of enjoyment were heard from the Eastern Oval!

As our Year 12 students move closer to the conclusion of their school journey, the balance between work and play is important. The annual Grad Slam of sporting events with staff v students has again created a healthy, competitive spirit of participation, support and celebration. On behalf of the staff I congratulate the students who have done what no other group have been able to accomplish, winning the “Grad Slam” with a thrilling victory in the Rugby to seal the cup.

The Library has extended hours to provide Year 12 students with additional study session opportunities, with staff supporting them as they complete their final few weeks ahead of the exam period.

Our Author-in-Residence, Norman Jorgensen joined us in the Secondary Library for a week, engaging with the Year 7, 8 and 9 cohorts and sharing his love of books, especially history, with most of his stories located in Western Australia.

Students and staff have been busy preparing for Create, including the Visual Arts exhibition, and the Primary Learning Journey which are coming up soon. Don’t miss these opportunities to share in these celebrations of student works and performances across The Arts Learning area.

Our upcoming PCA Networking Breakfast on Friday 15 October 7-8.15am in the Sports Centre, for Parents and Collegians and senior secondary students, provides a great opportunity to consider networking with others in our communities, and for those students who may be considering careers or work experience. This is a great chance to meet those in our community who might give advice and direction. If you are a parent looking for ways to connect to others in the College, this is always a wonderful event.

This week the LJ@home learning plans have been sent to all parents as part of preparation and school readiness before the Term 3 holidays, should the College ever need to shut down. These plans have been updated and reflect lessons learned both as a school community and lessons learned nationally and internationally. Our curriculum teams in both the Primary and Secondary schools are here to assist with any concerns or questions you might have.

We regularly reflect on our mission and motto to Seek Wisdom, Act Justly, Love Mercy and to live by our values of Kindness, Fairness and Respect, and to ask ourselves what it means to us and our College Community. It is wonderful to witness the evidence of this as we see students, staff and the wider community sharing and supporting each other to reflect this purpose out into the community. This week our Secondary Chaplaincy team highlighted “RU OK” day and later in the term the Year 12 Student Council will bring awareness to mental health through the Black Dog Institute awareness day. These strong, student led initiatives demonstrate the wonderful qualities and hope present in our young people, in whom we can all be proud.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

God Bless

Paul Sonneman-Smith

College Principal

This week at LJBC we have been focussing on the message of ‘RU OK’. On Tuesday, the Chaplaincy Department ran a fundraising BBQ and soccer games with live music from our staff and student band to raise awareness, and to start meaningful conversations. Over $600 was raised for this charity.

Chaplaincy Captains visited House Assemblies to explain to students how to engage in the well being of others by the asking the following;

1) Ask the question – are you ‘really’ OK?

2) Listen

3) Encourage the action

4) Check in

Catherine da Silva
Secondary Chaplain & Christian Education Teacher

LJBC has nominated our inaugural 'No Limits' futsal team to complete in the CAS competition this term. The team comprises of a mix of students from Learning Enhancement and mainstream. 

This is an entry level competition for beginners to the game and designed for fun and participation. It also provides an opportunity for students to represent the College and develop teamwork, leadership and communication skills.

Under the guidance of Year 9 Sport Delegate Jacob, and the Acting Head of Learning Enhancement Mrs Ferreira, our No-Limits team have participated in several training sessions. We have played Mater Dei College, Irene McCormack and Prendiville with players thoroughly enjoying the experience.

With additional events being added to the ACC calendar for 2022, our team and coaches are excited to see our students participating in more of these competitions in the future.

Kim Clift

Director of Sport

Our Book Week parade is always an exciting event. The Library Monitors did a fantastic job taking us on a journey in the Magic School Bus through Old Worlds, New Worlds and Other Worlds. Together with the students in her class, Miss Frizzle taught us fascinating information about Ancient Egypt, interesting things about the International Space Station and we went down the rabbit hole following Alice in her Underground World.

With every book you read, you dive into another world. These worlds might be based on old worlds, the past, they might be new worlds, futuristic, or they might be fantasy worlds, other worlds. Books let you travel without moving your feet, they set your imagination free, teach you new perspectives about other people and transport you to different times, places and people!

Thank you for supporting your child in providing such creative book character costumes.

Carmen Hawkey and Jaime Lovell

Primary Teacher Librarian

We are excited that our Book Fair is taking place in Term 4. Book Fair is a wonderful opportunity for students to get excited about books and reading as well as engage in a real life shopping experience. Every purchase made not only benefits students with their love for reading, it also benefits our school and contributes to the resources students and teachers can access in our library. With the range of great value books available, you may be able to find some excellent Christmas gifts too!

Book Fair dates: Thursday 14 October – Thursday 21 October 2021

Shopping hours: 8 – 9.30am and 2 – 4 pm

A wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level will be available. There are 4 options available to purchase your books.

1. Library Lessons. Students can purchase books during their Library lessons. Send money in a ziplock bag clearly marked with your child’s name.
2. Wish lists. Students will come home with a wish list and you can fill in your credit card details and send the list back with your child to pay for the books. Students can then take the books home with them.
3. Online payments. Payments can be made directly online and then the books will be available to collect scholastic.com.au/payment Make sure to choose Book Fairs payments NOT Book Club
4. Extended Opening Hours. Visit us in the Primary Library during one of our extended opening hours. These times are: 8 – 9.30am and 2 – 4pm. Hand sanitizer will be available when you enter and leave and we will have a maximum of 60 people at a time.

We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair!

Carmen Hawkey and Jaime Lovell

Primary Teacher Librarians

At the start of the academic year, both Year 11 ATAR and General Visual Arts students conducted research into the flora that is native to Joondalup. They explored the areas inextricable links to the first inhabitants, looking at the Noongar seasons and the various plants that were once plentiful in this location. Students researched and represented their chosen plants in detailed drawings to finally create beautiful design swatches that would eventually become part of a new mural for the College.

All of the students in this class created ecxellent work and many artworks were entered into the Celebrating Joondalup, Joondalup Art Awards. We were most pleased that both Chanel and Georgia were both awarded and highly commended for their entries.

With the assistance of Blank Wall artist, Michaela Miller, the student’s designs were drawn on to the large wall opposite Student Services. Year 11 Visual Arts students as well as Tuesday Special Visual Art Club spent many weeks completing this masterpiece. The final result is a vibrant celebration of plant life found in this locality. Well done to all of our amazing students.

Erin Knight and Rachel Ramsay

Visual Arts Teachers

Curriculum Awards

This semester has been a busy term with learning and each student moving toward their academic achievement at many levels- suited to their own learning journey. For Semester 1, we have the honour of awarding the following Certificates of Excellence and Letters of Merits to students who have consistently had outstanding academic achievement across a range of subjects/courses:

Year 7 – 9 Certificates of Excellence and 28 Letters of Merit

Year 8- 15 Certificates of Excellence and 35 Letters of Merit

Year 9- 10 Certificates of Excellence and 24 Letters of Merit

Year 10- 16 Certificates of Excellence and 36 Letters of Merit

Year 11- 8 Certificates of Excellence and 8 Letters of Merit

Year 12- 1 Certificate of Excellence and 1 Letter of Merit

Congratulations to all of these students for such great attention to their academic work. We celebrate your successes!

Kim Eyre

Dean of Studies

This term, the Primary Fitness Club began a new activity. 

Over the last 8 years, Fitness Club consisted of:

Swimming – Term 1

Running – Term 2

Triathlon – Term 4

In Term 3, students usually took a break, but to keep the fitness train chugging along, our keen students began 'Circuit Training'.

We received an overwhelming response to the idea, and had 160 students join the club, all eager to participate in the early morning circuit training, rotating between 10 exercises - Push ups, Burpees, Squats, Plank, Calf Raises, Wall Sit, Lunges, Skaters, Leg Raises and Ab Crunches.

Thank you to Mrs Davies who came along and shared her expertise on how to correctly do the exercises, and it was wonderful being assisted by the Year 9 students who encouraged their teams to persevere and strive for that 6 pack! Thank you.

Thank you for the fantastic help from parents who assisted each morning with cooking up a storm and serving all the students and parent participators. The club wouldn’t be the same without the breakfast!

One last shout out to the 6 primary teachers who gave up some sleep to attend and assist in this club.

Thank you to each person who assisted in making the club a success.

Jeremy Chappell

Primary Chaplain & Coordinator of Christian Education

Sporting Profile – Ben 

Sports I have previously participated in:

• Rugby
• Athletics (Track & Field)
• Tennis
• Golf
• Cross Country

Sports I take part in now:

• Athletics
• Cross Country
• AFL
• Golf

Achievements (school and other):

• Running:
• Represented Western Australia at the Australian Track & Field Championship (Track) - 2021
• Western Australia State Cross Country team (Nationals to be held in Adelaide - TBC) -2021
• Australian Track & Field Championship finals (Top 8) in both 800m and 1500m (2021)
• 4^th fastest time in Australia for my age – U15 (800m) (2020- 2021 season)
• 2^nd in 800m at WA State Championships (2021)
• 3^rd in 1500m at WA State Championships (2021)
• 3^rd in Little Athletics Cross Country states (2021)
• 7^th in Athletics West Cross Country State championships – long course (2021)
• 2^nd at ACC Cross Country (2021)
• 3^rd at WA Little Athletics State Championships 100m (2019)
• 4^th at WA Little Athletics State Championships 400m (2019)
• 3 x State relay Gold Medals in 4x400m
• 1 x State relay Silver in 4x100m
• 2 x State relay Bronze in 4x100m
• Winner of 100m, 200m, 400m & Long Jump at ACC (2020)

 Rugby:

• Rugby Nationals representing the WA State U12 team in 2019
• 4^th at Rugby National championships in Armadale Sydney (2019)

What sport means to me and my future goals:

In the future I want to win a medal at Nationals for the 800m. I want to represent Australia in the Olympics one day and represent Australia in international competitions. I started off as a sprinter and a rugby player but about a year ago switched over to 800m and 1500m and left rugby to focus on running. I am very proud of my achievements so far, really love my sport, and I only hope that there is more to come.

Ben 

LJBC Student

On Tuesday 24 August, Sallie Watson visited the Year 3 students and taught them how to provide basic first aid to an unconscious casualty. The students were taught how to walk around the casualty to look for obvious danger, to check for a response, to put the casualty into the recovery position, to check for breathing and how to call 000. The students all had a turn to be the casualty and to be the responder. It was great fun, and the students enjoyed learning what to do in an emergency.

Michelle Kruger 

Year 3 Teacher

Our Primary Fathers Day breakfast was a wonderful celebration of the love we have for the fathers, grandfathers and special people in the lives of our Primary students. The bacon and egg burgers were delicious and as popular as always, and the donut station was a great hit! The basketball tournament, Lego building, table tennis, mini golf and many other activities were enjoyed by all. The Parents & Friends ran a terrific gift stall, and it was delightful to watch how carefully our students chose their gifts to give. Thank you as always to the incredible Primary Staff for their invaluable help. We wish all our families a very blessed weekend for Fathers Day!

Carol Harris

Dean of Primary PK-6

On Thursday 2 September, Lake Joondalup Baptist College hosted our Diversity Expo for students from Kindy to Year 12, showcasing a variety of local services that are on offer through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The primary focus of the NDIS is to create individual plans for each person in the Scheme to give them the support they need to live a fulfilling life. The evening commenced with a heartfelt and inspiring talk by Audrey Rose, from The Neurodiversity Network, on her personal journey to a diagnosis as an adult and beyond. Representatives from the following agencies specialising in providing support to students and families in the Joondalup area, presented on the evening.

The Neurodiversity Network (Audrey Rose) - assisting clients with individualised support to navigate the NDIS to develop and achieve lifelong person-centred goals.

Your Way Personal Coaching Services (Sarah MacDermott) – Information and coaching to empower and support families to engage more confidently with the NDIS.

APM – helping families with disability access the support they need.

Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD) - national provider of disability supports that inspire and enrich lives every day.

Autism Association of WA – supporting personal development, equality of opportunity and community participation of people with Autism.

People’s 1st Program – specialising in providing education and counselling in resilience, self-esteem, hygiene plus much more.

Smart Talk – offers speech pathology and services that help students from speech to social skills.

AIM Therapy for Children – offers speech and language, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services.

Direction Psychology – offers individual therapy, group therapy and psychometric testing for learning behavioural disorders.

Edge Employment – assisting people to find meaningful employment.

Following the presentations, parents, students and teachers enjoyed walking around looking at stalls as well as socialising with one another.  This was a great opportunity for parents to meet the Learning Enhancement Team from K – 12 and to share their experiences.

Sarah Ferreira 

Acting Head of Secondary Learning Enhancement

We understand that situations change, and remind you that if there is a possibility that you may withdraw your child(ren) from the College during or at the end of 2021, our policy requires that we receive written notification of ten school weeks’ notice, addressed to College Registrar. Registrar@ljbc.wa.edu.au

Sally Yeomans
College Registrar