This morning, our staff celebrated the start of the 2024 Olympics with a special morning tea featuring an assortment of Olympic-themed treats. The staff room, decorated with Olympic flags and decorations, will become a place where our staff can come together as one to enjoy the spirit of the games. With LJBC staff originating from many different nations, events like the Olympics bring our community together and strengthen the international connections that make Lake Joondalup Baptist College a supportive and dynamic environment.

Our Year 1 and 2 students paid tribute to our ATSI history and appreciation of storytelling and love of country. The Year 1 students chose the colours blue and yellow to represent Lake Joondalup (the lake that glistens), the sky and ocean and the sun and sand. Our Year 2 students created their own symbols to tell a story about how they use the country on which we live, learn and play. The students loved telling stories of what their sticks represented for them about our local area and school.

Natalie Sanderson
Primary Teacher

At our recent Curriculum Expo, students and parents were able to get a better understanding of each course and subject available to them next year. They had the opportunity to explore and engage with each Learning Area through informative and interactive exhibitions and displays. At the same time, our dedicated teachers provided valuable insights and guidance on each subject. Students also spoke with representatives from Western Australian Universities, North Metro TAFE, Sheridan Institute of Higher Education, Edith Cowan College and the Australian Defence Force. Years 8-11 were invited to explore the Learning Area displays, while Year 12 students focused on discussions with Universities, TAFE and other institutions. As well as making valuable connections, students walked away well-prepared for their future academic journey!

In the last week of Term 2, 82 Year 6 students and 12 staff journeyed across to Sydney and Canberra. The students had a wonderful time touring Darling Harbour and visiting Taronga Zoo while in Sydney. In Canberra, we had the privilege of touring Parliament House and seeing history and our learning come alive at the Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House). We tested our sporting prowess at the Australian Institute of Sport and our aim while throwing snowballs at each other at Corin Forest.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed funding to our school in the amount of $510 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. We are exceptionally grateful to our Government for their generosity in this.

We are incredibly proud of the growth that we witnessed in our students – to the point of bringing tears to our teachers’ eyes. These remarkable young people were outstanding examples of the very best of LJBC. Almost daily, we had staff and volunteers at the places we visited comment on the students’ manners, engagement and positive behaviour. What an amazing trip!

Amber Thornhill
Primary Data and Development Leader

We are thrilled to report the success of our recent Parent Meet and Greet event for the Year 4 Band and Year 2 Strings Music Sponsorship Programs!

Parents enjoyed an insightful session, gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of music education and its benefits for their children. The event provided an excellent opportunity to meet the dedicated tutors, who shared their passion and expertise through engaging demonstrations of their instruments.

The afternoon concluded on a sweet note with a delightful tea and cake reception. Thank you to all who attended and contributed to making this event a resounding success!

Tammy van der Nest
Director of Music PK-12

This term, the Music Mentor Band had their first performance together. Parents gathered early in the morning to enjoy breakfast and watch the students perform Cover Me in Sunshine and Shotgun. It was so encouraging to see all the Mentees rise to the level of their Mentors during the performance and to watch the Mentors gently lead and guide their Mentees through any performance anxiety they were feeling beforehand. The students have worked so hard as a team to be able to reach the standard they have in such a short space of time. They should all be so proud of their efforts!

As well as weekly rehearsals performing as a class band together, Music Mentors and Mentees have been enjoying some social activities together playing board games, card games, deepening their connections through funny conversation starters and other ‘ice breaker’ activities. The Mentors have also had the opportunity to attend their Mentees music lessons. Under the guidance of our amazing tutors, they have been learning duets to perform together for the end of year concert. I want to thank all tutors involved for their efforts in assisting with the program so far.

Term 2 came to an end with our final coaching session for the Music Mentors. Joel from Clarus Consultancy has been mentoring our mentors on their journey so far this year. This term, Joel has been focusing on helping the Music Mentors develop and grow in their emotional intelligence. This has enabled the Mentors to develop trust and connection with their Mentees and in turn, helped them to flourish in their technical skills as young musicians.

Nina Shinkfield
Music Mentor Program Coordinator

Students in the Music Department recently had the incredible opportunity to attend an open rehearsal with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). This exclusive event provided our students with a unique behind-the-scenes look at the preparation and dedication that goes into a professional orchestral performance. The focus of the rehearsal was Jean Sibelius’ majestic 5th Symphony, under the masterful baton of the Finnish conductor.

An Insightful Pre-Talk

The day began with a pre-rehearsal talk, where students were given the rare chance to interact with the principal trumpet and double bass players. The musicians shared personal anecdotes about their careers, insights into their instruments, and their experiences performing Sibelius’ works. This Q&A session allowed students to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards of being a professional musician, as well as the intricacies of the symphony they were about to hear.

A Front-Row Seat to Musical Excellence

As the students took their seats in the concert hall, they were struck by the sight of the orchestra's array of instruments arranged on stage. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation as the musicians prepared for the rehearsal. Watching the conductor lead the orchestra through Sibelius’ 5th Symphony was a highlight for many. Her precise gestures and expressive movements conveyed her interpretation of the music, bringing out the best in the musicians and offering a masterclass in conducting.

The students observed how the conductor communicated with the orchestra, addressing nuances in the performance, adjusting dynamics, and shaping the overall sound. This firsthand observation was an invaluable learning experience, showcasing the importance of leadership, collaboration, and attention to detail in musical performance.

The event left a lasting impression on our students, inspiring them to pursue their own musical journeys with renewed passion and dedication. It also underscored the value of live performance and the importance of experiencing music in a communal setting.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to WASO for opening their doors to our students and providing such an enriching educational experience. We look forward to many more opportunities to connect our students with the world of professional music.

This open rehearsal was a significant event in our musical calendar, and we are excited to see the impact it will have on our students' musical education and aspirations.

Tammy van der Nest
Director of Music PK-12

Term 3 is a very busy term for our Aspire students who are preparing for four big competitions: Future Problem Solving, Creative Edge, Evatt Trophy and the Game Changer Awards. These competitions help students develop creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills. 

Western Australian Schools Debating Competition

We are so proud of our Year 10 debating team who worked extremely hard during the debate season and placed second overall. The students had excellent success against four different teams, demonstrating their impressive public speaking, idea generation and teamwork skills.

Congratulations to Sam, Tayte, Cara, and Abigail!

Future Problem Solving

We held the Future Problem Solving competition in Week 2 and it was a great pleasure to see our students thrive under the healthy pressure of the competition. This internationally recognised program teaches students to work in teams of four to solve problems by applying a rigorous problem solving framework. Our 17 teams from Years 7-11 did a wonderful job of working together and demonstrated determination, resilience and enthusiasm throughout the competition. We are excited to hear the results when they are announced next month.

Creative Edge

Creative Edge training is well under way with three teams preparing performances for the competition this year. Our Year 7 team, the defending champions from 2023, are working on a performance in the Literature and Communication category, whilst our Year 8/10 and Year 9 teams are working on creating performances for the Society and Environment categories.

Many thanks to our Year 12 delegates, Aliyah and Rosie, for coaching teams, and to returning alumni Gabrielle from the 2023 cohort who is back to coach a team as well. Your efforts are incredibly appreciated by not only the Aspire team but also the students who thrive under your support.

Evatt Trophy

2024 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for Evatt Trophy (mock UN) registrations at LJBC! We have seven teams of students: Hannah and Meryana, Alfie and Jess, Marisa and Rebecca, Abigail and Sam, Cara and Tayte, Elijah and Lauren, and Matt and Micah all representing our College at this exciting United Nations Youth event. Our teams have their first training session next week where they will learn about the United Nations Security Council. We can’t wait to see how they go.

Ashleigh Cartledge
Aspire Academic Coordinator

Class of 2023 Alumni Manolo Veneracion, has been selected for the U19 Philippines National Team for the ASEAN Football Championships held in Surabaya Indonesia this month. Manolo will play against the National teams of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Cambodia in the group stage of the competition and will be part of the squad which competes in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers later this year. Congratulations Manolo, this is a fantastic achievement!

Number one bestselling young adult author, Jack Heath, flew in from Canberra to Perth recently to share his writing techniques with our students.

Here is some writing advice he gave:

1. Delete unnecessary words
2. The words you cannot delete, replace with more specific words.
3. Hold the reader's attention at all costs
4. Let the reader join the dots
5. Tension rising is better than tension falling. Raise the stakes.
6. Use sensations as they are part of why readers read and they are a gateway to emotions.
7. You do not have a budget. Your only limits are your imagination and your vocabulary.

We love that Jack Heath's sessions inspired his young audience and left a lasting positive impact on our students.

Stephen Sampson
Head of Secondary Library Services

I have been researching the effects of cardiovascular fitness levels on academic performance amongst teenagers and found some quite interesting facts.

Over a 5-year period, I followed 42 students (18 female, 24 male) and assessed their cardiovascular fitness through the widely used multistage fitness test (the beep test). I then compared this to their average academic performance across all subjects in school. The beep test is highly effective and has a 95% correlation with clinically measured cardiovascular performance.

The results for both boys and girls showed a strong positive relationship between the level of CV fitness and academic performance. The fitter you become, the more likely you are to score more in academic tests. The real data shows that by going up just 2 stages on the test, your average across all subjects increases by 15%.

This research supports the finding of a large Dutch medical study which had similar results. It stated exercise may help by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain (1). A worldwide review into the area concluded exercise helps cognition by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain. There is also a psychological link here as physical activity could also reduce stress and improve mood, making children more likely to behave in the classroom stating “Children who learn to participate in sport also learn to obey rules.” (2)

The sports that yielded the greatest benefit, according to a state-wide project looking into this phenomenon in Texas, were team sports, probably because of their wider psychological benefit as well as their cardiovascular demands. They stated "Team sport is significantly related to higher grade-point averages and a higher likelihood of completing high school and enrolling in college."(3)

So, what can you do to improve your or your child's performance? Well, a gain of just 2 levels on the bleep triggers 15 more average points per student. An 8-week programme generally yields a 7% raise in VO2 max (4), which would be enough to make that happen, or better still, encourage or get involved with team sports for an even greater effect. Even smaller steps like increasing the amount you walk or cycle each week will help. This all adds up to better futures for our children and selves.

Who wouldn’t want to have the benefits that the Institute of Medicine, a unit of the National Academy of Sciences (5) found, showing that exercise can significantly improve children’s cognitive abilities and academic performance, as well as their health? Students who exercise have lower body fat, greater muscular strength and better cardiovascular and mental health. It suggests children who are more active are better able to focus their attention, are quicker to perform simple tasks and have better working memories and problem solving skills than less-active children. They also perform better on standardised academic tests.

So let's all get active and improve our brain's performance as well as that of our bodies. I am currently collating ongoing longitudinal data from all LJBC students in Years 7-10 to further this finding and to make it even more relevant to our students. This coming term all of our PE lessons have athletics and fitness components so it's an ideal opportunity for our students to develop some lifelong good habits.

Ben Allsop
Director of Sport

• SRIKANTH,S (2014) Physical Fitness and Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Investigation,” Sudhish Srikanth, lead author, Trent A. Petrie, PhD, Christy Greenleaf, PhD, and Scott Martin, PhD, University of North Texas; Session 2120
• MARCHENT,E (2013)Interviewed in Times Educational Supplement, Published in TESS on 31 May, 2013
• Irvin, M. J., & Byun, S-Y. (2013, April). School extracurricular activities and the academic resilience of youth from high poverty rural backgrounds. In Sarah Kiefer (Chair), Schools Supporting Success: Exploring Aspects of Risk and Resilience. Roundtable session conducted at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA
• Three ways to improve your VO2 max. Men's Health Posted on January 26, 2015 , http://www.menshealth.co.uk/fitness/cardio-exercise/how-to-increase-your-vo2-max
• Educating the student body.  Released May23 2013.  Published by The Institute of medicine of the National academies.

We understand that situations change, so if there is a possibility that you may withdraw your child(ren) from the College during 2024, please contact us as soon as possible, as our policy requires that we receive written notification of ten school weeks’ notice, addressed to the College Registrar. Registrar@ljbc.wa.edu.au.

Sally Yeomans
College Registrar