Staff news

It’s that time of the year when things get wrapped up. Today we will farewell some staff who have made a valuable contribution to the school. 

During the past 12 months Ms Sanela Sivic has been a highly valued education assistant in the middle and upper primary classes.  Ms Sivic has provided children with support during their learning and been a great helper to teaching staff getting things ready for the learning program. 

Mrs Spicer has been merit selected to a full-time, permanent teaching position in the Education Support Centre.  Mrs Spicer has been a wonderful and much loved Kindy teacher. Congratulations to Mrs Spicer on her appointment; we are glad that you are nearby!

Mrs Jessica Mason has been working in Room 13 with Mrs Knobbe for the year and more recently, Mrs Michelle Schoch joined Mr Bibby in Room 12. They are excellent teachers and have been a welcomed part of the Year 5 teaching team. 

Mrs Joy Hawley and Ms Libby Gawned are officially retiring.  Both have had long careers during which time they have impacted positively on the lives of many children and their families.  Mrs Hawley has been passionate about early learning.  She has been a leader in the Play and Learn program which provided children with an early connection to the school through activities and relationships.

Ms Gawned has been a classroom teacher and spent some time as the teacher-librarian.  As a literacy enthusiast she instilled in the children the importance of becoming good readers, writers, speakers and listeners.  Ms Gawned was highly committed to her profession and worked with her colleagues to ensure that children’s school experiences were positive and educative. 

Mrs Lynette Robcke has been working at Duncraig Senior High School in the Maths department.  She made the decision to be part of the Department’s Switch program which enabled her to update her skills and qualifications so that she could teach in a secondary school.  As everyone expected, she aced it!  Mrs Robcke accepted a permanent teaching position in her new field.  It was a hard decision for her to leave Joondalup Primary School but she is looking forward to the new challenges that teaching young people will bring.

To all of these staff members, we wish them every happiness for the years ahead.

Christmas fun

What a wonderful assembly on Friday morning and a brilliant Carols by Candlelight last Tuesday.  Both of these events showcased the musical talent of the school choir, how our students (and Mr Lee) have mastered the angklung, and the artistic skills of many children. 

I would like to thank Miss Rhiannon O’Connor for all of her work with the choir.  Her ability to create music magic with the Year 3 to 6 children is exceptional. Thank you also to Mrs Jayne Butler for her input and support of the Choir. Thank you to Ibu Maria Mulyana for helping to develop the enthusiasm and skills of the children for playing the angklung.  To Mr Rory Critchley, thank you for your technical support and making sure that everyone sounded perfect.  Thank you to Mrs Shannon Read who organised the stage for us because this meant that everyone could see their children perform.  Thank you to Mrs Helen Sweet for teaching the children to create artwork for the display on the night. 

The Carols night and Christmas assembly are team events with many other staff volunteering their time, helping with set up and pack away, hanging decorations, and allowing the students to attend additional rehearsals.  The success of these events is because the Joondalup staff have worked together to provide something special for the students and wider school community.  I greatly appreciate their commitment.

Graduation 2019

Congratulations to the Year 6 Graduating Class for 2019.  I hope that you have a wonderful holiday before stepping into the world of high school.  I wish you every success and hope that you learn many new things, make great friends and have good relationships with your teachers.

At the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, a number of students were recognised for excellence in a specific area. Congratulations to:

Citizenship Award – Holly A

Holly is an outstanding role model and demonstrates strong leadership skills and personal initiative. She has a very positive attitude and encourages her peers to do their very best.  She is honest, reliable and kind. She has been an active participant within the school community as a Gold Faction Captain, member of the Social Justice Committee, and through her involvement in all school events.

Endeavour Award – Charlotte M

Charlotte shows a constant determination, dedication and commitment to her learning. She regularly asks questions to ensure her understanding and works extremely hard to ensure she applies feedback to improve her knowledge and skills.

Science Award - Annabella P

Annabella shows curiosity about the world around her and a desire to experiment, investigate, and extend her knowledge. Annabella demonstrates a consistent passion and enthusiasm for science and should be commended on her exceptional effort in Science this year.

Music Award – Annabella P

Annabella’s enthusiasm and passion for music is unparalleled.  She shows an interest and focus during class music, a commitment to the guitar program, and been devoted to the Australian Girls’ Choir.  Annabella is a humble, quiet achiever who does not seek acknowledgement or accolades for her abilities, rather playing and singing for the sheer enjoyment music brings her.

STEM Award – Karn W

Karn uses his impressive understanding of STEM skills to identify and correct problems in class and in real world situations. He has shown that he is able to engineer simple machines that demonstrate the laws of physics.

Visual Arts Award – Karn W

Karn displays a keen interest in art. He approaches his artwork thoughtfully and develops his ideas skilfully to achieve the best results. He is always willing to explore new ideas and mediums, often asking if he can create differently to the given instructions. His drawing skills are outstanding and it is always a pleasure to see the finished piece of art.   

Indonesian Award – Joshua W

Josh enjoys learning Bahasa Indonesian and has developed a large range of language learning skills.  Josh understands and uses various Indonesian phrases and sentence patterns. He is able to confidently answer the teacher’s questions about food, sports, school, transport, numbers, and animals in Bahasa Indonesian.  Josh participated in the 2019 Joondalup Festival Lantern Parade. He is able to play angklung very well.

Sportsperson Award – Liam C

Liam has shown himself to be an outstanding sportsperson. He excels in all sports and displays a high level of enthusiasm during Physical Education and sport sessions. He is a terrific role model for his peers and always exhibits good sportsmanship.  He has had an outstanding year and represented the school in athletics, cross country, AFL, dodgeball and cricket.  He uses his leadership abilities to unite the school at sporting events.

Commitment of Excellence – Tia S

Tia always performs to an exceptional standard across all learning areas of the curriculum and school life. Her conscientious attitude and ability to set and achieve goals has resulted in her having a successful year. Her persistence and commitment to basketball has earned her a place in the basketball program at Woodvale Secondary College. Tia is a hardworking, genuine, extremely respectful young lady and a wonderful role model.

Academic Excellence – Irish J

Irish is an exemplary student who has displayed academic excellence across all learning areas. She has exhibited mature and effective work habits, completing all of her work to a very high standard. She always strives for excellence and is a logical thinker.  She has an impressive understanding of all concepts covered this year and a keen interest in her continual development.

Joondalup Kid Award – Michala S

Michala is first and foremost an exemplary student who has a go at each and every challenge she is presented with, doing so with a determination, enthusiasm and positivity that sees her complete class tasks to a very high standard. She has proven to be exceptional in her role as Student Councillor, fulfilling her duties with a diligence that is to be commended. Michala is an outstanding student and a wonderful representative of Joondalup Primary School.

The graduation ceremony was a wonderful way to end the school year.  Thank you to Miss Skye Mercer and Mr Kyle Easther for all of the work undertaken to make the ceremony a pleasure to attend. 

New student councillors and faction leaders

Congratulations to the student councillors and faction leaders who have been selected for 2020. 

Important dates for 2020

Please note that the school office is closed from Friday 20 December 2019 at 11.00am and will reopen on Tuesday 28 January 2020 at 8.30am.  During these time any emails sent to joondalup.ps@education.wa.edu.au will not be responded to immediately and any phone messages will not be regularly checked. 

End of year reports

End of year reports were sent home Tuesday via email.  Please take some time to read the reports and discuss them with your children.  These reports provide you with information about your child’s achievement and progress during the past semester.  Thank you to the staff for the time and commitment given to ensure that the reports are accurate and informative. 

Best wishes

I would like to acknowledge the work of the staff who have done an amazing job throughout 2019.  The contribution of each individual has made a difference to what we offer the students in the classrooms and how we support them socially and emotionally.  I hope that they enjoy a safe and happy holiday and come back to school refreshed and ready for a new year.

A very special thank you to the staff in the school office who have worked tirelessly to keep me on track during the past six weeks.  They have offered advice, been encouraging and prevented some mistakes on my part.  I have appreciated their support.  I am sure that they are looking forward to five weeks of no questions from me.

To the School Board and P&C Association – Thank you for the vital role you have played in the school.  I have appreciated your input and perspective about what is important to the school community.  Thank you for keeping your focus on what is best for the students and for supporting the direction of the school. 

Thank you to the Education Support Centre staff for all of their work with the children in their classrooms.  I am especially grateful that you allow me to drop in unannounced to have a chat!

To all of the children and their families, have a very happy Christmas.  Enjoy the school holidays and take some time to chill out with family and friends, to get outside and play, to read a few books, and not worry about getting ready for the school day.  I will see everyone on Monday 3 February 2020 and can’t wait for the holiday stories.

Once again the interior doors of our school were turned into wonderful holiday displays. Every door from Kindy to year 6 displayed the festive spirit with Room 15 and Room 2 being announced the best. Well done everyone.

Mrs Young

Class Teacher

On Tuesday 10^th December, Joondalup Schools held the 2019 Carols by Candlelight extravaganza. The school and wider community came together to celebrate the Christmas festivities as the Choir sang Christmas songs. There was food, drink and candles on sale provided by the P&C and prizes for the best dressed. We would like to say a big thank you to the staff, P&C and Candlewood IGA for their support in making the night happen. From the Choir, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and an enjoyable holiday.

Miss O’Connor and Mrs Butler. 

On Friday, 6^th December 2019 selected Joondalup Primary School students from rooms 8, 10, 11 and 12 had an excursion to play Christmas Carols and perform Indonesian dances at the Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre.

The first presentation was held inside the Myer Department store and the next took place in front of the Christmas nativity near the Woolworths store.

The students performed two Indonesian dances; an umbrella dance and a bamboo dance. They played Silent Night, Joy to the World and Hark the Herald Angels Sing on bamboo musical instruments called angklung.

The crowd was mesmerized by the skills of the primary school angklung players who not only performed exceptionally well but followed Ibu Mulyana’s very clear instructions precisely. 

We would like to thank Mrs Zulyani Suwono and Gloria Ford who helped us before and after the excursion, and all the parents who helped Ibu Mulyana after both shows. Thank you, everyone.

 Well done students.

Ibu Mulyana

Indoesian Teacher

Term Dates 2020

Staff Development Days 2020