Dear families,
Preparations for our Christmas Concert (Monday 28 November at 2:00pm) are gearing up and we are really looking forward to sharing all the hard work that staff and students have put into this presentation.
It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent we have amongst our students. A big thank you to Miss Lisa Pointon and Mrs Beverly Giggins for the hours of preparation they have put in to making this experience so special and memorable for our students and their families.
Transition Day
It was great to see so many happy faces at our Transition Day today. Our current students were so welcoming to their new classmates and many new families commented how welcome they made them feel. Our Reception students have been taking part in their transitions over the past three weeks and are excited about starting big school.
All of our Junior School students enjoyed and were excited to meet their teachers for 2023.
Our Junior School Teaching line-up for 2023 will be:
Reception
- Amy Willcocks
- Georgie Shearer
Year 1
- Tanya Stopp
- Sharon Meadows
Year 2
- Amelia Detmar
- Alana Coppock
Year 3
- Stephanie Gurner/Helen Maidment
- John Freebairn/Mark Tenny
Year 4
- Craig Donley/Lisa Pointon
- Julia Bartram
Year 5
- Edwina Bruce/Katie Hills
- Deb Cope/Mark Tenny
Year 6
- Darren Taylor/Katie Hills
- Sarah Viney
Specialist Teachers:
Helen Maidment – Physical Education
Jodie Marks – Japanese
Lisa Pointon – Music
Junior School Leadership 2023
In 2023 we have some exciting new leadership initiatives in the Junior School.
Tanya Stopp will continue in her role as Junior Primary Coordinator. This year Tanya has thrived in this role and supported her team to develop their explicit teaching skills and introduce Daily Literacy reviews to the classrooms.
Edwina Bruce will be our Upper Primary Coordinator for 2023. Edwina brings a wealth of experience leading staff, and coordinating camps and outdoor education experiences for students. Edwina has a number of exciting initiatives planned for the Year 3-6 students and we are looking forward to seeing our offerings expand for these students.
Katie Hills has had a very successful year as Literacy Coordinator and in 2023 this role will expand to encompass all areas of the curriculum. In 2022 Katie has facilitated a number of literacy initiatives, with a particular focus on writing development. As I have walked around classrooms and read the wonderful writing that students have developed, Katie’s influence has certainly been evident.
Mark Tenny will continue in his role as Wellbeing Leader in 2023. This year Mark has driven the introduction of our Whole Junior School Friendology program, as well as initiatives such as the House Singing competition.
As well as the additions to our Leadership Team, Darren Taylor will be working one day a week across the Junior School as a specialist Robotics and Coding teacher. Darren plans to implement a Vex Robotics program.
New ELC Director
As well as our new leadership positions across the Junior School, we are pleased to announce our New ELC director, Jessika Ramage.
A passionate Early Childhood Teacher and leader, Jessika brings years of experience working as an Early Learning Director in the Northern Territory, most recently at Kingdom Kids, Marrara College.
Jessika is also currently studying a Graduate Diploma in Psychology at The University of Adelaide.
Having recently relocated to the Fleurieu Peninsula with her family, Jessika is now ready to lead our amazing ELC team into 2023.
We believe that Jessika will be an indispensable addition to the already amazing Little Investigators family.
Jessika started this week; please join us in welcoming her to the team.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the ELC team, particularly Amy Bawden and Amy Vitkunas, for the fantastic work that they have been doing over the last few weeks in between Directors.
Please join me in congratulating our new leadership team.
St John’s Grammar Connection
Over the past two Thursdays, our Year 3 and Year 5 students have visited the St John’s students in the Belair National Park. It is great to see the students at our two schools share their learning and make new friends. I look forward to watching this connection with our Anglican Brother/Sister school grow further in 2023.
2023 Enrolments
We still have some limited places available across several year levels for 2023. If you know of any friends or family that would like a tour or are considering enrolling for 2023, please refer them to our enrolments team.
Nicholas Smith
Head of Junior School
