Dear families

Staff news

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

Mrs Cathy Scott is moving to Albany and has taken up a teaching position at Albany Primary School.  Mrs Scott has been at Joondalup Primary School for over 10 years and provided the early education programfor many children and supported families as they have connected with JPS, many for the first time.  By any measure, Mrs Scott is an exceptional teacher.  Her classroom skills, knowledge of key learning concepts, ability to respond to individual needs and relationships with children and adults are brilliant.  Behind the scene Mrs Scott has provided quality leadership and mentoring of her colleagues and was the link between the school and ECU.  We would like to wish Mrs Scott every happiness as she moves to her new home and joins her new school.

Mr Joe Ferraloro will be taking leave for the first part of 2021.  Mr Ferraloro has been part of the Joondalup Primary School staff for many years.  He has held various roles and worked alongside many staff.  We hope that Mr Ferraloro enjoys the break and catches plenty of fish.

Mr Peter James has been merit selected to Sorrento Primary School as a permanent teacher.  It is very exciting news for him and not so for us.  Mr James has done an amazing job in the Year 4 class and worked closely with his colleagues.  He has taught Mrs Zyrucha a few things about an electronic assessment tool and using less paper!  We hope that Mr James has a great time at his new school. 

Mr James was going to teach in one of our Year 6 class for 2021 and we are now going through the process of selecting of a new teacher.

New School Captains, Faction Captains and Choir Captains

Congratulations to the School Captains, Faction Captains and Choir Captains who have been selected for 2021. 

School Captains:

Keira A, Danny B, Tehya B, Lilly H, James H, Harvey M, Joanne N and Casey W.

Faction Captains:

Red – Indy B, Ben H and Solomone K

Green – Madison F and Charlotte S

Gold – Harvey M and Hollie N

Blue – Jasmine L and Isaac M

Choir Captains:

Stella B and Felicity D 

A huge thank you to the outgoing councillors and captains for all their work during 2020.

Graduation 2020

Congratulations to the Year 6 Graduating Class for 2020.  I hope that you have a wonderful holiday before stepping into the world of high school. 

At the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, a number of students were recognised for excellence in a specific area.  A summary of their citation is as follows:

Citizenship Award – Amelia B

Amelia is an outstanding role model and demonstrates strong leadership skills and personal initiative and has been an active member of the school community through a variety of roles.  

Science Award – Jai M

Jai possesses an exceptional blend of intellectual skill and intrinsic curiosity about the way science explains how the world works. He has a depth of knowledge in all fields of science, works methodically and excels at collecting and evaluating data.   

STEM Award – Linden V

Linden uses his impressive understanding of STEM skills to identify and correct problems in class and in real world situations. He has used his passion for science as a human endeavour to ensure all his STEM projects are purposeful and innovative.

Visual Arts Award – Cloe H

Cloe displays competence across a wide range of media and subjects. Cloe’s drawing skills are outstanding.

Indonesian Award – Jai M

Jai clearly enjoys learning Indonesian and consistently demonstrates excellent comprehension skills. He employs a range of good strategies to help him understand unknown words and learns new words and phrases quickly.

Sportsperson Award – Harvey S-G

Harvey is a talented athlete who shows skills across a wide range of sports.  He has excellent balance, coordination and skills and an extensive working knowledge of games. He shows terrific sportspersonship, is respectful of his peers and is always willing to help out and assist in lessons and activities. 

Sportsperson Award – Kaydn S

Kaydn embodies the culture of sport at Joondalup Schools and has led by example.  She is trusted to arrive at school early, check over equipment and set up the sporting activities for the day.

Endeavour Award – Chelsea S

Chelsea is determined, dedicated and committed to her learning.  She regularly asks questions to ensure her understanding and works extremely hard to ensure she applies feedback in order to improve her knowledge and skills.

Music Award – Arushan A

Arushan’s enthusiasm and passion for music is unparalleled. His drive to excel in music has been evident throughout his primary schooling.

Music Award – Imogen L

Imogen has always shown a keen interest in music. She has a passion for singing and has been a committed member of the Joondalup Schools Choir since joining in Year 3. 

Commitment of Excellence – David B

David performs to an excellent standard across all learning areas of the curriculum and his conscientious attitude and ability to set and achieve goals has resulted in him having a very successful year.  

Academic Excellence – Foram D

Foram is an exemplary student who has displayed academic excellence in all curriculum areas. She has exhibited mature and effective working habits, completing all of her work to a very high standard. She strives for excellence in all that she does and works at a consistent and steady pace. Foram is an exceptional student and a critical thinker.

Important Dates for 2021

Please note that the school office is closed from Friday 20 December 2019 at 11.00am and will reopen on Monday 25 January 2021 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 yesterday 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. 

 Safety during the holidays

Please remind your children of a few keys suggestions for staying safe during the holidays. 

If children are going out on their own they should travel in a group, stay in well-lit areas, and be alert to their surroundings.  If they feel anxious or worried they need to talk to an adult to get help. 

Best wishes

I would like to acknowledge the work of the staff who have done an amazing job throughout 2020.  It has not been the easiest of years but we have made it!  Thank you to all staff for your efforts to make sure that children had every opportunity to learn, maintain friendships, and to remain connected to the school.  I hope that you enjoy a safe and happy holiday and come back to school refreshed and ready for a new year.

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 valued your commitment to the school through your gifts of time and expertise.

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, read a few books, and not worry about getting ready for the school day.  I will see everyone on Monday 1 February 2021 and I can’t wait for the holiday stories.