Grade 2 Staff

Lucy Kennedy (Grade 2A and Team Leader)

My name is Miss Lucy. I’m really looking forward to teaching at SMPS in 2021. I have been teaching for 10 years and this will be my 4th year teaching at SMPS. I spent the majority of my teaching career in the Grade1/2 Department (it’s my favourite place to teach!).  

Over the last couple of years, I have been lucky enough to travel to many exciting places around the world. I have been to America and throughout Europe with my husband Jagen, exploring the different cultures and meeting many wonderful people. 

I grew up in a little town on the South Coast of New South Wales called Tathra. My parents and three sisters, Maddie, Georgia and Charlotte are all very close. I love spending my holidays at the beach with my family.  

I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the coming year.  

Jess Hobbs (Grade 2B)

My name is Miss Jess. I’m really looking forward to teaching 2B in 2021.  I have been teaching at SMPS since the school opened three years ago. It is a joy to come to work each day at SMPS.  

My favourite place that I have travelled to is Italy. I saw some amazing places, including the Colosseum in Rome, the remains of Pompeii and went for a gondola ride at sunset in Venice. I loved being immersed in the culture of Italy and eating so much delicious food, including prosciutto and mozzarella paninis.  

I grew up in a small town called Lara, which is near Geelong. I go back to Lara most weekends to spend time with my parents and brother, Matthew. I also love to see my pets, including my dog Cludo, my cat Pud and my bird Rafa. They are always happy to see me and greet me with a bark, meow and tweet.  

I am looking forward to laughing, singing, smiling, being creative and helping my class learn many new things in the coming year.  

Hope Underwood (Grade 2C)

My name is Miss Hope. I have been teaching at SMPS for over a year as a Specialist teacher in Robotics, STEAM, and PE. I am excited to now be in the classroom!  Over the last few years, I have been lucky to travel to South Africa, Rwanda, Hong Kong, and Japan. I love exploring the culture by meeting people and eating lots of yummy food!  

I grew up on the Mornington Peninsula and love to spend time at the beach listening to music or reading a good book. I like to stay active by bike riding along the foreshore and boxing at the gym. Most of my time I spend at the park with my cheeky dog Athena. This year, I also got engaged to my partner of 9 years, Rhys.  

I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the coming year.   

Nadeeka Pussalle (Grade 2D)

My name is Miss Nadeeka. I am really looking forward to teaching Grade 2 in 2021. I have been teaching for 8 years and this will be my 3rd year teaching at SMPS. I was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia when I was three years old. 

I have one brother and a sweet dog named Caia. She is one year old and loves to take naps, play fetch and eat!  One of my favourite things to do is to go on hikes. I love being outdoors and exploring nature. I have been lucky to travel to many different places to do beautiful hikes. Some of my favourites were exploring Uluru National Park in the Northern Territory, Inca Trail in Peru and hiking to Mt Everest Base Camp.  

I also enjoy gardening. I have lots of house plants in my little apartment. On the weekends I visit my parents and help my mum with her veggie patch. I like planting new seeds and watching them grow.  

I am so excited to meet you and have lots of fun learning together.

Maddie Gort (Grade 2E)

My name is Miss Maddie.  I have been teaching at SMPS for two years. I love working at SMPS.

Over the last couple of years, I have been lucky enough to travel to many exciting places around the world. I have been to New Zealand and throughout Nepal and Northern India, exploring the different cultures and meeting many wonderful people. In my spare time I enjoy going hiking in the mountains and spending time with friends and family.

I grew up in Port Melbourne and moved to Bendigo for four years to study teaching after high school. In my family I have my mum, dad, older brother and older sister. We also have our dog Ginja who I absolutely adore. This year I adopted a cat, he is called Jax. He is super friendly!

I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the coming year.