Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way..

The corridors of Great Ryrie have definitely taken on the spirit of Christmas with decorations, tinsel and Xmas cheer being spread everywhere.

Sounds of Christmas carols can be heard ringing out from my office, as this is my favorite time of the year.

It's hardly comprehensible that the year is coming to an end when it feels like we are starting to live our lives as we once knew them, before the pandemic.

I want to take this opportunity to farewell many of our treasured families as they embark on a move to secondary school, a new state or a new house. At the same time I look forward to meeting the new families that have decided to join us at Great Ryrie.

Benjamin Franklin once said,

“Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

It's good advice for all of us.

One thing the last few years of the pandemic has taught us, is that there is no reason to wait for the plans that you have been making or dreaming about. Enjoy the celebrations with your family and friends and coming together, which will never be taken for granted again.

Farewell....

On Wednesday we said good-bye to one of Great Ryrie's favourite teachers, Jo Bell.

There were many tears shed, when we announced Jo's retirement earlier this term from our community, as they know what a difference Jo makes in their children's lives.

Jo is the epitome of kindness and a true example of a teacher that teaches from the heart.

She always shows kindness to children, colleagues and parents and makes everyone feel welcome, cared for and loved. Miss Roberts told stories that made us laugh and cry, as we shared in the celebration of an exceptional career but more importantly a wonderful person.

We wish Jo all the very best with her next chapter as she framed it, with her wonderful husband, travelling, drinking coffee and having long lunches.

Farewell Mrs. Liesl Field

Liesl joined the team this year, and what an inspiration she has been for so many.

Mrs. Field we thank you for every bit of positive energy you contributed to us at GRPS which made it a better place for us all. Good luck in your next chapter with your dream of living near the sea.

Farewell Ibu Sumarno

Sue with her enthusiasm, contagious laugh, cheerfulness and love for the Indonesian culture will be missed at GRPS in 2022. We wish her all the very best and thank her for the wonderful contributions she has made to the school.

Farewell Jessie Tudor and Sai Luang

We are lucky enough to have had dedicated Education Support staff like Jessie and Sai working with our students and also working with families. We wish them all the best in 2022

Welcome...

It is my pleasure to introduce our new team members for 2022

Stacey Wells

Meaghan Edmondson,

Casey Murphy

and Jeslyn Sai who will be joining us in the role of Indonesian teacher in 2022.

We also would like to extend a warm welcome to Kate Watson and Emily Hopkins returning from Family leave.

Jo Bell talked about life as chapters so I am going to borrow her clever analogy.

Life is like a book. Some chapters are happy and some are sad , some are happy and some are exciting, but if we never turn the page , we will never know what the next chapter holds.

I can't wait for the new chapter of 2022 to begin and to share it with our wonderful community.

Thank you for all your support, kind words, cakes, chocolates, coffee, and gifts. We even received a stop sign, personally engraved whistles and a bright pink vest from families to assist with the drop off.

To my incredible partner in crime Melissa Roberts, thank you for your tireless work ethic and to the staff at GRPS who have made it through this complex year. I am forever grateful that we have been on this journey together.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

What does 2022 look like?

Classroom Teachers

FA Summa Routledge

FB Meaghan Edmondson

FC Ashlea Manshanden

FD Courtney MacLeod -Team Leader

1A Alison Dresser - Team Leader

1B Julia Broughan

1C Cayla Milner

2A Penny Nicholls-Team Leader/ Lisa Moon

2B Alex MacDonald

2C Hugh Kendall /Lisa Moon

3A Stacey Wells - Team Leader/Joe Kim

3B Courtney Atkinson

34C Kate Watson & Emily Hopkins

4A Casey Murphy

4B Claire Pratt - Team Leader

4C Annie Proctor

5A Jess Rose

5B Amanda Lennon - Team Leader

5C Bel Jay

6A Jess Syme

6B Sharon Jacobs

6C Andrew Shattock - Team Leader

Tutor Learning Initiative, Intervention and Extension Jess Steer & Peta Dal Pra

Specialist Team

Physical Education - Andy MacCartney

Performing Arts - Peta Murray

Visual Arts - Ann-Maree Bosomworth

Indonesian -Jeslyn Sai

Library & Leadership Release -Jacquie Green

EAL -Lauren Rice

Welfare and Wellbeing Coordinator -Jean Maxwell

Thank you to our wonderful Kids Hope Mentors

You may have mistaken the glimpse of the grey whiskers and the cheerful smile as the man in the red suit(Santa). You would be mistaken as it would be John and Ruth and their wonderful team from Kids Hope.

Kids Hope is a school-based mentoring program for children experiencing vulnerability. Kids Hope has impacted so many children's lives who, through care and support, have seen their lives transformed and now experience increased confidence, resilience, and joy.

The powerful one-to-one model positively impacts children as emotional and social development needs are met and learning capacity enhanced.

We want to thank these incredible volunteers for giving up their time every week to make such an impact on the Great Ryrie students lives. A special mention to Sue who has announced her retirement after 17 years.

Thank you from the staff and families at Great Ryrie

TeamKids