Emma Robinson

Kindergarten

I am the Kindergarten teacher at HillSide. I am qualified with a Bachelor of Education in Primary and Early Childhood Education.

I actually became a Christian while attending a Christian College as a student. Now I can share my faith with others.

I have been teaching Kindergarten for six years and I am honoured that I am able to introduce to students a love for learning. It is my hope that by the end of Kindergarten my students have become confident, involved learners who enjoy belonging to our school community.

Natalie Davies

Pre-Primary

I have been married since 1990, am a mother of three adult sons and am a Pre-Primary teacher.  I have taught at HillSide since 2010, having been in the Early Childhood area since 2011.

I enjoy camping and many creative pursuits, play piano at Church, do regular battle with my garden and struggle through cross-fit training.

At school, I love to see the progress made during a child’s first year of full-time schooling and see the increase in their knowledge of how much God loves them.

Nedra Garnett

Year 1

I am an early childhood teacher and have been teaching for 26 years. I completed my training at Edith Cowan University where I achieved my B.A (Early Childhood Education). After graduating, I went on to work for the Department of Education for six months before travelling to Europe. On my return, I began teaching at Mundaring Christian College and other schools within the Swan Association for 10 years.

I began working at HillSide in 2002 and have really enjoyed my time here.  During this time, I have predominantly taught Kindergarten, Pre-primary and Year 1 classes. In the past, I have taken on the role of coordinator in the areas of both, early childhood and learning support. I have a sound understanding of specific learning difficulties and how to implement strategies within the classroom to cater for specific needs. I am also registered with the Dyslexia Foundation as a specialist teacher in synthetic phonics with training in a number of phonics programmes.

My aim as an early childhood teacher is to engage students with our learning programme by providing a safe and enjoyable environment in which all students are able to reach their potential. I believe that the classroom needs to be motivating and enjoyable so that students have a positive attitude towards learning. The teacher/student relationship is critical to this and I firmly believe that all students can experience success.

Audrey Anthony

Year 2

I have completed a Bachelor of Education (Kindergarten to Year 7) at Edith Cowan University. I have been teaching at HillSide for six years and during my time here I have taught Years one, two and three. I am currently the Year 2 teacher.

I am passionate about teaching, encouraging children to reach their full potential and watching them develop in their learning. I believe that creating a learning environment that is engaging, safe and conducive for children is essential.

It is a privilege to work at HillSide and be able to guide children to grow in their relationship with God and serve Him.

Belinda Officer

Year 3

I am very happily married and my two children enjoy coming to HillSide as much as I do. You’ll find me bushwalking with my family, dancing and singing with joy at Church and staying in touch with friends and family around the world.

I began my teaching studies in Perth and completed my Bachelor of Education in New Zealand. Whilst in New Zealand, I taught at various Early Childhood Care and Education Centres and Kindergartens. In 2010 I began teaching at HillSide where I have had the pleasure of teaching Kindergarten and all primary years through relief and part-time roles.

At HillSide, I really thank God for the opportunity to be able to teach children the mandatory curriculum through a biblical perspective. Combining the love of Jesus with every day classes is something I treasure being able to do. Setting children up with the necessary knowledge, life long skills and learning dispositions with a confidence in Christ, is what drives my teaching.

David Macdonald

Year 4

I am currently teaching Year four students at HillSide and have worked with all primary years over my career. I have tended to work with Year 2, 3 and 4 students over the past six years. I started teaching at this school in 2006, I have seen many changes over this time and have enjoyed it very much. I also came to this school when I was a student! My favourite lessons to teach are Christian living and devotions. I also enjoy music and sport.

I graduated from Edith Cowan University in 1996 and spent the first 10 years of my career working in the government system as a physical education specialist, classroom teacher and remedial teacher.

Rebecca McClenaghan

Year 5

I am currently the Year 5 Teacher. I completed my Bachelor of Education Degree at Curtin University and am now in my ninth year of teaching. Throughout my teaching career, I have taught Year 3, 5 and 6 and have developed a love for teaching Art and Writing.

Teaching and educating students about our world and God is a passion of mine and I love seeing students achieving their full potential and utilising their God-given talents.

It is also very important to me to create an environment which is positive, supportive, challenging and conducive to learning, where both teacher and student work together and interact positively.

It is an honour to teach at such an amazing school, and I feel extremely blessed to be part of the Hillside College community.

Felicity McKinley

& Rebecca Lamont

Year 6

Felicity and Rebecca share teaching responsibilities for the Year 6 class. This is the second year they have shared a class and are committed to providing a loving, thriving classroom environment.

Felicity graduated as a mature age student in recent years and has taught in a variety of roles before being offered the Year 6 class. She brings with her many years of experience of being a parent at Hillside and transitioned to the professional role several years ago.

Rebecca gained her primary school teaching qualification in 1992 and worked for the government education system for nearly 10 years before moving to Christian education.

Both staff are very excited with this year’s cohort and look forward to guiding students in their learning. Both teachers share a close working relationship to ensure that continuity is central to the teaching relationship.

Kym Brooks

Primary ICT & Curriculum Support

I have been working at HillSide for over nine years, seven of them as a teacher.  I have a Bachelor of Arts (English) and a Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary).  I believe that we never stop learning and my aim is to encourage children to be curious and motivated.

I employ Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences when creating activities to nurture a variety of learning styles.  If students engage in a lesson using all their senses and perceptions of the world, it encourages higher order thinking.  Being a Christian, I believe in treating students as Jesus Christ advocates – with love and respect.  Each child deserves a teacher who is interested in their academics and also their spiritual health.

My personal interests involve travel, reading, writing and spending time with my family and friends.  I can’t say no to a donut and love to say yes to an adrenaline-filled ride.

Bradley McLeod

Physical Education

I am a qualified Health and Physical Education teacher, who graduated from Murdoch University in 2016. This is my first time teaching at Hillside after a year teaching at South Coast Baptist College.

I have been a Christian since the age of 15 after hearing about Jesus during my time at a Baptist high school. I am attending a Baptist Church, where I have served as a Chaplain for the Lightning’s basketball programme in the Western Australian Basketball League.

I am passionate about bringing God and sport together, getting kids involved in all aspects of any game they play. Just as we are called to be a light in the world, I ask my students to be a light on the sports field through sportsmanship and fair play.

Joan Pietersen

Music Education

Working at HillSide continues to be a rewarding experience for me. This is mainly due to the fact that the College values Music as an integral part of the curriculum and recognises Music as an invaluable opportunity to worship at assemblies. This makes my job so much easier and satisfying for, not only am I able to teach the subject I’m trained for, but I am also blessed to use Music as a platform to minister in my regular employment.

I am K-12 trained in Music both practical and theory and consistently demonstrate the ability to perform at a high level in all music teaching settings.

Apart from academic writing, Music is both my hobby and my passion. I play a long list of instruments at levels ranging from accomplished to proficient, to successful Band and Orchestral application. This can probably be ascribed to the fact that my initial training enabled me to take risks and not fear anything Music!  My need to write is satisfied by engaging in regular Music Research Seminars and by reflecting on my involvement in Music presentations and Music workshops.  Other hobbies include gardening, walking, swimming and volunteering with The Lions.