Emma Robinson

Kindergarten

I began working at HillSide in 2013, after completing a Bachelor of Education in Primary and Early Childhood Education. I have worked in various roles throughout the Primary school; however, I have mainly taught Kindergarten and Pre-Primary. I am passionate about establishing a foundation for lifelong learning, encouraging students to become confident, involved learners who enjoy belonging to our HillSide community.  

My teaching rationale is centred on a play-based approach to learning. This approach involves both child-initiated and explicit teaching, where children are encouraged to inquire about the world that surrounds them and to develop a deeper understanding of their Creator. I fervently believe that God created each child with the potential to contribute to our world uniquely and I see that my role as a teacher is to encourage and support each student throughout their learning journey.  

 I became a Christian whilst attending a Christian College as a student. I am an advocate for Christian education and I am very thankful to be able to foster and celebrate children’s spiritual growth. I also have a background in youth ministry and currently coordinate my churches young adult programme. I love being a part of the HillSide family and I consider it a privilege to serve alongside such a dedicated team.  

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 began teaching full-time at HillSide in 2013, after completing a Bachelor of Education (Kindergarten to Year 7) at Edith Cowan University. I first came to HillSide as a practice student and instantly knew I wanted to be part of the HillSide community. During my time here, I have taught Years one, two and three. I am currently the Year Two 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 to be a part of this Christ-centred community. It is wonderful to 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, singing with joy at Church and staying in touch with friends and family around the world.

My time in education began in 1996, when I was an Education Assistant in a Kindergarten. I began my teaching studies in Perth and completed my Bachelor of Education in New Zealand. It was there I began working as a qualified teacher. In 2010 I began teaching at HillSide, where I have had the pleasure of teaching Kindergarten and all primary years through relief, part-time and full-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 decade. I started teaching at this school in 2006 and have seen many changes over this time. 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. However, the best part about teaching has always been relating to the students and observing them learn.

I graduated from Edith Cowan University in 1996 and spent the first 8 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 have been teaching full time at Hillside since 2010.

Throughout my teaching career, I have taught Year 3, 5 and 6 and have developed a love for teaching Christian Education, Art and Writing.

Teaching and educating students about our world and our 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 began working at HillSide as an Education Assistant before going on to do my teaching qualification in 2010.  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.

Ruth Smith

Japanese

はじめまして.  わたし  は スミス ル–ス ともう します.

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Sumisu Ruusu tomou shimasu.

Nice to meet you for the first time. My name is Ruth Smith.

I am currently teaching the Japanese Language at Hillside Christian College to students from Year One to Year Eight.  This is my fourth year with Hillside Christian College, however, I have been teaching Japanese, with a period of maternity leave off with four children of my own, for the past twenty years.  During this time I have taught Japanese from Pre Primary up to Year 12 level.

I first discovered my interest in the Japanese Language at 14 years old when I travelled to Japan on an exchange programme, experienced the culture (including the ‘culture shock’) first hand and came home with a desire to learn more about the language and culture.  I studied Japanese for my TEE in the late 1980’s and while I was at Edith Cowan University studying to become a primary school teacher I also went to TAFE night school and studied a Japanese fluency course.  Japanese is a language that is embedded with so much culture as well as the speaking, reading, writing and listening elements, making it an extremely enjoyable subject for me to teach.

When I’m not at school I love reading and spending time with my family.

どうぞ よろしく お願いします。

Douzo Yoroshiku  Onegai Shimasu