My name is Terrie Kay and I am extremely fortunate to be the principal of Tamworth West Public School. 2022 is my eighth year at Tamworth West as the principal and my fifteenth year here in total. I completed my primary education at this wonderful school and I loved it so much, I came back!

In addition to being a teacher (which I love!), I am the mother of three fabulous humans and the grandmother of one adorable three-year old cherub, Otto. Although, he’s going to have to share me half way through this year when his little brother or sister arrives.

I also spend a lot of time with my four-legged fur-baby, Lexi. She’s a German Shepherd who thinks she’s a human!

Every day I have the pleasure of working with an extremely dedicated staff and a very supportive community. Marc Anthony said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. I think that this quote was written just for me – but I always encourage others to do the same.

I hope you al have a wonderful 2022 and I look forward to ‘working’ with you.

Hello my name is Sara Spinks and I have THE best job in the school. I’m the Deputy Principal Wellbeing. This is my fourth year at Tamworth West Public School and there is absolutely nowhere else I would rather be. It is such a pleasure to work with an outstanding staff and a friendly and proactive school community. The highlight though, is seeing 400 little smiling faces every day. I love my job!

When I’m not at work I have five children, a husband and two dogs that are pretty cool to hang out with and keep me very busy. When I’m not at work or with my family I love to spend time in my garden, playing netball or riding my bike.

I think 2022 is going to be a wonderful year and I am truly grateful that I get to spend it with all of the awesome students at Tamworth West Public School

Hi everyone.

My name is Jordana Cooper and I am so grateful to be working at Tamworth West Public School this year. I am privileged to work alongside a wonderful team of welcoming, supportive and dedicated staff. At the end of last year, I was successful in gaining a permanent role as an Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction. During 2022, I will be working with Kindergarten - Year 2 students and teachers. For me, teaching is the most rewarding job in the world! I absolutely love seeing the warm smiles on little faces each day and celebrating successes with the students as they travel along their educational path.

When I am not working, I enjoy being at home on the farm with my two children and my hubby, where we ride motorbikes around the paddock, put the kayak in the dam and kick the soccer ball around together. I look after my 40 goats, 25 chickens, 4 dogs, and at the moment, 11 puppies (feeding time is hectic!).

This year, I am looking forward to working with and building positive relationships with the students, staff, and the wider community.

Hello everyone,

My name is Sam Bowkett and I have the absolute pleasure of joining the TWPS team in 2022. I have worked across many schools in NSW, both big and small, where I have had the privilege of supporting students, staff and families. This year I will in the role of Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction. I look forward to what is set to be year full of laughter, growth and learning.

I am looking forward to working closely with the Tamworth West Public School staff, community and getting to know all the wonderful students. I have been in education for 22 years, working in Primary, Secondary and Central settings mostly rural and remote areas. I enjoy working with fellow teachers developing and encouraging our little ones to reach their full potential. I always welcome the opportunity to meet families and community, so please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself.

Hi all. My name is Georgie Wilson and I am the Assistant Principal of Kindergarten. I have been teaching for over twenty years, mostly in classrooms supporting students with disabilities. I am married with two beautiful children. I have a daughter Millie in Year 2 and a son, Harry in Year 4. I absolutely love being near the ocean and walking along the beach. I spend most of my time in my garden pottering around and spending time with my family.

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of teaching Kindergarten and working with amazing students and families. Again this year, I team up with Miss Massey on Kinder, so it will be another year full of laughter and memorable moments.

Hi everyone, my name is Katie Massey. I am from Sydney and moved to Tamworth to become a part of the team at West. This will be my third year at Tamworth West Public and I’m excited to be working with Kindergarten for the second year in a row. In my spare time I enjoy catching up with friends and family. I also love travelling and have been to 20 different countries so far. I look forward to another year of learning, growing and smiling.

Hi, my name is Samantha Deaves and I have been at Tamworth West Public School since 2015. This year, I am extremely lucky to teach Year 1 in 1SD! I am Relieving Assistant Principal for Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) and I am looking forward to working with my school community. I am super excited and passionate about teaching and supporting our students’ learning and wellbeing in 2022.

Hello everyone, I’m Nadine Dwyer and this is my second year teaching at Tamworth West Public School. Last year I had the privilege of working with every student in the school in an RFF role, but this year decided it was time for a change and will be teaching a Year 1 class. I am super excited for the year ahead and getting to work closely with our Year 1 students.

Hi, my name is Nicki Lothian. I am lucky enough to be teaching Year 2 this year at TWPS. I have been teaching for 30 years and have taught in the Tamworth area for the past 11 years. I have enjoyed being part of the TWPS community since 2020 and look forward to a wonderful year.

Teacher - 1/2H

Welcome to 2P. My name is Jordan Pollock and I will be one of the Year Two teachers for 2022.

I moved to Tamworth in June last year and joined Tamworth West PS in the same month. Since commencing I have made numerous connections with students and have enjoyed the support from staff. I am looking forward to teaching Year Two, and being involved in their journey.

I am passionate about my job and I have a love for learning. I am eager to share my enthusiasm for learning with the students in 2P and aim to encourage them to make the most of every day at school.

Hello everyone, my name is Jade Hewitt. I am a School Learning Support Officer and will be working with Stage 1 this year. This is my third year as a Learning Support Officer at Tamworth West and I am very excited to start the 2022 school year.

Hi everyone,

My name is Felicity Bagshaw and I will be teaching 3B this year. I am lucky enough to also be the Stage 2 Assistant Principal. I have been at Tamworth West PS a LONG time (since 2006) and I have taught everywhere from Year 1 to Year 6 as well as in our Support Units.

I love our beautiful school and community. We have the best school and staff in Tamworth and I am extremely lucky to work with our students and teachers every day.

When I am not teaching I love spending time with my family, friends and 2 dogs, Harry and Geri. I LOVE to travel (especially overseas) and one of my favourite places to travel is to Scotland (where one of my sisters live!)

I look forward to working with your children and yourselves this year!

Welcome to 2022. I have been at Tamworth West since 2017 but have been teaching for over 20 years. As most of the children would know I am married to Mr Lyon who will be teaching the children Science this year. Together we have 3 children, Imogen, Darcy and Charlette, who all attend McCarthy Catholic College. When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and enjoy expressing my creative side through activities like painting. I am looking forward to a fantastic year working with both the staff and students in Stage 2.

Hi, my name is Kahla May. I am incredibly lucky to be back teaching Year 4 this year and excited for the year ahead. This will be my fifth-year teaching at Tamworth West and during those five years I have been a part of the Stage 2 team.

I enjoy supporting and implementing initiatives around the school which enhance student wellbeing and engagement and assist in the organisation of sporting teams and carnivals. Soccer is my go-to sport; however, I support West students perform to the best of their abilities in all types of activities and love hearing about their achievements.

Hello everyone, I’m Natalie Deaves, most people would probably know me as Miss Nat. I have worked at Tamworth West for 4 years as a school learning support officer but this year it is with great excitement and privilege, I get the honour of being called Miss Deaves and having my very own amazing year 4 class. I look forward to working and collaborating with you all throughout 2022 to help students thrive within their learning.

Hello everyone, my name is Sally-Ann Cox. I am a School Learning and Support Officer and will be working with Stage 2 this year. This will be my fifth year as a Support Officer at Tamworth West and I am so excited to begin 2022.

SLSO Stage 2

My name is Crystal Flick and I am teaching 5/6. I have been working at Tamworth West since 2007. I have 3 children who are all in high school. I enjoy reading, travelling and spending time with my friends and family. I am looking forward to working with Stage 3 this year.

My name is Mr Willis and I am excited to be teaching 5/6W this year. This will be my 6^th year teaching at Tamworth West since joining the school in 2017. I previously taught at Manilla Central School. I love coaching basketball and have been fortunate to have coached at a zone, regional, state and national level over my many years of coaching and involvement in PSSA Basketball. I thoroughly enjoy training our school teams and coaching them in the Thursday Night basketball competitions. I also do a lot of the sports organisation for our school. I am looking forward to another great year at TWPS.

My name is Kirrily Milton. I will be teaching a 5/6 composite again this year. I have been teaching Stage 3 classes for the last 4 years of my 23 years as a teacher. I will also continue to be the Relieving Assistant Principal Stage 3 until a permanent AP is appointed.

My class will be responsible for coordinating the recycling program throughout the school and we hope to introduce the bread tags for wheelchairs program. I am passionate about wellbeing and have been instrumental in ensuring the yoga program continues for improved student engagement and self-regulation.

My name is Nicole Van Ingen (Mrs Van). I have been teaching for almost 30 years.

I work with my Therapy Dog Nova, teaching Year 5/6 V this year in Room 13.

I have two children aged 7 and 13 years.

I enjoy camping, fishing and going to the movies.

I look forward to working at Tamworth West and meeting you in 2022.

Therapy Dog

Hi my name is Sally Nuske and I will be working part time on Mondays- Wednesdays while still spending some time at home with my daughter. I am excited to be working alongside the wonderful Stage 3 team as Assistant Principal and also taking some classes across the school for RFF. I am looking forward to working with the school community this term before returning on maternity leave in Term 2 before the arrival of our baby in May.

SLSO Stage 3

SLSO Stage 3

Hi, my name is Linda McEnerny. I’ve been teaching at TWPS since 2018 in the Support Unit. I’m very excited about teaching 1-4M again this year and I’m looking forward to a fun, active and happy 2022.

My favourite things to do are cooking, gardening, reading, bush walking and spending time with my family and friends.

Hi my name is Pip Diss and I have been teaching at Tamworth West PS since 2017. I am so excited to be starting my second year as the Assistant Principal in the Support Unit. I feel very lucky to be teaching my beautiful class again this year and I look forward to a great year ahead. I love working with students, their families and the whole school community. When I’m not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family. I love travelling, gardening, cooking and paddle boarding.

Hi, my name is Kim Wilson. I am very excited to be teaching at TWPS within the Support Unit again this year. Our class will be known as 3/6W. I have worked for the Dept of Education in various capacities for the past 20 years or so. My hobbies outside of school involve horse riding and gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

I am very keen for the school year to get underway, looking forward to spending time with all our many students and enjoying the fun activities which will be on offer for us at school in 2022.

Hi, my name is Maire Foran. I’ve been a learning support officer at TWPS since 2008. I have been so lucky to be a part of our wonderful support unit since 2017 and I am excited to be working with 1-4M again this year.

In my spare time I love spending time with my dog, reading, listening to music and spending time with my family and friends.

Hi, my name is Geoffrey Ward and I am the SLSO in 3/6W. I’ve worked in various roles at TWPS for the last 7 years and have enjoyed all of them but this is by far my most favourite role!

My interests include science, technology and current affairs. My wife is Mrs Ward our School Librarian so our family is VERY involved with our wonderful school.

My name is kelly Paulston I have been at Tamworth West for the past three and a half years as a school learning support officer. I have worked across all stages, This year I will be working in Special Ed on 3/6D.

Welcome to Library for 2022. My name is Natalie Ward and I will be teaching library lessons for every class from Kindergarten to Year 6. I have been teaching for 20+ years in primary schools and as a librarian for the past 4 years. I have been teaching at Tamworth West for the past 15 years. My hobbies include travelling, cooking, and reading.

Library lessons will consist of a variety of skills including reading skills and love of literature, researching skills and information writing skills. Each student is expected to borrow a book every week. Years 3 – 6 borrow chapter books to read both in the classroom and at home. They will not require a library bag to borrow their books although it is a good idea to protect them from water damage when put into school bags. Kindergarten – Year 2 will borrow picture books and will require a library bag to borrow. The best (and easiest) library bag is a plastic shopping bag from the supermarkets.

Throughout the year we will be celebrating special events including Premiers Reading Challenge and Book Week (Term 3). Book Week is especially exciting and we hope that we can have our Book Week Parade and Fair this year.

Yaama,

My name is Joanne Spicer. I am part of the RFF (Release from Face to Face) team of teachers at Tamworth West.

I have the privilege to teach Aboriginal Language (Gamilaraay) across all Stages. I have successfully completed 2 years of study learning Gamilaraay and am currently studying Certificate 3 in Gamilaraay Language.

I look forward to working with all students and sharing the language and culture of the land on which we live and learn.

I am teaching Science across Tamworth West this year. I have been teaching in primary schools for over 20 years in the Tamworth area in small schools with Tamworth West been the largest I have worked in.

Some interesting facts about me 😊

• Despite appearances I enjoy running and quite often run Flagstaff Mountain for fun or run 10km around different parts of town.

• I got caught in a blizzard walking home from school as a boy that was so bad and had to wait for my dad to come find me.

• I am married to Mrs Lyon and we have 3 kids in high school. (Kinder are always amazed that we are married!)

• I drive the smallest car out of all the teachers.

• I HATE spiders.

I am looking forward to some fun in science this year!

Hi. My name is Nikki Cunneen and I have been teaching for over 25 years. I have a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Special Education. This year I am teaching Creative Arts for all grades. Subjects I cover are drama, music, art and dance. It is a fun and exciting subject with lots of laughs. I love creating a safe and engaging atmosphere for the children to explore their creative side. I look forward to working with your child in 2022.

Hi Everyone and welcome back to another year!

My name is Miss Burns and this year I will be returning to my role as the ‘live in casual’. This role sees me working across the school, being met by a different group of faces nearly each and every day and filling in for a teacher who may be on leave or away sick. One of my favourite things about this role is getting to know many students across the school from our teeny tiny kindys right through to our big kids (many of whom are taller than me!).

This year both my girls will be accompanying me to school each day, with my eldest going into year 3 and my youngest just starting out her ‘big school’ journey in Kindy. These two certainly keep me busy outside of school also with physie, lego building and catch ups with their friends, just to name a few. I also enjoy playing netball and coaching our school junior team, travelling, going on adventures and spending time with my friends and family.

I look forward to working with your beautiful kiddos again this year!

Hello, my name is Jo Sheedy. I have had a long and varied association with Tamworth West, teaching all stages and also working in specialist roles. This year I am continuing in my role as Learning and Support Teacher, supporting students with additional learning and support needs. I love spending time with my family, especially my gorgeous grandchildren.

My name is Georgina Cross and I have been teaching at Tamworth West Public School since 2019. Last year I had the privilege of teaching a Kindergarten class and this year I am very excited to be a Learning and Support Teacher. I am looking forward to my new role and working with students in years three to six. On weekends I love spending time with my family and enjoying the outdoors.

My name is Alexandra (Alex) Hammond and I am working as a Learning and Support teacher this year, three days a week. I will be going in and out of classes across the school supporting students with their learning. I have three wonderful children, Cooper, Mackenzie and Harrison. I enjoy travelling, horse riding, reading and being with family in my spare time. I look forward to working as a LaST again this year.

Hi! My name is Mrs Tracey Rankmore and this year I am in a Learning Support role working primarily with years 1 and 2. I cannot wait to work with some smaller groups of friends to help them achieve amazing things this year.

My husband, Mr Rankmore is a Head Teacher at Peel High School and I have 2 children, Michael is 9 and Bronte is 11. I also have two rescue dogs, Trixie is a boxer-staffy cross and is also a tri-pawd (she only has 3 legs!) and Koda is a laborador-staffy cross rescued from Heaven Can Wait Animal Shelter. They are very naughty dogs but I love them!

When I am not teaching, my favourite thing in the world to do is to laugh! There is fun and laughs to be found everywhere! I love hanging out with my friends and spending time with my family and dogs. I am passionate about animals and love helping out with the local greyhound rescue. I love learning more about our native birds, animals, and plants.

My name is Maree Black, I work in the main office at TWPS which allows me to assist staff and students with their needs. I look forward to an exciting 2022 school year.

Hi My name is Julie Toole.

I work in administration Monday to Thursday. I’ll be one of a few on the end of the phone when you call. I love my job as I really enjoy working with the students and their families. I always strive to make everyone’s day easier wherever I can.

My motto is “Be the reason some one smiles today”.

Administration

Students know me as Mr Munday, which never stops being entertaining for them. I work at Tamworth West as an Administration Officer, and my role is focused on Media and Communication. I'm responsible for capturing all the moments throughout the school year and bringing them to the community via our online platforms, including producing our monthly school newsletter. It is an exciting job that always keeps me learning and working with students and staff all over the school. Music is my passion, and when the school week is over, you might see me out and about performing in and around Tamworth!

My name is Karen Wise and I am the Business Manager at our great school. This is my tenth year at Tamworth West and my 30^th year working in the Department of Education.

Last year, I was successful in completing my Diploma of Business Administration and proved to myself, you are never too old to learn! Over the Christmas holiday break I gained a beautiful little puppy called “Georgie” to be friends with our “Pebbles”. That goes along with our other animals, birds, bantum chickens, gold fish and wild parrots that share in my home world.

Yaama ngindaay...

My name is Mrs Brown, I am a proud Gamilaraay/ Yuwaalaraay woman. I have been a part of Tamworth West for many years as the Aboriginal Education Officer (AEO). My role is to support all our Aboriginal students and their families with school related or Welfare issues. I also support and work closely with our teachers in their everyday classroom activities across all stages.

This year, I am also looking forward to continuing supporting Mrs Spicer with our Gamilaraay Aboriginal Language Program.

lf at any time you require support or would like to just have a yarn, I can be contacted through the school office.

Yaluu...

Grounds Assistant

Hi, I am Melinda Stephens, and I am a Senior Psychologist, Education. Prior to becoming a Senior Psychologist, I was a School Counsellor and a teacher. I have been at Tamworth West Public School since 2019. Whilst I am based at Tamworth West PS, I have the very special role of supervising the School Counselling Team across the Tamworth district. This means I get to visit many other schools and work with students, parents, teachers and the wider community. I love being apart of the community and assisting our schools to support the learning and wellbeing needs of all students across our region. When I’m not at work, I spend as much time as I can outdoors with my fur babies, family and friends.

Hi Tamworth West Public School,

My name is Bree Turley. I work within the school counselling service as a Leader Psychology Practice. I am fortunate enough to support 8 senior psychologists, education and 60 school counselling service staff who are located across all of the Hunter Valley and New England schools.

I hope you have a fantastic 2022

Hi, my name is Michelle and I’m part of the School Counselling team. I am very excited to support the wellbeing of students at Tamworth West. Prior to becoming a School Counsellor, I taught for over 20 years. I then changed career paths, went back to university and studied psychology. All school counsellors have two degrees and are a teacher and psychologist. I am passionate about helping children achieve their learning outcomes to the best of their ability.

My name is Rosy. You may have seen me training last year to become a therapy dog. The bad news is that COVID-19 got in the way of some of my training. However, the good news is that I can’t wait to come back and continue my training and see all of your smiling faces. I love all people and love working with children. I work in the School counsellors' office on Wednesday and Fridays.

I have been in the role of School Psychologist for several years now prior to which I worked with NSW Health and within the private sector. I am passionate about helping children find and use strengths to assist learning and grow through life’s struggles. Working in the school system is a wonderful space to assist children on a practical level while ideally ensuring a team approach and advocating on their behalf.