Embedded Files
Principal - Samantha Chapman
Purpose and values
Purpose and values
Learning Together Growing Together
Learning Together Growing Together
Our purpose is to support our students to be courageous, inquiring learners who strive to do their best in a caring environment.
At Castlemaine North Primary School we work from a foundation of TRUST.
We show this through…
THOUGHTFULNESS, COURAGE , PASSION and WONDER in how we learn and how we interact with each other, our COMMUNITY and our environment.
Castlemaine North Primary School was established in 1878 and is located in a residential area of Castlemaine, drawing students from the town and surrounding district. The current enrolment is 257. The nearest major regional centre is Bendigo, which is approximately 30 kilometres to the north.
The buildings are a mix of the original 1878 building, a 1970s construction which has been refurbished and our BER learning spaces along with a Mod. 5 (portable) building. Other facilities include an Art room, Library and Performing Arts room. The school has extensive playing facilities with areas set aside for passive and active recreation. Considerable effort is made to ensure that buildings and grounds are attractive learning environments for students.
Castlemaine North Primary School places a strong emphasis on providing a diverse and creative curriculum. An integrated inquiry approach to learning is a feature of the school, with all classes engaging in "Big Question Time" each week. All classes are supported by specialist programs in Languages (Indonesian), Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Physical Education/Health. Additional programs include the ‘Play is the Way’ pro-social skills program, swimming, instrumental music, choirs, circus skills, camps, excursions, Bike Education and Preparation for Puberty.
Parent and community participation complements and extends the quality programs provided by staff, with parent involvement a strong feature of the school. This partnership enables our parents to participate in many aspects of school life and gives rise to a cooperative school culture where a spirit of mutual respect is evident. A strong and positive School Council and an active Parents fundraising and engagement group (FUNRaisers) guide policy decisions, develop and maintain facilities and raise additional funds for the school.
Meet the team
Meet the team
Principal - Samantha Chapman
Principal - Samantha Chapman
Year started at CNPS: 2014, principal since 2018
Favourite season: Summer
Favourite AFL team: Brisbane
Favourite artists: Hilltop Hoods, Miley Cyrus
Favourite ice cream flavour: Cookies and cream
Hobby: Gardening
Special skill: Memorising people's names
Classroom Teachers
Classroom Teachers
PREPS
PREPS
Manna Gum Building
Laura Farrell
PREP L, ROOM 12
Laura Farrell
PREP L, ROOM 12
Year started at CNPS: 2025
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: Road trip around Tasmania
Hobbies: Bushwalking and reading
Favourite artists: Asgeir, Bon Iver, London Grammar, Lana Del Rey
"Logic will take you from A to B, imagination will get you everywhere."
Nicole Semmens
PREP N, ROOM 11
Nicole Semmens
PREP N, ROOM 11
Year started at CNPS: 2019
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: South Africa
Favourite AFL team: Essendon
Favourite ice cream: Salted caramel
Hobbies: Tennis and walking
Special skill: Jigsaw puzzles
"Be yourself, everyone else is taken."
GRADE 1/2s
GRADE 1/2s
Golden Wattle Building
Claire Armstrong
1/2 CS, ROOM 2
Claire Armstrong
1/2 CS, ROOM 2
Year started at CNPS: 2018
Favourite season: Autumn
Favourite artist: Paul Kelly
Favourite ice cream: Salted caramel or licqourice
Hobby: Reformer Pilates
Best holiday: Seeing Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona
Sarah Childe
1/2 CS, ROOM 2
Sarah Childe
1/2 CS, ROOM 2
Year started at CNPS: 2019
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: 6 months in Asia
Favourite artist: Liz Stringer
Favourite ice cream: Mint choc chip
Hobby: Bushwalking
Lauren Else
1/2 E, ROOM 1
Lauren Else
1/2 E, ROOM 1
Year started at CNPS: 2014
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: Europe
Favourite AFL team: Essendon
Favourite artist: Lauren Daigl
Favourite ice cream: Passionfruit gelati
Hobby: Board games
Peter Sajko
1/2 S, ROOM 3
Peter Sajko
1/2 S, ROOM 3
Year started at CNPS: 2026
Favourite season: Summer
Best holiday: Bali
Favourite AFL team: St. Kilda
Favourite band: Foo Fighters
Favourite ice cream: Cookies and cream
Hobby: Playing guitar
GRADE 3/4s
GRADE 3/4s
Iron Bark Building
Sally Dilks
3/4 S, ROOM 9
Sally Dilks
3/4 S, ROOM 9
Year started at CNPS: 2007
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite AFL team: St. Kilda
Favourite artist: Kylie Minogue
Favourite ice cream: Raspberry/White chocolate
Hobby: Reading
"If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours"
Jayan Dobell
3/4 JC, ROOM 10
Jayan Dobell
3/4 JC, ROOM 10
Year started at CNPS: 2020
Favourite AFL team: St. Kilda
Favourite bands: Karnivool, Sleep Token, Tool
Favourite ice cream: Chocolate
Hobby: Playing RPGs on the Xbox
Special skill: Safely and calmy removing spiders
Fun fact: Jay knows his way around a mixing desk, thanks to his time as a sound engineer.
Louise O'Brien
3/4 L, ROOM 8
Louise O'Brien
3/4 L, ROOM 8
Year started at CNPS: 2011
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite band: Guns N' Roses
Favourite ice cream: Coffee
Favourite AFL team: Essendon
Hobby: Gardening
"The Universe will keep sending you the same lesson until you learn from it."
GRADE 5/6s
GRADE 5/6s
Silver Banksia Building
Jasmine Rivalland
5/6 R, ROOM 7
Jasmine Rivalland
5/6 R, ROOM 7
Year started at CNPS: 2026
Favourite season: Summer
Best holidays: Vietnam, Japan, South Korea
Favourite band: The Belair Lip Bombs
Favourite ice cream: Coffee
Hobby: Rock climbing/bouldering
Special skill: Making Mauritian food
Fun fact: Miss Rivalland studied zoology at university and loves learning about animal physiology and behaviour.
Hannah Ryan
5/6 HT, ROOM 5
Hannah Ryan
5/6 HT, ROOM 5
Year started at CNPS: 2023
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Japan
Favourite artist: Elvis
Favourite ice cream: Mint choc
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, camping, seeing friends
Rebecca Ryan
5/6 BN, ROOM 4
Rebecca Ryan
5/6 BN, ROOM 4
Year started at CNPS: 2009
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Tasmania
Favourite AFL team: Richmond
Favourite band: The Waifs
Favourite ice cream: Vanilla
Hobby: Bushwalking
Peter Scott
LEADING TEACHER
5/6 S, ROOM 6
Peter Scott
LEADING TEACHER
5/6 S, ROOM 6
Year started at CNPS: 2008
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: Semaphore Beach
Favourite AFL team: Port Adelaide
Favourite band: The Strokes
Favourite ice cream: Choc mint
Hobby: Playing Pokémon cards
"With great power comes great responsibility"
Siena Tagliabue
5/6 HT, ROOM 5
Siena Tagliabue
5/6 HT, ROOM 5
Year started at CNPS: 2026
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite band: The Mountain Goats
Favourite ice cream: Stracciatella
Hobby: Tea parties with my toddler
Special skill: Cooking stovetop popcorn
"Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty"
Specialists
Specialists
Kimberley Craig
INDONESIAN
Kimberley Craig
INDONESIAN
Year started at CNPS: 2014
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Kashmir
Favourite AFL team: Sydney
Favourite ice cream: Vanilla
Hobby: Gardening
Fun fact: Ibu Kimberley is also a yoga teacher.
"Everyone and everything around you is your teacher"
Hannah Crawshaw
VISUAL ARTS
Hannah Crawshaw
VISUAL ARTS
Year started at CNPS: 2024
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Apollo Bay
Favourite ice cream: Sour cherry yoghurt
Hobbies: Painting, sewing and knitting
Special skill: Mixing paint colours
"Once I start laughing, I find it hard to stop!"
Carly McGinniskin
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
3/4 JC
Carly McGinniskin
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
3/4 JC
Year started at CNPS: 2016
Best holiday: WA Road Trip
Favourite AFL team: Hawthorn
Favourite artist: Tori Amos
Favourite ice cream: Cookies and cream
Hobby: Watching musicals
Special skill: Auslan
Fun fact: Carly loves Tai Chi
Nicole Simirenko
PERFORMING ARTS
5/6 BN
Nicole Simirenko
PERFORMING ARTS
5/6 BN
Year started at CNPS: 2018
Favourite season: Autumn
Favourite AFL team: Carlton
Favourite band: First Aid Kit
Favourite ice cream: Salted caramel
Hobbies: Music, theatre, film, books, dreaming
Nicole Wagstaff
WELLBEING COORDINATOR
Nicole Wagstaff
WELLBEING COORDINATOR
Year started at CNPS: 2011
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Croatia
Favourite ice cream: Salted caramel
Hobby: Roller skating
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Owen Wood
LITERACY ENHANCEMENT
Owen Wood
LITERACY ENHANCEMENT
Year started at CNPS: 2000
Best holiday: Gabo Island
Favourite AFL team: Geelong
Favourite artist: Leonard Cohen
Favourite ice cream: Hazlenut
Hobbies: Watching cricket, crosswords
"Aim at the stars and you might hit the chook shed!"
Education Support Staff
Education Support Staff
Ash Callander
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Ash Callander
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Year started at CNPS: 2022
Favourite season: Winter
Best holiday: Cairns
Favourite AFL team: Fremantle
Favourite band: Reel Big Fish
Favourite ice cream: Coffee or passionfruit
Hobbies: Hockey, mountain biking, golf
Angela Carland
LIBRARY TECHNICIAN
Angela Carland
LIBRARY TECHNICIAN
Year started at CNPS: 2022
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: Magnetic Island
Favourite AFL team: Collingwood
Favourite ice cream: Boysenberry
Charlie Chapman
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Charlie Chapman
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Year started at CNPS: 2022
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: New Zealand
Favourite AFL team: Collingwood
Favourite band: Hilltop Hoods
Favourite ice cream: Bubblegum
Hobbies: Playing piano, Sudoku
Jan Cox
BUSINESS MANAGER
Jan Cox
BUSINESS MANAGER
Year started at CNPS: 1977
Favourite season: Spring
Best holiday: Surfers Paradise
Favourite AFL team: Essendon
Favourite band: ABBA
Favourite ice cream: Vanilla or licquorice
Hobby: Gardening
Jen Oliver
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Jen Oliver
DISABILITY INCLUSION SUPPORT
Year started at CNPS: 2013
Favourite season: Autumn
Best holiday: Mission Beach
Favourite ice cream: Choc mint
Page updated
Report abuse