Ever wondered who brings the magic to life at EJ?
Each week on social media, we're spotlighting the incredible people behind the scenes who make it all happen. From big ideas to everyday moments, these are the faces, stories, and passion that power EJ.
Say hello to Kyra Tarr from 1C!
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗝 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
This is my 7th year at EJ. Before that I moved around a little. I taught a few years further Northside, a few years in London and just before EJ I was in Moranbah for 3 years. The 2025 year 6 graduates were my very first prep class at EJ. It was the first time seeing a cohort graduate which was a lovely experience.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱?
Anyone who has been in my class knows my favourite book is Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. A colleague in London introduced it to me when I was teaching over there and I've loved it ever since! The amount of ridiculous things Floyd throws up in the tree never gets old.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆?
The start of the day! Welcoming each child into the classroom at the door with a high five, fist bump or hug. Followed by our specific daily morning activities (Mindful Monday, Tricky Tuesday, Workout Wednesday, Thoughtful Thursday and Feel Good Friday). A dance party Friday is a must!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁?
Organisation! Everything has a place.
Say hello to Marney Macpherson from 2B!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱? – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀?
I love all of Julia Donaldson's books, but Stick Man is my favourite. It's a funny and exciting adventure about a stick trying to find his way back home to his family. I love how it shows the importance of family, bravery and never giving up. A simple stick can spark so much imagination! I also love a little drama when reading to the class — and it's pretty easy to sound like a stick (and who doesn't love pretending to be Santa!).
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆?
I love the start of the day when the children arrive with big smiles and lots of news to share. We begin with a thinking activity that connects to our learning with a creative twist. Watching them quietly think, record ideas on their whiteboards and share with a partner reminds me that although they're little people, they have big imaginations and powerful ideas that could one day change the world.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁?
Creativity! I love displaying the children's artwork around the room. It makes our classroom feel vibrant and happy, and the students feel proud to have contributed to their learning space.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲?
Count on Me by Bruno Mars. Kindness is one of my core values, and in our class we work as a team to support one another and make sure everyone feels valued and included.
Say hello to Courtenay Lee from 3A!
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗝 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
I've been teaching for about 13 years, but I've been part of the EJ team for about eight months. I began as a relief teacher in Term 3 last year, then took a Year 4 contract for the final term, and now I'm teaching in Year 3.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀?
Singing works every time! From Prep to Year 6, it grabs students' attention much faster than any instructional prompt. After many years teaching Prep, I have a big collection of songs and rhymes ready to go.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆?
Definitely Dory from Finding Nemo! “Just keep swimming" is a motto I really believe in. I want students to know that struggle is a normal and important part of learning. In Year 3, they are taking a big step towards independence, and that means learning to problem-solve and work through challenges without always being given the answers straight away.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁?
My visual schedule. It helps students feel settled and confident because they know what's coming next, and it keeps me organised too.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀?
There are so many picture books I love, especially Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, but with my Year 3 class I've really loved reading The Stone Lion by Margaret Wild. It's a beautiful story about empathy and sacrifice, and it takes readers on quite an emotional journey. We've been using it to write book reviews, and it's been a wonderful text for exploring deeper meaning in both the writing and the illustrations.
Say hello to Kellie Maguire-Graham from 5A!
H𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗝 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲? This is my second year on the year 5 team at EJ after a short stint teaching out in the country again. I came back because my parents need a bit of extra help these days. Even though lots of the kids think I'm pretty old, my parents are positively ancient!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂? I wish I had recorded every funny thing a student has ever said to me, but I have a very clear memory of a year 1 student many years ago when asked to list kitchen appliances very confidently stating that a 'gorilla' was something that could be used in a kitchen.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆? I would love our class theme song to be Baker Boy's 'In Control' but sometimes it feels a little more like Guns N Roses 'Welcome to the Jungle'! Those times can be when the best learning and most fun happens though.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺? If I had a magic wand I would make my classroom much bigger, so the kids had room to spread out and get comfortable.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? I would hope that they would describe me as kind.
Say hello to Kristin Linnane from 5B!
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐉 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? I joined EJ at the start of 2024 after moving from the Southside to the Northside - a big change, but I'm really grateful to be teaching here.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨-𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? My all-time favourite is calling out, “Hands on top," and hearing the class respond, “That means stop!" - it works beautifully every time.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲? Welcoming my class at the door and greeting each student with their favourite gesture is such a simple act, yet I've seen how it builds positive relationships, fosters connection, and promotes wellbeing.
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞? They'd probably teach me how to sprinkle kindness everywhere, find joy in the little things, show endless empathy, and get wildly creative. Essentially, how to see the world like a kid again!
Visit our Facebook or Instagram page to see who we're profiling next!