Meet Matilda’s classmates, Eric, Lavender and Bruce!
Our Director chats to some of the amazing cast of Matilda Jr.

In March, 21 excited students will be participating in a tour to Japan. As part of our tour, we will visit Hiroshima, the Genbako Dome and Museum, as well as Sachiko’s statue. Our hope is to take some cranes to lay as a symbol of World peace from the LJBC community. If you enjoy making origami and would like to contribute, please let Maassen sensei or Burkett sensei know. Arigatou!

Meagan Maassen
Head of Languages

Our Lake Joondalup Baptist College Year 7s recently enjoyed a day filled with laughter, excitement and unforgettable moments at Outback Splash.

A fun day away from school was the perfect environment for our first-year High School students to be themselves and feel known, encouraged and challenged.

Thank you to the LJBC staff for making the day a memorable experience for all.

Has someone ever given you a set of instructions and then as you go to do them, you can’t remember them? Or have you ever walked into a room to do something and can’t remember why you are in that room? That is your working memory letting you down.

Working memory is where we temporarily hold information while working through a problem. Imagine if I asked you to go to your math teacher, ask for a book and then drop the book off at the library. That seems pretty simple? The problem is that you bumped into a friend on the way to the math teacher and they said they couldn’t wait to see you on the weekend. Boom, that fills up a space. Then you see a bird circling and ask yourself, “What are they doing?” That takes up another space. Before you know it, all the instructions are gone and all you remember is that you had to go to the math teacher.

Your working memory gets overwhelmed quickly with lots of irrelevant information, and all the new information kicks out the old information you are trying to remember.

The interesting thing about working memory is that once it is gone, it is gone forever. When I was teaching, I used to ask my students to try harder to remember – “I just told you the five instructions; what were they?” But what I didn’t realise at the time was, I gave them too many instructions and as they were doing the first one (find a partner) it overloaded their working memory and they forgot the rest, forever.

You can’t change working memory, but you can work around it. Here are some of my best strategies:

1. You have about 4-6 spaces in your working memory to hold information and less if you have attention problems. Use the spaces carefully.
2. Work things out on paper rather than working things out in your head. You will be much more successful. It is like your brain’s notebook.
3. If you have something important to remember, just write it down. Leaving it in your working memory will take up valuable space.
4. Focus on one task at a time. For example, what content do you want to include if you are writing a story or essay first? Then, think about your order of the content. Then, think about spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Don’t do them all at once.
5. Practice/rehearsal is the magic solution. Once things are in your long-term memory, you don’t load up your working memory. For example, if you know your times tables, it is easy to do fractions as you aren’t spending all of your energy working out the table. If you are reading and know lots of words through practice, you aren’t spending all of your time decoding but can try to understand the text. Ten minutes daily is a great start – read and do your tables.
6. Verbal noise interferes with your working memory. Any conversation while trying to think knocks something out of your mind (and remember you can’t get it back). Try noise-cancelling earphones or music without words. It works really well.

Working around working memory changed my life. I can’t add more boxes, but I can use the ones I have a little better.

Dr Mandie Shean
College Psychologist

The recent Lake Joondalup Baptist College Swimming Carnival gave our students a welcome break from their usual classroom routines, allowing them to enjoy a day of friendly Inter House competition.

A record number of students stepped out of their comfort zone to compete with determination and enthusiasm, showcasing their swimming skills and proudly wearing their House colours.

We are proud of our students, in and out of the pool, for showcasing what it means to be part of a community and uplifting everyone involved and our appreciation goes out to all the students and staff who participated in and helped organise this event.

Natalie - Certificate IV in Fitness

Meet Natalie, a Year 12 Student at Lake Joondalup Baptist College, on a journey to complete a Certificate IV in Fitness through the Australian Institute of Fitness, one day a week out of School. Last year, Natalie successfully achieved Certificate III in Fitness.

While balancing the demanding responsibilities of high school academics, Natalie has dedicated evenings and weekends to rigorous fitness training and theoretical coursework required for the certificate. Her unwavering commitment is a testament to the fact that age is no barrier to pursuing one’s passion.

The Certificate IV in Fitness is no small feat. It demands a profound understanding of autonomy, exercise physiology, nutrition and training methodologies. Natalie’s achievement showcases not only her aptitude for these subjects but also her tenacity to overcome the challenges posed by advanced concepts. Her instructors were quick to notice her dedication and the mature way in which she engaged with the material, setting her apart as a student who goes above and beyond expectations.

With a heart set on helping others, Natalie envisions a future where she can guide individuals towards healthier lifestyles, instilling the confidence to embrace their physical potential. Her ambition speaks volumes about today's youth, who are keenly aware of their responsibility to shape a better tomorrow.

Lynton Smith
Head of Career Education/Careers Advisor

Regular Uniform Shop hours during the school term

Open to Parents and students Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 4pm closed between 11.30 and 12.30 during school term.

LJBC also offers an online service so you have the option to size your uniform and then place your order through www.flexischools.com.au. Flexischools requires you to register before commencing with ordering uniforms. The online service provides the necessary sizing chart to place your orders. Any orders placed online will be available for pick up as per the date you have requested online. Primary items will be delivered to classrooms after 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school term.

Uniform Shop Appointments available for Winter Fittings

Winter Uniform Appointment times (15 minutes) are available for uniform fittings. Please contact College Reception on 9300 7444 for all bookings. 

Monday 18 March 2024 - 7.30 to 8.30 or 2.30 to 3.45pm

Monday 25 March 2024 - 7.30 to 8.30 or 2.30 to 3.45pm

Monday 15 April 2024 - 9.30  to 2.30pm

Monday 22 April 2024 - 7.30 to 8.30  or 2.30 to 3.45pm

Other Important Information

A few bays have been made available for parking outside the Uniform Shop during open times only. Please be mindful as this is allocated for customers only.

We understand that situations change, so if there is a possibility that you may withdraw your child(ren) from the College during 2024, please contact us as soon as possible, as our policy requires that we receive written notification of ten school weeks’ notice, addressed to the College Registrar. Registrar@ljbc.wa.edu.au.

Sally Yeomans
College Registrar