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Leeanne VernonLeeanne is the seventh of nine children; six brothers and two sisters. Life was tough growing up, but Leeanne always loved netball and writing, which gave her something positive to focus on.Leeanne wrote her first play in grade five, which was performed before the entire school. Ambitiously, she tried to write her first novel in Form 2 (Year nine). However, it took nearly thirty years, two occupations and three children, before she got the opportunity to follow her dream and study Professional Writing and Editing. Since graduating, Leeanne has been writing, or editing her work, every day. Before the Netball Dreamz series: Leeanne had two books published: a make-up book for young girls and a fishing book called: Fishing Tips & Tales. In co-writing the Netball Dreamz series, Leeanne combines her two greatest loves: writing and netball. Leeanne has never lost her passion for netball. She is an – Intermediate Netball Coach – and it is with this knowledge of the game that she is able to weave Gillian’s netball activities into the story of Sally, Nat and the Central Park grade six netball team. Leeanne continues to write other stories too. You can check out what else she’s up to at www.leeannevernon.com |
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Gillian LeeGillian is the youngest of three daughters. She comes from a netball family; her mum and two older sisters played netball. Gillian spent Saturday mornings, and many a night, watching her mum and sisters playing netball and she longed to be old enough to play too.When Gillian was in grade five, (that’s the same age as many of you readers!) she finally got her opportunity, and what a stunning debut. She played goaler and her team won the grand final! Perhaps all those years of watching netball made Gillian hungry for netball success, or maybe it was the advice of her mother who said, “Go mad, go and do everything”, because it was the start of a wonderful netball career Gillian first played in the city for an under 16’s representative team. From here she was selected as a defender for the Victorian under 16’s and her elite netball journey began. She played in many great teams along the way, including the Australian under 21’s. However, one of Gillian’s fondest netball memories is playing in a team with her mum and sisters called, MKs, or mums and kids. Gillian is now a well respected coach and coach educator, both |
Teacher’s Lesson Plans
Some fantastic lesson notes for your use.
Please feel free to download the attached PDFs just by clicking on them.
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Meet Sally and Nat’s Families
| Sally Dowling | Aspiring netballer | Natalie Green | Aspiring netballer | ||
| Identifying traits: | Sally is ridiculously tall. | Identifying traits: | Messy, thick curly hair. | ||
| What’s her thing: | Trying to be as good as her siblings. | What’s her thing? | Awesome basketball player. | ||
| What she’s good at: | Running, jumping, throwing and catching. | What she’s good at: | Basketball, going hard and never giving up. | ||
| What bugs her: | Being ignored by her family. | What bugs her: | Boys, in particular, Patrick Donegan. | ||
| Needs to improve: | Her self-confidence. | Needs to improve: | Her school work. | ||
| Wants to: | Play netball. | Wants to: | Play netball. | ||
| James Dowling: | Sally’s older brother | Greenie (Mr Green), Nat’s dad |
Plumber: Green & Greener | ||
| Identifying traits: | Socially retarded. | Identifying traits: | Popular, well liked in the community. | ||
| What’s his thing: | Genius, also known as a nerd. | What’s his thing: | Basketball player and coach. | ||
| What he’s good at: | Everything. | What’s he good at: | Basketball & inspiring young players. | ||
| What bugs him: | Being interrupted when he’s trying to study. | What bugs him: | Anything that interferes with basketball. | ||
| Needs to improve: | Can’t improve on perfection. | Needs to improve: | Keeping the Green boys under control. | ||
| Wants to: | Invent/discover something extraordinary. | Wants to: | See a Green represent Australia in basketball. | ||
| Jasmine Dowling | Sally’s older sister | Mrs Green | Nat’s mum | ||
| Identifying traits: | Beautiful and talented. | Identifying traits: | Basketball mad. | ||
| What’s her thing: | Ballet. | What’s her thing: | Lists. | ||
| What she’s good at: | Getting her own way. | What’s she good at: | Driving the family to basketball. | ||
| What bugs her: | Getting a run in her ballet tights. | What bugs her: | Picking up after the boys. | ||
| Needs to improve: | Nothing. Jasmine has it all. | Needs to improve: | Keeping track of the family. | ||
| Wants to: | Make the Australian Ballet company. | Wants to: | Have some peace and quiet. | ||
| Sharon Dowling | Sally’s Mum | Jarryd Green | Nat’s youngest brother. | ||
| Identifying traits: | Always looks perfect. | Identifying traits: | Weird hair creations. | ||
| What’s her thing: | Running after Jasmine and James. | What’s his thing: | Basketball and keeping up with his brothers. | ||
| What she’s good at: | Ignoring Sally. | What’s he good at: | Basketball. | ||
| What bugs her: | Sport. | What bugs him: | Mick and Aaron getting all the attention. | ||
| Needs to improve: | Having fun. | Needs to improve: | Netball goal shooting. | ||
| Wants to: | See Jasmine and James succeed. | Wants to: | Be the best basketball player in the family. | ||
| Michael Dowling | Sally’s Dad. | Hayden Green | Nat’s second youngest brother | ||
| Identifying traits: | Works very hard. | Identifying traits: | Most presentable Green boy. | ||
| What’s his thing: | Work. | What’s his thing: | Trying to get out of family outings. | ||
| What’s he good at: | Working | What’s he good at: | Basketball. | ||
| What bugs him: | Sport. | What bugs him: | Mick and Aaron stirring him. | ||
| Needs to improve: | Spending time with the kids. | Needs to improve: | His excuses to get out of family stuff. | ||
| Wants to: | Make sure they all study hard and get good jobs | Wants to: | Be the one who makes the Australian basketball team. | ||
| Aaron Green |
Nat’s second oldest brother – Apprentice Plumber |
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| Identifying traits: | Tallest Green boy. | ||||
| What’s his thing: | Basketball. | ||||
| What’s he good at: | Basketball, he’s a Green! | ||||
| What bugs him: | Greenie making him dig the trenches by hand. | ||||
| Needs to improve: | His pick-up lines. | ||||
| Wants to: | Finish his apprenticeship. | ||||
| Mick Green | Nat’s oldest brother – Plumber | ||||
| Identifying traits: | Dreadlocks | ||||
| What’s his thing: | Basketball and girls. | ||||
| What’s he good at: | Reminding his siblings they will never be as good as him. | ||||
| What bugs him: | His mum threatening to chop off his dreddies. | ||||
| Needs to improve: | Getting up for work. | ||||
| Wants to: | Meet more girls. | ||||
| Aunty Faye |
Nat’s Aunty | ||||
| Identifying traits: | Loves netball. | ||||
| What’s her thing: | Gave Nat Netball Basics | ||||
| What’s she good at: | Netball and teasing Greenie. | ||||
| What bugs her: | Greenie not letting Nat play netball. |
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| Needs to improve: | Her convincing skills | ||||
| Wants to: | Form a mixed team with the Green family. |
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Meet Central Park School
| Patrick Donegan | Dorkiest kid in grade 6C. | Maddie Douglas | Nicest kid ever. | |
| Identifying traits: | Red hair & tall with spaghetti legs. | Identifying traits: | Nice to everyone! | |
| What’s his thing: | Nothing. Patrick is a loser, just ask Nat. | What’s her thing: | Never brags. | |
| What he’s good at: | Breaking up fights. | What’s she good at: | Everything, especially netball. | |
| What bugs him: | Natalie Green. | What bugs her: | People being mean. | |
| Needs to improve: | His dress sense. | Needs to improve: | Thinks she needs to improve everything. | |
| Wants to: | Have people like him. | Wants to: | Save the planet | |
| Danny O’Neill | Naughtiest kid in 6C. | Prue Stewart | Awesome netballer. | |
| Identifying traits: | Noisy, messy. | Identifying traits: | Best goaler in the school. | |
| What’s his thing: | Disrupting the class. | What’s her thing: | Hanging out with Julia. | |
| What’s he good at: | Making mischief. | What’s she good at: | Shooting goals. | |
| What bugs him: | Goody two-shoes students. | What bugs her: | Missing goals. | |
| Needs to improve: | His burps & farts. | Needs to improve: | Her long shots. | |
| Wants to: | Be a comedian. | Wants to: | Play rep netball forever. | |
| Julia Knight | Awesome netballer. | Miss Crabble | Grade 6C teacher. | |
| Identifying traits: | Always smiling. | Identifying traits: | Worst teacher ever. | |
| What’s her thing: | Hanging out with Prue. | What’s her thing: | Stopping Sally and Nat from making the netball team. | |
| What’s she good at: | Shooting goals. | What she’s good at: | Being mean. | |
| What bugs her: | Alicia and Kelly being pains. | What bugs her: | Seeing the students happy. | |
| Needs to improve: | Her goal circle moves. | Needs to improve: | List too long to mention. | |
| Wants to: | Win every game of netball this year! | Wants to: Win. | Be principal one day. | |
| Mrs Douglas | The Assistant Coach. | |||
| Identifying traits: | Fair. | |||
| What’s her thing: | Very experienced netball coach. | |||
| What she’s good at: | Teaching the players how to improve. | |||
| What bugs her: | Filling out permission slips. | |||
| Needs to improve: | Staying calm around Miss Crabble. | |||
| Wants to: | Teach Miss Crabble how to coach netball. |
THE MEAN
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THE OPPOSITION
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| Siobhan | School Captain (Book 1) | Mr Stevenson (Stevo) | Highfield Primary netball coach. | |
| Identifying traits: | Better than everyone else. | Identifying traits: | Strict, mean, lots of muscles. | |
| What’s her thing: | Representing the school. | What’s his thing:: | Winning no matter what. | |
| What she’s good at: | Everything. | What’s he good at: | Scaring people. Yelling. | |
| What bugs her: | Sally and Nat thinking they can make the netball team. | What bugs him: | People who don’t do as he says. | |
| Needs to improve: | Go to a better school. | Needs to improve: | His courtside manner. | |
| Wants to: | Coach the footy team again. | |||
| Kelly | Siobhan’s best friend. | Dayna | Highfield Primary Goal Shooter. | |
| Identifying traits: | Siobhan’s best friend. | Identifying traits: | Tall. Focussed. | |
| What’s her thing: | Following Siobhan around. | What’s her thing: | Shooting awesome goals. | |
| What she’s good at: | Reminding everyone they aren’t as good as her. | What’s she good at: | Ignoring her opponent. | |
| What bugs her: | The ordinary people. | What bugs her: | Missing goals. | |
| Needs to improve: | Convince Siobhan they are BFF. | Needs to improve: | Her rebounding. | |
| Wants to: | (Secretly) be more popular than Siobhan. | Wants to: | Play for Australia. | |
| Alicia | Siobhan’s best friend. | Bridget | Highfield Primary Defender. | |
| Identifying traits: | Siobhan’s other best friend. | Identifying traits: | Tall. Mean. Rough. | |
| What’s her thing: | Being part of the in group. | What’s her thing: | Using her elbows. | |
| What she’s good at: | Feeling and acting smug. | What’s she good at: | Keeping goalers away from the ball. | |
| What bugs her: | The rest of the grade. | What bugs her: | Goalers who don’t miss. | |
| Needs to improve: | Making sure Siobhan likes her best. | Needs to improve: | Her speed and fitness. | |
| Wants to: | (Secretly) be School Captain. | Wants to: | Beat everyone and win. | |
| Eleanor | Kasey Beach Goaler | |||
| Identifying traits: | Never stops talking. | |||
| What’s her thing: | Shoots awesome goals, whilst still chatting. | |||
| What’s she good at: | Shooting goals from anywhere. | |||
| What bugs her: | Lambs getting sick. |
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| Needs to improve: | Knowing when to stop talking. |
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| Wants to: | Play State Netball like her grandma. |
