Australia's 10 Most Influential Education Leaders-2019

VOL 7 

2019 

ISSUE-7 

NOWLEDGEREVIEW 

Education. Innovation. Success 

TM 


AUSTRALIA’S 

MOST 

INFLUENTIAL 

EDUCATIONAL 

LEADERS 


Karen Spiller OAM 

Principal 

Karen Spiller 

Personifying Academic Expertise, Advocating Holistic Excellence

From the 

EDITOR 

The Alliance of Education 

and Leadership 

ooking back at our history one couldn’t have 

Lthought that from where we are now, it would have 

been hard to arrive at this time. The obstacles we 

have faced in formidable situations, the dangers that 

humanity has faced, there were less signs that we would 

have thrived and become the important species that we are 

now. 

Thanks to our curiosity, intelligence, and sedulous nature, 

we’ve become something close to the most thriving 

organisms on this planet. But following these values with 

utmost sincerity can only be found in people who don’t 

compromise on the things that matter. The people who are 

an embodiment of the above values, who face the 

challenges head-on are bestowed with the position of 

leadership. 

A strong leadership has always lea humanity towards 

something greater which at first seemed unimaginable. In 

education, a teacher assumes the position of teaching its 

pupils, igniting their minds. Tutors empower their students 

to thrive, and lead them towards something that would 

make a difference in their lives. 

Whenever a strong leadership goes hand-in-hand with 

education it creates a positive impact in the scholastic 

sphere. Their eminence relies on their outlook towards 

education and how it could transform everything around 

them. This further results in the foundation of better schools 

and thereby nurturing the young minds who will shape the 

future with infinite potential and possibilities. T R 

Vishal Muktew 

Vishal Muktewar

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal 

Senior Editor Anish Miller 

Managing Editor Abhishaj Sajeev 

Executive Editor Stella Andrew 

Contributing Editors Ananda, Vishal 

Visualiser David King 

Art & Design Head Amol Kamble 

Art & Design Assistant Mayur Koli 

Co-designer Paul Belin 

Art & Picture Editor Poonam Mahajan 

Business Development Manager David Brown 

Marketing Manager Marry D’Souza 

Business Development Executive 

Phill 

Sales Executives 

Amy, Frank, John, Helen, Steve, Kevin 

Technical Head Jacob Smile 

Assistant Technical Head Amar Sawant 

Technical Consultants Pratiksha, David, Robert 

Digital Marketing Manager Alina Sege 

Assistant Digital Marketing Manager 

SME-SMO Executives 

Uma, Gemson, Manoj 

Research Analyst Eric Smith 

Circulation Manager Tanaji 

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JULY, 2019 

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08 

Cover Stroy 

Karen 

Spiller 

Personifying Academic Expertise, 

Advocating Holistic Excellence 

26 

ARTICLE 

First Steps 

The Perks of Early 

Childhood Education 

40 

CXO 

Expertise Lessons 

Envisioning Education 

What does the future hold? 

An Australian Principal’s thoughts 

48 

Modern Outlook 

A Reformative Unison 

Where Chalkboards and Digital 

Screens Coexist

Contents 

18 22 30 

James Kozlowski 

An Educationist 

Leading the Young 

Minds 

Kelly Gervasoni 

At the Forefront 

of an Educational 

Reformation 

Mark Robertson 

At the Helm of a 

Voyage towards 

Progressive Education 

36 44 52 

Narelle Nies 

An Enthusiastic 

Educator Focused on 

Academic and 

Community Development 

Steve Francis 

Empowering Schools 

and Educators 

Globally 

Timothy Barlow 

Voyaging for 

Excellence, 

Reforming Education

The Guiadance that Emancipates from Ignorance 

E 

ducation plays a vital role in everyone’s life. We are being taught since childhood to do our homework, 

Eto participate in different extracurricular activities such as sports, acting, singing, dancing and so much 

more. The ultimate purpose of these activities to mold us in the best way possible. Understanding 

ourselves, about our likes and dislikes, strengths and weakness eventually lead us to become what we are 

meant to be. 

For some people, the education that has been imparted on them helps to foster essential skills and take on the 

leadership roles. The leadership role has its importance beyond our imagination. 

Every organization needs an individual to look up to as a torchbearer; someone who will lead the way even in 

the toughest situations; who would like to take on the challenges and embrace the uncertainty. And the minds 

who are responsible for creating such people are visionary educational leaders. Their dedication to the constant 

improvement, discipline, and will, help them to prepare the best educational institutions that will be 

responsible for nurturing and developing the students who will make a difference in the world. 

In this edition, we at The Knowledge Review, emphasize on our intent of finding the few profound 

educationists who take on the responsibility of catering to the necessity in upholding the value of education, 

and the edition Australia’s 10 Most Influential Educational Leaders, 2019 epitomizes such significant 

individuals for the better. 

Featuring on our cover story is Karen Spiller, the Principal of John Paul College, Brisbane. 

Karen has been teaching and leading in Queensland Schools for almost forty years following a traditional 

career pathway of Secondary Teacher, Head of Department, Deputy Principal and Principal. Her journey as a 

Principal is twenty years young. She has held national and state leadership roles as National Chair of the 

Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia and National President of the Alliance of Girls 

Schools, Australasia. 

She is currently the State Chair of Independent Schools Queensland, a member of the national body 

Independent Schools Council Australia, the Australian Boarding Schools’ Association and Yalari which is an 

organisation which supports the education of indigenous young people. Karen is also a member of the 

International Education and Training Advisory Group to the Queensland Government and a member of 

advisory bodies for the Business Faculty of QUT and the Health Faculty at Bond University. 

The edition also features, James Kozlowski, the Principal of Endeavour Sports High School; Kelly 

Gervasoni, the Year 9 Coordinator at St Andrews Lutheran College; Mark Robertson, the Principal and 

CEO of Oakleigh Grammar; Narelle Nies, the Principal of Revesby Public School; Steve Francis, a 

Certified Speaking Professional and the Managing Director of the Happy School Program; and Timothy 

Barlow, the Director of Technology Innovation at St. Leonard’s College. 

The magazine also features articles by emerging educational leaders, who have contributed immensely to the 

discipline of education in Australia, and also articles written by our in-house editorial team. 

Bon Apetite! 

T R

Karen Spiller OAM 

Principal

Australia’s 


MOST 

INFLUENTIAL 

EDUCATION 

LEADERS 

-2019 

Karen 

Spiller 

Personifying Academic Expertise, 

Advocating Holistic Excellence 

Cover Story 

“ 

Aword of encouragement from a 

teacher to a child can change a 

life. A word of encouragement 

from a spouse can save a marriage. A word 

of encouragement from a leader can inspire 

a person to reach their potential.” 

– John C. Maxwell 

If one is to study the persona of an 

educational leader, the most evident factor 

unveiled is their exhibition of aspects such 

as determination, passion, expertise and 

erudition. 

Through this edition titled, Australia’s 10 

Most Influential Educational Leaders to 

watch, 2019, we at The Knowledge 

Review, present to you a list of such 

exceptional educational reformers, wherein 

featuring on the cover is Karen Spiller 

OAM, the Principal of John Paul 

College, Brisbane.

Karen has been teaching and leading in Queensland Schools for almost forty 

years following a traditional career pathway of Secondary Teacher, Head of 

Department, Deputy Principal and Principal. Her journey as a Principal is twenty 

years young. She has held national and state leadership roles as National Chair of 

the Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia and National 

President of the Alliance of Girls Schools, Australasia. 

She is currently the State Chair of Independent Schools Queensland, a member 

of the national body Independent Schools Council Australia, the Australian 

Boarding Schools’ Association and Yalari which is an organisation which supports 

the education of indigenous young people. Karen is also a member of the 

International Education and Training Advisory Group to the Queensland 

Government and a member of advisory bodies for the Business Faculty of QUT 

and the Health Faculty at Bond University. 

Through her career, Karen has held roles through the Anglican Schools 

Commission and the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. She 

was Principal at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School in Brisbane for 18 years and led it 

to becoming one of the most successful schools in Australia.

On the Trophy Shelf 

All along her voyage, Karen has been 

adorning her hat with a number of feathers. 

For her, a medal of the Order of Australia 

(OAM) in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Day 

honours list was very special. 

Other highlights of her successful career 

include a Churchill Fellowship in 2011, which 

allowed her to travel and undertake further research into strategies 

for better equipping women for the role of Principalship in 

Australian schools. 

The International Rotary Award – the Paul Harris Fellowship is also 

a valuable one for Karen as it was an award made by her local 

branch to recognise leadership in the community as well as at a 

national level.

Karen has also received awards nationally 

by the Federal Government agency EOWA 

for Leading CEO for the Advancement of 

Women and for Excellence in Music 

Education and from the Modern Languages 

Teachers Association for Excellence in 

School Leadership. Karen feels honoured by 

all of these accolades and awards, as all she 

wants to do is help others as she has been 

assisted and mentored, and give back to the 

profession. 

She is also a Fellow of the Australian 

College of Educators, the Australian Council 

of Educational Leaders, the Australian 

Institute of Company Directors, Australian 

Institute of Managers, the CEO Institute and 

the Australian Marketing Association. 

Enlightening the World 

Pertaining to her profound experience, 

Karen ceaselessly contributes to uplifting 

the value of education. For her, one of the 

most significant contributions has been 

encouraging the leadership of others. 

“Seven staff who worked with me directly – 

are now Principals of other Independent 

Schools around Australia – and I have 

mentored at least another ten into senior 

leadership roles,” says Karen. 

Additionally, through the Aspiring Women’s 

leadership conference which she launched in 

2006 with her colleague Ros Curtis, she has 

positively motivated and influenced the 

career of hundreds of female leaders. This 

conference has been offered in both 

Brisbane and Perth annually since its 

inception in 2006. 

“Research says that quality educational 

leaders make an evident difference to the 

academic outcomes of students and their 

experience of school life as well as to the 

success of a school. When we have an 

ageing workforce and evidence of declining 

interest in school leadership roles, it is vital 

that we have strong and motivated teachers 

in the leadership pipeline,” Karen expresses. 

Karen emphasizes on the necessity of each 

student being in classrooms with highly 

qualified, passionate and successful teachers 

who can genuinely support each student to 

achieve their best and make them feel good 

about themselves. This has been achieved 

through setting high expectations of Karen 

herself, the leadership team and all the staff 

of the school. Each change and teaching 

strategy has been grounded in educational 

research. 

In addition, Karen also enjoys presenting 

research papers at international and national 

conferences on a variety of topics including 

educational improvement and change. 

The Bridge towards Success 

John Paul College was established in 1982 

as Queensland’s first Christian Ecumenical 

College. It is an independent, co-educational 

K-12 College with an Early Learning 

Centre, a small Boarding house and an 

English Language College. JPC’s purpose is; 

To Educate, To Inspire, To Make a 

Difference. 

As a relatively young school, the calibre of 

its alumni is a great testimony to the success 

of the school. This list of alumni includes 

Dami Im, Mitchell Larkin, David Baxby, 

Luke Trouchet, William Liu, Clare 

Ferguson, Lachlan Power and Paul Olds. 

Known in the 80s and 90s for its Marching 

Band on the international stage at the 

opening of the Sydney Olympics, the 

Calvary Stampede and Expo ‘88, as well as 

being one of the first schools in Australia to 

introduce 1-1 laptops, JPC is especially 

proud that ACARA identified it as one of the 

few schools in Australia that demonstrated 

significant improvements in their writing 

and numeracy progression based on the 

2018 NAPLAN results. 

Describing the work culture at John Paul 

College, Karen says, “We are all here for 

one reason - our students.” She expresses 

that it is the reason she and other educational

leaders get out of bed every morning; not just to pay the 

mortgage. “To Educate, To Inspire, To Make a Difference – 

this is why they come to school every day. To ensure that 

every child we are privileged to teach, receives the very best 

we can give.” 

“Do I need to say more about a passionate and positive 

school culture? The schools I have worked in and now lead, 

all have had a genuine commitment to broad educational 

opportunities. This means a focus on leadership 

development, community service and extensive extra and 

co- curricular activities that often include exchange 

opportunities, and local and international travel for 

students,” She adds. 

Beyond Challenges lies Wisdom 

When asked about the challenges that she came across in 

her career, Karen says, “Change is always difficult. There 

have been times both in my previous schools and at JPC 

when some people have been resistant to change. I guess 

this is human nature. Quite often people think they or the 

school is perfect the way that it is. My view is that if you 

are not moving forward, you are stagnant or moving 

backwards.” 

One of the books that changed Karen’s life is ‘Good to 

Great’ by Jim Collins. “I read this in 2005 and have been a 

different leader ever since. It gave me the language and 

thinking capabilities to be more confident in what I felt 

needed to be done. I am more passionate and more focussed 

since embracing Collin’s work,” Karen express. 

When it comes to staying motivated and instilling the same 

upon her students, Karen believes that it is easy to keep 

motivated when one thinks of the awesome responsibility

she and other leaders have, to influence positively the lives 

of their students, in whichever school they are privileged to 

lead. 

For Karen, it is not only about giving students the best 

education possible to allow post school options, but to also 

giving them choices in their future career and within the 

world of work. More importantly, it is about them feeling 

confident and capable, feeling that they can make a 

difference in this world and local community. 

and make a difference to others and our community,” says 

Karen. 

Karen expresses her pride in being the Principal of John 

Paul College, and together with the passionate, professional 

staff and dedicated school board, she wants to ensure that 

JPC provides an outstanding education to all young people, 

who in turn, go into the world continuing to make a 

difference. T R 

“As a Principal, you have so much ability to change 

people’s lives for the better, and that includes our staff. 

Inspiring students to make a difference is such an important 

responsibility. Our young people have a privileged 

education that millions in the world do not have access to. 

In some cases, they are the most educated in their family. 

They too, have an awesome responsibility to reach forward

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An Educationist Leading the Young Minds 

Education plays the most crucial role in a person’s 

life, of which the high school plays the most 

important part in moulding the character and 

personality of a student. High schools are thus those 

small footsteps that help students take the giant leap to 

conquer the world. High schools these days are geared to 

give the student the best education by offering various 

programs and facilities. 

Students in high school are generally of the age where 

sports and games play an important role. It is imperative 

for schools to balance studies and sports. For students 

and their parents, it is then important to choose a high 

school that perfectly fits their needs and requirements. A 

student could be good at sports or studies or both. What 

is expected of the school is to develop the student’s 

abilities in those areas where they are hindered and 

produce a person with all round abilities and skills. 

James Kozlowski, Principal of Endeavour Sports High 

School is a dedicated educationist with requisite skills 

and experience. He has a Bachelor of Economics, and 

holds a Diploma in Education besides a Masters in 

Educational Leadership and Management from the 

world’s prestigious University of Sydney. Completing 

his education, he started off by teaching at Sarah Redfern 

High School. With his exceptional skills, a few years 

down the road, he was to become the Deputy Principal at 

Belmore Boys High School. His next assignment saw 

him take over from the outgoing Principal at Endeavour 

Sports High School. 

James believes in enhancing the abilities of others and 

seeing them grow as an individual. To this end, he has 

and shall always be happy to guide the young generation 

on the path of success. 

About Endeavour Sports High School 


Principal 

Endeavour Sports High School is that one place which 

provides the best of everything be it education or sports. 

Once you join the institution, there is no looking back, 

other than in happiness! The aim of the school has 

always been to provide a teaching and learning 

environment that enhances the abilities of its students be 

it in studies or sports and sets benchmarks on what to 

expect from its students, which its students have always 

bettered year after year. Students are the school’s biggest 

ambassadors with the faculty and the administration 

leaving no stones unturned to help develop them into 

responsible citizens who also are successful in their 

chosen endeavours. 

18 | JULY 2019

As a sports high school, Endeavour 

aims to be the best junior talent 

development program in Australia. 

It calls for huge encouragement, 

outstanding coaching and 

mentoring, and exceptional 

facilities, unique sporting 

partnerships and the deliver the best 

in sports science. At the core of the 

school’s culture are academic 

excellence, personal best, 

commitment and respect. Every 

student is shaped by the staff & 

faculty members who take personal 

responsibility for the former’s 

behaviour and development while 

providing a supportive 

environment. It has helped create a culture that values 

every student of the school and has helped create some 

of the most gifted academic and sporting individuals out 

of them. 

Core Values, Mission and Vision. 

Calling themselves the Endeavour Family, they have 

developed a strong sense of community across the school 

which values the success and achievement of all its 

students and demonstrates the same through public 

recognition of such acts and events. The aim in doing so 

is to instill the right qualities in the students besides 

creating in them an interest in learning while inculcating 

compassion for others and a desire to always do their 

best. 

Due to its “high expectations policy”, the school has 

successfully established academic achievement as its top 

priority and “extension classes” have been established 

under the guidance and coordination of an expert. In 

addition, the school employs a PhD who mentors the 

school’s high school students and helps them do their 

best in academics by various means including holding 

one-to-one meetings with individual students throughout 

the latter’s time in the school. 

The above besides, Endeavour Sports High School has a 

high-quality study skills program for all years, a fully 

funded science, technology, engineering and maths 

(STEM) program, and partnerships with the University 

of Sydney and the University of 

Technology. 

Overcoming challenges 

In the year 2014, the school went 

through a low phase, and James as 

its Principal, had to face tough 

times. Enrolment rates had gone 

critically low which a survey of 

the staff, parents, students and the 

local community revealed was 

partly due to low morale, 

widespread student apathy and 

poor community perception. To 

overcome the situation, James 

engaged a research organization to 

conduct a survey of the various stakeholders in the 

community to derive data to analyse the community’s 

needs and ways to address them. Person to person 

interactions and meetings with the staff and the 

students were conducted besides the thorough 

examination of available external and internal data 

which lead to the formulation of a comprehensive 

plan. 

Achievements 

James has led an enthusiastic and dedicated staff who 

have delivered an amazing turnaround for the school. 

Personal Achievements: 

➢ Recipient of the Harvard Club of Australia 

leadership scholarship, Harvard University, 2018 

Elected as the President of the Sutherland 

Secondary Principals Council in the year 2018. 

NSW Department of Education’s Ultimo 

Operational Directorate Award for ‘Significant 

Achievement as a Principal’ in the year 2016. 

Elected as the Vice President of the NSW Sports 

High School Association in the year 2015. 

Professional Awards: 

➢ Government Secondary School of the Year at the 

JULY 2019 | 

19


Australian Education Awards 

in the year 2018 

NSW Department of 

Education’s Ultimo 

Operational Directorate 

Award for ‘Significant 

Achievement’ in the year 

2017. 

Public Schools NSW 

Vocational Education and 

Training School of the Year 

Award in the year 2017 

Selected by the Public 

Education Foundation for the 

filming of a video promoting 

excellence in public education 

in the year 2017. 

Friendly Work Culture 

At Endeavour, every activity 

is geared towards helping 

students pursue excellence. 

The bedrock of the school is 

to value people irrespective of 

backgrounds and provide 

opportunities that help them reach their potential. In 

doing so, it aims to engage and motivate staff and 

students to achieve their best. 

“We try to ensure that not only do our students succeed 

academically, but they become good citizens who want to 

make positive contributions to our society,” said James. 

Contributions Towards the Society and the Education 

System 

environment. Information derived from the Higher 

School Certificate results, NAPLAN and VALID results 

have been extensively scoured and extrapolated with the 

outcome of various interviews and surveys of students, 

staff and parents’ responses. Information thus gathered 

has been analysed in the light of the best and most 

comprehensive of researches worldwide on best 

practices in the field to develop and implement strategies 

relevant to the context. 

How to stay motivated 

James says, “I am motivated every day by my students 

and staff.” He loves his job and thinks it’s a privilege to 

be the Principal of such a prestigious Institution that is 

known for its educational environment which helps 

develop leaders and achievers of the future. He hopes to 

inspire others by performing his role in a way that 

supports others to be the best they can. 

Roadmap to Future 

Currently, James is happy with the success he has 

achieved through his work. He believes the best reward 

lies in observing the success of others and their 

happiness on achieving their goal(s). He never plans a 

path for the future, he rather embraces opportunities 

coming his way and makes the most of them. James as a 

person is one who firmly believes in establishing 

structures that guarantee long term success. 

His aim is to implement the core values of the school and 

progress upon them over the years. 

“Everything we have implemented at Endeavour over the 

past few years has contributed to a culture that is 

built for longevity,” says James. T R 

The school uses a multipronged approach to know how 

best to create the right teaching and learning 


21

At the Forefront of 

an Educational Reformation 

The course of mankind’s evolution and the norms 

and methodologies of education have evidently 

been treading on the same roads, hand in hand, 

leveraging the opportunities provided by technology. This 

correlational evolution has birthed a certain sect of people, 

who uphold the prominence of contemporary education and 

the resultant profundity of its acknowledgment, and who 

can be safely assumed to be designated as educational 

leaders. To simply exhibit an example, while not 

stereotyping, of how and what an educational leader should 

be, we wish to place the spotlight on Kelly Gervasoni, the 

Year 9 Coordinator at St Andrews Lutheran College. 

Kelly’s teaching career began in 2012 when she was 

granted ‘special provision’ with the Victorian Institute of 

th 

Teaching to start teaching in her 4 year of university study 

for Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences/Bachelor of 

Education. During her first few years, she developed mentor 

relationships with the Head of Mathematics and School 

Principal and admired their strong leadership 

characteristics. These relationships enabled her growth as 

an educational leader through their support and 

encouragement of reflective practices. Kelly remembers her 

Principal saying, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” 

She made the conscious effort to say yes to all opportunities 

within reason and made multi-level action goals with these 

mentors. Kelly strongly believes that self-awareness is a 

crucial element of an effective leader (Goleman, 2013) and 

thus, regularly reviewed her strengths and weaknesses and 

incorporated these into her action goals. 

Kelly began working at St Andrews Lutheran College as a 

Kelly Gervasoni 

Year 9 Coordinator 

Middle/Senior School teacher and made the conscious 

effort to develop authentic relationships with her 

colleagues, which were based on trust and authenticity. 

During this process, she developed a new Mentor – the 

Deputy Principal, Mrs. Virginia Warner, and admired her 

passion, dedication and having relationships at the core of 

her practice. Kelly longed to have those excellent relational 

skills and patience with colleagues and thus knew Mrs. 

Warner was the next mentor who could enhance her 

leadership skills. 

In 2019, Kelly was offered further opportunities at St 

Andrews, including the role of Year 9 Coordinator. She was 

excited to lead and empower another team in the area of 

Student Wellbeing, where she could use her knowledge and 

skills learnt from her postgraduate studies. Her career 

aspirations as an educational leader are to become an 

effective leader in the area of student wellbeing, where she 

hopes to initiate productive collaboration amongst staff and 

students to facilitate quality practices that are reflective and 

model life-long learning amongst staff and students. 


At the Helm of Innovation 

On a local level, Kelly collaboratively 

undertook an Action Research project 

with the School Psychologist, Mrs. 

Robyn Rudd on their interest area – 

enhancing engagement of middleschool 

female students. They utilized 

current resources and existing 

research to modify pre-existing 

programs and mesh them to address 

their desired outcomes for students at 

St Andrews. While there were 

limitations in the research project 

including a small sample size and a 

short timeframe, the duo has added 

insight into previous research on the impact of facilitator 

training for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) 

programs, specifically the role of the teacher compared to a 

trained psychologist. 

Pertaining to the St Andrews motto in 2019, ‘Learners 

leading learning,’ Kelly has been leading the learning way 

while also encouraging students and staff to be the leaders 

in their education. In other words, students understand the 

teacher’s role of being a learning facilitator, rather than the 

expert. As within the 21st century, students have access to a 

multitude of educational resources and Kelly encourages 

them to embrace learning from differing platforms. 

Furthermore, she emphasizes that positive self-efficacy 

beliefs, motivation and effort are the key indicators for 

future success. 

Delivering Distinction 

Kelly states that St Andrews Lutheran College’s mission 

statement: ‘Celebrating the Gospel, Nurturing the 

Individual, Empowering Lifelong Learners’ stands as a firm 

statement about what St Andrews is, and has been at the 

heart of the College since its inception. The school strives 

to provide a high quality education in a Christian context. 

“We value a holistic approach, and encourage students to 

develop values that enrich the intellect, nurture the spirit, 

develop social responsibility and create healthy lifestyles,” 

Kelly expresses. 

St Andrews is widely regarded as a caring school and places 

a high priority on pastoral care. The school has adopted 

Positive Psychology as their wellbeing focus with the aim 

of proactively building wellbeing and 

resilience of students. The staff works 

hard at developing nurturing 

relationships with students because 

encouraging and affirming relationships 

lie at the heart of effective learning. A 

strong sense of community and 

belonging can be found at St Andrews. 

The staff enjoy strong parental support 

and involvement, and seeks to work in 

partnership with their local community. 

The school is at the forefront of 

innovation regarding technology and 

classroom design in Australia. All staff 

and students use Microsoft OneNote 

for their teaching and learning, as well as the professional 

development of staff. Furthermore, it has updated its 

classroom design in line with current research. As a result, 

the teaching methods are moving away from ‘traditional’ 

teaching with no central front of room, rather an integrated 

learning environment that is ‘learner centered.’ Wherever a 

student sits in the classroom, they should feel at the center 

of their learning experience and the classroom setup is 

similar to future collaborative workplace environments. All 

students and staff can access classroom resources and 

lesson plans at school or externally, which are displayed via 

interactive whiteboards and multiple television screens in 

each classroom. 

Competing with the one in the Mirror 

Juggling the work-life balance has been an ongoing 

challenge for Kelly since the beginning of her teaching 

career. “I have high expectations for myself and I am 

passionate about education, so sometimes this love for 

teaching can intertwine with my personal life,” says Kelly. 

Since she advocates healthy wellbeing with her students 

and staff, she feels it is important that she role-models such 

wellbeing. Thus, teacher wellbeing has been an area of 

focus for her over the last few years, especially with the 

increased workload and innovation of technology which 

enables people to work from home. 

Kelly has set rules in place to ensure she maintains a 

healthy work-life balance and this includes turning off 

emails from 6pm-6am, avoiding work on weekends if 

possible and scheduling her fitness routine a week ahead. 

While reflective practice has significantly enhanced her 


23


leadership skills, it was challenging for Kelly to allow 

herself to be analyzed by others in her initial years of 

teaching. “Once I got ‘comfortable being uncomfortable,’ 

as my Principal says, I began to seek and embrace the 

feedback I received and used it to further develop my 

leadership skills. Reflective practice has been a key element 

to my success as a leader,” Kelly expresses. 

The Light of Inspiration 

When asked about how she manages to both, stay inspired 

and also inspire others around her, Kelly says, “It all boils 

down to passion. I absolutely love teaching! It is my dream 

career and I enjoy having a positive impact on my students 

daily. Teaching is such a rewarding career and it gives me 

butterflies every time a student has the “AH-HUH, I get it!” 

moment.’ That, for Kelly, is the light bulb moment for a 

student who understands a new skill or knowledge. Kelly 

describes herself as one of those overly excited math 

teachers. Sometimes her students laugh about how excited 

she gets, explaining new concepts, especially when she 

teaches mathematical proofs like the Pythagoras theorem. 

To inspire her students, she uses her passion for teaching 

and her high expectations. Through setting high 

expectations, she is providing courage to her students by 

saying “yes, I believe in you! I’ve set the bar high because 

I know you can master these skills.” 

Beholding New Horizons 

At 28 years of age with seven years teaching experience, 

Kelly believes she still has much more to learn and offer to 

the world of education. Within the next 5 years, she aims to 

further enhance her leadership skills within her passion area 

– Student Wellbeing. Eventually, she would like to be in a 

role of greater influence on student wellbeing, such as Head 

of School or Head of Wellbeing, where she could have a 

greater impact and influence on the students of the college. 

All the while, Kelly firmly emphasizes on the fact that it 

takes a team to educate a child. 

“St Andrews Lutheran College is one of the leading 

Positive Education Schools in Queensland, embedding 

restorative practices within its culture,” Kelly asserts. “We 

are leaders in innovation and technology, with new 

classroom designs in line with current research and all 

students and staff use Microsoft OneNote for all teaching 

purposes,” she adds. The school’s aim is to further research 

and enhance its practices to ensure it remains at the 

forefront of positive education, innovation and technology. T R 


25

The Perks of Early 

Childhood 

Education 


First Steps 

The education sector is growing 

continuously with the help of 

technology, advance syllabus models, 

and the on-going momentum of effective 

alternations. This continuous growth is 

meticulously working towards making 

education a more feasible and friendly act. 

With each passing year, the word of 

education is transforming and is setting 

benchmarks, which are helping the citizens 

for the longer run. 

As every year, there are thousands and 

millions of parents who are enrolling their 

children in schools, but this has seen a 

considerable change as parents are now 

enrolling into early childhood 

education/preschool. There are one too many 

reasons why these parents are doing so, but 

so keep it on a general note, it is just a head 

start for their educational journey. Many 

times, the kids are frightened when they are 

going to start school, they tend to be anxious 

and sometimes fussy, hence early childhood 

education is an excellent idea to start with a 

routine of letting the kids feel more at ease. 

By doing so, the kids develop a habit for 

spending some time in one place, make 

friends, learn good deeds, and gain some 

confidence for schooling. 

Contemplating its Need 

The question arises, why is there a need for 

young kids to go to preschool. Sometimes, 

parents doubt the need for this, as they think 

that kids only learn numbers, letters, and easy 

concepts, which can be thought nearly at 


27

home also. However, this is not completely true, even though kids only learn the 

basics at preschool, a recent survey says during preschool, which is between the 

age of 2 to 4, there is a high level of grasping power and learning. The kids at this age are 

extremely active and have an enormous amount of energy, which needs to be chased in the 

right manner. Channelizing this energy to productivity gains is what the teacher at the 

preschool aims for, understanding their places of likes and dislikes they are able to help the kids 

learn better. 

As every student is one of its kinds, the skills, and talents every student has been nurtured through the 

early development curricula. Through preschool, the students are exposed to a plethora of opportunities 

and are prepared to tackle the hurdles effectively, which will be presented to them in kindergarten. With 

their strong basics and foundation, they are ready to put their best foot forward and rise up to their 

maximum potential. 

Profits of Early Childhood Education 

Graduation is a dream in itself; every student envisions of graduating in their respective career field and 

further achieve their professional excellence. Graduation is not the only advantage of enrolling children in 

preschool. 

The National Education Association (NEA) lists various studies that show the major reasons of early 

childhood education results in higher levels of employment and greater incomes in adulthood, no 

repetition during the grades, and exceptional scores in tests, a lower rate of teenage spasms, and many 

more. With such breakthrough results, it is clearly evident that early childhood education is an investment 

for a lifetime. 

With immense opportunities, exposures, placements, these students are able to mark their identity in the 

coming times and become responsible citizens of their country. The parents looking to enroll their students 

in preschool should definitely do so without any doubt as this is an essential and remarkable step in life. 

Also, with the help of government authorities, society should take initiatives and give emphasis on 

programs for preschool. The students who are not fortunate enough with such resources should also be 

helped and given preschool education. 

The Momentous Strides of the Educators 

Helping the students on the go are the early childhood educators/ preschool teachers who play a crucial 

role in the upliftment of the student’s development. They tend to inspire, motivate, and train the students 

to push their limits and perform to their abilities. The teachers bring forth student joyful activities and 

embrace them with utmost guidance to learn more and more with each passing day. 

They teach the kids to explore, learn from what the world has to offer them and discover their dreams and 

paths. At this tender age, the students should be molded responsibly and with the perfect blend of teaching 

and values. As the child’s brain development happens in these initial three to four years, it is important to 

understand their mindsets so they will reach the developmental milestones in their futures. T R 


At the Helm of a Voyage 

towards Progressive Education 

The landscape of education, across the globe, is 

constantly in a state of evolution. Leveraging 

technology, understanding the shifting learning 

needs of different age groups and delivering the best quality 

holistic education are the aspects that have become a USP 

for a number of schools. One of the many factors playing a 

crucial role in spearheading the transformation of schools 

and the educational sector, for the better, are prominent 

educational leaders like Mark Robertson, the Principal 

and CEO of Oakleigh Grammar, Melbourne. 

“I have been blessed and honoured in my career in 

Education to have been involved in the leadership of 

Schools in a wide variety of educational styles and 

settings,” Mark expresses. He states that this exposure has 

allowed him to develop a flexible mind-set, with regard to 

approaches to educational policy and practice, and to allow 

him to mould within a team context environments which 

best cater for students within the cultural context of that 

particular community. 

Mark says that he is immensely enjoying his role as CEO 

and Principal of Oakleigh Grammar and has concrete 

relationships with the Board of Management and 

undoubtedly with the entire community. A characteristic of 

Mark's leadership has been the ease with which he is able to 

interact with the various personalities which make up a 

school community. He draws energy and deep satisfaction 

through connecting with others and understanding their life 

stories. Mark’s role as CEO is essentially important to his 

role as Educational Leader. He believes that strong business 

decisions based on accurate data and reliable forecasting is 

Mark Robertson 

Principal and CEO 

essential as a leader of a multi-million dollar turnover 

business. 

Mark regularly involves with wider educational bodies and 

often participates and attends international conferences 

during school holiday periods to ensure contemporary 

pedagogical practices are at the fore-front of pedagogical 

discussion within his current School. Mark strongly 

believes that quality teaching and learning essentially 

means appropriate investment in developing quality 

teaching, and learning practices and investment from the 

annual budget in this area is very important. Mark’s 

membership of the AHISA Vic Executive, CSE Board and 

associations with ACEL and the IB continue to allow him to 

contribute to and to learn from others on a macro level of 

educational policy and reform. 

Overcoming Adversities 

Mark states that leading an Independent School in 2019 is 

much more complex than it has ever been. He says that 


strong and healthy relationships and 

support are critical to ensuring not 

only stability in the role but, indeed 

relates to all aspects of this privileged 

role. “In reality, I love the role of 

Head due to the variety and 

complexity inherent in it,” Mark 

expresses. He comprehends the 

various responsibilities he has to cater 

to, such as understanding that 

compliance is extremely onerous but 

essential, financial diligence in a 

multi-million dollar business is 

critical, working with key 

stakeholders with differing agendas 

presents its challenges. Hence, he’s 

able to draw a conclusion that 

managing the affairs of a large and 

Independent School is a mammoth task but also an 

extremely rewarding one. 

Mark has had the experience of managing both 

multi-campus and single campus schools and has known 

first-hand that challenges are always present in a variety of 

forms – the key to managing those challenges rests with 

calm, objective and value laden processes to arrive at the 

best outcomes for all parties consistent with what is in the 

best interest of his school’s reputation. 

A Comprehensive Learning Culture 

Mark is of the opinion that modelling by staff of the 

Christian values of the School is essential to student success 

within that value system. He believes creativity is often 

stifled in students at an early age due to poor culture and 

structures evident in many schools. The solution to this in 

Mark’s opinion is inquiry based learning, balanced with 

explicit teaching which allows students to strengthen 

fundamental skills and to access high-order thinking, thus 

propelling them to reach their potential in their learning 

journey. “The love of learning emanates from curiosity,” 

Mark emphasizes. 

He states that the learning culture of a School is directly 

influenced by the inherent values system therein. Mark 

believes that a Christian doctrine leads to harmony, respect 

and importantly to social responsibility within a multicultural 

context and in a sense the moral fabric of a School 

Community is underpinned by faith, courage and trust in 

everyone’s intrinsic beliefs. Personifying Christian life has 

been and continues to be important in Mark’s leadership, 


allowing him to exemplify the inherent 

values into everyday School life. 

Aiding the Community’s Progress 

Mark believes that consistent 

leadership presence is very important in 

providing confidence and familiarity to 

the community. He cherishes the 

regular opportunities to interact with 

his community in both a meaningful 

and significant fashion. Certainly, most 

days he endeavours to be circulating 

around the school, greeting parents and 

students and genuinely interacting with 

them as they enter and exit the school. 

Opportunities to be actively engaged 

and involved in school life are 

something he strongly values. 

Mark considers that it is very important to preserve key 

traditions of a well-established and reputable school as 

students look forward to these embedded cultural norms as 

they progress through their school. He ensures these 

traditions are protected in line with respectful and sensitive 

character and behaviour. “We learn for life and in life we 

learn – every member of my School Community is 

encouraged to adopt a mind-set of being a leader and a 

learner – for that is the culture I have developed and 

continue to develop at my current School,” Mark expresses. 

Imparting Inspiration 

According to Mark, the importance of establishing open 

and authentic relationships in the workplace cannot be 

understated. In a values driven Christian organisation, 

genuine connections between key stakeholders through the 

embodiment of the School’s mission is integral to its 

success as an institution that is seeking to bring out the best 

in each student as they discover their own passions and 

interests. Accessibility and approachability of a school 

leadership team and indeed all staff is of enormous 

importance to the quality of relationships developed. 

Mark believes that educational leaders should be intentional 

and genuine in their approach to collaboration while 

enabling growth and development through outlining clear 

expectations and boundaries whilst enabling growth for 

engagement, creativity and personal flair. In turn, trust is 

developed and the resulting engagement sets a path for the 

care and wellbeing of all. Mark also states, “Fundamentally, 

in 2019 we must always put the welfare of our students at 

31


the fore of any decisions undertaken and be open, 

transparent and strongly committed to all elements of Child 

Safety.” To this end, Mark’s Leadership at Oakleigh 

Grammar is strong yet compassionate, leaving no one in 

doubt that the school’s commitment to every student in 

providing a safe learning environment is of paramount 

importance. 

Leadership Philosophy 

Mark emphasizes upon the fact that educational leadership 

must be authentic. He believes that objective assessments 

via the identification, collection and analysis of data, is 

essential to ensure students’ learning journey is providing 

the stimulus for maximum development. Mark is a big fan 

of Carol Dweck’s mind-set framework, as it relates to the 

application of everyday life. At his current School Mark and 

his team initiate new projects as trials and have had great 

success in particular with neuroscience based programs; to 

that end the team has nourished many young people to 

achieve at their highest possible level. 

According to Mark, a holistic development of each student 

is one that is the very essence of an enduring and 

worthwhile education. The growth of international and 

national movements such as ‘R u okay?’ and ‘Me too’ 

suggest that there is scope to more explicitly cultivate the 

importance of further open and respectful relationships 

involving males in the community. Increased awareness 

about students’ emotional and mental health has grown 

significantly and community figures such as sporting 

identities in part have contributed to increasing this 

community awareness through their admissions that they 

too are struggling to navigate an emotional terrain that has 

any pitfalls along the way. 

Mark holds a personal passion to assist students in 

understanding their place and what it really means to be a 

responsible community citizen. One area of achievement 

that he is very proud of at his current school is the 

implementation of a highly recognised, yet unique 

(to Australia) character development program which has 

obtained the highest level of quality assurance. 

Mark expresses that at Oakleigh Grammar the VCE median 

study score has increased by 5 to 6 increments in the time 

he has been Principal and takes pride in this achievement 

too. However, he states that the welfare of each and every 

child at Oakleigh Grammar must always be at the forefront; 

every student requires nurturing and needs to feel valued 

within their school community and to this end both 

academia and welfare must be developed ‘hand in hand’. 

“A key factor in realising success in any area of School 

Improvement is the dynamic of the executive leadership 

team,” says Mark. “Action plans developed within a strong 

consultative culture modelled by the leadership team 

empowers staff to innovate and achieve outcomes that must 

be shared within the Oakleigh Grammar community,” he 

adds. T R 33 

JULY 2019 |

An Enthusiastic Educator Focused on 

Academic and Community Development 

Adedicated educational leader spearheads 

educational innovation with a moral purpose. They 

have strong faith in themselves and possess a 

forever-learning attitude. Such leaders ceaselessly guide 

and support their colleagues and students towards growth 

and betterment and they are driven by the motive of 

refurbishing the benchmarks of education. 

One such erudite leader with a passion to learn and educate 

others is Narelle Nies, the Principal of Revesby Public 

School, NSW, Australia. Being a proud frontrunner, she 

enthusiastically involves in activities of the school 

community and the broader learning community as a part of 

a systematic scholarship. 

She upholds the values of the NSW Department of 

Education in every decision, action, and plan. Narelle’s 

prime objective is to prepare young students for rewarding 

lives as ethical citizens of the community and as global 

citizens of the future. She leads by example and is always 

prepared to take steps for the betterment of the students. 

Narelle takes the initiative to know every student and their 

family and works to ensure that they are cared and valued 

for in the school. Forming meaningful relationships is at the 

heart of her philosophy and as such, she invests heavily in 

them resulting in their school community being one of the 

most engaged communities in the area. She is a firm 

believer in team effort and puts in a lot of effort on building 

a positive school culture where everyone belongs, 

celebrates strengths, and strives for growth. She has 

immense faith and high expectations of the staff, students, 

and the community, and seeks opportunities for all 

stakeholders to improve. 

A Steadfast Leader 

Narelle Nies 

Principal 

Narelle always focuses on the development of the students, 

the community, and achieving academic excellence. She has 

collaborated with many institutions to develop a strategic 

plan for the community of schools, where she invites the 

best ideas from within and beyond the department. 

Implementing her leadership skills, Narelle uses 

evidence-based programs such as Learning Sprints and 

Educhange Leaders to have a significant impact on both 

teaching practices and student learning outcomes. She not 

only focuses on collaborating with the staff and community, 

but also with colleagues in the wider profession. 

Narelle’s primary attention remains on ensuring that the 

staff and students are providing and receiving the absolute 

highest standard of education. As a result of her dedicated 

endeavors, the school received an “Excelling” rating in the 


School Excellence Framework 

through the External Validation 

Process. Narelle works to ensure that 

all stakeholders are accountable for 

the role they play in properly 

educating the students. She constantly 

strives to regularly improve the 

school’s performance and prepare for 

a bright future. 

She is a dynamic and sensitive 

leader, who aims at achieving 

meaningful outcomes through her 

dedicated endeavors. Her honesty, 

expertise, and commitment speak 

for her excellent leadership skills. 

Narelle is often called upon by leaders of the local 

community, media, and other educational groups, which 

portrays her abilities as an excellent leader. She is a 

passionate, transparent and professional leader whose 

service to staff, students, community, and the NSW 

Department of Education is exemplary. The school culture 

at Revesby Public School can be directly attributed to 

outstanding leadership and a common belief that its values 

enable all opportunities for the community to connect in 

meaningful ways. 

An Accomplished Educator 

Throughout her illustrious journey of imparting education 

to the youth, Narelle has achieved much recognition. Some 

of her accolades have been mentioned below: 

• Narelle was nominated for Principal of the Year, 2019 

and named as a finalist in the Australian Education 

Awards. 

• She was identified to present at the NSW Principals 

Conference 2018, regarding the school initiatives to 

over 600 principals to share programs, future focused 

learning, innovation, and project based learning. 

• As principal, Narelle was named Innovative School 

Leader of the Year, 2017. During her first year as 

principal, Revesby Public School, presented an 

innovative project to the Inclusive Communities Youth 

Summit, involving students presenting their own 

initiative at NSW Parliament House to politicians and 

religious and cultural leaders, as well as the media. As 

part of this innovation, students worked with 

community members, religious leaders in the 

community and Aboriginal elders 

to develop a plan to ensure cultural 

inclusivity within Revesby Public 

School. The project was recognized 

by way of a Secretary’s 

commendation. 

• She has also received a Secretary’s 

Award for the Growth Mindset as a 

part of The Faces of Education. 

This was produced as a video to 

represent the Department of 

Education related to the Growth 

Mindset and shared widely through 

social media. 

Collaborating for Excellence 

Under the astute leadership of Narelle, Revesby Public 

School demonstrates strong links between the learning and 

curriculum enhanced by partnerships between other 

schools and inter agencies, where it works collaboratively 

to focus on improving student outcomes. The school 

prides itself on highly valued relationships between 

students, staff, and the broader community seeing a greater 

input from all areas in the school’s directions. 

Narelle is proud of the productive relationships that the 

school has developed with a range of external agencies 

such as Beechwood Nursing Home, local high schools, 

Filmpond, Film By the Banks, Learning Links, and 

Together for Humanity. This provides the opportunity to 

enrich the learning experiences and add great value in 

education. She leads the school to take the learning 

beyond the classroom where it has developed many close 

partnerships with the local community. 

A prominent collaboration is with that of Beechwood 

Aged care facility. Students of the school have visited the 

facility on a number of occasions to share music and 

stories. This provides students the opportunity to interact 

with the local residents. Additionally, the students get to 

know firsthand the importance of human connection 

across the generations. The residents share stories related 

to their life experience and important parts of their local 

history. Such interactions bring out various qualities such 

as kindness, compassion, and empathy among the 

students. The school lays emphasis on these qualities, 

which will help the students to develop into responsible 

global citizens. It considers all the residents as a part of 


37


the community and wish to connect with them. It believes 

that teachers, parents, and the community can work together 

to promote learning and enhance education. 

About Revesby Public School 

Revesby Public School aims to develop an exemplary 

school culture that is conducive to learning. The school’s 

philosophy is built upon ensuring every student is known, 

cared for, and valued. It works collaboratively using the 

expertise within the school to promote improvement for 

all students through providing tailored professional 

learning. It marches ahead to embed positive processes in 

order to build collective efficacy. The school intends to 

build successful, active, and lifelong learners where 

wellbeing is a clear focus. It is an inclusive and supportive 

community which values respectful and collaborative 

partnerships. The school fosters resilience and persistence 

through a growth mindset. 

The Frontrunner’s Legacy 

Narelle believes that every child has equal right to quality 

education. Her legacy is to prepare the students beyond 

their school years to become independent and responsible 

individuals. She intends to inspire students who are 

resilient, persistent, creative and critical thinkers, reflective, 

and who value learning as a lifelong tool. She is of the 

belief that leaders are responsible for making things better. 

Hence, she continually focuses on making constant 

improvements and how to make the institution better. 

“The school’s roadmap would be one of inspiration, 

motivation, affirmation while challenging the practice and 

pedagogy in order to strive for improvement. It is all about 

supporting educators within and beyond the school gates 

to build their capacity so as to have positive impact as a 

system” she says. 

Narelle works to ensure that every student belongs and 

sees themselves as a part of the broader community. She 

inspires students to be active global citizens who 

understand that they can contribute significantly to the 

world around them. She proceeds with the motive to build 

a community of practice where the focus is on how 

students learn, how teachers teach, and how leaders lead. 

Narelle’s greatest hope is to create a lasting impact in the 

way they enable and empower students. She aims to 

promote a future that is better than the past. T R 


39

ENVISIONING 

EDUCATION: 

What does the future hold? 

An Australian Principal’s thoughts 

About the Author 


Expertise Lessons 

Annette Rome 

Principal 


41

There is much in the literature that attempts to frame 

what it is that students in this century and beyond 

need to be able to think, say, and do to function 

effectively and compassionately in a global world. All 

educators aim to prepare students (and adults) for a world 

where the only constant is change. 

Many observers will claim that little has changed regarding 

formal education methodologies for over 200 years. Those 

of us in education in Australia, however, know this not to be 

the case. School structures and classrooms, curriculum, 

pedagogies and assessments have all changed considerably. 

So much so that I often hear parents comment “I wish I 

could have learned like that”. We know so much more 

about how people learn physiologically as well as 

psychologically that the nature of an instructional class in 

th 

Australia is completely different to that of the 20 Century. 

When teachers open their doors to others to share practice, 

which I confess happens far too rarely, these developments 

become obvious. 

How do we know we have effective classrooms in a country 

such as Australia? Research has shown that the highest 

performing cohorts in the world are the children of first 

generation migrants into Australia. To me this indicates that 

the importance placed on the value of education, which 

many migrants have for their children, when combined with 

the Australian education framework produces outstanding 

results. I believe this also represents a window to the future 

regarding approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and 

assessment that Australia can share with educators globally. 

Likewise models of education have also changed to meet 

the (perceived) needs and desires of families. Knowledge 

can be accessed and assessed anytime anywhere and I have 

no doubt that this trend will continue. There is much 

discussion in educational circles of micro credentialing that 

may or may not sit alongside traditional qualifications. 

I suspect models of knowledge and skill development and 

their assessment will become increasingly flexible in terms 

of timing of delivery (global and interactive) and nature 

(on-line, face to face, blended). The range and nature of 

providers is likely to increase even more. 

In Australia all providers of primary and senior secondary 

education academic certificates must be not-for profit. The 

provision of early childhood, vocational and other skill 

based training, however, has opened up and I suspect we 

will see increasing numbers of corporate/for-profit players 

in the education space. Globalisation is already ensuring 

new models of provision to meet the demand from 

communities as well as opportunities for providers. 

A key component of education all around the world will 

need to be the development of intercultural understanding. 

Frequent references to 21C skills refer to global citizenship 

st 

(see Council of International Schools, Partnership for 21 

Century Learning, Australian Department of Foreign Affair 

and Trade, The International Baccalaureate however, there 

is little common agreement as to a definitive list of 

attributes that constitute these 21C skills. It is, therefore, 

important for schools, teachers and students to have a 

common understanding of these priorities. Education 

providers need to devise programs that recognise the 

importance of global citizenship education, international 

mindedness and intercultural and transcultural 

understanding if we wish, as many of us do, to make the 

world a better place. 

Globalisation affords us both opportunity and challenge in 

terms of creating curricula and programs that scaffold 

educators and students to, in the words of Yong Zhao: 

“Become more aware of the global nature of societal issues, 

to care about people in distant places, to understand the 

nature of economic integration, to appreciate the 

interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples, to 

respect and protect cultural diversity, to fight for social 

justice for all and to protect the planet for all human 

beings” Zhou 2010 

One thing will never change, however, and that is the 

teaching of skills and knowledge that relate to knowing 

one’s self and relating to others. We believe the 

cornerstones of wellbeing are having strong identity, 

relationships and community. Schools will always need to 

provide a basis to develop and nurture all 3 elements of 

wellbeing as well as what it means to be the best person one 

can be. 

At St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar we strive for our 

students to be their best selves, now and in the future, for 

the betterment of all humanity and the planet through 

demonstrating COURAGE: to do the right thing, 

CURIOSITY: to know and learn, CHARACTER: to be one’s 

best self and RESPECT: to live wisely and compassionately 

with others and the planet. I am convinced that if we can do 

that at St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar, we have done 

our job. 

cheme, implemented in 2015, with a particular focus on 

young people with acquired brain injury. Her passion in 

education is for the development of young people so that 

they may become the best they can be – true citizens of the 

world. T R 


Empowering Schools and 

Educators Globally 

Schools are experiencing a period of massive change. 

They are endeavoring to prepare students for a 

rapidly changing world. Schools are complex 

organizations, with many competing priorities, agendas and 

initiatives. Research shows there is a clear connection 

between school effectiveness and school leadership. 

Leaders make a huge impact on both the effective operation 

of the school and the school’s culture. According to 

teamwork guru Patrick Lencioni, the key to managing the 

complexity of schools is to identify a reasonable number of 

issues that will have the greatest possible impact on the 

success of a school, and then spend the most amount of 

time thinking about, talking about, and working on those 

issues. This needs to be the core work of school leaders. 

“If everything is important, then nothing is.” 

A highly functioning leadership team operates like a slick 

machine. They use their time extraordinarily well, hold 

crisp meetings, are cognizant of the big picture and 

sensitive to the detail that impact on staff engagement and 

morale. It is essential that all school leaders are highly 

effective (including aspiring leaders). One man on a 

mission to reform the education sector for the better is 

Steve Francis, a Certified Speaking Professional and the 

Managing Director of the Happy School program. Steve 

is an experienced leader who works to support schools to 

build leadership capability. 

Steve works with leading educators to help them reach their 

potential and optimize their schools. He is an expert in 

leading effective change processes in schools. In a career 

spanning 20 years, Steve has been the Principal of a number 

Steve Francis 

MD 

of schools in Australia from a one-teacher school in country 

Queensland, through to a large metropolitan school in 

Brisbane and an international school in Hong Kong. As a 

Principal at Jindalee School in Brisbane he led a large 

school with 800 primary and preschool students, including 

50 special education students. 

In Hong Kong, Steve was the Principal of Kowloon Junior 

School for the English Schools Foundation. The school had 

900 students on two campuses. During his tenure in leading 

the school, it made the transition from teaching the UK 

National Curriculum to implementing the International 

Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP). He also 

led the design process for building the new school to 

accommodate all 900 students on the one campus. 

For the past ten years, Steve has focused his work on 

developing school leaders. He argues that schools often 

promote great teachers to positions of leadership and expect 

them to be great leaders. However, the skill set of being a 

great teacher is different to the skills required to be a great 

school leader. His passion in this area became evident when 


he was an executive of the State 

Principals’ Association. 

In the past year, Steve has worked 

with the leaders or staff of over 500 

schools across Australia, New 

Zealand and internationally. As well 

as working in-house, he has presented 

keynotes and workshops at numerous 

education leader conferences 

including both the Australian Primary 

Principals’ Association and New 

Zealand Principals’ Federation 

conferences. In the past year, he 

followed in the footsteps of Michael 

Fullan, Andy Hargreaves and Sir Ken 

Robinson by presenting to an 

audience of over 2500 teachers in 

Qatar. 

Steve’s work as a professional speaker has been accredited 

with the awarding of the highest worldwide designation, 

Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). For the past three 

years, Steve has also been recognized by Educator 

magazine as one of the top 50 most influential educators in 

Australia. Steve was also a member of the judging panel for 

the awarding of the Australian Education Awards. Steve is 

the author of four books including, ‘First Semester CAN 

MAKE OR BREAK YOU!’ and ‘Time Management For 

Teachers’. 

Steve is passionate about staff and leader well-being and 

reinstating the status of the teaching profession. He 

completed his Master’s degree in School Leadership and 

wrote his thesis on teacher stress. This led him to develop 

the Happy School program. He argues that whilst working 

in schools can be very rewarding, it can also be very 

demanding. Many a time, the staff feels exhausted, 

under-valued, frustrated and unappreciated. Teacher 

well-being and engagement are key factors in school 

effectiveness. Through his Happy School program Steve 

provides three strategies to support school leaders to 

improve staff morale and well-being in their schools. 

Delivering Innovative Development 

Happy School Membership: 

Schools can become a member of the highly successful 

Happy School program. Over 600 schools receive the 

weekly one page articles on important topics for staff wellbeing, 

engagement and satisfaction. 

The articles are designed to be easily 

shared with staff and provide regular, 

on-going professional development in 

bite-sized pieces. Membership of the 

Happy School program includes the 

weekly, ready-to-use one page articles 

written by experts in their field. The 

weekly articles can be printed as part of 

staff news, displayed on noticeboards, 

emailed to staff, included in electronic 

staff notices, discussed at staff meetings 

or for professional development. 

WELL Productivity Program: 

The year-long WELL Productivity 

program provides either self-paced or 

leader facilitated professional development covering four 

areas of staff well-being and productivity – Positive, 

Productive, Proactive and Peak Performance. The 20 

engaging action-focused units each comprise a 5-minute 

video tutorial with accompanying handouts and resources. 

The 12-month program is designed to help staff improve 

their productivity as well as their well-being. 

Face-to-face professional development: 

Steve Francis also provides awesome face-to-face 

professional development at conferences, clusters of 

schools and in-school professional learning. For the past 

three years he has been recognized as one of the top 50 

most influential educators in Australia. His keynotes and 

workshops at national and state conferences for Principals 

and teachers including APPA, NZPF, VAPP, QASSP, QSPA, 

INTASE, TAFE Qld and EduTech have led to him being 

invited to work with schools and leadership teams across 

Australia, New Zealand and internationally. His sessions 

are relevant, practical and engaging and are always well 

received. 

Whether schools choose face-to-face professional 

development with Steve, the self-paced WELL Productivity 

program or subscribe to receive Steve’ 

s weekly Happy 

School articles, the team at Happy School are dedicated to 

improving the well-being of staff in schools. 

Emphasizing on Reputation and Attitude 

In unison with his favorite quote ‘Live the Reputation You 

Want to Have,’ Steve says, “We all have a reputation in the 


45


eyes of parents, students and our colleagues as well. If they 

were asked to describe us in three words, what would we 

like them to say?” Steve recommends working out what one 

would like to be known for and then act that way. He says 

he’d like to be known as a positive person, who gets things 

done and never has a bad word to say about people behind 

their backs and endeavors to make sure that he behaves 

accordingly. 

“Early in my career I learnt that the most important decision 

you make every day is your attitude. You can either choose 

to be positive and enthusiastic about the challenges you 

face in schools or waste your energy in constantly 

complaining. I know where I’d prefer to put my energy and 

focus,” Steve adds. In his opinion, school leaders need to be 

constantly monitoring the ‘happiness’ of staff, students and 

parents. It’s like unlocking a combination lock. Fine tuning 

each of the factors is essential for an optimal culture. 

Piloting Comprehensive Progress 

To assist school leaders to understand and monitor their 

culture, Steve developed the Survey My School interactive 

surveys that seek input from staff, parents and students. As 

well as providing benchmarks, the instruments help to 

identify specific issues that are having a negative impact on 

the school culture. He argues that the fastest way to 

improve the school culture is to identify the barriers that are 

having a negative impact. School leaders need to address 

whatever issues they can and acknowledge that they are 

aware of the other issues and working towards resolving 

them. 

Steve believes that the existing culture in a school has a 

huge impact on staff. It impacts on how they behave, how 

they interact with co-workers, how happy and engaged they 

are at school, how they interact with students, how much 

discretionary effort is put in and how much gets done. The 

influence of culture can be positive and fulfilling or 

negative and deflating. Optimal results will only be 

achieved in an ideal culture. Managing culture is the most 

important work of the leadership team. Steve developed the 

Survey My School instrument to assist schools to measure 

and improve school culture. He believes that school leaders 

need to be acutely aware of their school culture. He argues 

that culture wins every time. If you have a bad culture, it 

will win – and ruin your school. If you have a great culture, 

it will also win and enable you to do great things. 

Great staff makes a huge difference to both the outcomes 

achieved by a school and the school’s culture. Attracting 

and retaining great staff is paramount. Superstar Teachers – 

dedicated, hardworking, and talented staff which have a 

great work ethic and a terrific attitude are very much 

in-demand! They are highly sought after and are able to 

‘pick and choose’ where they would like to work. To attract 

and retain such staff, it is more important than ever, that 

school leaders position their school to be the ‘Employer of 

Choice’. 

Steve suggests that being an Employer of Choice means 

becoming recognized as a school where potential and 

existing employees want to work for, over and above 

others. He argues that positioning a school as an ‘Employer 

of Choice’ is important as the current education sector 

approaches a shortage of talented teachers. Steve has also 

developed a process for assessing and independently 

certifying schools as the ‘Employers of Choice.’ 

Reaching out to Students 

Steve has also worked with schools to increase student 

voice and ensure teachers are receiving formative feedback 

from their students using the instrument he developed 

called, Survey My Class. Student surveys provide 

invaluable feedback to teachers about what is working in 

their classroom and what isn’t. Effective teachers utilize the 

feedback to improve their teaching. Regular student 

feedback should be an integral part of school improvement. 

Formative feedback from students should be utilized to 

provide a clear focus for teachers to reflect on their teaching 

with the aim of increasing student engagement. T R 


47

A REFORMATIVE UNISON 

WHERE CHALKBOARDS AND DIGITAL SCREENS COEXIST 

For over two decades, E-Learning has been hailed as 

‘the’ solution that will drive educational reform and 

displace the dominance of classroom learning, as we 

know it. Despite the potential of E-Learning, to personalize 

instruction, enable scalable solutions and develop new 

learning skills that will be vital for the future workforce, 

E-Learning has not yet redefined what we understand 

school to be. E-Learning and classroom learning must work 

in coalition and not competition. 

that enable complex communication, successful 

collaboration, enhance critical and creative thinking and a 

personalized learning experience. The right technology 

tools when combined with appropriate deployment and 

training for teachers can offer new opportunities for student 

learning and so make a valuable contribution to any 

classroom. 

E-Learning, flipped learning, online learning, blended 

learning; each offers a different point of entry for teachers 

Students at St 

Margaret’s and 

Berwick Grammar 

School experience 

Virtual Reality. 

Bringing new 

experiences into 

our classroom 

environments that 

were not previously 

possible without 

technology 

In our content rich and connected world, it is vital for 

young people to think critically and interrogate sources of 

information. Knowing how to ask good questions to 

discover knowledge and build an understanding, is essential 

st 

to learning success in the 21 century. Put simply, learning 

how to learn. This can be achieved through E-Learning that 

is designed to purposefully leverage digital technologies 

to introduce technologies into their classroom environment. 

Direct instruction, debate, brainstorming, setting learning 

goals, while all these are seen as traditional approaches, 

each can be enhanced with technology. 

The following are examples of effective strategies that 

combine E-Learning with traditional classroom learning: 


Modern Outlook 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Meg Fortington is the Director of 

Curriculum and Innovation at St 

Margaret’s and Berwick 

Grammar School. She is 

passionate about the value of 

technology in every classroom 

and its potential to make a 

positive impact on teaching and 

learning. 

Meg regularly presents 

professional learning 

opportunities and workshops 

focused on E-Learning tools and 

strategies to support educators to 

focus on the skills and outcomes 

made possible with technology. 

• Sophisticated response-ware that 

enables immediate feedback for 

both students and teachers to 

track progress. Allowing for 

differentiation and adjustment to 

the classroom teaching program 

based on the formative data that 

is collected. 

• Flipped learning practices that 

support students to access 

learning materials independently 

then use social learning 

opportunities in class time to 

apply the knowledge, challenge 

understandings and participate 

in unique experiences and 

responses. 

Meg Fortington 

Director 

• Building collaborative online 

learning spaces that provide 

access to peers and shared 

online spaces to build 

knowledge and work together. 


49

• Differentiated learning paths, that allow students to 

access materials with greater choice and voice about 

the pace and mode. 

• Development of digital portfolios to capture goal 

setting, evidence of learning, reflection and growth 

over time. 

• Using technology to redefine the type of task we design 

and take advantage of simulations, real-world 

problems and require students to create content in 

response to the learning rather than simply consuming 

material. 

• Using technology to connect and share with 

communities of learning across the world. 

Despite these opportunities to enhance our classrooms with 

technology, some continue to view it as little more than a 

distraction for young people, already labeled as screen 

addicted. Recent system wide interventions that call for 

bans on mobile devices in schools demonstrate the fear that 

tools that suit their classroom and their students just as 

teachers do with other teaching strategies. 

Technology can encourage educators to consider the role of 

teacher and student differently. In classrooms we can create 

new learning experiences where students become creators 

not just consumers, teachers can become co-learners and 

focus on providing personalized programs and regular 

powerful feedback. This change demands that ICT systems 

are streamlined and that schools prioritize professional 

learning opportunities for teachers to share with each other 

the technology and teaching approaches that are most 

effective in their unique school context. 

E-Learning when implemented purposefully can support a 

classroom learning environment that enables thinking and 

innovation, where students are engaged and encouraged to 

take meaningful risks towards connected learning 

outcomes, ensuring they develop the skills and capabilities 

they need for economic, social and cultural success in the 

st 

21 century. T R 

Students and 

teachers at St 

Margaret’s and 

Berwick Grammar 

school consider the 

application of 

technology in 

STEM Learning. 

can dominate the discussion. Such discourse limits the 

exploration of the potential of these technologies to enable 

valuable E-Learning opportunities. The success of 

E-Learning strategies has also been impacted by a one-size 

fits all approach to integrating technology. Examples 

include single device programs, mandated learning 

management systems or whole school adoption of a single 

tool. Instead, teachers need a bespoke collection of ICT 



Voyaging for Excellence, Reforming Education 

Tim has had a profound career in Education to date. He 

began his professional life as a Geneticist at a 

cutting-edge research facility, and his inclination towards 

exploring, utilizing and pioneering the use of innovative 

solutions travelled with him magnificently into 

education. While Tim started his career as a Middle 

Years Science teacher and Senior Years Biology teacher, 

it wasn’t long into his career before he was tasked with 

diverse leadership roles. 


Director 

One who holds the torch of knowledge, drives away 

the mufing fog of ignorance, and guides the 

multitude towards enlightenment. 

Passionate and efficient educators follow a 

reformative and holistic approach towards 

empowering their students. They comprehend 

students’ volatile learning interests and formulate 

comprehensive strategies, creative teaching methods, 

activities promoting inclusiveness and many other ways 

to match up to their students’ requirements. Such 

innovative, prolific and adept educators possess the 

potential to sculpt ambitious young learners into leaders 

and professionals of tomorrow. One plausible example of 

such educators is Timothy Barlow, the Director of 

Technology Innovation at St. Leonard’s College. 

As a Head of Learning, Middle Years Leader and 

Experiential Learning Coordinator, Tim efficiently 

organized all aspects of around 12 international trips 

involving over 400 students and staff. He also 

coordinated and directed a local and international based, 

award winning educational experiential learning 

program. As a Head of Year 9 he was a hugely successful 

and respected pastoral leader. Additionally, he 

spearheaded the early introduction of restorative 

practices. He led a team of pastoral careers in the 

revolution of adolescent discipline. Tim’s proficiency as 

an educator is evidently proven when a certain year level 

which historically received hundreds of detentions per 

annum, received zero as soon as he took over. 

In the past decade, Tim has had a significant impact on 

the direction and implementation of a number of 

transitional educational innovations. In his first year as 

an eLearning coordinator, he personally designed and 

implemented a school wide, radically successful virtual 

learning environment while concurrently planning the 

complete transition to a Bring Your Own Device 

(BYOD) model of student technology provision. Tim 

also conceived, built and delivered an entirely new 

educational faculty named DigiSTEM as the global 

demand for coding, robotics, STEM, design thinking, 

making and engineering emerged. As the Director of 

Technology Innovation, he also sits on the executive 

leadership team at one of Melbourne, and Australia’s, 


premier independent schools. His dynamic and 

innovative style inspires both his students and 

educational peers alike. 

Blending Technology with Learning 

Tim’s educational leadership and innovation began in 

earnest when he was a full-time classroom teacher and 

he has been unwavering in continually improving the 

traditional methods of classroom teaching practice ever 

since. In 2007, he began implementing his pioneering 

mindset to work in education with conviction. In the age 

of the iPod, Tim was a true pioneer of the Flipped 

Classroom pedagogy. When smart phones emerged, he 

designed and developed four educational iPhone apps. 

When tablet computing and eBook readers emerged, he 

developed eight wildly interactive and engaging 

electronic books. He has even gamified – introduced 

elements of game-based motivation – an entire year of 

the Australian Science curriculum. His podcasts have 

been downloaded almost a million times, he has over 

100,000 views on YouTube, and his blog has been visited 

over two million times. 

Tim’s innovative and creative use of ICT in the 

curriculum is undisputed. His personal classroom 


53

innovation has directly enabled a generation of students 

to experience and engage in higher level learning. 

However, as an educational thought leader, his vision has 

also transformed many educational practices. His vision 

has assisted schools around the globe, transition from the 

traditional closed wall, class-based nature of online 

learning, to course-based collaborative teaching and 

learning platforms. He has pioneered and assisted many 

schools transition to the modern BYOD model of student 

technology provision. He has pushed his own, and 

numerous other schools down the path of continuous 

reporting to enhance learning outcomes and strengthen 

relationships between schools and parents. 

The Home Ground 

Tim expresses his pride in working at St Leonard’s 

College in Melbourne, Australia. He aligns 

comprehensively with the vision of the school – to 

provide all students with An Education for Life. 

Similarly, Tim draws inspiration from the college’s 

mission which states, ‘Through inspiring and caring 

teachers, and in a physically, emotionally and spiritually 

safe coeducational environment, St Leonard’s College 

provides an exemplary innovative education for its 

students, enriched by the traditions of its heritage.’ As a 

result, all of the school’s strategic directions are in line 

with powerful education experiences for the present 

landscape, which equip students for their uncertain 

futures. Tim’s drive to support staff in a myriad of 

avenues has ensured that strategic initiatives have 

succeeded, and staff has up-skilled in areas surrounding 

pedagogy, use of technology and reporting practices. 

stride, and it is virtually impossible to shake him and his 

drive to seek improvement, it becomes evident that he 

can easily overcome the challenges of the roles he has 

undertaken. 

Changing the World, One School at a Time 

“Education is of utmost importance to the future wellbeing 

of our society, and our entire planet, and this 

provides a continual and ample source of both, the 

motivation to do great work for students everywhere, and 

also unrest and a strong desire to continue to push 

education forwards and see it continually improve and 

evolve to better empower all students everywhere,” Tim 

expresses. This constant positive outlook cannot help but 

spread onto Tim’s colleagues and peers, and the 

inspiration his students gain from this approach of 

teaching is profound. Tim’s students are engaged and 

inspired to be their best and to pursue their own passions 

to their very best ability. 

At St Leonard’s College the entire faculty continues 

working to be the best school in the world – a goal that 

every single school should aspire to. For Tim personally, 

the goal is always to help as much as he can and do the 

best work he can, whatever work that is. Tim is 

periodically asked if he will step into a Principal role at a 

school in the future, and while Tim would never say 

never he is happy simply being a powerful force for 

change and good in this world. T R 

Tim states that he works at a school that helps lead the 

educational landscape in virtually all that it does. Its 

amazingly committed staff constantly pushes the 

boundaries of pedagogical practices to ensure the very 

best learning environment for all students. The academic 

results of his school are routinely amongst the very best 

in the country and the students at his school are award 

winning, from Swimming or Cheer Sports, through to 

Theatre Productions, Musical Performances and 

Adventure Racing. 

According to Tim, when he was appointed to the role of 

Director of Technology Innovation at St Leonard’s 

College, the ICT landscape was a virtual wasteland. His 

futuristic vision and strategic planning ensured that his 

school quickly transitioned to a national leader in this 

regard. As with all challenges, Tim takes them in his 



55

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