Meet The Teachers
The wonderful bunch here at Holy Spirit would love to say hello!
Meet Our Teachers
At the top of the list when measuring the quality of a school has to be the quality of the teaching staff. We are beyond fortunate to have a team of teachers truly dedicated to positive outcomes for all children.
Meet our teachers below!
Leadership & Administration

Duncan Arendse
Principal
I love working at our school because I have the opportunity to be involved in the teaching and learning of our students. I am also in a privileged position to empower both staff and parents to act in the best interest of our students.

Judy Smith
Deputy Principal
Since joining the Holy Spirit community, I have been impressed by the sense of welcome, positivity and cooperation at the school. My roles are Deputy Principal and Literacy/Numeracy Leader in the junior school, and I look forward to working with students, staff and families to achieve the best outcomes we possibly can for our students.
In my private life, I am a wife, a mum to two grown-up children and a grandma of one. I enjoy reading, camping, cooking and spending time with family and friends (especially when these all are combined in a weekend away).

Rachel Hamilton Smith
Deputy Principal and Learning Diversity
I am very excited to join the Holy Spirit Community and am grateful to the warm and friendly welcome I have already received. I am excited about getting to know the children and their families and working with a great team of dedicated and caring staff. I love spending time with my family and walking my dog. I have two primary school aged and am grateful I get to support and contribute to the lives of young people each day.

Kayla Flindt-Petersen
Learning & Teaching Leader and Literacy
I am a lifelong learner and love learning with my students. I love the challenge of inspiring and making learning fun. My favourite thing is seeing students showcase their learning and watching them grow. Teaching is a superpower! I also love to travel and explore the world we live in.

Ben Lannen
Wellbeing Leader and Maths Leader
I love the buzz of teaching at HS, the thrill of seeing kids ‘get’ something for the first time and empowering staff in the areas of wellbeing and contemporary digital learning.
I also love playing cricket, watching the mighty Tigers and spending time with my family.

Kate Ryan
Office/Admin
I’m so excited to be working at Holy Spirit and am looking forward to the challenge of learning all the students names! Outside of work, I love reading, eating out and spending time with my family. Oh, and online shopping!

Donna Gagnon
Office/Admin
Even though I haven’t been at Holy Spirit for that long, I feel like I am well and truly part of the family. Being in the front office gives me the unique opportunity to have contact with lots of members of our Holy Spirit community. Outside of school I love spending time with my two boys and our new puppy.

Melissa Barrett
Bursar
I am the Bursar at Holy Spirit and I am responsible for all matters of a financial nature.
I love the Community feel of the School and enjoy engaging with students, their families and staff.
Grade Prep Teachers

Jess O'Reilly
Prep Teacher
I am grateful to be able to work with the many people of the Holy Spirit Community. I enjoy the opportunity to see students challenge themselves in all areas of learning and watching their confidence grow as the year progresses. When I am not at school I enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Michelle Turpin
Prep Classroom Teacher
I’m so excited to be part of this vibrant learning community. I love getting to know each of the little treasures in my class and feel privileged to be part of their life journey. My favourite thing to do out of school is to relax at the river, camping with my family.

Micaela Wood
Prep Teacher
My favourite thing about being a prep teacher is building and teaching the students’ learning foundations and watching the students use these foundations to ‘take off’ in their learning. Prep is a fun, enthusiastic and exciting environment that I am so lucky to be a part of. I enjoy teaching at Holy Spirit because of the beautiful inclusive community and the passion and love for teaching and learning.
Grade 1/2 Teachers

Katherine D'Aloisio
Junior School Leader and Grade 1/2 Teacher
I love teaching in Prep, it’s such a special year. I love seeing the student’s have that ‘aha!’ moment with their learning as it makes me love my job and love teaching in Prep.

Nicole Costin
1/2 Teacher
I moved to Holy Spirit in 2022 and in that time I have created excellent partnerships with staff, students and parents. It has been a pleasure to come to work each day, inspired to teach my students with engaging and creative learning resources. When I’m not in the classroom, I enjoy travelling, catching up with my friends and cuddles with my dog Coco

Sue Fevreau
1/2 Teacher

Jacinta Tillack
1/2 Teacher

Kristina Reid
1/2 Teacher
It is so exciting to be teaching and learning alongside the staff and students at Holy Spirit. There is a great sense of community within the school and the opportunities provided to the students demonstrates how much everyone is dedicated to the development of each child as an independent learner. Outside of school I love to spend time with my family, reading a great fantasy novel (Potter heads and Hobbits are always welcome) and spending time learning a new song on the piano.

Julie Brown
1/2 Teacher
I have been a teacher for over 20 years. I enjoy making connections with my students and their families. I especially like getting to know the students and I love to have fun in the classroom. I have 4 boys of my own and understand the challenges of raising young people today.

Liz Bell
1/2 Classroom Teacher
I absolutely love being a teacher and encouraging the young minds at Holy Spirit. One of my favourite things to do on the weekend is spending time in the great outdoors with my husband and two daughters. I also enjoy photography and genealogy!
Grade 3/4 Teachers

Melissa Manders
3/4 Teacher
Holy Spirit allows me to work as part of a passionate and dedicated community. This environment helps me to build strong relationships with the students I teach which I find rewarding. Away from the classroom, I relish a good book, relax in the garden and rewatch classic Hollywood movies.

Alison Laurence
3/4 Teacher
I love teaching at Holy Spirit because I get to inspire, encourage, support and nurture my students. I also really enjoy leading the Holy Spirit Choir! Outside of school I love spending time with my family by going to the movies, bike riding, watching my childrens sports games and travelling.

Etta D'Souza
3/4 Teacher
I have had a long and engaging journey in various roles at Holy Spirit since my eldest ‘baby’ started prep in 2005. I absolutely love teaching and getting the chance to inspire and nurture the students in my care. Outside of school I love spending time with and going on holidays with my family and friends. I love cooking and entertaining, music and netflix!

Maddy Cadzow
3/4 Teacher

Danni Fidge
3/4 Teacher
I love teaching at Holy Spirit. I have a passion for seeing students enjoy their learning and improve on their knowledge and confidence everyday.
When I’m not at school I coach and play basketball for Camberwell Dragons. I also enjoy going the movies, gym and playing with my dog, Fraser.

Marianne Condon
5/6 Teacher
Holy Spirit is a warm, welcoming and a very supportive community to work in. The children and parents are friendly, approachable and really invested in their learning and school life. As the Religious Education Leader I love working with all staff, students and parents for the faith formation of all.
Grade 5/6 Teachers

Beck Young
5/6 Teacher
Being part of the Holy Spirit Community is very important to me. I have cherished my time teaching at the school and watching the students grow into independent learners. The families of Holy Spirit make the school what it is today and I get the privilege of seeing that each and every day. When I’m not teaching I’m at sport with my children or swimming for myself. I love being active and spending time with my family and friends.

Chris Williams
5/6 Teacher
I absolutely love teaching at Holy Spirit. Having the opportunity to help students reach their full potential is something I highly value. I always ensure that my students are in an environment that is welcoming, safe and inclusive. I am a passionate fan of all sports, particularly basketball.

Antoinette Galioto
5/6 Teacher

Ruby Harris
5/6 Teacher
I am very excited and grateful to be welcomed into the Holy Spirit community. I have a passion for working alongside students to foster their strengths and interests and providing a welcoming environment for them to come to each day. I love spending time in Phillip Island with my partner Cory, my family and my dog Joey.

Andy McKellar
5/6 Teacher
I love making a difference in children’s lives and seeing them grow and change over the year. It’s wonderful to see children become confident in who they are what they can achieve. Outside of school, it’s all about my family, friends and being the best person I can be.

Andrea Jackson
5/6 Teacher
Hi I’m Andrea. I feel very privileged to work here at Holy Spirit. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly.
I am very blessed to be teaching my students, who I think are just awesome. Such lovely, happy and well mannered children. I love my job and my classroom is my kingdom.
I am a mum to two beautiful boys. They keep me busy. I love to walk my dog and I do yoga. I am a music lover and enjoy listening and singing along to different songs. I am looking forward to all new experiences and fun times at Holy Spirit.
Specialised Teachers

Caeleigh Osborne
PE Teacher/Sport Coordinator/Senior School Leader
I love being able to give my students the skills, confidence and opportunities to participate in Sport and Physical Activities for lifelong health. I get to see them grow and develop their teamwork and leadership through sporting experiences. Sport is a passion of mine both in and outside of school!

Beth O'Donnell
Visual Arts
I am so honoured to be able to share my love of arts and creativity with the students of Holy Spirit. I believe wholeheartedly in the significance of Visual Arts in children’s development. I love to see them inspired and growing their skills and knowledge in a fun, supportive and safe environment. I love that students can play, create and explore with different mediums. Art gives students the ability to express themselves and communicate their ideas and emotions. I am in awe of the way the students are able to bring their visions to life and create spectacular pieces.

Sherree Vulling
Performing Arts Teacher
I am extremely passionate about Performing Arts and I am so excited to be able to share this passion with the Holy Spirit Community. I love being able to have fun with my students, while helping them develop their confidence and the ability to express themselves creatively through dance, drama and music. Outside of school, I enjoy exercising at the gym, going to the footy with my family to watch the Tigers and dancing whenever I get the chanc.

Rosario Lobo
School Counsellor
Coming Soon..

Kharlea Teo
Speech Pathologist
Holy Spirit has engaged with Speech Pathology for Schools (SPS) to provide holistic school based speech pathology support. Kharlea is an engaging and dynamic speech pathologist who enjoys working alongside school-aged students to find their learning potential in the areas of language and literacy. She works collaboratively with students and staff to assess and target individual needs in the areas of Oral Language and Phonological Awareness. Kharlea’s sessions run on Mondays and Fridays and consist of either 1:1 or small group learning. An LSO is present during the session to further support students with follow up activities during class time.

Bernadette Dinneen
Maths Intervention
Coming Soon..

Trish Ryan
Library Technician
I love working in our Library and being able to share our wonderful books with the students and seeing the smiles on their faces is so rewarding.
Outside of school I enjoy going on holidays by the beach and of course putting my feet up and reading a good book.
Learning Support Officers

Cathy Wendt
Learning Support Officer
I am grateful to be a part of the Holy Spirit family. I love seeing the students grow and shine in their own unique way and I learn as much from them as they would from me. They inspire me everyday to be the best person that I can be.

Melanie Bicknell
Learning Support Officer
I love to help children to achieve their best and seeing their growth over the year. I enjoy travelling, learning new things and spending time with my family and friends.

Fatima Da Silva
Learning Support Officer
I love working at Holy Spirit and working with the students to help them in any way I can. It’s a rewarding job to see the students achieve their goals. I am married and have 3 busy boys. I love going on long drives with my family seeing new places.

Vicki Denelzen
Learning Support Officer
When my kids were at Holy Spirit,I loved working in the classroom. This gave me the incentive to become an LSO. I love talking and listening to the children and building relationships with them. I get a lot of satisfaction helping and working out stratigies.

Kira Witnish
Learning Support Officer
I’ve worked at Holy Spirit for many years and it is like a big family. The children I work with are like my own and we form a very close bond. It gives me great pleasure to see them blossom and grow.
I enjoy Football and Calisthenics.

Margeret Carmani
Learning Support Officer
I enjoy working at HS because of it’s strong sense of community due to the amazing staff and great families that I interact with everyday. The things I enjoy most in life are spending time with family and friends.

Christie Ross
Learning Support Officer
I am truly grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community at Holy Spirit where all of the staff are extremely supportive and caring and the students are a true joy to work with. It’s not without its challenges but together we succeed.

Leah Pinney
Learning Support Officer
I’m married and have 2 children and 2 dogs. I completed my Certificate III in Education Support in 2018 as I was after a more rewarding job. What I love most about my role is being able to assist the students and to watch them grow and achieve their goals.

Ally Ridley
Learning Support Officer
Coming Soon…

Megan Price
Learning Support Officer
I became a Learning Support Officer eighteen years ago to make a difference in a child’s life and help them to reach their potential within a school environment. When I’m not working,I look forward to spending time with my family, walking my dog, exercising and gardening.

Lyn Hunt
Learning Support Officer
I enjoy helping students achieve their best and listening to their ideas by making a personal connection. My job is never boring and I am privileged to be able to listen to their ideas and to see the way their minds work.

Sue Elliott
Learning Support Officer
My days at school are really busy but at the end of the day I always feel a sense of achievement and making a difference. The staff are supportive which makes what I do so rewarding. In my spare time I love gardening and hiking.

Tamara Augustin
Learning Support Officer
It is a pleasure to work in an environment that not only accept everyone’s differences but also values them. The kids quite simply make it a joy to be here every day.
Outside of work I love to spend my time gardening.

Kate Hopkins
Learning Support Officer
I have worked at Holy Spirit for many years as an LSO across all year levels. I love being involved in education and working together with students and seeing them flourish. One of my favourite things to do is to go camping with my family and explore new places.

Jess Millmow
Learning Support Officer
After working for 10+ years as a medical scientist in a busy laboratory environment I felt the need for a career change. Firstly with bookkeeping and then onto School Based Education Support. I have thoroughly enjoyed working across all year levels including high school. It is so thrilling to learn and work amongst students’ diverse learning styles, especially creating strong bonds with them. They all bring me so much joy. My goal is to support their wellbeing, build self-esteem, focus on their strengths and create a supportive environment where all students can be successful learners.

Ann Janssen
Learning Support Officer
Coming soon.

Jenny Mangan
Learning Support Officer

Sarah Rosel
Learning Support Officer
After working for many years in the early childhood field I decided to study education support and make the jump to primary school. I love learning about the students and working alongside them whilst they achieve their goals.
When I’m not working I love going to the beach and spending time with my family.

Melinda Peatling
Learning Support Officer

Michaela Buscema
Learning Support Officer
Coming soon.
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