Meet The Teachers
We’re excited to meet you!
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
Marisa Matthys
Principal
I am privileged to be the Principal of St Mary’s. At St Mary’s we contribute to a life-foundation for students that is centred in Jesus Christ and grounded in truth, beauty and love. Every student is known and respected.
I love to foster a deep love of learning for all within a positive culture where everyone can reach their full potential and feel safe and happy.
On a personal level, I have a deep love of nature and the environment which I find, provides me with spiritual well being. I love to read and go camping with my husband, three children, my grandchild and my groodle Harvey.
Laurina Van Der El
Deputy Principal - Curriculum & Learning Culture Leader
Being an educator is an incredible responsibility and being able to live this in our St Mary’s community is a privilege. I love how students, staff and parents are all learners together on a shared journey. You can find me reading research or watching rugby – go the All Blacks!
Belinda Cheong
Deputy Principal - HR & Maths Leader
I’m passionate about teaching and look forward to my role this year as both Maths Leader and Deputy Principal. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work closely with parents, students and teachers, building understanding and skills for life-long learning. Outside of school I enjoy attending Melbourne Victory games and spending time with family and friends.
Rachel Perissinotto
Learning Diversity & Wellbeing Leader
My greatest joy as an educator comes from the opportunity to develop positive and supportive relationships with our students and their families. This partnership allows me to play a special role in each student’s learning journey. And places me in a privileged position in which I can witness and nurture their growth as both learners and people.
Allison Luff
Literacy Leader
Ana Amorim
Religious Education Leader
I am privileged to work as the Religious Education Leader at St Mary’s Parish Primary School. I feel honored to work alongside staff, students, and families engaging with the Catholic tradition through our Religious Education and Sacramental program.
Jennifer Baker
Administration Manager & ICT Coordinator
I enjoy being part of the St. Mary’s Community. As Administration Manager & ICT Coordinator, I strive to create a friendly and safe office environment for Students, Families, Staff and Community Members.
Outside of the office I enjoy going to the beach, being active, reading, cooking and spending time with loved ones.
Sharyn Ryan
Administrative Assistant & Enrolments Officer
I am very privileged to be one of the three friendly faces that greet those who enter through the front doors of St Mary’s Parish Primary School. Look forward to seeing you!
Rochelle Mietus
Finance Manager
I am proud to be part of the St Mary’s Community. I have a wonderful, supportive team. We get the job done and have fun!
Jennifer Lim
School Nurse
It is an honour and privilege to be part of the St. Marys community. I am passionate about nursing with a strong focus on Primary Health Care. I can’t wait to meet each and every one of you. Outside of school I’ll either be baking or spending quality time with the family.
Michael Falzon
Maintenance Manager
Gary Collings
Maintenance Manager
Prep Teachers
Ashleigh Musig
Prep Classroom Teacher
It is a blessing to be a part of the wonderful and supportive St Mary’s community. My favourite part about working at St Mary’s is the meaningful relationships I have been able to build with students and staff. I value making school a welcoming and safe space that students are excited to be a part of. It is a privilege to support students in their growth and I hope to instil a love of learning in all of my students. Outside of school, you can find me tucked into a good book, going on long walks or spending time with friends and family
Sally Kerr
Prep Classroom Teacher
I love the sense of belonging that St Mary’s provides. I thoroughly enjoy working with my colleagues, as we work together to create an engaging and positive learning environment for the students.
My favourite thing to do during the school holidays is to go on caravan adventures with my family.
Carolyn Smith
Prep Classroom Teacher
St. Mary’s is a welcoming community of which I am privileged to be a part. The staff, family and students are supportive, innovative and generous making it a pleasure to teach here and be a part of the St. Mary’s community.
Year 1/2 Teachers
Kirin Geale
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
I feel very blessed to be working at St Mary’s with staff who are passionate, committed and innovative. I hope to place student wellbeing at the heart of my teaching and work alongside students to bring out their many gifts and talents. I am keen to develop independent thinking skills and for all students to understand their capabilities and develop a growth mindset so they are able to participate actively to develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually as members of our school. In my spare time I enjoy swimming laps at my local swimming pool, hiking in nature, trips to the beach and listening to music.
Cris Brewer
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
I believe that learning for all students should be challenging, engaging, and FUN! I enjoy working in partnership with our wonderful parents and families. When I am not at school, I am taking care of my three beautiful children and spending time with my family and friends.
Lisa Cusack
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
Larissa Napoli
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
Angie Varvaris
Year 2 Classroom Teacher
I love working in such a beautiful and welcoming community at St. Mary’s. I enjoy getting to know each of my students and watching them achieve goals and grow throughout their learning journey. Outside of school, I love all things craft and music, and bring this passion into the classroom.
Annabelle Robertson
Year 2 Classroom Teacher
I am thrilled to be a part of such a vibrant learning community at St Mary’s. I aim to create a learning environment that is nurturing, engaging and embraces all learners and their unique talents. In my spare time I love to do yoga, walk my dog Sunny and spend time with family and friends.
Emma Maerz
Year 2 Classroom Teacher
I am very excited to be joining St Mary’s Primary School as a Grade 2 teacher. I love watching students grow and thrive in their learning and having them feel comfortable within their surroundings.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, spending time with my Family and Friends and playing with my dog Kevin.
Year 3/4 Teachers
Cassie Lia
Year 3 Classroom Teacher
St Mary’s has such a wonderful sense of community that I feel very privileged to be part of. My greatest love as a teacher is building positive relationships with students and watching as they grow and develop as whole people and learn to value themselves as learners. Outside of the classroom I love being outdoors; camping, hiking and skiing; and enjoy my role as a Cub Scout leader.
Eliza Free
Year 3 Classroom Teacher
I’m so fortunate to join St Mary’s this year and I can’t wait to be part of the community. I love to build positive relationships with all students and love to bring joy and humour to the classroom. Outside of school, I love watching netball and footy and you might see me with my Richmond scarf this year.
Taliah Postans
Year 3 Classroom Teacher
I feel very fortunate to be teaching a Year 3 class at St Mary’s this year and getting to join this wonderful school. I strive every day to make learning exciting and enjoyable as I want my students to love being a part of our classroom community. Before teaching at St Mary’s I taught for a short time in the UK and I was also a Physiotherapist. Outside of school, I love travelling, cooking (and eating of course!), being active and spending time with my family and friends.
Olivia van Raay
Year 4 Classroom Teacher
I am thrilled to begin my teaching journey at St. Mary’s Parish Primary School. I look forward to forming meaningful and genuine relationships with students and being part of such an inclusive and caring school community. I am also excited to work in partnership with the students and assist them in discovering their full potential. Outside school, I value time spent with my friends and family. I also enjoy swimming, walking and travelling.
Vesna Bosnjak
Year 4 Classroom Teacher
St Mary’s Primary School enables students to succeed and become the best version of themselves. I love learning new skills and enjoy sharing my own experiences to assist others, especially the younger generations in finding their passions, thriving in their strengths and working towards their goals. I am also very into sports (especially tennis and soccer), enjoy going to the beach and love spending time with my family and friends.
Annie Fitzgerald
Year 4 Classroom Teacher
I am proud to be a part of the St. Mary’s Parish Primary School community. I am passionate about creating a positive and inclusive learning environment where every student feels supported to grow and achieve their best. My goal is to make learning exciting and meaningful, fostering a love of learning in my students. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, staying active, and travelling .
Year 5/6 Teachers
Ella Ryan
Year 5 Classroom Teacher
I am delighted to be a part of the St Mary’s community, and to have the opportunity to get to know many of the students and families. I am excited to support students, as they explore and develop their academic and personal success. Outside of work I can be found reading a book, walking my dogs, obsessing over Harry Potter and Taylor Swift or cheering Collingwood on.
Amy Buckley
Year 5 Classroom Teacher
I am very excited to be working at St Mary’s. I look forward to continuing to get to know the school community and working with the friendly, dedicated and caring staff that we have at our school. I am very passionate about building positive relationships with the students and have a love for teaching Maths and developing student wellbeing. Outside of school I enjoy being active, going to the beach and spending time with my family and friends.
Leah O'Shea
Year 5 Classroom Teacher
Being part of the dynamic St. Mary’s community is an honor. I am committed to cultivating positive relationships and instilling a lifelong love for learning. Beyond my role as a teacher, I find rejuvenation in family adventures, such as the rewarding challenge of relearning how to water-ski.
Nichole Sorockyj
Year 5 Classroom Teacher
St. Mary’s is a place that makes you feel welcomed, challenged and valued. I love getting to know the students across all year levels and seeing them grow in confidence over the years. Outside of work I love skiing, cooking, travelling and spending time with my family and friends.
Rob Williams
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
I enjoy building relationships and genuine connections with the students and seeing them succeed. I love going to Essendon footy games with my two boys and being involved with all my kids’ sports.
Taylor Leslie
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
I am excited to teach in Grade 6 and with the spirited St Mary’s community. I love building positive relationships and watching students grow into lifelong learners. Outside of the classroom I love to cook, play football and travel.
Grace Gibbons
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
It has been a joy to become part of the St Mary’s community, and to have a chance to get to know many of the St Mary’s students and families. I am passionate about sharing my love of learning with the students at our school, and feel privileged to help them to succeed and grow. Outside of school I am an avid reader, and enjoy painting, cooking and spending time with loved ones.
Michelle Polifiore
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
Specialised Teachers
Fiona MacIsaac
Librarian
I am thrilled to be the Librarian at St. Mary’s. I am passionate about literature and hope to help students discover the joys and benefits associated with reading.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, keeping fit and walking our miniature dachshund, Minnie.
Kurt Geyer
Performing Arts Teacher
I am having a dream career in the Performing Arts. I started as an actor in 1982 in an amateur production in Perth and haven’t looked back. I was lucky enough to do my Drama training at the Victoria College of the Arts and as a professional actor, participated in over 60 productions for stage, small and large screen and on-air. Alongside my acting I developed a deep passion for passing on the skills I acquired to young people. That led to a natural segue into education for me where I get to work with the most wonderful creatives on the planet – children! I’ve been here at St Mary’s since 2009, and worked on one Shakespeare for children and five completely original productions (devised by our students and teachers) which culminated in our very first online video streamed school production during the lockdown in 2020. I love to work alongside our learners, guiding them and learning with them on their journey of discovery of the vital and vibrant worlds of music, dance and drama.
Chantelle Alvaro
Performing Arts Teacher
Fergal O'Reilly
Health & PE, Sports Coordinator
I thoroughly enjoy building relationships with all staff and children across the school and in my current role as Health & PE, Sports Coordinator, I certainly get the opportunity to encounter every person in the St. Mary’s community. Providing the opportunity for children to grow and develop at whatever level they are capable of achieving is paramount and the smile on a student’s face when a new skill has been achieved is wonderful to see. Away from school, I enjoy attending sporting events of any variety with my family and being originally from Ireland, I am involved with the Irish community in Melbourne helping and promoting our games from home-Gaelic Football and Hurling.
Lisa Trinh
Science and Digi-Tech Teacher
St Mary’s is a wonderful place of learning and is surrounded by a lovely community. I enjoy getting to know the students I am working with and helping them to succeed in the classroom. Outside of school, my favourite things are spending time with my family, watching the mighty Cats, camping and yoga.
Jan Tivisini
Visual Arts Teacher
I believe that Art helps you breathe with a different kind of happiness and I have found my happy place here at St Mary’s as a teacher of the Visual Arts.Our Art room is a welcoming space for all where students are safe and feel comfortable to try new things.Our Visual Arts progam is designed to inspire and encourage students to explore their creative potential.It is rewarding to share in student progress and joy of accomplishment when their artwork is showcased.
Away from school, I enjoy music, swimming and all things creative. Weekends often involve walking through Melbourne’s iconic streets to savour great coffee.
Gessie Burgio
Language Assistant
I am a language enthusiast and I love what I do. The children of St Mary’s bring me joy and make me love my job everyday. It’s a true pleasure to be co-learning with the wonderful staff and watching them learn the gesture’s to help support teaching the Italian language. Arrivederci e buon appetito!
Jane Bennett
Positive Behaviour Coach
I am thrilled to be returning to St. Mary’s Greensborough in 2023 to continue the important work of establishing PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) with the support of a talented team. I am in awe of the dedication and commitment of staff at St. Mary’s and feel grateful to be a part of such a caring community. When I am not at work, you will find me walking, experimenting with recipes, enjoying Yum Cha and dining out with family and friends.
Taylor Leslie
Literacy Coach
I am excited to be teaching in Grade 6 and with the spirited St Mary’s community. I love building positive relationships and watching students grow into lifelong learners. Outside of the classroom I love to cook, play football and travel.
Karen Watson
Maths Coach
Learning Support Officers
Bernadette Degiorgio
Learning Support Officer
Hi, I’m Bernadette Degiorgio, one of the LSO’s at St Mary’s. I love working alongside the teachers knowing I am making a difference to the learning and self confidence of many students each day. After work, I like to take my dog Koby for walks along the river.
Chloe Holmes
Learning Support Officer
I feel so happy and proud to be working as an LSO at St. Mary’s in 2022. I love being a part of such a wonderful team and community. I look forward to building relationships with the students this year and helping them to feel happy and safe and achieve their best. I love to sing and dance and have fun. My happy place is at the beach in the waves or at the theatre.
Daniel Burston
Learning Support Officer
I am very happy to be working with the St Mary’s community and creating incredible relationships with the students and staff. I love playing and making music, cooking, volunteer work and am an avid fan of rugby.
I love working with the students and seeing them succeed both in academics and in life! I am currently in my 4th year of studying Primary and Special Education.
Daniel Marasco
Learning Support Officer
It’s pretty interesting to be working as an Learning Support Officer at the primary school I graduated from in 2011, I’m keen to further my studies and the opportunity was there to work in a school, I would have been silly not to take it! I am most looking forward to being a positive role model to our students and helping develop positive attitudes towards studying. In my spare time you will usually catch me with my two brothers or my friends, playing Football or Basketball.
Holly Spicer
Learning Support Officer
I love being a part of the St Marys Community. The best part about my job is helping students to achieve their goals & seeing the enjoyment in their faces when they succeed. Outside of work I play football, I love to watch sport, go away on holidays & spend time with my friends and family!
Karyn Weaver
Learning Support Officer
I love seeing children with learning difficulties succeed in the classroom and am passionate about giving them the required intervention to achieve this. Outside of school I enjoy sport, gardening and spending time with my family.
Kathyrn Dwyer
Learning Support Officer
Keshala Perera
Learning Support Officer
Hi, I’m Keshala. I’m very excited to be part of the St . Mary’s community. The school and church have been a part of our lives since we first arrived in Australia. I love to work with children and help them to be the best version of themselves. Apart from being LSO I enjoy cooking, architectural drafting and visiting architectural buildings.
Linda Doherty
Learning Support Officer
Macarena Franco
Learning Support Officer
I have been an LSO at St Mary’s since October 2022. I love being part of such an amazing team and community. My passion is seeing children succeed in the classroom and grow as individuals.
I like to spend time with my family and friends. We enjoy the outdoors, playing sports, riding bikes, going to the beach and camping. I also enjoy dancing and cooking.
Maggie Bradley
Learning Support Officer
I love the opportunity to help students reach their full potential. I work one on one, or in small focus groups, with students requiring extra support as well as those who benefit from more challenging work. Outside of school, I coordinate the Baptism Team at St Mary’s.
Maree Fernandes
Learning Support Officer
As an educator I enjoy helping kids thrive. I see challenges as an opportunity to grow. I love to travel, cook and spend time with family & friends.
Nancy Marino
Learning Support Officer
I joined the team at St Mary’s in 2019, it has been a welcoming community where I have been able to extend my skills as a Support Officer. The best part of my job is watching the growth and development of students and making a difference in a positive way.
Peter Shuttlewood
Learning Support Officer
Renee Indovino
Learning Support Officer
I love coming to work and being a part of such a supportive team at St. Mary’s. The best part of my job is being able to help students achieve their goals and build their confidence – seeing their gorgeous smiles is all the more rewarding. I enjoy a good laugh, adore my family/friends and my beautiful fur baby Lola!
Ritu Charles
Learning Support Officer
I feel very humbled and privileged to be a part of the St Mary’s school community. I have been a parishioner of St. Mary’s for the last 10 years and joined the LSO team this year. It’s great to work with teachers & LSOs and assist children reach their goals. In my spare time I enjoy cooking and spending time with my kids.
Sam Sankey
Learning Support Officer
I’m very lucky to be entering into my 6th year working at St Mary’s as a Learning Support Officer. Working alongside the teachers and LSO’s helping and watching children learn and grow is a privilege. In my spare time, I love to spend time with my 2 children taking them on adventures as well as studying to become a primary school teacher.
Sharyn Trenou
Learning Support Officer
Hi I’m Sharyn and I’m excited to have joined the wonderful St. Mary’s Community as an LSO. I am passionate about working with students of all learning abilities and diversities and take pride in assisting the wonderful teaching staff deliver their student specific learning. I feel proud as I see our students actively join in all learning opportunities that are offered at St. Mary’s P.S. Outside work, I enjoy reading, socialising and supporting The Mighty Magpies in AFL.
Stephanie Nativo
Learning Support Officer
Hello everyone, I’m Steph.
I’ve just recently joined the amazing team at St Mary’s after working in Early Childhood education and care for the past five years.
I’m very passionate about helping and supporting children with all different needs and abilities to discover themselves and reach their full potential.
Outside of school, my favourite things to do are: spending time with my family and friends, going on adventures, exploring our wonderful country and spending time at home watching movies and tv shows.
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