Council

I was appointed Principal at the beginning of term 3 2020 after having held the Acting Principal position for terms 1 and 2. This is my second year as Principal at BSW and I am so fortunate to lead a school where the community, students and staff build relationships to ensure we are able to provide the best outcome for our kids.
This year School Council will have an important role to play as we work towards our School Review in term 4 this year. I am hoping that the community will band together to support us with this, and also support our community in re-connecting after the tumultuous 2020!
I’m looking forward to working with our school council members, community, staff and children to build the vision we want for our future.

This is my 4th year on school council and my second year as President. I have two children at Brunswick South West My older children are now at high school.

Professionally, I am a lawyer currently working in a research and policy role. I also sit on various boards and committees. In my spare time I love to read and go to the movies. Our favourite family pastime is going to the beach.

I love being part of our wonderful community at Brunswick South West. I am always happy to hear from you.

I have been a member of the BSW community for the past six years during which time I have developed deep and lasting friendships that have enriched my life and sense of community belonging.  In my role as a parent to my two sons Ash (Grade 6, Anya) and Felix (Grade 4, Uli) I have been fortunate enough to participate in the early-years reading programs, become a volunteer class-representative (twice), assist with Hoop-Time and attend myriad excursiosn and incursions. For the period 2016-2020, I was an enthusiastic member of the Fete Committee and now I have taken on the role of Vice President of the School council. In my role as a professional, I am a passionate learner and educator (primary teacher and yoga teacher) and look forward to bringing my dedication and expertise in the field of education to my new role. I look forward to meeting those of you that I haven’t already had the pleasure of meeting.

Hi, my name is Philip Carr and my family have lived in Brunswick for just on 15 years. We are probably close to being classed as locals. We have had two children enjoy and benefit from coming to school at BSWPS. Sophia, who is now year 8 at Brunswick Secondary College, and Isabella who is in grade 6 in Georgina’s class. I have been a member of the School Council since 2016 and I’m currently the convenor of the Finance Subcommittee. Outside of school I’m a member of the Brunswick Hockey Club Junior Committee and Assistant Coach of the U12 girls’ hockey team. For my ‘sins’ I am a long suffering supporter of the St. Kilda football club. I also have three girls from my previous marriage who have now produced 4 boys between them. As my time as a primary school dad is fast coming to an end my invites to grandparent/special person days at kinder and primary school are ramping up 😀. 

I joined School Council in 2016 (when Levi started prep.) to connect with, learn from and support our school and community. Levi is now in grade 5 (Ben’s class), Vienna is in grade 2 (Carly’s class) and I’m still connecting, learning and supporting… I’m School Council Secretary for 2021 and am also a member of the Buildings & Grounds sub-committee.
I believe in creating holistic and engaging learning environments that meet the needs of all students, allowing everyone to develop a strong sense of self and empathy for others. I value the dedication of our teachers and staff and the involvement of parents and carers in our school.

Outside of school, I help urban design and planning professionals to co-create outcomes aligned with a sustainable and just future for all. My work is focused on supporting effective collaboration within groups and across stakeholders. I also enjoy riding my bike around the ‘hood and in the hills.

When my husband, Justin, and I first visited BSWPS several years ago, we immediately recognised it as a special community that we wanted to be part of. Our son, Max, is now in grade 5 and our twin daughters, Elizabeth and Matilda, are Preps. With children back to on-campus learning, I’m enjoying greeting new and old faces at drop-off and pickup, now with our puppy in tow as well.
 Last year was an interesting year to join Council, with all meetings via Zoom. But it was satisfying to work with a terrific team, welcoming and supporting Emma, endeavouring to reflect BSW’s distinctive culture in decisions, and progressing on several fronts despite lockdown challenges. I’m looking forward to continuing the work of the Education Subcommittee, in particular, this year.
 My professional background is 25+ years in education – as a secondary teacher (English/Philosophy/Music), in school leadership roles, as a teacher educator at Melbourne University, consultant to government and writer/researcher. I’m currently completing a PhD on teacher ethics. I always have a novel on the go, love being in nature, and can’t wait to see more live music again.
 It’s a great privilege to represent the wonderful BSW parent community on School Council.

My professional career has been in Information Services and over my career I have demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment to delivering positive outcomes. More recently my focus has been on family life, study and community engagement. I have two daughters, Julia and Rachel, who are in Grade 4 and Prep. We love our school community and always look to ways to make a positive contribution. This year I am looking forward to contributing to School Council and will be particularly focused on supporting the school with community building and look forward to working on the engagement sub-committee. I’m especially looking forward to getting to know families with young children at the school and learning from them the ways they are keen to engage.

After an interesting 1st year on School Council via zoom in 2020, I’m delighted to be serving on council again this year – face to face! I’ve been a member of the Education Subcommittee since 2018 and am looking forward to joining the Grants and Fundraising committee this year. I currently work in the university sector and have a background in strategy, business development and fundraising for non profit and performing arts organisations. I believe that the positive, welcoming community at BSWPS sets it apart and love seeing how connected my two sons are to their school.

Graeme has lived in Brunswick West with his partner Sarah Berry for 13 years and has been a parent at Brunswick South West Primary School since our daughter Daisy started in 2011. Our son Ned is currently in grade 2 and our grand-childeren Oliver and Imogen also attend the school.

Graeme has run his own business consultancy for the last 25 years and is one of Australia’s leading practitioners in the planning, delivery and operation of large infrastructure projects. His skills include providing strategic, commercial and contract advice and negotiation, finding a pathway forward through complex problems, problem solving and conflict management.

My name is Jacqui Lucas and I am currently the Acting Assistant Principal. I have been a part of the Brunswick South West PS community for nearly 10 years now, teaching across the year levels. I have been the Maths Specialist for the last few years, and began this year as Learning Specialist. This is my first time on School Council and I will be joining the Education Sub – Committee.

My name is Carly Rilen and currently my main roles at BSWPS are Learning Specialist and 1/2 teacher. I have taught here for the past 8 years and feel privileged to be a part of our amazing community. I have been a Grade 5/6 teacher for the past five years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the change of coming back to the Junior School this year. This is my second year on School Council and I am on the Engagement Sub-Committee.

I’m Sarah, a classroom teacher in the 3/4 area, in my ninth year of teaching. This is my second year at BSWPS and my second year on School Council. I have a particular interest in Aboriginal History and Culture education, Sustainability and environmental education and promoting student voice and work actively to embed these priorities in our teaching and learning at BSWPS.
Being relatively new to the school, I am excited to be embarking on a full year of on-site learning and hopefully partaking in many of the wonderful community events I’ve heard so much about.
I’m happy to be working with such a wonderful group of parents and teachers on School Council and am confident that our school will achieve great things this year.

Hello, my name is Tom and I’m a Foundation teacher here at BSWPS. I have been teaching at the school since midway through 2019 and have loved every minute of it. I grew up in Shepparton, which is 2 hours north of Melbourne. I decided to move to Melbourne a couple of years ago as a lot of my friends were living here and to be honest, there is a lot more to do in Melbourne! In my spare time I love following the AFL (go tiges), going mountain biking and catching up with friends. The best part about working at our school is the people. Everyone is so supportive and welcoming and I feel we are creating a real community spirit. Hopefully I will see you all around the school at some stage, come say g’day!
Tom 🙂

Anna F. is our community representative from Warratah Special Development School (Satellite unit at BSW).