Josie Howie, Pavilion School Director / School Founder 
Josie Howie is a Co-Coordinator of the Pavilion. She is a senior social worker with a vast experience in working with young people with a diverse range of social support needs. Josie was previously employed at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development as a Student Wellbeing Officer. Prior to that, she has also worked as a social worker at Kensington Community School and with Anglicare Youth Services in Preston and Glenroy. Josie has an exceptional knowledge of the welfare needs of adolescents within the education system and the wider welfare, health and education sectors. Josie is a very experienced social worker who provides a variety of counselling to young people in need at the Pavilion. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Federal Government Closing the Gap Award.

Jo-Anne, Business Manager (Mill Park/East Preston)
Jo-Anne started her employment at the Pavilion School at the beginning of 2010. Her role involves everything from initial referrals, administrative duties across campuses and promotion. Jo-Anne is also the first point of call for our students; welcoming them to the premises, buying food and drinks and contributing to their overall wellbeing whilst at school. She is an experienced integration aide, having worked in both primary and secondary settings. An expert manager of all things Pavilion, Jo-Anne is passionate about her shoe collection.

Bib Merkel
Bib started at the Pavilion School in July 2011 and she loves it! She is so happy to be working at a school with such a positive approach to learning and success. Prior to working at the Pavilion Bib taught in the Indigenous Transition Unit at Alice Springs High School for nearly five years. Before becoming a teacher, Bib was a Youth Worker mostly in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. She worked at Anglicare, The Salvation Army and the Richmond Fellowship. Working with young people who were not at school made me realise the importance of education as a key to the future and creating better opportunities in life. From here Bib completed a graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching at Charles Darwin University in Darwin. Bib also has a Bachelor of Economics which she completed at La Trobe University in 1996. During Bib’s time at the Pavilion she has been working in both the student well-being team and the teaching team at the East Preston campus.

Katrina Cassim, Administrative Assistant
Katrina began at The Pavilion School at the beginning of 2012. She is an administrative assistant, whose role is to sit at the front desk answering phones and welcoming students and visitors. Katrina  checks the school’s emails daily and performs general office duties.  She does the weekly shopping, supplying food and drinks to students as they need. Katrina enjoys the contact with young people and admires the commitment they have to their  education. Katrina’s previous experience was in the disability sector.

Tyson Egan
Tyson began working at the Pavilion School in 2012. He completed a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences in 2009 at Australian Catholic University. Tyson then spent 12 months volunteering with the YMCA working on a number of their camping programs for at risk youth. It was from these experiences with young people that Tyson decided he wanted to work in education. Tyson returned to study in 2011 to complete a Graduate Diploma of Education (Student Wellbeing and Psychology) at Victoria University. Tyson aims to engage and connect with students whilst supporting them through their educational journey.

 

Jimmy Moorehead, Student Wellbeing Counsellor (East Preston)
Jimmy hails from Papua New Guinea which may benefit those who are guessing where he might come from. He joined the Pavilion team in May 2008. Prior to joining the Pavilion, Jimmy worked with the homeless, where he held a variety of roles in providing intensive social support to individuals and their families. This framework of practice has filtered into his current role as part of the Student Wellbeing team at the Pavilion. Jimmy is of the belief that working with families and carers is crucial to a student’s holistic development. Jimmy is currently studying Family Therapy at the Bouverie Centre. His interests include boxing and yoga as he feels they complement each other perfectly.

Julie O’Donoghue, Student Wellbeing Counsellor (East Preston)
Julie began working at The Pavilion School, East Preston at the beginning of 2010 as a part of the Student Wellbeing Team. Julie’s role is to meet with all new students coming in to the school via the Intake process, and to provide support and counselling to students as needed. Julie completed a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Melbourne in 2000 and has since worked in various areas including mental health, the drug and alcohol sector including within the prison system, carer services and most recently with refugees and asylum seekers. In these roles she has been responsible for providing counselling, advocacy, group work, information provision and secondary consultation. Julie is currently in her third year of a four year Advanced Diploma of relational Gestalt Psychotherapy (GTA).

Michelle Limberger, Classroom Teacher/Student Wellbeing (East Preston)
Michelle started working at the Pavilion School on a student placement in 2008. Following the success of her placement she was employed in the Student Wellbeing Team having graduated from a Bachelor of Social Science (Youth Work) at RMIT in 2008. Sharing a passion for both teaching and student health and well being, Michelle later went on to enrol in a Graduate Diploma of Education at La Trobe from which she graduated in 2009. Michelle began her teaching career at  the Pavilion School in 2010 where she is employed in a dual role with a focus on early years education. Michelle loves her role at the Pavilion because of her passion for working with young people and contributing to their personal development as young adults.

Huong Tran, Leading Teacher/Teacher Coach (East Preston/Mill Park)
Huong Tran arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam at the age of 15, speaking no English. She seized educational opportunities, learning English and eventually becoming a teacher. In 1999, Huong was offered a scholarship with The Department of Education, undertaking the Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies, Reading Recovery Tutor Training at The University of Melbourne. Huong believes that every child can learn when given time and excellent support from the teacher. As a Reading Recovery Tutor, Huong has had the opportunity to work with many teachers in the Northern Metropolitan Region, guiding and supporting teachers’ professional development. Huong has been inspired by many excellent teachers she has worked with and through these interactions, she has learnt that meaningful feedback to and from students can make a significant difference to a student’s learning outcomes. In 2009, Huong was awarded the Victorian Education Excellence Award for the Outstanding Primary Teacher. She is currently working at The Pavilion School as a teacher, mentor and coach. She feels very privileged to be working with the students here and she endeavours to help them achieve their educational goals. Huong completed a Master of Educational Leadership and Management at La Trobe University in 2009.

Michael Scicluna, Classroom Teacher/Site Manager (East Preston)
Michael began teaching at the Pavilion School in 2009. He completed a Bachelor of Science at La Trobe University in 1994 and returned to formal study in 2007 to complete his Diploma of Education at Melbourne University, with a focus on Biology and Environmental Science. His working career has been varied, from warehouse packing to venue management to advertising sales; however Michael always knew he would one day become a teacher, due to his own secondary school teachers having been a very positive influence on his life. Michael feels very privileged to be working with the young people he encounters at the Pavilion. They are respectful, considerate and continually searching for ways in which they can improve their educational and social opportunities. Michael likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Danielle Norton, Classroom Teacher/VCE Coordinator (East Preston)
Danielle started working at The Pavilion in 2009 as a VCAL teacher. Her journey as an educator has included a variety of different schools and educational environments. After completing an Arts degree in Anthropology and Philosophy, Danielle found herself working at MLC’s campus in Mallacoota as an Outdoor Education Assistant. She was inspired to complete her Dip Ed the following year and has taught English, Literature, SOSE  and Info Tech at Gisborne Secondary College, Viewbank College, Loyola College and Montmorency College, as well as at a number of schools and alternative education units in London. Danielle has always loved teaching teenagers but found the rules and limitations of mainstream schools challenging. Whether a student has a tucked in shirt or straight tie has never been as important to her as their academic abilities and interests. She loves teaching at The Pavilion where students are respected and valued as important and integral members of an educational community. Her students are a constant source of inspiration and motivation for her. Bachelor of Arts, LaTrobe University, 1995. Diploma in Education, LaTrobe University, 1997. Postgraduate Certificate in Children’s Literature, Deakin University, 2009.