Headquarters:
Wurundjeri Country, 815 Riversdale Road, Camberwell VIC 3124
Year founded:
1940
Number of employees:
120
Phone:
(03) 9835 0200
Email:
reception@siena.vic.edu.au
Website:
siena.vic.edu.au
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/school/siena-college-camberwell
“For students, two significant impacts have been the deepening and strengthening of their valuing of and engagement in collaborative learning, and their fluency and sophistication of their understanding of themselves as learners and the strategies they employ to optimise their learning, including their use of a language of learning”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
SIENA COLLEGE
Elizabeth Hanney
Principal
Antonella Rosati
Deputy Principal of Wellbeing and Strategy
Donna Laughlin
Deputy Principal of Learning and Teaching
Leadership
Elizabeth Hanney finds it a privilege and a pleasure to be the principal at Siena College. For her, each day gives witness to a thriving community of learning and growth for students, underpinned by their Dominican values and exercised by extraordinary staff. She is a witness of Siena College’s passion for its purpose, people, programs, and place. This results in its students daring to do more with their gift of life. Now in her ninth year as a principal and third at Siena College, Hanney continues to be energised by the spirit of students and staff working together in pursuit of excellence and exploration of all that they are. She emphasizes that at Siena College, they value a deep appreciation of goodness, truth and the beauty of life for all.
Principal
Elizabeth Hanney
Antonella Rosati believes that young people have the capacity to achieve their full potential when their well-being is nurtured in a faith-filled learning environment that is safe, inclusive and respectful. She highlights that setting high standards for all and providing robust, challenging and engaging opportunities where students have flexibility are essential. It is important to her that students see that their learning will lead them to a future where success for all is possible and all pathways are equally valued and respected. She emphasizes that authentic engagement with students’ voices is also paramount in understanding and empowering them. For Rosati, it is not enough to give students a voice unless they are able to see how their voices are heard and used to inform change.
Deputy Principal of Wellbeing and Strategy
Antonella Rosati
Donna Laughlin has been at Siena College for 13 years and has held a variety of leadership positions throughout her time there. She is an English and humanities teacher and currently has the pleasure of educating Year 12 students in English. This provides her with much energy in her day, as she pulls apart texts and discusses the relevance of key literature from centuries ago to the current world. In her role as deputy principal of learning and teaching, the enrichment comes from working with teams of teachers to refine their pedagogical practice to ensure they fully support each Siena College student to attain their personal best. She also highlights that at Siena College, their desire is to embed an ongoing culture of learning for all students and staff.
Deputy Principal of Learning and Teaching
Donna Laughlin
“For students, two significant impacts have been the deepening and strengthening of their valuing of and engagement in collaborative learning, and their fluency and sophistication of their understanding of themselves as learners and the strategies they employ to optimise their learning, including their use of a language of learning”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
“Our initial foci have reflected a focus on teacher’s classroom practices. The next steps involve directing more attention to both our academic middle leaders and our students”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
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“Our initial foci have reflected a focus on teacher’s classroom practices. The next steps involve directing more attention to both our academic middle leaders and our students”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
“For students, two significant impacts have been the deepening and strengthening of their valuing of and engagement in collaborative learning, and their fluency and sophistication of their understanding of themselves as learners and the strategies they employ to optimise their learning, including their use of a language of learning”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
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Jennifer Levett
Deputy Principal of Mission and Identity
Jennifer Levett is currently in her 35th year of teaching and has been at Siena College for five years in the position of deputy principal of mission and identity. She teaches religious education and loves the questions it raises, very much in the Dominican tradition of truth seeking. She values connection with students on different levels and the ways in which skills in religious education link with many other learning areas. Levett believes that one of the great strengths of Siena College is the commitment of its community to its charism; she values the unwavering sense of justice and the careful consideration given to how decisions will affect students first and foremost. She highlights that at Siena College, there is a culture of the gospel being lived by them – it is not simply stories about an individual who lived thousands of years ago.
Deputy Principal of Mission and Identity
Jennifer Levett
Tracey Grobbelaar
Director of Development and Community Relations
Tracey Grobbelaar joined the Siena College community in November 2011 as the director of development and community relations. She is responsible for the strategic direction and operation of the college’s development office, encompassing admissions, marketing, communications, alumnae and archives. She also has extensive experience in master planning, innovation, capital development and scholarship programs. Grobbelaar was the president of the Catholic Development Association, and she is a committee member of Educate Plus Victorian Chapter. She now has over 25 years of experience in management and strategy roles in corporate, Catholic and independent education across Australia and South Africa.
Director of Development and Community Relations
Tracey Grobbelaar
Siena College was established in 1940 as an independent Catholic school for girls in Years 7 to 12. The Dominican Sisters who founded the College built a school where young women could be inspired by the human person of Jesus Christ, follow their academic and cultural interests, believe in their potential and become passionate lifelong learners. It is a place where the diversity and unique gifts of young people are acknowledged and celebrated, and it aims to empower young women to go out and make a difference in the world.
The College motto, Veritas, connects the College community to an 800-year Dominican tradition. Siena College’s truth searching is grounded in prayer and contemplation, a commitment to study, a strong sense of community and a commitment to justice. Siena students are encouraged to engage in critical reflection on the world, develop a love of learning, an appreciation of culture and beauty and a spirit of freedom and responsibility.
Since it first opened in 1940, Siena College has demonstrated the capacity to meet the evolving educational expectations of Church, students and parents. It looks forward to educating and inspiring future generations of young women who will pass through its care.
“Our initial foci have reflected a focus on teacher’s classroom practices. The next steps involve directing more attention to both our academic middle leaders and our students”
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, Brisbane Grammar School
Greg Thorne
Deputy Headmaster, Co-curricular
Jacqui Zervos
Executive Director, Educational Innovation
Rebecca Campbell
Head of Middle School
Inma Beaumont
Executive Director Advancement and Community Relations
Greg Thorne joined BGS in January 2019. He is an experienced educational leader with a broad range of proficiencies. He has expertise in student wellbeing roles, curriculum leadership and school administration. Greg was part of the senior leadership team at Nudgee College for eight years, most recently as the director of activities for sport and culture. He has also been chairperson of multiple GPS Association sub-committees.
Deputy Headmaster, Co-curricular
Greg Thorne
Jacqui Zervos joined the School in 1995 as a teacher of geography and history, having completed her initial teacher qualification at The University of Queensland in 1987 and then spending seven years teaching with Education Queensland. She is well known as a passionate and exemplary teacher of geography and took on the position of head of year in 2001. During the following five years as head of year, Jacqui completed her Master of Education at UQ with a major study into boys’ education. She was appointed head of middle school in 2006. In 2018, she was seconded to her current position and in 2020 was confirmed as executive director, educational innovation on a permanent basis from 2021.
Executive Director, Educational Innovation
Jacqui Zervos
Rebecca Campbell joined BGS in mid-2013 as the School’s first head of Years 5 and 6. She has spent the past 15 years working in GPS boys’ schools. A dedicated educator, she is committed to creating a positive learning culture that supports the holistic development of each student. Rebecca is a graduate of the University of Newcastle, where she completed a master’s degree specialising in educating boys. In recent years, she has attained a Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership through the University of Melbourne. Rebecca fulfilled the head of middle school role in Term 1 2017 and from 2018 to 2020. She was appointed to the position of head of middle school in 2021.
Head of Middle School
Rebecca Campbell
Inma Beaumont joined BGS at the beginning of 2020. She is an experienced advancement professional, having implemented fundraising and engagement operations for three different units over six years at The University of Queensland. Inma led the fundraising campaign to renovate the Forgan Smith Building, home to the TC Beirne School of Law at UQ. She subsequently spent three years as director of advancement at the UQ Faculty of Health, where she conceived and delivered a major gifts program. Her fundraising experience follows a 15-year career in finance, including as CFO of Citibank Australia. She is a non-executive director of UN Women Australia, Speech Pathology Australia and Women’s College at UQ.
Executive Director Advancement and Community Relations
Inma Beaumont
Diana Godfrey joined Fidelity in 1995, and is currently the senior vice-president, human resources and corporate affairs. She has 27 years of industry experience and has driven innovation and transformative changes to employee benefits, talent development, charitable and diversity and inclusion programs, which have strengthened Fidelity Canada’s position as a top caring employer. She championed the implementation of Fidelity Canada’s value proposition, committed to improving the employee experience to meet their individual needs and the community at large. Fidelity Canada has been recognized with multiple employer awards and designations, which celebrate its work culture and atmosphere, corporate philanthropic initiatives, and health and benefits, to name just a few.
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs
Diana Godfrey (she/her/hers)
Cameron Murray is the senior vice president, client services and CIO for Fidelity Investments Canada ULC. In this capacity, he oversees both technology and operations for the organization in Canada. He joined Fidelity in December 1999 as Vice President, Systems Operations. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for FundSERV, where he has been an executive committee and board member since 2002. He is also on the board of directors for Fidelity Investments Canada ULC.
Senior Vice President, Client Services and Chief Information Officer
Cameron Murray
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years
of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation
of the company’s internal customer
service department.
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
Some significant positive impacts on both students and teachers at BGS have been observed as a result of the project, said Dr Campos-Remon.
“There has been a systematic engagement in ongoing professional learning focused on annual pedagogical priorities, spaced through the year, based in collaborative professional conversation, and supported by a cohort of peer lead learners,” she said.
“In addition, our previous professional culture has been enriched through an emphasis on collaborative professionalism, consistent use of an evidence-informed language of learning, and a structured focus on intentionality in planning for and implementation of classroom practices that support students’ effective thinking.”
Dr Campos-Remon also noted “a school-wide focus on optimising the learning value of BGS’s classroom cultures”.
“For students, two significant impacts have been the deepening and strengthening of their valuing of and engagement in collaborative learning, and their fluency and sophistication of their understanding of themselves as learners and the strategies they employ to optimise their learning, including their use of a language of learning.”
Dr Campos-Remon said the school’s biannual evaluations of progress have informed the project’s work throughout.
“Our initial foci have reflected a focus on teacher’s classroom practices. The next steps involve directing more attention to both our academic middle leaders and our students,” she said.
Dr Campos-Remon said this would involve strengthening the school’s focus on the development of the pedagogical leadership of its academic middle leaders, and a stronger focus on the use of data to give deeper attention to the student experience.
“This includes the leadership of and engagement in cohort-level research, and their development of their individual capacity for and use of self-regulation of their learning activities,” she said.
“BGS will also be developing strategies to optimise the induction of both new staff and new students to the expectations and practices associated with our Effective Thinking Cultures.”
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Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years
of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation
of the company’s internal customer
service department.
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
10
Alexis Hill
Chief Information Officer
Alexis Hill joined BGS in April 2022 as the School’s first chief information officer to lead the Digital Transformation Program, which aims to use technology and data to enhance student outcomes. As a senior executive with over 14 years of experience in commercial and government industries, she has substantial experience in digital transformation leadership. Alexis has held CIO and director roles that focused on driving technological and organisational change in complex environments. She holds a Bachelor of Business degree and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chief Information Officer
Alexis Hill
Dr Hannah Campos-Remon, the director of organisational learning at BGS, says the pivotal 2017 strategic imperative was to position BGS graduates as learning-ready citizens in a rapidly changing, unpredictable, global environment.
“A related imperative was to align classroom practices with the re-introduction of external exams as the culminating Year 12 assessment, commencing in 2020,” she tells The Educator.
“Consequently, the rationale for the project was a desire to ensure consistent quality of classroom practice and/or student experience.”
Dr Campos-Remon said this included classroom cultures where students are wholly receptive; teachers’ traditional mental models developing students’ meta-strategic thinking; and a whole school mandate requiring teachers to engage in professional learning and practice in Effective Thinking Cultures to ensure equity between classroom cultures and the learning opportunities they afford students.