Our School

Meet Our Staff

The Principal

Dear Community,

I would like to introduce myself to you as the Principal of Barton Primary School. I really enjoy the role of Principal and am excited about this opportunity to develop our school as the centre of our new community.

I was the Principal of Somerville Rise Primary School for the past nine years. Prior to Somerville Rise I was the Principal of Crib Point Primary School and prior to that Assistant Principal of Devon Meadows Primary School.

I have worked as a primary school teacher since the late seventies in schools all over South Eastern Melbourne but predominantly on the Mornington Peninsula. I have experience as a classroom teacher as well as a specialist Phys Ed teacher.

In my spare time I really enjoy a hit of golf, a paddle at the beach or some gardening at home. I live in Mornington with my wife Loretta and our three children. My daughter is a doctor at The Royal Children’s Hospital; my other daughter is a Secondary School Phys Ed teacher & my son has just completed a Business Management degree.

I am passionate about providing the best possible learning opportunities for every child. At Barton Primary School we are establishing a culture which will foster student growth. Exploring our website will give you an insight into how we are doing this.

Andrew Felsinger

PRINCIPAL

Assistant Principal

Gavan Hughes

My name is Gavan Hughes and I am excited to be an Assistant Principal at Barton Primary School. It is a privilege to be a member of the school community.

Since beginning my career as a primary school educator in 2003, I have gained experience teaching all grade levels as well as experience as a specialist teacher. I have been in formal leadership roles since 2011 in both Victoria and Tasmania, including being an Assistant Principal in three different schools.

As a leader, I have a strong commitment to utilising evidence-based practices to continuously improve each student’s learning and ensuring students have the skills they require to be successful in the modern world.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my wife and four children, exercising and watching a number of sports including AFL (Swans), cricket and basketball.

I look forward to building strong working relationships with students, parents, staff and the broader community to meet the learning needs of all students.

Learning Intervention

Amanda Jones

My name is Amanda and I love teaching at Barton and being a part of the school community. I am very excited with my new role of – Learning Intervention. As part of this role I am lucky enough to work closely with a range of students, parents and teachers across the school. I am also in constant communication and meet fortnightly with our SSSO team which is made up of a psychologist, speech therapist and social worker.  Outside of school I am passionate about staying fit and healthy and reading. I love going to the beach and spending time with my beautiful family and friends. I have a niece who is almost 2 and a nephew who is 4 this year and I absolutely adore them. I am looking forward to a wonderful 2019 with our Barton family.

Business Manager

Kirby Law

My name is Kirby Law and I feel very privileged to be working as the Business Manager at Barton Primary School. It has been very exciting watching the school grow and I look forward to seeing this continue in 2019.

Outside of school, I enjoy travelling overseas and around Australia, spending time with family and friends and renovating my home.

Administration

My name is Lauren Box and I work in the Administration team. I am very excited for my second year at Barton Primary School and look forward to seeing the students and parent’s friendly faces around the office.

When I’m not working I enjoy travelling and getting outdoors with my dog Ruby.

Hi my name is Kate Mathews and I am extremely excited to be part of the Barton administration team. I feel privileged to be working in such a dynamic environment with a community of caring and friendly people. I am looking forward to getting to know all the students and families and seeing their happy faces around the school.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my seven year old twin boys, going on bush walks with my dog ‘Waffles’ and running.

Hi my name is Sophie Pike and I am currently working in Administration at Barton Primary School. I feel very grateful to be working in such a beautiful environment at Barton and look forward to seeing the school grow in the coming years.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time outdoors, including going to the beach in the summer months and heading to the snow in the winter months. I also love travel, spending time with my family and my dogs Alfie and Frankie.

My name is Jessica Watt and I love being a part of the Barton Community! I love working with children and helping out in any way I can. You can find me in the front office, please come and say hello.

Outside of the school, you can find me keeping active or walking my Golden Retriever Sylvester. I love animals and indulging in delicious food.

Prep Team

Hi my name is Meaghan Mann. I have been working in education for seven years and have taught Prep for five of those years. This is my second year at Barton Primary School and I am very excited to be working within the Prep Team.

Outside of school I enjoy traveling, spending time with my family and friends, going to movies or musicals and swimming. I am looking forward to a wonderful 2019 and most importantly the learning achievements of our Prep students.

Hello, my name is Bec Kelly. I am very excited to be a Prep teacher this year and have been teaching for over 13 years. I am looking forward to getting to know our Prep students this year and watch them celebrate their learning journey.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family and walking along the beach with my two little dogs. I love to travel and recently spent 5 weeks in Central America. I enjoy chatting to students and parents so come and say hello if you see me in the playground.

My name is Jarryd Foster, I am excited to be in the Prep team this year. This will be my third year of teaching Prep and I am excited to continue being a part of the Barton community.

When I am not in the classroom, I am usually at the gym as I love health and fitness. I love playing cricket and I enjoy watching the football as I am a massive Melbourne Demons supporter. Another passion of mine is attending horse racing meetings throughout the course of the year.

I am always up for a chat, so if you see me in the yard please come and say hi.

My name is Simone Gianarelli and I am delighted to be one of the Prep teachers this year. It is an honour to be part of such a wonderful team. This is my first year teaching at Barton, but I have taught Prep and EAL previously in Melbourne and London.

Outside of Barton, I enjoy doing fitness training on the beach, reading, and travelling. I’m looking forward to when the AFL football season starts, as I’ve been an avid Geelong Cats supporter since childhood.

My name is Bronte Wills, I am excited to be in the Prep team this year. This is my second year teaching Prep and I am excited to continue being a part of the Barton community. Before teaching in Primary Schools, I worked in Early Childhood for five years.

Outside of the classroom, I love to take my dog for walks on the beach, participating in boxing sessions and spending time with my family. I also love to travel and experience different cultures. If you see me outside in the school yard come and say hi.

Hi my name is Rachael Vriend. I am excited to be apart of the wonderful team at Barton Primary School. Before becoming a Primary School Teacher I worked in Early Childhood Education for 8 years. I then worked as a relief teacher for 6 months. I am very excited to be apart of the Prep team this year.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my son, going to the beach, spending time with my family and friends and going on bushwalks. I also follow ALF and I am a huge Bombers fan! I am looking forward to wonderful year in Prep

Grade 1

My name is Aaron Abella and I am in my fifth year of teaching – I absolutely love what I do! Teaching children to possess the ‘I can’ mindset when faced with challenges is something I take a lot of pride in.

During my spare time, I enjoy spending it with my family and friends by eating out, going to the cinemas, playing tennis, cheering Collingwood to victory and going for long walks. I look forward to meeting more members of the Barton community during my second year at the school.

My name is Jess Belkin and I am lucky enough to be one of the grade 1 teachers this year. This is my second year of teaching and I am very excited to be working alongside the fabulous staff and students here at Barton.

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy keeping fit and healthy by going to the gym and walking my dogs, (which are also my favourite animal). I love playing Australian Rules football at my local football club and I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

Hi, my name is Kate Fishwick and I am the teacher for 1B. This is my second year teaching at Barton Primary School and I am excited for a great year ahead.

Outside of school, I enjoy playing netball, going for walks and attending fun fitness classes at gym. I also like to spend time with my family, friends and my cat Maggie.

 

Hello! My name is Kim Chanter and I am very excited to be teaching 1F this year. I joined Barton Primary School last year and I am looking forward to working with all of the wonderful staff and students again in 2019.

Outside of school my hobbies include cooking, reading and swimming. I also enjoy going to the theatre, spending time at the beach and catching up with family and friends.

 

My name is Amanda and I am teaching 1D this year. I love the community at Barton Primary School and I am looking forward to getting to know a new bunch of students.

Outside of school I am passionate about staying fit and healthy and reading. I love going to the beach and spending time with my beautiful family and friends. I have a niece who is almost 2 and a nephew who is 4 this year and I absolutely adore them. Looking forward to a wonderful 2019 with our Barton family.

My name is Melanie Synan and I am one of the grade 1 classroom teachers this year. This is my first year teaching at Barton Primary School and I am very excited to be part of the wonderful team here. This will be my fourth year teaching.

I love to travel to different places around the world. I have been overseas a few times and look forward to travelling in the future as it is a fantastic experience.  Malta was one of my favourite places to travel to because I could swim in the crystal clear water every day and I loved the homemade pastizzi. I enjoy going for long walks on summer nights. I also love spending time with my family and friends and last year I was lucky enough to become an aunty for the first time.

Grade 2

My name is Alana Sutherland. I have been working at Barton since it opened in 2017 and am excited to continue to be a part of the Barton Community. This year, I am lucky enough to be working with the wonderful Grade 2 students. I am very excited to meet the many new faces we have joining out community this year, both staff and students.

Outside of school, my hobbies include cake decorating, shopping and travel. I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends on weekends.

My name is Yen Nguyen, and I am lucky enough to be one of the grade 2 teachers this year. I am so excited and lucky to be working alongside the awesome staff and students here at Barton Primary School! This is my first year of teaching, and I am loving it so far!

In my spare time, I love to read and watch movies. I am a massive foodie and love to indulge on chocolate, pizza and other types of food! Spending time with my family and friends is super important to me!

Hello! My name is Emily Roberts and I am teaching 2A this year. I have been at Barton Primary School since it opened in 2017 and have loved seeing the community grow. I have been teaching since 2011 but this is my first time teaching grade 2. I am looking forward to working with many of the students I worked with in 2017 and seeing how far they have come on their learning journeys.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and chocolate Labrador Toby. Some of my favourite things to do are going to the movies, going out for dinner and eating cupcakes.

My name is Jenessa Mitrevski, and I am lucky enough to be one of the Grade 2 classroom teachers this year. This is my third year of teaching and I am very excited to be working alongside the amazing and friendly staff and students here at Barton.

Outside of the classroom, I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy doing Pilates or going to the Shopping Centre. I just moved to Melbourne, so I love exploring all of the different places to see!

My name is Jayden Crew and this year I am fortunate enough to be a grade 2 teacher at Barton Primary School. This is my very first year of teaching and I am looking forward to working with my team and the students.

Outside of school I enjoy travelling overseas and exploring different countries around the world (next on the list is Japan). I also enjoy spending time with friends and family and listening to rock music. I’m a big Richmond supporter and I also like to play basketball.

Grades 3/4

My name is Janelle Kelly and I am so excited to be working with the 3/4 students this year. I have been lucky enough to be teaching for 16 years and I can’t wait to be working with Barton’s enthusiastic learners. I am extremely passionate about students taking responsibility for their learning and understanding how they learn best.

Away from school I enjoy spending time with my two children and husband. We like going to the beach and regularly go camping for quality family time. I also like to play netball and watch my children play their regular sports.

Hi, my name is Melissa Godenzi and I am excited to be teaching the grade 3/4 classes at Barton Primary School again. I am passionate about teaching and always look for new and exciting ways to keep students motivated in particular reading and making reading fun and exciting. I enjoy working at Barton Primary School as it has great sense of community and the children and staff look out for each other.  I feel very privileged to work in such a dynamic school that always provides the best for children’s education and well-being.

Outside of school, I have been happily married for over 16 years and have 2 beautiful daughters who are 13 and 7 years old. I enjoy reading, shopping, going to the movies and bike rides with my family.

Hi my name is Belinda Ahern and I am very happy to be teaching grade 3/4 at Barton Primary School. I started at Barton last year and love teaching here as it’s a fantastic team to be part of. I am excited to create fun, exciting learning opportunities for all the students.

Out of school l enjoy going to gym, camping and spending time with my family. I look forward to meeting all the new parents and children who have joined our school this year.

My name is Steph and I am very excited to be working with the 3/4 team this year. This is my first full time teaching job and I have loved getting to meet all the students and staff at Barton Primary School.

Outside of school I enjoy dancing and spending time with my family and puppy. My favourite thing to do is to go on bushwalks and explore the world.

Grades 5/6

My name is Danielle Everest and I am very happy to be teaching grade 5/6 this year. This is my fifth year as a teacher and in that time I have taught grades 1-5. I am excited to be teaching grade six students for the first time this year. I love to have fun when teaching and challenge students with problem solving tasks. It is really important to me that students (and teachers) develop and maintain a growth mindset and always be determined to do their best.

Outside of school I love to go to the gym, cook healthy food, spend time at the beach and read as much as possible. I also love to dance and have participated in non-competitive calisthenics for 21 years. I am looking forward to continuing my teaching journey at Barton Primary School and being part of the wonderful team here.

My name is Nicole Bates and I am one of the grade 5/6 teachers this year. This is my second year of teaching at Barton Primary School and I am loving my time at our wonderful school! I am passionate about education and helping others.

Outside of school, I enjoy being active, travelling, cooking and spending time with family and friends as well as my two dogs Charlie and Nala. I love netball and cricket and enjoy playing team sport on the weekend.

My name is Tyler Barry and I am one of the grade 5/6 classroom teachers this year. This is my first year of teaching and I am very excited to be working at Barton with the amazing staff and students.

When I’m not teaching, I enjoy playing netball, going to the movies and watching music acts at festivals or gigs.  I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

Specialist Team

My name is Alicia Wallwork and I’m thrilled to be back at Barton in 2019! This year is my fifth year teaching, and I’m excited to be part of the specialist team teaching Music for the rest of the year, to almost everyone in grades Prep to 6.

When I’m not at work I spend all my time with my beautiful family, including my two dogs Cooper and Alfie, going for walks in the Dandenong Ranges and listening to music.

I can’t wait to work with students across all year levels in terms 3 &  4!

My name is Jemma Dunstan and I am very excited to take on the role of environmental education teacher at Barton. I have a passion for the outdoors and exploring all of the naturally beautiful sights we have in our community.

Outside of Barton I enjoy riding my horse Charlie, spending time on my family farm in Gippsland and running. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion for our environment with the Barton community.

Hi my name is Michelle Krejic. I have been working in education for fourteen years and have taught in most year levels. This is my third year of teaching at Barton Primary School. This year I am very excited to be working in the Specialist team, teaching Environmental Studies, Performing Arts and Visual Arts.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my precious family and friends, going to the beach, traveling overseas and reading.

I am so excited to be working with so many different year levels in 2019. I hope to further inspire a love of learning and to bring out the best in each and every student I am lucky enough to teach.

My name is Gabrielle Peters and I am very excited to be going into my second year teaching at Barton Primary. I have been teaching Physical Education for the past 5 years and I am extremely passionate about giving every student in our community the opportunity to shine, develop, grow and be successful, as well as making PE classes every week a fun and exciting environment.

Outside of school I am always on the go. I enjoy going to the gym to stay fit and healthy and I am also heading into my second year playing women’s football for the Mornington Bulldogs.

I am very grateful to be working alongside my peers at Barton and I look forward to watching each and every student flourish in 2019.

 

EAL Teacher

Hi, my name’s Kristin Williamson and I am continuing in the role of teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) at Barton Primary School in 2019. I love working with students from different cultural backgrounds and supporting them as they learn English.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two daughters. I love honest conversations, good food and spending time outdoors.

Spanish Teacher

My name is Prue Briggs and I am responsible for the Spanish LOTE program. My role is to introduce the students to all things Spanish, including language and culture as well as provide the students with a current, interactive program to encourage the spoken Spanish language.

During secondary school, I was an AFS exchange student in Spain for 12 months, which sparked my love for Spain and travel in general. Over the years, I’ve taught English to adults in Istanbul, Moscow and in Melbourne before meeting my husband David and settling on the Mornington Peninsula. We have two children, Hugo (19) and Freya (17) and a beautiful aging German Shepherd called Koto.

I love trail walking daily, especially around the tracks of the beautiful Mornington Peninsula but also try to do extended walking trips whenever possible. We are active members of the McCrae Yacht Club and enjoy the lifestyle it brings both on and off the water.

Integration Aide

My name is Sue Williams, this is my third year being a part of the Barton Family.  I love getting to know and working with all the students here.

Outside of work I love spending time with my family. I have 2 daughters who like to keep us busy. We love spending time outdoors doing fun runs, going to the drive in and going surfing.

My name is Jess Beggs and I’m proud to be part of the Barton community. It’s great to be a member of the growing Education Support team and I’m enjoying the challenge of supporting students with additional learning needs.

Outside the classroom, I am kept busy with my three children. The highlight of the week for us is ‘Friday Night Games’, where we have a chance to unwind together at the end of the school week by playing board games and eating a special dessert.

Hi my name is Ginger Parker and I am super excited to be a part of the Education Support team here at Barton Primary School. I have worked in Secondary Schools in the past, but this is my first role within a Primary School and am loving every second of it.

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Secondary Education in PE and Maths, which is where my passions lie. I spend most of my time at my local footy club kicking the ball with my friends, otherwise you can find me eating through the menu at my favourite burger place.

Hi, my name is Tara Bateman and I am an Integration Aide at Barton Primary School. I’m passionate about education and helping students to achieve their goals.

Outside of school I love to write stories, create art, read and play music. I love going to the movies, going out for dinner and shopping with friends and family. I also do tai chi and I’m 1st Dan in kung fu. I love travelling and would like to travel more in the future.

Hi my name is Marnie Jung and I am thrilled to join the education support team here at Barton. I’m looking forward to getting to know the children.

Out of school hours I spend my time with my family. I have two children who keep me super busy. And two fur babies to look after, we have a dog Lexi and a cat Missy. We enjoy going to the movies, ten pin bowling, camping, mini golf, holidays and the beach.

My name is Naomi Bartlett and I am part of the Barton Primary School Education Support Team. I’m excited to be working with the wonderful children and staff here, and am passionate about children receiving quality education and the support they need to achieve.

I am lucky to be the mum of four boys, traveling is our favourite pastime and we love exploring our amazing country and world. My spare time is spent with my family, cooking, seeing live music, attending sporting matches and photography. I have just begun my final year of the Bachelor of Primary Education and look forward to teaching in the near future.

My name is Claire Keyworth and I am one of the Integration Aide’s at Barton Primary School. My role at Barton is to support the learning of student’s with additional learning needs as well as their classroom teachers. Before joining the Barton community last year, I was lucky enough to work with a diverse range of students across Melbourne and overseas in Canada and Israel.

When I am not at Barton you will find me at university where I am currently studying a Bachelor of Primary and Secondary Inclusive Education, or with my friends catching up over a latte or two whilst enjoying the Melbourne sunshine.

Hi, my name is Rebecca Sampieri.  I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work within such an inclusive and supportive learning environment as an Education Support Aide. I love children and supporting them as they grow into confident learners. I am looking forward to working with so many enthusiastic students and dedicated teachers at Barton Primary.

Outside work, I am busy.  I have three young children and when I am not driving to dancing, netball or footy I am studying for my Bachelor of Education (Primary).  However, when I am trying to relax, I love to spend hours at the beach and enjoy our beautiful Port Phillip Bay. 

Vision & Values

To prepare each of our students for success in their ever changing future by providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge and general capabilities.

Barton Primary School