Raima Aquilina​

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am a Prep teacher and I have been at OLW for 10 years. I've been in Prep for 3 years with Mrs Hamilton.

What do you love most about your job? 

Sharing in light bulb moments with children. After learning new things, children will have amazing moments when they make connections to their new learning. These moments can be funny, emotional (mainly for me that they have been successful or are excited about what they have learnt) and amazing to share with parents and family. 

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I enjoy the staff who are always there to support one another and teaching students from the same family, as you have already established connections with them. It's great seeing them grow and change as they make their way through their primary school years. 

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

Celebrating with students at graduation and seeing how they have developed and changed from the year I taught them to the year of graduation. 

What are you passionate about? 

Engaging students in their learning, creating memorable learning experiences with them, and supporting families to support their children's education.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Reading, spending time with family and friends, cooking and going to the beach. 

Deidre Oates

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am currently teaching Prep; I have taught most grades in OLW. I have been at OLW for 21 years. I started as the PE teacher and moved across the school teaching in various grades and roles.

What do you love most about your job? 

The connection we have with the students, when I see that they love learning and love being part of our community, that's what keeps me teaching at OLW.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

The connections we have with the students. When I see them grow physically and emotionally from Prep to the upper grades. When I see things that once were challenges become things that we've conquered together. The way we can celebrate this success as a community with support is what makes the OLW community special to me.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

School camp and inter-school sport always stands out to me as I love seeing students step out of their comfort zone and learn new things about themselves.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about students learning and growing. I am also passionate about people being honest and positive.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy spending time with my family, going to the beach and having some down time in nature.

Sue Cole

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am currently the Year One teacher.

What do you love most about your job? 

That “ah" moment and excitement in the students when they understand that they can achieve something new, solving problems with imagination and ingenuity.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

Every day there is something new and unexpected, no two days are the same and we all come together to support each other.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

A memorable moment for me was watching koalas outside of the classroom window, dozing in the gumtrees.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about looking after our planet.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I love history, museums, and art galleries. Travelling, long walks on the beach and long lunches with family and friends.

Tiletha Quinton

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am a Year 2 classroom teacher and have been with the school for 15 years.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love the creativity I get to enjoy each day.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

The staff at OLW are incredible, so dedicated and motivating to work with, which translates into each classroom.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

Being caught out on stage one year during Book Week dressed as Dorothy and being made to sing 'follow the yellow brick road' in front of the whole school.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about art and creativity in the classroom.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy being active; whether at the gym, climbing mountains, paddle boarding or most recently snowboarding.

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Darsha Gracey

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am a Year 2 teacher and have been at the school for 9 years.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love building connections with my students that last long after they have left my class.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

OLW is a special community to me because you know that all our staff will support each other in and out of the classroom.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

The puppets and body socks at professional development days - I have videos! Another special memory to me is a group of my students writing and performing me a song at the end of the year.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about having and fostering conversations and debates that arise as a natural connection to the learning. It promotes such rich learning!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy jigsaw puzzles, hanging out with my family and most importantly being cuddled up on the lounge with the love of my life, my 4 year old groodle, Nessie!

Beth Nightingale

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Year 3 teacher, and this is my 20th year at OLW.

What do you love most about your job? 

The faces on the children who want to learn, improve, and succeed.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love the fact that we are a small community in which everyone knows each other and supports each other.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

There is no one memorable moment. I have loved every moment teaching with my teaching partners and school officers.

What are you passionate about? 

I love the wonderful relationships I build with the children and the stories they share with me.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I love to curl up in my egg chair on my patio and read. That's my relaxing time.

Jason Lay

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Year ¾ Teacher and have been at OLW since June, 2023.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love spending time with the kids, having fun with them while they are learning.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love the people who I work with and especially love the size of the community because you get to know every student.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

I have memorable moments all the time with my class as their personalities shine through and have fun while learning.

What are you passionate about? 

Anything outdoors like boating, camping and fishing.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Spending time with my children.

Linda Morley-Buchanan

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the 4F Classroom Teacher. I have taught Year 4 at OLW since April 2022.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love seeing my students happy, working together and "getting it" when they learn.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love the sense of belonging and community at OLW. It is the people and the connection with them which makes it special.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

Meeting my new teaching partner, Mrs Nightingale, on my first visit to OLW. I was so incredibly nervous about coming to a new school and she was so very welcoming, kind, and friendly. She helped me feel OLW is where I belong.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about making a positive difference to each person I encounter every day - my life at OLW isn't just about my job, it's about living Jesus' mission and serving others.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy spending time with my children and grandchildren - they are my heart and my strength.

Shannon Whitehorn

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am a classroom teacher in Year 5. I've worked at OLW for 8 years.

What do you love most about your job? 

Celebrating the success of students - especially when they get to that "aha" moment and learning a new concept finally clicks.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I enjoy building relationships with and getting to know students, their families and work colleagues. We are a very special small school that strives to always have an inclusive and supportive community.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

A memorable moment for me was growing our class garden, especially the beautiful sunflowers when I was teaching in Year 1.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about building strong literacy foundations and a love of reading. Supporting students to achieve to the best of their abilities.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy spending time with my family (husband and kids), socialising with friends, being active- playing netball and exercising.

 Cassie Harris

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am a Year 5 teacher. I've been at OLW for 13 years!

What do you love most about your job? 

The “I got this!" look on a student's face.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

Our staff and students are what make the OLW community really special to me.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

I was reading a story to my prep class and one of them said “Mrs Harris there's a mouse under your chair!". I screamed and ran outside!

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about reading 📕

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy weekends at the beach with my family.

Dave Yeo

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Year 5/6 classroom teacher and I have been at OLW for 4 years.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love seeing the growth students make throughout their years at the school and time in the classroom.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

The fun loving, caring staff make working at OLW enjoyable and help lift you up through the difficult days.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

A memorable moment for me was being voted by the students to be one of the teachers to be slimed at Colour Run.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about helping the students to grow holistically. Each student has the ability to shine and assisting them to find their strength has always been my passion in education.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I love spending quality time with family and friends, fishing, sports, and getting outdoors as much as possible.

Amanda Pringle

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Year 6 teacher and I have taught at OLW for 9 years.

What do you love most about your job? 

I absolutely love the fact that I get to provide opportunities for students to learn in an engaging and creative way.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love the staff and my relationships with the students.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

A memorable experience for me was working with the students and staff in the annual school play.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about renovating my house and restoring old furniture.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I love spending time with my family and travelling.

Gabriella Smith

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Dance & Drama Teacher.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love that The Arts provides students with multiple opportunities to be creative and imaginative. Students work collaboratively with their peers on engaging tasks and grow in confidence as they perform and it encourages many play-based, fun learning opportunities.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love that everyone feels welcomed in our school community. We have a warm and compassionate staff here at OLW and we provide varied learning experiences to cater for our learners.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

I absolutely loved the dance night last year! Watching all the students shine on the stage with smiles beaming on the faces with pure enjoyment and pride. It was so wonderful to have the OLW community come together to celebrate what we have been learning in class.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about family, dance, health and wellness. I believe that it is so important to find the things that bring you joy and spend time with the people that matter most.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

My favourite things to do include; spending quality time with my family going on adventures, reading books, going to the beach, doing pilates/dance classes and relaxing meditations.

Bradley Poole

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the classroom Music Teacher and I joined the team at OLW at the beginning of the year.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love getting to share my love of music with enthusiastic students.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

I love working in a supportive school environment that allows students to achieve their best.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

As a new teacher at OLW, I have appreciated how welcoming all the staff and students have been.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about helping young students enjoy music education.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy playing music, playing golf, and spending my time with family.

Lisa McCormack

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the Visual/Media Arts Teacher and have been for years.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love seeing the joy on student's faces when they see what they've accomplished!

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

The beautiful, caring, dedicated staff we have here at OLW.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

Creating a large mosaic and writing a book with students for OLW.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about visual arts and yoga.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy art, yoga, hiking, dancing, learning new things, spending time at the beach, being in nature and spending time with my 3 adult children!

Emily Bazzo

What is your role at the school and how long have you been a part of the team/OLW?

I am the French teacher. I've worked at OLW part time for a year now.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love inspiring students to learn about other cultures and hearing them speak French to me and one another outside of lesson time.

What do you enjoy the most about working at OLW? What makes our school community special to you? 

The staff are so friendly and make OLW a fun and happy community to be part of. This feels special as staff are so supportive and encouraging of one another.

Can you share a memorable moment/experience you have had while working at OLW? 

When not teaching French, I regularly teach the students in their own classrooms in a relief teacher capacity. I enjoy and relish these opportunities to get to know the students in these circumstances as often I am able to discover so much more about the students and their talents. This allows me to form better connections with students and learn about ways to make language learning more enjoyable and accessible to them.

What are you passionate about? 

Primary school years are often a time where many core memories are formed, which can often shape a person's self-worth and ethos into adulthood. I am passionate about providing opportunities for students to create positive and self-esteem building memories at school.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy spending time with my family, beach days, home days and going on trips.