Kendall Heycox, Corryong College
Since starting with Corryong College in 2022 as a graduate teacher, Kendall Heycox quickly demonstrated her capacity for leadership and her aptitude as an educator.
In 2022, the rural community of Corryong had been significantly impacted by bushfires and the remote learning periods of recent years. Kendall’s calm and conscientious approach to all aspects of her work as a teacher, and her willingness to shoulder responsibility while capably implementing quality learning, was a great support to the small school community.
Leading a number of improvement initiatives at the P-12 college, including the Writing Professional Learning Community, Kendall is working with her colleagues to enact literacy improvements and apply her own and others’ professional learning to benefit students throughout the school.
Already, Kendall has measurably improved student outcomes in her own classroom where students are showing marked growth in their learning and wellbeing, and building a positive, aspirational culture in her college community.
Meg Wiffen, Moolap Primary School
Meg Wiffen is an outstanding graduate teacher who runs a classroom of highly engaged and motivated students who know what they are learning and how they are learning.
Always striving to build her capability as a teacher, Meg undertakes professional learning and seeks professional discussions with her colleagues to gain deeper insight into how students learn best. Often driving conversations in professional learning community meetings at the primary school, she is open and honest about her learning experience and asks thoughtful questions that prompt meaningful discussions between peers.
Meg’s drive to evolve her teaching practice to be the best it can be is demonstrated by her ability to reflect, to plan and to effectively teach different levels of learners in her classroom, no matter what their curriculum area.
Knowing where her students are as learners guides her careful differentiation of lessons to effectively meet the needs of all of her students.
Emily Leeds, Springside Primary School
Arriving at the school in 2021 as a graduate teacher, Emily Leeds immediately demonstrated her aptitude for educational leadership during an extended period of remote learning.
Arriving at the school in 2021 as a graduate teacher, Emily Leeds immediately demonstrated her aptitude for educational leadership during an extended period of remote learning.
Quickly identifying her students’ diverse needs, Emily applied her instructional leadership skills to teaching literacy and developing evidence-based improvement plans tailored to meet the specific learning needs of each student.
Structured literacy is a research-based approach that Emily uses to teach reading, writing, and spelling skills systematically and explicitly. Incorporating phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction into her daily lessons, Emily provides explicit instruction to ensure that her students have a strong foundation in literacy.
Emily’s early commitment to applying her evidence-based teaching methods and research now guides the staff team in their data-driven decision-making. As the leader of the Prep Professional Learning Community and the Student Achievement Leader, Emily is already playing a pivotal role in facilitating professional development at the school.
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