Meet the Staff

With a love of reading and an attitude for success Mrs Debbie Campey-Payne is the dedicated Library Officer and an Education Assistant at PVS. She believes the school library is integral to the teaching and learning process. With exceptional organisational skills, Mrs Campey-Payne has implemented many practices that assist the students and staff during library sessions and supports the classroom teacher to create the loving, caring, fun-filled environment that PVS is renowned for.

Mrs Charlina Church holds a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and has spent six years caring for and educating children aged three months to five years. She is deeply passionate about Early Childhood and the role of play in children’s development. Mrs. Church is committed to building fun, positive, and respectful relationships with the children in her care while providing intentional teaching and scaffolding during their play. Currently, she is studying an entry pathway program to pursue a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Primary Teaching.

Mr Ray Dickerson completed a Certificate III and IV in Education Support and has worked in the PVS Early Years classes since 2010. Mr Dickerson is a dedicated, caring Education Assistant with a terrific work ethic, and a fantastic sense of humour. Mr Dickerson relishes his role as it helps to alleviate the immense workload undertaken by teachers to educate our young minds. Watching students improve before his eyes, and knowing he has contributed, gives him great satisfaction and a sense of purpose in his life.

Mrs Janine Friend completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Children and Family Studies, then went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education and aims to complete her Graduate Diploma in Psychology this year. Mrs Friend has a passion for understanding how the brain works and learns, and finds it rewarding to see children progress both academically and non-academically as well-rounded people and future citizens. Mrs Friend has previously been nominated by parents for a School Board Award and believes in a calm and nurturing approach in the classroom, that allows children to be themselves whist interacting and learning.

Mrs Patrice Gandy completed a Graduate Diploma in Primary Studies at Murdoch University in 2015, and then a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Studies at Edith Cowan University in 2016. Mrs. Gandy has experience in a variety of roles from classroom teaching, Family Day Care and Community Kindergartens. Mrs Gandy’s teaching focuses on developing social and emotional learning where children are provided opportunities to develop their creativity, autonomy, persistence, and resilience through hands on learning and guided play-based experiences.

Mrs Emma Gill completed a Bachelor of Education specialising in Early Childhood Education at Curtin University in 2009. She has worked across all junior years since joining PVS in 2010.  Mrs Emma Gill is passionate about quality play-based programs for Early Years’ students, and constantly delivers learning experiences that ignite and foster children’s natural curiosity of the world. PVS is a place where she feels she can continue to grow as a professional and nurture the children in our school community to learn and grow.

Mrs Michelle Hodges is our Centre Director for Little Pioneers ELC. Mrs Hodges holds a Diploma in Childrens Services and has had a 25-year career ranging from taking care of children of all ages and building strong community relationships. Mrs Hodges consistently strives to help children achieve, by providing the tools to enable them to explore and learn in a safe and nurturing space, whilst taking pride in having the opportunity to work in a respectful, inclusive, and supportive school.

Mr Jacob Hoogwerf is Murdoch University Alum who graduated with a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education. Whilst he was attending university, he gained a lot of tools, skills, and insight from the amazing Pioneer Village School staff as he came to our school on a voluntary basis to observe, learn and assist the teachers. Mr Hoogwerf is most inspired by the ability to support students and visually see their progress. He instils confidence and belief in each student to overcome their own challenges, and to aid them in reaching goals based around those challenges.

Mr Adam Keshwar completed a Bachelor of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and then went on to complete a Diploma of Education to become a primary school teacher, and has been in the education industry ever since. Mr Keshwar is a devoted teacher who is extremely supportive of his students. He thoroughly enjoys seeing them grow, develop and flourish as lifelong learners. Aside from teaching in the classroom, he enjoys bringing his expertise in fields such as music, chess, and sport to enrich the lives of students at PVS and make their Friday Clubs engaging and enjoyable.

Miss Safaa Khalil is currently at Murdoch University studying an Early Childhood and Primary Teaching Degree. Miss Khalil is bi-lingual in English and Tigrinya and has been working in Early Childhood Education for approximately 3 years. Miss Khalil is looking forward to contributing to the start of our students’ educational journeys, igniting their love for leaning and continuing to build meaningful and positive relationships across the children, parents, and staff at Little Pioneers.

In 2021 Miss Madeline Marsh completed her Certificate III and IV in Education Support, and is very passionate about assisting students to expand their knowledge and love for learning in a supportive environment. Miss Marsh has been a passionate dancer since the age of 3, teaches dance part-time at a dance studio, and loves sharing dance skills with our students. Miss Marsh loves teaching her students skills and strategies that enable them to become strong in both their physical learning, as well as their emotional wellbeing.

Miss Isabella Marsh joined the Little Pioneers team in 2023 and has completed her Certificate IV in Education Support. Miss M has experience working in special needs classrooms and assisting special needs students one on one. She is very passionate about supporting all children in an encouraging and nurturing way, to ensure that they learn and grow to their best of their ability. Miss M enjoys using her knowledge and skills as an educator in the Little Pioneers Team, and loves building relationships with our students, families, and staff to ensure the best outcomes for our students.

Ms Kate Neild strives to create a kind, nurturing atmosphere within her classroom, one that inspires her students to learn and harness their creativity. She does this so that they can reflect on their primary years as a time that was filled with wonder and joy. Ms Neild graduated from Edith Cowan University with a Bachelor of Education, specialising in Special Education. Ms Neild aims to equip her students with the resilience to face challenges with a positive, can-do attitude, and have a strong sense of belief in themselves.

Miss Miranda Parkinson is in her second year at university working towards completing her Early Childhood and Primary Teaching Degree. She loves working at Pioneer Village School as it places her in a position that allows her to both contribute to our children’s learning, while also further developing her skills as an educator and as a future teacher. She is proud to have been a part of Little Pioneers since it opened, and loves being able to support our students to achieve their best.

Mrs Debbie Pashen is educator with both a Bachelor of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education, specialising in working with children with special needs. Mrs Pashen is a passionate advocate for Early Years Education and quality play-based programs for young children. She has taught across the Early Years, in educational support, and held numerous leadership positions since 2001 and currently teaches Pre-Primary. Mrs Pashen firmly believes that her role as an educator is to inspire her students to develop a love of learning, to face challenges with enthusiasm, and to have a strong sense of belief in themselves to achieve their unique potential.

Miss Sarah Pledger holds a Diploma in Children Services. She has over 15 years’ experience in the Early Childhood sector, with the last 10 years spent as Lead Educator at a thriving Community Kindergarten. Miss Pledger has a passion for play-lead learning which includes hands-on and real-life experiences. Building strong and respectful relationships with children and their families is very important to Miss Pledger. This is because she believes this to be the foundation that best supports children’s development and learning.

Miss Rebecca Price comes from a creative background, with an undergraduate degree in performing arts from WAAPA and a Masters of Social Work from UWA. Miss Price has run a music therapy business, worked in the mental health sector, and continues to run creative workshops for youth. Her work focuses on engaging students in inspired activities and exercises, but always with an underpinning of improving social & emotional wellbeing. Miss Price also brings school experience having worked for 3 months in a rural town in the mid-west region of WA, where even with very limited resources she was part of a team that put together the first ever cultural camp for that town, to celebrate culture, community, and the beautiful landscape of Western Australia.

Ms Emily Pryce holds a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and has experience in a variety of educational settings and ages. Ms Pryce is passionate about early learning, and the importance of laying down solid educational foundations that will last a lifetime. She places great value on nurturing the natural inquisitiveness of our student’s young minds, and understands the importance of encouraging curiosity and independent thinking. Ms Pryce believes the unique teaching and learning community and the strong sense of family at PVS contributes to feelings of support and value for staff and students alike.

Mrs Kelly Reynolds graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in the USA with a Bachelor Degree in Child and Family Studies, specialising in Early Childhood Development. Mrs Reynolds is a passionate advocate for Early Childhood education and understands the importance of providing learning opportunities designed to emphasise the development of the whole child; socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and creatively.

Mrs Marguerite Rosario holds a Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Political Theory. She has pursued studies in classical guitar, puppetry and acting, and is passionate about integrating these areas into her lessons. Mr Rosario has travelled Australia as an actor, storyteller, and teacher, having studied Kodaly, Dalcroze, Orff, and Suzuki music pedagogies. These learning experiences have cemented her belief that these are superior strategies that best develop students’ singing, movement, listening and instrumental skills, important skills that will ultimately expand students’ creativity.

Mr Guy Rowlingson is passionate about integrated inquiry-based learning and savvy digital technology skill teaching. He thoroughly enjoys providing a participatory environment where students are able to attach their interests to learning outcomes. He completed his Graduate Diploma in Primary Education at Edith Cowan University and is an invested and enthusiastic middle and upper primary teacher who also loves engaging students in his Friday Coding Club. Mr Rowlingson’s superpower is inspiring student learning by fostering an inclusive environment and preparing students for their next steps in their educational journey.

Mrs Eva Rowlingson is one of the many loved Education Assistants at PVS. She has a strong belief in lifelong learning, and enjoys watching students grow in and out of the classroom. Mrs Rowlingson prides herself on creating an aesthetically pleasing learning space, as well as supporting students with their emotional and academic challenges, so that they can grow and thrive in their learning environment. Mrs Rowlingson has a flare for cooking and enjoys teaching the students new recipes in Cooking Club every Friday afternoon.

Ms Lauren Turner moved to Perth in 2019 having taught in two outstanding schools across England for several years before calling Pioneer Village School home. Ms Turner’s superpower is using creativity to create awe and wonder to make learning meaningful, fun, and exciting for all students in order to instil a love learning. Ms Turner’s greatest accomplishment in teaching is inspiring students to become more independent and grow in confidence. She does this by ensuring there is enough time to nurture their social and emotional wellbeing, as well as allowing them to thrive academically each year.