Calling upon School Leaders …

Principals’ Forum Term 3 2022

… with Riverwood Public School

We are excited to welcome back Principals and APs/DPs for our third Principals’ Forum this year, on 23rd August 2022.

We will hear from the team at Riverwood Public School, including Principal Anne Davis.

Access the recording and slides now

About Riverwood Public School

Riverwood Public school is a small school located in a low socio-economic community in south-western Sydney. A focus on evidence-based wellbeing and learning practices has underpinned the school’s improvement work. We are committed to Explicit Direct Instruction as a key pedagogical approach and our literacy practices are aligned with the research from the science of reading. The school’s wellbeing framework articulates a twin focus on staff and student wellbeing. Our approach adopts a trauma informed model of support for students, a wellbeing curriculum and a Positive Behaviour for Learning framework which are responsive to student need. Staff wellbeing is supported through professional development and wellbeing plans, which work towards enhanced individual and collective professional growth and self-care.

Principals & APs/DPs

Anne Davis,
Principal

Anne Davis has worked in education for nearly 20 years, holding senior school leadership and relieving principal roles for 5 years prior to being appointed the principal at Riverwood Public School in 2018. She is a committed learner herself, completing 2 masters degrees in education and instructional leadership. Anne has also worked in the area of student engagement at Western Sydney University for 5 years. She has a strong interest in working in schools in low socio-economic areas due to her strong belief that education is an equity leveraging opportunity. At Riverwood Public School, Anne has led the school to develop a strong learning centred culture, which has supported the development of shared understandings in evidence-based wellbeing, learning, teaching and leadership practices to bring about significant improvement.

Sophie Roberts is the Deputy Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at Riverwood Public School where she leads professional learning, instructional coaching, and early career teacher support. She has worked in primary education for 21 years and has held a range of leaderships roles including, teaching principal in the remote Northern Territory and relieving deputy principal in a large metropolitan setting. Sophie has a Masters of Instructional Leadership from Melbourne University and has supported teachers to implement evidenced-based reading instruction and Explicit Direct Instruction.

Sophie Roberts,
Deputy Principal

Julie Mavlian,
Assistant Principal

Julie has a Masters Degree in Special Education and has worked in the field of education for 30 years with a wide variety of age groups from preschool to tertiary education. She has experience as an Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Learning as well as learning and support teacher in NSW and was recently awarded a Principal’s Network Award for Excellence in the role of classroom teacher. 

Julie has worked on the Five from Five Project in 2016 as a research assistant and communications officer. She has been instrumental in the website and the 2018 Phonics Roadshows. Julie is currently responsible for most of the Five from Five social media content and promotes the work of Five from Five. 

Julie is also the founder of Dyslexia Support Australia and a founding member of Code Read Dyslexia Network.  She a has a particular interest in helping students with reading difficulties, advocating for change in teacher education, as well as helping parents understand learning difficulties and the choices they have in finding help for their children.

Would your Principal be interested?

About Our Host

HOST
Steve Capp (Bentleigh West PS)

Steven Capp is Principal of Bentleigh West Primary School in Melbourne, which has become recognised for its adoption of evidence- based teaching practices, particularly in the area of reading and mathematics. He has worked across the primary and secondary school sectors as an educational leader for the past 15 years. He has a Masters of School Leadership from Melbourne University and has worked with school leaders to explore bridging the gap from research to practice.