Meet Our Team

Being part of the Mary Queen of Heaven community in its founding year has been a life-changing experience!  It is with immense gratitude that I continue to be part of this  thriving community in 2024, as Deputy Principal and Literacy Leader.

I migrated from Portugal to Australia as a child.  My family's migration story is part of who I am and my core values of gratitude, connection and growth. Mary (or Fatima) was always a prominent image in my family; a reminder of the importance of faith, courage and humility.

I find joy when present with my family and friends, or being in nature with my children, Husband and our dog, Mac; who is also one of our school’s wellbeing dogs!  I am a self-confessed foodie, and have mastered the art of baking sourdough bread from scratch (lockdown win). I love delving into a good book, especially one that stretches my thinking about life.

Working as an Educator and Leader is a privilege.  To witness the delight of children’s discovery and wonder of their curiosity is a tremendous gift!

I strongly believe that every child is competent and capable.  My mission as an Educator is to guide children on their learning journey, providing them with experiences that enable them to ‘let their light shine’, whilst fostering a love of learning.  I work passionately as a leader to challenge, nurture and inspire educators, so that they in turn can inspire, nurture and provide suitable challenges for the children in their care.

Mrs Daniela De Luca 
Deputy Principal

My name is Teresa Mattei and I have had the privilege of being a founding member of the Mary Queen of Heaven community and witnessing educators passionately working to ensure that the children are learning in a happy and safe environment.

I am very proud to be working collaboratively with educators and non-educators, supporting them as they deliver a high-quality standard of education. With 23 years experience working in Catholic schools, I am very excited to be immersed in the ongoing development of our ever-growing school community in 2024 and beyond.

I am very passionate and look forward to strengthening and maintaining my current relationships with the MQH community, building and fostering strong relationships with those new to our community, in a warm and welcoming environment built on respect and trust, where parents and children feel safe, inclusive and supported.

My name is Kate Mitchell and I am thrilled to be a part of the Mary Queen of Heaven community as the School Administrator Officer. I have previously worked in a multitude of roles across the Insurance Industry and more recently have retrained in Early Childhood Education and have spent 9 wonderful years fostering children's learning and wellbeing.

I believe that creating opportunities for open and authentic partnerships with all families, communities and organisations allows for children to connect with the world around them and develop respectful mutual relationships. Holistic learning occurs as children and adults work in partnership, respecting each other's values and beliefs.

I enjoy spending time with my husband and two children and am very much looking forward to working with all the families at Mary Queen of Heaven Primary School.

I am a nurturing and compassionate person and am very much looking forward to meeting you all.

My name is Sarah Brown and I am delighted to be joining the team at Mary Queen of Heaven in 2024.

With over 15 years of experience in education in the north as well as internationally in Singapore, I am passionately dedicated to ensure that every child feels valued, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. I believe in creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment where children can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Collaboration with teachers, parents, and the wider community is at the heart of my approach. I am here to listen, understand, and advocate for the overall wellbeing of every child in our community.
Away from teaching I enjoy exercising, walking/hiking, and traveling. I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my nieces and nephews.

I look forward to meeting the Mary Queen of Heaven community.

My name is Loretta O’Dwyer and I am the Learning Diversity Leader at MQH. I have been in education for over 20 years and have further studies in psychology. My role is to support students with diverse learning needs. I liaise with educators and families to make learning adjustments with a focus on students’ strengths. Wellbeing is at the core of my work and all growth is celebrated.

My other passion is sustainability. I believe that educating and advocating for future generations is essential. As an educator, I enjoy making learning fun, imaginative and encouraging ‘student voice’.

I am a mother of two children aged 11 and 13. We have a dog and a cat. My family enjoys sports, board games and camping. I love travelling, trivia, music and drama.

I’m looking forward to meeting families and working together.

My name is Tameka Robertson, and I am the STEM teacher at Mary Queen of Heaven Primary School. I am deeply passionate about STEM and the opportunities it provides to inspire curiosity and innovation in students. I strive to empower learners to think critically, solve problems creatively, and explore the world with a scientific mindset. I particularly love introducing students to technologies that make learning engaging, relevant, and meaningful.

I have been a primary teacher for over thirteen years and have a passion for teaching and learning, and providing students with dynamic and interesting learning experiences. I believe that all students can learn and achieve success, and I work hard to build strong relationships with students and their families to ensure that school is a safe and enjoyable place for everyone.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending quality time with my two young children, my husband, and our dog. I love singing, listening to music, reading books, watching movies, and practising reformer Pilates.

Ciao a tutti!

My name is Rachel Bezzina, and I am excited to be teaching Italian (LOTE) to students from Prep to Year 6 at Mary Queen of Heaven.

I have been teaching for 7 years, both in Australia and the United Kingdom, and I am thrilled to be sharing my passion for Italian language and culture. My connection to Italy runs deep through my family, and I am eager to pass on that love and enthusiasm for all things Italian to the students.

Learning a new language is a fun and rewarding experience. In my classes, students will engage in interactive and hands-on learning activities, including songs, games and stories.

I look forward to exploring the rich and diverse aspects of Italian culture, celebrating both our shared experiences and our differences along the way.

Rachel Bezzina

My name is Felicity Valetini and I am the PE Teacher at Mary Queen of Heaven.

I feel exercise and keeping our bodies moving is the key to happy and productive lives. Fostering strong, healthy bodies helps to release those positive endorphins, which not only assists us to stay physically fit, but also our minds and general wellbeing. I am passionate about the outdoors and using nature as a stepping stone to deliver fun and exciting PE lessons. I hope to nurture a love of exercise in our students, that they can carry on into their future endeavours.

When I’m not teaching PE, you’ll see me competing on the netball court, or running half marathons around Melbourne. I love camping with my family, going to the beach, and reading a good book.

I look forward to teaching your children and meeting you all very soon.

My name is Cathy Lyons and I am the Visual Arts specialist at Mary Queen of Heaven. I am so grateful to be working in this wonderful community and working with the children at MQH who are eager to create and learn.

I have been in Catholic education for a number of years, in both a country and city setting and am an experienced visual arts teacher.  

My goal is to instil a love of creating by giving the children a variety of experiences in the art studio. I provide art education that nurtures creativity, skills and a deeper understanding of visual arts.

I enjoy spending my spare time with family and friends. I have two grown children who I catch up with on a regular basis. I also have two pampered pooches, Rosie and Ben, who keep me fit and busy.

I started painting during covid and have been quite surprised by what I have been able to create. I  share my story with the children, to encourage them to take the risk and move out of their comfort zone like I did, they may also be surprised by their results.

Hi, My name is Attamjit Kaur. I am a Co-Educator at Mary Queen of Heaven.
I feel extremely grateful to be working alongside the wonderful MQH community.

I have been working in the Education sector for the last two years. I am passionate about supporting students in their learning journey by creating a safe, positive and inclusive environment. I believe in developing trusting relationships with students and their families in order to achieve a positive learning experience. My approach has always been to understand the needs of students so that learning activities can be modified to keep them engaged. Watching the students grow in their learning and celebrating their achievements is very rewarding to me.

Outside the school, I love spending time with my beautiful family. We love going for walks and watching movies together. I also enjoy cooking, dancing and love catching up with friends and family.

I am looking forward to meeting you all very soon!!

Hello,
I am Dana Di Donato and I am delighted to be joining Mary Queen of Heaven in 2024.
I am a newly qualified co-educator and am passionate about wanting to make a positive difference in a young person’s life.

I look forward to getting to know students’ personalities and supporting their development in their education journey so that they may flourish.
I’ve worked in various industries including early childhood education and most recently in corporate, where I worked as an Executive Assistant for over 20 years. I enjoy helping people and witnessing first-hand the impact that support can have. I pride myself in being a compassionate and empathetic professional. I aim to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children can have fun while learning. I am looking forward to building strong, trusting relationships with the MQH community.

On a personal note, I am a mum to 2 beautiful children aged 15 and 9, and we have a pet rabbit who likes to free roam indoors. For recreation, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, baking healthy treats and practising yoga.

I look forward to meeting you all.

Hi, my name is Chantal, I’m delighted to be a Co-Educator at Mary Queen Of Heaven.

I am extremely passionate and dedicated in my role and committed to the wellbeing, protection and safety of all children whilst providing an inclusive, nurturing, and positive learning environment. I look forward to building and developing trusting relationships with students, families, colleagues and the community.

I highly value connection and am motivated to get to know each child and learn their story. I take immense pride in promoting the growth and development of all students and cannot wait to see their light shine. In my spare time I enjoy outdoor adventures with my two beautiful daughters and husband. I love music, dancing, food and being creative in many different ways. I look forward to meeting you all very soon and beginning our wonderful journey together at Mary Queen of Heaven.

Let the light shine.

Hello Everyone. My name is Belinda and I’m super excited to be joining the MQH team as a co educator.

With 9 years of experience I absolutely love what I do and am extremely passionate about supporting students to flourish and to achieve their personal goals. I believe in developing meaningful, positive relationships with students so individual adjustments can be made, ensuring each student gets the best opportunity to learn. 

I am married with 3 children, a son and 2 daughters.  I enjoy going to the footy, walking, and being with my family and friends. I have a pet groodle named Ollie. 

I look forward to connecting with the students and staff at MQH and becoming a part of your school community.

Hi, my name is Jaye Hall and I am extremely excited to be joining the team in 2024 as a co-educator at Mary Queen of Heaven.

I've been in education support for over 2 years and can honestly say this is the most fulfilling role I've done.

School is like a second home to children so it's important to me that along with the educators, I help to create a safe and welcoming space, while building strong, positive relationships with students, so that they have the best opportunity for both academic and emotional growth.

I have two beautiful daughters of my own (aged 3 & 5), so I understand the pride and joy you feel as a parent watching them grow, and I look forward to nurturing your children at Mary Queen of Heaven.

I love spending time with my family and friends, weekend adventures (such as wineries and beaches) and listening to Taylor Swift!

Hi, my name is Chantelle and l am very excited to be joining the community of Mary Queen Of Heaven in 2024 as a co-educator.

I have 7 years experience working in this very rewarding field. I look forward to forming strong relationships with the children and the team at MQH. I have a very caring and nurturing nature and love working with children to do their best, as they grow and develop, encouraging them to always have a positive growth mindset that l feel is so important.

I have 3 beautiful children, aged 19, 13 & 11, who l love creating memories with. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, walking, going to the beach and on holidays.

I look forward to working at MQH and meeting everyone.

My name is Diyana Mousa, I am so Blessed to be working alongside the MQH community as a co-educator. 

I am from Iraq (Baghdad), I was raised in a Catholic family, our faith is very important to us as my core values in faith are competition, faith, love and family. 

Helping people is my strenght, especially children as it is a part of my identity.  I am enthusiastic to be involved in children’s learning, being able to naturally build trusting relationships with students and caring immensely about their overall wellbeing. I believe in making a difference by supporting and encouraging students to bring out the best in them. It’s very rewarding to see students’ progress throughout their learning journey.

I speak multiple languages. Apart from English, I also speak Arabic and Chaldean/Assyrian. I hope this skill set helps me to make strong connections with people in our community and other communities.

Outside of school,  I have been married to my best friend and beautiful husband Yousif for nine years. I am a mother of three beautiful boys Marcellino, Michael and Matthew. And I am looking forward to meeting you

Hi, my name is Michael Baccari, and I am excited to be joining the team at Mary Queen of Heaven in 2025.

Since 2024 I’ve had the privilege to work at Mary Queen of Heaven under Big childcare where I work as a before and after school care educator. In 2025 I am thrilled to step into my new role at the school as a Co-Educator.

I look forward to creating a positive and supportive environment where students can grow academically and personally. I thrive to get the most out of all children by encouraging them and guiding them to be their very best.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family and keeping myself fit at the gym and playing football. I am very passionate about all things health and nutrition and am a qualified personal trainer and soon to be nutritionist.

I can’t wait to begin my new role. see you all soon!

My name is Lisa Michielin and I’m so excited to work at MQH as the Literacy Enhancement Educator.

Over my 15 years of teaching I have developed a passion around how we can use and organise data to inform learning and teaching opportunities. My favourite thing about teaching is the “ah-ha moment”, when a concept clicks for a learner. I love seeing my students succeed at something that they have been determined to master.

I am a mum to two little boys. We spend a lot of time putting together elaborate Hot Wheels tracks and building lego! I also love to read, go out for dinner with friends and spend time with my big extended family.

Of utmost importance to me, being part of the MQH community, is building relationships with students, parents and staff. I believe when learners feel safe and valued we truly see them thrive. I can’t wait to witness the MQH students flourish and progress throughout the year. I’m looking forward to chatting with everyone soon!

My name is Gabbi and I am delighted to be part of the Mary Queen of Heaven team.

I have been teaching for three years. My passion as an educator is providing students with a safe and welcoming environment, where students can thrive and reach their full potential. I pride myself on creating a calm, nurturing and supportive classroom.

Outside of school I love spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy traveling, keeping active and listening to music.

I am really looking forward to meeting you all!

My name is Pauline Boyle a foundational classroom teacher of MQH joining the leadership team as Faith Leader and continuing as a classroom educator in 2024.

Mary Queen of Heaven’s vision statement, closely aligns with my own teaching philosophy of student-centered learning that values the uniqueness of the individual student supporting the growth of the whole person through developing positive relationships by encouraging and equipping students with courage and resilience to become risk takers, collaborators, critical thinkers to navigate their own learning journey with humility and gratitude.

From a faith perspective my own spiritual development is continuing, guided by Mary Queen of Heaven’s motto of “Let the Light Shine’, I strive to build relationships respectively and compassionately, valuing everybody’s worth. Most recently my spiritual journey has been reinvigorated by participation in the Emerging Leaders pilgrimage to World Youth Day reigniting what it means to belong to the Catholic faith in ever-changing times and challenges faced by local and global faith communities.

As Faith Leader of MQH I hope to:
Introduce a living and robust faith culture to our school and new community
Model our gospel values and vision of MQH in an authentic context
Provide a contextualized religious education program that is sensitive and inclusive for all students and families of MQH.

I am grateful for my wonderfully supportive husband, our 17 and 15 year old sons who keep us entertained along with our two dogs who keep us fit. Spending time with friends, gardening and traveling keeps me energised.

My Name is Dana Millsteed and I am thrilled to be joining the Mary Queen of Heaven team in 2024 as a classroom teacher.

Within education my passion lies in building meaningful connections with young learners. As a primary school teacher, I believe that nurturing positive relationships with children is the cornerstone of effective teaching and learning. In my learning environment, you'll find an inviting and inclusive space where curiosity and creativity flourish. I believe that a warm and welcoming environment sets the stage for joyful learning experiences.

Beyond the classroom, I find joy in spending time with my family, young daughter and loyal four-legged friend. Family and friends are at the core of my life, and I cherish every moment shared together. When I have spare time I love to travel back to my family home in the small town of Barooga, New South Wales. When not at work or spending time with family, I am usually found at the gym or on a leisurely walk.

I look forward to meeting you all very soon,
Dana

My name is Alysha and I’m so pleased to introduce myself as one of the prep educators for 2024. I’m passionate about making students' first year at primary school a positive experience to set them up as lifelong learners.

During the foundation year, I promote building skills in independence, problem solving and communication. I believe that students learn best when they can follow their interests and tasks are individualised. I aim to encourage children to reach their full potential by feeling safe and empowered as they build their knowledge across the curriculum, themselves as learners and their connections with God and our school’s namesake Mary.

Outside of school, I love spending time with my 2 children, husband and family making memories and spending time outdoors.

My name is Amy Hodges and I am thrilled to be part of the Mary Queen of Heaven community as a classroom teacher.

I have worked in education for 6 years in various roles, including being a Co Educator in a primary and secondary setting. During this time my love for helping children thrive has grown immensely.

As an educator, my passion is to provide a safe learning environment in which all children can be successful in their education. I aim to create positive learning experiences, which build upon children's confidence in themselves and their learning. I understand that all students learn differently, therefore I pride myself on connecting with each child to understand how I can best support their learning journey.

Outside of school I enjoy reading, spending time with friends and family and going on adventures with my dog.

I am looking forward to meeting you!