Farewell Retiring Staff

The very best wishes go to our retiring peers who are congratulated on their contributions to Star, and who will be greatly missed.

Gail Clayford – Humanities/Religious Education, 37 Years When you reflect on what it is to be a strong Star woman, there is no better example than what we find in Gail Clayford. Whether on stage dancing to the beat of an African drum, climbing a steep hill or on the Flying Fox in Myrtleford, to riding a bike in the middle of the Mekong Delta, Gail is a fine example for all who have the privilege of working alongside her. Gail has been an exemplary leader for both staff and students alike. Gail commenced at Star following a recommendation from the Principal at Avila College, 37 years ago, and only 18 months after she and her husband, Eustace, and their son Grantham, arrived in Australia from South Africa. After one day of teaching, Sister Josepha Dunlop called her and informed her that she had the job. This was the beginning of her journey where she has carried out many different roles including years of Pastoral leadership for Years 7, 8, 9 and 11, as well as teaching Humanities, Religion and Business Studies.

Gail introduced the BOA Course at Star of the Sea College (Business, Office and Administration) and initiated Star’s connection with Moorabbin TAFE to support the students with their studies in this course. After completing her Certificate 4 Training, she taught this course for 15 years at the College. There are many highlights throughout her teaching career at Star and she will be missed for her wisdom, her kindness and her ability to see the beauty in all that she experiences. We wish Gail every success in her retirement and know that her sense of adventure will continue to shine through her future pursuits. Charmaine McKee – Learning Support, 30 Years Charmaine has always been a strong advocate for Star students. She provided sage advice to both colleagues and parents, facilitating a positive and rewarding school experience for the students in her care. Charmaine remained well informed about changes in disability funding and available support services. She was a leader in her role and was often asked to consult with Catholic Education Melbourne to assist with the development of policy and strategies needed to support students. Her guidance and genuine goodwill have been appreciated by so many of her colleagues and she regularly receives correspondence from students and parents who have been the recipients of her care, understanding and her vast knowledge. Charmaine has a cheeky wit and a wonderful sense of humour. She also has a great ability to stand firm when students need a champion for their cause.

She leaves Star having left her mark on several generations of young people. We wish Charmaine well in her retirement where she will undoubtedly have great fun and joy catching up with her friends. Bernadette Dorning – Technology/Science, 24.5 Years

The first word springing to mind about Bernadette Dorning is ‘hospitable’. She was responsible for introducing VET Hospitality to Star, inspiring many to follow successful career paths into the industry. A generous and social person, she raised the profile of the Food and Health Faculty as the Leader for 10 years, bringing innovative ideas to teaching and learning. Her renowned organisational skills were a signature of sorts, reflected in her advanced photocopying and neatly labelled folders, keeping order and calm in an otherwise demanding school environment, something her students and staff appreciated. A specialist in her field and as an experienced VCE teacher, she presented at HEV conferences and was a writer of support material for Health and Human Development study and an examination assessor for the VCAA. Over the years she has assisted in the design of kitchens over various parts of the College and more recently, the state-of-the-art facility, the Trasna Food Technology Centre. Her generosity was especially highlighted on the 125-year celebration of the school’s foundation, when cupcakes and lollies with the College Crest were made for every member of the College. Along with Bernadette’s Hospitality students catering for many Art & Design exhibitions, she has traveled with school trips to Italy and Vietnam. Bernadette was able to contribute her cultural knowledge of food, enhancing the students’ experience of different cultures. Sharing her passion was a joy. In retiring, Bernadette will be looking for more adventures with her husband Tim, including travel when it is safe, gardens to redesign, crafts to master, books to read, yoga and long walks, and of course friends to entertain.

Julie Christiansen – Learning Support, 24 Years Julie has been an integral member of the Learning Diversity team for more than two decades. Julie was an advocate for the students she supported at Star every single day. She is one of the kindest and most empathic people we have ever worked with in Learning Diversity. Julie has always been devoted to achieving the best for her students, tireless in her patience and gentle in her approach, to gain their trust and to build their confidence. She had an ability to make everyone feel valued. Her work to support the Mathematics Faculty in designing appropriate programs for students with special needs was much appreciated by teachers. Julie’s ability to make Mathematics a relevant life skill kept her students coming back for more. There have been many young women who have blossomed because of the magic of Julie, who nurtured and encouraged them to become all that they could be. Many of her teaching strategies and tools have become the status quo for teachers working with students who have special needs, and this is the greatest compliment to her of all. Julie served on various committees during her years at Star. For the past three years, Julie was a member of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) team.

We thank Julie for her dedication and wish her happiness in the next phase of her life. Ciara Mortale – Languages (Italian), 23.5 Years Chiara started at Star in 1998. She was initially employed to teach Italian on a part-time basis, but soon after took the full time role of Year 8 Mentor Teacher, teaching Religious Education and Italian.

During her teaching at Star, Chiara has instilled a love for Italian in her students, and she has developed strong relationships with them as well. She has been a wonderful role model and

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6 7 4 1. Gail Clayford 2. Charmaine McKee 3. Bernadette Dorning 4. Julie Christiansen 5. Ciara Mortale 6. Brendan Phyland 7. Nada Ellis 8. Maria Morandini

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Mentor for both students and staff. Chiara is generous with her time and has attended many camps and retreats over her years at the College. Highlights for Chiara include 23 years teaching Italian (Year 7 to 11) and three wonderful School Cultural Study Trips to Italy in 2002, 2010 and 2016. Another highlight for Chiara is that her daughter, Monique (2006) was educated at Star.

Chiara is looking forward to travelling and spending more time with her family and grandchildren in her retirement. We thank Chiara for her wonderful service, dedication and contribution to Star of the Sea College. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues and the Star students. Brendan Phyland – Mathematics, 21.5 Years Brendan started at Star in 2000 as a teacher of Mathematics. At that time, Brendan was a part-time teacher and at the same time, ‘Mr Mom’ to three gorgeous daughters Siohban (2012), Breanne (2013) and Jaime (2015). Before long Brendan was lured to teach full time in both the Mathematics and Health & PE faculties, and became a vital part of the Star Sport program. Brendan took on his GSV and SCSA coaching roles with great knowledge and planning to enable each team to achieve success.

Brendan was responsible for introducing Star staff to Dragon Boat racing competition, and the Star staff trained and competed under the watchful eye of Brendan in the Moomba Dragon Boat races. Brendan was also responsible for the set-up the Star Social Club and he created the MICE Association (Men in Catholic Education) for social wellbeing of the male staff teaching in girls catholic schools. Brendan was a part of the amazing Year 8 Mentor team under the leadership of Gail Clayford. Brendan's expertise in Outdoor Education was not a secret for long, as he became the vital link in planning Star’s Camps Program Year 8 through to Year 10. He was instrumental in the planning and organisation of the Year 10 camp for 15 years. Brendan’s planning and configuration was admired by all staff, as every camp ran like poetry in motion. As an experienced teacher of Star students, Brendan flourished in the role of Stella House Pastoral Leader. Through his understanding of girls’ education, Brendan demonstrated an amazing ability to work with students with many varied needs. His friendly and welcoming personality, excellent teaching skills and knowledge, will be missed by his colleagues and his students.

Nada Ellis – English, 17 Years During her much deserved long service leave break this year, Nada has decided to turn the page on her rich and rewarding teaching career. Nada’s passion for English and Literature, together with her dedication to her students, is legendary in the Star community. Before joining us at Brighton in 2004, Nada enjoyed a distinguished career teaching in New South Wales, followed by extended maternity leave as she raised her children, Daniel and Sarah.

For the past 17 years, Nada has illuminated novels, plays, films and poetry for her classes, imparting her love of literature and inspiring students to achieve beyond their expectations. Whether teaching the skills of close passage analysis to Year 12 Literature students or delivering lines from Romeo and Juliet by heart to her Year 8 English class, Nada has always embraced the opportunity to extend her students and ignite their love of language. As a friend and colleague, Nada will be dearly missed in the English faculty and lunchroom. Over the course of her career at Star, Nada has been Debating Coordinator, Lantern Magazine Editor and, more recently, a passionate supporter of the Star Writers’ Collective. Here, Nada’s keen proofreading and editing skills have been greatly appreciated by the Write-a-Book-in-a-Day teams. In particular, her friends will miss Nada’s film and Netflix recommendations, often shared over cake (Nada is a cake connoisseur).

We wish Nada a rich and rewarding retirement, knowing that a world of reading, cinema and travel awaits.

Maria Morandini – Mathematics, 9.5 Years Maria has been a very dedicated and passionate member of the Mathematics department at Star over the past 10 years. She has taught Year 7 to Year 11 Mathematics and has spent many years teaching at the Year 9 Campus (previously known as Anzac). Maria’s knowledge and expertise in the best ways to educate girls in the area of Mathematics has certainly been of benefit to her students. She was one of the first staff in the department to use PowerPoint to present and teach her classes. Her Year 7 classes have had many fun lessons in which concepts here reinforced and taught through games and hands-on activities.

During lockdown, Maria used her love of cooking to teach the concept of Pi as the connection between the circumference of a cake, time and the diameter. These are just some examples of the commitment that Maria has shown to make sure her students understand the concepts. Maria is a very kind, caring and generous person to both her students and colleagues, and will certainly be missed by all.