Staff Profiles
Emily - Director
Emily has been in the early childhood sector for many years. Emily holds the following qualifications:
– Bachelor of Education Early Childhood
– Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education
– Graduate Certificate of Therapeutic Child Play
– Victorian Institute of Teaching – Effective Mentoring Program
– Department of Education Coach and Mentoring Program
Emily aims to provide strong leadership and direction to our teaching team at OPK, our families and for the future of our kindergarten.
When Emily isn’t working at OPK she is Lecturing at University level to help support, guide and nurture our future teachers.
Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, 4 teenage children and her cavoodle, loves travelling, practicing yoga and going to the gym.
Alex - 3-year-old teacher (Tea tree group)
Alex fell in love with education 13 years ago, when she started teaching English as a Second Language in Brazil, her home country. Alex holds a Master of Early Childhood Teaching and likes to keep up to date with current research and best practices.
Alex works to provide a warm, safe and inclusive environment, where all children and families feel respected and heard, and children are seen as capable and active participants of their own learning journey. Alex’s passion is to inspire children to be curious and inquiry-oriented about the world around them, instigating a lifelong love for learning.
When Alex isn’t working, she loves spending time with her family, at a park, the beach, or relaxing at home. Alex enjoys cycling, running, reading and watching movies. Alex loves cooking Brazilian homemade food and playing Pokemon games with her son.
Ellie - 4 year old teacher (Banksia group)
Ellie holds a Master of Teaching with dual qualifications in both early childhood and primary education. She is passionate about creating inclusive, respectful environments where children feel safe, capable, and inspired to explore. She values strong, trusting relationships between children, families, and teachers as the foundation for meaningful learning.
Ellie has a particular interest in supporting smooth and confident transitions from kindergarten to school. She thoughtfully integrates the arts across the curriculum, with a strong focus on evidence-based approaches to early literacy and numeracy. She enjoys designing learning experiences that nurture curiosity and spark joy.
Outside of OPK, Ellie enjoys spending time with her husband and preschool-aged son. She also loves gardening, learning languages, and finding small moments of creativity in everyday life.
Andi - 4-year-old co-educator (Banksia group)
Andi joined Olive Phillips Kindergarten in 2018. Andi believes that children learn through exploration, and has
experience with the Reggio Emilia approach to education. Andi has a love of the creative arts, drawing and painting, nature, photography, physical activity and the outdoors.
Andi has a Diploma of Children’s Service. Prior to her time at Olive Phillips Kindergarten, Andi worked for many
years in the early childhood education profession as a 3-year-old lead educator.
Vicki - 3-year-old co-educator (Tea tree group)
Vicki has been working with children for 35 years in sessional kindergarten programs and multi age group settings. Vicki is passionate about her work in early childhood and enjoys working with this age group. Vicki believes that play-based learning, inquiry learning, creativity, stories and music and movement are all important parts of early childhood. Vicki enjoys watching children grow and develop throughout the year and getting to know their families. Vicki holds a Certificate 111 in Children’s Services and continues to follow her interest in professional development to keep up to date in the field.
Vicki has her own family who are very important to her, including her two adult sons. She enjoys reading books, going to concerts, the movies and going to the gym.
Natasha - Extended Care ECT teacher 2026
Natasha has completed her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and loves working with kindergarten-aged children. She is passionate about each child’s learning, development, wellbeing and their happiness. Natasha strives to create a caring and engaging environment where children feel confident to explore and build new life skills through play. She loves being outdoors with children in nature, supporting enquiry, independence and resilience.
Outside of work, Natasha loves spending time with her partner and two daughters. She loves staying active through exercise and long walks along the beach.
