Meet the Board
The Halidon Primary School Board consists of 5 parent representatives, 3 members of the community, 3 staff representatives and the School Principal. These are: Jodie Drewett – Board Chair, David Leddin, Bronwyn Hinder, Michelle Vich, Jessica Stojkovski MLA, Sandy Davidson, James Kennedy, Nicola Blackmore, Rachael Nelhams, Andrew Schmidt and Helen Demiris.
The School Education Act provides for the following categories of membership:
- parents;
- members of the community; and
- staff of the school.
The number of members of the Board shall be at least five but not more than 15, but shall otherwise be determined by the Board.
The chair of the Board is to be elected by, and from, its members.
The principal is automatically a member of the Board.
The Parents and Citizens’ Association may nominate one of its members to be a member of the Board in the parent or community membership category as is relevant to the nominee.
Parents and members of the general community must form the majority of the members of the Board.
There must be at least one parent member of the Board.
Jodie Drewett
My name is Jodie Drewett and I have been fortunate in gaining a position of School Board Chair for Halidon Primary School.
I have two children who attend the school & have been involved in the school for the last 8 years. I am a qualified hairdresser, have run my own very successful business and have had many opportunities in my time as a Business Manager, Merchandiser, Team Leader & Sales Assistant.
I am an active member within the Halidon Community and have been Halidon’s P&C’s Fundraising Co-ordinator for the past 4 years & a general member prior to this. I have also had the pleasure of being part of our school’s Support A Reader Programme. I have been involved with many other committees and am an active volunteer for many charities too, as being a volunteer is a very strong belief of mine. My passion and drive for being involved at the school is simply a reflection of the awesome Halidon environment that is provided for our children and the amazing staff within. It is a great pleasure to be involved at our school and to help keep this spirit alive.
I am very grateful of this opportunity I have been given and am very excited about the future ahead for Halidon as an IPS school and working with such a fantastic group of people. “Together we will succeed”
Michelle Vich
My name is Michelle Vich, and I was very honoured to be selected to become an inaugural Halidon board member.
I have two boys who attend our school, my youngest is in kindy and my oldest is in year 2. We plan to be a part of the Halidon school community for many years to come. I wanted to play my part in helping to make our school even greater, so our kids are encouraged and inspired to pursue their individual passions, and develop valuable and necessary skills for their future. I believe it’s not just about academic and sporting achievements, but also about developing a love of learning, forming strong lasting friendships and developing strength of character.
I have a degree in Human Biology & Sports Science and work part time for an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon). On my “days off” I enjoy spending quality time with my youngest son, before he begins full time school next year. Our weekends are filled with family, friends, sport and exploring the great outdoors.
I’m very excited about the future of Halidon, and it’s a privilege to be a school board member, which gives me insights into the enormous “behind the scenes” efforts our dedicated teachers and school staff members put into decisions that affect our children’s primary school years.
David Leddin
My name is David Leddin and I have one child attending Halidon Primary School. I have been a member of the P&C committee for a few years and have found our P&C to be an amazing platform for involvement and support of our school community. I’m very honoured to be accepted as a parent member of our School Board and further that commitment.
My career is within the Information Technology area and I am very interested in this part of education as technology continues to become a critical part of our lives. I previously worked for IBM Australia in Sydney for 16 years and I am now working on my own start-up as a web developer. I was honoured to be able to develop Halidon P&C’s very own website where we have seen the take up of a new web based volunteering system.
More recently, I have become involved with Halidon’s newly formed membership with the Fathering Project, a not-for-profit national initiative started here in WA. The Fathering Project helps to benefit kids by inspiring fathers and fathering figures to engage with their children. We have big plans for growing the “HaliDads” group and events going forward.
I can’t wait to be involved in the Halidon School Board and bring what I can to the table for the awesome Halidon community we have.
Bronwyn Hinder
Hi I’m Bronwyn Hinder and a mother to 4 children, 3 of who are current students at Halidon Primary School in years Pre-Primary, 3 and year 4. We have been a part of the Halidon school community for the past 5 years and have thoroughly enjoyed seeing our children flourish, thrive and enjoy their surrounds and friendships.
I am an active member of the P+C and believe we have a very strong family representation that will keep allowing our school to enjoy the benefits of such a great fundraising committee and avenue.
Majority of my career has been spent in the private finance sector – just shy of 15 years. I now currently run my own niche business.
I take this opportunity to thank the school board for accepting my application and allowing me to be a voice of the Halidon “parents and families”.
Michelle Moyes
My name is Michelle Moyes and I currently have two children attending Halidon Independent Primary School. I love to help out around the school, at the canteen, being involved in the Support-A-Reader program, classroom helper, and morning reading. I currently teach at West Leederville Primary School. I have also worked in the Department of Education’s Learning with ICT Project, Legal Directorate and in Staffing and Recruitment. I am passionate about education and instilling in children the love of learning for life. It is an exciting time and a great opportunity to be part of the fantastic team at Halidon Independent Primary School.
Jessica Stojkovski MLA
Hi I’m Jessica and I was elected as the Member for Kingsley at the election in March this year. I live in Woodvale with my husband and two kids. Prior to entering Parliament, I was a strategic project town planner at the City of Wanneroo. I have a genuine passion for sustainability and holistic planning.
I have always been an active member of my community and served as the President of the Landsdale Residents Association, when I lived in Landsdale, where I campaigned successfully for a number of community projects, including funding for footpaths and air-conditioning and grants to hold community ‘Get to know your neighbour’ days.
As a mum with a young daughter attending a local primary school, I value the contribution education makes to our kid’s future and this was a driving force behind me standing for Parliament. Along with being on the Board of Halidon I am on the Boards of St Luke’s Catholic Primary School and Greenwood College. I have a keen interest in all issues affecting children and as such was nominated to the Joint Standing Committee on the Commission for Children and Young People.
Sandy Davidson
Hi, I am Sandy Davidson and have been elected to join the School Board from 2019. I have three grandchildren currently attending Halidon and another three soon to join the school system, so I will be connected to the school for many years. As a long time member of the Kinsley community I am interested in helping the school maintain its strong relationships with the community whilst ensuring the strategic directions of the school are upheld. I am currently the Chief Financial Officer of a large Not for Profit organisation and feel my skills and experience may bring value to the Board around the areas of governance, finance, risk and human resources. I am a believer that if the School has a strong Board and leadership team this will directly impact on the education of the children who attend the school.
On a personal note, I love spending time with my family and having six grandchildren certainly keeps me busy when I am not working. I am lucky enough to have both my daughters live close by so I get to be involved in their activities and my grandchildren’s lives. I am looking forward to my time on the Board and hope to learn all about the school and it’s community.
James Kennedy
James has spent almost 30 years of his life in the greater Kingsley area, which includes graduating from Woodvale Senior High School and playing for the local football club.
The elite performer, with the support of his wife Kylie and qualified sales team, has been awarded the highest sales achiever for Kingsley almost every year since launching his real estate career in 2009.
Arguably Kingsley’s best and most trusted real estate agent, James continues to support the suburb and community, taking part in local sponsorships and being the admin of the very popular facebook page “Kingsley Life”.
Rachael Nelhams
My name is Rachael Nelhams and I am the Year 6 teacher at Halidon Primary School. I am passionate about providing a stimulating learning environment where students ‘Grow their Wisdom’ and reach their full potential. My philosophy is a holistic approach by supporting the individual’s social, emotional and academic achievements.
On a personal note, I travelled the world in my younger years and fell in love with Australia and eventually settled in Perth where I have since married and been fortunate to have two beautiful children. Fifteen years later, I enjoy camping, being outdoors and still enjoy the simplicity of watching the sunset.
I am privileged to be the Maths Curriculum Leader at Halidon Primary School and work with a committee of dedicated teachers who are passionate about supporting the Whole School towards developing vocabulary and Problem Solving strategies in Maths.
I am honoured to join The School Board to have the opportunity to work with other representatives who have Halidon’s best interest at heart.
Nicola Blackmore
My name is Nicola Blackmore and I feel very grateful to be a part of the Halidon School Board. In 2011 I completed a Bachelor of Psychology majoring in children and family studies before completing my graduate diploma in Early Childhood Education.
I love spending time with family and friends, and being in the outdoors! I am really enjoying being a part of the Halidon Primary School community and I am looking forward to the future!
Helen Demiris
Hello I am Helen Demiris and I am in the fortunate position to be Principal of this amazing school.
I have 25 years of experience in public education, with 10 of those years in school leadership. I have undertaken many roles and loved every one of them! I have taught in both country and city locations and have always been very proud of my chosen vocation.
Being part of the Halidon school community, particularly the School Board, has been extremely rewarding, particularly in 2017 when the school first became IPS. Working with a strong board and proactive community has afforded us the opportunity and flexibility to make Halidon history with the rebranding process – involving a new school logo and motto ‘Growing with Wisdom’.
On a personal note I am blessed with an 18 year old daughter and 21 year old son who have shared my journey in Public Education. They have both inspired me in my role as I always think ‘would I be happy if my child was taught like this?’ They also often remind me that you are never too old to learn new things and I’m not always a teacher! I’ve learned so much on the parenting pathway that has influenced me in my profession. I feel very fortunate to be their mum and they motivate me to be the best Principal I can be.
I love working with the Halidon school community. I have often said if it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a community to raise a school. This community has ‘raised’ Halidon Primary School to new heights and I am proud to be part of it!
Andrew Schmidt
I’m Andrew Schmidt and I have worked with the Department of Education in a variety roles for 25 years. I am excited to be a part of the Halidon School Board as I see this as a great forum to build on the strong relationship that exists between the school and the community. It also promotes a great deal of discussion on the future direction of the school.
Outside of school I have a keen interest in most things that the beach offers, snorkelling, stand up paddle boarding, boogie boarding and sailing. I’m also an active cyclist having completed the Ride to Conquer Cancer on two occasions. Recently I’ve become a soccer coach for my daughters’ soccer team. Camping and travelling are other areas of interest to me.
My wife is an intensive care nurse and I have two daughters that are in Year 8 and Year 9, as well as a cavoodle named Cino.
As an ex-DJ, I love music and have a very large and varied music collection. U2 is my favourite band and I’m a bit of an 80’s music tragic though Jack Johnson and John Butler get a regular run in the house as background music.