Born and raised in Perth, Sally moved to Melbourne in 1996 looking for adventure. While studying for her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, Sally worked in after-school care and unexpectedly discovered the joy of working with children. She subsequently went on to complete a Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary) at Monash University, commencing her career as a classroom teacher in 2004.
Sally has travelled extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India and south-east Asia and speaks French and Spanish. In 2006, Sally spent two years living and teaching in Colombia. It was at that time that she came across Paula Polk Lillard’s book, Montessori Today. Reading this book ignited a spark in Sally’s imagination; she was determined to embrace this holistic approach and began working towards her International Montessori Teaching Diploma that year.
Sally’s passion for Montessori has sustained her throughout her career in education; from teaching in mainstream and Montessori classrooms, to investigating parents’ reasons for choosing a Montessori school in fulfilment of her Graduate Certificate of Educational Research, the child-centred philosophy of the Montessori approach has been her beacon. Sally holds a Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership from Monash University and has worked as an Inclusive Education Leader, Deputy Principal and most recently Principal of Mount Dandenong Primary School. Sally is inspired by the privilege of working with communities to effect educational change at the school and system level. She strongly believes in the transformational power of Montessori education to change lives for the better.
A couple of Sally’s favourite nuggets of wisdom are; “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” (Maya Angelou), and “The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.” (Alvin Toffler)
At the start of 2022, Sally, along with her husband and kids, relocated to Perth for a lifestyle change and to be closer to her own family. Outside of school, Sally loves spending time with her family and dogs, especially exploring nature and discovering new places. She enjoys travel, walking, reading and cultural pursuits such as museums, galleries, restaurants and live music. Sally joined PM in 2022.