14 February 2025
Get to know our new 2025 staff!
Our staff team at Calderwood has been bolstered by some fantastic new additions over the holidays!
Get to know more about our new Junior School, Secondary and Support staff members below.
Junior School
Miss Esther Alexander – Stage 3 Classroom Teacher
Esther joins the Junior School teaching staff team having worked at Calderwood in the Learning Support team and as a casual teacher over the past two years. She attends St Michael's Anglican Church in Wollongong, serving on the Welcoming and Communion Setup teams.
Esther is one of three sisters, who although they all now live out of home, love spending time hiking outdoors with their parents. Esther also enjoys camping, rock climbing, running, being in the ocean, watercolour painting and baking.
Miss Alexander says she can't imagine a better place to begin her teaching career and is excited to grow both professionally and spiritually as she serves in such a supportive and Christ-centred environment!
Mr Kyle Jacobs – Stage 1 Classroom Teacher
Kyle has been a teacher for 13 years, working at various state schools, joining Calderwood most recently from Cedars Christian College. Having taught students of all ages from Kindergarten to Year 6, his favourite part of teaching is helping students discover their God-given abilities and seeing those "lightbulb moments" when things click.
Kyle is married to Tahlia, and they have two children, Evie and Arlo, who have started in Kindergarten and Prep respectively at Calderwood this year. They all currently attend Shellharbour City Anglican Church, where Kyle serves on the worship team. In his spare time, Kyle enjoys playing music, and is always excited to try out new DIY projects around the house, especially when they involve a new power tool.
Mr Jacobs is excited about the plans God has in store for him and his students at Calderwood and is looking forward to connecting with the school community this year!
Mrs Paige Lyons – Stage 2 Classroom Teacher
Paige is another familiar face, having worked in the Learning Support team and as a casual teacher at Calderwood last year, and begins her education career teaching Stage 2 this year.
Many members of our school community may know her as Miss O'Neill, but at the end of last year, Paige married her husband John and is now Mrs Lyons! They attend Awaken Church in Wollongong, where Paige has served in both the children's and youth ministries and is also part of the church's Ushers team. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, especially over a good coffee or during a walk along the beach.
Mrs Lyons feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the Calderwood community and is looking forward to all the opportunities in an exciting year ahead!
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Secondary School
Mr Andrew Brown – Head of Secondary School
Andrew joins Calderwood having held the role of Director of Teaching and Learning at Illawarra Christian School from 2021 to 2024 and has previously worked at Shellharbour Anglican College and William Carey Christian School in Prestons.
Andrew and his wife Karina, who works at ICS as the Library Coordinator, have three teenage children – Noah, who finished Year 12 at ICS last year, Grace (Year 11) and Eve (Year 10). They currently attend Salt Church in Wollongong, serving on the music team, and are looking forward to hosting a small group in 2025. As a family, they enjoy going on bushwalks and overnight hiking trips, while in his spare time Andrew enjoys cycling, running, squash, playing guitar, and reading historical fiction.
Mr Brown is looking forward to meeting everyone at Calderwood and partnering in Christian education with students, parents and staff. He says it is such a blessing to learn and grow in a community that knows Jesus, and that knowing Jesus is a big deal – giving us purpose and hope.
Mr Michael Barrett – Business Studies Teacher
Michael hopes to bring industry experience to his role as a Business Studies teacher at Calderwood, having previously worked at a marketing agency for the past four years.
Michael and his wife Harri attend Figtree Anglican Church, where Michael was a youth group leader for seven years, and currently serves through reading the Bible during weekly church services and as a photographer for youth and young adult events. In his spare time, Michael enjoys reading, photography and finding new (and sometimes ambitious) recipes to cook.
Mr Barrett is looking forward to working and teaching in a supportive Christian community and is very excited to serve alongside many wonderful people as who also seek to serve Christ.
Mr Martin Knight – Coordinator of Care and Character
Martin joins Calderwood after two years teaching History and Geography at Cedars Christian College. Prior to that, he worked at William Carey Christian School for 26 years, serving as a Year Advisor for 17 years and Church Liaison Officer for 10 years, while also having taught Modern and Ancient History for the HSC six and seven times respectively.
Martin is married to Alison and they have three children, Calvin (22), Stephen (20) and Kate (17), and they attend Fairy Meadow Anglican Church, serving on the kids' ministry team and leading the monthly board game group. In his spare time, Martin enjoys playing board games, walking, hiking and running up the escarpment wih his dog, Paladin, and watching American Football (particularly his favourite team, the Buffalo Bills!).
Mr Knight looks forward to getting to know the students of Calderwood, empowering them to become fearless Christian witnesses in a troubled and challenging world.
Mrs Di Whittaker – English Teacher
Di is returning to teaching, having previously worked as an English and History teacher in both the public and Christian education sectors for five years. More recently, she worked at Dapto Anglican Church as a Creative Arts Pastor, while also teaching casually for just over a year.
A mum to two teenagers, Di and her family attend the Wollongong Salvation Army, where they serve in the kids' ministry team and lead worship on Sundays. In her spare time, Di enjoys reading, watching good TV series and movies, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Mrs Whittaker is looking forward to her new role teaching high school students, and the blessing of working alongside parents, carers and other staff to raise and empower the next generation in all they will do.
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Administration & Support Staff
Mrs Sheridan Purcell – PA to the Principal
Sheridan joins the Calderwood Admin team having previously worked as the Executive Assistant at Wollongong Private Hospital.
Sheridan is married to Bob and has two teenage children. In her spare time, Sheridan loves going to cafes, spending time with family and friends, and attending Illawarra Hawks basketball games.
Mrs Purcell is looking forward to getting to know the staff, students and families at Calderwood, as well as her role supporting Mr Hutton as his personal assistant.
Miss Chloe Begbie – Learning Enrichment Aide
Chloe has called Wollongong home for five years after moving to the area for uni, and joins the Learning Support team at Calderwood having worked in similar roles at St Peter's Anglican Grammar School in Campbelltown and Wildwood Forest School in Robertson.
Chloe attends Fairy Meadow Anglican Church and has served in music and kids' ministries, while in her spare time, she loves reading, swimming at the beach, drinking good coffee and making tea for her friends.
Miss Begbie looks forward to working closely alongside Mrs Sarah Border in Kindergarten this year, and is excited for the opportunity to watch the youngest Junior School students grow over the year.
Mr Josh Cunningham – Learning Enrichment Aide
Josh is studying Science teaching at the University of Wollongong, and has previously worked in Christian hospitality at Youthworks Port Hacking.
Attending Fairy Meadow Anglican Church, Josh serves on the music team, and enjoys playing sports like cricket and oztag in his spare time, as well as a good spreadsheet.
Mr Cunningham looks forward to helping students grow both in their faith and classroom learning in his role at Calderwood.
Mrs Kristen Mason-Elliott – Learning Enrichment Aide
Kristen is no stranger to Calderwood, working on the Learning Support team in 2024 and joining on a permanent basis for 2025.
She is married to Mr Angus Mason-Elliott, a Secondary Science teacher at Calderwood, and attends Shellharbour Coommunity Church. Kristen has a passion for art, in particular printmaking, and is currently studying her Masters in Secondary Art teaching.
Mrs Mason-Elliott is excited to be joining the Calderwood Learning Support team permanently in 2025, and is looking forward to getting to know all the new students.
Mrs Samantha McCorkindale – Learning Enrichment Aide
Sam also worked on the Calderwood Learning Support team in 2024, but alongside her husband Craig, previously served with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Cambodia, where Craig taught theology in the local language at Phnom Penh Bible School, and Sam taught English.
Sam and Craig have three children and currently attend Dapto Anglican Church, where Craig is an Assistant Minister. Sam enjoys meeting with others each week for Bible study, and loves to play (very social) netball.
Mrs McCorkindale loves getting to know the students at Calderwood, helping them to enjoy their learning.
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