Hayley Brown

Director and Banksia Room Teacher

Hayley is the Director at Tarragindi Kindy.  Hayley is the Director/Teacher in the Banksia room. Hayley holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and is registered with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT). Hayley offers experience teaching in Early Childhood Education in both Australia and New Zealand.

Hayley strongly believes that the environment is the third teacher in the room, allowing children to develop a connection to the natural environment and develop an independent identity. Hayley feels that children specialise in their own learning outcomes, demonstrating these through the use of “real” materials in a way that they choose to express.

In Hayley’s spare time she enjoys attending local markets, heading out to a nice restaurant, or watching the local footy games.

Tracey Martin

Banksia Room Assistant

Tracey is the Assistant in the Banksia Room. Tracey has been working in education since 2000 in various roles that included Teachers Assistant. For the last 8 years, Tracey has held the position of Coordinator of a before-and-after school program. Tracey is passionate about supporting children’s social and emotional as well as their physical development within the education framework.

Tracey believes in supporting children’s different needs and developing their inner voices. This provides for children’s varied strengths and interests as the driving source for their learning adjustments and processes to ensure support is meaningful and purposeful. ‘When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms.’

Belinda Paech

Bottlebrush Room Teacher

Belinda holds a Bachelor’s degree in education and is registered with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT). Belinda offers over 25 years’ experience in teaching in Early Childhood Education in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Belinda is passionate about early years literacy and enjoys sharing her love of books with the children. ‘The more that you read. The more that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will grow.’ Dr Seuss.
She enjoys outdoor walks and travelling which has provided her with a deep appreciation for different cultures, ecosystems, and people. Belinda has a talent for immersing children in a world where they become their inner master. Where they are free to grow, learn and create their dreams.

May Johnson

Bottlebrush Room 
Assistant

May is the Assistant Teacher in the Bottlebrush Room and joins the teaching team at Tarragindi War Memorial Kindergarten in 2022. May started working in education in 2016 right after she graduated high school in 2015. She holds her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. 

May found a passion for learning and implementing cultural practices within an education setting when she was living and working in a remote community. May values and celebrates diversity and does her utmost to create a safe and caring environment for children of all backgrounds.

May moved from the Gold Coast to Tarragindi in 2022. She lives with her partner and visits her family in the Gold Coast often. In May’s spare time she enjoys watching movies, visiting family or enjoying company at a nice restaurant. 

Nicole Collett

Wattle Room
Educator

Nicole is the Educator in the Pre-Kindy Wattle room. She is currently studying for her Bachelor of Primary Education Majoring in Special Needs Education. She has a passion for inclusive education that supports all children and recognises children’s differentiated needs and abilities. ‘If a child cannot learn in the way we teach...we must teach in a way the child can learn’

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Nicole is a local mum of three children. She loves to explore nature and to support children’s innate curiosity about the world around them through adventure and exploration. Nicole brings this love into the classroom through her ideologies, supporting collaboration and play-based exploration to allow children to develop the skills of critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity, allowing them to make meaning and sense of the world around them. ‘If we could see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything.

Sarah Cusack

Bottlebrush Room 
Educator and Inclusion Support

Sarah is an Educator in the Wattle Room. Sarah has a Business and Marketing Degree, along with her Certificate III in Education Support. For the past 4 years, Sarah has enjoyed working as a Teachers Assistant in both Kindergarten and Primary School settings.

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Sarah is a mum who loves to spend her time camping and enjoying the outdoors. Sarah enjoys sport and promoting active health, she shares this ethos in the classroom. Sports and groups activities promote children social development and help drive their self-efficacy and self-esteem as they reach milestones and overcome hurdles. As children learn how to use their bodies and develop their gross motor skills they are drawn to explore nature and enjoy the outdoors. Sarah is passionate about helping children to develop these skills. ‘Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.’ Stephen Moss