President WPR Kym MacCormac, Principal Hampton SHS Tracy Griffith, Teacher Tahlia Thomson, Support Worker Jessica Harding
Winner of Teachers Award
TAHLIA Thomson
Tahlia has been incredibly supportive of the HAT program and an outstanding mentor. She consistently goes beyond her responsibilities to ensure that the needs of myself (Principal) and Neena, as pre-service teachers, are met. Tahlia provides clear, actionable feedback after observations, shares high-quality lesson resources, and makes time for regular check-ins—even at short notice. Her guidance on classroom management, differentiation, and assessment has directly strengthened our practice and confidence. She advocates for our professional growth by arranging observation opportunities, introducing us to key staff, and encouraging reflection against AITSL standards. We feel genuinely set up for success because of her efforts.
Tahlia is incredible. She has been so supportive of me over the last year doing the HAT program. Not only did I immediately feel like part of the team, but she has always gone above and beyond to support me (even when I broke my ankle). She also provides great morning tea! ;)
Tahlia is one of the most organised teachers that I know. She maintains high professional standards and is a role model as an Educator and has been such a support to me professionally. Tahlia is a hardworking and highly valued member of the school community, a wonderful leader and compassionate colleague.
Winner of Support Staff Award
Jessica Harding
Jessica is an exceptional Education Assistant who brings calmness, kindness, and a deep commitment to supporting both students and staff. She demonstrates professionalism, initiative, and strong instructional knowledge and has made an outstanding contribution to the success of our literacy intervention programs. Jessica builds strong, positive relationships with students through her gentle manner, consistency, and genuine care. She supports students with a wide range of learning difficulties and literacy challenges and does so with tremendous patience and understanding.
Students respond to her warm, predictable approach, and she plays a significant role in helping them feel confident, capable, and ready to participate in learning. This year, Jessica has taken on a lead role within the Literacy Intervention programs and has been instrumental in strengthening the quality and consistency of MacqLit delivery across the school. She mentors and trains Education Assistants in the program, ensuring new staff feel confident, well supported, and aligned with best practice. She is trusted by colleagues for her strong knowledge base and her willingness to guide others with patience and clarity. Her understanding of literacy instruction and her ability to model effective strategies have been invaluable. Jessica also works directly within Literacy Intervention classes and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers.
She supports teachers and students with equal effectiveness and has the rare ability to balance working under direction with being self directed when needed. She can seamlessly step in to lead small group activities or whole class tasks and always does so with clarity, confidence, and consistency. A significant contribution this year has been Jessica’s leadership in implementing literacy testing within the intervention programs. She has coordinated assessments, ensured accurate and consistent data collection, and worked closely with the Learning Support Coordinator to identify students requiring additional literacy support. Jessica has a high level of insight and is able to notice subtle characteristics in students, such as speech patterns, phonological weaknesses, and discrepancies between decoding and comprehension. Her observations have provided valuable information that strengthens decision making and supports targeted intervention planning.
Jessica approaches every task with care, professionalism, and a genuine desire to make a difference. Her drive to increase her knowledge, combined with her reliability and consistent high standards, has significantly strengthened the intervention programs and improved learning outcomes for many students. In every aspect of her work, Jessica demonstrates dedication, initiative, and a strong belief in the potential of every student. She has made an exceptional contribution to the Learning Support team and to the students she supports
