Introducing our new staff! 

We are thrilled to introduce you to some of our new staff! We look forward to profiling more of our new team members in future editions! 

Claire Partridge - Prep Teacher

My name is Claire Partridge and I am delighted to be teaching Prep this year. I have a Bachelor in Early Childhood and Primary Education and have always been passionate about providing my students with an engaging, challenging and academically rigorous school experience. Teaching Prep is my passion and the last two years I was blessed to teach Prep and cannot wait to do it all again here at Clayfield College.

I was drawn to Clayfield College after seeing marketing about the reshaping of the College and was very excited to see the journey it was embarking on with Parallel Learning. When the opportunity came up to apply for the position, I jumped at it. I am very excited to be part of a school embarking on a new journey with a beautiful ethos and faith-based environment. 

From a young age, I always wanted to be a teacher. But what resonated with me was my own schooling experience. I found learning to read and write very difficult and want to provide my students with the most current evidence-based programs that foster a positive environment and ease of learning to read and write. 

A bit about me, I recently got engaged on a holiday to watch the F1 in Singapore. My hobbies currently include wedding planning, spending time at new restaurants, and watching my nephew start Prep this year! An interesting fact about me is that I loved Performing Arts when I was in high school and was an enthusiastic member of the drama club at my high school. I am looking forward to seeing the school musical this year! 

This year, I am most looking forward to working alongside, what I have been told, is the most beautiful, inclusive and caring parents and friends body. Please do not hesitate to come and introduce yourself to me, I look forward to meeting you all!

Grady Howard - Mathematics Teacher

Hi! My name is Grady Howard and I am starting as a Mathematics teacher and AFL Coach this year. I have a degree in both Mathematics and Education from the University of Queensland, so I am beyond passionate and excited to be teaching the best subject!

I was attracted to Clayfield College by its amazing school community and culture that I saw on social media and wanted to be apart of it. I chose to become a teacher as I love to educate and support others and I love Mathematics!

I absolutely love my AFL and Cricket. The Gold Coast Suns are my favourite team. I am also extremely into the growing local and Australian music scene.

This year at Clayfield, I am most looking forward to coaching the College's first Senior AFL team.  

Thomas McPherson - Acting Chaplain

Hello! My name is Thomas McPherson and I am filling the role of Chaplain in an Acting capacity while Rev is on Long Service Leave. Feel free to call me Tom, and the boys who are involved in ISCF back at BBC call me TMac (even though it is spelt Mc not Mac). 

I trained as an English History High School teacher and got jobs in the Primary School. I did lots of other subjects as well and completed a Masters of Educational Studies before being appointed at BBC as the Associate Chaplain. 

What brought me to Clayfield College was mainly the community. I always say that Clayfield does community really well and that was even before my wife started working here and my daughter started learning here. Now that I am here, I have found that my expectations were less than what they should have been - the Clayfield community is even stronger and closer than I expected! I became a Chaplain because God chose me for that role, but what really drives me is my passion for helping people in whatever capacity I can. I absolutely love teaching and running chapel services, but I have also had a lot of success in making a difference in the lives of my students and their families. 

Some things you must know about me is that I am a dad who tells dad jokes, I have an amazing wife and three beautiful children (though the two older boys can be a bit teenagery and smelly at times) whom I love to bits. I am a musician and I play the violin and electric bass guitar (mainly in churches but I have also done some semi-professional performances). I love to run long distance - the longer the better. It is just so good for my stress levels and mental health. I also love bushwalking and mountain climbing, but not rock climbing, for the same reasons. I am a bit of a nerd, so I will mess with my phone software, I will watch Star Wars movies and I know about Binary Code. I have a huge interest in Science, and love talking about how the Bible and Science fit together. 

My fun fact is that I used to work for Google in an unpaid capacity - come talk to me about it!

This year, I am really looking forward to being back in a school with both boys and girls. It always creates a different environment if you have just boys or co-ed, but I am really intrigued to see how the Parallel Learning goes too. It is going to be fascinating to see how the College learns and grows through this really exciting time. 

Alessandra Ciol - Primary Music Teacher

My name is Alessandra and I am coming on board as the Primary Music teacher. I studied a Bachelor of Music and Education at UQ, and spent the last seven years in Singapore, five of which I spent teaching Primary Music as the Australian International School Singapore. I have just relocated back to Brisbane with my fiancé, Josh, and we are excited to settle into life in Brisbane and to reconnect more regularly with our family and friends. 

I was drawn to Clayfield College's renowned excellent music program, and wanted to work at a school that values the arts so highly. I think my passion for teaching began in my senior years of Secondary School when I started to teach piano. I enjoyed interacting with others and sharing knowledge about something I loved myself. From there, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in music education.

I love making pottery and have recently created my own brand called 'Ceramica'! The relocation has put any creating on hold, so I am hoping to get this up and running again once I settle in. 

I am so excited to get to know each of the students and to have some fun in Primary Music!