Specialists

Physical Education: Callum Freel - Team Leader (Monday - Wednesday)

Hi Super SMPS families, 

My name is Mr Callum and I have been at SMPS since its foundation year in 2018. I started off as an inclusion aide whilst my teaching qualifications were being transferred over from the UK. 

In 2019 I had an awesome Year 4/5/6 composite class which we managed to split half way through the year (I took Year 5). Then in 2020, I shared the same awesome class when they entered Year 6 and started teaching PE as well. 

In 2021, I no longer had my own class but was privileged to teach every student in the school PE! I used to teach Maths in High School back home but I have enjoyed the switch. 

For the last 18 months I have been out of the classroom and in the leadership team helping with the organisation and direction of the school. Whilst I have enjoyed it thoroughly I am excited to start teaching PE 3 days a week again! I can’t wait to continue sharing my passion for sport and exercise with all our incredible community.  

Music: Paul Creasey (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)

Hi awesome SMPS families, I am Mr. Paul. I am the South Melbourne Primary School Music Teacher. This will be my seventh year at SMPS. I started teaching at our school when it first opened at the beginning of 2018.

It has been amazing to see our school grow so quickly into the great place that it is. I have a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to work at SMPS. We have a very special team of staff and a magnificent group of students. 

I can’t wait to see what we will achieve in our seventh year at South Melbourne Primary School. 

I will be working at SMPS 3 days a week now as I am now at another school much closer to home for 2 days a week. Whilst I would love to stay here 5 days a week, it is a fantastic opportunity for me to support my wonderful family.

Performing Arts: Daniella Hastas (Monday and Thursday)

Hello Families! You saw my profile in the Inclusion Aide section - but I am a qualified teacher in Performing Arts as well! I really look forward to my dual role in 2024 and my first serious dip into the teaching profession. I cannot think of a better place to start than SMPS!

Visual Arts: Phoebe Katos

Hello South Melbourne Primary School community!

I could not be more excited to continue being the Visual Arts teacher at our fantastic school this year! I grew up in Geelong but have always wanted to move up to the big city and now live in North Melbourne. 

I love to cook, travel and paint. Painting is my favourite style of visual art because even when it doesn’t turn out how you thought, it can end up even better! 

I am lucky to have always known I’ve wanted to be a teacher and always had a passion for art. I can’t wait to continue helping inspire the students of SMPS to be creative, imaginative and innovative.

Mandarin: Jingxuan (Betty) Zhang

Hello wonderful SMPS community,  

My name is Miss Jingxuan Zhang and I will be teaching Mandarin in 2024. This will be my second year of teaching. I am looking forward to getting to know all the students and their families. There will be many exciting times at SMPS! 

I grew up in China with my mum, dad and a younger sister. I moved to Korea in middle school to attend an international school. With three languages and multiple cultures, I understand what it is like to be a student and the challenges of learning a second language. I graduated from Monash University in 2019 and returned to my high school to become a high school Chinese teacher, rejoining Melbourne in July 2023.  

I am a certified intermediate barista and in my spare time my favourite thing to do is make my own coffee. I am a cat lover, I have two cats, one named Cabbage and one named Beet. They are living in Korea and I am looking forward to their smooth arrival in Melbourne soon! 

I am really looking forward to a fantastic year at SMPS. 

Mixed Role: Yasmin Dall

Hello SMPS Students and Families!

My name is Miss Yasmin, and I will be teaching a variety of classes in 2024. This will be my third year at South Melbourne Primary school! Every day I feel so fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful teaching team and school community.

A little bit about me, I am half Australian and half Malaysian Chinese. Prior to moving to Melbourne over ten years ago, I grew up and spent eighteen years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During this time I was lucky enough to embrace the Asian culture where I was able to travel to many South East Asian countries and learn how to speak Malay and basic Mandarin. 

My hobbies involve many creative activities such as: ceramics, painting and furniture restorations! You may also find me spending time gardening on the weekends or finding a new mountain to hike.

This year, I look forward to getting to know many more of the SMPS students and their families! My own family will be growing by one as I have a baby on the way that is due early in 2024!

Mixed Specialist Role (Stella Baker-Campbell)

• The school welcomes Stella who has just been appointed to the position of Mixed Specialist. As such, her profile will be coming in future issue of iNewsletter