Meet Our Staff

Hello! I’m Ms Monica Bowen. I’m teaching in the Year 5/6 Unit this year. I have worked in education across the primary (ACT, NSW & now here in VIC), secondary (St. Francis Xavier College, Marist Secondary College, Canberra), and tertiary (Melbourne Graduate School of Education) sectors for many years - more than I care to let on! My father was also a teacher and lecturer, and he inspired me to join the profession.

At home, I live with my two teenage daughters and husband (who is also a teacher!). I love to cook (sweet treats are my personal favourite), experience live music, and spend time in my garden picking and arranging flowers. I do NOT like weeding the garden! My AFL team is the Western Bulldogs, and I’ve recently taken an interest in F1 racing after becoming hooked on the show "Drive to Survive."

I love the community here at St Peter’s. The children are joyful and full of life, and the parents have been so warm and welcoming. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support my students on their learning journey.

monica.bowen@spclayton.catholic.edu.au 

Hello, I’m Bron Chamberlain. I currently teach Year 5/6 and as I type this I am counting down the sleeps until I head overseas with my two teenage daughters for a long-overdue holiday! I live with my daughters, my dog Frankie (the sausage), and a crazy cat called Archie. We spend our time listening to lots of music, reading, enjoying the occasional binge-watch of Netflix, and generally enjoying life. I raised my children in country Victoria, where they were able to ski for their school Winter sport - very different from life at St Peter’s. I love working with such a wonderful bunch of kids, and such committed and kind families. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your life and the lives of your young people.

bronwyn.chamberlain@spclayton.catholic.edu.au 

Hello! I am Ms Margaret and I began working at St Peter’s on the first day of Term 2 2015! I have seen so many children through their journey at St Peter’s from Foundation to Year 6, and I love meeting the new children, their mums, dads and families each year. I have two beautiful sons. My eldest son and his dog live at home with me, and my youngest son is currently studying in New Zealand. Just like Mrs Daujat, our dog is a greyhound! But ours is called Dusty and he is ten years old. In my spare time, I love going to musical theatre, rock concerts and travelling to my favourite place –Tasmania. On the weekends, I sing at my local Catholic church, St Judes, Scoresby.

office@spclayton.catholic.edu.au 

Hello! My name is Niki Manaveris, and I have the privilege of being one of the Learning Support Officers in Grades 3 and 4. In my role, I derive immense enjoyment from supporting our students in their learning and growth.

My family and I have been part of the local area since my childhood. I have been associated with St Peter’s since 2014, initially as a family member of an attending student, my niece, and now in my current role as a Learning Support Officer.

I love spending time with my family and friends, traveling, trying food from different countries, and reading. My family and friends often joke, "I knew we would find you in the bookstore."

One of my fondest and most memorable travel experiences was being upside down in a helicopter, seeing Niagara Falls! Those images have stayed with me for all these years!

I enjoy chatting, so please feel free to come up and say hello! You can also reach me at niki.manaveris@spclayton.catholic.edu.au .

Hi there! My name is Rashida Hanifa, and I am a Learning Support Officer. I am from Penang, Malaysia, one of the beautiful islands in Malaysia. Penang is famous for nice beaches, delicious food and laid-back lifestyle. I have been living in Melbourne for over 16 years. I live with my husband and my 10 year old precious son. I love spending time with my family. We love exploring Victoria and sometimes we spend a few nights away. Otherwise, we just enjoy going for a walk or watching movies together. I love catching up with my friends for coffee and shopping. I have many nieces and nephews and cousins so I am used to being around children and that makes me love working at St Peter’s with a good team and support. Being a Learning Support Officer is a big career change for me from my previous job but I love it. I look forward to assisting you at St Peter’s.

rashida.hanifa@spclayton.catholic.edu.au