Getting to know the HPS staff is an important part of building strong connections within our school community. By learning more about the people who work closely with your children each day, families can feel more confident and engaged in their child’s learning journey. Strong relationships between teachers, education support staff, students and families, supports communication and trust, building a positive learning environment for all.

In each newsletter, we will share a little bit about some of our teachers through a Staff Profile. We have asked teachers a range of questions and they have provided their responses. Please enjoy reading about our office team Ms Epskamp (Principal), Mrs Soccio (Assistant Principal), Ms Fiona (Business Manager), Miss Charlotte (Admin Extraordinaire) and Ms Kate (Admin & Finance Assistant) this week.

Carly Epskamp

What do you like about Highvale Primary School?

What I love most about Highvale is the people. Highvale is a place where relationships matter: staff support one another, students are valued and families are welcomed. I love that everyone is working towards the same goal: helping students grow not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. At Highvale, there’s a strong culture of collaboration, reflection and continuous improvement, which makes it a positive and rewarding place to be each day.

When not at school I like to…….

Spend time with my family and friends. We like going on holidays and exploring new places. We also like going to the beach and taking our french bulldog Saint on walks and to parks. With my friends, I enjoy going to the movies and going shopping.

If I wasn’t a teacher I would like to be……….

If I wasn’t a teacher I think I’d be a travel agent as I love organising holidays and I think it would be exciting to help people with their plans. I’d also learn all of the best places to go so when I was ready to travel, I could use other people’s recommendations.

I also love taking photos, so if I wasn’t a teacher/ principal, I’d love to be a photographer. I got my first camera for Christmas when I was 7 years old, so I’ve always had an interest in taking photos.

My family

My family consists of my fiance Julian and my two step children Scarlet (11) and Cruze (9). Scarlet is in Year Six this year and I am excited to see her graduate, as I still remember teaching her from home in Remote Learning when she was in Prep. We also have a french bulldog Saint who is going to be 6 years old this year. He is a gorgeous boy and the baby of our family.

Kelly Soccio

What makes HPS a great school to work at?

All of the students, fellow staff and the community are what makes HPS such a wonderful school. I absolutely love coming to work each day to spend time with the students and my colleagues. It’s the wonderful relationships we form, the fun we have and the things we learn and achieve together that make it so worthwhile.

What are your career highlights to date?

There are so many wonderful memories and highlights so far. I am always reminded of how quickly time passes when the students I once knew to be in Prep are suddenly celebrating their Year 6 graduation. It is such a wonderful celebration and I feel so grateful to have witnessed the growth of so many students over the years.

When not at school I like to…

Spend time with my family. We enjoy going for walks or bike rides together. I also love spending time with my friends, cooking and finding a quiet place to sit and read a good book.

If I wasn’t a teacher I would like to be…

An actress! Any student I’ve taught knows that I have a strong love of drama and can sometimes even be a bit dramatic. Before having children, I often performed in mature theatre productions. I loved the freedom of pretending to be someone completely different to myself.

Fiona Figg

History of employment? (where have you worked)

I have had many different jobs including working in different offices doing various administration jobs and 13 years as a Travel Agent. After I had my 3 children I worked from home selling Body shop and Enjo products. I spent 9 years running my own Bridal shop. Prior to working at Highvale PS I worked at Syndal South PS, Glendal PS and Upwey High. All of these were in administration. Highvale is my first Business Manager job.

What makes Highvale PS a great school to work at

There are many things that make Highvale PS a great place to work. The students are always polite and often quite funny to watch. The school has a lovely inviting feel and lots of open spaces outside, that is what made me want to work here even before I got the job.

The team of staff are all really lovely, kind and helpful which makes it an enjoyable place to work. It is really important to me to work in a place where everyone works together well and that makes it easy to come to work each day.

When not at school I like to…….

When not at school I enjoy spending time with my family including my beautiful 2 year old grandson. I also enjoy reading in my little library at home, walking around the hills of Upwey. Getting out into the garden and trying to make my plants grow.

Going to Musical theatre and comedy shows with my adult children.Catching up for coffees and chats with friends

My family

In my house there is my husband and my 21 year old son. I have 2 daughters. My eldest lives with her husband and beautiful 2 year old son. My youngest daughter recently moved into her own home with her fiance.

Charlotte Smith

History of employment? (where have you worked)

Before I started my journey here at Highvale Primary School, I worked in a variety of jobs. I used to sell bridal, bridesmaid, deb, and formal dresses — and I absolutely loved it. I had the opportunity to plan runways, create designs, organise photoshoots, and capture behind‑the‑scenes moments. It was a dream job, and I had so much passion for it because we empowered women, and I even got to lace them up on their special day.

I also worked selling cakes and dessert boxes, and my last job was actually selling cars — which was interesting, but definitely not a forever job for me. I love making people happy and spreading joy, and while selling cars had its moments, it didn’t give me the same feeling I got from selling dresses and desserts.

Whilst working across all of these roles, I also ran my own business doing content creation for each Industry. I created all sorts of content for the different jobs, and I also produced content for events and weddings. I just love taking videos and photos and creating memories that people can look back on and feel that same sense of joy.

If I wasn’t a teacher/ES I would like to be……….

I would love to be an events coordinator — especially for weddings — or a videographer. If you know me, you know how much joy I get from planning and organising anything. Bringing a special moment to life, seeing people smile, and helping them feel truly appreciated is something that fills my heart.

I’m always the one who goes all‑out for birthdays, planning every little detail. There’s something amazing about watching everything come together, and being able to capture those moments on video feels incredibly meaningful to me. It’s the little things — the emotions, the laughter, the tiny details people might forget — that make memories so special. I love being behind a camera, creating something beautiful that people can look back on and feel that same joy all over again.

Who was your favourite teacher at school and why?

My favourite teacher in school was my high school art teacher, Mr Mackay. He was incredible. I had such a passion for creating, and his classroom became a place where I could put on my music and just lose myself in art. He helped me grow, pushed me to get better, and believed in what I could do.

But he wasn’t just my art teacher — that’s why he meant so much to me. He always made sure I was okay. On the days when things felt heavy, he’d let me sit in the art room and create to take my mind off everything. He supported me when I was struggling, and he made class fun and full of life. One day we even went outside to play downball before coming back in to create again. He genuinely cared about every one of his students, and it showed in everything he did.

What makes Highvale PS a great school to work at?

What makes Highvale PS such a great place to work is the people. Our teachers, principal, assistant principal, business manager, and my coworkers are all so upbeat, dedicated, and genuinely passionate about what they do. Everyone gives their whole heart to their work, and it shows in the way they support each other and the students.

And of course, the kids are what make this school truly amazing. They all have such different personalities, and I love that. I love when they share their achievements with me or tell me a funny story. I love looking after them in sickbay or helping them when they need something. They’re always up for a chat, and they’re so caring in their own little ways.

We have such a positive, welcoming environment here, and it’s because of all these things that I genuinely love coming to work every day.

Kate Steele

History of employment? (where have you worked)

I owned a lighting design and manufacturing business for about 11 years before starting at Highvale Primary. I’m an industrial designer by trade, but when I became a mum in 2023 I decided to close the business to focus on my family. It was a great decision and led me to working here at Highvale - I love working as part of a team and meeting so many wonderful families and kids.

What do you like about Highvale Primary School?

This is my first time working in a school and I’ve been so impressed with how supportive and welcoming Highvale has been. All of the families and kids I’ve met so far are just lovely, I feel so lucky to be a part of their school journey and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone more as we move through the year.

When not at school I like to…….

I love catching up with my family and friends, having great food and playing board games. I play with my son at the park as much as I can - he’d live on a swing if we let him! I also love camping, bushwalks, reading and gardening.

My family

I live in Kallista with my partner, James, my 2.5 year old son, Luca, and our 6 year old blue heeler, Dusty. Dusty is a bit of a wild doggo, but we love her very much :) I have a sister and two beautiful nieces who live nearby.

Here are photos of our wonderful teaching team on their first day!

Our Prep Teachers

Our Year 1 & 2 Teachers

Our Year 3 Teachers

Our Year 4 Teachers

Our Year 5 Teachers

Our Year 6 Teachers

SWPBS Behaviour Chronicles