Staff In Focus
"Once My Student, Always My Student": Jacinta Robbins Reflects on AngliSchools Honour
Mrs Jacinta Robbins has spent 18 years in education, fourteen of them at Cobram Anglican Grammar School — and for every one of those years, the classroom has been exactly where she wanted to be. That quiet, enduring dedication has now been recognised with the AngliSchools CEO Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, an honour she receives with both pride and humility.
Jacinta is generous in sharing the recognition, crediting the colleagues who have shaped and supported her throughout her career. As a proud Yorta Yorta woman, she also hopes the award carries meaning beyond herself — that it might encourage members of her First Nations community to pursue their goals and trust in the value of their unique strengths and perspectives.
After nearly two decades in the profession, Jacinta’s enthusiasm for teaching hasn't faded — it has simply found new expressions. She speaks about her students with warmth and attentiveness, describing the particular satisfaction of learning what each child needs and finding ways to meet them there.
A good day in her classroom, she says, is marked not by perfect outcomes but by curiosity, calm and connection — students willing to take risks, make mistakes, and understand that those mistakes are where real growth happens. There is always room, too, for a little fun at the end of the day: a small celebration of the effort that has gone into it.
Outside the classroom, she has had to work hard at balance. With a husband and four children at home, Jacinta has learned that being fully present in both roles — teacher and mother — requires clear boundaries and careful organisation. It is a discipline that, she believes, makes her better at both.
What she hopes her students take with them when they eventually leave her care is simple but profound. She wants them to know they are capable of great things; that resilience and persistence matter; and that her care for them doesn't end when the school year does. "Once they are my student," she says, "they are always my student."
Congratulations Jacinta, this award is so richly deserved.
Get To Know: Melissa Onken
In mid-May, we were delighted to welcome Mel Onken to our Education Support team. Mel has made a wonderful start to life at Cobram AGS, and we’re excited for our community to get to know her a little better through the Q&A below.
1. How did you end up working at Cobram AGS and what is your professional background?
My professional background previously was in banking where I worked for many years. In 2023, having seen first hand the positive impact Ed Support Staff had on my own children, I decided that was a path I wanted to pursue. Prior to joining Cobram AGS, I worked at Numurkah Primary School.
2. What have you most enjoyed about your time at the school so far?
Things I have enjoyed the most in my first few weeks at Cobram AGS is getting to know the students (and staff) and witnessing the real feeling of community within the school. The 5 minute commute to work has also been great!
3. What do you love most about the nature of the work you do in Ed Support?
I love that no two days are the same and I’m constantly learning new skills alongside the students. Being able to assist and witness students achieving their goals is such a rewarding feeling.
4. Tell us a little about yourself. What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a mum to two teenage boys and a very spoilt Blue Heeler x Poodle called Doug. Outside of work I enjoy walking my dog, helping out at our local footy club, day dreaming of a European summer and barracking (too) loudly for the mighty Magpies
