A New Head of Primary
In May, Barb Meulman passed the baton of Primary leadership to Tanya Vaughan. Tim Argall wrote a heartfelt appreciation of Barb in Networks, and we were introduced to Tanya by - herself!
Pictured above: Tanya in her new office, Barb with students
Tim Argall wrote -
“Sunflowers love the sun; they turn their faces to follow the sun.
Barb Meulman loves sunflowers.
Barb Meulman loves the son; she turns her face to follow the son.”
Thus spoke a dear friend of Barb, as she explained to me why she loved being with Barb.
And this, too, has been my experience of working with Barb as our Head of Primary since 2016. A woman of integrity, this was a role that she knelt and asked God for wisdom – about taking it on, and having heard that answer, what to do in the role. Typical of who she is, prayer has surrounded her actions as our leader in Primary. This is a life orientation for her, borne out of her deep love for God our Father and her relationship with Jesus.
Sunflowers are bright faced and draw you into their natural beauty. When Barb enters a conversation, this is her disposition, even when it is a difficult conversation to have. She is an advocate for all, juggling the needs of children, their parents and their teachers in equal measure.
I have loved working with her; our weekly meetings are characterised by good dialogue, deep exploration of the issues of the day, and a reminder of God’s goodness in all circumstances. This I have cherished.
The best thing about Barb stepping out of the Head of Primary role is that she is taking on the Prep Grade Coordinator role – our youngest students and their families are the beneficiaries of our “sunflower” and her radiant kindness.
Tanya, who arrived from Sydney just as we went into distance learning for Term 3, wrote -
This is a beginning like none other I have experienced and one that I know I will never forget. However, despite the unusual circumstances, our God is faithful and I am confident that he has called me to join the Donvale community “for such a time as this.”
My family have always known that I am a home-body, and so it was no surprise when I announced that I felt God calling me to this role. For those who won’t know, I am ‘returning home’ to my birthplace, like a homing-pigeon, having been born down the road at Box Hill Hospital a few years ago now.
I am so thankful that my home has always been a place of great safety, refuge and encouragement. As a child, I remember loving coming home each day, and spending time with the people who loved me and encouraged me to live a life of faith, in relationship with Jesus. A place where our family love to gather together, our home is usually a noisy place, filled with good banter, lots of laughter and delicious, home-cooked meals.
Over the past two weeks, the welcome, the encouragement and the feeling of being ‘at home’ has been overwhelming…with every person I have met, from members of the Senior Leadership Team, the maintenance team, the support staff and of course the wonderful Primary team being an outstanding example of the Donvale spirit in their welcome and ‘social distance’ embrace!
Professionally, there is a lovely feeling of being ‘home’ as I return to lead the Primary Team after a short season of working with secondary students. I have always felt a strong calling to education and I believe firmly that the foundational years of teaching and learning are so important as they lay the foundation to understanding and the beginning of godly wisdom.
It not only feels good, it feels right to be ‘home’, working alongside the Primary Team at Donvale.
