Korowal School is a not-for-profit company incorporated in NSW and is governed by the Korowal School Board (KSB). The ongoing growth and success of Korowal School is built on a foundation of responsible governance. We encourage parents and carers to become voting members of the Company when they enrol their child.
Korowal’s School Board is made up of committed community members who serve as Directors. The management of the school is in the hands of our Executive Team:
- Principal, Cindy Barnsley
- Deputy Principal, Matthew Whaley
- Business Manager, Melanie Williams
Directors of the School Board are elected every three years. This arrangement allows for the efficient operation of the School, both administratively and educationally, and encourages a constructive partnership between parents/carers and teachers. We strive for consensus in our decisions.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to take an active interest in School governance through voting or nominating for election to the School Board. There is an Annual General Meeting in May each year.
Korowal School Board of Directors
David Wright, Chair
BA, DipEd, MA, PhD
David has worked in education for over 30 years. After five years as a secondary school teacher, he shifted to Western Sydney University where he was a key figure in the interdisciplinary Social Ecology program. He has also held the titles of, Head of Performance Studies in the School of Contemporary Arts, Associate Head of the School of Communication Arts and Director of Higher Degree Research in the School of Education. David wrote a PhD titled Creativity and Embodied Learning and supervised the work of over 40 PhD candidates. He researched alternative and holistic education in Australia and North America, visited key schools and met with teachers and theorists and this experience contributed to his decision to send his children to Korowal School.
Michelle Montgomery, Deputy Chair and Parent
Michelle Montgomery is an experienced teacher and school counsellor with a special interest in whole-school wellbeing and inclusion systems and practices. She has post-graduate qualifications and registration in teaching and psychology and is a NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholar (Special Education, 2014). Her work developing and leading whole school models of wellbeing and trauma-responsive care have been published in peer-reviewed journals and international texts, and she was an invited contributor to the 2020 UNESCO report on the role of Social Emotional Learning in schools. She has taught in primary and secondary schools as well as university post-graduate teaching programs and has held both academic and clinical leadership positions in government and non-government child-serving organisations. In her free time, Michelle enjoys live music, comedy and artmaking, as well as spending time with family or getting lost in a good book or puzzle.
Nathanael Hunter, Director, Parent and Teachers’ Aide
BCom, CPA, CTA
Nate has been a parent at Korowal for nine years, and a Teacher’s Aide for four. He brings a unique perspective on the power of Korowal’s gentle and caring approach. He is deeply passionate about keeping the School’s culture strong, and in maintaining the independent course that attracted his family to Korowal. Nate has completed two trades (Baker/Pastry Cook, and Distribution Powerline Worker) and is completing a double major in a Bachelor of Science – Neuroscience and Psychology. He has strong skills in abstract writing and comprehension and currently has two children at Korowal.
Angela Gillespie, Director and Parent
Angela currently works as the Senior Manager of Practice and Programs at Connect Children and Families, a not for profit organisation working across the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney. She has a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and has worked in many sectors of education including schools and TAFE but her passion lies in Early Childhood Education. Angela has been a Korowal parent since 2017 and greatly values the unique learning environment the School offers. She looks forward to contributing as Board Director, ensuring this educational opportunity remains accessible for future generations of students and families.
Register an expression of interest.
