Passionate about maximising parent engagement in their child's learning, Assistant Principal Kirby Medcraft at Windermere Primary School is an innovator. Kirby's Bedtime Stories Afternoon inspired over 200 parents to attend school to read with their child. Her work building strong partnerships with families has seen a distinct shift in the school culture.
Kirby works closely with early childhood teachers, mentoring and modelling best practice. She is responsible for leading the implementation of a play based, inquiry approach across the early years and bringing about educational change. She embraces opportunities for professional learning and in April 2018 attended an international study tour to Reggio Emilia, Italy to further develop her understanding of this approach to education. Kirby's dedication and successful teaching practices have made her a role model with teachers and peers at other schools.
Kirby won the prestigious University of Tasmania, Faculty of Education Teaching Excellence Award in the 2018 Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards and the 2014 RBF Department of Education Awards for Excellence.