School Board
To enable parents and members of the community to engage in activities that are in the best interests of students and support the future direction of the School, Malibu School has its own independent School Board. We are fortunate and grateful to the ongoing support, dedication and leadership provided by each of our School Board members, both past and present.
The School Board comprises of the Principal, five elected parent representatives, four elected staff representatives and five community members.
Principal – Merrilee Wright
Parent Representatives – Jason Biffin (School Board Chair), Murray Boyne, David Down, Jennifer Baggaley
Staff Representatives – Stacey Hansord, Katrina Stubenrauch, Ellie Rawlings, Shelly Whittall
Community Representatives - Leanne Stewart
Parent and Staff Representatives are elected within Term 1 of the School year and will hold office for a period of two years from the time of the election. Nominations are called for and Nomination Forms distributed by the school during the start of each year.
The School Board’s main functions are to ratify the priorities for school development, to ratify the school budget and to support the Strategic Directions of the School as outlined in the School’s Business Plan.
School Board Terms of Reference
Introducing our School Board members
Malibu School is grateful for the support and Leadership of those who support the school’s directions through roles on the School Board. We are grateful for their time and personal experience to shape our planning to the benefit of our students, staff and families.
Jason Biffin – Parent Representative, School Board Chair
We welcome Jason as School Board Chair. Jason has been a part of the Malibu School Community since his son Kayden joined the school in 2018 and he believes Malibu School is the best school for Kayden’s needs and that he has thrived! Jason, a fulltime wharf worker is also father to Kayden’s two older sisters Chelsea and Kaitlyn. Jason joined the school Board to ‘help the school and the kids and to put his two cents worth in’. Jason feels that as a parent at Malibu you feel part of the community and that every staff member makes you feel welcome. He especially loves the events that Malibu School runs such as the Navy Christmas party and ANZAC ceremony. When asked what he likes about the Malibu School Board, Jason feels that everyone can have their say and that everyone’s opinions are valued.
Leanne Stewart - Community Representative
Leanne is married with two daughters, both graduated from Malibu School. Leanne has worked in the Childcare Industry for over 20yrs and holds a Diploma in Children Services. When not working, her interests are reading, doing research, relaxing, having coffee with friends and meeting new people.
Leanne became involved with Malibu School Board to see the progress and development of our school and to see how the school operates during the course of the year. Prior to taking on the role of Community Representative and Board Chair, which Leanne held for 2 years, Leanne was a Parent Representative for three years. Leanne has supported the school’s development of a new IEP process to ensure they are more aligned with the goals students are working towards as part of their NDIS plans. She has also taken on the administration role for the Little Stars Playgroup Plus, supporting new families with their applications to our onsite Playgroup.
Although her daughters have finished school at Malibu, she is keen to continue her involvement by being a Community Representative, to ensure that Malibu School thrives for the future.
Murray Boyne - Parent Representative
Murray is a father of 3 with his son attending Malibu over the last few years. Murray grew up in Rockingham and as an educator Himself, Murray is always thrilled to see the progress his son has made thanks to the hard working staff of Malibu. Murray would like to give back as much as he can in the capacity as a school board member and with his experience working in classrooms, school administration and as a parent, Murray can provide expertise, advice and give his perspective on the school operations wherever best suits.
David Down – Parent Representative
David is a father to twin five-year old’s Evelyn and Thomas, who attends Malibu. David is employed as a Project Manager for a West Australian Mining Company where he develops, leads and maintains a high performing team of 215 employees. David’s role includes implementing safety standards, daily operations and overseeing a large annual budget requiring strong interpersonal, management and communication skills. David hopes to contribute these skills and more to continue to grow Malibu School, promoting inclusivity and high support for students, staff and families. David is passionate about advocating for students and family rights and strongly believe in the school's motto “A Future Without Limits.”
Jennifer Baggaley – Parent Representative
Jennifer Baggaley has lived in Rockingham since she was five. She still resides in the local community with her GP husband and four children ranging in age from 5 – 20 years.
As a primary school student Jennifer visited Malibu School many times but it wasn’t until she adopted their youngest daughter that she discovered the true magic of Malibu! From the first day they attended the Little Stars Playgroup, they just knew it was the perfect school for them. Since then, Jennifer has become very passionate about Malibu School, it’s staff and it’s students, and about supporting any way she can.
Jennifer has a BA in Psychology and Linguistics and has spent the last 20 years being a mum. However, she thinks her Uni studies taught her excellent written and verbal communication skills. Since adopting a disabled child of another race, Jennifer has found herself coming into contact with many people from varied areas and background. Jennifer frequently finds herself in the role of advocate educator and networker with other adoptive families and parents of special need kids , to name but a few. By nature Jennifer is a very organised, reliable, details oriented and a task driven person which she believes to be good qualities that will be well utilised in a position on the board. Adopting Akuch has also helped Jennifer discover a passion for learning Key Word Sign.
Stacey Hansord – School Deputy Representative
Stacey is the Deputy of Junior School at Malibu and has been an educator for over 20 years. She started her career as a Special Needs Education Assistant, which ignited her passion for working with students with diverse needs. She went on to study her Bachelor of Education - Early Childhood Special Needs and has worked in a variety of school settings across the state in both mainstream and education support. She went on to become a Level 3 Classroom Teacher and has held positions as a Learning Support Coordinator, Level 3 Teacher Assessor and worked as a consulting Teacher for the School of Special Educational Needs: Disability (SSEN:D). In this consulting role she worked with schools across the state, providing training and support for staff and schools to ensure access and differentiation for all students. Stacey has a busy home life being the mum of three children, but in her spare time she enjoys camping, stand up paddle boarding and going mountain bike riding with her energetic family.
Stacey whole-heartedly believes in our school motto of "A future without limits" and demonstrates this every day in the expectations she has for our students, and the support that she provides to set them up for success!
Shelly Whittall - School Teacher Representaive
Katrina Stubenrauch – School Teacher Representative
Kat has been a member of the Malibu School since 2021, during which time she has been proud to work as one of our Senior Teachers. Within this role, Kat delivers various ASDAN programs, Preliminary courses in English, Math and Business Management and Enterprise and is a qualified VET Teacher delivering Certificate I in Workplace Skills, to years 11, 12 and 13. On Fridays, Kat and her team take the students to various excursions that the class has chosen together to visit in the community. She has always strived to be a friendly, confident, productive and trustworthy team member and is currently on the school’s Sustainability committee.
In her personal time, she enjoys keeping busy with a variety of interests including camping with family, cooking, and Beekeeping. As a School Board member Kat will continue to work towards the highest levels of commitment within the school as stated by our values ‘A future without limits’.
Elle Rawlings – School Education Assistant Representative
Elle has been involved in Malibu since the age of 14. Studying at the high school next door gave her opportunities to work with the students at Malibu, and follow in her mum’s footsteps by volunteering wherever possible. The navy days were her favourite.
As soon as she finished school, she got her Certificate III&IV in Education Support to officially work at Malibu and has been here ever since. She is a strong supporter of Positive Behaviour Support.
As an EA, it is her role to be an advocate for students with disabilities and to promote positive behaviour support in all areas. Elle would like to continue to uphold our school values, to develop, improve and grow our school within the surrounding community.
Elle strives to develop and maintain strong relationships with students and staff. Being a part of the School Board will be a great doorway to get behind the scenes and contribute ideas and improvement, as well as being a voice and having insight as to the daily routines at Malibu.
Community Representative TBC