Details
Date: 2025 date to be announced soon
2024 conference information
- Venue map
- Full conference program
- Getting there
- Conference workshop material – please see your delegate email for details
For K-12 early career PDHPE teachers
Great ideas, advice and support to help you thrive.
The ACHPER NSW Early Career Teacher Conference is designed specifically for K-12 PDHPE teachers, with less than 3 years of experience.
Join us for this full-day event. Hear from fellow early career teachers, experienced PDHPE teachers and education experts, who will help set you up for teaching success.
2024 Conference program - 2025 coming soon
8.20am - Registration
8.50am - Conference opening and keynote panel
Explore the importance of creating relationships in your early years of teaching with our panel of teacher experts. We’ll discuss key connections to help you thrive in the classroom and in your school context.
Panel facilitators:
Dr Kelly Ann Parry, ACHPER NSW Board and Lecturer, ACPE
Kelly is a passionate educator with a philosophy grounded in student-centric and innovative pedagogies. She has lead PDHPE faculties in Australia and the UK. Kelly believes in supporting students to be physically literate and providing authentic learning experiences so that students can value movement.
With:
- Bethanie Baynie, PDHPE Teacher, Loreto Normanhurst
- Emily Carr, PDHPE and Dance Teacher, The Jannali High School
Both early career teachers and ACHPER NSW Early Career Teacher sub-committee members.
Panellists:
Ross Montague, Highly Accomplished Teacher, PDHPE, Danebank
An experienced PDHPE teacher of 17 years, Ross has worked as an educator, sports coach and executive in Australia, UK and USA and is nationally accredited as a Highly Accomplished Teacher. As the recipient of the NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarship (Health Education and Wellbeing), he visited 32 schools throughout Australia to conduct his research. Ross was the 2022 ACHPER NSW Secondary PDHPE Teacher of the Year in recognition of his innovation in Game Sense education.
Carly McPherson, Assistant Head of PDHPE, International Grammar School
Carly has been a passionate PDHPE teacher for 10 years and has held leadership roles in Wellbeing and PDHPE. She holds both a Master of Education with a specialisation in Mathematics and PDHPE qualifications. As Assistant Head of the PDHPE Department Carly focuses on curriculum. She is dedicated to the creation and implementation of curriculum that is designed to enable students to thrive both within and beyond the school context.
Rhiannon Lambert, Highly Accomplished Teacher, PDHPE teacher, R/HT Teaching and Learning, Warrawong High School
Rhiannon is passionate about lifelong learning, she dedicates herself to inspiring colleagues and fostering a receptive classroom climate in personal development, health, and physical education settings, contributing to enhanced student outcomes. Rhiannon is also an experienced ACHPER workshop presenter and writer.
9.35am: Workshop session 1 (select one)
Boost your confidence in developing and teaching sexuality and sexual health education lessons to your students. Join us for an interactive workshop where we’ll explore best practice teaching strategies and resources to enhance your skill set and improve student outcomes.
Victoria Oettel, Senior Education Officer, Family Planning Australia
Victoria is passionate about supporting teachers with approaches that enhance young people’s engagement in learning. She works with Family Planning Australia supporting educators in teaching sexuality, sexual health and relationships education. She has worked in diverse areas of education in Australia and overseas, and has presented at conferences and forums across Australia.
Rhiannon Watson – Education Officer, Family Planning Australia
Rhiannon is dedicated to empowering young people through comprehensive sexuality education, aiming to boost their safety and well-being. Specialising in training design and facilitation, she empowers educators and professionals to effectively teach sexuality education. Drawing from her experience in the classroom as a Primary Ethics Teacher and background in policy development within the NSW Government, Rhiannon applies this diverse perspective to understand and improve educational outcomes in NSW.
Are you struggling with disengaged students in your movement lessons? Discover ways to boost engagement and movement competency in PE through dynamic hybrid games. Explore creative strategies that use new and re-invented games to foster a more active and enjoyable learning environment that supports movement competency for ALL students.
Ross Montague, Highly Accomplished Teacher, PDHPE, Danebank
An experienced PDHPE teacher of 17 years, Ross has worked as an educator, sports coach and executive in Australia, UK and USA and is nationally accredited as a Highly Accomplished Teacher. As the recipient of the NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarship (Health Education and Wellbeing), he visited 32 schools throughout Australia to conduct his research. Ross was the 2022 ACHPER NSW Secondary PDHPE Teacher of the Year in recognition of his innovation in Game Sense education.
All classrooms include a range of diverse students making programming a challenge. This workshop takes a special education lens and applies these principles and strategies to all class types, enabling teachers to learn how to maximise inclusion and increase participation for all students.
Sean Douglas, National Schools and Youth Manager, Special Olympics Australia
Sean has taught in Australia and the UK and is a passionate advocate for an inclusive, games-based approach to students’ physical literacy. Sean has worked extensively in teacher training and resource development and now heads Special Olympics Australia’s Schools and Youth programs, focusing on the expansion of Unified Champion Schools, empowering all students to be champions of inclusion.
10.35am: Morning tea
11.05am: Workshop session 2 (select one)
Vaping among young people in Australia is concerning. Explore what the Generation Vape Research project’s latest findings say including awareness, perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours of e-cigarette use among young people, teachers, and parents. Discover helpful resources, support options, and what the Federal Reforms mean in NSW.
Emily Jenkinson, Project Lead, Tobacco Control Unit, Cancer Council NSW
Emily is the project manager for Generation Vape, a national research project exploring vaping among young people in Australia and leads on e-cigarette policy and advocacy initiatives at both a state and federal level for CCNSW. Emily has been involved in numerous state and federal policy submissions to improve tobacco and e-cigarette legislation and is experienced in delivering and evaluation health promotion programs.
Shiho Rose, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Daffodil Centre
Shiho is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow with experience in behavioural research. She recently completed her PhD exploring the experiences of stigma in people diagnosed with lung cancer. Currently, Shiho is involved in the Generation Vape project, a national study of the awareness, perceptions, and use of e-cigarettes in adolescents and their parents, secondary school staff and young adults. Areas of interest include tobacco and vaping control and improving the well-being of people with cancer.
Re-focus on the educative purpose of PE and explore new and practical ways to engage those “switched-off” students. Plan lessons that provide choices at different levels of challenge for all students. Learn how to change it up with different combinations of equipment, rules, skills and strategies.
Rhiannon Lambert, Highly Accomplished Teacher, PDHPE teacher, R/HT Teaching and Learning, Warrawong High School
Rhiannon is passionate about lifelong learning, she dedicates herself to inspiring colleagues and fostering a receptive classroom climate in personal development, health, and physical education settings, contributing to enhanced student outcomes. Rhiannon is also an experienced ACHPER workshop presenter and writer.
Developing skills such as feedback, metacognition and self-regulation is a challenge when juggling timetable limits and curriculum requirements. Portfolio Based Assessment is a formative assessment approach that focuses on developing self-reflective learners, aware of their learning progress, strengths and areas for improvement.
Carly McPherson, Assistant Head of PDHPE, International Grammar School
Carly has been a passionate PDHPE teacher for 10 years and has held leadership roles in Wellbeing and PDHPE. She holds both a Master of Education with a specialisation in Mathematics and PDHPE qualifications. As Assistant Head of the PDHPE Department Carly focuses on curriculum. She is dedicated to the creation and implementation of curriculum that is designed to enable students to thrive both within and beyond the school context.
12.10pm: Workshop session 3 (select one)
Understanding and recognising the potential impact of trauma on student learning is important. Learn how to plan lessons that are trauma-informed and psychologically safe for all, along with ways to support students who have experienced trauma.
Samantha Vaz, Head Teacher, Student Wellbeing Initiatives, Department of Education
Samantha is a passionate educator who believes in the power of connection in driving positive change. In her current role since 2020, she facilitates evidence-based wellbeing programs including Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) across schools in NSW. Samantha is an accredited facilitator of Supporting our Students Mental Health and Trauma-informed Practice for Improved Learning and Wellbeing professional learning programs.
Explicit questioning in games-based lessons can dramatically enhance learning. Learn how to use skinny and fat questions, question starters and questioning protocols. See how techniques such as the 5Ws and the debate of ideas can help to develop thinking players and game understanding.
Dr Kelly Ann Parry, ACHPER NSW Board and Lecturer, Australian College of Physical Education
Kelly is a passionate educator with a philosophy grounded in student-centric and innovative pedagogies. She has lead PDHPE faculties in Australia and the UK. Kelly believes in supporting students to be physically literate and providing authentic learning experiences so that students can value movement.
Health literacy underpins the PDHPE syllabus but teaching it can be a challenge. Explore the framework that guides the health literacy content. Learn practical ways to plan and teach to enhance students’ skills and address health misinformation and disinformation. Bring along one of your health education units for hands-on guidance.
Louisa Peralta, Associate Professor, Sydney University
Louisa teaches in the areas of primary and secondary health and physical education and professional practice studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her teaching, research and publications focus on: a) school-based programs for improving students’ physical activity levels; b) improving student health literacy through whole school approaches; and c) designing and delivering professional learning experiences for preservice and in-service teachers.
1.15pm: Lunch
2.05pm: Workshop session 4 (select one)
It’s vital to provide opportunities for students to talk openly about emotions, normalise the topic of mental health and practise skills and strategies to seek help for themselves and others. The language we use when teaching about mental health and the way that we teach are crucial in engaging students in relevant and meaningful discussions. Kim will model teaching and learning activities that can be incorporated into classroom programs and provide tips for helping students initiate conversations that matter.
Kim Harper, Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing Initiatives, Department of Education
Kim currently leads a team responsible for the state-wide implementation of a mental health and suicide prevention program in NSW government high schools. An experienced PDHPE teacher and Head teacher, Kim has taught at several schools, and worked as a drug education consultant and relieving PDHPE Curriculum Advisor. Kim is passionate about PDHPE and its impact on the lives of students.
Explore how to use observation and feedback techniques to enhance student learning in PE lessons. Strengthen your understanding of what to look for in students’ performances and how to effectively use students in peer feedback loops.
Rhiannon Lambert, Highly Accomplished Teacher, PDHPE teacher, R/HT Teaching and Learning, Warrawong High School
Rhiannon is passionate about lifelong learning, she dedicates herself to inspiring colleagues and fostering a receptive classroom climate in personal development, health, and physical education settings, contributing to enhanced student outcomes. Rhiannon is also an experienced ACHPER workshop presenter and writer.
Enhance your teaching with proven classroom organisation techniques that foster collaborative learning. Learn how to prioritise the development of strong teacher-student relationships and inclusive environments, fostering an atmosphere where every student can thrive and contribute.
Dominique Sidaros, Head of PDHPE & Instructional Coach, William Clarke College
Dominique is an experienced PDHPE educator and has held leadership and executive positions in a range of Independent and Catholic schools for over 20 years. Dominique advocated and led PDHPE curriculum initiatives as Senior Curriculum Officer, PDHPE at NESA. She has contributed to a wide variety of state-wide curriculum projects, professional learning opportunities and education panels.
