School Staff Members
Cass Disisto – Principal
Cass has worked for the Department of Education for over 30 years in many diverse school settings in both country and metropolitan Perth. This experience has provided Cass with opportunities to build her knowledge and understanding of what good schools do, and to develop her skills in how to go about building effective teachers that in turn build confident, capable students.
Cass was appointed to South Padbury Primary School as Principal in June 2020. As she stepped into the role she was struck by the sense of calmness and community at the school.
Cass understands that happy children, engaged staff and enthusiastic families provide a great foundation for growth and improvement. She continues to focus on this at South Padbury Primary to build on the strengths of the school and to create a challenging and progressive environment that enables everyone in the school community to ‘be the change’ for themselves and each other.
Cass is passionate about early childhood education and reading and hopes this is where families will see most change and improvement in the coming years. Her goal as a member of the Board is to continue to support the School’s sense of community and spirit, while building student achievement and supporting staff to be the best that they can be.
Tasha Donnelly – Deputy Principal
Tasha has worked for the Department of Education for over 25 years, with a range of diverse experiences from working in regional WA to many years teaching in a low-socio economic area Perth. Tasha has taught all primary school years from 1-6 and has also taken on a specialist Indonesian Language teaching role.
Tasha has been a South Padbury PS for 11 years, and in recent years she has taken on a Deputy role. She lives locally and has a son attending a local high school.
As a country girl Tasha loves the sense of community and country feel at South Padbury PS. It is a joy for her to build relationships with the students and their families, with a particular focus on providing pastoral care for all children.
She is passionate about diversity and loves the individuality of all students. Tasha sees herself as an advocate for students who need flexibility, support, or at times more ‘out of the box’ approaches to support their academic, social and emotional needs.
As a mother, an experienced teacher and now a school administrator Tasha brings considerable value to the school board. She enjoys drawing on each of these roles when working with Board members to shape and monitor the school’s objectives, priorities and general policy directions.
Kylie Marple – Senior Teacher
Kylie has now worked for the Department of Education for over 25 years, teaching at schools in the Wheatbelt, Peel district and Metropolitan Perth. In her previous roles she taught primary school students from years one to five, before returning to University to study for her Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education in 2016.
For the past 6 years Kylie has taught Kindy and Pre Primary, and she joined the Pre Primary teaching staff at South Padbury IPS in 2022.
Furthering her commitment to the school, Kylie joined the SPPS Board in Term 1, 2023, where she enjoys and contributes to the sense of community and belonging within the school. Kylie believes that building positive relationships with students and their families is essential to providing a safe and supportive environment for children to thrive in. She is also passionate about play, particularly in the early years, and believes that a combination of play based learning and explicit teaching is the key to a successful early childhood environment.
Shannon Radford – Year 4 Teacher – TA9
Shannon brings over 5 years of experience working with the Department of Education, contributing her teaching expertise across schools in Tasmania, Victoria, and presently in Western Australia. Throughout her career, she has taken on leadership responsibilities as a wellbeing leader and representative on staff consultative committees.
Initially teaching in Year 1 and 2, Shannon later relocated to Perth, teaching relief in a diverse range of roles for 12 months. She is now excited to be a Year 4 teacher at SPPS.
Embracing her role as a new member of the SPPS team, Shannon is eager to collaborate with colleagues and the school community in achieving common objectives, particularly in enhancing the overall school environment for our students. As a board member, she aims to leverage her experience from different educational settings to contribute to the advancement of literacy, experiential learning, and individual emotional wellbeing.
Shannon is committed to supporting the school’s pursuit of progress, innovation, creativity, and community engagement, always prioritising the students’ education and happiness.
Claire Laverick – Pre Primary Teacher
Claire has a deep passion for early childhood education and brings 14 years of teaching experience within various settings such as Meerlinga, Ngala and kindergarten to year 2 for the education department. Prior to teaching, Claire was a mental health nurse for ten10 years which has shaped her understanding of child development and the importance of a nurturing, safe and supportive environment.
For the past four years, Claire has been proud to be part of the South Padbury community, where she brings creativity into the classroom to inspire the children. In 2025, she joined the school board to help strengthen the connections between families, the community, and the school. She believes that building these relationships is key to creating a safe environment where children can thrive.
As a mother of three daughters and one son, her experiences at home greatly influence her teaching approach. Her children inspire her daily, reminding her of the importance of nurturing curiosity and creativity. She is a strong advocate for blending play-based learning with explicit teaching. She believes that children learn best when they can explore and engage in hands-on activities, while also receiving clear guidance and instruction. This combination allows her to create a dynamic learning atmosphere where each child can discover their interests and develop essential skills. Her goal is to encourage a love of learning in every child from an early age, setting them up for a bright future.
Parent Community Members
Casey Skupin – Parent Chair
Casey joined the South Padbury Primary School Board in term 1 of 2025. She loves being involved and is enthusiastic about making the school the best place possible for the whole school community.
She has over 9 years’ experience in high school teaching, with 5 of those years being a year coordinator. As a teacher, Casey is passionate about the whole wellbeing of each student, including mental and social wellbeing as well as academics. She values the importance of including the whole school community, made up of each student, their families, the teachers and school staff, in the education process to benefit each child. She is looking forward to being involved in continuing South Padbury’s encouraging and positive culture.
Casey loves being Mum to her 3 children, all who attend SPPS in years 4, 3 and Pre-primary (in 2025). She has enjoyed being involved in the school over the past 5 years, in various capacities, as Class Rep, a member of the P&C, the Canteen Coordinator and now on the Board. With experience as a teacher and a parent in the education system, she is excited to be a part of the SPPS community in this role. “What a privilege and challenge it is to maintain the great culture already here at South Padbury!”
Sarah Wilkinson – Parent
Sara joined the South Padbury Primary School Board in February 2025, she has Bonnie Wilkinson attending the school in Year 4, and her son Hector Wilkinson has recently graduated Year 6. Sara also has an older daughter Kitty Wilkinson who attends DSH and has just started in Year 9.
Sara’s professional background is working within a primary school setting as an Education Assistant with the day-to-day support in the classroom. Before taking a break after children she previously worked in Recruitment working for a corporate company dealing with the whole process from interview stage to manage the 3rd party supply schedule contracts.
Both Hector and Kitty attended 2 different primary schools and combined with Sara’s Education assistant role and experience she is hoping to bring valuable insights and knowledge to support the IPS board in decision-making and positive outcomes for all the students and the school community.
Tiffany Tonkin – Parent
Tiff joined the South Padbury Primary School Board in 2025 and is the proud mother of three children attending the school, twins in Grade 2 and a younger child in Pre-Primary. She is passionate about community engagement, good governance, and values collaboration. Tiff’s lived experience as a parent managing neurodivergent children within the education system offers a unique perspective to the board.
Before focusing on her family, Tiff had a successful career in local government. She holds a degree in town planning and has worked with the Cities of Subiaco and Perth, as well as the Town of Cambridge. Additionally, Tiff spent several years in consulting, working primarily with regional councils.
Outside of her professional and board responsibilities, Tiff and her husband, a builder, share a passion for property development and house flipping. Together, they have successfully renovated and built numerous properties in the surrounding area. Tiff also enjoys traveling in her caravan and recently completed a half-lap of Australia, exploring Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania. Tiff is deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and believes in celebrating the uniqueness of every student. She is an advocate for the school’s philosophy of involving parents as partners and strives to ensure that all families within the South Padbury community feel supported, valued, and empowered.
Georgia Pearce – Parent
Georgia has been part of the South Padbury Primary School family for seven years, with her daughter Olive in Year 5 and her son Freddie in Year 3 (2025). She has always enjoyed volunteering for school events and fundraisers over the years and is now eager to contribute further to the school’s success through active involvement in its planning and development.
With over 20 years of experience working in Event Management, Styling, and Visual Merchandising, Georgia brings a wealth of creativity and organisational skills to the board.
As a new member of the school board, Georgia will be advocating for programs that foster more than just academic achievement. She strongly believes in nurturing students’ mental wellness and aims to support and build children’s self-confidence both inside the classroom and in the playground.
Georgia’s positive attitude and dedication to promoting our incredible school community make her a valuable addition to the board. She is excited to collaborate with fellow board members to achieve positive and happy outcomes for students across all facets of school life.