Treetops Montessori School is a private independent school operated by the Beenong School Association Inc. which is registered with both the WA Department of Education and the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety.
The Association is a not-for-profit organisation, and all Treetops parents, guardians, and staff are members of the Association. Board members are elected at each year’s Annual General Meeting from the Association membership. Board members can also be recruited from the community as required.
The role of the Board is to oversee the strategic direction of the school. It meets twice each term to discuss strategic issues, monitor finances, review and develop policy, and other governance matters. Treetops is well served by a volunteer Board of parents who are highly skilled people from a range of backgrounds and professions.
BOARD CHAIR
Amy has two young daughters who are thriving in the supportive, child-centred community of Treetops and its beautiful bush setting. Amy joined the Treetops board in 2016 to support the governance of the School and its unique Montessori and International Baccalaureate offering. As Board Chair, Amy brings with her the perspective, experience, knowledge and skills accumulated over 17 years working in various consulting and public sector roles in Western Australia. Currently with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Amy’s former roles include Chief of Staff to the current Minister for Transport, Planning and Lands; Executive Director Strategic Policy at the former Department of State Development; and various positions over ten years in the Department of Treasury. This included as Director Economic and Revenue Forecasting and as an advisor to former Treasurer, the Hon. Eric Ripper MLA. Amy is a director of the Pilbara Ports Authority, a member of the Economic Society of Australia, and holds a Bachelor of Economics with Honours from Murdoch University.
DIRECTOR
Tamara Callaghan – BCon
Tamara has been a part of the Treetops community since her son joined playgroup in 2016. Originally holding a Bachelor of Commerce, Tamara has worked in various fields and roles, and for the last 20 years has been a trainer and coach (obtaining her Grad Dip in Coaching form Curtin Uni in 2009). For the last 5 years Tamara has been co-owner of a consulting communication business called Discern with her husband Andy Cooke. Tamara decided to join the board to contribute to the ongoing success of Treetops, as her family has found it a wonderful environment for her son’s early educational life. She hopes to use her specific skill set (communication, marketing, and social intelligence) to support the great work done by the board and the school staff to date.
DIRECTOR
Kegan Cameron – BComm, CPA
Kegan joined Treetops as a parent in 2013, and as a Board member in 2019. Kegan brings to the Board various knowledge, skills, and experiences. These have been gained through postgraduate education, and from acting as a trusted advisor to many small-to-medium sized businesses on a host of different matters including: management accounting, budgeting, cashflow, asset protection, forensic accounting, capital financing, resource management, tax planning and statutory compliance. Kegan is a graduate of the University of Western Australia, a full voting member of the CPA Australia and a Registered Tax Agent
DIRECTOR
Richard de Vries
Richard joined the Treetops community in 2019 with his wife Norelle and three daughters, relocating into the Perth Hills. His daughters have attended Montessori education from playgroup, and he is a strong advocate of the child led, self directed and play based learning style. Richard is a commercial pilot working for the Virgin Australia group as a Captain on their regional and domestic networks where he has been since 2009. He brings to the board various experience in leadership and training roles as well as skills developed working with small teams under dynamic conditions. Richard is excited by the trajectory of the school and sees an exciting future for its community.
DIRECTOR
Brendan Fyfe – LLB (Honours)
As a parent of young children who have recently joined the Primary School, Brendan is keen to contribute to the continued success of Treetops. Brendan is a company director and executive with substantial experience in Australia and internationally, advising leading organisations across a variety of sectors on legal, risk and governance matters, strategy formation and implementation, and negotiation and execution of key transactions. Originally an underground miner before becoming a lawyer, Brendan spent a decade living and working in Asia, where he was a partner at an international law firm and upon his return to Perth, has worked as a law partner and mining executive. As part of his professional career, he has worked with a wide range of people from a variety of cultures and organisation types. Brendan holds a law degree with honours from the University of Notre Dame Australia.
DIRECTOR
Julie Baker
Julie became part of the Treetops community when her daughter joined the Secondary school in 2022. Seeking a local school which aligned with the family’s priority of growth for the whole child when the family moved to the area for Julie to take up the role of Rector at St Cuthbert’s Church, Darlington, Treetops has been a perfect fit. Offering a welcoming community and an individualised educational experience, the whole family are delighted to be part of the school community.
Kerry has been at Treetops since the beginning of 2014 when her daughter started in Playgroup. Kerry joined the Treetops Board in November 2014 as Secretary, and has been the school’s Business Manager since March 2015. Previously Kerry has worked in the government sector in various roles at Centrelink, Perth Magistrates Court and Perth District Court. She brings to the Board her experience in business administration, financial management, budgeting, leadership, human resource management and records management.
Stuart has held managerial positions across both secondary and primary school. He is an experienced educator with a background of 21 years in the independent school sector, with equal experience across primary and secondary schooling. Stuart brings a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of school operations to the Board.