School says farewell

By Bridget Cook
HAMPTON Park Primary School has farewelled their “passionate and committed” principal, who served at the school for more than 15 years.
Christine Wakeling retired last month after more than 40 years in the education industry.
Ms Wakeling’s career in education began in 1967 when she attended Frankston Teacher’s College.
Her first teaching position was at Valkston Primary School in 1969, and then she went on to teach at Monterey Primary School, Coatesville Primary School as well as primary schools in Moorabbin West and Frankston East.
In 1995, Ms Wakeling was appointed to Hampton Park Primary School as assistant principal and five years later was appointed to the principal position.
Connie VanderVoort, who was a teacher and Hampton Park Primary School for 18 years and assistant principal for four-and-a-half years, said Ms Wakeling was an outstanding visionary and educational leader.
“She is passionate and committed to education,” she said.
“She has developed many positive relationships with students, colleagues and the school community and nurtures, inspires and encourages the potential she sees in others.
“Christine constantly gave staff feedback on their work and acknowledged achievements and personal accomplishments. A number of teachers who worked under Christine’s leadership as leading teachers and assistant principals are now assistant principals or principals.
“Christine will be sorely missed in education.”
During her time at Hampton Park Primary School, Ms Wakeling has helped the school obtain better facilities and keep up with modern teaching practices.
In 1997, she instigated a major project to build a self funded physical education centre for the school. She worked tirelessly with the school council to ensure this project got off the ground.
In appreciation of her hard work, the school renamed the centre ‘The Christine Wakeling Hall’ last month.
In the late ’90s she ensured that the school was equipped with the technological resources needed to improve student learning.
She was accepted into the development program for high performing principals in 2006. As part of this program, Ms Wakeling visited the USA with colleagues, attending the Elementary School Principals conference in San Antonio, Texas and visited schools in New York and Pittsburgh to investigate leadership and teaching practices for the 21st century.
As a result, she implemented a whole-school non-fiction writing program.
She was also actively involved in the Hampton Park Cluster, was an executive member in the Cranbourne Principal Network, facilitated the Leaders in the Making program, was a mentor principal in the Aspirant Leaders Program and took part in the Mentoring Principal program.