Terrey Hills
CREATING
IMAGINEERS
CREATING
IMAGINEERS
Long-day Preschools & Junior Programs
1300 697 737
1300 697 737
Our directors
Thinkers.inq is an early years school leading transformational play for three to five year old children. We incorporate play-based learning with project-based problem solving. It’s a learning model developed by our Directors and designed to transform the lives of children and positively impact families.
ROD SOPER
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Rod has more than twenty years in the fields of education and leadership design.
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He has held a range of senior positions, including Head of Primary Years, Assistant Principal (p-12), Director of Early Years Learning in the preschool space, senior researcher and leadership designer.
Rod’s expertise in the fields of education and leadership includes research into ontological and interpersonal development, critical thinking, pedagogy and transformational learning environments, educational change and leadership. He has led numerous research projects and published papers and book chapters within the field of education, teaching practice, learning design, leadership and organisational change.
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Rod is passionate about learning in all its forms and aims to provide optimum opportunities for all learners to realise their full potential. Through his work, he aims to build a network of transformational educators and leaders by facilitating change through personal growth, creative, critical and reflective thinking and innovative practice.
The establishment of Thinkers.inq is one way Rod is demonstrating his commitment and vision to foster a community of creative and inquiring minds, whether that be teachers, families and children, that can go forward into the world with confidence, open-mindedness and passionate curiosity.
MELISSA BROWNE
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS
Melissa is Director of Business for Thinkers.inq and CEO of Accounting and Taxation Advantage (A+TA), an award-winning accounting and advisory firm with offices at Glenbrook and North Sydney. She is a business leader with expertise in business management and strategy.
Melissa is author of the innovative, illustrated business book, More Money for Shoes, is a regular columnist for the Money Section in the Sydney Morning Herald and has been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine, Latte magazine, Renegade Collective as well as being named one of Australia’s 100 inspiring women in Madison Magazine in 2013. She is making her mark as a disrupter and rebel in an industry known for their conservatism with her passion to help business owners appreciate how understanding the numbers will help them grow successful and profitable businesses
TONY LARVEN
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Tony is the Director of Operations. He is a sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapist and has run his own very successful practice for nearly 20 years. As such he has vast experience in working with a broad spectrum of the community. Tony has been the head physiotherapist to an NRL teams for 17 years, to the Australian Olympic Canoe Slalom Team and a physiotherapist for Cricket NSW, NSW Institute of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport.
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Tony has been clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney on the Masters in Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy programs. Tony’s physiotherapy practice consults for Healthscope Private Hospitals and Woolworths in physiotherapy and best practice.
Like many health professionals Tony believes it is vital that children have positive experiences during physical activity in their formative years. Tony will be leading health and gross motor development programs for families and staff.