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About IB Schools Australasia

What is IB Schools Australia?

IB Schools Australasia (formerly AAIBS) was established specifically to assist schools in Australasia, providing a network of professional support, information and service.

The Association also organises annual professional learning events, advertises employment opportunities within our member schools and produces a newsletter and a variety of support materials.

Our purpose

The income and property of IB Schools Australasia (formerly AAIBS) shall be applied solely in furtherance of its purposes and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly except as compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the Association.

To support the goals and objectives of the International Baccalaureate Organisation and the IB World Schools in Australasia.
To provide support for the International Baccalaureate programmes in Australasian IB World Schools.
To facilitate communication among International Baccalaureate schools in Australasia.
To liaise on behalf of IB Schools Australasia member schools with the Ministries of Education and with professional educational organisations in Australasia.
To act upon request or when deemed necessary so as to promote the recognition of the International Baccalaureate Diploma as a qualification for entry to universities in Australasia.
To support the professional development programmes of the International Baccalaureate in particular those sponsored by the International Baccalaureate originating in member schools.
To promote research into the benefits of the International Baccalaureate programme and examinations.

Who can IB Schools Australasia support?

Throughout our history we have been proud to support schools in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

We were recently approached by the IB to support some candidate schools in the South West Pacific.

With our constitution stating: “Australasian” shall mean Australia and adjacent islands of the South West Pacific.

We are pleased to confirm that should the need arise we look forward to supporting all adjacent islands of the South West Pacific including:
American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna Islands.

How IB Schools Australasia advocates for member schools

IB Schools Australasia Standing Committee

Standing Committee

David Boardman

Chair, IB Schools Australasia
Senior School Principal, Kristin School
David’s background is in Marine Biology and Oceanography and he has been involved with the IB since 2004, when he taught biology and science at Malvern College in the UK. Early in 2007 he moved to Dunedin in New Zealand, again teaching IB Biology and became the IB DP coordinator in 2009. Along with teaching biology, David is also an examiner and IA moderator and was asked to help in the evaluation of the new IA criteria for the Group 4 subjects in 2014, specifically in Chemistry. In 2012, David was elected to the standing committee of AAIBS, taking up the position of secretary in 2014. January 2016 saw David gain the position of Principal Senior School at Kristin School in Auckland, a 3 programme K-13 school of 1600 students, where approximately 100 students annually choose to follow the Diploma Programme in their senior years. This is a position that will allow him to continue to have a strong relationship with the IB, representing his school, New Zealand and also the wider Australasian region. Most recently David was elected to chair the New Zealand IB Heads Caucus and elected to the IB Heads Council as a representative for the Asia-Pacific region. In these roles he is participating and supporting our schools in areas such as the Diploma review and communicating regularly with the IB on how to best support our students and schools during these difficult times. In 2012, David was elected to the standing committee of AAIBS, taking up the position of secretary in 2014. David was elected in 2022 and is the current Chair of IBSA.

Antony Mayrhofer

Secretary, IB Schools Australasia
Director of Learning Services, IB Diploma Programme co-ordinator, St Paul's Grammar School
Antony Mayrhofer, B.Sc, Dip. Ed, M. Ed (leadership) is the Director of Learning Services and Diploma Programme Co-ordinator at St Paul’s Grammar School, Penrith, Sydney, Australia. He has had an interest in International Education since 1984 when he completed a trainee teacher practicum in a local non-government school in Mumbai, India. Antony has taught the Diploma Programme since 1990 in Biology, Chemistry and Theory of Knowledge. He completed a five-year term as Deputy Chief Examiner of Biology in the Diploma Programme for the IB in 2007 and as such was, and continues to be involved in curriculum design and assessment for the IB. He has held various senior examining roles in Diploma Biology since 1995 including Principal examiner. Antony has been a Diploma Programme Coordinator at St Paul’s Grammar School since 2000 and has led the introduction of the PYP and MYP to the school as well as significant growth of the Diploma programme which is currently studied by more than half of senior students. Antony is also Chair of the ACT and NSW Diploma Programme Coordinator Network. Antony has led teacher-training workshops for the IB in pedagogical practice, Diploma programme coordination, TOK and Biology since 2000 at all levels of teacher experience. He has led Diploma Programme evaluation and verification teams since 2003 on behalf of the IB throughout the Asia Pacific region. Antony has presented sessions at a number of IB Global Conferences. Antony has been a member of the standing committee of IB Schools Australasia for many years. He has previously held the position of chair of this Association and was elected as secretary in 2022. In his spare time he enjoys bushwalking with his wife and two adult children near his home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

Nicole Jaggers

Treasurer, IB Schools Australasia
Associate Principal, Academic Preschool to Year 10, Gold Creek School
Nicole Jaggers is Associate Principal Academic – Preschool to Year 10 at Gold Creek School, an authorised government PYP and MYP IB World School. Prior to this she was Deputy Principal and PYP coordinator at Miles Franklin Primary School 2015-2020, a government P-6 primary school and authorised PYP school and Assistant Head of Junior School and PYP coordinator at Radford College from 2011-2014. Her qualifications include a Master of Education (Educational Leadership), Graduate Diploma (International Baccalaureate), Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood/Primary). Nicole has over 25 years teaching experience across Catholic, Independent and Government school systems. She has 10 years experience in senior leadership positions in IB schools. Nicole is highly experienced and well regarded locally, nationally and internationally for her knowledge of IB curriculum as an International Baccalaureate IBEN workshop leader and consultant for the Asia Pacific Region.

Karen Abraham

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
Deputy Principal, Cleveland District State High School
Karen is currently the Deputy Principal at Cleveland District State High School, an Independent Public School situated on Brisbane’s bayside and a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS). During her 26 years with Education Queensland, Karen has taught in early childhood, primary and secondary schools in rural and regional settings as well as metropolitan Brisbane. She has also held the position of Head of Department, Senior Schooling. Karen is a passionate advocate for the IB and values the global and critical thinking it promotes in students. As a member of CIS and an IB World School, Cleveland High provides a wealth of opportunities for students and staff and in her role in the executive leadership of the school, Karen is at the forefront of strategic and operational planning. She regularly participates in professional development with CIS and for the IBDP. As an active member of the Queensland IB Co-ordinator’s Network, Karen has forged strong links with other schools and universities as she strives to promote the value of an IB education for all students. Queensland is a growth area for the IB Diploma Programme with a rapidly growing number of schools seeking authorisation and Karen views membership of the IB Schools Australasia Standing Committee as a way to continue her advocacy and broaden her knowledge and experience as an IB educator and leader.

Casper Buisman

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
Head of IB Diploma Programme, Melbourne Montessori College
Casper Buisman is an experienced IB leader, teacher and an active member of the IB Educators Network in Australia. Currently the head of IB Diploma programme at Melbourne Montessori College, Casper started his teaching career in the Netherlands and has been involved with the IB since 2008 when he started teaching at Woodcroft College and from 2009 at Glenunga International High School in Adelaide, South Australia. In 2018 he and his family moved to Melbourne where Casper took on the unique opportunity to establish the senior years and start the Diploma Programme at Melbourne Montessori College. Casper is an experienced teacher in DP Mathematics and a member of the IB Curriculum Review Committee to develop the mathematics subject guides. For the IB Educators Network he is a Program Leader for authorisation and evaluation as well as workshop presenter and senior examiner. Casper is motivated by his passion for holistic education and preparing students for tertiary education. IB education is becoming accessible for increasingly diverse student cohorts. Key factors for student success, he finds, are our ability as leaders to develop agency in our students and to provide inclusivity and a commitment to ongoing improvement.

Ainslie Howard

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
IB DP Coordinator, Kardinia International School
Ainslie is now in her 25th year as an educator, with the last nine years seeing her fulfilling the role of the IB DP Coordinator at Kardinia. It is a role that she cherishes. The privilege of teaching the IB Diploma Programme has had a positive impact on her role as an educator and the daily opportunities that the programme affords to invest richly in the lives of young people through a rigorous, engaging and dynamic curriculum has been the stand-out for her. Outside of my teaching role, she is a mother to three wonderful children and is hugely passionate about her role as a high- performance basketball coach through some development programs with Basketball Victoria.

Esme Hatchell

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
Deputy Principal Senior Years, Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology
Esme Hatchell (BSc (Hons), GDipEd, PhD) is Deputy Principal and IB DP Coordinator at the Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (QASMT). QASMT is regularly identified as Queensland’s top performing high school. It is an IB World School that exclusively teaches MYP and DP curriculum, and has large DP cohort graduation sizes - this year will see over 220 Year 12 students complete their DP studies. Esme is a school leader, and through her experiences over her careers as a Postdoctoral medical researcher, a teacher with 8 years of IB teaching experience (MYP & DP), a Head of Department, and now a Deputy Principal and IB Coordinator, she has developed a unique set of skills that cross several fields, as well as a passion to integrate university-links and experiences into both curriculum and extra-curricular activities. As an educational leader, Esme believes strongly in the power of a collective team. For 3 years Esme coordinated and chaired the Queensland Group 4 Science Teachers’ Network, which saw the number of teacher and school participants from across Queensland increase significantly. Esme is driven by fairness, and seeks inclusive access to education for all students. She is passionate about increasing knowledge and literacy in our society through the International Baccalaureate, and believes it is a deeper understanding of the world that will enable our next generations to make successful and ethical decisions as global citizens of our world. If elected to the standing committee, Esme will commit to work as part of a collective team to advocate for increased recognition of the IB DP across Australia.

John Cho

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
IB DP Co-ordinator, Rivercrest Christian College
John is an IB convert; his belief in the value of education it brings to students and teachers is firm. It brings holistic education to students that are transferable to any context, and builds in them the profile of a person that can be recognised by anyone, anywhere as lifelong learners. This firm belief comes from his multicultural background, spanning across the UK, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia, and professional experience in the financial/management sector. He has been exposed to different environments and continuous learning all his life; being able to transfer knowledge and skills from one context to another was, and still is, so enriching. To be able to provide and receive such education of diversity and excellence at many different school settings is his dream, and International Baccalaureate has allowed him to achieve this dream. John has worked in IB World Schools throughout his career, and has taught multiple MYP and DP subjects in groups 3 and 4. He has also served as a CAS Coordinator for a number of years, before moving on to his role as a DP Coordinator and the Head of Faculty for IB Secondary Science. John feels it would be a privilege to be able to add to the collective voice of IB Australasia, and bring fresh ideas to discussion from his experience and connections, to enrich the IB experience of students and staff in schools in our region.

William Wallace

Standing Committee Member, IB Schools Australasia
Principal, Golden Grove Lutheran College
William Wallace is an accomplished professional with more than 24 years of experience in school leadership and governance, specialising in the fields of education, non-profit organisations, strategic planning and transformational change, customer experience, risk and effective stakeholder communication and engagement. William has held a wide variety of roles in education, as well as on the boards of a range of church and sporting organisations, utilising each opportunity to make a significant contribution to each organisation he has served. William has served in IB Authorised and Candidate schools across Australia, and has researched the impact of IB programmes in Australian schools from PYP to Diploma level through an IPSHA Professional Development Grant. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Harvard Principal's Academy. He holds Bachelors and Master's degrees in Education, as well as degrees in business administration, leadership and theology, and is currently undertaking further study in governance and risk management with the Governance Institute of Australia. He has served the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia Association variously as a Federal Board member, as NSW Branch President and as SA Branch President-Elect. He has been recognised as a three time excellence awardee for The Educator's Australian Primary Principal of the Year (non-government) and is a Fellow of the Independent Primary Schools Heads of Australia and of the Teachers' Guild of NSW. William was recognised on The Educator's 2020 Hot List as one of 100 most influential educators across Australia. William is an active member of IB and PYP networks in South Australia and is standing for membership of the IB Schools Australasia Standing Committee as a way to continue advocacy and broaden his knowledge and experience as an IB educator and leader. William bring a strong passion for IB programmes and firmly believes that the capacities and values which students develop through an IB education will provide them with the best possible foundation from which to confidently navigate the world both now, and as life long learners. To this end, William is passionate about contributing to IB Schools Australasia in continuing to advocate for the needs of Australasian schools, the IB and the benefits of an IB education.

Office Support

Phoebe Tocco

Office Support
Executive Assistant, IB Schools Australasia
Phoebe has extensive experience in Administration and Business Development across a number of different industry sectors including property development, food and beverage and management consultancy. She brings a broad range of skills and knowledge to the role. She spent a decade working in education, beginning in a Montessori Kindergarten, then facilitating workshops and conducting corporate training in Tokyo, Japan. During that time, she worked with numerous corporate clients including Citigroup, Nike, Nissan, MacDonalds and IBM to develop global business acumen and skills to navigate cross-cultural differences. Her experience helped her develop a passion and insight into understanding working across cultures and the value that brings. She holds a Bachelor of Political Science, is fluent in Japanese and French and is also a qualified yoga instructor.

Downloadable resources

RESOURCE
2021 Directions for IB Schools Australasia Employment Opportunities
Strategic Plan 2023 - 2025
2024-25 Membership Pack
Sponsorship and Advertising Policy
IBSA Constitution

Join our network

As an officially recognized Association of International Baccalaureate® World Schools, IB Schools Australasia collaborates closely with the IB to advocate for our member schools. We serve as a valuable resource for both new and established IB schools. All Authorized, Candidate, and Partner schools in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji are eligible for membership.

Access to Professional Learning
School Promotion Opportunities
Networking opportunities
Support
Employment Services
Access to courses for students
Newsletters for Member Schools
Certificates for Students and Awards Booklet Template

Advertising and sponsorship of the association

Are you interested in Advertising your poducts or services through IB Schools Australasia or sponsoring one of our upcoming events?