Melissa Elphinstone | Assistant Principal
Movelle Primary School

Melissa has always had a passion for wellbeing though out her working career. Believing that Wellbeing needs to be placed in the heart of education, this journey has enabled her to use this passion in building a strong portfolio. Currently, Melissa is the Assistant Principal, where she is taking this passion for wellbeing to Movelle Primary School. In 2020, 2021 and in 2023 Melissa presented at the international PBIS rewards conference, to over 800 educators from around the world, about the importance of placing Wellbeing at the heart of education. Melissa is a member of both the Victorian Chapter of PESA and the Victorian Chapter of APBSA and has presented a masterclass workshop at the 2022 PESA Conference in Sydney. In 2023, Melissa was guest member at The Academy (Bastow)– Promoting positive culture in schools and 2023 EDUTECH - Implementation of Positive Education into Government schools. Her portfolio entails the whole school implementation of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support, where in 2021, 2022 and 2023 Movelle Primary School has been awarded the Gold Award for outstanding implementation. She also leads the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Curriculum, where in only one year, Movelle Primary school has already been awarded a lead school, in this initiative for the second time, demonstrating the strong ability Melissa has at whole school level of project implementation. Melissa has achieved this recognition due to the dedication she places into this wellbeing space and this is acknowledged by invitations from both the Department of Education and Melbourne University. With this passion for teaching and learning, Melissa successfully completed her Master of Education at Melbourne University in 2019 with her focus on wellbeing and leadership. She is also currently studying The Masters of Applied Behavioural Analysis through Monash University, whilst completing her required 1500 supervising hours. Melissa further showcased her expertise by co-presenting “Real School Life Experience” alongside Dr. Terry Scott at the Victorian Academy of Teaching. This presentation provided valuable insights into student behaviour and highlighted practical approaches to improving wellbeing and learning outcomes in diverse educational settings. Most recently, Melissa has contributed to a Virtual Study Tour, further expanding her influence in the wellbeing space, by showcasing how schools can prioritise student and staff wellbeing, to drive academic and social success.