About Annabelle
Annabelle Knight (DipTeach, GDipEd, MAPP, MACE) is an educator with 30 years’ experience in pedagogy and wellbeing in Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary contexts. Over her career she has held leadership roles such as Director of Early Learning and Head of Junior School. She is currently Director of the Strengths Canvass and previously held the position of Associate Head (Innovation and Learning) at St Michael’s Grammar School for six years.
She is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association, the Australian College of Educators and is on the Committee of the Victorian Chapter of Positive Education Schools Association. Annabelle is a recipient of The Sacs Consulting Award for Leadership in the not for Profit Sector and has been nominated for a National Excellence in Teaching Award (NEiTA).
Annabelle is also a coach and consultant empowering individuals and teams to greater wellbeing and higher performance through positive leadership. She completed her Master of Applied Positive Psychology in 2015 and uses action-research to support and apply evidence-based techniques and approaches to enable students, staff and parents to flourish.
Annabelle has presented her work at International and National conferences including the World Thinking Skills Conference, the World Positive Education Accelerator, the International Symposium for Coaching and Positive Psychology in Education, the Positive Education Schools Association, the Australian Heads of Independent Schools Association and the Australian Council of Educational Leadership’s Wellbeing Conference.
“I first worked with Annabelle in 2002, when I appointed her as the inaugural Director of Early Learning at St Michael’s Grammar School. It was clear that she had a passion for learning, was extraordinarily creative, was a strong and compelling leader, and had a commitment to the wellbeing of the staff and students in her care. Within a relatively short period of time, Annabelle assumed responsibility for all of the Primary years at St Michael’s, from 3 year old Kindergarten to Year 6.
Under her guidance, the Junior School gained an enviable reputation for its innovative approaches to student-led learning and for its leading approaches to creative learning environments, culminating in the construction of the internationally awarded Allan Pizzey Building – a dedicated learning environment for younger students.
As Associate Head (Innovation and Learning), Annabelle built on these achievements by assisting in, and then leading, the development of the School’s in-house professional learning program, central planks of which are its development of a coherent staff culture, models for coaching and principles of visible wellbeing. Annabelle, without doubt, is a passionate communicator, an insightful learner, an innovative leader, and a creative, caring thinker.
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