For more information please call Harriet on 03 9822 9622 or email srs@alia.vic.edu.au
Harriet Hutton – School Re-engagement Consultant
“I’ve been a teacher and advocate of student engagement for over twenty years. I have taught in a wide range of settings, including an alternate-setting school supporting neurodiverse learners and school ‘refusers’, as well as in teaching units with at-risk and trauma-affected students. I’ve been at Alia College since 2008. It’s a wonderful place!
I love fostering relationships with young people to empower them to engage with and advocate for their own schooling, whatever that may look like. I believe schooling should always be flexible and manageable in the long-term.
I’m mother to a neurodiverse teenage daughter who had significant school can’t from Grade 3 onwards, so I have lived experience of the challenges of this from both the student and the family perspectives.
I have a deep interest in educational reform, progressive and inclusive education, and equality for neurodiverse students within our schools. My background and training is in trauma-informed teaching, yoga, and adolescent counselling.
Outside of Alia I love gardening, walking my greyhound Goose (see below!), reading, and drinking tea.”
Sheena Hanrahan
“I’ve worked at Alia for a long time (since 2004), so I have a strong understanding and appreciation of the Alia community. Over the years I’ve taught Years 7-12 Art, I’m currently teaching Years 9,10, and 12.
I enjoy painting, drawing and taking photos in my home studio. It’s been great to spend time as a student recently. I completed a Certificate in Art Therapy in 2023 and I’m currently studying a Diploma of Art Therapy which I’ll complete in May 2024 (I’ve recently registered as an affiliate member of the Australian Community Counselling Association).
I’m interested in helping students make artwork with a therapeutic focus; artworks don’t have to be finished or focused on technique, the emphasis is on the process of engaging with materials and connecting with others in the group.
I’m a mother of three primary/secondary aged kids so I’m used to having lots happening around me.”
Goose
Goose is Harriet’s rescue greyhound. He is gentle, loving, and a very calming presence. Like most greyhounds, he does a lot of sleeping. Goose can be part of School Re-Engagement Support whenever a student feels like a four-legged companion would be beneficial.