Ms Zelema Levy
Junior School Music Coordinator 

When I joined Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School in 2019 for a maternity leave position, I never expected it would become my new home. 

That changed the moment I stepped into the Performing Arts Centre. Hearing music coming from every room, I immediately thought, “This is where I belong.” Getting to know my colleagues and discovering a community of passionate, like-minded educators only reinforced that feeling.

Music has been part of my life from the very beginning. I grew up in Canada with a Canadian mother and Jamaican father and was surrounded by music from both sides of my family.

My mum played piano in her family band, performing at local country dances alongside a banjo, accordion, fiddle and even spoons! My father’s side of the family brought a different musical influence, with one of my uncles performing as a calypso singer in Jamaica.

Those experiences helped shape my love of music, creativity and connection. 

As Junior School Music Coordinator, I aim to bring joy and curiosity to every lesson.

One of the highlights while working here has been initiating the Wurrundjeri Language Program with Pallyan, son of Wurundjeri Elder Murrundindi. Seeing students embrace language and culture with enthusiasm and hearing the Junior School sing in Wurrundjeri language during Reconciliation Week this year was an unforgettable moment.

What makes Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School special is the way students are encouraged to be brave, curious and willing to have a go.

It is a community that helps every student flourish and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it.

Ms Sue Jager
Finance Officer 

I really love the supportive, friendly, and collegial spirit at Ivanhoe Girls'. 

I knew I had found a great workplace when I was warmly welcomed on my first day by all the Robinson House staff, and along with all the staff across the whole school, everyone made me feel at home. I was given a school tour and I fondly remember visiting the ELC and watching the students learning how to approach a dog with respect and gentle pats, it really warmed my heart. 

I grew up in country Victoria, which instilled in me a strong sense of community. I have a large extended family, whom I really value. I believe a good education for young people is very important and will set them up well for the future. Despite being a shy person, I have an adventurous spirit, I have travelled and studied abroad and enjoy meeting and learning about people from all backgrounds and cultures. 

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a visual artist, and I studied fine arts at Caulfield Institute when I first completed secondary school in the early 1980s. I then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at La Trobe University, majoring in Aboriginal Studies and Sociology.

My working life led me down quite a different track into the Finance field. With eight years at Ivanhoe Girls', and over 36 years of experience in various accounting roles, I honed my accounting skills in roles such as Assistant Accountant, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, among others, working for the Insurance, Medical and Education sectors, including approximately 12 years working for the University of Melbourne central finance division.

Although my work life has led me away from art, underneath it all I am still an artist, you can’t take the artist out of the girl. My education, family, travels, and many years of methodical detailed financial work experience have set me up well in my Accounts Receivable role. 

While managing the School fee accounts, I enjoy working closely with school families, aiding parents with payment arrangement options, in a confidential, empathetic, and respectful manner.

Mr Ninian Lewis
Director of Curriculum and Teacher of Humanities

I never expected to be a teacher. Both my parents were lawyers, and as a child it never occurred to me that I would be anything else. However by the time I was finishing a Law/Arts degree at the University of Melbourne, I had realised that I also really loved teaching. So I made a decision that I would have two careers rather than one.

I practised as a lawyer for many years. I moved into teaching in 2008, working part-time at the start while I looked after my three small children. I have a distinct memory of my first day on teaching rounds standing outside Reservoir High School holding my law firm mobile phone (they were extracting every last second out of me) thinking `what in the world have I done’. But, apart from this momentary panic, I have never regretted the change.

I have just reached my tenth year at Ivanhoe Girls’. Over that time I have mostly taught Economics, Legal Studies and Mathematics — but some of my happiest hours have gone into working with other teachers to create and then teach new elective subjects. Game of Life, Criminal Investigation, and Commerce & Law (especially its limited recourse loans and Rose Garden stalls) were all a pleasure to build and then to see where students would take them.

For the past two years, much of my energy has gone into the new empowerED program. I am excited for it to begin next year, and for the way it will challenge students to develop new skills that they can bring back to the rest of their learning in the Core and Breadth subjects.

I taught at four other schools before this one, and what stands out most about Ivanhoe Girls’ is the warmth: the friendly, kind relationships between students and teachers, and the real care that goes into thinking about and developing student wellbeing. I look forward to being here for many more years.