MUSEC School Principal retiring
On Thursday 6 April, Dr Sally Howell packed up her office at the MUSEC School for the last time. It is impossible to let this occasion go by without say a few words to reminisce and celebrate her time at MUSEC.
For more than 40 years Dr Sally Howell has been involved in supporting children with specialised education requirements and their parents as a principal, teacher, and consultant. Dr Howell is an experienced School Principal with a demonstrated history of working in schools and the higher education industry. Sally is skilled in Special Education with a focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Behaviour Management. Sally’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), obtained from Macquarie University, focused on early number sense. Throughout her career she remained committed to evidence-based practice as it applies to children with special education needs.
Sally has presented at both national and international conferences, and has worked in public, independent and Catholic schools as well as in a community-based disability organisation focussed on early intervention. She has an MA in Special Education and a PhD in Cognitive Sciences. Dr Howell has been Principal of the Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC) school since 2013. Prior to this she was Principal Education Officer, Learning Assistance within the Disability Programs Directorate of the NSW Department of Education. Currently, Sally currently holds the role of President of the NSW chapter of the Australian Association of Special Education (AASE, NSW). She advises the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) on curriculum and assessment for K-12 students with disability.
At MUSEC School, Sally has led many projects, including:
- having the school registered as an Independent School and then as a School of a Kind. This involved really fun jobs like writing the Policies and Procedures Manual.
- setting up the IEP process for the MUSEC school and leading the teachers and allied health staff through the process of working in teams to refine these goals and strategies.
- proposing to have two full-time Speech and Language Pathologists at the school.
- initiating a weekly Art lesson in every class.
- revamping of the playgrounds and then the School courtyard which has made a huge difference to whole feel of the school.
- leading the staff and parents and children through the pandemic. Throughout all the moment-by-moment policy changes Sally kept a sense of humour and guided everyone through it step by step.
Sally is well known for her leadership and encouragement and if you ask anyone who knows her they would say that she:
- is always steady and calm no matter what happens
- always keeps her door open. When her staff come to her with a question, she has such a wealth of knowledge that they always leave with an answer or a way forward.
- always has a great perspective on behaviour management and she lends you her support when it’s needed
- is always kind and understanding of people’s personal circumstances
- is dedicated, patient and thorough – passionate about the details
- is an incredible teacher and a great mentor.
Thank you Sally for your contribution to this school and to all of us. We wish you all the best for your retirement and have full confidence that you will make the adjustment without too much trouble.
Let’s raise a glass to Sally! Congratulations on earning this retirement.