Since 2006, The Spanish Teachers’ Association of NSW has been a gathering place for educators passionate about teaching Spanish in New South Wales, Australia. As a non-profit organisation, entirely managed by dedicated volunteers, we are committed to promoting and enhancing Spanish language education at all levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Our mission goes beyond teaching; we aim to build a vibrant and supportive community that fosters the professional growth of its members. Through events, workshops, and other development opportunities, we cultivate a collaborative environment where the cultures of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries are celebrated and shared.
We believe in the power of active participation and the importance of listening to our members. That’s why we deeply value your ideas and suggestions, which are crucial to the success of all the initiatives led by our executive committee.
2025 STANSW Committee
PRESIDENT AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
Macarena is a Chilean-born language teacher (Spanish and English) with over 17 years of experience teaching English and Spanish in Poland, Chile, and Australia to students of all ages. After her post graduate experience at The University of Sydney in 2009, she decided to make Australia her home and moved permanently to this land of sunshine and Vegemite in 2018.
Passionate about continuous learning and professional growth, she has recently embraced comprehensible input methods to support language acquisition and is a strong advocate for their use in the classroom.
In addition to her teaching role at a primary school in Sydney, Macarena currently holds leadership responsibilities as the IPSHA Languages Umbrella Group Coordinator and the President and Public Relations Officer for the Spanish Teachers Association of New South Wales.
VICE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY
Hailing originally from Colombia, Gabriel holds a Bachelor in Modern Languages and a M.A in English Language teaching. He has been a teacher for over two decades and before arriving to Sydney in 2021, Gabriel’s journey led him to live and work in Japan and Thailand where he taught Spanish, Japanese and French to children and adults, with the occasional stint as a freelance interpreter for events and conferences and a voice actor for training videos and listening resources. He currently teaches at Santa Sabina College and the Secondary College of Languages. Gabriel is also an experienced International Baccalaureate DP educator, workshop leader and marker for Ab Initio and B levels (SL and HL). Coffee aficionado, terrible soccer player, above average dancer, full-time language geek.
TREASURER AND RESOURCE MANAGER
Fernanda is a Spanish and Commerce teacher at the Anglican School Googong in regional NSW. Originally from Chile, Fernanda studied Business Management and then moved to Panama to work in a multinational company. She migrated to Australia in 2012 to follow her calling and become a teacher completing a Masters of Teaching at the University of Melbourne. Before working at The Anglican School Googong, she was a teacher at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne. Fernanda has lived in three Spanish speaking countries and visited most of Latin America. She is keen to share not only the language but the culture of Spanish Speaking countries.
STANSW CONSULTANT
Margarita is a UK-qualified teacher of Spanish and French with 30 years of experience teaching Modern Languages across various countries. She specialises in comprehension-based teaching methods, including Story-Listening, and is trained in TPRS, AIM Language Learning, and Content and Language Integrated Learning. Her expertise also extends to supporting struggling readers and learners with reading difficulties, with a strong focus on Extensive Reading and building diverse libraries for language learners.
A published author of easy-to-read Spanish literature for beginners, Margarita focuses on themes such as identity, resilience, and environmental conservation. She is also experienced in adapting language resources to meet the needs of modern foreign language education. In addition, she regularly presents on topics related to reading intervention, Extensive Reading programs, and Story-Listening, at conferences and seminars both nationally and internationally, including ACTFL World Languages and Comprehensible Input Reboot.