Meet the PA
St Mary’s Catholic School has a thriving Parents Association (PA), which contributes significantly to the school. Whether it’s providing tools to aid children’s learning in the classroom or purchasing equipment for the playground, we are an important resource to the school.
The PA is made up of a Committee of Parents in the below key roles. We are supported by other Parents and Friends of the PA, who attend our meetings and help run a busy events calendar for the year.
The St Mary’s PA Committee organises various events at our school with the aim of building a community and raising funds for the children - all proceeds of our events go directly to the school so that the students benefit from new items and maintenance of safe play and sporting areas.
Co-Chairs
Helen Marchant
I currently work in childcare and I’m a part-time florist. I am Mum to Max at St Mary’s, and Liv and Tom who attend St Thomas More secondary school. I’ve been a parent at St Mary’s for the past 13 years. I formally joined the PA in October 2022 as co-chair alongside Shelley. Over the years, the PA has raised a significant amount of money, enabling us to enrich our children’s lives. Being a part of the PA team is a privilege and I hope this will encourage you to join our fantastic team.
Laura Brewster
Mum of Austin, Beatrice, Connie. I also have an 18-month-old, Dougie. Before children I worked as a salon manager in a busy hair and beauty salon at London Bridge. I have been a full-time mum for the last 10 years and counting and do some waxing from home one day a week. I started helping out with the PA volunteering on stalls at various events and now help run the wreath making event every Christmas. I really enjoy being able to help out at the school events and being a voice to share key information. The PA work really hard on raising money for the school and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Co-Secretaries
Claire Maskell Gibson
I’m mum to Lily and Ivy and have lived in Eltham and Welling for most of my life (excluding 10 years spent abroad in Sydney, Australia). I joined the PA to contribute my skills – in my day job I’m a communications manager at Bupa – and to meet other parents who want to give back to the school.
Stella Wanga
I am mum to Amani and Nanji. I work as Director, Legal Services at Mastercard and serve as Company Secretary for some group companies. I love meeting new people, organising events and building community. I am excited to contribute to the PA where we can make a positive impact together—and enjoy the camaraderie along the way!
Co-Treasurers
Ania McGinnes
My daughter Helena joined St Mary’s last year, and I signed up to be part of our PA to meet new parents and use my fundraising skills to support the school community. I am a fundraising manager at British Red Cross and specialise in corporate partnerships. I am originally from Poland but have lived in New Eltham for nearly a decade.
Kat Stasiak
My name is Kat and I'm a mother of Philip, Y5 boy and Paulina Y11, girl.
It's my honour to be in the PA again and I'm looking forward to organising many exciting events for you children and with you parents!
St Mary's School is such a lovely community.
Voices
Marta Inkin
I’m mum to Charlie. Being organised and keeping on top of administrative tasks is an important part of my job as a litigation executive in the Employment Tribunal. I enjoy being involved in school life. I love researching and coordinating events such as the Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day sales. I’m Polish and have been living in the Eltham area since 2008. Having served as the Secretary of the PA for 2 years since 2022, I have now stepped down to a more supportive role.
Iryna Shkilna
Mum of Maximilian and Zachary. I work as a treasury accountant for London Stock Exchange. Over the past five years, I volunteered at the PA events, and as of last year, I decided to formally join the PA. I moved to the UK from Ukraine over 20 years ago.
Michelle Prove
I have been an active and supportive member of the PA since 2019. I’m proud to be part of the team that helps to raise money for the school and arranges social events for our community. I enjoy working with children in a nursery setting by day and DJing at weekends.
Princess Amponsah
Mrs. Pastor Princess D. Amponsah,
I am a mother of five and a childminder. I love singing, helping, praying, cooking, and being around children. I am involved in activities concerning children, adults, social issues, and education.
Janetta Watson
My daughter joined Year 2 at St Mary's last year. I signed up to the PA to meet new friends and to contribute to the school community. I enjoy organising events to raise money for the school.
Shelley Ross-Harding
My name is Shelley Ross-Harding and I have two daughters, Charlotte, Yr2 and Harriette currently in pre-school. I joined the PA, as I have over 10 years experience managing large scale events, and wanted to share my knowledge and experience.
I have previously co-chaired but due to a demanding job in Operations & Safety, I had to unfortunately step down. I still am delighted to be a voice and provide the safety elements to the our events, as well as act as the Personal Licensee for all licensable events we run at the school.