Teacher Ambassadors | The BRIDGE Program

2026 Lighthouse Partnership Grants

In 2026, three outstanding BRIDGE school partnerships were recognised as Lighthouse Schools, supported by six Teacher Ambassadors. Through the Lighthouse School Partnership Grant, these high-performing partnerships play a vital role in strengthening the BRIDGE network—modelling best practice, mentoring other schools, supporting high-level visits, and sharing learning and innovation across the program. Their work advances inclusive and impactful engagement, with a strong focus on Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Climate Change.

Bertram Primary School (Bertram, Western Australia) and SDN 023 Pajagalan (Bandung City, West Java Province) (2014 BRIDGE School)

Bertram Primary School and SDN 023 Pajagalan are strengthening their BRIDGE partnership through a global classroom program focused on inclusion, digital collaboration and climate action. Students will create intercultural videos, take part in a digital sports exchange and collaborate on a joint waste audit. They will design bilingual climate action posters and letters of friendship. A one‑week teacher visit will support co‑teaching and professional learning in inclusive pedagogy.

MacKillop Catholic College (Darwin, Northern Territory) and SMA Negeri 2 Batang (Batang Regency, Central Java) (2022 BRIDGE School)

MacKillop Catholic College and SMA Negeri 2 Batang are collaborating on projects that promote global citizenship, inclusion and environmental awareness. Students will create posters and videos exploring climate change and practical actions in their communities. Shared activities such as Harmony Day celebrations and a language scavenger hunt will support cultural understanding and authentic language use. Regular online language exchanges will build confidence and communication skills. Teachers will participate in professional learning focused on GEDSI‑informed inclusive practice throughout the year.

Mercy College (Melbourne, Victoria) and SMP Progressive Bumi Shalawat (Sidoarjo, East Java) (2018 BRIDGE School)

Mercy College and SMP Progressive Bumi Shalawat are deepening their long‑standing partnership through sustained global classroom activities centred on student voice, inclusion and intercultural learning. Students will take part in an ongoing pen‑pal exchange, sharing experiences of school life, identity and environmental awareness. The partnership includes the Ramadan Vlog Project and digital sharing of cultural events. Selected student work will be compiled into a shared publication, supported by ongoing teacher collaboration and reflection.

Mr. Lucky Miradi, SDN 023 Pajagalan (Bandung City, West Java Province)

Mr. Lucky Miradi has been teaching for approximately 13 years. His dedication to instructional quality is reflected in his continuous efforts to develop learning activities that are adaptive and relevant to current developments.

Mr. Lucky & Mr. Vincent have been collaborating since 2023, and are very interested in strengthening the Australia-Indonesia partnership. They believe that cross-cultural collaboration and knowledge exchange between countries is the key to raising global education standards.

SDN 023 Pajagalan is very happy, excited and enthusiastic to be involved in the Lighthouse program, where through this international network, we aspire to bring new inspiration that can have a positive impact on the progress of the educational community, as well as building intercultural understanding, promoting climate action, strengthening digital capabilities, supporting GEDSI principles, and improving pedagogical practices.

Vincent Sweetman, Bertram Primary School (Perth, Western Australia)

Mr Sweetman has taught Indonesian at BPS for four years and previously spent just over four years teaching at various schools in Jakarta. Mr Sweetman is passionate about strengthening Australia–Indonesia partnerships and is excited to continue building meaningful relationships that provide students with authentic opportunities to develop language skills, intercultural understanding, and global connections.

Bertram Primary School has maintained a strong Indonesian language program for more than a decade, reflecting its commitment to global learning and intercultural understanding. Mr Sweetman has been an active participant in the BRIDGE program since 2023 and is proud to be involved in the Lighthouse Partnership Program. Through BRIDGE, he has hosted colleagues from partner school 023 SDN Pajagalan, including Pak Lucky, visited the school in Bandung, Indonesia in 2024 and helped facilitate various activities between Australian and Indonesian students.

Bee Huang Khoo, MacKillop Catholic College (Darwin, Northern Territory)

Bee Huang Khoo is the Head of Languages at MacKillop Catholic College, teaching Indonesian and Mathematics to students from Years 7 to 12. She enjoys designing engaging learning through excursions, school-based projects, and study tours, so students can experience language beyond the classroom in meaningful and practical ways. She is committed to building strong Australia–Indonesia connections and making language learning authentic and connected to real-world experiences.
Through the BRIDGE Australia program, Bee has developed an ongoing partnership with SMAN 2 Batang since 2022. She has led students on an Indonesian study tour where they attended classes at the partner school, learned gamelan, made traditional food, and communicated directly with Indonesian students, supported by Indonesian buddy teachers, Ibu Arie and Pak Basuki. Collaborative projects include shared murals in both schools, with designs that represent culture and inclusion

Mrs. Mrr. Arie Laksmie Dewie, SMA Negeri 2 Batang (Batang Regency, Central Java)

Mrs. Mrr. Arie Laksmie Dewie is an English teacher at SMA Negeri 2 Batang, Central Java, Indonesia, with over two decades of experience in education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Satya Wacana Christian University and a master’s degree in Educational Service Administration from Diponegoro University. She is committed to fostering inclusive, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences that respond to the diverse needs of students.

In 2022, she was selected for the BRIDGE School Partnership Program, an initiative supported by the Australian Government to strengthen intercultural understanding and collaboration between Indonesian and Australian schools. Through the Lighthouse program, Mrs. Dewie actively works to sustain and deepen international collaboration by promoting inclusive education (GEDSI), environmental awareness, and global citizenship, while creating meaningful learning opportunities for both students and teachers.

Ms. Khalif, SMP Progressive Bumi Shalawat (Sidoarjo, Indonesia)

Ms. Khalif is the principal of SMP Progressive Bumi Shalawat, an Islamic intercultural secondary school in Sidoarjo, Indonesia. She started working on the Australia–Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnership Program in 2018 as an English teacher. Now she is the principal of the school and continues to lead and strengthen international cooperation there.

She has been a key player in building and keeping the partnership with Mercy College in Melbourne. What started as simple conversations has turned into a structured and ongoing partnership that involves students through pen-pal exchanges, cultural projects, and shared learning experiences.

Ms. Khalif's main goal is to create intercultural activities that are useful and long-lasting and can be used in the classroom every day. She thinks that meaningful global learning happens when students interact with one another and talk in real life over time.

Elizabeth Moore, Mercy College Coburg (Melbourne, Victoria)

Ms Elizabeth Moore is a passionate teacher of Indonesian, with over twelve years’ experience. She feels that it is both a privilege and a challenge to introduce students to the cultural and linguistic diversity of one of Australia’s closest neighbours. She particularly enjoys teaching Indonesian through the Comprehensible Input (CI) approach.

Elizabeth was very excited in 2018, when Mercy College was successfully accepted into the BRIDGE program. Despite being located in the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, many Mercy College students had not met someone who was Indonesian. The BRIDGE program changed this. Since 2018, Mercy College has hosted visiting students from SMP Progressive Bumi Shalawat twice. Students have also participated in letter writing exchanges as well as both celebrating the UN established, International Day of Happiness one year.

Teacher Ambassador

Lighthouse Partnership Grants

Grant amount: AUD $5,000 per partnership
Duration: 12–18 month engagement period

The Lighthouse School Partnership Grant recognises and supports high-performing BRIDGE partnerships that demonstrate strong collaboration, leadership, and sustained engagement.

What Lighthouse Schools do:

Model effective partnership practice

Support and mentor other BRIDGE schools

Share learning, innovation, and impact across the BRIDGE network

Lead professional learning networks within the BRIDGE community

Host visiting delegations and official visitors

Nominate teachers as BRIDGE Ambassadors

Funding supports:
Coordination, events, mentoring activities, professional learning, and knowledge-sharing initiatives

Who can apply:

Participation in the Lighthouse School Partnership is by invitation only, in recognition of active and well-established BRIDGE school partnerships.

To be eligible, schools must:

Have an active BRIDGE partnership of at least 24 months
Demonstrate a strong record of collaboration and engagement

Commit to joint participation by both partner schools

Be willing to contribute to broader BRIDGE learning and networks

Focus areas:

All Lighthouse School activities are undertaken with a focus on:

Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) — promoting gender equality and ensuring individuals with disabilities are included in all aspects of development

Climate Change — identifying and addressing climate risks and promoting climate action