I am currently the Deputy Principal at Glenbrook School and teach in the New Entrant class. I am very proud and consider it a privilege to be working as part of the Waiuku Kāhui Ako Across School Team. I am a passionate teacher and educational leader who is excited about seeing students realise their potential. I believe that through effective collaboration across our Kāhui Ako, we can improve the educational experience and outcome for all our students.

I am very proud to be involved in the Waiuku Kāhui Ako and leading the charge for change in our community of learning. Collaboration and collective responsibility are instrumental in helping all our tamariki find success in their education and beyond. I have been involved in education for over 20 years and have been a Deputy Principal at Waiuku College for 10 years. My three children attended Waipipi Primary and Waiuku College.

I have been working in the Waiuku district for the last 18 years. This year I teach in a Year 0-2 collaborative space at View Road School. I think we have an opportunity to improve outcomes for all our tamariki by working together and relying on one another’s strengths. I am especially excited by the opportunity to work closely with our Early Childhood colleagues as we work to make the transition from early childhood education to primary school as successful as possible for every child in every context.

My name is Emma Heaford and I am a teacher and SENCO at Waipipi School. This year, I am an Across School Leader for our Waiuku Kāhui Ako. I have been teaching for 20 years in the South Auckland and East Auckland areas. I moved with my family to Waipipi three years ago to live closer to my parents. I have been holidaying in Awhitu for over 10 years and am drawn to the beautiful Peninsula often. I believe that every child has the potential to be a successful life-long learner and that with the right teaching, all potentials can be reached. Catering to a variety of learning needs and providing a rich engaging environment are essential for me. Making strong links with whānau and the wider school community are high priorities of mine.

Hi. I am Alison. I currently work at Otaua School as a Year 4/5 teacher. I am originally from the United Kingdom, and moved to New Zealand in 2004. I have been living in Waiuku and love the lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the city. My favourite thing to do at school is art and I run an Art Attackers club for our talented students. We have painted school murals and have brightened up the school grounds with our art work. Last year, we were runners-up in the national Resene mural design competition. Not bad for a small country school! I also love travelling, reading and spending time with my family.

My name is Belinda Gribbon and I’m passionate about raising engagement and achievement for all our learners. I am a born and raised Cantabrian, teaching at Cashmere High School before moving to Auckland due to the 2011 Earthquakes. I taught at Southern Cross Campus in Mangere for several years, before moving here to Waiuku to purchase our own slice of the town. After the birth of my now toddler Mia, I was lucky enough to acquire a job at Waiuku College as Assistant HoD of English. A decision made for family, sanity, petrol prices and traffic has allowed me to become a part of the Within School Teachers of this Kāhui Ako, allowing me to continue to grow my passion to help all learners learn.

Kia ora! I’m Bridget Robins and am one of the two Within School Teachers at Waiuku Primary School. I am the Junior Hub Leader at our school and I also teach a New Entrant class. Originally from the Wellington region, I moved up to the Franklin region in late 2016 for love and to be closer to my daughter and grandson! My passion in teaching is literacy, particularly in engaging and motivating students in reading. As a hub we have recently moved towards a more play-based learning approach and am keen to see our tamariki grow in self-confidence and develop their cognitive and social skills through new and varied experiences.

I was born in Mosgiel and raised in Christchurch and Blenheim. I graduated from Christchurch Teachers College in 1982 and have been teaching ever since. Although I have been living in the North Island since 1987, I still consider myself to be a Mainlander. I have one son, who currently lives in Christchurch. Most of my formative years in teaching were spent at rural schools. I then spent 20 years teaching in low-decile schools in Otara and Papakura. Now I’m back in the country and loving it.

Hi, my name is Danielle Johnson and I am a Year 4-6 teacher at Aka Aka School. I have a long experience of teaching in various South Auckland schools and teaching different year levels. I really enjoy the years that I have been in Waiuku. My strengths and passions within education are, e-learning and implementing technology and design thinking into the classroom. I also love art, Lego, making and creating resources and I endeavour to make learning hands-on and exciting for my students.

Based at Waiuku College, I teach Media Studies and English and am also the GATE Coordinator. Prior
to Waiuku, I taught at Putaruru, Waiora and Fairlie: these were all Year 7-13 schools and gave a
degree of insight into transition into college.
Last year I completed Mindlab Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Leadership and Collaborative
Learning. To complement my BA and Grad Diploma teaching (Secondary), I have also done a Massey
University short course on Twice Exceptional learners.
Being in a Within School Kāhui Ako member is exciting and I count it a privilege to work with other
schools who share the goal of improving the learning, success and wellbeing of our students.

My pedagogy for the 21st Century is how we teach must reflect how our students learn as well as reflecting the world that they will emerge into. As this is a world that is rapidly evolving, changing, connecting and adapting, so too must our pedagogy to meet these needs. I have been involved in the Education profession in the Counties/Manukau area for 31 years. I have experience working with students across Year 0 to Year 8 level in the capacity of a classroom teacher (1991-2006) and through to Year 11 as a Supplementary Learning Support Teacher (2006-2012). From 2013-2014, I worked as a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour based at Pukekohe Intermediate – Cluster 13. Since 2015, I have been employed at Awhitu District School as Deputy Principal/SENCO/Classroom Teacher. I enjoy working with children and supporting them to achieve their potential. I have a special interest in working with students with Specific Learning Needs. I have engaged in further learning to enhance my knowledge in this area and gained a Graduate Diploma in Special Teaching Needs in 2007 (University of Auckland) and Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Behaviour in 2014 (Massey University). Prior to this study I gained a Diploma of Teaching – Auckland College of Education (1990) and a Bachelor of Arts (1996). Teaching is a passion of mine and I feel humbled and honoured to be a part of the Waiuku Kāhui Ako in my current role as Within School Teacher for Awhitu District School.

I grew up in Naike, northwest Waikato – not too far from here. I went to Ruawaro, a very small rural school, followed by Huntly College before heading to Waikato University. One of the things I love about primary school teaching is how much variety I have in a day. I particularly enjoy teaching Maths, Writing and Art. I recently completed the MindLab Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Leadership and Collaboration. Although the majority of my teaching has been with the Year 7/8 age group, I am currently teaching a Year 6/7 class, and I’m the team leader of the Year 5/6 syndicate at Glenbrook School.

Hi, my name is Isla Holt and I am the Deputy Principal and SENCO at Waiuku Primary. I have held this position since 2011. In 2019, I was appointed in the Across School SENCO position. I hope to be able to share my knowledge of this role and mentor our new SENCOs in the Kāhui Ako. I have a strong interest in inclusive education and hope all schools will embrace it as a way to connect every student to the learning experience, and promote success for all learners, regardless of ability.

Kia ora. My name is Jodi Hermond and I am the Within School Teacher for Pukeoware School. I have a wide variety of experience as I have worked as a teacher aide, teacher and now, a deputy principal. My strengths are literacy, numeracy, and eLearning. I am passionate about fostering the needs of every learner to ensure their individual learning needs are met, in an environment of inclusiveness where they can take ownership of being the best they can be.

My name is Julie Steele and I am one of the Within School Teachers at Sandspit Road School. Previously, I was also an Across School Teacher, so I have been involved in the Waiuku Kāhui Ako since it started. I have been a teacher for over 25 years, both in the UK and here in NZ, and have taught across all Primary ages. I currently teach New Entrants and I am passionate about early years education, in particular supporting student’s emotional and social development through play-based learning opportunities.

Kia ora, my name is Shannon Adamski and I have been teaching Geography, Social Studies and Tourism at Waiuku College. I have a keen passion for travelling the world and sharing this interest with my students. As a Within School Teacher, I am enjoying working alongside teachers from across our Kāhui Ako and am excited about the potential to better understand our local contexts, enrich learning opportunities for ākonga and increase their engagement.

Kia ora. Hello. Nihao. Talofa lava. Namaste. Konichiwa. Annyeonghaseyo. Apart from being one of the Within School Teachers, I am also the HoF of Languages and Dean of International Students at the college. My teaching career started in Singapore in 2002, as a teacher of GCE O-Level English. I also spent 2 years teaching English in Shanghai at an international school. Since my move to New Zealand, my passion for teaching English to speakers of other languages has grown a lot stronger. This passion and desire to enhance my competency in this specialist area motivated me to pursue further studies – completed the GradDip in TESSOL at the University of Auckland. My current new-found passion is in teaching the Chinese language. Indubitably, my strengths and interests are all related to the fact that I love CULTURE!

Kia Ora, my name is Kay Kendall. I am proudly born and raised in Waiuku, and have since raised my own five children here. Problem solving is my passion and kids are my craze. They’re fun, cheeky and mischievous making me laugh often in my current job as SENCO and DP at View Road School. My heartfelt belief is that happy children learn with automaticity. My job in facilitating that happiness is a total pleasure and I am grateful for it. I love playing word games, sudoku, hockey, reading, and music among other things.

I’m Tineke Dippenaar and I currently teach within Ohurua our innovative learning space for year
7 and 8 students at Sandspit Road School. I am passionate about ensuring that all ākonga have
the opportunity to engage in a range of learning experiences within and beyond Waiuku.

Kia ora kouto katoa, I’m Kristine Jones and I am the Hub Four Team Leader and class teacher of an awesome year seven and eight class at Waiuku Primary School. I am originally from Dunedin but have called Auckland my home for the last twenty five years. I have a passion for teaching in project based learning that provides motivation and authenticity to intermediate aged learners. I look forward to working with the Waiuku Kāhui Ako Team and in particular, implementing ways in which all students have equal opportunities to learn, across our cluster.

Kia ora, my name is Kara Foster. I am originally from Buckinghamshire in the South East of England. I completed my BEd degree in Teaching at the University of Plymouth in the south of England, specialising in Art and Design. I’ve been a teacher for 16 years and have enjoyed working with students across Primary and Intermediate and from a range of backgrounds. My passion is teaching literacy and visual art. I have enjoyed numerous leadership roles over the years and am excited to be part of the Waiuku Kāhui Ako Within School Teachers team at View Road School.