Overall, there are few changes going into next year. We have had several additional kaimahi (staff) join us through the year, and some staff members will be leaving us at the end of the year.
We will be very sad to say good bye to the following staff members:
Brooke: Brooke has been one of our stalwart release kaiako (teachers) in Koru Hub for most of this year. Brooke is coming to the end of her first year of teaching, and is very keen to gain a role as a whānau or class teacher next year. We have loved Brooke's creativity and her advocacy for ākonga (students) and their needs.
Maura: Maura joined us in Term 3 this year, as the main release kaiako in Pōhutukawa Hub, once Rachel took over Emma's whānau group. We have loved Maura's energy and her passion for ensuring ākonga feel safe and heard.
Khadeeja leaves us as the end of this week, having joined us as a part time release kaiako in Pōhutukawa Hub in Term 3. Khadeeja's calm presence and warm and caring nature has been a lovely addition to the hub.
Caylie: Caylie joined us as a teacher aide in Pōhutukawa Hub in Term 3, to provide some additional support for the team. Used to working in a busy environment in Bella Italia restaurant, Caylie quickly adapted to the similarly busy environment of Amesbury! We have loved working with Caylie, and we wish her well as she heads off to teacher training next year.
Akane also joined us as a part time teacher aide in Term 3, working to support groups of learners in Pōhutukawa Hub. We have loved Akane's quiet and caring approach, and we wish her all the best as she pursues her interest in speech and language therapy.
Organisation for 2025
We will continue with our structure of two learning hubs, with Koru Hub being the base for our Year 1-3 ākonga, and Pōhutukawa being the base for our Year 4-6 ākonga.
Koru Hub:
Hub leader - Amaria Picard
Leadership support role - Hannah Sadler
Māwhero (new entrants) - Angela Herman-Childs, Wee Ai Teh. There will also be a teacher aide in the group, supporting ākonga and learning.
Main Group kaiako: Lily Patrick-Duncan, Aleesha Majaw Monisse, Hannah Sadler, Lauren Brown, Sophia Hughes, Kate Dammer. Navy Ny and Gerri Ng are our teacher aides in this area, supporting ākonga learning. Amaria will be one of the release teachers across the hub, and will also be joined by Bina Chauhan as a release teacher in Koru for two days each week. Charlene, who currently works in Māwhero to support learning, will be a release teacher in Koru for three days each week.
The Main Group will be split into four whānau groups of Year 1-2 students, and two whānau groups of Year 3 students. They will work collaboratively together, and mix across the six groups for key learning areas.
Pōhutukawa Hub:
*Emma Murdoch will return from parental leave at the start of Term 3. Lisa Bengtsson will also return for the start of Term 3, returning from her year's leave in Sweden. When Emma returns, she will take over as hub leader. She will be in a similar role to Amaria in Koru Hub - she will be the hub leader and complete release cover across the hub.
Hub leader - Rupert Webb (Terms 1 & 2); Emma Murdoch (Terms 3 & 4)
Whānau teachers: Gar Kee Wu, Brydon Gillam, Charlotte Montu, Rachel Hosnell, Rupert Webb, Sarah King and Amelia Prendeville. Our teacher aide in this hub supporting learning and ākonga is Nic Love.
There will be six whānau groups, each comprising of a mix of year 4-6 students. Sarah and Amelia will co-share a whānau group, with Sarah working as a whānau teacher three days each week. Amelia will be the whānau teacher for two days each week, and will be a release teacher across the hub on the other three days. Katherine Somcio will be a release teacher across the school, working for several days in Koru and several days in Pōhutukawa.
ELL: Kirat Singh will support EL (English language) learners across the school, working alongside kaiako and ākonga in both hubs to support language learning.
In Terms 1 and 2, Amaria Picard will be working as an Across School Lead Teacher in our Kāhui cluster of ten schools. Amaria will work across the schools for two days each week (Thursday and Friday) to support teachers and staff work towards kāhui goals. When Amaria is in her ASL role, Hannah Sadler will take over as hub leader.
Admin / leadership team
Jenny King and Urs Cunningham make up our senior leadership team, working across both hubs to support kaiako and ākonga.
Rachel Watson leads reception services in our school office, with Gail Greenslade as our finance and payroll office, and John Murrihy as our enrolment and communications manager. John also oversees our fabulous co-curricular programme.
Brian Wilson (caretaker and cleaner) and Kirsty Little (cleaner) keep our school safe and healthy for everyone.
Whānau connection hui
At the start of Term 1, we will hold whānau connection hui (meetings), which will be a chance to meet your child's whānau teacher and talk with them about your child. It is a good chance to share any key information about your child, and connect with the teacher.
Our first day of school in Term 1 is Tuesday 28th January.
On Monday 27th January, parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to book in for a 15 minute connection meeting with their child's whānau teacher. Next week, we will send an invitation to you for these connection hui, and explain how to book.
2025 promises to be an exciting and busy year, and we are looking forward to the fabulous learning and connections that will happen.
