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SpanishSenior Leadership Team
Senior Leadership Team
Rob Hutton
Principal
Coming Soon
Jo Patrick
Associate Principal
Jo began her role as Associate Principal at LBPS in 2006. She has a Diploma in Teaching and Bachelor of Education from Waikato University, trained to teach English as a Second Language in London,and has completed a Masters in Education (Honours) with the University of Auckland.
She has been a classroom teacher for many years: in Whakatane for her first year, at Sherwood School, Browns Bay in 1985 and 1986, Aycliffe Drive JMI in Hemel Hempstead in the UK for two years, and Milford and Marina View Schools in Auckland in the early 1990’s.
Jo developed a particularly strong interest in maths teaching in the 1990’s, and worked on a Ministry of Education contract ‘Parent Education in Relation to Maths’ in 1995. She lectured in maths education at Auckland College of Education and was a Maths Adviser and Numeracy Facilitator based at the University of Auckland Faculty of Education for seven years. Jo currently leads the numeracy curriculum team.
Jo has a teenage daughter and lives locally.
Julie Butler
Associate Principal (SENCO)
Julie Butler has been a member of the Long Bay Primary staff since 1996. After many years as a full-time classroom teacher and team leader, in 2017 Julie moved out of the classroom and into a three day week. As our school SENCO Julie has a specific focus on assisting special needs and ESOL students.
She has lived in Torbay for the last twenty seven years and enjoys meeting past and present students and their families at the local beaches and shops. Julie has three children, now well into their twenties, who have all attended Long Bay Primary and the local schools.
Lliam Carran
Associate Principal
Coming Soon
Support Staff
Support Staff
Sandy Tickner
Office Administration
Sandy has been at Long bay Primary since 2006, initially as a teacher aide. She is currently responsible for the financial administration within the school and the person to see if you have queries with financial matters.
Sandy lives locally and loves to spend time with family and friends.
Lorna Corrie
Office Administration
Lorna joined Long Bay Primary in May 2016. She has a background in Event Management and Administration and previously worked in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. She lives locally with her husband and two daughters. Lorna enjoys working with and looking after the school students.
Ennva Street
Office Administration
Coming Soon
John Underwood
Property Manager
John is an experienced property manager. John worked as both a builder and a forest ranger prior to managing school property. He was employed at a primary school in Perth for three years and at Westlake Girls High School for 14 years. John loves living on the North Shore and enjoys being at Long Bay Primary.
Kōwhai Team (New Entrant to Year 1)
Kowhai Team
Tarina MacKay
Teacher, Kowhai Team Leader
Room 2
Room 2
Tarina joined the Long Bay Primary New Entrant team in 2017 after graduating from AUT with a Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching.
Tarina has always had a passion for working with children and enjoys building learning relationships that foster the development of the whole child.
Tarina grew up on the North Shore and lives locally with her husband and children. She loves the beach, spending time with family, keeping fit and enjoying the outdoors.
Irene Hayakawa
Teacher
Room 3
Room 3
Irene recently completed her Masters of Teaching Primary with the University of Auckland. In 2016, Irene had the opportunity to teach English to students in South Korea where she found her true passion for teaching. Irene joined Long Bay Primary in 2018 as a beginning teacher.
Irene aims to develop a positive, respectful and inclusive learning environment wherein all students are able to achieve and succeed. Irene came to New Zealand in 2006, from the Philippines where she was born and raised. She enjoys reading books and is passionate about the arts.
Jitka Bloomfield
Teacher
Room 5
Room 5
Jitka emigrated from the Czech Republic in 2004, where she was a qualified early childhood and primary school teacher. Whilst in New Zealand, she has worked at Kelston Deaf Education Unit as a teacher using New Zealand Sign Language, and at nature kindergartens, such as ‘Play and Learn’ and ‘Conscious Kids’. She has also been active in the ‘WaterWise’ program as an instructor.
Jitka joined Long Bay Primary in 2015, initially as a reliever, prior to her full-time appointment in 2016.
Susie Stringer
Teacher
Room 6
Room 6
Coming Soon
Dee McGibbon
Teacher
Room 1
Room 1
Dee completed her Bachelor of Education (Teaching) degree at the University of Auckland in 2011. Dee’s first role was teaching a new entrant class at Oteha Valley school in 2012. She joined Long Bay School’s teaching team in 2013. In 2020 Dee is buddy teaching with Helen Fairclough. Dee is an experienced new entrant teacher who considers it a special privilege to be a child’s first teacher. She strives to create and instill a love of learning in all her students.
Dee lives in Long Bay with her husband and two sons. She enjoys reading, coffee with friends and walking their rescue dog Eddie.
Helen Fairclough
Teacher
Room 1
Room 1
Helen Fairclough is an experienced junior school teacher who has been teaching Year 0 and 1 children at Long Bay Primary since 2007.
Helen has been teaching for over thirty years. She trained as a teacher in the UK and has taught a range of classes from nursery aged children (kindergarten) to Year 2. She taught mainly in the North of England. Since migrating to New Zealand, Helen taught at Coatesville and Kaukapapa Schools prior to Long Bay. At Long Bay, Helen has held a number of responsibilities; she has contributed to curriculum development (most recently in Science, and as a teacher librarian) and has been a team leader. In 2020 Helen returns to the Kowhai team as a buddy teacher with Dee McGibbon.
Helen lives on the North Shore with her family.
Rimu Team (Year 1-2)
Rimu Team
Lisa Leggett
Teacher, Rimu Team Leader (WSL)
Room 8
Room 8
Lisa joined the Long Bay team in 2018. She has 20 years teaching experience across all year levels and prior to Long Bay spent 10 years at Forrest Hill School. Lisa has a Masters in Education, which she completed while teaching in Melbourne. Lisa has a passion for student agency and fostering a growth mind-set in students.
Lisa lives in Browns Bay with her husband and two boys. They enjoy spending time at the local beaches and playgrounds.
Fenneke Gingell
Teacher, School Library Lead
Room 7
Room 7
Fenneke worked in Textile Sales and Marketing in South Africa. She immigrated to New Zealand in 2004, and worked as a part-time retail assistant in a scrapbooking shop.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Early Years) in 2012. As a beginning teacher, Fenneke relief taught at Long Bay Primary, before accepting an offer of full-time employment at Riverhead School, where she taught in the Junior School. She was part of the Innovation Team there, leading an inquiry into the implementation of Project Based Learning, influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. The concept of PBL is focused on the teacher responding to the children’s interests and their curiosity, while linking teaching of the NZ Curriculum areas. Fenneke feels passionate about finding different ways of engaging children and finding meaningful context for their learning.
Fenneke returned to Long Bay on a permanent basis in Term 3 of 2017.
Christine Yeh
Teacher
Room 9
Room 9
Christine has just completed her postgraduate honours degree specialising in Mathematics and Science education. She worked at Long Bay Primary in 2021 as a reliever as well as completing the maths education component of her degree. Christine loves working with junior children and is looking forward to implementing all the skills she has learned with her class this year.
Rebekah Webb
Teacher (Mentor)
Room 10
Room 10
Rebekah is originally from Northern Ireland and completed her teacher training in Scotland, graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a First Class Honours Bachelor of Education. She taught in Scotland before moving to New Zealand in 2016 to be with her husband.
Since her arrival in NZ, Rebekah taught the junior reception class at Bayview Primary School, then came to Long Bay in 2019. Having recently moved to the area of Torbay, she is excited to be a part of the Long Bay team and feel more a part of the local community.
Rebekah is passionate about building lasting and positive relationships with her students, making them feel valued and cared for in their classroom environment.
In her spare time Rebekah teaches private piano lessons and enjoys playing the piano herself. She also enjoys spending time at the beach, paddle boarding, doing arts and crafts, reading and hiking.
Manuka Team (Year 2-3)
Manuka Team
Steve Anderson
Teacher, Manuka Team Leader
Room 14
Room 14
Steve started teaching at Long Bay in 2015. Prior to embarking on a teaching career, Steve was a well-travelled travel agent. Steve enjoys keeping fit and plays soccer in his spare time.
Jonathon Oates
Teacher
Room 11
Room 11
Coming Soon
Kathryn Hohaia
Teacher (Mentor), Community Learners Within School Lead Teacher
Room 25
Room 25
Kathryn graduated from Auckland College of Education in 1990. She has taught levels 0 – 6, predominantly in the year 5/6 area. As well as classroom teaching Kathryn has had experience in team, maths and sports leadership and has spent a decade in the role of music specialist.
Kathryn enjoys the challenge of creating and tailoring an engaging classroom programme which caters for the needs of all her students. Kathryn moved to Browns Bay when she was 4 years old. She attended Torbay Primary, Northcross Intermediate and Long Bay College.
Kathryn loves living in the Bays with all it has to offer, so no surprise when she chose to raise her family, now young adults in Browns Bay too! When not at work Kathryn enjoys spending time with her family, playing sport together or going to the beach. She also likes to read and potter in her garden.
Shirley Carran
Teacher
Room 18
Room 18
Shirley has been teaching for 12 years. Her passions include Visual Arts and Literacy. Shirley believes that children learn best when they are happy and secure. Her challenge is to swoop up her children in a whirlwind of wonderful words, exciting ideas and creations.
Shirley is a big believer in following your dreams. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, she is a new addition to Long Bay Primary, having recently moved to Auckland from Wellington (along with her cat and dog in tow!) Shirley is very excited to be surrounded by such beautiful beaches. She loves to spend her time working in her garden and exploring new places with her husband Lliam, and daughters Harper and Sylvie.
Diane Edgoose
Teacher
Room 19
Room 19
Diane has worked at Long Bay since 2005. She has taught students from Years 2 to 6. She has a love for teaching children and enjoys supporting learning across the curriculum.
Diane has been teaching since 1998. She has a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching. She started her career teaching at Mt Roskill Primary, then moved on to Long Bay. She has a passion for sport, numeracy and using Assessment for Learning effectively in the classroom.
Diane loves spending time with her husband James and their children, Jake and Emma.
Nikau Team (Year 3-4)
Nikau Team
Kate Porter
Teacher, Nikau Team Leader
Room 20
Room 20
After graduating with a Bachelor of Education in primary teaching from AUT, Kate joined the Long Bay team in 2018.
Kate is particularly passionate about Literacy and the Social Sciences. She hopes to encourage students to share her love for reading. She believes it is important to create a learning environment where students feel confident and supported.
Kate lives on the North Shore and enjoys spending her spare time outdoors, especially at the beach.
Ankeli Van Rooyen
Teacher
Room 21
Room 21
Ankeli has been teaching since 2017. She has taught in Year 2 and 3, and has specialised in Music and Social Science. She enjoys sport and has coached students in swimming, hockey and netball. When not teaching, Ankeli enjoys camping, fishing, weight lifting and training her blue heeler, Lazer.
Pip Rive
Teacher
Room 22
Room 22
Pip has been teaching since 2003, working in Manurewa, London, and across the North Shore. She has taught all year levels over her teaching career. Pip started at Long Bay Primary in 2020.
She is married with 3 children and has lived in the area most of her life attending Long Bay Primary, Northcross Intermediate and Long Bay College.
In her spare time she enjoys reading, walking and spending time with her friends and family.
Tōtara Team (Year 4-5)
Totara Team
Tiffany Driver
Teacher, Totara Team Leader
Room 23
Room 23
Tiffany is excited to join the team this year after 5 years at Te Papapa School and 2 years in London. She recently moved to Torbay and loves the community. A passion for singing and dancing steered Tiffany towards teaching and she enjoys inspiring students in the Arts. Tiffany also brings strengths in digital technology, learning focused relationships and Te Reo Māori. Outside of school, Tiffany loves to keep fit and spend time with friends and Whānau.
Elisha Russell
Teacher
Room 24
Room 24
Elisha joined the Long Bay teaching staff in 2021 after 3 years at Northcote Intermediate School. Elisha enjoys working collaboratively with her teaching peers to create meaningful and authentic learning experiences for all tamariki. She is particularly passionate about Literacy and integrating ākonga's interests into her teaching practice. Elisha has two daughters and enjoys spending her spare time with her whanau at their local beach in Long Bay.
John Keoghan
Teacher, co-teaching with Nikki Douglas, eLearning specialisation, IT support
Room 25
Room 25
John joined Long Bay Primary in 2017, after 6 years at Forrest Hill School and more recently, 3 years at Windy Ridge Primary.
He has experience teaching a range of levels from years 2-6 and is involved in our school E-Learning and Sports curriculum teams. John has a Post Graduate Diploma in Primary Teaching, a New Zealand Certificate in Architectural Design and prior to teaching spent 13 years as an Architectural Designer in the commercial industry.
John lives locally and has 3 children. Outside of school he enjoys getting out in the boat for a fish and a quick surf with the kids.
Nikki Douglas
Teacher, co-teaching with John Keoghan,
Drama specialisation, Sport Lead
Room 25
Room 25
Nikki trained at Auckland Teachers College and taught for a few years before heading to Europe for her OE. On returning she did a variety of jobs ranging from copywriting for a tax and business law publisher, to production and advertising for the National Business Review and finishing a Diploma in Massage Therapy. As well as teaching in Room 19, Nikki also holds a variety of positions at Long Bay Primary, including drama specialisation and sports coordinator. Nikki has also shared her arts talent through writing and directing our full school productions.
Kauri Team (Year 5-6)
Kauri Team
Miranda Kelly
Teacher, Kauri Team Leader, Community Learners Within School Lead Teacher
Room 14
Room 14
Miranda has been teaching since 2001, working in Palmerston North, Blenheim and Auckland with children from Year 0 to Year 13. She is passionate about helping children to progress in their learning. Miranda can play the piano well and has taught singing at NCEA Level 3.
Miranda has been a great support for the Long Bay Arts programme, including writing and providing music direction in the school musical, and coordinating the music tutor programme.
She is married to Phil and has two sons.
Mark Wallace
Teacher
Room 13
Room 13
Mark spent 23 years working as a stevedore before attending university to follow a dream of being a teacher. He completed his Bachelor of Education through AUT, and graduated at the end of 2017.
Mark lives on the Hibiscus Coast where he grew up, with his wife and two daughters. His family love the lifestyle of living near the beach. Mark is a massive rugby league fan. In his spare time he participates in a weekly event called Parkrun, where he runs 5km or volunteers as an official. This has helped Mark keep fit, and led to him entering other events, including half marathons.
Mark is enjoying his new career choice here at Long Bay Primary.
Ellis Walker Bell
Teacher
Room 15
Room 15
Ellis joined the Long Bay primary teaching staff in 2017 having spent the previous 5 years teaching in West Auckland. She graduated from Massey University in 2011 having decided on a change in career. She has taught from year 3 up and enjoys the excitement and curiosity that teaching brings.
When not teaching, Ellis enjoys gardening and growing veggies, loves walking and spending time at the beach. She also loves enjoys cooking and sharing food with family and friends. Ellis lives locally with her husband and two teenage boys.
Paula Ritsma
Teacher
Room 16
Room 16
Paula is thrilled to join Long Bay Primary this year. She started her primary school journey three years ago, at St John’s School where she collaboratively established ‘Garden to Table’ and taught Te Reo Māori school-wide. Paula has worked globally as a Secondary School teacher and Software trainer. Her desire is to create an exciting learning environment which harnesses each child’s innate sense of curiosity. Paula enjoys time with whānau and friends and loves the outdoors.
Additional Part time Teachers
Additional Part Time Teachers
Helen Fairclough
Release Teacher
Helen Fairclough is an experienced junior school teacher who has been teaching Year 0 and 1 children at Long Bay Primary since 2007.
Helen has been teaching for over thirty years. She trained as a teacher in the UK and has taught a range of classes from nursery aged children (kindergarten) to Year 2. She taught mainly in the North of England. Since migrating to New Zealand, Helen taught at Coatesville and Kaukapapa Schools prior to Long Bay. At Long Bay, Helen has held a number of responsibilities; she has contributed to curriculum development (most recently in Science, and as a teacher librarian) and has been a team leader.
Helen lives on the North Shore with her family.
Victoria Koopen
Release Teacher
Victoria graduated from Hamilton Teachers’ College and Waikato University in 1990 and has taught in Thames, London, Wellington and Auckland. Victoria is a trained and experienced Reading Recovery Teacher and has an interest and strength in Te Reo Māori. She has taught part time at Long Bay Primary in a variety of roles; specialist Māori teacher (including kapahaka), special needs support and release teacher, and as a netball coach.
Briar Porter
Release Teacher
Briar has worked at Long Bay since 2006. Before teaching she completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in Wellington, has lived and taught English in Japan and completed her Post Graduate Diploma of Teaching.
Briar has spent time teaching across the levels within school from Year 1 to Year 6, with the majority of her teaching being with Year 3 & 4. She enjoys getting to know student’s individual strengths and talents and watch as their confidence in both their academic and social capabilities grow throughout their time at Primary school. She has a keen interest in e-learning, Māori language and sport.
In her free time Briar enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and two young children.
Anne Kelly
Reading Recovery/ Quick 60 / ESoL and learning support
Anne Kelly completed a four year Bachelor of Education Degree and then taught as a classroom teacher in East London for 12 years. She moved to New Zealand in 1998 taking up a classroom teaching position in a school in West Auckland.
Anne is living locally in Torbay with her family and has been teaching Reading Recovery at Long Bay Primary since 2007.
Louise Lumsden
Music Specialisation
Coming Soon
Emily Sherpa
Release Teacher
Emily is an experienced teacher who was a regular reliever before joining the teaching staff at Long Bay. Emily lives locally and her two boys attend Long Bay Primary.
Claire Dowson
Visual Art Specialisation
Coming Soon
Teacher Aides
Our Teacher Aides are a valuable and essential part of the staff at Long Bay Primary. They work with the class teacher, SENCO (Special Education Need Co-ordinator) and Senior Leadership team to support students participate, engage and learn. They provide encouragement, extra assistance and guidance to help students become more confident and independent learners.
Our Teacher Aides work in different ways depending on the needs of the students they are working with. They may work with an individual student or take small group sessions. Some of our support programmes are taken by Teachers Aides. These include the Rainbow Reading programme, Maths Knowledge groups, writing support and targeted literacy sessions. They also help new speakers of English.
Teacher Aides
Lisa Dunlop
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Christiane Checksfield
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Sabine Berkman
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Ruth Swift
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Kaylee McDonald
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Katie Henderson
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon
Susannah Wyndham
Teacher Aide
Coming Soon