Team Wharemauku

Wharemauku – House made of flax

A drop of water (kopata wai) flows from the Maungakotukutuku Valley over the land through the township of Paraparaumu along the Wharemauku Stream. As it moves along the stream it gathers knowledge and grows on its journey to the sea (Te Moana).

Room 1: Beth Brady

Beth is part of the junior team at Raumati Beach School. She graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 2009 and has since taught in both New Zealand and England. She has a special interest in working with younger children and building relationships which enable her to help them to meet their learning potential.

In her spare time, Beth enjoys being outdoors, swimming and walking. She also has a passion for travelling and has visited many countries around the world. Her favourite countries to travel to are the Greek Islands and Norway.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.” Dr Seuss

Team Lead, Room 2: Tansy Sharp

Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Tararua tōku maunga
Ko Waikanae tōku awa
Ko NZ1 tōku waka
Ko Tasman tōku moana
No Kapiti ahau
Ko Sharp tōku whanau
Ko Tansy tōku ingoa
No reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Tansy has been teaching at Raumati Beach for the past eight years. She puts play at the centre of our curriculum, encouraging purposeful play and authentic inquiries as part of the school day. Tansy believes relationships are key to children feeling settled at school. She aims to create an environment where children feel safe and able to take risks in their learning. Tansy is driven by a passion that learning should be meaningful and fun. She strives to bring creativity into school to help foster a stimulating and engaging learning environment where students interact with meaningful learning that has relevance to their own lives.

“We have imaginations. As a result we have unlimited powers of creativity.” -Sir Ken Robson, Out of Our Minds. Learning to Be Creative.

Room 3: Rebecca Farrow

Tena koutou katoa

Ko Bukit Timah tōku maunga

Ko Kallang tōku awa

Ko NZ Airforce tōku waka

Ko Kiwi tōku iwi

Ko Semgawang tōku taone

Ko Rebecca Farrow tōku ingoa

Ko Matt tōku tane

E rua aku tama, ko Conor rāua ko Cameron

No reira tena koutou katoa

Growing up as an ‘Army Brat’ I was fortunate to see lots of the world, have many unique experiences and live in different places which inspired my own passion for travel and exploration. My whānau and I moved to the beautiful Kapiti Coast a few years ago. We love spending time in the great outdoors, exploring the local bike trails, walks and beaches. Apart from travelling, I also enjoy reading, listening and playing music and photography.

I have been at Raumati Beach School for 5 years teaching in a variety of different year levels, prior to this I taught at schools in Porirua. I am passionate about teaching and learning and strongly believe that teaching needs to be relevant, authentic and creative. I aim to create a learning environment that is positive, safe and supportive so each individual feels confident and encouraged to explore, experiment and grow to become inquisitive lifelong learners.

Room 4: Lorraine Rigg

Room 5: Michelle Abraham

Tena koutou katoa,

Michelle is a member of Team Wharemauku at Raumati Beach School and has had the pleasure of working on the Kapiti Coast for over 24 years. She lives with her husband and two daughters. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, going for walks, socialising with her friends and interior design. She graduated from Victoria University and the Wellington College of Education in 1997.

Michelle has taught in a range of year levels but her speciality is in the juniors. She believes learning is about the journey, not just the destination. Part of her philosophy is a strong belief in her own on-going learning: She’s always on the search for better strategies to increase the effectiveness of her learning programmes.

Michelle believes building positive relationships with her students are fundamental to success. When students feel supported, they’re more likely to engage in learning and feel successful.

“A great teacher is someone who can learn from their students; who can learn with them, and learns for them.” R J Meelan

Room 6: Jasmine Guerin-Jones

Kia ora! My name is Jasmine.

I grew up in Wellington and the Kapiti Coast. After university, I moved overseas and spent 15 years teaching in South Korea and Japan. In that time, I taught all ages from kindergarten to adult students, and I developed a passion for teaching and for spicy food.

It’s a privilege to be a teacher. I love being in classrooms, sharing experiences and inspiring learning journeys. Relationships, creativity (including play) and self-motivated learning are at the heart of my teaching philosophy.

On the weekends, you’ll find me reading, inventing new recipes (mostly entirely edible), or playing guitar.

Room 7: Liz Gordon

Room 8: Molly Daube

I began studying in 1996 at Palmerston North College of Education and completed a diploma in teaching at the end of 1999. I completed my qualification with a Bachelor of Education in 2000 then moved to the Hutt Valley at the beginning of 2001 to resume a teaching position.

Prior to working here, at RBS, I taught across all primary year levels then moved to Paraparaumu. I have been teaching at Raumati Beach School since 2007 at my favourite year 1-2 level!

I grew up mostly in the Manawatu area. I have a husband, two daughters, a step son and three grandsons. I consider them my hobbies, along with gardening, home decorating and driving.