Staff

Staff

Staff

Mark Ellis

Principal 

 

Mark is the Principal of Rakaia School and has been here from the start of 2006. He was previously the Principal at Mayfield School for 7 and a half years. He is a member of the Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade and turns out for the Rakaia brigade while at school. A keen sportsman achieving Karate Black Belt in 2012. Mark was also a member of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation and was a member of the executive committee during 2005 and 2006. Mark is married to Dulcie and they have 2 children, Corey and Chelsea, and beautiful grandson Kyas.

Morgan Platt

Deputy Principal
 

Morgan has just joined the team. He has experience overseas teaching in England and Dubai. He is joined by his family, his wife, and daughter with another new addition of a baby boy to the family. A professional musician and talented communicator, we are thrilled to have Morgan on the team.

 

Mahi Tahi

Natasha Jenkins

Mahitahi Team Leader- Year 7/8 Teacher 

Natasha joined us from Mayfield School in 2015 and has made huge impressions with her ICT knowledge and dedication to literacy. Natasha leads our senior team and also is a valuable member of our Senior Leadership Team.

Melanie Marr

Team Teacher- Year 7/8 Teacher 

Mel has been a part of the Rakaia School community since 2008. Mel has teamed up with Tash to team-teach throughout the school weeks and dedicated herself in planning and coordinating our Emotional Regulation programme that has had such a positive impact on our children  

Alissa Anderson

Mahitahi Team- Year 5-6 Teacher
 

Alissa has joined us from Methven and also had a 2-year job teaching in Rarotonga. She is covering a maternity position and living in Ashburton. Alissa will be looking after sports at Rakaia School. 

Simone Stapleton

Year 4 Teacher  
 

Simone is a corner stone of Rakaia School has worked at Rakaia School who has been a part of our kura for a number of years.  Simone leads whakamatau alongside Mr Platt  who injects her love of literacy, art and a desire for children to be children . Simone is a valuable member of our wider community and we are grateful that she is a part of our team!

 

Rebecca Wiseman

Year 5 & 6 Teacher  
 
Rebecca works for us 9 hours a week as a teacher aide and has graduated to become a teacher. We are fortunate to have her with us as she has developed a strong relationship with Rakaia School and it’s community! 
 
 

Linda Gosling

Year 5 & 6 Teacher  

Linda has joined us in 2021 and comes with a wealth of experience from the UK and New Zealand. She also brings with her a passion for drama and singing which can be seen throughout her classroom. With her experience in New Zealand, Linda has developed her knowledge of Te ao Maori and is eager to work alongside our Kapa haka leaders. 

Ako Team

Bridget Grant

Ako Team- New Entrant Teacher

Bridget joined us in 2017 from Tinwald school and after 6 months in Mahi, tahi has joined the junior team where she taught at Tinwald. Bridget is the new Special Needs teacher and works together with a successful and caring junior team. She is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team  

Alisha Hall 

Ako 2

Alisha and Jenna team teach in Room 2 and do a fantastic job for us. Alisha teaches Mon-Wed and Jenna on a Thurs-Fri. Both are experienced teachers and adding great value to the school. 

Natasha Baxter

Release Teacher

Is one of our fabulous release teachers supporting the school programmes and staff with her release time. She is also the lead for our School Support Group who continuously supports the school in events and fundraising to make it extra special for our tamariki.

Pauline Doody

Relieving Teacher 

Pauline has been a wonderful part of Rakaia School for many years and has now retired. She is working for the school as a reliever and we are thrilled to still have her influence with us. 

Support Staff

Carol Muckle

Teacher Aide/Librarian

Carol is one of our fabulous Teacher Aides and also has her own children at Rakaia School. Carol and her family have been in the Rakaia area for many years and in fact, her children are 4th generation Rakaia School, students. She currently has one child at Rakaia School.

Vanessa Davidson 

Teacher Aide/Librarian

Vanessa has been a part of the team since 2018 and continues to play a big part in Rakaia School. Vanessa joins us with 3 of her children who are at school and are able to witness her efforts as she helps deliver learning experiences across all learning areas. 

Tracey Atkinson

Emotional Regulation Activator
Tracey is a corner stone of our Rakaia community. She plays a key role in developing those interpersonal skills for our tamariki to be able to relate to themselves and others in order to successfully learn. Her passion towards learning is infectious and create that magical vibe around our kura.

Office & Maintenance

Mandy Beevor

Executive Officer

Mandy is the first person you meet when you come to Rakaia School. She keeps the school running along in a very efficient manner. Mandy is our admin angel, we hope that Solutions Services read this.   Mandy has been at Rakaia School for five years and is currently the Board of Trustees Staff Representative.  Mandy enjoys working at Rakaia School with a friendly and inspirational team. 

Lara Reihana

Office Admin, Sports coordinator, & Kapa Haka Leader

Lara has been a big part of the Rakaia school community and now joins us in the office. With her expertise, she is also dedicated to coordinating and delivering sports lessons. Along with this,  Lara is eager to develop our Kapa haka team and bring together our enthusiastic children.   

Peter Harrison

School Caretaker
Peter has joined the team in 2022. He is a positive member of the wider community who continue to develop those caring links in everything he does. He is a busy person who can be found on the mower or up a ladder changing lights.