Hi there I’m Jo (Joanne) Stewart the Acting Principal at Te Totara Primary School.

I gained my Bachelor of Education and Diploma of Teaching at Waikato University and have been teaching for over 25 years in and around the Waikato area with some time spent teaching overseas. I really enjoy Literacy and Maths teaching in the classroom and have a real passion for children's poetry.

My husband is Assistant Principal at a Hamilton school and we have 2 wonderful girls who are both at High School. In my spare time I enjoy cooking up a storm, pottering in the garden, performing and listening to music and playing with paint and ink in my art shed.

I have been working at Te Totara since 2012 and really enjoy the children and my wonderful colleagues. I look forward to meeting you over the course of the year.

Tena koutou katoa

My name is Maree Lewis. I was born and raised in the beautiful town of Whakatane and came to Hamilton for tertiary education. I trained at Hamilton Teachers College, receiving a Diploma of Education and Bachelor of Education. I have been in education for a number of years and have had experience in a variety of roles. I have been a classroom teacher, Reading Recovery teacher, senior teacher, Assistant Principal, Deputy Principal and SENCO as well as having experience as an Acting Principal.

My husband, Sean, is the General Manager of an Electrical Engineering company in Hamilton. We have two wonderful daughters whom we are very proud of. Our eldest, Sophie, is in her first year of teaching at a primary school in Hamilton and our youngest daughter, Kelly, is studying to be a Radiation Therapist.

The staff at Te Totara are fabulous with everyone working together to provide the best learning programmes for the students. I look forward to working closely with them all. I am also looking forward to getting to know the parent community at Te Totara.

Kia Ora,
I’m Caron Ace and it is my privilege to be the Acting Assistant Principal for the start of 2024.
I have been a teacher for the past 20 years and I have taught every year level from Year 0 to Year 6 but Juniors is where my heart lies.
I have been teaching at Te Totara Primary for a number of years now and it has been a privilege to be the Team Leader for the Orion team for the past 6 years.
Teaching is my passion and I love the way the children are so excited to come to school and learn. I love the wonder in their eyes and the excitement they have when learning new things.
I am married to Shaun and we have two awesome children; Maddie, who is beginning year 10 this year, and Jayden who is Year 11.
Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, gardening, reading and tiki touring in our Chevy.
My door is always open so feel free to pop in anytime and say hello!