Kia Ora Koutou. Hello my name is Julianne Wink. I am excited to fulfil the role of teaching the Year 1 children in Orion 7 and be part of the wonderful Orion Team at Te Totara Primary School.

I have teaching experience in both the Early Childhood and Primary Sectors. I am married with two children. We enjoy exploring New Zealand and visiting places new to us.

I look forward to providing many valuable experiences which engage children as they begin their learning journey here at Te Totara Primary School and "Reach For The Stars."

Kia Ora, I’m Caron Ace and it is my privilege to be the teacher of the wonderful year one children in Orion 8.
I have been teaching at Te Totara Primary for a number of years now and I love every moment of it. Te Totara is like one big family. I have taught every year level from Year 0-Year 6 but Juniors is where my heart lies.
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; Maddison, who is in her first year of high school this year and Jayden who is Year 10.
Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and tiki touring in our Chevy.
My door is always open so feel free to pop in anytime and say hello!

Kia ora, my name is Sarah Gill. I am part of the Orion Team at Te Totara Primary School teaching in Room 9.

I am looking forward to meeting all the children and their families who are starting in this class. I come from both an Early Childhood and Primary Education background having taught in both sectors for a number of years now.

I bring with me a passion for teaching, lots of enthusiasm and knowledge about how young children learn and develop. I am excited to make the children's early school experience one that is positive and enjoyable.

My partner is Gareth and we have two children Riley, Mila and our large German Shepherd Zeus. I love spending time with my family at the beach fishing or hunting and exploring together.

My door is always open so feel free to pop in anytime and say hello!

Kia ora koutou
My name is Maree Lewis and I am privileged to have recently joined the Matawhero team at Te Totara Primary. And to be in the newest classroom is an added bonus!
I have been in the education sector for many years. Most of my teaching career has been based in the junior school. I have had a wide range of experiences throughout my career including teaching reading recovery, being at the various management positions throughout schools, working as a SENCO (Special Education Needs Coordinator) and I have spend some time at the Ministry of Education.
It is very refreshing and rewarding being back in the classroom setting. I love supporting tamariki and their whaanau in transitioning into school life.
My husband and I have 2 wonderful daughters. Our eldest is about to embark on her teaching journey and our youngest will be studying radiation therapy in 2023.
Do pop in and say hello. I love meeting new people.

My name is Suzanne Newrick and I am the specialist music teacher at school. I began my teaching career 36 years ago and for the last 14 years I have specialised in teaching music. I joined the Te Totara staff in 2009 when I moved from Auckland and since joining the staff I have enjoyed working part time as a music specialist and a support teacher.

I use the Orff Approach to teach music and have completed my level one and level two Orff courses. The Orff method is a way of teaching children about music that engages their mind and body through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting and the use of percussion instruments. The Orff method often uses intruments like xylophones, metallophones, marimbas and glockenspiels but I also like to introduce children to the ukulele and the recorder.