Toko School Staff

Kim Waite

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Principal

Hi! I am Kim Waite.  It is my absolute pleasure to be the Principal at Toko School.  We have amazing students, the best staff, a wonderful community and a future focused Board of Trustees.  I moved to Toko School in Term 3 of 2010 after previously being the Deputy Principal at Stratford Primary School. The opportunity to continually learn, make a positive contribution to the education of others and to see our students grow in many ways is extremely important to me and at the heart of what we do at Toko School. I grew up in Hawkes Bay and completed my Teaching Diploma at Palmerston North Teachers College and my Bachelor of Education at Massey Universtity.  Most recently I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Administration and Leadership at Massey University and am working towards completing my Masters in Educational leadership and Administration.

Shannon O'Brien

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Deputy Principal / Year 7 & 8 Teacher

Kia Ora! I am Shannon O’Brien. I arrived at Toko School in Term 2 2010 to take up the role of Deputy Principal and Year 7 & 8 classroom teacher a position I thoroughly enjoy and feel privileged to have after teaching in a range of Taranaki Schools and spending a period teaching in England. I grew up locally and studied for my Bachelor of Leisure Studies (Sports Science) and Postgraduate in Primary Teaching at Waikato University. I have a range of areas in the school I lead. I am the school literacy lead teacher, SENCO (Special Needs Coordinator) and school sports coordinator to name just a few. My most important role however is to mould the senior leaders of the school a job in which I am incredibly passionate about. IN 2017 SHANNON IS ON STUDY LEAVE.

Maree Stark

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Year 5 & 6 Teacher

Hi. I am Maree Stark and I teach in Room 3, Year 5 and 6.  This is my 7th year at Toko School and I have really enjoyed the sense of community and the support that I have been given over the years.  I was born in Palmerston North and then moved to Fielding where I lived and raised my daughter, she is 28 with 2 children of her own.  I moved to Stratford to live with my husband Phil Stark 7 and a half years ago. I love reading, motorbikes, quilting and teaching children to love learning.

Sean Dillon

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Year 4 & 5 Teacher

Hola! I am Sean Dillon. Toko School is my first post after returning from overseas, having taught in Peru and Brunei previously. I feel very blessed to be working and learning with my Year 3 class. I grew up in Waiuku, south of Auckland and all of my New Zealand teaching experience has been within Taranaki. Outside of the classroom I love to surf, travel and experience other cultures. Within the classroom I love making learning fun and relevant for the children I work with.

Sasha Hancock

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Year 7 & 8 Teacher

Hi, I’m Sasha Hancock and I’m currently teaching Year 4 and 5. I began teaching at Toko School in 2013. Prior to that, I’ve taught in Australia, England and other Taranaki schools. I grew up in Christchurch and completed my teacher training at Christchurch Teachers College before heading overseas to teach and travel for 7 years. While overseas I met my husband, a local Toko boy, and we decided to come home and raise our two boys in Taranaki.  I enjoy incorporating technology into my classroom and seeing where it can take us.  My areas of responsibilities include leading e-learning across the school, organising school netball and I am the staff representative on the Board of Trustees.

Rebecca Jury

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Year 7 & 8 Teacher

Hi! I am Rebecca Jury and this year I am teaching Year 7 & 8 in Room 4. I am extremely excited to return to Toko School after a spending a bit of time relieving here throughout 2013. I studied a Bachelor of Health Science at Massey in Wellington before moving to Hamilton to complete my Graduate Diploma of Teaching at Waikato University. After I completed my studies, I spent some time reliving throughout a number of schools in Stratford, Hawera and Inglewood. I then ventured off to England for 2 years on my big OE and taught in London. I absolutely love to travel and enjoy exploring and learning about new and different countries. Within my 2 years in England, I managed to visit around 34 different countries! I have been back in New Zealand for just over a year now and love being home around family and friends. I taught at Marco School last year before making the move into town and Toko School this year.  I love being a teacher and am excited to share my passion for learning with...

Alison Eagar

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Part-Time Teacher

Hi. I’m Alison Eagar. I am junior teacher at Toko School. I am also a trained Reading Recovery Teacher. I have been a part of this vibrant school since 2010. I grew up in a small rural town of Te Kauwhata, North Waikato, spending all of my childhood on a dairy farm. I am the eldest of four, having a sister and twin brothers.  I now live in the Toko Community and am married with beautiful twin daughters. I spent four years at Hamilton Teachers College, completing my Bachelor of Education. After two years teaching I spent two and a half years on my big OE. I was based in London and travelled extensively. I have been teaching in the Stratford area since returning. My strengths in teaching revolve around literacy and physical education.

Rebecca Bright

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Year 1 Teacher

Hi, I am Rebecca Bright.  Hi all. I am Rebecca Bright and am very lucky to be the New Entrant teacher at Toko School.  I went to a small country primary school in the Manawatu and have always wanted to teach at a lovely country school. I am so fortunate to have found one with such a magnificent view!  I trained in Perth, Western Australia where I met my husband.  We have 4 children, 2 of whom are now enjoying Toko school.  We had been living in Marton for the last 10 years and have now relocated to the beautiful Taranaki.  I have taught New Entrants for most of my teaching career with some time in Kindergarten and also working as a parenting counsellor.  I love welcoming new children into school and supporting them to get off to a great start at school, to love learning and to be the best they can be.

Renee Clegg

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Year 2 Teacher

Hi, I’m Renee Clegg and I am currently teaching Year 2. This is my first year teaching at Toko School. Prior to that, I have been studying at the University of Waikato to gain my bachelor of Primary School Teaching majoring in Professional Education. I have completed teaching placements at a range of different levels in Taranaki and Hamilton. I grew up in Hawera and have always wanted to begin my teaching degree in South Taranaki. Outside the classroom I enjoy exploring the outdoors, playing sport and spending time with family and friends. In the classroom, I strive to create an environment where children have a choice about what they are learning.

Sue Fergus

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Year 3 Teacher

Hi.  I am Sue Fergus. I grew up in Putaruru (in the Waikato), and for many years was a financial controller, after completing by Bachelor of Business Studies.  However I left this vocation, to do what I always wanted to do growing up – and that was to teach. I completed my teaching degree in Whangarei, back in 2001.  Since then have spent most of my years teaching juniors, although once I moved to Douglas/Toko in 2008, I  was the Sole Charge Principal at Makahu School for 5 years.  Since then, I have been teaching at Toko School in a part-time capacity and have now taken on a permanent position at the school.  I love teaching, it is my passion, and it makes me get out of bed with a bounce!

Annette Hinton

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School Secretary

Treena Cullen

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Support Staff

Karen Bellamy

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Support Staff

Debbie Stone

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Support Staff

 

Margaret Mason

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Librarian

Anna Smith

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Support Staff

Delwyn Taylor

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School Cleaner