SWIS Teachers

Sam is an experienced New Zealand trained teacher who has recently been working in China.  He and his family moved back to NZ just before the borders closed and he has been looking for a teaching position in Wellington.

Sam has strengths in Physical Education, Te Reo, and is keen to be involved in teaching the Digital Technolgy curriculum to our students.  He previously was a member of the New Zealand Police and has also represented our country in sprinting.

Kia ora, this will be my first year teaching at SWIS and I am very excited to be teaching in Room 2! I will also be teaching Drama. In 2018 I graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelors Degree in Primary School Teaching. In my spare time I love to play sports, enhance my language skills in Spanish, Te Reo and Sign Language and also involve myself in the area of the arts.

I have been working at SWIS since 2007, where I have been involved in many different areas of teaching, currently these are PE, building and judo. In my spare time I am also heavily involved in Judo.

I grew up in windy Wellington, enjoying all the beautiful city has to offer, before heading to Dunedin to complete my Bachelor of Science majoring in Zoology. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy Malay dancing, going for long drives and spending quality time with family and friends.

Levy has joined the SWIS Team this year as a full time teacher. He will be a familiar face to many as he has been a reliever here in the past. 

Greetings and tēnā koutou katoa. I am passionate about education, and enjoy the challenges and rewards in working with young people. I value building positive relationships with students, a holistic approach to learning, and seeing young people blossom and realise their full potential. My qualifications are Graduate Dip. in Teaching (Primary) and a Bachelor of Health Sciences, with a major in sport and exercise. After working in the field of health and fitness and a brief stint overseas, I returned to New Zealand study teaching. I have since gained 5 years experience in teaching across primary and intermediate levels. At SWIS I specialise in health and PE, drama, Te Reo Maori and home room. I teach three days fixed at SWIS, then relieve two days, which allows me to pursue hobbies and interests outside of the classroom and spend valuable time with my whanau.

I started at SWIS in 2016 and am back for more as I love the culture this school has! I also teach health and Physical Education, and run the Film Club Enrichment groups every Wednesday.

I started at SWIS in 2017  and for me it is a real privilege to teach these fantastic kids.  I love teaching science and I am always a starter for water based activities like the Whanganui river trip and swimming classes.  A Kiwi-Canuck, I was born and raised in Canada and I speak French.  Originally trained as a classical musician, I also have some background in biological science and nutrition.  I live locally, and I enjoy being an active member of the community.  I love swimming in the sea, kayaking, tramping and exploring historical sites with my hubby and two school aged boys.

I work in an ILE homeroom with Room 11 and I teach science for semi-spec. My original degree is in Environmental Engineering. I have previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry and in environmental research and policy in NZ. I have two daughters, and when they were pre-schoolers, I was heavily involved in Houghton Valley Playcentre, which eventually led me to teaching. I am stoked to now be teaching some of those students I taught as pre-schoolers. Out of the classroom I enjoy walking our dog (Rusty) and I can often be found on a soccer field (my husband and daughters play). I enjoy reading and run and play floorball.

I am thrilled to be now teaching full time at SWIS. I am now in Room 11 alongside Cecily in an ILE (Innovative Learning Environment). I also currently take a science class, a health and P.E. class, and coding. This is my favourite age group to teach, and I really like both the students and staff here at SWIS. In my spare time I like to spend time with friends and family, eat Malaysian and Thai food, exercise, watch scary movies, read, and enjoy the few instances when we actually get good weather.

Kia Ora te whānau ko Paul taku ingoa. Hi my name is Paul and I am an experienced and passionate year 7/8 teacher who always puts positive relationships with students first. I have had an amazing teaching career starting in Dunedin, then London, Sydney, Mount Maunganui, back to Dunedin (to raise my young family), then more recently the past 8 years in Wellington. PE and Health is my new teaching passion and here at SWIS we offer an amazing program that focuses on being healthy both inside and out. In my spare time I like to get active in the great outdoors of Aotearoa as a keen surfer. Otherwise I will be chilling at home with my beautiful whānau.

Kia ora koutou. I started in 2019, and am excited for my time at SWIS. I’m working in a shared homeroom space with rooms 16 & 17. In terms of interests, I’m an avid hooper and I always have a craft project (or five) on the go. Alongside teaching, my learning goals are to improve my te reo and learn more contact staff and poi. Pop in for a kōrero or send me an email – I’m looking forward to meeting my students’ whānau.

I started at SWIS in 2001 when there were 9 classes, up from 7 the previous year, no turf, an old hall and the playground was one year old. At various times since then I have taught ICT (in the computer lab that was where Room 14 is now), PE and Science and, in 2020, Hard Tech which I am really enjoying. Outside of school, I spend my time on building projects, a little bit of fishing and a lot of taxiing my kids to their sports. The SWIS students are awesome. They just seem to get better every year and it remains a pleasure to see them all develop and grow

I started teaching in Auckland before I saw the light and moved to the coolest little cultural capital in the world. I love teaching, especially integrated studies, science, French, maths and Future Problem Solving. My spare time is spent reading, doing textile art and singing in Faultline chorus, a women’s barbershop/a capella group which came third in the 2016 NZ Sweet Adelines competition with our highest ever score.

I’m passionate about teaching maths, which I studied at university, and love teaching food technology, which I was able to experiment with when I had a cafe. In my out of school life, I enjoy reading, mountain biking and exploring wild places.

I have taught art and design to every age across a primary school in Westminster, England for five years. Here at SWIS students enjoy a beautiful art room where they explore their creative capacities through a variety of mediums. These include painting, printing, oil pastel, charcoal and clay. We are extremely fortunate to have a functioning kiln. I combine philosophy and art where possible which makes for insightful and invigorating discussions! Parents are welcome – email me if you are interested in helping out