SWIS Teachers

Kia Ora, I’m Edward Turnbull Classroom teacher and I also run the film program in the arts rotation, as an extra curricular activity and during enrichment. I have seen many wild and crazy films coming from SWIS kids. It’s great to see so much creativity come from the class and the film crews every week!

Tēnā koutou katoa! I am Room 2’s homeroom teacher and the school’s drama teacher. I am from West Sussex in England but moved to New Plymouth when I was five years old. I started at SWIS in 2019 and have loved working with the diverse range of students along with the talented teachers and staff. Outside of the classroom I love to read, binge watch movies and experience Wellington’s diverse range of restaurants and cafes.

I have been working at SWIS since 2007, where I have been involved in many different areas of teaching, this year I am going to be the history teacher at SWIS and am looking forward to exploring NZ history with our students. I also teach Japanese in our languages sessions. In my spare time I am  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.

Talofa lava.

My name is Stephen Moli. I’ve recently joined the SWIS team in 2022 working in Room 5. I am of Samoan descent, but I grew up in Tauranga and have been living in Wellington for the past 6 years. I’m teaching Health and PE for SemiSpec and helping out with sports and Pasifika. In my spare time, I enjoy playing sports, listening to and playing music, eating and spending time with family and friends.

Kia ora koutou katoa!  I joined the teaching team at SWIS at the beginning of Term 2 in 2021.  In 2022 I am looking forward to teaching Te Reo in Semi Spec.  I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Statistics and Education followed by a Master of Teaching and Learning, along with electives including te reo Maori, French, and Psychology.  Outside of teaching, I am a longtime member of the Wellington Youth Choir and the lead vocalist in a social band producing our own music. I am also a committed member of Scouts New Zealand, giving me regular community service, personal development, and leadership opportunities.

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 13 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 and running with our dog (Rusty) and getting out and about. We also have a puppy (Luca), who has been keeping us busy!

I have been teaching full time at SWIS since 2018. I am in Room 13 alongside Cecily in an ILE (Innovative Learning Environment). This year I will be taking I.T. as a specialist subject. 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, try and keep fit, watch scary movies, read, and enjoy the outdoors when we actually get good weather.

Kia Ora e 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.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. I hail from lil old Kirikiriroa but have been based in Wellington for the last ten years (with some adventures further afield thrown in there). I started teaching in 2019 and I’m loving my time at SWIS – what an awesome group of students we have. For semi-spec I teach Philosophy and my homeroom is Room 15. Some of my passions are sustainability, circus skills, crafts, reading, and language learning. I’m currently studying Te Reo through Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

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

Kia ora katoa. I’ve been at SWIS for quite a while now and consider myself a “fixture and fitting”! Nearly all my teaching has been with the intermediate age group, as I love the different responses they have to new ideas. I have degrees in music as well as certificates in City and Guilds Creative Studies Textile Arts and I really enjoy trying to inspire students to extend their creativity in this. I have a passion for working with gifted and talented students and I facilitate teams in the Kids’ Lit Quiz, World Scholars’ Cup and Future Problem Solving, as well as work with wearable arts groups for ShowQuest Toi and Artsplash WOW. In my spare time I sing in Faultline Chorus (a women’s a cappella singing group), read, knit, and make quilts.

Tēnā koutou katoa. I’ve taught a variety of levels, from new entrants to high school, but I  particularly like working with the intermediate age group.  I teach food technology at SWIS and I have high expectations of what our students are capable of – from the very first lesson we make real food from scratch. Though my degree is in maths and economics, I draw on my own experiences from a previous life when I owned and ran my own café, making up many of my recipes. With the skills and knowledge that our students will acquire at SWIS, they will have the foundations to adapt and work around recipes to suit themselves. In my out of school life, I enjoy reading, mountain biking and exploring wild places.

Kia ora e te whānau SWIS,

Nō Āwherika ki te Tonga ahau. Ko Poneke tōku kāinga hou. Ko Rodda tōku ingoa whanau. Ko Peter / Pieter / UPeter / Pedro / 베드로 / 彼德 ōku ingoa.I’ve been teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL/ESL) since 2012 in South Africa, Korea, Colombia, China and New Zealand – to students from pre-primary to university level – and have a passion for languages. I decided to focus on Primary teaching so that I could be involved in more aspects of education and wellbeing for our tamariki and future leaders.

I am proudly South African and really appreciate the privilege of growing up in such a beautiful and culturally diverse country. I’m also a new father of 6 month old Grant, and my wife Lizani works at Wellington Hospital. We enjoy the mountains and the outdoors, trail running around Wellington’s hills in the evenings, and heading out tramping, camping, or climbing on the weekends. And of course, I’ll take any excuse to have a braai (South African BBQ)!

Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

Sophie is an experienced reliever having worked at a number of schools in the southern & eastern suburbs of Wellington. Sophie is starting with us fulltime in Term 3 this year working in a variety of teaching spaces  and supporting our Akonga.

More to come

Tēnā koutou katoa, Ko Nicola ahau
I have discovered I’m the fourth and final person in our immediate family to attend SWIS – ranging from 50 – 8 years ago! I have taught across years 1 – 8 both in NZ and the UK, worked for the MOE, run an education website and for the past five years (and continuing) written teacher support material for the MOE Literacy Series. At SWIS, I will work part-time providing support for literacy and numeracy across the school as well as some kaiako release. I have a particular love for literacy and have been told I’ve inspired many tamariki to become writers too. When I get spare time, I love designing and sewing clothes for family, friends and myself.

Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa