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Our People

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Selina Hargreaves , Centre Manager

Ko Te Mata o Rongokako toku Maunga

Ko Tukituki toku Awa

Ko Hargreaves toku Whānau

Ko Heretaunga ahau

Ko Selina toku ingoa

I am excited to be your new Centre Manager, here at Active Explorers Greenmeadows.  I have had 6 years of Centre Management experience, working with a variety of different teams, whānau and tamariki.  I have been in the early childhood sector in Hawkes’ Bay for 21 years and absolutely love what I do.  I have always been passionate about young children and how we as teachers can support them to grow and develop into the best people they can be.  I also enjoy working with teams of passionate teachers, who bring to each centre a wealth of knowledge and experience.  I also enjoy watching them learn, grow and develop into the best teachers they can be.

I am passionate about respectful and inclusive practices for all tamariki, families and staff.  I believe in being a positive, motivating and inspiring leader, to ensure motivated and happy teams, and therefore happy children and families.  I value nature/papatuanuku in centres, and beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, challenging and creative environments.  I am committed to the principles inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and believe in engaging all learners in lifelong learning, by continuing to offer them challenges to learn and grow. 

In my spare time I love to travel the world, spend time with my partner and two teenage children, read, enjoy community events, shop, go for walks and bike rides, entertain and spend time with friends and family.  My family and close friends are my world. 

I hold a Diploma of Teaching (ECE), am a fully registered teacher and hold a current first aid certificate.

 

Please feel free to pop in and meet me any time, I look forward to working with you all.

 

Arohanui

Selina

 

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Avril Tahana, Head Teacher - Preschool Room

I am Avril Tahana and I am the Head Teacher in the PreSchool Room. Within this age group there is a vast amount of learning and development going on for each child in which I  support. I consider relationships with children and their whanau as one of the most important aspect of my teaching. I believe fostering independence has a significant impact on a child’s well-being and encourages the building of their self-esteem. I want all children in my care to feel valued, respected and cared for.

I have the privilege of being a mother of two sons who mean the world to me. I am creative and enjoy doing a range of different crafts, as well as gardening and home renovations. I love to travel and experience new adventures.

Heather Simmons, Head Teacher - Kindy Room

Kia Ora, I am Heather Simmons Head Teacher in the Kindy Room. I have been teaching in early childhood for many years. We as a teaching team are all passionate to see children learning through our inquiry based approach. The children are learning about their world by asking questions and making new discoveries. I also strive for all children and families to feel a warm sense of belonging here in our Kindy Room.

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Rebecca Clark , Acting Team Leader - Infant and Toddler rooms

I am Rebecca Clark and I am currently the acting team leader of both the infant and toddler room. I have many years’ experience working alongside infant and toddler and I am passionate to support them through all their stages of development. I believe in scaffolding children’s learning, so they can feel a sense of achievement when they accomplish a task.  I have a son who attends the Kindy room that I have been lucky enough to work alongside with.

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Jessica Lockwood , Teacher in Training (Infant Room)

Kia Ora, I am Jess Lockwood and I am one of the teachers in the Infant room here at Active Explorers Greenmeadows.  I have worked at Active Explorers for 4 years now and during this time I have become a very passionate infant & toddler teacher. I am passionate about key teaching and particularly enjoy the close relationships which I am able to build with tamariki and their whānau. I am in my second year of study and I have loved being able to put the theory that I am learning into practice. 

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Aimee Jack , Registered Teacher

 

Ko Rongokako tōku maunga

Ko Tukituki tōku awa

Ko Jack tōku whanau

Nō Heretaunga ahau

Ko Aimee tōku ingoa.

Kia ora my name is Aimee Jack and I am a fully qualified, registered kaiako. At the start of this year I moved to Active Explorers Greenmeadows and had previously been teaching at Active Explorers Mayfair for 10 years. I found my passion in the under twos and really enjoy extending children’s learning journeys. I believe that infants need to feel important, valued and respected as individuals in a safe and secure environment. I believe time and opportunity should be provided for the infant and familiar teachers to build a trusting and loving relationship together. Through open communication families/parents/whanau and their children will feel they have a sense of identity and experience an environment where they can freely communicate with their children's teachers. I believe in offering support and encouragement for infants to feel increasingly competent. 

Ahakoa he iti he pounamu – Despite being small you are of great value

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Ainslee Donaldson , Fully Registered Teacher - Infant Room

Hi, my name is Ainslee, and I have been working at Active Explorers Greenmeadows since September 2019, and before that I was working at Lollipops Hastings in the Infant Room. I completed my Diploma of Teaching in 2008, and my Bachelor of Teaching ECE in 2013.

 

My passion for teaching is with the under two age group. I am a strong believer in primary caregiving which is based on love, trust, safety and strong reciprocal relationships. I value children moving, learning, and developing at their own pace and respect this approach through my teaching. 

A little bit about me outside of work… My husband Trevor and I have been together 10 years and married since October 2019. We have two beautiful children, Maddison who is 7 years old, and Jack who is 4 years old. Between spending time with the kids out and about, we enjoy doing projects around our home, which we bought in 2015.  I love biking (long distance by myself, and short distance with the kids), netball, reading, and Netflix! 

Now that you know a bit about me, I would love to get to know you and your whanau. We believe that getting to know each other on a more personal level can help to build and maintain these reciprocal relationships that are so important in the early years. 

 

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