At the end of the day, learning is about inspiration. Meet our inspirers…

Andrea Tong
Principal

“My passion as an educator is for learners to experience an educational journey that helps them to explore and understand the world around them, and develops skills that will equip them to be successful, compassionate individuals who contribute positively to our society. Every child has their own way of learning, and I believe that the way in which we teach should reflect this; in a personal, real-world, and inquiry-focused context. I’m proud to be leading an incredible team of educators who also hold these beliefs, and to be able to support them to launch the potential of themselves and our learners.”

Angela Hall
Primary Learning Coach

I believe it is critical to identify individuals' strengths and passions to help them thrive in an educational setting. I am passionate about play-based learning and hope that by fostering a well-being and play-focused learning environment, I will be able to give students a genuine sense of belonging and ownership, as well as a sense of safety and happiness. Experience has taught me that significant effort is needed to develop positive and meaningful relationships with children; it results in significant positive shifts in their learning. I am excited to be working with the AGE team that shares my beliefs and passion for guiding learners to realise their potential.

Jonathan Mulholland
Primary Learning Coach

I believe that every student has something of value to offer and helping them find where they fit is very important to me. The four C’s at AGE of curiosity, compassion, communication, and creativity are perfect ways for students to explore their place in the world. I enjoy using technology to deliver learning in different and engaging ways and I get excited about coaching students through learning experiences that help them reach their potential.

Claire Munford
Junior Learning Coach

With over 30 years of teaching experience, I believe I have a lot to offer and a lot to learn in this wonderful environment and community. I thrive on building children's confidence and bringing out the best in each individual while encouraging and weaving positivity and compassion through all learning. We know that children learn and cope best when they feel loved, safe, heard, engaged, and inspired, and taking ownership of their own learning builds independent work habits and lifelong skills. Growing and fostering relationships aligns naturally with my teaching style, and authentic, open relationships with families are of huge importance to me when seeking to better understand a child's uniqueness and strengths. Let the journey begin!

Matt Ingham
Junior Learning Coach

Learning is fun. Everything we do, whether it's playing video games, playing sports or watching a favourite show, we are learning; how to do better, mastering new skills or seeing how characters change and develop, every activity we enjoy involves us learning more about it. It makes me sad that sometimes the education system makes children think that learning in school is different. School should be the most amazing time we ever experience. 

I have a masters degree in inclusive education from Nottingham University in the UK, and I have taught in schools around the world. I have taught classes from newborns through to 18 year olds and at every stage, everywhere in the world,  I have consistently found that children learn best when they are happy and feel safe. The foundation of everything I do as a learning coach is to encourage the children to feel safe and protected, whilst also supporting them to take risks and delve deeply into their passions. Learning is amazing, when you feel safe enough to take big risks.

Mel Wallis
Senior Learning Coach

The biggest learner in the classroom…is ME!!  I am passionate about reimagining education and helping young people become the best versions of themselves: surfacing their unique strengths, sparking passions and nurturing curiosity.  My personal values include wellbeing (encompassing joy, gratitude and connection) and growth (learning, courage and challenge).  These underlie my passion for designing innovative, inclusive learning experiences that honour and empower students to become agents of their own learning; encouraging them to question, take risks, think critically and creatively, and embrace failure as an important part of learning.

Nyel Rodger
Senior Learning Coach

‘How boring would this world be if we were all the same?'

I want to see our ākonga learn about their differences, have the tools they require for expressing their unique experiences and perspectives, and for understanding the perspective of others; to be capable of positively shaping the world they encounter, and being shaped positively by it.

I am most interested in the work of quantity, pattern, and structure - what mathematics is built of - but find every aspect of learning and knowledge to be beneficial. I am excited for our learners to discover wider ways of seeing and doing so that they can discover who they are for themselves and make their own path forward.

Eleanor Morfett
Senior Learning Coach

Eleanor is an English and Psychology specialist and joins us this year. Eleanor has a passion for cross-curricular learning and developing the skills our young people need to be successful.

Jenny Freymark
Learning and Literacy Development Coach

One of the joys of working with students is discovering their individual uniqueness and how 'who they are’ shapes their learning journey towards adulthood. I am convinced that best learning outcomes are achieved when the school and parents work in close partnership to support students, and I value the contributions of significant others in decisions that are made about student learning.

My experience over the past 30 years has taught me that all students can learn, so I consider it a privilege to be able to work alongside other caring, passionate educators at AGE School, as we support our students to experience success in Literacy Learning, using researched, evidence-based practises.

Rhianne Blockley
Enrolments and Marketing Officer

My passion has always been education and working with children. Having previously trained as a Primary School teacher and working within the out-of-school care industry, I look forward to providing a warm welcome each and every day to all staff, parents, and children that walk through our doors.  It is such a pleasure to be a part of the AGE team and to have become a member of such an uplifting community.

Seini Walters Learning Support Assistant

Bula vinaka.

I am excited to be living in a time of great abundance and resources. When I was at university the internet hadn't been invented yet, so I am thrilled by all the amazing opportunities and limitless possibilities we have in this day and age.

I am a mother of seven children and 3 of my sons are Autistic, so I totally celebrate the individuality and uniqueness of each child. I am also very excited to work with and learn from the brilliant team at Age.

Dana Banks
Learning Support Assistant

Hello! My passion in life is children and I’ve spent the last 30 years as a full-time nanny for various families on the North Shore, working alongside the parents in nurturing and caring for their needs. I love watching the children grow and flourish to adulthood and my role at age is to support learners and learning coaches and most importantly filling their tummies with delicious, healthy lunches in the Nourish2Flourish programme.