Senior Leadership Team

As Principal of Hillcrest Normal School since 2015, I have the privilege of leading a talented and committed team in a supportive school community. Through my leadership, and working with a supportive Board of Trustees, we continue to work toward our school vision of Growing Creative Learners from Within and providing the best possible learning opportunities for the children in our community.
I thoroughly enjoy my position at Hillcrest Normal School and look forward to working with you in partnership to support your child to achieve success.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Karioi maunga tōku whakaruruhau
Ko Whāingaroa te moana whakamahea
Ko Ngāti Pākehā tōku iwi
No Raglan ahau
Ko Peart tōku whānau
Ko Christina tāku wahine
Ko Scout rāua ko Piper āku tamāhine
Ko Andy tōku ingoa
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
I am passionate about seeing the full development of the ‘whole child’, celebrating their strengths and helping grow their dispositions, character, understanding, capabilities and skills to equip them to thrive in community. I closely support the Senior School Team, and as the liaison person for the University of Waikato, I look after the many student teachers assigned to us as a normal school. My leadership responsibilities include supporting and designing professional learning for teachers, the pastoral care of students, and mentoring provisionally registered teachers. I also enjoy helping foster a creative community of learners and working with our school whānau group to ensure success for all of our students in a way that reflects who they are.
I feel privileged to work in such a diverse and dynamic school where children, teachers, and their families work so positively together.

I have responsibility for the Middle School Team (year 3 and 4 classes), including student welfare and the teaching and learning programmes within the team. I assist teachers to develop teaching programmes that support academic, cultural and physical development of our children, and I have responsibility for assessment, student achievement and data analysis. I am very involved in the teaching of Gifted And Talented (GAT) maths programmes in the middle and senior school, as well as overseeing the target learning groups in the middle school team.
I am honoured to work alongside a dedicated staff where the focus is on encouraging and supporting children to achieve success.

I have been working at Hillcrest Normal School since 1998 and was appointed Assistant Principal in 2005. I have lived in Hamilton all my life and started school at Hillcrest Normal School as a five year old.
I love working at Hillcrest, every day brings a new challenge and lots of laughs to share. I enjoy supporting new students and their families as they transition to school, and looking after all the children in the junior school. I am also responsible for our learning support programmes for a range of students across the school.

Kia ora tātou,
Teachers
Junior School Team
Middle School Team
Senior School Team
Learning Support Staff
Learning Support Teachers

Sundae
Therapy Dog

Jo Thomas
Classroom Release Teacher (CRT)

Kerry Bennetts
Classroom Release Teacher (CRT)
Learning Assistants

Alison Hynes

Melina Arnold

Julie Gee

Geoff Hills

Kimberly James

Ravi Krishnan

Audrey Young

Jo Luckie

Anna Mexted

Richard Jack

Rebecca Smith
Support Staff
Admin Team
After School Care

Melina Arnold
After School Care Supervisor

Julie Gee
After School Care Supervisor
Caretaker, Cleaners and Gardener

Nigel Cavanah
Caretaker

Kim de Waard
Gardener

David and Ivy
School Cleaners
Board Members

Marie Bramley
Principal

Nathan Leith
Presiding Member

Helen Johnson
Finance

Dean Baldock
Parent Representative

Corey Redwood
Parent Representative

Wencui Zhu
Parent Representative

Miel Maclean
Staff Representative
Friends of the School
The Hillcrest Normal School Friends of the School (FOS) is a group that supports our school community. We focus on providing fun and social activities that bring together teachers, students and their families, as well as fundraising for targeted projects that enhance and enrich the Hillcrest Normal School experience for our children.
Click here if you are interested in being involved with the Friends of the School
Whānau
Our whānau group meets once a term and is focused on working in partnership to support Māori students in the school to achieve success as Māori.