Principal - Rose Neal	Room 10 - Alison Troy
Associate Principal - Annie McCabe	Music and Drama - Luke Grayson
Room 1 - Vaha Surtees	Art and Library - Philippa Barrett-Garner
Room 2 - Wendy Johannson	ESOL and Technology - Shanley Gamble
Room 3 - Steve Ansell	Counsellor - Liz Summerville
Room 4 - Alyce Gardiner	Room 5 Teacher Aide - Denise Cuneen
Room 5 - Heather Smyth	Office Manager - Helen Fisher
Room 7 - Hosea Taani	Office Assistant - Steph Quinn
Room 8 - Barney Ganesan	Property Manager - Graham Makoare
Room 9 - Rebecca Spurdle

 

Rose Neal

Principal

I have been Principal at Northcote Intermediate School since January 2003 and feel very privileged to work in such a friendly school with talented and energetic teachers and a very supportive parent community. I strongly believe in the importance of the Intermediate Years at school for young adolescents and we have worked hard to ensure that our programmes here help cater for these needs on a daily basis. NIS is a small school and that enables us to offer all students personalised learning in a fun, safe and challenging environment. I really love the opportunities available to students here and the way that students get on so well with each other. I am an avid sports fan and being born in Wellington makes me a very loyal Hurricanes supporter.

 

 

Annie McCabe

Associate Principal

I came to Northcote Intermediate School in 2004 and haven’t looked back.  I am passionate about learning and love working with children.  As a mother myself it is important to me that every child in the school feels safe and wants to learn.  I believe it is very important as an educator to strive for continual improvement and to keep up to date with what the research shows is best practice.  I love the opportunities  Northcote Intermediate has given me to be innovative and excited about learning.

 

 

Vaha Surtees

Room 1 Classroom Teacher and Senior Leader

Greetings to everyone. This will be  my sixth year at Northcote Intermediate. I moved up from Palmerston North aiming for a year off from  the Ruahine Ranges and six years later I am still here. Northcote Intermediate offers so many opportunities not only for the students to excel but myself as well. I am enjoying the outstanding support of all the staff members and the  excitement of creating  a learning environment for all students.  I  have a great passion for sport. I believe every  student is capable of improving  their personal best  as long as they are given a chance.

 

 

Wendy Johansson

Room 2 Classroom Teacher

I have taught for over a decade, I have a Diploma in Teaching and a Bachelor of Education. I have more recently taught for approximately 4 years at Takapuna Normal Intermediate School and then with a one year placement in the Junior Department at Kristin School. Before coming here I was a Schools Coordinator at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health. However my passion for teaching has brought me back into the classroom.  Interests: Power Boating, Wakeboarding, Skiing, Fishing, Art and Running.

 

 

Steve Ancell

Room 3 Classroom Teacher

Hi my name is Steve Ancell and I am new to NIS in 2010. I am looking really forward to joining what is a fun and hard working team. I have just completed my Bachelor of Education degree at Auckland University and can't wait to get into the classroom to teach and learn with the students! My passions in life are sport, music (in particular the guitar) and art, so I hope to share these interests with the students. Personally I like the fact that NIS is a smaller school as this enables students, teachers and parents to form close relationships, which means children can learn in a fun, safe and communal environment.

 

 

Alyce Gardiner

Room 4 Classroom Teacher and Senior Leader

I started teaching at N.I.S. in February 2006. I like the smaller size of this school as it allows teachers and students alike to get to know everyone. Before coming here I gained a Bachelor of Science and also a Graduate Diploma of Teaching, both from the University of Auckland. I have also spent 3 years working and travelling overseas in various places including the U.S.A. (Colorado), Mexico and Central America, Europe and Asia.

 

 

Heather Smyth

Room 5 RTLB Learning Support Classroom Teacher

I am employed by the Takapuna Northcote RTLB cluster schools as a class based RTLB and work in the Learning Support Class. Immediately before coming to N.I.S. I taught at Milford Primary School  for five years. My teaching career spans in excess of twenty years, having experienced a range of class levels and decile rated schools in both West Auckland and  the North Shore.  As a past pupil of N.I.S. it has been great to return here as a special needs teacher and work amongst a small friendly team of hardworking staff who are committed to providing quality learning experiences for the mainstream  students in the community.

 

Barney Ganesan

Room 8 Classroom Teacher

Hello everybody. I’m Barney Ganesan and I started teaching in NIS at the beginning of Term 1 2008. I am very excited about being part of the skilled, friendly and close-knit NIS teaching fraternity. I’m even more excited about being a teacher to the wonderful children of NIS. Being a small school I find that teachers here in NIS actually get to know each and every student; this special attribute certainly contributes to further enhance effective teaching and learning in our school’s enquiry-based strategies. All the academic, sports, music and EOTC activities implemented in NIS certainly make delivering and receiving education intensely exciting for our students and teachers. To me, Northcote Intermediate School really rocks to the education tune!!

 

 

Rebecca Spurdle

Room 9 Classroom Teacher

Hello everyone, my name is Rebecca Spurdle and I came to Northcote Intermediate in 2009. Prior to starting here, I was completing my Bachelor of Education at Auckland University. I am excited to be working with such a dedicated staff and the amazing students that make up the N.I.S community. I believe that relationships are vital in order to gain student achievement and enjoyment of schooling. Due to N.I.S being a smaller school this enables relationships to be built with every individual student. I have a passion for social sciences and enjoy travelling and immersing myself in new cultures. I am very much looking forward to the time I will spend at Northcote Intermediate School.

 

 

Alison Troy

Room 10 Classroom Teacher and Team Leader

I first came to Northcote Intermediate as a beginning teacher and seven years later there is no place I would rather be teaching. I have learnt so much, had incredible experiences and met wonderful people.  The children and staff in our school are amazing – talented, hard-working and friendly!  I really enjoy teaching intermediate aged children, it is amazing how much they grow, change and mature over the two years they are here with us, and I feel a sense of pride in seeing them develop into young adults heading off to college.

 

 

Luke Grayson

Music and Drama Teacher

Music and drama have been a part of my life for many years. I have been teaching music to children and adults for the past six years and have also been involved in a number of musical projects during that time. I am privileged to have been offered the position of drama specialist this year and am looking forward to this new role.

I joined Northcote Intermediate at the beginning of 2009, having recently completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education at Auckland University. Teaching at Northcote has been a wonderful experience to date; the school’s small size and “family vibe” is a special trait that few schools are able to offer, and the staff are real, down-to-earth folk, who are great to work with.

 

 

Philippa Barrett-Garner

Art Teacher

I am a part-time specialist teacher at Northcote Intermediate School.  This is the 11th year I have taught visual arts.  I enjoy motivating and encouraging the students to be creative and to use their talents.  I also have the responsibility for the school library which is a passion of mine.  I find the day-to-day running of the library both challenging and rewarding.

 

 

Shanley Gamble

Bi-lingual Learning and Literacy Support and Technology Teacher

Hi, I have been at Northcote Intermediate since term 2 2007. I wear many hats at the school – ESOL, Bi-lingual Learning and Literacy Support Teacher, and from 2009 I have also taught Technology (and yes I am a real teacher even though I don’t teach in a mainstream class every day). I am married to Phil and have three lovely children (Allanah, Samantha and Wade). Although looking at me you wouldn’t guess it but I love all sport – I play indoor netball twice a week and love body boarding and other outdoor activities. I really enjoy working at NIS as it is a small school with great students, awesome teachers and an amazing management team.

 

 

Liz Summerville

School Counsellor

Hi.  My name is Liz Summerville.  This school is amazing in that it has provided a School Counsellor for 14 years, as another one of the many ways of supporting the children, staff and parents.  I have been in this position for 12 of those years which shows how much I love it.  The kids are fantastic.  The wide range of cultural mix is exciting and fun.  My own children came to this school and enjoyed it.  They are in their 20s now so my connection with Northcote Intermediate goes way back, so I feel very passionate about our school.

 

 

Denise Cunneen

Room 5 Teacher Aide

Hi, I'm Denise and I have worked at N.I.S. since June 2006 in the Learning Support class as the teacher aide.  Every day I feel lucky that I have such a wonderful place to come to work, and really enjoy getting to know the students in Room 5.  They are a special bunch that I have learnt so much from.

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Helen Fisher

Office Manager

Hello  my name is Helen Fisher, I came to Northcote Intermediate School as office manager in July 2003.  I have worked in the education sector since 1996 starting as a teacher aide and then moved in to the administration area.  I enjoy the variety of my role, the interaction between students, staff, parents and the general public.  No two days are the same.

 

 

Stephanie Quinn

Office Assistant

Having had two daughters attend Northcote Intermediate I fully agree with one parent who commented to me that Northcote Intermediate is the North Shore's best kept secret. I’ve found the same friendliness and school spirit I encountered as a parent has transferred across to my job – it’s a pleasure coming into work each day with such a wonderful staff and pupils.

 

 

Graham Makoare

Property Manager

I am Graham Makoare, Property Manager at Northcote Intermediate School.  I came to Northcote Intermediate School in December 2003, I have worked in the education sector since 1988 with a couple of breaks in other areas. I am responsible for the school security, maintenance and grounds. I enjoy trying to keep the staff and students in line.