Maryanne Ferris 

Deputy Principal

email Whaea Maryanne: mferris@roslyn.school.nz

Ko Hikurangi te maunga, Ko Waiapu te awa,
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi, Ko Te Whānau a Takimoana te hapu, Ko Ohinewaiapu te marae, Ko Maryanne ahau.

Tēnā koutou katoa.

It is my absolute privilage to be the Deputy Principal of our amazing kura.  I am proud to work alongside a fabulous team of kaiako & support staff who are 100% committed to supporting and encouraging our ākonga (learners) to reach their potential, being confident and connected.

My passion lies in providing cultural support, empowering students and staff to be the best version of themselves.  My role as Deputy Principal is very diverse, but part of that role includes being responsible for pastoral care, supporting learning and behaviour, providing cultural support for our kura, and sharing my passion for Mātauranga Māori as well as working closely with our Student Leaders.  I really enjoy getting to know & connecting with our tamariki, their whānau and our wider community.  

“He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!”
What is the most important thing in the world? 
It is people! It is people! It is people!

Ana Matangi

Assistant Principal

email Ana: amatangi@roslyn.school.nz

Ko Taranaki te maunga. Ko Waitara te awa. Ko Tokomaru te waka.  Ko Te Ati Awa te iwi.  Ko Ngāti te Whiti te hapu.  

Ko Ana tōku ingoa. 

Tēnā koutou katoa,

It is my great pleasure and privilege to be the Assistant Principal of our wonderful kura.  I am absolutely passionate about learning, and ensuring we best support our ākonga to feel valued and successful, and to provide them with the best tools to be successful in the future.  My strengths lie in developing our curriculum, integrating learning through authentic contexts for learning that are meaningful to our ākonga, and in developing best teacher practice to ensure we are able to provide high quality teaching and learning experiences for our learners.

I believe building strong, respectful relationships with our ākonga is an important part of this, and I am greatly looking forward to continuing to connect with our tamariki, staff, and whānau, in 2024.

Ngā mihi nui.

"Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai."

Nurture the seed and it will blossom.

Kirsty Wilkinson 

Kahikatea Learning Leader

Ipu Maea - Rooms 12 & 13 

email Whaea Kirsty: kwilkinson@roslyn.school.nz

Kia ora tatou,

My name is Whaea Kirsty and I am really looking forward to continuing my teaching journey at Roslyn School in the Kahikatea team.  I am excited to be teaching alongside Pa Isaia again in Ipu Maea (Rooms 12 & 13), where I will have the privilege of educating a fantastic group of Year 7 & 8 students.

I enjoy teaching through an integrated curriculum approach, and my favourite subjects to teach are Literacy, Numeracy and Visual Art.   I am also grateful for the opportunity to be the team leader of this awesome team of kaiako and ākonga.

I am married to Steve, who also works at our kura, and we have two children, Tom & Rosie.

Please feel free to visit us in our akomanga throughout the year.

Nga mihi.

Ehara taku toa i te toa taki tahi, engari he toa taki tini.

My strength is not that of one but that of many.

Isaia Jones

Kahikatea Kaiako

Within School Teacher - PNE Kāhui Ako

Ipu Maea - Rooms 12 & 13

email Pa Isaia: ijones@roslyn.school.nz

Tēnā koutou,

My name is Isaia Jones, and I am very excited to continue my teaching career at Roslyn School. In 2024, I have the privilege of teaching an awesome group of Year 7/8 learners in Ipu Maea, alongside Whaea Kirsty. 

Originally I am from Hastings, but I have been living in Palmerston North for the last five years. I have a deep passion for sports - in particular, using sports to build confidence and create opportunities for young people. 

Outside of the classroom, I love watching sports and exercising, sitting down with a good book, and spending quality time with my friends and whānau. 

I look forward to getting to know you and your tamariki throughout the year. 

Kia ora! 

Karl Radford

Kahikatea Kaiako

Ipu Pūawai - Rooms 22 & 23 

email Pa Karl: kradford@roslyn.school.nz

Tēnā koutou, 

My name is Karl Radford, or Pa Karl! I am married to Natasha and we have four tamariki - Luke (18), Mia (15), Connor (14) and Hannah (9). 

This is my fourth year teaching at Roslyn School, having spent the previous years at Whakarongo School and St. Joseph's School in Levin.  I am fortunate to be in the Kahikatea team working alongside Whaea Ebony in rooms 22 and 23!  

I enjoy participating and watching a range of sports, getting to know new people and inspiring young minds. I look forward to sharing this year’s journey with our ākonga and whānau. 

Nā reira, KIA ORA!

Ebony Wehipeihana

Kahikatea Kaiako

Ipu Pūawai - Rooms 22 & 23 

email Whaea Ebony: ewehipeihana@roslyn.school.nz

Tēnā koutou,

I am looking forward to another fantastic year, teaching alongside Pā Karl in Ipu Pūawai (Rooms 22 & 23).

This will be my fifth year teaching at Roslyn, and I am excited to continue this journey with our wonderful senior ākonga.

I believe it is crucial for our ākonga to see value in the curriculum and their learning, but to also recognise their own worth and importance. I want each and every student to discover something that they are passionate about, allowing them to experience and achieve success.

I also love to see our Roslyn kids being successful in the sports arena so dedicate some of my extra time enabling development, but most importantly, enjoyment in this area. 

Ngā mihi.

Laura Flaus

Māhuri Learning Leader 

Within School Teacher - PNE Kāhui Ako

Māhuri Tahi - Room 8

email Whaea Laura: lflaus@roslyn.school.nz

Kia ora,

I'm Whaea Laura and I am excited to be back in the role of Team Leader in Māhuri for 2024. I have been teaching for 21 years and love my job! 

I am originally from Wellington, and love to go back and visit my 5 siblings, and my nieces and nephews, as often as I can. I am married with 2 children, who are 13 and 15 years old. We live on a lifestyle block with lots of sheep, 5 chooks, a cat named Duckie, and our dog, Guinness.

I look forward to working alongside an incredible team of teachers again this year. My passions are teaching literacy, performing arts, designing learning in Te Ao Māori contexts, and working with students on their self-confidence and wellbeing. I aim to provide a fun and focused learning environment in which students feel brave enough to take risks and push themselves. 

Claire Anderson

Māhuri Kaiako

Māhuri Rua - Room 10

email Miss Anderson: canderson@roslyn.school.nz

Kia Ora,

My name is Claire and the children call me Miss Anderson or Miss A.  I'm originally from South Africa, but call NZ home.  2024 will be my 2nd year teaching the Year 5 & 6s in Māhuri, and it also marks my 25th year of teaching. I love being here at Roslyn kura with the incredible staff and tamariki.

I am excited to be working alongside the Māhuri teachers and tamariki as we strive for excellence in our learning and achieving our goals. I love teaching literacy and visual art. It is important to me to create a classroom environment where curiosity and creativity flourish, and our tamariki can become excellent self-managers as they prepare for the next part of their learning journey.

At home, I enjoy cuddles with my cats, Blue and Pebbles, while trying to keep them from eating Willow, my cockatiel.  Taking road trips across the North Island, riding my bike along the Manawatū Awa, and milking cows on Sundays, are how I spend my non-teaching time.  

I am looking forward to sharing this year's learning journey with you and our tamariki. 

Carl Roberts

Māhuri Kaiako

Māhuri Rua - Room 11

email Mr Roberts: croberts@roslyn.school.nz

Kia ora and hello, 

Going into my 6th year at Roslyn School, I am delighted to make my return with the Māhuri team in 2024. This school is an engine room for developing big dreams in our community. For this reason, learning should be fun and unforgettable. It should be full of kindness and wholesome character building. The goal for me is to build that desire to dream within each student, so they can develop toward their full potential, and have the confidence and skills to explore and continue their own learning in the future.

I live out in Ashhurst in my ‘doer upperer’ with my dog, Dali, and spend a lot of my time making art, playing music and kicking the football around or being outdoors. I enjoy teaching through historical contexts, and believe we have a lot to learn from our ancestors, especially around values of kaitiakitanga/guardianship. I will also oversee sports again this year, and you can find me a bit further down the learning street ,in Room 11.  Drop by anytime and say hello, or just send me an email.

Kristie Richardson

He Kākano Kaiako

Tupu te Kākano - Rooms 14 & 15

email Kristie: krichardson@roslyn.school.nz

Kia Ora,

Ko Kristie Richardson toku ingoa. This is my ninth year teaching here at Roslyn School and my 11th year as a kaiako. When I first began my journey at Roslyn School, I was lucky enough to work with Year 3/4 tamariki and once again have this privilege after teaching in other year levels across the school over the last few years. With two young children at home, I had a blast learning about the early years and foundational skills tamariki learn in their first two years of school last year in our Te Tipu Ora team. I am excited to have the opportunity to build my own knowledge, while supporting our akonga to develop these foundational skills further. 

Ever since I was young, I always aspired to work with children, so I feel like I have hit the jackpot with my current job. Seeing the excitement and pride ākonga feel when they get a lightbulb moment in their learning is what made me join the teaching profession in the first place. I can't wait to see what 2024 brings and look forward to seeing our tamariki soar in all aspects of school life.

Kat Elsmore

He Kākano Kaiako

Ahu te Kākano - Rooms 17 & 18

email Kat: kelsmore@roslyn.school.nz

Kia Ora,

My name is Kat Elsmore and this is my 5th year at Roslyn School. This year I’m teaching in He Kākano team, and it’s my third year teaching our amazing year three and four students. I’m born and bred in this wonderful city, and love that I’m able to give back to it in my own little way. I have children similar in age to the ones I teach,  who are also at Roslyn School.

I’m very passionate about the arts, but mostly musical theatre, which includes singing, dancing and acting. Back in my past life, I was a musical director of many children’s shows for the Children’s Abbey Theatre school.

I believe teaching is a privilege and my calling, and I love the culture of our amazing school.

Our door is always open in He Kākano; you will find me in room 17/18!

Natasha Radford

He Kākano Kaiako

Ahu te Kākano - Rooms 17 & 18

email Whaea Tash: nradford@roslyn.school.nz

Kia ora, 

My name is Tash Radford and this year I am in the wonderful He Kākano team again, working with Year 3 and 4 students.

I have been working at Roslyn School for several years now and I am passionate about helping our ākonga learn and feel successful.

I am married to Karl, who works at our kura also, and I have 5 children, one of which is here at Roslyn School.  I enjoy spending time with my family, who certainly keep me busy.

I am looking forward to joining the He Kākano team this year and working alongside our wonderful ākonga and kaiako in there.

Emily-May Lightbourne

Te Tipu Ora Kaiako

Kea & Korimako - Rooms 3/4

email Emily: elightbourne@roslyn.school.nz

Tēnā koutou!

My name is Emily-May and it is an absolute privilege to be teaching at Roslyn School for my third year. During my time here, I have had the pleasure of working in Te Tipu Ora with our junior students, and I will continue to do so in 2024. You can find me in Room 4, working alongside our Year 2 ākonga. I was born and raised here in the mighty Manawatū, and it’s awesome being able to give back to the community I came from. 

Over the last two years, I have enjoyed our kura’s journey in structured literacy and have had the privilege to be coached by Liz Kane herself. It goes without saying that I am passionate about teaching structured literacy, and have seen the successes firsthand that it has brought to our junior ākonga. I look forward to all the learning opportunities 2024 has to bring, to both our students and the staff, here at Roslyn School. 

Tammy How

Te Tipu Ora Kaiako

Pīwakawaka - Room 1

email Tammy: thow@roslyn.school.nz

Kia Ora,

Staff and students both call me Tammy.   My husband (Jamie) and I have three children - Emily (13), Ruby (11) and Charlie (8).  I have lived in the Manawatū my whole life, and I am proud to call it my home.   My girls both dance, so I am found most evenings and weekends at the dance studio with a little bit of cricket, netball and football thrown in there as well to keep me busy!   

I have the privilege of teaching our youngest tamariki to Roslyn School in one of our New Entrant rooms that we call Pīwakawaka.  I am an experienced New Entrant teacher, with 19 years under my belt, and work hard to build positive relationships with my students and their whānau as they transition and settle into our kura.  

I truly believe I have the best job and feel fortunate to be teaching our New Entrants again in 2024. I love being in the classroom every minute - it makes me smile everyday. I love to see the growth in students' learning and their confidence as a learner that occurs  so quickly as a 5 year old.   I try my best to instil a 'Can Do' attitude into my students, and believe all students can achieve with the right support and teaching.  

My expertise and passion is literacy, and I love seeing the progress our students are making and the passion for literacy themselves that they are developing along the way.  I also enjoy teaching maths and the arts - especially dance.   

I have a lot of energy and you will often see me bouncing and dancing around the classroom.   Our door is always open, so please pop in and visit.  :-)

Debbie Strutt

Te Tipu Ora Kaiako

Kākāpo - Room 2

email Whaea Debbie: dstrutt@roslyn.school.nz

Kia ora, 

My name is Debbie Strutt.  The children and staff call me Debbie.  2024 will be my fifth year at Roslyn School and it is a privilege to be part of such an amazing kura. I am an experienced teacher of 25+ years, who has a background in additional learning needs that drives my passion for teaching.  I believe that all ākonga/learners have the ability to be successful in all that they do, and will strive to support our tamariki to reach for the stars.  

This year you can find me in Room 2, teaching New Entrants and Year 1 tamariki.  I am super excited about this year and being part of the learning journey of our 5 and 6 year olds.  I love to see the growth our tamariki make, both socially and academically, as the year passes. I am really looking forward to sharing 2024 with the amazing Te Tipu Ora teachers and learning coaches. 

I am an aspiring writer and enjoy creating characters and storylines that I can share with my students. My aim is to write children's stories that inspire whānau to share the adventure that is within the pages of the book. I enjoy reading aloud to my class and bringing alive the characters through role play.

My door is always open, so please pop in.

Debbie Sorensen

Classroom Release Teacher

email Debbie: dsorenson@roslyn.school.nz

Kia Ora,

Ko Deb tōku ingoa ahau.   I have been teaching at Roslyn School for some time now, which shows the dedication and passion I have for our tamariki and kura.  It is a privilege to work in a kura (school) that prides itself with up to date teaching and learning pedagogy that creates a positive and inclusive learning environment for all.

I was born in Pahiatua and spent my childhood in Pongaroa, with Ākitio always being my place to relax and regenerate.  When I'm not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my whānau, fishing, reading and gardening.  

This year, I will be teaching across the school, covering teacher release.  It will be great to work alongside a variety of amazing teachers, and to empower our tamariki to flourish in their learning journey.  

Ngā Mihi 

Sharron Bester

Classroom Release & ESOL Teacher

email Mrs Bester: sbester@roslyn.school.nz

I am Sharron Bester, an experienced teacher who has taught at many different levels and worn many different hats, having a range of different additional responsibilities within schools. 

I am originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but have lived in New Zealand for the past 25 years.

Being a teacher, it is very satisfying to see students learning and applying new

knowledge and skills. I am passionate about maths and could teach it all day long.  Working with students from different countries and cultures is very rewarding, because I learn so many new things from them as well. 

This year I will be working with ESOL students, releasing teachers and teaching Room 1 on Fridays. 

Karen McLeod

Learning Support Coordinator & Special Education Needs Coordinator

email Whaea Karen: kmcleod@roslyn.school.nz

I am married to Rodger and we have two adult children, who are both married and live locally, which is awesome for us as we get to spend lots of time with them and their delightful children.  I enjoy reading and getting lost in a book. I love nature and the calming presence it can have - even a good thunderstorm!  I am very involved in my church in Feilding where I live.

I have been a part of the Roslyn Team for many years now and still love it.  Relationship building is paramount to teaching and getting to know people is something I really enjoy doing.  My role is varied and I can honestly say there is never a dull moment.  I enjoy having the flexibility to pop into classrooms, support wherever I am able to and head people in the right direction for the support they may need. Having students, staff or whānau pop in and see me for a chat, downtime, chill or whatever the reason may be, is another aspect of my job that I love.

Elizabeth Lithgow

Learning Support - 

ORS Specialist Teacher (Tues/Weds)

email Liz: llithgow@roslyn.school.nz