Staff

Richard Goodyear

Principal

About Me

I’m thrilled to be the new principal of Pirinoa School. I’m focused on fun, hands-on, meaningful learning for the kids and a happy, relaxed team of teachers and support staff. I have a Montessori background which has given me loads of experience in seeing how well the kids respond to learning about the ‘big picture’: how our planet came to be, how life evolved and the impact humans have on the environment as we go about our creative, brilliant endeavours. I live up in the big smoke of Martinborough with my wife Jo, having moved over from Wellington in 2020. We have a lifestyle block up there with loads of olive trees, that we are slowly turning into something resembling a business! I like to get up to Auckland in my holidays to play around on my boat in the Hauraki Gulf or spend time with landlubber friends and family who are dotted around the motu. I’m looking forward to meeting you soon.

E: principal@pirinoa.school.nz

Natalie Lagah

Year 6-8 Teacher

Room 3

About Me

Tena koutou katoa, I grew up on a range of dairy farms around the North Island. I am the second of six children and am a proud Aunt to 3 nieces and 3 nephews. I attended Napier Girls' High School where I boarded for five years before moving to Hamilton to study at Waikato University. I worked on dairy farms as a relief milker, reared calves, sprayed weeds, did fencing and contracting work and worked as a nanny. Following my graduation, I moved to Taumarunui. I taught children aged between Year 3 and Year 6 for five years, coached sports, organised trips, planned productions, sports days and field trips, and managed the school gardens. In 2018 I moved to the Wairarapa and began working at Pirinoa School. My aim is make learning fun and interesting, while allowing children to explore outside of Pirinoa and New Zealand. I love the idea of play-based learning across all levels of the school and enjoy teaching the children about places around our country and around the world.

E: natalie.lagah@pirinoa.school.nz

Meg Excell

Year 3-6 Teacher

Room 2

About Me

Kia Ora, I grew up in a small Southland town called Te Anau until aged 8 when our family moved to Wellington. After college I attended university at Massey in Palmerston North, where I studied Nutrition. After completing my Bachelor of Science, I decided to go back to university and do my teacher training at Victoria University. I have most recently moved to Martinborough to start my first teaching job here at Pirinoa. I am very excited to become a part of the Pirinoa community, and am loving being in the South Wairarapa. I enjoy getting outside and exploring, skiing, cooking and spending time with my family and friends.

E: meg.excell@pirinoa.school.nz

Sissy Pickering

Year 0-3 Teacher

Room 1

About Me

I grew up in Martinborough and attended Martinborough School and then boarded at Solway College. After college I went overseas for 5 years working as a Nanny in London, a chalet girl in Switzerland and numerous other O.E jobs. I trained at Wellington Teachers College. I had a son James (who is now 23) and when he was 4 years old we travelled to Thailand and England to work in an international school for a couple of years. I have had the opportunity to teach every year group and I love them all. I enjoy playing tennis, taking on projects, discovering new places and spending time with friends and whanau.

E: sissy.p@pirinoa.school.nz

Jess Donges

Office Administrator

About Me

I was born in Upper Hutt and went to school over there until I came over to the Wairarapa in Year 11 to board at Wairarapa College. My husband, Aaron, and I have three children, Lily, Jackson and Hadley who are all lucky enough to attend Pirinoa School. I started working at Pirinoa School in 2018 after being home with my children while they were preschoolers. I love all sports and being outside hanging out with all the kids and just having a good laugh 🙂

E: office@pirinoa.school.nz

Alison Sim

Relief Teacher

About Me

I grew up in Buller and lived in Granity during my childhood and then in Westport. I joined the fire service at 16 following the rest of my family. While in Westport I trained as a teacher through the Christchurch College of Education and gained a Batchelor of Teaching and Learning degree in 2000. That year I also moved to Ngawi with my boys who both attended Pirinoa School as well as my step-son. I have taught at most of the schools in the region over the past 20 years and am now doing teacher release and casual relieving. My husband Andrew is a cray fisherman at the coast and we also own the Captain's Table food caravan. I love being busy I quilt, fish, cook, hunt, golf and am also a firefighter.

Staff

Staff

Richard Goodyear

About Me

Natalie Lagah

About Me

Meg Excell

About Me

Sissy Pickering

About Me

Jess Donges

About Me

Alison Sim

About Me

Contact Us

Term Dates 2023