Principal Appointment

Tēnā koutou katoa,

My name’s Lee Ewington and I am thrilled and honoured to be appointed as Principal of Dyer Street School. I am currently Deputy Principal at Upper Hutt School and have been in this position for the last 2 and ½ years. Last year in Term 2, I was Acting Principal. Prior to that, I was the Year 4-6 team Leader for 4 years. At both Upper Hutt and Waterloo, I have led School Sport and Kapa Haka. I am passionate about these subjects as I feel they give our tamariki an opportunity to shine and grow, outside of the core curriculum. I have been teaching since 2004, and feel ready for the challenge that is principalship.

On a personal level, I live locally in Avalon with my wife Gina, and our three children, Phoebe, Olive and Julian. It’s a pleasure to be able to work and live in the same community for the first time. Socially, I love playing cricket on a Saturday afternoon, have a passion for music, and enjoy going for runs around the valley, particularly up the Belmont hills. I whakapapa back to Ngati Ruanui and the Taranaki region. I’m currently developing my confidence in using Te Reo Māori which has been challenging but rewarding at the same time.

I believe my experience and professional learning over the last few years will help to strengthen and develop the needs of the Dyer Street Community. One of the things I am passionate about is developing inclusive classroom practice and environments. Looking at ways to remove barriers for learning and ensure that all our tamariki have a chance to access and engage in learning that suits their needs. I also look forward to strengthening relationships between the school and community as, with the pandemic, it’s been harder to connect and have whānau involved and in school. As we move forward, my goal is to create opportunities for whānau to engage in school so we can support our tamariki’s needs and further develop the profile of our kura.

I want to wish you all a wonderful Term 2 at Dyer St and look forward to meeting you all in Term 3.

Ngā mihi,

Lee Ewington

The School will organise a formal welcome for Lee in due course.

We want to publicly thank and acknowledge Michelle Pilcher for her leadership as Acting Principal. Her hard work, and support and pastoral care of tauira/students, staff and whanau have been instrumental in maintaining high standards of the School given the constant challenges from Covid-19.

We hope you all enjoyed the school holidays and send best wishes for Term 2.

Noho ora mai,

Dyer Street School Board

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