Principal's Welcome

 

Ko Exmoor te maunga, ko Exe te awa, No Somerset, England ahau. Ko Ngapuhi tonu te iwi. Ko Donald toku papa, ko Celia toku mama. Ko Oliver raua ko Milan oku tama, ko Ella taku kotiro. Ko au tumuaki te kura o Whangarei Tuatahi. Ko Danny Jewell toku ingoa.

My name is Danny Jewell and I am privileged and super proud to be the Principal of Whangarei Primary School. I have been teaching and leading in education for the past 25 years in a diverse range of locations, schools and ages.

In England I taught for 10 years in private schools, where I honed my skills in leadership as a Head of Sports for four years at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree.

I arrived in New Zealand in 2005 and taught at Tauraroa Area School for 10 years then moved to Parua Bay School as their Principal in 2014. I have now been the tumuaki at Whangarei Primary School for 5 years and have thoroughly loved my time at this kura. For the past four years I have been the Community of Learning Leader and this is a collaborative group of seven schools in Whangarei.

My educational philosophy is really quite simple: the student is front and centre and needs to be engaged, stimulated and empowered to learn; the teacher is the most valuable resource a school can have, and needs to be supported, valued and motivated; and whanau is at the top of the pyramid, and connections between student, school and parents need to be strong and based on relational trust for optimum learning to happen.

Therefore, I would urge that you, as parents and whanau, get involved in your children's education - get to know your child's class teacher, take every opportunity to visit the school, make connections to the school and ensure your child has the best possible chance of achieving by becoming involved in the school. I look forward to connecting with you at school, and ensuring that your child is happy and successful at Whangarei Primary School.

Danny Jewell
Principal