Mahuri Team
Tracey Notley
Māhuri Team Teacher, Team Leader
Hub 1
About Me
Kia ora. I am a born and bred Auckland girl! My family lived in South Auckland but the lure of the beaches and the quaint town of Warkworth led us to the move to Snells Beach. My mum, dad and brother still live there. I have a Science degree but teaching is where my passion was found and has continued to flourish over the years. I am currently the Year 5 and 6 team leader and Across School Leader for our Kahui Ako. I live by the saying ' To be better than before.' I absolutely love what I do and believe in strong wh?naungatanga (relationships). I have travelled to quite a few countries, my favourites being France, Samoa and India and all for different reasons. In my spare time, I work on my house, read, cook and play netball.
Helen Lares
Māhuri Team Teacher
Hub 1
About Me
Kia ora! I was born and raised in the UK and came to Aotearoa when I was 12. I've been teaching for quite a long time time now. I've taught in schools all over Auckland and before I came to Chelsea, I lived and worked in China for 3 years and taught at an International School. It was an amazing experience and I have a great deal of admiration for anyone learning a second language. I currently teach Yr 3 & 4 and enjoy learning about every one of my learners' unique talents and abilities. Outside of school, I love spending time with my grandson, beach-walking, photography, singing, listening to music and making art.
Debby Rafter
Māhuri Team Teacher
Hub 1
About Me
I was born and grew up in South Africa. After teaching for many years in both South Africa and the U.K., I have finally settled in New Zealand. I love swimming in the sea and spending the day on the beach with my friends and family. I teach year 5-6 and love seeing my students develop and grow as self managing and independent learners. My class describes me as: kind, cheerful, happy, warm-hearted, incredible and fantastic! I am really lucky to be their teacher! My motto is: Mistakes are really important! It's where the learning happens.
Keith Wilson
Māhuri Team Teacher
Hub 2
About Me
I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada and I moved to New Zealand in 2014 to marry my wife. I currently teach Year 5/6 and I love spending time getting to know my students. In the classroom I believe that students will be successful in an environment where they are heard and their ideas are valued. Outside of school, I love travelling, running and spending time outdoors with my wife and son.
Sarah Blaney
Māhuri Team Teacher, Team Leader
Hub 2
About Me
I was born in a small country town in the UK, living there before moving to start my teaching career in Manchester. My husband and I visited New Zealand in 2011 and fell in love with the country, making the move over two years later. I was lucky enough to join the Chelsea wh?nau shortly after arriving here. Since then, we have started our own family and we have two young daughters that take up every moment of our spare time, although I can sometimes be found somewhere out in nature, hiking near a beach or swimming in the sea!
Welcome to the Māhuri Team for 2023. We are excited to be working with you and your family and have an exciting curriculum planned for the year. In the Māhuri Team we believe that the students are at the heart of everything we do. Engaging our students in their learning is our priority. We take pride in our collective strengths and passions across the curriculum which include: visual art, drama, PE, science, mathematics and literacy. We all LOVE teaching senior school students as we believe these are the years of growth development and opportunities as our learners mature and ready themselves for their intermediate years. We strive to produce independent learners who are self-motivated. It is a pleasure seeing Māhuri students go beyond their comfort zone and learn new skills for life. Don’t forget to follow our school page on Facebook: Chelsea School Facebook
Hub 1: Helen Lares helen@chelsea.school.nz
Hub 1: Debby Rafter debby@chelsea.school.nz