Saira Boyle

Post Grad Cert Education - Secondary (Dist); BSc (Hons); GCI Accredited Coach

Mt Hobson Academy Principal

Saira (Sigh-ra) and her family are originally from Newcastle in the North East of England. They left the UK in 2004 and travelled to France and enjoyed an adventure there for 18 months, before moving to New Zealand in 2005. Saira and her family live in Auckland, and she is delighted to have the opportunity to support the learning of our students, from Year 1-13, through an innovative and future focused system.
She brings with her, over 25 years of experience of leading learning, in both secondary and primary schools, with a future focus and an ability to build on existing strong relationships. She is passionate about working in genuine learning partnership with parents and caregivers, in order to begin to utilise the rich expertise and cultural capital in existence to move forward, unified, to the next exciting phase in the learning journey of each student.

Kathryn Pick

B.Ed., Masters is in Educational leadership and Administration, Dip Tchg

Academic Manager Year 1-4

Kathryn worked as a primary school teacher for over ten years in a range of schools across the North Island and has spent the last eleven years as a primary school principal. As a mother of four adult children, she recognises that all students have unique interests and learning styles, making learning very individual.  Kathryn loves to see children experience those ‘lightbulb moments’ when they grasp a new concept and their world of understanding expands.  She tries hard to keep curiosity alive and encourage students to ask questions and keep wondering about the world and everything in it.  Kathryn is passionate about student wellbeing knowing that happiness, security and ‘readiness to learn’ are vital for engagement and a willingness to take on new learning.

Alison Gonscak

BSc (Mathematics & Computer Science), Grad Dip Sec Tchng

Academic Manager Year 11-13

Alison is a passionate mathematician and a New Zealand trained secondary teacher who prides herself on her student centred approach to teaching and learning. She has a large blended family with seven children and prioritises building warm and positive relationships with her students. She endeavours to help them to see the wonders, beauty and usefulness of mathematics through authentic learning. Alison has held a number of leadership roles in the education sector and taught mathematics and statistics up to NCEA Level 3 over the past ten years.

Marija Naumovska

BMus, Grad Dip Tchg (Sec), MEd

Academic Manager Year 6-10

Born in Skopje, Macedonia, I developed an appreciation for music early on. I completed a Bachelor of Music degree, double-majoring in composition and conducting, a Secondary Teaching Diploma and a Masters in Education from the University of Auckland. I have held the roles of a music teacher, a dean, an HOD of Music and an HOD of Visual and Performing Arts over the last 18 years, in various Auckland high schools and am a mother of three. I have collaborated with various teacher training programmes over the years and have a real passion for conducting, music education, developing educational music resources and presenting. For the past three years, I have created documentaries and educational resources for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, supported by Metlifecare, and have had the pleasure to present a selection of their live concerts as an educational specialist.

Erica Oliver-Poole

Bachelor of Education

Parent-led Academic Manager

Erica has worked as a teacher over the last 8 years, the majority of the time being employed by the Villa Education Trust so she has an excellent grasp of the project-based curriculum and how to help students get the most out of it. She is based in Auckland with her husband & three-year old daughter.

Alongside teaching, she has experience in working with youth & spent 4 years mentoring a group of high school students. She has a passion for bringing out a student’s own desire for learning & has a strong interest in the visual arts.