Leadership Team

Murray has extensive experience and understanding of teaching. He was appointed Principal of Opaheke School following positions in a variety of primary schools. Previous positions include Principal of Stoke School Nelson, Deputy Principal of Rosehill Intermediate, Deputy Principal of Weymouth Primary, Senior Teacher of Greenmeadows Intermediate, Deputy Principal of Clevedon School. He has also worked in two small remote schools in Takaka.

Murray's educations philosophy is based on high expectations:

• That the students will achieve to the highest level that they are capable of attaining
• That students maintain a high level of personal behaviour.

He is married with an adult family. Murray enjoys reading, travel, tramping, swimming, fishing and restoring vintage tractors. He has continued post graduate study, extra murally completing a Masters Degree in Education.

Alana started in the position of Deputy Principal of Opaheke School in October, 2005, where she has responsibility for the Year 5 to 8 students. Prior to this appointment, she was Assistant Principal, and then Deputy Principal, of Buckland School in Pukekohe. She has also previously been a senior teacher at Waiau Pa School and taught at Patumahoe School, which her own children attended. Before taking time out of teaching to raise her children, Alana taught in both Thames and Auckland schools. Alana has had experience teaching at every year level, and although Year 7 and 8 remain her passion, she regards her years of teaching juniors as the most valuable experience she could have had.

While Alana has a special interest in the Arts and Gifted and Talented Education, literacy is her passion. For the past six years she has been involved in a literacy group facilitated by Margaret Mooney and, through this, she has gained in-depth professional development. Over the last three years she has travelled to the United States on a number of occasions to work as a literacy consultant in schools in Oregon and Washington State. She particularly enjoys developing and implementing curriculum projects in schools and found her lead role in implementing the Learning Pathways project in 2004 and 2005 to be both challenging and rewarding. She enjoys working with teachers to offer students exciting and innovative programmes that extend them and enrich their learning.

Alana lives with her husband, David, and has three children who have all recently left home. In her spare time she enjoys dancing, reading and watching movies and theatre. She is looking forward to future travel overseas.

Brenda has been at Opaheke School since 1996 when she was appointed as Assistant Principal with responsibility for overviewing the years 0 - 4 area of the School.

Professional study has occupied Brenda in her spare time having completed a bachelor's degree and in 2006 a Diploma in Educational Management.

Brenda has two adult daughters. She enjoys reading, gardening, walking/tramping and overseas travel outside of school.