HCS Staff
Tala Moemai - Principal
Tēnā koe, ko Tala Moemai tōku ingoa, nō te upoko o te ika ahau, ko Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti Apa me Ngāti Hāmoa ngā iwi. He tumuaki āhau ki Te Rotokura. I was raised in the Eastern Suburbs, attending Holy Cross School as a student.
I was baptised and raised in the Holy Cross Parish and I feel a deep connection to this area. I live in Miramar, where I am an active member of the school and local community. I take pride in being approachable and I prioritise making meaningful connections with students, colleagues and whānau. I am a positive advocate for Holy Cross School and Catholic education and I look forward to leading Te Rotokura into the future.
"Ehara toa i te toa takitahi, engari, he toa takitini" – My success or my strength is not that of a single person but instead the strength of many.
Lucy Wooles - Assistant Principal, Room 11
NE / Year 1 Teacher
My name is Lucy ("Miss Lucy Wooles" to some) and I teach in Room 11. I really enjoy working with juniors; they are all so full of energy and eager to learn new skills and information. Our classroom is an exciting place to be! I look forward to sharing our learning with students, staff and whanau.
Lyn Hough Deputy Principal, SENCO,
Kahui Ako lead, Room 3 teacher (Mon & Fri)
Kia ora koutou- Holy Cross is a great inclusive and welcoming community to be a part of and it is a pleasure to serve as DP, SENCO and classroom teacher in this place. Education has been an incredibly fulfilling, lifelong career for me which has seen me teach in a number of places around New Zealand and overseas. As well as teaching, my other passion is my Grandchildren who just happen to live in Wellington. I enjoy reading, board games and love to take opportunities to make music with my class.
Christina Petris -Room 1 Year 7/8 Teacher Term 1 & 2
Ethel Renata - Room 1 Year 7/8 Teacher
Term 3 & 4
I am Ngāti Porou and Ngāpuhi descent.I love my whānau and cats Nala and Elsa. I am passionate about education and lifelong learning. Currently, I am in my fourth year of PhD study through Victoria University.
My other passions are spending time at the gym, supporting my children in their sports of netball and handball, and I am an avid Hurricanes fan.
Māori culture and te reo are also extremely important to me. Knowing my own culture helps me to appreciate and value other cultures.
Ben Gittos - Room 2 Year 6/7 Teacher
ben.gittos@hcm.school.nz
Kia Ora, Ko Ben tōku ingoa. I am the teacher of the amazing students in Room 2. I enjoy being part of the dedicated teaching team and wider school community of Holy Cross. The ākonga (students), kaiako (teachers), kaiawhina (support staff) and our wider parent community make Holy Cross School a very special place to learn and teach in.
Sonya Talbot - Room 3 Year 4/5 Teacher
sonya.talbot@hcm.school.nz
Kia ora, buenos dias, Ko Sonya Kemelmager de Talbot tōku ingoa. I feel at home in our multicultural kura, which allows us to bring our whole selves into the space. My diverse career background lends a real world lens into the classroom learning and I love the Garden to Table programme as much as our learners!
Clare James - Room 5 Year 5/6 Teacher
clare.james@hcm.school.nz
Hi my name is Clare and I am really pleased to be back at Holy Cross this year in Room 5. I am originally from the UK, English born but from a proud Welsh family. I love sports, IT and music and look forward to a fantastic year.
Simone Meech Acting DRS Room 7 - Year 2/3 Teacher
Kia ora, I’m Simone. I come from Germany but have lived in New Zealand for 20 years.
My husband is from Wellington and my three kids were born here.
In my classroom I like to provide a hands-on environment, with real life experiences, that allow students to be curious, experiment and explore.
I am passionate about art, science and languages.
Outside of school I run a small German Language School, I love skiing, tramping and play piano.
Virginia Blewman - Room 8 Year 1 / 2 Teacher
Hello there. Our family has a long association with Holy Cross School. There has been a Blewman family member (including myself) here at the school, every year since 1959. My three sons were here from 1990 until 2004. I have been employed at Holy Cross since 1995, starting as the school librarian, then as a teacher aide, school secretary and finally a teacher! I love the children at Holy Cross and enjoy getting to know them, and especially like break times when I get a chance to talk with the older children.
Release Teachers
Brenda O'Hare - Reading Recovery / ESOL - Room 11 Maths Teacher
Hello, I am proud to have had a long association with Holy Cross School as my three sons (who are now adults), completed their primary schooling here. I work in the classroom and also as a Reading Recovery teacher. I find it very rewarding to work alongside a child in their learning journey and see it come to fruition, especially when they are learning to read. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, seeing great movies, travelling, walking and exercising at the gym.
Patsy Wooles - Release Teacher for Room 8
Kia ora and Talofa lava. I am very pleased to be doing a job share with Virginia Blewman on Fridays. I have had a long association with Holy Cross and I love the spirit of the school and openness of the kids. It is great to have three generations of the Wooles at this school - myself, Ms Lucy Wooles and Billie-Rose.
Eleanor Stefanidis -Release Teacher for Room 1
eleanor.stefanidis@hcm.school.nz
I am born and bred in Wellington - love Italy and speak a little bit of Italian. My passion is the sea, the marine environment and sailing. I have been a release teacher at Holy Cross for years (since Virginia was a first year teacher!) and have taught in most areas of the school. I love the community and the fact that I get to teach the kids as they progress through the school. I have known Celeste since I was a trainee teacher working in her classroom.
Support Staff
Aleksandra Alagh Kitchen Co-ordinator Garden to Table
aleksandra.alagh@hcm.school.nz
Tēnā koutou,
I have been running the Garden to Table programme since 2020 at Holy Cross Miramar School. It has been a privilege being part of this fun, generous, caring, positive community. I enjoy the welcoming, inclusive work environment and most of all I love creating yummy food with our tamariki.
I have three children and I am co-owner of Artrageouskids Ltd. I am passionate about the arts, reading, music, photography, gardening and learning new things.
Olivia Boyd Garden To Table Co-ordinator
Pam Cambridge - Specialist Teacher
pam.cambridge@hcm.school.nz
Kia ora koutou, My name is Pam and I am so grateful to be part of the wonderful Holy Cross community. I love getting to know all the children and support them on their learning journeys. Myself, my husband James and our two beautiful children are Miramar locals, we enjoy getting out and about in our local environment especially the beach. I’m originally from Nelson, where I began my career as a secondary school Geography Teacher. I am passionate about education and working together to support children to be the best they can be. I look forward to meeting you.
Kate Caseley-Teaching and Learning Assistant
Kia ora koutou. I joined the wonderful staffing team last year but my whanau have been apart of the Holy Cross School community since our eldest son started school here in 2013. We now have two, soon to be three tamariki attending Holy Cross. In my spare time I love exploring different bush walks with my whanau and kuri(dog). I feel extremely lucky to be working in a school that is so passionate about learning and always encouraging our tamariki to be the best version of themselves.
Suzanne Dawe - Finance Officer
Hello, I work in the school office on Wednesday and Friday taking care of the school finances I love what I do and always come to school with a skip in my step. I love the rich cultural diversity of the school community and the variety in my role here in the office.
My interactions with the wonderful families, students and staff make my job a very rewarding one.
Karin Graham- Teaching and Learning Assistant
Kia ora I am Karin Graham and some of you may recognise me from around Miramar. I have been associated with Holy Cross since 2003 as an active parent and hung around a lot longer and they finally employed me. I am a born and bred Wellingtonian. I have three beautiful children and wonderful husband John (who also happens to be the plumber here) who have instilled in me the importance and the passion for education. I love working with the children here and the staff are fantastic.
Vicky Holben- Teaching and Learning Assistant
Kia ora. I am Vicky Holben and I enjoy being a part of the Holy Cross community. I am passionate about supporting children with special needs. I am really excited when I can make connections with children through singing and playing the ukulele.
Kathleen O'Connor-Teaching and Learning Assistant
I have been at Holy Cross for several years in the role of English Language Assistant. I feel extremely lucky to be part of school that is so passionate about children's learning. I can remember the warmth and respect of the school when I came for my interview. I am proud to be part of the Holy Cross school team.
Deb Paget - School Office Support
deb.paget@hcm.school.nz
Malisha Patel-Teaching and Learning Assistant
Hello, my name is Malisha and I have recently joined the amazing team at Holy Cross. My family and I immigrated from the UK 23 years ago and we became part of the Holy Cross community when my siblings went to school here. I love learning more about the students that I work with and discovering how to help them along their individual learning journeys. Outside of school, I love reading, travelling, and spending time with my family and friends. I look forward to getting to know you all.
Skyla Sims - Teaching and Learning Assistant
Suzanne Archer -Teaching and Learning Assistant
Sophie Wooles - Librarian
sophie.wooles@hcm.school.nz