Whareama School

www.whareama.school.nz

th

14 September 2013
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Ginny Neal Reference
I had the pleasure of teaching alongside Ginny when I started my principalship at Whareama
School in 2012 and this letter is to confirm my recommendations for her to be part of your
school.
She has excellent curriculum knowledge in literacy and numeracy and is up to date with
understanding of National Standards and its relevance to teaching and learning. Ginny has a
good understanding of the inquiry process and inquiry learning and uses digital technologies
st
to ensure her students are 21 century learners.
She always looks to improve her teaching style, classroom programmes and learning
environment. Our classroom was always vibrant and student work centered and this was due
to Ginny and her ability to use students work to display their learning and creativity. Her
ability to teach a variety of learning styles is to be admired and she is able to teach multi level
classrooms including abilities and year groups with ease.
Her planning is always full and well structured that ensures the needs of individuals are met
and most importantly her planning is done on time and this is imperative when working in a
classroom with another teacher. She is always self-reflective and accepts nothing but the
best so she continually self-reviews her practice so she knows she is getting the best out of
her students.
Ginny has great interpersonal skills and was fantastic for me as a first time principal ensuring
I was fully informed on systems and structures so my introduction to the school was
seamless. While she knew the school well and had a great understanding of the way things
were done she never hesitated to try something new and always gave new initiatives a go
and came to me with constructive and most importantly honest feedback on how those
changes were impacting on student learning and achievement.
Ginny was reliable and responsible and I could always trust a great job was done when I
asked Ginny to take control of situations and the school in general when I was not at the
school completing professional development. It was with regret I said good-bye to Ginny, Stu
and her family when they moved as we had formed a very strong friendship and collegial
rapport in a relatively short time.
In short, if I had a position at my school in the future and Ginny applied, yes I would hire her
without a doubt.
If you need to contact me with any questions please do not hesitate to call me.
Kind Regards
Darren Kerr Principal

Ph 06 372 3808 work 06 377 0886 home

Email: principal@whareama.school.nz