Farewell Miss Dunne

A little more than three years ago, Nicole Dunne joined RPS as a teacher in our Year Two team.  Nicole quickly immersed herself in the culture of our school and quickly made an impact on students, colleagues and parents. Her bright, cheerful, upbeat personality together with her passion for life, made her a popular staff member.  However, in addition to her demeanor, it quickly became apparent that Nicole was indeed a gifted educator and one who would leave an indelible mark on our school.

Nicole’s experience working with Neurodiverse students in Ireland, together with her keen and analytical eye for quality teaching and learning, made her an obvious choice to promote to Junior School Deputy Principal, when the position became available.

In the two years that Nicole has led our Junior School, she has had a profound impact on teaching and learning.  In a mere two years, Nicole has;

• Collaborated with staff to implement the RPS Learner Progressions throughout the school,

• Implemented SeeSaw as a real time application for students to share their learning progress with parents,

• Implemented Torohe- Learning through Exploration to our Junior School,

• Enhanced the teaching pedagogy throughout our Junior School, and 

• Significantly contributed to the professional learning of her colleagues, to name just a few highlights.

In a little more than two weeks, Nicole and her partner Ben, will close the New Zealand chapter of their lives and return to Ireland. To say that we are sad to bid farewell to Nicole is a gross understatement.  Nicole has had a profound and positive impact on our school and the human capital that forms the fabric of RPS. Children, teachers, parents and this Principal will miss her dearly.

I have no doubt that Nicole is destined for greatness in education.  On reflection, it is my belief that we can count ourselves fortunate, that Nicole has blessed RPS with her expertise and passion for making a difference with our young learners.  On behalf of the entire RPS community, I extend our sincere thanks to Nicole and wish her and Ben safe travels, in the hope that our paths will cross once more in the future.