Board of Trustees

My name is Sandra Fatule Brennan, I am a mother of 5 lovely grown children except for a 11 year old daughter, who attends Mt Roskill Intermediate. I am also a Nana to 8 grandchildren, a grandson that is Year 1.

I am a Niuean born, raised up in Auckland when I was 5 years old. I have been working for Reid Research Company for 15 years as market researcher.

Achievement certificate for hard work, participating and support in the projects and activities in the Cati Sector. I also helped with Reading Advance Programme with the Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 at May Road Primary School. I have volunteered with the Primary School at Mt Roskill for many years. I have enjoyed helping out with children reading and also going on school trips.

Kia Ora and greetings to all the parents, caregivers, whanau and friends of Mount Roskill Primary School (MRPS). MRPS is a great place for teaching and learning. It is one of the prestigious academic institutions I have come to know. I know this for sure because I have my three children currently attending this school (Year 3, 5 and 6) and I have taught at this school as well. I am fully aware of the educational system of the school from a parent and teacher perspective.

I am of indo-Fijian decent and have lived in Auckland for over a decade. I am a teacher by profession and have taught in New Zealand and overseas for the past 19 years. I taught in secondary schools for 11 years before moving into special education. I have written publications on Autism in Pasifika Communities in New Zealand and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies. I have also provided academic support as a mentor for students doing postgraduate studies in specialist teaching at Massey University. I have also published some of my creative writing pieces, which involved a collection of short stories and poems. I am a member of Autism New Zealand. I work closely with families who have children with physical , learning disabilities and work collaboratively with teachers, and other professionals who deal with individuals for whom English is their second language and learners diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Currently, I am the head of the MacLean Centre at Mt Roskill Grammar School. When I am not at school... I enjoy travelling, listening to music, reading, cooking and spending time with my family.

It will be a pleasure to share my expertise with this diverse group of individuals so that together we establish an education system where all children will succeed in all aspects of their learning and one where we all take shared responsibility in ensuring this happens.

I am passionate about education and working for the educational and social well-being of our children. More than anything though, it is the success of every child at Mt Roskill Primary School that will make our job as the stakeholders of the school a rewarding one and it will be an honour to work for the best team in the best school.

Tēnā koutou e te whanau o MRPS,ko Rochelle Nafatali ahau. I was born in Tamaki Makaurau, grew up in Tai Tokerau, spent 14 years in

Pōneke, and am Kiwi Samoan. After completing my master's at Victoria University (in forensic psychology), I relocated to Auckland I am currently a doctoral scholar at Massey University in the clinical psychology programme. My doctoral research focuses on the lived experiences of Pasifika parents raising children on the autism spectrum, and the transfer of traditional language and culture within these families.

My work experience includes eight years of executive administration and support, and more recently during study academic tutoring, customer service, and research for Corrections. A favourite experience was running the Pasifika graduation celebrations at Victoria University over five years, because of the bringing together of all levels of the community- from the families and graduands right through to the diplomatic core, clergy, and MPs - to celebrate the success of our students. I have also held many volunteer roles including student mentor, fundraising baker, events assistant, and community kitchen volunteer.

I have two children currently in Year 3 and 6 at the school, one of whom is on the autism spectrum and in mainstream classes. I count it a privilege to serve and advocate for our childrens'/student needs. I have done this once before; in 2017 I represented postgraduate students on the Victoria Equity and Diversity Committee, which was extremely important in working towards parity and accessibility. Further, I am currently the national Student Representative on the Executive Board for the NZ Psychological Society.

Being a training mental health professional, I am a strong advocate for the holistic hauora/well-being of our children, and accessible, equitable, and quality education is a large part of this. I love the range of cultures and the diversity at MRPS, and this is one key reason we sough an education at MRPS (through ballot places). The particular skills I bring to the board room table are an evidence-based approach, administrative expertise, fundraising and events experience, a keen desire to see our diversity and culture acknowledged and celebrated, and a passion for seeing all of our children reach their full potential.