Annette Browne: Learning Support

Annette relocated from Auckland in 2019 and is very happy to be living in Rolleston. She has a beautiful family living nearby.
Coming from a family of 13 siblings it was obvious children will always be a high priority in her life.
Annette is loves going that extra mile and brings a positive attitude to her work. She feels very proud and privileged to be part of Lemonwood Grove School team and the wider school community.
Annette is a big fan of travelling and loves family time and watching sports.

Michelle Yelavich: Learning Support

Having worked 90% of her working life in call centres Michelle decided to challenge herself to a new path. 2 years now working for Busy Bumbles in before and after school care, Michelle was excited to be given the opportunity of working at Lemonwood Grove School as a Teacher Aide.
Michelle believes it takes a community to raise a child and is excited to be doing this alongside the teachers and management of Lemonwood Grove.
Michelle has 3 children who keep her busy and entertained.

Laurelle Rogers: Learning Support

Laurelle joined LWG in 2020. She has been an LA for many years working in both primary and secondary schools. Laurelle enjoys working with neurodiverse learners and finding out what their talents are. Laurelle believes every learner has a talent and it is our job to find and nurture that talent. In her spare time, Laurelle enjoys spending time with her family. She is pleased to be working at LWG. We have a special team of Learning Support workers and a Staff and Leadership team, that appreciates and utilises our talents and strengths.

Claire Rodkiss: Learning Support

Claire relocated from Auckland to Rolleston in 2016 with her husband and two children. When she is not at work, Claire enjoys taking her chocolate lab for walks, gaming, reading and sewing. Although Claire is Scottish, both her children are kiwis so they consider New Zealand home. Claire is very happy to be part of the Lemonwood Grove whanau.

Angie Reyes: Learning Support

Angie joined LWG at the start of Term 4 2020, she graduated from Psychology in Mexico bringing years of experience working with kids. She relocated from Auckland to Rolleston last year and loves her role as a learning assistant supporting kids in different areas. She has 3 daughters who keep her always busy and entertained. She loves playing social netball, walking, and watching movies.

Rachael Woodworth: Learning Support 

Rachael relocated from Auckland to Rolleston with her family at the end of 2021 and is really enjoying exploring the South Island with her husband and 3 boys.
Rachael has been a learning assistant for several years and really enjoys supporting both students and staff she works with.
In her spare time, Rachael enjoys spending time with her family, baking, reading and gardening. On the weekends you can find Rachael on the side-lines supporting her boys in the various sports they play.
Rachael is looking forward to joining Lemonwood Grove School community and getting to know everyone.

Sue Bruning: Learning Support

 Sue is delighted to be joining the Lemonwood Grove team in a support role. She has previously worked in preschools with neurodiverse children. Sue has been the administrator at the Rolleston playgroup for a number of years and enjoys seeing children learning new skills, challenging themselves, accepting of others and finding their place in the world. Sue lives in Lincoln with her husband. She has 2 adult sons and enjoys caravan holidays, spending time with friends and walking and training her dog.

Ella Fray: Learning Support

Ella joined LWG in Term 4, 2022, after relocating from South Africa in January 2020 with her husband and three kids, twins aged 15 and a son aged 19. Ella enjoys her role as a learning assistant, where she supports kids in different areas. She loves spending time with her family and friends, baking, and watching a good movie in her free time. 

Phil Mercer: Learning Support

Phil has lived in Faringdon with his wife since late 2013 and has seen the community grow from farmers' fields to the amazing place it is today. He has worked in retail in sales and management and has recently been involved in the electrical trade. Phil enjoys working with the learners, getting immense satisfaction from helping them learn and grow. His ultimate goal is to make their time at school more enjoyable so that they can look back on these years as not just a place to learn but also as a place of happiness and optimism. In his spare time, Phil loves spending time with his wife, snowboarding, travelling and helping others where he can.

Lizelle Kellner: Learning Support

Lizelle Kellner joined the Lemonwood Grove team in July 2023, supporting students in Structured Literacy Intervention groups. She was born in South Africa and recently received her NZ Citizenship. Her passion is to help tamariki believe in themselves and to support each learner in all areas of literacy. Lizelle's inspiration and passion come from her son, who was diagnosed with a superpower—dyslexia—two years ago.
She lives locally in Rolleston with her husband, two primary-aged children, and their white German Shepherd, Bolt. Her favourite children's book author is Roald Dahl. Outside of school, Lizelle enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and the outdoors.

Jude Connor: Learning Support

Jude grew up in a small farming community in Otago. She is married with four kids and three grandbabies. She is a bit of a gardener and cook. She loves animals and reading. Being able to work with children at LWG is just something she loves.

Rebecca Gilchrist: Learning Support

Rebecca lives in Rolleston with her husband Patrick and two boys, Tom and Sam. Her background and teaching experience comes from 25 years in Early Childhood Education, mainly in Kindergartens. Rebecca has a special interest in neurodiverse children and enjoy their creative and out of the box thinking. When she is not at school Rebecca is on the sideline of softball or rugby games watching the boys play, depending on the season. She also like walking my dog Fergus, getting into her garden and catching up with friends.

Gabby Sullivan: Learning Support

Gabby is excited to be apart of the Lemonwood Grove team and get involved in any way she can! In her spare time, she loves to play sport and be active. Gabby plays cricket for the Canterbury Magicians and has been doing so for eight years now! She also loves being around my friends and family, especially bragging about her amazing twin- Maddy Sullivan, who is a teacher in the Kererū space!

Nicole Masters: Learning Support

Nicole Masters moved to NZ 30 years ago and now considers herself a Kiwi.Having lived in Rolleston for over 17 years, she has seen it grow immensely, and gaining some fantastic schools and services. A mother of three, with twins at Rolleston College, and an older son in Christchurch, she comes from a background of IHC, RDA and other people and child focused organizations.She's very happy to be part of the fantastic team at LWG.

Lizelle Geldenhuys: Learning Support (ESOL)

Lizelle joined LWG in 2021. After leaving South Africa in 2002, she travelled a bit. She lived in Lusaka, Zambia, for 4 years, Dubai for 10 years, Hamilton and Auckland for 3 years, and Rolleston for 3 years before relocating.
Lizelle worked as a Learning Assistant for several years before joining LWG. Her favorite part of being a learning assistant is when she sees the look on a child's face when they understand something that they previously struggled with. In her spare time, Lizelle enjoys spending time with her family, going fishing and camping and working in her vegetable garden.

Kahlia Battaglene: Learning Support

Kahlia joined the Lemonwood grove team at the start of Term two 2024. She is a busy māmā to her tamāhine Maraetaia. Kahlia is passionate about her Māori culture, netball and rugby. She comes from a huge whānau with tāmariki ranging all ages and loves being able to experience all of their milestones as-well as all the new students she will be working with here at LWG. She has lived all her life in Ōtautahi and moved to Rolleston in 2014. You will often find Kahlia running around Foster Park, playing sports or catching up with friends and whānau for coffee in one of our local cafes.

Hannah Burnett: Learning Support

Hannah lives in Rolleston with her husband and their 6 year old daughter, Isla. Prior to coming to LWG, she worked at Waitaha Specialist School. There she was able to really grow and develop as a Learning Assistant working with neurodiverse children with a range of different learning difficulties. Hannah thoroughly enjoys working with children, it truly is her passion. Her goal is to really make a difference in their lives and feel like she has taken part in shaping their future. In her spare time, she loves getting outdoors for walks and relaxing with her family.

Joanne de Jager: Learning Support

Natalie Hughes: Learning Support

Siri Stamps: Learning Support