Julia Schist
Kia Ora
I was born and raised in Christchurch, studied nutrition for 4 years in Dunedin, then moved back home to do my postgraduate diploma and masters in teaching. I moved to Queenstown to start my teaching career in 2021 and have loved every minute in this beautiful town and school.
My daily mission is to ensure that myself and my students find joy in small things and appreciate the space we are in.
Outside of my teaching life I love spending far too much time in cafe’s planning future world travels, painting, and exploring the outdoors whether that be skiing, running, walking, biking or swimming
Ngā mini nui
Julia
Kia Ora
I was born and raised in Christchurch, studied nutrition for 4 years in Dunedin, then moved back home to do my postgraduate diploma and masters in teaching. I moved to Queenstown to start my teaching career in 2021 and have loved every minute in this beautiful town and school.
My daily mission is to ensure that myself and my students find joy in small things and appreciate the space we are in.
Outside of my teaching life I love spending far too much time in cafe’s planning future world travels, painting, and exploring the outdoors whether that be skiing, running, walking, biking or swimming
Ngā mini nui
Julia
Ella O'Reilly
Ko ngā pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.
The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.
I feel privileged to be a part of the team that works so hard to grow great humans, as I embark on my teaching career at Shotover. I have always been an interesting mix of left and right brain; at university I studied both design and psychology - I have spent the last 14 years working in graphic and web design, and am excited now to reignite my passion for education, for how children learn, and to now implement this in igniting their potential.
My husband and I have two boys at the school, and so have been a school parent aswell as a mentor.
I’m a New Zealander and have been in Queenstown for over 15 years now, but am a global citizen - I spent my high school years living in England and exploring Europe. We were fortunate to travel as a family in 2018, working in Zambia for a short time, and exploring my husband’s Irish ancestry, creating some amazing memories.
I love life, embrace joy and am continually thankful for this beautiful place that we are so fortunate to live, and raise our children in.
Ko ngā pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.
The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.
I feel privileged to be a part of the team that works so hard to grow great humans, as I embark on my teaching career at Shotover. I have always been an interesting mix of left and right brain; at university I studied both design and psychology - I have spent the last 14 years working in graphic and web design, and am excited now to reignite my passion for education, for how children learn, and to now implement this in igniting their potential.
My husband and I have two boys at the school, and so have been a school parent aswell as a mentor.
I’m a New Zealander and have been in Queenstown for over 15 years now, but am a global citizen - I spent my high school years living in England and exploring Europe. We were fortunate to travel as a family in 2018, working in Zambia for a short time, and exploring my husband’s Irish ancestry, creating some amazing memories.
I love life, embrace joy and am continually thankful for this beautiful place that we are so fortunate to live, and raise our children in.
Karina Coles
Kia ora, my name is Karina Coles (Miss Karina at school) and I feel very privileged to be part of the Shotover team.
I grew up in Arrowtown for the majority of my childhood, before relocating to Dunedin with my family when I was 11. I completed my bachelor of teaching at the University of Otago, and then boarded a jet plane to start my teaching journey in England. I spent almost 4 years teaching in the UK before returning to New Zealand and settling in Queenstown.
I have been teaching for several years and have experience teaching a variety of age groups, however I have been mainly based in junior school and preschool. My inspiration to become a teacher grew from my own experience as a pupil in primary school. I was fortunate enough to have a very engaging and nurturing teacher. It had such a positive impact on my learning and my experience at school.
In my spare time I enjoy exploring Queenstown and going on family adventures with my husband Joe and my 3 year old son Ollie.
Chris Heald
I completed my teaching degree and continued on with post-graduate studies in the field of literacy, numeracy and the education of gifted and talented students. I have had teaching experience in Perth in Western Australian and Alabama in the USA and taught full time at several primary schools in the Manawatu and, this year, Queenstown.
Kia ora whānau,
Originally from Yorkshire, I have been calling Tāhuna, Queenstown home since 2018. Like most who visit this beautiful whenua, I instantly loved the active lifestyle, friendly people, and opportunities to get out into the backcountry. During my time here, I have connected with our awesome community through various hobbies and teaching the valuable life skill, swimming. After completing my teacher training in 2023, I am very excited to start my career at Shotover Primary School which played a vital role in my studies. The school values of "1% better" and "growth mindset" align perfectly with the culture I hope to foster in the classroom.
Being dyslexic, I am very passionate about connecting with tamariki to understand how each individual learns, ensuring they feel fully supported on their own journey. Whanaungatanga is at the heart of my practice and I am excited to get to know the ākonga in Kawarau as we learn and grow together. Teaching for me is about celebrating each student's successes and helping them see the mana-enhancing potential in working together. In my free time you will likely find me on the golf course, tramping, swimming, or playing cricket.