Susannah Fowler

Principal

principal@thegardens.school.nz

  Our Principal – Susannah Fowler


I trained as a teacher at Auckland Teachers College after attending secondary school at Rosehill College. I taught in South Auckland schools for two years before heading off overseas. 
In 1996, I returned to Brisbane and got a job in the outback of Queensland working with the School of the Air in Winton. After a couple of years of being overly hot and rainless, I went to Cairns and taught a Gifted and Talented class for two years, in a large primary school. 
In 1990, I gained a Principal’s position and moved to Yeppoon, which is by Rockhampton. I stayed for three years before returning home and taking up a Principal’s position in the Bay of Plenty. 
Following this I moved to the wonderful Brookby School for five years, then out to Waiuku School for seven and now I am happy to be settled at The Gardens School (what happened to 20 years?????).
I have taken some time off, but plan to return to my Stage 3 Law studies next year as I feel the school is more settled (don’t worry- it is only one or two papers a year, part-time).
I am a sports nut and now that I am recovering from my back surgery will be able to get back into it (in some much gentler form perhaps, gone are the days … ). 
My Virtual Super 14 name is Aardvark and my aim for this year is to beat Mr Williams (and Daniel Clark).

 

Recent Blogs

Welcome Back
9 Feb 2012 - 8:54am

It was great to see everyone back at school after the holidays.  We have commenced the year with well over 500 students and growing!

How Does An Enrolment Scheme Work?
12 Aug 2011 - 3:55pm

Our school operates an enrolment scheme based on the legislation outlined in the Education Act.  The home zone area for our school was negotiated with our neighbouring schools in 2001 and has been revisted regularly, to ensure it is meeting the needs of our community.

Our school generally only takes students in category 1, which is students who reside in the zone at the time of commencing school.  At times we will ballot for a specific year group, but in recent years this has been rare.

COMMUNITY SURVEY
14 Jul 2011 - 3:02pm

Recently our Board undertook a community survey via our website.  The questions on the survey mirrored questions asked on our last survey in 2008 and the aim was to provide us with information to look at our next phase of strategic planning.

Can't Touch This
6 May 2011 - 1:14pm

After all the damage and graffiti we have had around our school I have finally had a glimmer of humour from our pen bandits. 

Getting Back to Blogging
8 Mar 2011 - 2:52pm

It has been a while since I wrote on this blog and it is not from want of trying.  I am finding out that I am so far behind the techno ball, that I am out of the game.  How I wish I had been born a digital native and computers, cellphones and even remotes were part of my DNA.  How lucky our kids are!  I also wouldn’t mind knocking a decade or two off the birthday tally either.