Katikati Primary School deputy principal Anne Morriss retires after 30 years

Katikati Primary School deputy principal Anne Morriss.

It’s an emotional time for Katikati Primary School deputy principal Anne Morriss as 2024 comes to an end.

The teaching stalwart is retiring this year after spending three decades helping to steer the town primary school and wrapping up a 45-year teaching career.

“Working with the KPS staff — those in leadership, teachers, teacher aides, office, groundspeople and the list continues — has been a real highlight of my career,” she says.

“I cannot express my gratitude [enough] to all the staff for their friendship, support... and acceptance of all my silliness at times, especially dressing up.”

Anne’s time at the primary school has been so lengthy she now rubs shoulders with teachers she once taught as children.

Anne started teaching in 1980 in Wellington. She recalls it was hard to get jobs in those days as there was a surplus of teachers.

She was appointed team leader at Wainuiomata Primary School in 1985 and deputy principal from 1989-1994.

Literacy has been her focus.

“Ever since starting out on my teaching journey, I’ve had a love of literature and my wish is for every child to leave school loving reading and feeling successful in their efforts.”

She says as educators you’re unaware of it at the time, however, the impact you make on all those you encounter is for life. There’s many a time when you’ll meet someone you taught years later.

“There is nothing like knowing you have had a part to play when witnessing the delight of a child as they have that ‘aha’ moment having mastered a skill which leads on to more success.”

Anne has seen educational trends come and go, and return again.

“In the early days of teaching ‘open plan’ was the word, then back to single cell classes. Then there was another swing in the 2000s with modern learning environments or pods and now many schools have reverted to single cell again.”

The trend was similar with literacy and an emphasis on phonics and grammar in the 1980s — which is happening again.

Anne has watched the school population become a diversity of cultures — most of the children were from rural properties and orchards when she started.

“The Katikati A&P Show was a huge event for the school community and at least 50 children would show their animals every year.”

During her time, Anne has been an associate teacher for teacher trainees and mentor teacher for beginning teachers. She oversees teachers and children in Years 0-3. She’s also been bus controller, breakfast club coordinator and worked alongside the Seasons for Growth programme.

Other highlights include the smoother transition to school for 5-year-olds, the new junior playground and the walking school bus (at one stage there were up to 60 children walking to school with adult volunteers) and overseeing literacy.

At Anne’s farewell speech, she beseeched all those there to take a leaf from her book, stand up and dance to Tina Turner’s Simply the Best which she says applies to all those she has worked with throughout her career.

■ Katikati Primary School also says goodbye to two other teachers this year — Ann Townsend has been teaching at the school for 27 years and Barbara Woodham for 15 years.