Parent Login
Play. Learn. Grow.
Play. Learn. Grow.
Play. Learn. Grow.
Centre Manager
Hi, My name is Carolyn and I am the centre manager of The Rumpus Room.
I have been in ECE for the past 17 years and have been managing centres for the past 11. I have been with The Rumpus Room right from the beginning before we opened in 2012 and have loved being involved in the set up from the beginning. The journey over the past 6 years has been filled with loads of fun along the way and I am incredibly proud of the space we have created at our centres and of the fabulous dedicated teaching team we have who work so hard every day making the centres a home away from home for all of our children and families. I am passionate about working alongside such wonderful teachers and together we work hard to make our vision for our centres come to life. I live locally in Westmere with my fiancé Matt, our almost 2 year old son Freddie, who attends our Point Chev Centre, our newborn baby daughter Charlotte, and our cat Bomber! We love spending our spare time together as a family at the beach, the local playgrounds, listening to music (there is never a day without music in our house!) and on a nice summers day in our backyard with the paddling pool and friends!
Centre Mentor
Hi, I’m Heidi and I have been lucky to be a part of The Rumpus Room whanau since our Pt Chev centre opened in 2012. I have been working in ECE now for 16 years so I can truly say that it is a passion for me and not just a ‘job!’. My husband and I met at high school (quite a while ago now) so it feels like in some ways we have been together forever. We also have a wee little guy called Quinn who was born in 2017 and it has been incredible watching him see, learn and explore his new world. I definitely have a whole different level of empathy and understanding for what it is like to be a parent know I have my own child. Creating a place where children feel comfortable to be themselves, are treated with kindness and respect and feel safe to freely explore alongside people that really know them is what is really important to me and underpins my teaching and learning philosophy. I feel honoured to be here at The Rumpus Room working alongside a passionate team of children, families and teachers.
Team Leader Fledglings and Explorers
Hi, I’m Kiri – the team leader in the Fledglings and Explorers here at The Rumpus Room, Pt Chevalier.
I come from a large family and I have 2 brothers and 6 sisters! I live in West Auckland with my fiance and look forward to getting married later this year. I have a Bachelor of Education and have recently graduated with my Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood as well.
I am passionate about working alongside children, watching their creativity and confidence grow as they explore and communicate their ideas, working theories and make their own discoveries about the world around them.
Team Leader – Nest
Kia Ora
My name is Kalpana and I have been a teacher in The Nest since January 2013. I have enjoyed watching The Rumpus Room whanau grow in the last few years and feel very proud to be a part of such a passionate, inspiring and an awesome team of teachers. I studied Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE) and am a fully Registered teacher.
I am passionate about creating a home away from home for the children where they feel loved, cared for, respected for who they are and gain the confidence to create their own success stories. Watching and observing a child’s play to see all the learning that happens during play has always kept me mesmerized about early childhood education and something that I want to keep on exploring.
I come from India and have been living in New Zealand for the last 15 years. I love everything that this gorgeous country has on offer. I live in Sandringham with my husband and a beautiful daughter. I have enjoyed my time getting to know the children and the families in our wonderful community and cherish all the beautiful moments that I have spent while working here. I look forward to building many more beautiful relationships as I continue on my journey.
Teacher
Kia Ora and Namaste to the Rumpus Room whanau. My name is Ayushi and my husband and I came from India to New Zealand in 2016. I have been working as a teacher in the nest since 2018. I love to work with the children here at the Rumpus Room and would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you for your support and acceptance.
Teacher
Tena Koutou Katoa
Ko Caroline Scalabrini (nee Wihongi) ahau
I have been working in Early Childhood Education for 28 years. I am passionate about working with the older age group tamariki.
I am currently working with the Explorers age group. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to be part of our multicultural team here at The Rumpus Room in Point Chevalier. I have been employed here since it opened in 2012. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge in Tikanga Maori. I am fluent in Te Reo and love using it in my daily practice with our tamariki, kaiako and whanau. I believe this to be a taonga which was taught to me by my mama and I firmly believe that this taonga should be shared.
My interests include travel, learning about different cultures and I love listening to a range of music. I am passionate about the Native American culture and love learning about the similarities they have with my Maori culture. I also love playing the guitar and piano which I used to play since I was 9. I love spending time with my whanau and going on adventures.
I am married to Lance Scalabrini and we have two tamariki who live at home with us here in Point Chevalier.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa
Teacher
My name is Holly, I’m 27 years old, I’m originally from the UK and I moved to NZ about 5 and a half years ago. I really enjoy reading, cooking, travelling and I love going to the beach. I am currently doing my Bachelors at Unitec for Early Childhood Education, and I am almost at the end of my second year. Working with children is a real passion for me, I strive to provide them with a warm, calming and respectable teaching approach.
Teacher
My name is Jess and I am one of the Kaiako in the over two’s room. I work closely alongside Kiribati with our young learners helping them transition into the fledglings area and building those important relationships between children and teachers in the centre. I have been working here at The Rumpus Room since January 2014. I completed my Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood at Unitec – Institute of Technology in 2016 and I am now working towards becoming a fully qualified and registered teacher. I have learnt so many new things through my studies and I cannot wait to implement these strategies into my everyday practice.
I come from a family of five with two wonderful parents and two brothers, I am the middle child and the only girl. I grew up living in West Auckland and have lived there since. My fiancee Richard and I have been together for six years since we met back at high school in 2012.
Teacher
Kia ora my name is Kimberly Kingi, I live in Te Atatu South and I am a student at The University of Auckland where I am about to enter my third and final year of study in 2019. Over the past 2 years I have thoroughly enjoyed working in early childhood education and have mostly worked with infants and toddlers. I love seeing young children reach their goals in their development as they try to make sense of their worlds. At The Rumpus Room I have been working in the Nest as a student teacher and I love the way the children are able to express themselves and explore their environment freely with support from their peers and Kaiako (teachers). I look forward to getting to know everyone here and learning as much as possible.
Teacher
My name is Lanka Neluwattha. I am from Sri Lanka. I live in New Windsor with my husband, a beautiful daughter and a handsome boy. I hold a Diploma in early childhood education and have a year and a half experience in teaching in Auckland. I also have five years teaching experience back in my country as well. I love to work with the children and enjoy working here at The Rumpus Room.
Relief Teacher
Kia Ora! My name is Courtney Cocker-Valu and I have been a regular reliever at The Rumpus Room for the past 3 years.
Before working with all the amazing teachers here, I worked at an after-school care centre which put me on a pathway working with children and lead me to Early Childhood and the Rumpus Room. I also study at AUT and I am in my final year of a Bachelor of Business majoring in Economics and International Business.
I come from a big family of eight and two loving parents. I grew up in Ponsonby, and now reside in Avondale and have always been familiar with Pt Chevalier as I used to be part of the Pt Chevalier athletics club! I play the violin and guitar and love music. Because of my big family, I have always loved being around lots of people and had the task of looking after younger siblings and cousins growing up which is where my love for helping and caring for others has come from. I have enjoyed everything about this centre and learnt so much from the kaiako, children and parents.
Relief Teacher
My name is Lauren. I have been babysitting for 5 years and when my mum was working for a home-based child care I would always help her with the children when I got home from school. I love children, I love teaching them new things, learning from them and watching them grow into amazing people. I have 2 sisters and 3 cats. I love listening to music, playing games and hanging with friends in my spare time. I am involved in scouting every Monday and Thursday nights, I am a Venturer on Mondays and a kea leader on Thursdays.