Meet Calli
Kia ora Koutou Katoa
Ko Calli Veludos toku ingoa. I was born in Zimbabwe, went to university in Cape Town, traveled to the UK and Europe and landed up in Rotorua, Aotearoa over twenty years ago. I am a single mum and have two teenage children. We all live in a small hamlet North of Wellington in New Zealand, having moved down from Rotorua in 2019.
With over 30 years experience in education, I have worked from ECE (Nursery in the UK and president of my local Playcenter) through to secondary, being a SENCO and Head of Learning Support in two Wellington Colleges until the end of 2021.
Having studied and trained in a left-wing university just before the dismantling of apartheid, I have always been passionate about inclusion and empowerment in education. Thirty years of subjugation to systems that fail the majority of their wards, and finally being disenfranchised myself, has prompted me to find a new way of being within the realm of education.
I have done extensive postgraduate study and am a thesis away from gaining my Masters in Education, specialising in inclusive practice.
Over half my career has been dedicated to those students disenfranchised and neglected by the System. I’ve spent many hours working tirelessly with students and their whanau to navigate the minefields of teaching and learning and funding, endlessly advocating for inclusion and a more holistic approach. I have built systems within schools to help in this pursuit and developed many programs that have helped students develop self-confidence, life-skills and personal values.
This new venture is an exciting project for me. It is an opportunity to create a community and a more authentic way to provide support for student and whanau needs. I look forward to working with you all.
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