Ambleside Staff
At Ambleside, teachers and students relate to one another in an atmosphere of mutual respect and kindness. The teacher's role in the classroom and on the playground is to model the highest standards of behaviour, to make the most of every teachable moment, and to inspire our students to give of their best at all times.
Grant & Riana Franke getting to know the ASHB staff - April 2011
In 2012 we are consolidating the growth experienced by the school during the past 3 years. This is Grant's first full year as Principal, and we are also welcoming several new part-time subject teachers and a new full-time teacher in the High School.
Grant Franke | Principal
Grant grew up in Hout Bay and matriculated from Camps Bay High School. He has extensive teaching and school leadership experience, having most recently been the Principal of a large missionary school in rural Mozambique.
Over the past year, Grant has felt a desire to return to his roots. During a family holiday in Hout Bay, he learned that the post of Principal at Ambleside was vacant. Already familiar with the school from previous visits, he immediately applied for the post. He was subsequently able to attend the January teacher training conducted by Bill and Maryellen St. Cyr of Ambleside Schools International, and also met privately with them. He is enthusiastic about the Ambleside philosophy of education, and is excited both about developing Ambleside School of Hout Bay and extending the reach of the Ambleside teaching methodology into the rest of Africa.
Grant is accompanied by his wife, Riana, and their three young children.
Jacqui Brown | Finance & Administration
Secretarial Diploma (1985), PR Diploma (1990), BA Education & Psychology, Hons in Psychology (2007)
Jacqui joined Ambleside in 2006, after working as a personal assistant and corporate trainer. She particularly relishes the growth of the school from its early days to the more professional level achieved to date. With a work ethic second to none, she puts all her energy into helping the school achieve its full potential, and her dedication exemplifies Charlotte Mason's motto: I am, I can, I ought, I will.
Jacqui's favourite colour is orange, and she would love to visit Venice with her husband. She has seen her own children blossom at Ambleside, and loves that Ambleside educates the whole child, building their sense of self-worth and inspiring them to be world-changers. She can't imagine working anywhere else!
Nicolette Lotter | Academic Head, Art
Diploma Montessori Teaching (London, 1994)
Nicolette has taught at Ambleside since 2003. As Academic Head, Nicolette is responsible for developing local content for the Ambleside curriculum, and from January 2010 she has been released from full-time class teaching in order to focus on teacher training.
Nicolette loves the Ambleside curriculum and teaching methodology, and is a dedicated mentor to her fellow teachers. Her dream is for Ambleside School of Hout Bay to become a training centre for teachers, and to revolutionise African education.
Myles Bing | Grade 6
BA, HDE (UCT, 1988)
Myles has a long history of working with children, both as a former teacher at the school and as a key part of the Children’s Ministry team of Hout Bay Church International (now Shoreline Church). Over the years Myles has produced a number of worship CDs with - and for – children. In 2009 Myles launched his own business, Outloud Productions, which offers a variety of music-related products and services for groups and individuals.
In 2010 Myles returned to Ambleside on a part-time basis, teaching first Grade 1-3 Music, and later taking over Lifelong Sports from Gail Hunter. When Wendy-Jane relocated to Johannesburg at the end of the third term, Myles stepped into her class for the remainder of 2010. We are delighted to have Myles stay with us on a full-time basis for 2011.
A dedicated family man, Myles enjoys spending time with friends and in the great outdoors - particularly when surfboards are involved!
Kirsten Farara | Lifelong Sports
BA in Journalism (Rhodes), PGCE (UNISA, 2010)
Kirsten is a keen sportswoman, and decided to complete her teaching qualification in order to pursue a dream of working with children. With her sparkling personality and caring nature, she is ideally suited to keeping our students excited about the school's fitness program.
Jono Waldburger | Grade 9/10
BA in Political Thought, Writing and Editing for the Media & Film Studies (UCT, 2006)
After graduating, Jono set up his own clothing business. He was introduced to Ambleside by his sister-in-law (a former teacher at the school), and volunteered as a part-time Maths teacher in 2008. Deeply impressed with the Ambleside approach to education, he feels a strong calling to be at the school, and joined our staff full-time in January 2009.
Ambleside has challenged Jono to be a facilitator of learning within a conducive atmosphere, rather than a spoon-feeder of knowledge. His dream for Ambleside is to see it grow to its full potential as a place where a love for learning is celebrated in a way that truly impacts the world around it with the love of God.
Kim Bennet | Grade 2
BEd Foundation Phase (CPUT, 2007), ACE
Kim joined Ambleside in January 2010, having previously taught Grade 0 and Grade 1 at other Cape Town schools. She is excited to be working with a team of like-minded teachers, and appreciates the small classes at Ambleside.
The Ambleside Method has opened Kim's eyes to the way children learn, and has taught her how to help her students learn good habits. Her dream for Ambleside is to see all the students grow in their relationships with their parents, friends and God, and to see every child reach his/her full potential.
Kim's favourite colour is teal, and her hobbies include reading, dancing and listening to music. If she were not teaching at Ambleside, Kim would like to be a speech or occupational therapist, or a salsa dance instructor.
Ant Cawood | High School Mathematics
BA, MA, PhD (UCT)
Ant is a former student at the school, having Matriculated from Ambleside (then the Hout Bay Christian School). After completing his undergraduate degree at UCT, Ant taught at Ambleside for several years, completing his Masters on a part-time basis. He left Ambleside at the end of 2007 to pursue his PhD in Philosophy, and while he has decided to resume his studies in 2012, we are delighted that he is continuing at Ambleside in a part-time capacity as the High School Mathematics teacher.
Noxolo Gladile | OCAAT Community Worker
Noxolo has been a part of Shoreline Church for many years, and is a real community activist, with a compassionate heart and gentle spirit. Her daughter has been at Ambleside since her first day of school, and is part of our first group of students scheduled to complete their Grade 12 studies at Ambleside in 2013.
Noxolo is currently completing her BSocSci through UNISA, and has volunteered her time to assist the many Ambleside families who can benefit from the various Social Services available to those in need. In her role as a Community Worker she visits families benefiting from the One Child At A Time educational fundraising trust, and advises both the families and the school on appropriate strategies for dealing with the many socio-economic hardships faced by the Hout Bay community.
Judy Glen | Grade 1
HDE JP&PrePrim (1983)
Judy joined Ambleside in 2006, bringing almost 10 years of teaching experience with her. She loves the small classes and broad curriculum at Ambleside, and would love to see the school going up to Grade 12.
Since joining Ambleside, Judy has come to appreciate the value of 'living books'. She has particularly enjoyed learning about composers and artists along with her students. Judy's favourite colour is pink, and she would love visit Disneyworld with her children.
Karen Wood | Grade 5
Karen has extensive teaching experience, including several years at the Hout Bay Christian School in the 1990s. She is passionate about the Ambleside philosophy of education, and has participated in several Ambleside Schools International training sessions over the years.
Karen is delighted to be joining Ambleside in 2011, and is particularly looking forward to spending more time with her two teenage children, now that she will be living and working in Hout Bay.
Caitlin Wolstenholme | Grade 4
BA in English Literature, Media & Writing, Art History (UCT, 2007), PGCE (2008)
Caitlin joined Ambleside in January 2010. She feels that Ambleside is revolutionary in its overall approach to education, and particularly likes the emphasis on providing inspiring subject matter and an environment that inspires learning, and love and respect for one another.
Caitlin is adventurous by nature, and enjoys outdoor pursuits such as hiking, surfing, swimming and camping. A holiday in Egypt was a major highlight for her, because it was such a different environment and felt like time travel. She loves eating exotic food, and also enjoys cooking - if she were not teaching she would like to be a food critic.
Chris Waldburger | Grade 7, Sports Administration
BA (Hons) English (UCT, 2006)
Chris joined Ambleside in 2010, although he has a long association with the school - his brother Jono also teaches at Ambleside, and his wife, Lara, is a former Ambleside teacher. He has several years' teaching experience under his belt, and has also worked as a sports journalist. A keen sportsman, Chris is excited to be taking on the administration of the school's extra-mural sports program, supported by coaches from Sporting Chance.
Chris is currently completing a Masters degree in Literature, although if he weren't teaching he would like to be a farmer or sports coach (or Batman!).
Robyn Mahleka| Pre-school Assistant
Diploma in Education (Zimbabwe, 2000)
An experienced teacher from Zimbabwe, Robyn arrived in Hout Bay in 2007 and joined Ambleside in October 2008. She is currently furthering her studies in Special Education, and would love to one day work with orphans.
Robyn is a great netball fan, and hopes to be involved with netball coaching at the school. Her favourite colour is brown, and her favourite meal is macaroni cheese with Greek salad.
Lissa Fenner | Grade 3
BTh (2005)
Lissa joined Ambleside in 2008. She feels a calling to work with children, and has prior experience doing AIDS awareness education in schools for an NGO. For Lissa, the Ambleside philosophy of education means recognising the potential in each child, and not 'dumbing down' educational material.
Michelle Smith | Grade 0
Michelle has a long history of serving at Ambleside. With extensive education experience, she has stepped in a number of times as a substitute teacher, on both a daily and medium-term basis. As a result, she is already well known to most of the students - who also know that, while she is bubbly and warm-hearted, she doesn't take any nonsense...
In 2011 she is teaching full-time at Ambleside for the first time, and is looking forward to the challenge!
Judith Ferguson | Pre-school
Educare Diploma (2001)
Judith, a former student at Ambleside, joined the staff in 2003. She loves teaching at Ambleside because of the family atmosphere, and because the small classes allow for more interaction between teacher and student. She appreciates the mutual respect between staff and students, and the freedom to teach students to love God and His creation.
In her spare time, Judith enjoys reading (especially books by C.S. Lewis or John Grisham), with a cup of good coffee and some chocolate. She would love to visit Greece and Italy, to experience the culture and food, and to see the landscape and architecture. If she were not teaching, she would like to pursue a career in child psychology.
Alessandra Ransome | High School Sciences
An experienced Primary and High School teacher, Alessandra joins Ambleside in January 2012. She has most recently been teaching at Llandudno Primary School, and is enthusiastic about returning to teaching high school students. She will be teaching both Physical Science and Life Science.
Debi Hawkins | Drama
BA Drama & Psychology (Natal, 1990)
Debi joined Ambleside on a part-time basis in 2008. She has a wealth of experience, having taught Drama and English at primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe for 15 years. Our students look forward to Debi's lessons, and she loves to see them blossoming in Drama class, learning to express themselves eloquently.
A highlight for Debi is the easy-going nature of relationships between staff and students at Ambleside, and the freedom that the students have to be themselves. Hers favourite colour is purple, she enjoys swimming in the sea, and she also loves to sing and dance - if she were not teaching she would be performing on stage or screen.
Future Nyanhewe | Grade 0 Assistant
Diploma in Education (Zimbabwe, 2005)
Before coming to Cape Town, Future taught for 3 years in Zimbabwe. She has been a Kumon tutor in Hout Bay since 2007, and joined Ambleside in January 2009 to assist in our growing Grade 0 class. Her son has been a student at Ambleside since 2008, and she has been impressed with the non-competitive atmosphere in our classrooms, as well as the close relationships between staff members and the high level of parent involvement in the school.
A bundle of energy and enthusiasm, Future is well-known throughout the school for her striking, colourful outfits. She enjoys eating seafood, salad and fruit, and her favourite colour is brown. She is a 'morning' person, and her favourite times of the year are Christmas and Easter.
ASHB staff were treated to afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel - October 2008
We are immensely proud of our faculty members and support staff. They are a team of passionate, dedicated and caring people, committed to creating a nurturing environment for our students.
