Our Staff
Guidance, Inspiration and Support
The core of Royal Oak School is our passionate team of Ontario certified teachers, who follow a high academic standard to guide their values, creativity and leadership. Teachers at Royal Oak believe in children- in their curiosity, in their questions and in their potential.
Julia Murray
juliamurray@royaloakschool.ca
Head of School
MA Child Study and Education, BScH - Biology & Psychology, ECE diploma, OCT
Julia holds a degree from Queen's University in Biology and Psychology, as well as a Master's degree in Child Study and Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Before joining Royal Oak, Julia was a teacher researcher for 8 years at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, located at the Lab School at OISE. Julia is a specialist in Mathematics, consulting privately for Independent schools in Mathematics programming as well as for the Ministry of Education. She also consults as a Lead Teacher for the Landscape of Nations Educational Initiative in Niagara, helping to plan and disseminate knowledge and teaching practices to teachers in the area of Indigenous history and perspectives. Julia has a special interest in Inquiry and Constructivist Teaching and has shared her knowledge of these practices in conferences in India and Japan, as well as at the Graduate level with teacher candidates. Julia also teaches in the faculty of education at Brock University. Her role there includes teaching and guiding through the practicum education course for second-year Brock University education students. Julia lives in Niagara with her husband, three children and her dog, Duke.
Robin Forlin
robinforlin@royaloakschool.ca
Primary
BA, BEd
Robin graduated from the concurrent Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education program from Brock University, specializing in Child Studies and Primary/Junior Education. At the beginning of her career, she taught the early primary grades within a small public school. Since then, she has been working in schools in Niagara teaching the Leveled Literacy Intervention Program within the public school system, along with privately tutoring children in the elementary and secondary school system. Teaching children to read is one of Robin’s passions!
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Laureen Dennis
laureendennis@royaloakschool.ca
Assistant Head of School
BA, BEd, OCT
Entering into her 21st year of teaching, Laureen has 3 degrees, Anthropology and History, as well as Archaeology and Geography and her Bachelors of Education. She is qualified to teach to senior level history and has extensive experience teaching junior, intermediate and senior history, geography and civics. She spent 3 years being the head of the social studies department at Fieldstone School in Toronto, creating and teaching the social studies, history and geography program for their lower and upper schools to grade 10. Laureen has been with Royal Oak for the past five years and is the Assistant Head of School, as well as the Admissions Coordinator, Primary Head of School and Special Education Lead for the school.
Mara Castelli
maracastelli@royaloakschool.ca
Upper Middle
BA, BEd, OCT
Ms. Castelli is a graduate of the Brock Concurrent Education program with a teachable in History and a passion for Visual Arts, reading and the outdoors. Mara has had experience teaching in various grade levels throughout the junior and intermediate divisions. Throughout her own education Mara focused her elective studies on Child and Youth Studies, inclusion and integrating visual arts into the classroom across the curriculum.
Brittany Nyenhuis
brittanynyenhuis@royaloakschool.ca
Junior Middle
BA, BEd, OCT
Brittany is a Brock University graduate in Concurrent Education with a minor in Geography. Brittany has a 10-year background in Music Theatre. Her teaching background extends to several years working with children in both school, home and outdoor education settings as well as teaching abroad in Peru.
Leah Tobin
leahtobin@royaloakschool.ca
Primary Junior
BA, BEd, OCT
Ms. Tobin holds a bachelor's degree in Child and Youth Studies and is OCT certified. She began her educational journey as an ECE at the YMCA and has also served as a swim instructor and kindergarten preparation tutor, ensuring children's growth and development in various settings.
In Ms. Tobin's classroom, you'll find her motto: "Where mistakes are made, learning thrives," encouraging students to embrace challenges. BunBun, Ms. Tobin's dwarf rabbit and classroom pet , adds warmth and excitement to the learning environment. Ms. Tobin is committed to continuous professional development, ensuring an enriching educational experience for your child."
Krista McMackin
kristamcmackin@royaloakschool.ca
Early Years
BA, BEd, OCT
Krista graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Studies and a Bachelor of Education in the Primary/Junior divisions. Immediately after graduating, she obtained both her Kindergarten Part 1 and Intermediate Math Additional Qualifications. Prior to starting at Royal Oak, Krista had experience for over a decade as a tutor for many age groups, starting in Kindergarten and working all the way up to Grade 12 Functions. The majority of her private tutoring experience has been with upper elementary and high school Math students. In the summer months, Krista spends time working at a music camp in Orillia, which she has been part of for the past 15 years.
Ms. K
Early Years Assistant
RM, ECE
Ms. K is a graduate of Associate of Science in Midwifery and holds a degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. K had experienced taking care of the children for 5 years here in Canada. Prior to this, she worked as a Nurse Assistant and as Midwife in her home country. She is passionate and dedicated to provide care and engage with children's needs. She holds a certificate in caregiving and child care provider.
Morgane Chaudoreille
morganechaudoreille@royaloakschool.ca
French teacher
Morgane is a French citizen who has recently immigrated to Canada to join the Royal Oak School community. She is a native French speaker, with over ten years of experience teaching in all grades from Pre-school to High school. She is a graduate of Fine Arts School as well as Language instruction academie, and has worked in schools in the United States and France sharing her love of the arts and French instruction.
Pierrette Rouse
pierretterouse@royaloakschool.ca
Resource Teacher
M. Ed, ECE, BA, OCT
Pierrette graduated from Western University with an Honors Bachelor’s Degree in French and English Literature. She obtained her teaching degree at the University of Ottawa and her Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Pierrette has been an elementary teacher for over 25 years within the public system in the GTA. As an educator, Pierrette has held various teaching positions and roles of responsibility. In both English and French Immersion schools, she has taught in all three divisions: Primary, Junior and Intermediate, as well as, held a Special Education Teacher role and has been teacher-librarian. Pierrette is passionate about helping students learn and brings a wealth of experience to the Royal Oak team. She loves to read, bake and travel.
Andrea New
andreanew@royaloakschool.ca
Administration
Andrea brings a wealth of administrative and leadership knowledge with her as the new Admin Assistant here at Royal Oak. With 15 years experience in owning and operating two businesses, she has a passion for organization, anything admin related, and multi-tasking! As much as she loves office related duties and checking off to-do lists, she loves people even more. She is a very pleasant addition to both the staffing team, and to all the students she interacts with here daily. Andrea grew up in the Niagara region, going to school in British Columbia, before moving back and working and living in Niagara for the last 20 years. She is a local resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where she is raising her three children and is actively involved in the community.
Jack is an Australian who immigrated to Canada in 2019 to be with his Canadian Fiancé, teach and bring F45 Fitness Training to the Niagara region! He transitioned into Elementary Teaching in 2015 after a corporate sales career working for Kellogg's in the UK and Campari in Australia. Jack holds a Diploma of Education from RMIT and was fortunate to start his teaching career at the prestigious North Melbourne Primary School. He has been both a Grade 3 & 5 classroom teacher and loves working with children from diverse backgrounds and cultures.