Vision
Thinking Caps equip children with the skills and confidence to succeed by supporting them in a fun and caring learning environment through practical, hands-on tutoring.
All about Thinking Caps
Hi there! Welcome to our Thinking Caps family!
We’re Julie and Michele… the proud co-founders and Mama Bears of Thinking Caps.
We started Thinking Caps in 2005 (yes, ages ago!) as we could see the benefit of practical, hands-on tutoring for kids and teens. We are enthusiastic educators who want every child and teen to succeed.
Vision
Thinking Caps equips children with the skills and confidence to succeed by supporting them in a fun and caring learning environment through hands-on tutoring
What we do here is really different!
- we are 100% New Zealand owned and operated
- are completely passionate about seeing children and teens succeed within the New Zealand curriculum
- we want to get to know your child – where they are at and how we can help
- we treat every child as an individual and want them to feel happy and successful when they are learning with us
- our team of experienced primary school teachers and amazing student tutors are dedicated to helping your child and teen feel good about themselves and their learning
Our in-school team
We are all New Zealand trained and experienced primary school teachers. Our focus is Maths – it is important to us that your child has excellent number knowledge. By this we mean a strong grasp of place value understanding and good instant recall of basic facts. This helps them with problem solving activities in school and concepts in Maths, like fractions and decimals.
Our after-school team
We call them our Study Buddy’s. When we buddy your child up with one of our fantastic student tutors, they undertake whatever study support your child needs – homework your child brings in, a concept they didn’t understand in class, a test they didn’t do well in at school, exam prep, study skills – in any subject. The lessons are totally tailored to your child’s exact and most immediate needs. Our Study Buddy’s act as a mentor for you child and as a real cheerleader – so great!
Our commitment to you is that your child is happy and learning when they are with us.
My daughter has been with Thinking Caps since Year 3. Prior to starting Year 7, we asked for one-to-one sessions with a Study Buddy to prepare her for middle school. The results after the end of the sessions were staggering. Increases from 35% to 75% correct answers were achieved. If you are considering engaging with Julie and her team, I highly recommend Thinking Caps and encourage you to give them a call.
Happy Mum
I enjoy going to Thinking Caps because it makes Maths fun, and it makes Maths easier to understand.
David, aged 8
Happy Student
Meet the team
Julie Whitcombe
Director
Julie is the co-founder and director of Thinking Caps. Her main role is the onboarding of new tutors and new students. Julie is fiercely passionate about finding the right ‘study buddy’ tutor for your child. This means getting to know a bit about them and their interests… not just their learning needs. She uses this information to match your child with just the right study buddy – one who will really ‘get them’ and be a wonderful guide and mentor, as well as providing them with excellent learning.
As an educator, Julie first started her career teaching in the early childhood sector, and then went on to teach in primary and intermediate schools. In 2001, Julie was seconded by the Ministry of Education to be a Numeracy Facilitator, where she introduced the Numeracy Project to schools across Auckland. She has since presented at national conferences and day courses across New Zealand.
Michele Yock
Director
Michele is the co-founder and director of Thinking Caps. Her main role is creating awesome lesson plans and training our tutors how to best help their students. She is passionate about teaching and learning and making sure every child succeeds. Michele is committed to ensuring Thinking Caps is helping your child feel happy and confident, and that we provide fun, hands-on learning that best meets each child’s needs. Michele works closely with the SENCO and office teams at our in-school locations and loves keeping those connections strong.
Thanks to her background as a classroom teacher, in South Auckland and on the Hibiscus Coast, Michele brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. She cares deeply about kids and in them reaching their full potential. In 2012, she created www.KidsLink.co.nz; a website that provides information, connections and solutions for parents and schools when kids are experiencing challenges in their learning. It is an amazing resource where parents and schools can connect with the right people to help their children/teens.
Rachel Halligan
Office Administration
Rachel is our admin queen! She is a ‘details’ person and her second language is spreadsheet! She thrives on organisation and enjoys streamlining processes to make things more efficient. With a background in business administration and project management, Rachel is the perfect person to keep us organised and on track. Rachel loves maintaining accurate records and is the one to go to with your enrolment, accounts, and absences queries.