BOT Newsletter – October 2023
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
In this term’s newsletter:
- Board Mid-term Elections November
- 3-year Strategic Plan
- A Final Call for Outstanding Donations
Board Mid-term Elections - November
Kohimarama School board elections have traditionally been held every 3 years. Our board has
resolved to transition to a staggered (midterm) election cycle. Members are still elected for a full 3-
year term but, with elections held approximately every 18 months, not all members will complete
their term at the same time. This change is in line with many other schools and gives the community
a more regular opportunity to participate and ensures continuity by enabling the Board to retain a
good mix of experienced and new representatives.
The first mid-term election will be held at the end of November and nominations are now open.
Nominations close October 24th. Newly elected Board Members will serve a three-year term.
The Board is now looking for two people from our school community to join us as elected Board
members. The Board currently has a good mix of skills, and we are open to all backgrounds, as our
main criteria is that you are passionate about making a difference for our school.
The Board is currently comprised of three elected parent Board Members (Brad Dunstan, Mark
Thomson and Catherine Shanaghan), two coopted members (John MacKenzie and Nick Gant), a
teaching staff representative (Carrie Mills), and our Principal Paul Engles. Brad Dunstan has shared
his intent to step down shortly after 7 years of service on the board including 5 years as Chair.
If you had previously thought about joining the Board, we really encourage you to reach out to Mark
Thomson (via bot@kohimarama.school.nz ) or another Board member to learn more about what is
involved, and the commitment needed. Nominations can be made via
https://kohimarama.boardelections.nz/.
If you are passionate about supporting the school but are not interested in joining the school board
then we encourage you to consider becoming an active participant in the PTA. The PTA is a vital part
of our school, bringing the community together through fun events and contributing significantly to
the funding of projects that benefit our students.
3-year Strategic Plan
The School’s three year plan concludes at the end of the year and the Board is about to commence
planning for the next three year cycle. As part of the process, we will be reaching out to our
Kohimarama School Community to seek your input.
Following our Centenary, one theme of the plan is positioning our School for the next 100 years. Part
of this includes consideration of a refresh of the school brand with a consideration that any resulting
changes will need to be made in a very cost effective and sustainable way.
Another key theme will be the successful embedding of the refreshed school curriculum and other
changes that may result from the change of government.
A Final Call for Outstanding Donations
As stated in our last newsletter, a crucial way that we as a community show appreciation for our
teachers and help make Kohimarama School an attractive School to teach at, is through the
proceeds of the annual donation. These proceeds play a vital role in retaining smaller class sizes by
enabling the school to fund additional teaching staff and Learner Assistants.
We’ve again seen your support demonstrated by the significant number of donations that have
already been paid to date this year. We’re very thankful for this.
For those yet to pay donations, it is not too late to do so and there are no penalties or consequences
for late payment. Part payments across the year are another option available.
We are also grateful to those who have signed up to Supergenerous enabling the tax refundable
component of your school donation to be reinvested in the school. If this is something you would
like to do moving forward, it only takes a couple of minutes to sign up via Kindo, with details on how
to do this on the school website here.