BOT Newsletter – Term 2 2022
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We write to provide an update on student achievement, donations, school property and to
highlight the upcoming board elections.
The school operating environment is still being challenged by COVID. Approximately half of our
students and half of our staff have now had COVID. The school has managed to keep all our
classrooms open however we have consumed more than 88% of the budget allocated for relief
teachers by the Ministry of Education. We thank the staff for their continued efforts to maintain
an effective learning environment despite these challenges. The school is following Ministry
guidance to mitigate the risk of transmission at the school including opening windows to enable
ventilation and the use of air purifiers. Our school has not mandated the continued use of masks
however we welcome and encourage their use.
International borders are largely reopened and travel is resuming in earnest. The number of
international students and families at the school has been comparatively low for some time. As
we plot a course towards resuming normal operations we are looking to accommodate a small
number of international students. We are mindful of the space constraints in certain year groups
and this will be a key factor when considering applications from students.
Student Achievement
The board’s most important responsibility is for student achievement. A selection of recent
highlights include:
New Zealand histories curriculum development – Teaching staff and board members attended a
day on the New Zealand histories and how this will be embedded in our curriculum. There is an
emphasis on local histories and the session was held at Okahu Bay with engagement from local
iwi.
SchoolTalk review – The school uses SchoolTalk extensively to centralise student learning
information. The school provides regular feedback to the developers at SchoolTalk to ensure
this tool continues to improve and adapt.
E-capabilities review – The school aspires to equip learners with the skills to be good digital
citizens. This means having the ability to safely use technology to enhance the learning
experience. The approach to scaffold digital literacy is similar to that of our main curriculum
areas where topics are incrementally introduced.
School mid year reports have been finalised and these are to be sent out on Friday 8 July. The
reports contain the Overall Teacher Judgement about learning outcomes against the New
Zealand Curriculum.
Learning conversations – These occur mid-year and provide a great opportunity to engage with
teachers about your child or student.
Financials
Thank you to those that have paid your donations. Donations contribute primarily to the funding
of additional teaching staff and Learner Assistants at the school. We are also grateful to those who have signed up to TaxGift (taxgift.co.nz) enabling the tax
refundable component of your school donation to be reinvested in the school. Please sign up
now if you have not done so already. Details of this are on the website and can be actioned via
Kindo.
Thanks also go to the PTA and all of you who support PTA events such as the recent Matariki
quiz. Contributions by the PTA fund improvements to the school environment that would not
otherwise be possible.
Property
Learning hubs – The new learning hub accommodating our Year 3 students has provided much
needed relief to the pressure on classrooms. The Ministry of Education has provisionally
allowed for a further modular block. The location and timing of this is not yet confirmed.
Property Masterplan – The Ministry of Education has commenced a master-planning process to
explore and deliver longer term solutions to our current and future roll growth demands. In
March we contributed to this process by submitting a brief on our school operations. The
Ministry has commissioned architects Warren & Mahoney who have been working with students
and staff to more fully develop the brief. Information regarding the potential location, scale and
timing of future developments will be shared when available.
Fencing – The school is engaging with Ministry of Education designers to finalise plans for
improved perimeter fencing. The fencing will improve site security and we are working to
incorporate elements that reflect our heritage.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is a collection of representatives from the school community. The
membership of the Board is determined by vote every three years. This year our school will be
undertaking a parent election for 5 School Board vacancies. The school has employed CES, a
company experienced in running board elections, to undertake the election process on our
behalf. Nominations for board positions will be requested from 15 July and close on 5 August.
Election polls will open on 10 August and close on 7 September. Separate communications will
follow with more details on the election process.