Board of Trustees Pānui Term 2 2023

We strive to uphold the School values of
Whanaungatanga,  Kaitiakitanga, Manaakitanga, Poutama

We would also like to mihi to those staff, students and whānau who have recently left us for new horizons. At a Board level, we have recently had Sonya Drysdale leave us to head back to her hometown of Te Wairoa to support her whānau. We are so grateful for all the mahi and the positive caring nature Sonya brought to the Board, she will be missed. Haerenga pai.

We have been working on the following since our appointment in late 2022:

• considering all the ways in which we could add value to our the School
• what our role as governance for the School looks like and can look like
• ways to improve our communication to you and be more visible  

We have had quite a jam packed Term 1 and 2, the pānui (newsletter) we sent out regarding the strikes notices, was not how we wished to introduce ourselves, but we have learnt loads already as we support Whaea Louisa Barham to oversee the day-to-day management of our kura.

The major decisions affecting the Board recently have been to respond to the rolling strikes, planned strikes and age level affect strikes, which has had a massive impact on ākonga (students/learners) and whānau. As background information, you may be aware that schools were notified at the end of January this year of partial strike action that covered both Secondary as well as Area School Teachers who are covered by the Secondary Teachers Collective Agreement. As we are an Area School, we are often dealing with strikes that are not affecting the other schools in our area. 

Since this time, the strike actions have increased and it is currently scheduled to continue until the end of June. The information that the Board receives regarding any of the anticipated strike action is at very short notice and requires both the Board and school to act quickly. We get 3 days of the formal notice, and although we can try to prepare for it, we cannot make a decision about the school until it is received by us, which is often over the weekend. The process includes gathering of information from the area, from two Unions and assessing the impact on each year level, the health and safety of our tamariki and the availability of any teachers across Kura Teina and Kura Tuakana. 

We empathise that these strikes taking place nationwide will have a significant impact on our whānau and community, it is a difficult and frustrating time. The Board decisions concerning this, are not made lightly and are in accordance with the information provided to us by the Te Mahau (Ministry of Education) NZSTA and by the PPTA teachers union. We have improved our internal decision making processes to ensure you get the information we do as soon as we receive it. Below are a few FAQ’s that may also help. 

Our Sub-Committees

While we currently have only one full Board hui per month and time is limited, our two sub-committees do a lot of mahi behind the scenes. Here is a snapshot of some of our work to date::

Property and Finance Committee: the Property and Finance team have worked on:

• end-of-year financial reports
• finalising auditing requirements as well as the monthly financial summaries
• reviewing current and future projects for property improvements
• securing new assets 
• considering ongoing building and maintenance plans in the 10-year Property Plan 

Policy and Wellbeing Committee: the Policy and Wellbeing Team have worked on:

• reviewing and updating the Policy Schedule 
• prioritising the timing of essential policies that affect the School
• applying a Te Tiriti led approach to the Policies
• improving the format so they are practical (easy to locate) as well ‘reader friendly
• reviewing how we can improve consultation with whānau on the School’s policies

Te Mahau (Ministry of Education)

The Board has begun to evaluate the new Te Mahau (MOE) reporting and planning regulations where Te Mahau has removed the need for the School Charter and instead we will be required to have an Annual Strategic Plan finalised by the start of next year to comply with the new regulations made. Information and guidance is ongoing and we are gathering as much information as we can to ensure we do the best we can for our community. 

School Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan is what outlines the objectives of our school and the tasks that are set for the School to achieve. We look forward to engaging with you all, seeking your expertise and ideas on how we can drive strategic goals together . There is definitely a lot of mahi to be done but the outcomes will be worth the effort. Watch out for this. 

School Pool & Norrie Avenue

We have also started a working group for the Pool, creating a smaller group has allowed us more flexibility to get action in this space. This also applies to the parking and entrance to the school during pick up and drop off times. We will update you as we are able to, but know that this is on our list and we are working on it. 

Board Newsletter

We will be aiming to bring to you a newsletter each term, or when there is a need, the aim is to let you know any important information that we have happening and what you can expect. We are also looking to introduce ourselves and what makes us tick as people and so you can get to know us better. 

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

Raglan Area School Board of Trustees

Sian Atkinson, Louisa Barham, Lisa Thomson, David Duffin, Stefan Frew, Lisa Rapana, Lani Frazerhurst and Linda Holmes