From our Tumuaki / Principal

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa, warm greetings to you all, 

In keeping with our busy and action packed term, it has been all go at school this week, with lots of different things happening across the school. 

• We’ve had lots of planting and nurturing of seeds and beans happening across the school, with discussion around soil types and good locations for growth. You will find beans in jars and egg cartons of seeds across Koru, and walking along the back of Harakeke Hub you will see milk carton gardens along the back fence, growing a range of vegetables, from silverbeet to bok choy and carrots. 

• We’ve had ākonga (students) out at interzone cross country,  the Wellington interschool chess tournament, and swimming.

• Our Amesbury’s Got Talent grand final was held on Friday, with a dazzling array of dance, singing and performance items. 

• We topped off our busy week with our much anticipated school discos in the hall. 

It’s fair to say that your tamariki should sleep well this weekend after all the action of the week. I’m sure the kaimahi (staff) certainly will!

A couple of weeks ago I attended the annual school boards conference in Wellington, along with several of our school board members. It was a very busy and engaging couple of days, with a wide range of workshops and presentations covering the broad array of topics school boards need to engage with, from school finances and student progress to managing complaints and employment issues. 

Two of the keynote speakers were our Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, and the Associate Education Minister, David Seymour. Speaking in separate sessions, both ministers looked to lay out the government’s key focus areas and vision for education. 

Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success: 

• Clearer curriculum: Establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum grounded in the science of learning.

• Better approach to literacy and numeracy: Implementing evidence-based instruction in early literacy and mathematics. This begins with all primary schools using a structured literacy approach from 2025. 

• Smarter assessment and reporting: Implementing consistent modes of monitoring student progress and achievement, particularly in years 1-9, where there is currently no single system for reporting achievement in all schools.

• Improved teacher training: Developing the workforce of the future, including leadership development pathways.

• Stronger learning support: Targeting effective learning support interventions for students with additional needs.

• Greater use of data: Using data and evidence to drive consistent improvement in achievement.

 Associate Minister David Seymour spoke about a number of areas, in particular lunches in schools and school attendance. 

Ka Ora Ka Ako, healthy school lunches: Ka Ora, Ka Ako aims to reduce food insecurity by providing access to a nutritious lunch every day. The name Ka Ora, Ka Ako is about being healthy and well in order to be in a good place to learn.

Minister Seymour talked through the changes to the lunches in school programme, with the current model staying in place for years 1-6, and for years 7-13 the provision of lunches will change to provide a lower cost model, to provide funding for the shortfall in the budget. He explained that the status quo was unsustainable, and the new model would allow food to still be provided, but at a lower cost. This food would comprise items such as packaged sandwiches, fruit and muesli bars. 

Attendance: Minister Seymour explained his phased approach to school attendance:

• Phase 1: Compile better quality and more current data about attendance. By 2025 schools will be required to provide daily attendance data to the Ministry of Education (currently 92% of schools do this). 

  Phase 2: Provide clearer health information to parents and whānau, so families do not keep children away from school when they are okay to be at school.

  Phase 3: Support Attendance Services to work more effectively with schools

  Phase 4: Work with Attendance Services and schools to explore factors inside and outside of school to better address the long issue of school attendance.

All in all, it was a very informative and enlightening conference, with lots for myself and our school board to think about and be aware of in terms of providing the best learning environment and opportunities for ngā tamariki (our children).

Have an enjoyable weekend with whānau and friends. Make the most of the (hopefully) dry weather, as I’m not sure how long it will last!

 Hei tērā wiki, see you next week. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs Cunningham