Term 3 has been a very busy term for the Avonside Girls’ High School Board. With the completion of a by-election for a vancacny on the board, the election of the student representative being delayed due to lock down and the board appointing our new Principal beginning in 2021.

After the resignation of Elizabeth Hovell from the Board earlier in the year the Board held a by-election recently to fill the vacant position. This process was delayed due to lock downs, but the board has been advised by our returning officer that the process has been completed and I am pleased to announce that Bronwyn Parker to the Avonside Girls’ High School Board. Bronwyn has two daughters, one of which is at Avonside, and another at a local primary school. Bronwyn has been involved in many sports and community groups over the years, has a background in nursing, and is currently working in an organisation supporting mental health services for youth and whanau. Bronwyn will be an excellent addition to our school board and will provide a very important viewpoint to board discussions.

It is also important to remember that the current board term ends in 2022 and the school will hold our triennial elections in May. I would like to encourage our school community to stand for election for the school board. The board has an important role in supporting strong professional leadership and ensuring effective teaching for all students through informed governance. Our board should represent the diversity of our school community, and works for the best outcomes for our school as a whole. You don’t need any special skills to be a board member, as the New Zealand School Trustees Association provides free professional development and training to all board members, and our board has some amazing people on it who are welcoming and work to make sure any new members have the skills they need. If you have financial skills, experience in managing people, knowledge and understanding of particular communities within our school, or experience working within our school and wider communities then you could make an excellent board member. If you would like to discuss what is involved in being a board member, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

The Student Representative on the board, Ellee Wills, is coming to the end of her 12 month term, and I would like to thank Ellee for her input into board discussions over the last year. This has been a very challenging year with some significant decisions to make, and the student voice that Ellee brought to the board was valuable. Unfortunately I am unable to announce who our next Student Representative will be, as the elections have been delayed due to the recent lockdown. However, we have received a good number of nominations and students will be voting on the new student rep early in Term 4.

Finally, the board have also appointed a new Tumuaki, or Principal, for the school starting in 2022. Catherine Law is currently a Deputy Principal at Hastings Girls’ High School and will start at Avonside from Term 1 next year. Catherine brings a significant amount of knowledge in curriculum design and also in some of the changes that we have coming up at Avonside, such as the semesterisation of our junior school. There will be a formal welcome in early 2022 for Catherine, and we will be welcoming our community to join in at an appropriate time.

As we come to the end of Term 3, I know many students and staff will be looking forward to the term break. This term has been challenging for a number of members of our Avonside whanau and compounded by lockdown forcing everyone to move to online learning through Levels 3 & 4. The two week break will be important for the mental well being of both staff and students, enabling them to recharge and refresh prior to the start of Term 4 and NCEA assessments for senior students.

Ngā mihi nui

Jonathan Brooks
Board Chair|tiamana o te poari
Avonside Girls' High School | Te Kura Kohine o Ōtākaro