Me uru kahikatea – cluster together for strength. The story behind this Whakataukī is that the Kahikatea prefers swampy ground, but stability is impaired by this unstable root environment. Therefore, Tane ordained that their root systems should intertwine to ensure stability. I chose this Whakataukī for our board meeting to emphasize the importance of a strong stable board, and that it is essential we intertwine our strengths to ensure stability to our school.

Term 1 was certainly a tough one, with many disruptions to school life due to the ongoing COVID saga. I am pleased we were able to keep school open, even though there were multiple times we were close to closing due to staff shortages. A huge thank you to our staff and students for persevering through the disruptions and continuing the good work you do. Your resilience was a positive light for the school. Another huge thanks to you, our school whanau and community, for accommodating our COVID guidelines and continuing to wear your masks on school grounds. I must say, it is great to have parents and whanau back on school grounds. Long may it continue!

In our last two board meetings, we have had a lot on. In May the Board passed the final budget for the 2022 financial year and while we are comfortable with where we are, the Board thinks that there is real potential to work together as a community to better resource our learners. The School Board is now working with Home & School to create a large-scale fundraising strategy that will put our school in a position to thrive in the years to come. We would like the community to be as involved in this conversation as possible. Please join us on Tuesday June 14th at 3:15-4:15pm in the community room at the school. If you have any questions or would like to contribute but cannot attend at that time please email the Board Secretary at botsecretary@cheviot.school.nz

We have also had some parent contributions to the last two meetings which involved some great discussion and a lot of positive considerations. From this there are several things we are looking to explore such as:

· Standardized weekly communication template from all teachers. We have asked management to investigate an option that suits both staff and whanau and hopefully I can update you on this next time.

· Additional learning needs: We now have a dedicated Learning Support Coordinator (LSC), Jasmin Findlay. Part of Jasmin’s job is to identify and plan for the learning support for children who need additional help. LSCs also build the capability of teachers. Jasmin is also able to support learners and their parents and whanau directly to ensure that the school is meeting their learning needs. We are exploring ways to enhance the resources available to support the learning needs of our students.

· Reporting: Unfortunately, COVID has halted us in being able to fully introduce Educa with school families. Now that the COVID settings have changed, management are planning to hold an information evening this term.

· School Uniform: There are systems currently in place to reward good presentation with house points and certificates at assemblies. This system was initiated, in part, by students and it’s great to see them holding each other to account. The board is also working with school management to begin a uniform review and will engage and update the community throughout the year.

· Bullying & Kindness: The school has implemented a behavior management program called Positive Behavior 4 Learning (PB4L). This is a systematic approach that involved whole-school change as well as individual student support. The purpose is to build on positive, respectful relationships at the school and create a culture of care. While we are still early in the journey with this program, we feel that it is the best way to address bullying, by making positive respectful relationships the norm across the school community. Management are looking to hold a PB4L information evening on the same evening as Educa.

· Senior School Information: Management have drafted a prospectus (information pamphlet) about the whole school and are working on developing a secondary-focused prospectus. If you have anything you would like to see included in a prospectus, we would appreciate hearing from you.

All in all, some great things are on the horizon, and we are positive that we are moving in the right direction. If you have any feedback on what I have mentioned, feel free to come up and chat, or else email botsecretary@cheviot.school.nz.

As always, you are welcome to attend our next board meeting on Thursday 23rd June, 6:30pm in the school board room. If you have anything you would like to contribute, please send through your request in writing to botsecretary@cheviot.school.nz before the cut-off date, Thursday 16th June.