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Lochiel School

by Summer McKerchar

From the Lochiel School Board

Summer McKerchar - March 21, 2023

What a great start to the year for our learners. It has been awesome hearing about our learners' successes in Central Athletics and at school assemblies. Our staff also have successes with Eva Mullally graduating and Norah Thomson reaching a long service milestone shortly. Our school volunteers have also been hard at work, with successes with the Forest Hill Trail Run, recognising our supporters at the stock drive BBQ and planning many more fundraising events to support our school. I am looking forward to the LSN's fundraiser on Saturday and attending the parent session about structured literacy. Thank you to our volunteers helping with all the school sports, activities as well as fundraising. Our school farewells Graham Scobie, our caretaker, who has been at our school for the last four years. We wish Graham all the best in his new full time role.

So far this year the School Board has secured funding from applications and grants in excess of $10000 from the Principals Discretionary Fund Application and the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Fund, plus the work of the sports centre subcommittee of the board (a successful Lotteries grant) and the applications made to assist individual learners. Our school also secured 50 hours of Professional Learning Development funding time from MoE this year to enable our teachers to refresh our Mathematics curriculum following the MoE's wider curriculum refresh. Our school board has already been busy behind the scenes before our first board meeting. So far this year we have:

  • Approved the annual school budget, with support from our LSN.
  • Supported our staff through the approval of teacher only days for professional development
  • Made decisions to close the school as a result of Union action
  • Working on the annual school audit and reporting (including finances)
  • Reviewing and approving the 'analysis of variance' - our school board provides an evaluation of progress, reviewing actions and assessing their success towards improving student achievement
  • Reviewing school attendance
  • Reviewing medical and behavioural incidents to ensure hazards are being monitored and controlled
  • Reviewing property planning, assets and tasks
  • Reviewing your feedback, school policies (SchoolDocs) and updating them to ensure they are school specific
  • Monitoring board assurances as per are school policies schedule (SchoolDocs)
  • Developing and consulting on our school's Strategic Plan - setting goals for our school - please give your feedback on this
  • The school board is also an employer and as such is involved in typical tasks, via our Principal (essentially our school's chief executive) such as onboarding/offboarding; wellbeing; support for professional growth

Our school is currently undergoing many changes in our learning environment (e.g. our admin block, Learning Support Centre space is open, Sports Centre redevelopment) with the redevelopment of Rooms 1 and 2 the next major scheduled works. There will be further changes, some temporary and some more permanent, within our school over the next few years, as our school refreshes our working and learning environments for our learners, staff and wider community.

Our next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 2nd May at Lochiel School. Anyone is welcome to attend the public meeting if you want to learn more. It is only a couple more weeks until the Easter holidays and mid-term breakI The board wishes you all a safe and happy break.

Kind regards Amy McStay (Presiding Member), Sue Bower, Mark McCallum, Dean Elder, Fraser Anderson, Norah Thomson and Mary Miller
Lochiel School Board