The board is delighted to report that the EDI funding application for $56,350 has been approved in full by the Ministry of Education. This will be used to fund four projects:

1. Review and redesign of the school curriculum to reflect the school and community vision and values

2. Identify and align best teaching practices to enhance the delivery of the curriculum by exploring strategies and techniques to support a student centred classroom, including student self regulated learning, authentic learning and personalised learning

3. Enhance teacher digital fluencies to support the above

4. All teaching staff to attend the ULearn conference in Hamilton in October to support further progress and achievement of above goals.

EDI funding is to support the ongoing education of the students whose schools are closing or merging, and is available for six years from the date of closure or merger. 

The Education Review Office (ERO) will be undertaking a review of our school next week. The ERO review looks at how a school reaches positive learning outcomes - knowledge, skills, attitude and habits - for all children and young people. They are interested in what’s working well and where improvements can be made. The ERO process works with an early learning service or school’s own evaluation processes. It also supports a culture of ongoing improvement. For further information, please see the ERO website: http://www.ero.govt.nz/how-ero-reviews/information-for-parents/ 

Changes to the Education Act took effect on 19 May. The changes have brought most of the requirements of the governance powers and functions of boards together into Schedule 6 of the Act. The previous version of the Act did not use the words ‘governance’ and ‘governing’, but these have now been introduced and outline that ‘the Board is the governing body of the school and is responsible for the governance of the school, including setting the policies by which the school is to be controlled and managed’. This statement and many of the board’s powers and functions are now found in Schedule 6 of the Act. Other changes include the ability of boards to introduce a cohort entry policy allowing new-entrant students to start school at the beginning of the school term closest to their fifth birthday. Before introducing this, boards of trustees would need to develop a policy and consult with staff and the community. We will consider the need for this at a future meeting. For further information about changes to the Education Act, please see the NZSTA website: http://www.nzsta.org.nz/education-act-update