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Tārai Kura

Tārai Kura, February-March 2024 Pānui 23

Tēnā koe and welcome to the first pānui for the 2024 school year. 

This month's feature article is an interview with Jonathan Hughes, principal of Pasadena Intermediate who shares some of the approaches he and his team used to navigate the redevelopment of their school buildings into flexible learning environments (FLEs).

Our second article uncovers how the kaupapa of Niho Taniwha, a book written by Dr Melanie Riwai-Couch, is being used to improve teaching and learning for ākonga Māori through professional learning.

This pānui also shines the light on leadership and governance of new schools and redevelopments. We share the perspective of two presiding members of a brand new school. Both experienced in school leadership, Michelle Nell and Diana Wilkes share their insights around navigating priorities and risks, being community-centric, fostering relationships with tangata whenua and overcoming challenges while embracing triumphs.

We also hear from Sandra Jenkins who shares her thoughts about her experience of being a first time governance facilitator for a new build school. In the interview she shares the successful approaches used and reflects on the collaborative nature of the work, offering some advice and guidance for those in this space.

You will also find a brief introduction to a wonderful resource created by Grow Waitaha called the 'Adaptive Governance Guide'. This guide offers ten tips and some genuine advice for leading change.

Finally, we invite you to register to our upcoming online event: Leading school transformation webinar which will take place on the 14th March 2024, 4-5pm online. In this webinar, you'll have the opportunity to hear from three Tumuaki who have led transformational change in a variety of diverse contexts: Maurie Abraham, Hobsonville Point Secondary, Barbara Cavanagh, Huntly College and Lynda Knight de Blois, Glenview Primary School. 

So grab a cuppa and dive in!

If you would like to learn more about Tārai Kura, check out our website here. Ngā mihi to all pānui contributors.

Contents

The evolution of space design at Pasadena Intermediate School

by Carolyn Marino with Jonathan Hughes

Students at Pasadena, a vibrant inner city intermediate school in Tāmaki Makaurau, always come first. In this learning environment the school prides itself on providing an innovative and holistic education where personal excellence is at the forefront. Relationships are the cornerstone of the school, which ensures students make the most out of the diverse range of opportunities that Pasadena provides. It is not surprising that when the opportunity came to refurbish and modernise their property, the Board, ably lead by tumuaki, Jonathan Hughes, turned to current research to ensure such decisions were pedagogically informed. I asked Jonathan to share with us his perspective on the evolution of space design at Pasadena Intermediate School.

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You're invited! Leading school transformation webinar - 14 March 2024, 4-5pm online

by Tārai Kura

REGISTER NOW! In this webinar we host three Tumuaki who have led schoolwide transformation projects. We explore this topic by considering, “The foundations of change: It's not just about the buildings”.

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Adaptive governance - a guide from Grow Waitaha

by Grow Waitaha

This document involves themes collated from the analysis of interviews with ten trustees and principals of schools that have been involved in a period of proactive change. It supports Boards of Trustees to provide strategic leadership for their schools to manage ongoing change.

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Inside the governance journey: perspectives from two presiding members

by Michelle Nell and Diana Wilkes

In the world of educational governance, the role of a Presiding Member (PM) on the Establishment Board of Trustees (EBoT) unfolds as a pivotal one, steering he course of a new school's inception and evolution. In this article we share some of the insights and experiences of two seasoned education professionals who donned this mantle with enthusiasm and purpose from 2021-2023.

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An interview with a Governance Facilitator of a new school

by Di Wilkes with Sandra Jenkins

In this interview, Sandra Jenkins, who was the governance facilitator at a brand new school (opened 2023) shares her thoughts on the value and purpose of this role.

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Niho Taniwha: A journey towards improving learning and teaching for ākonga Māori

by Laura Stutz and Renee Neville

Read about how the kaupapa of Niho Taniwha, a book written by Dr Melanie Riwai-Couch, is being used to improve the teaching and learning for ākonga Māori. This support is available for schools as a regionally allocated MOE professional learning provision.

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