Message from the Board

Thank you to everyone who completed the Board survey recently. Ironically, a response we have received from the survey has been, "who are the Board and what is their role?" I hope I can quickly clarify this for you. 

Here is a link that provides a little information about the individuals who are currently on Te Ao Mārama's Board - https://www.teaomārama.school.nz/school-board 

We meet twice a term with Tony to discuss the school and how things are going. Essentially the role of the Board is to provide governance to the school and ensure that Te Ao Mārama is providing a high-quality education for all students. The Board is responsible for:

• Setting the strategic direction of the school including the vision, goals and priorities.

• Ensuring the school is well-resourced through managing the schools finances.

• Supporting Tony to be as effective as possible in his role as principal.

• Monitoring the school's performance to ensure it is meeting our student's needs.

• Consulting with the school community to ensure the school is meeting the needs of our community (hence the survey we have sent out).

We are so thrilled to know that our school’s bilingual programme will be commencing in 2025. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response and enthusiasm from our whānau. This is an exciting step forward for our school, and we look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to our students. Thank you to Tony and the team for making this a reality in Te Ao Mārama and ensuring those whanau who want their child to be immersed in our nation's rich culture as they learn the New Zealand curriculum have an opportunity to do so. We cannot wait to see the results!

Good luck to all those students for their recent or upcoming camp adventures. For many, this will be their first camping experience, and we wish them all the best. Congratulations to the parents/caregivers who were brave enough to send their child to camp. Although it can be scary leaving your child in someone else's care, it will be such a positive learning experience for the children. Resilience is such an important attribute for children to develop as they grow and it is experiences like these where students gain strength to navigate the unknown. A huge thank you to our dedicated staff for their tireless efforts in planning and preparing for these camps. Your commitment to ensuring our students’ safety and well-being is truly appreciated.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the success of our recent ‘Nearest and Dearest Day’. It was wonderful to see so many whānau members join our tamariki and our school community. Your presence and support made the day truly special. 

Enjoy the longer evenings and warmer weather. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the summer celebrations are creeping ever closer.

Ngā mihi,

Chris Langley