Now more than ever we must hold tightly to what we value most. With COVID-19 trying its best to work its way back into our society we must take the time to look out for ourselves, our whānau and our community.

The board acknowledges and thanks the work that the kaiako (teachers), leadership team and principal have done in recent weeks to prepare for what could have potentially been another lockdown. We also thank the parents for the swift turnaround as we rolled into our level 2 protocols. The ‘drop and go’ has been working beautifully and it is wonderful to see our young tamariki (children) building their confidence as they get themselves to class.

He aha te mea nui i te ao?
He tangata He tangata He tangata!
What is the most important thing on this earth?
It is the people, the people, the people.

Mid-year Student Achievement Data
Sally Grylls-Thomas shared our current mid year data (https://hail.to/te-ao-marama-school/article/ONrxUCT).

The board acknowledged that the steady increase in our school roll made it difficult to compare mid year data from 2019 to 2020. However the results show pleasing progress across our main curriculum areas of Reading, Writing and Maths. One highlight being that out of 33 students that were identified as needing some support in Maths last year, 91% are now at or above the expected level for their age.

Sally also shared plans to develop an assessment that could track developmental progress (in our junior students) as well as movement in Literacy and Numeracy which would tie in with our philosophy of Learning Through Play.

We would like to acknowledge the work that our wonderful Inclusive Learning Assistants do with our tamariki (children). The time that they take to give our students more targeted learning is invaluable. The amazing work they do is reflected in the results of our students.

Roll Growth: Stage 2 Expansion Project
Progress is being made with our plans for the next stage of our building project. Initial designs have come through and Tony has been working closely with the design team to make sure that each aspect of the build is going to plan. The new spaces will have a similar layout to the current classrooms however there will be some significant changes, one being the inclusion of a larger breakout space to cater for our ELL (English Language Learners).

Progress is also being made around the expansion to our playground. WIth approval given for the Board to look at building an extra play area in line with the Ministry of Education and ShapeEd (private partnership) to cater for the growing number of students.

We are also in the design phase of creating a Māori carving/statue at our school entrance. This was something that our Establishment Board had committed to (and then further approved by our community elected Board) to recognise the importance of our relationship with Ngāti Wairere (our local hapū). We look forward to sharing concepts at a later date.

Manaaki Support Fund
The Manaaki Support Fund is available for whānau who from time to time may find it challenging to pay for aspects of school life, such as larger costs associated with camps and sports fees. This support fund will ensure that all students are able to participate.

We encourage all whānau who may need the support of this fund to apply, all requests will be treated with total confidentiality and sensitivity. Please check our school website for details.

https://www.teaomārama.school.nz/13/pages/48-manaaki-support-fund

Whānau Support Group
An open meeting was held on the 23rd of July with a great turnout from our local community and whānau. We are already seeing this group moving into action with support to our whānau but also with the introduction of a walking school bus.

Thank You
On behalf of the Board we wish to thank you all for your support through this tricky time with the potential of shifting levels. Please, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.

Aroha mai, aroha atu

Frank Young
Staff Trustee

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