True education: hopes and dreams becoming reality - Te Aratai College.

Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste and Kumusta. Greetings to everyone at LCŌ and our wider LCŌ community.

LHS-1954, LC-1997, LC at Ōtākaro-2019, Te Aratai College-2022

We have just finished the final first term of our last full year at our Avonside site, Linwood College at Ōtākaro. 

We are very fortunate to be able to be on our Ōtākaro site as there was a double-bonus. Firstly, it took a year off the building programme and, secondly, it meant that we are not living through four years on a building site with all the variety of issues that this would bring: asbestos, dust, noise, mud, temporary classrooms and so on. Of course, if we had to we would work through all this for a wonderful new school, but it is very good that we haven't had to.

I write this column having just returned from a walk-through of Te Aratai College. This was inspiring and I want to acknowledge again our architects, Architectus; our construction company, Southbase; and the Ministry of Education. Architectus and Southbase are the designers and builders of a number of prominent Christchurch buildings including the Central Bus Exchange and Tūranga, the central library. We are fortunate to have such a team.

Te Aratai College is inspiring from the large, sunny student centre to the 650 seated-occupancy in our theatre standard auditorium. Also of note was how the outside areas will be student-friendly, courtyards open to the sun and shutting off the chilly easterly wind. It is a school designed for community - whanaungatanga and kōrero -conversation.  In short, it is a school that reflects the new name, Te Aratai College - pathway to the sea - for students to see themselves being successful in, achieving as themselves.

All this arises from the extensive community consultation that occurred over 2016 about what the community wanted for their new school. The key summary point from this extensive community voice was:

The school should nurture individual excellence by providing varied opportunities to meet individual needs. It should foster a ‘love to learn’ culture that returns high levels of achievement and success at a cost that is accessible for all.

Underpinning the above nurturing of individual excellence is our foundational learning-design principle for Te Aratai College. This is a responsive learning environment. Unfortunately, education is full of jargon, some useful and some waffle, but this is a useful term. 

The learning principle behind a responsive learning environment is responsiveness to the need of the students at that moment. Our classroom design is based on this. Yes, there are times when learning can and should be opened up into larger spaces but equally, there are times for some students, many students, when this is a learning disaster. Therefore our classrooms are the standard, time-honoured size but with the flexibility to open up when this is the right thing to do. Te Aratai College also has smaller rooms for students who learn best in reduced, very quiet environments, and bigger spaces for larger student gatherings. The building design has flexibility for staff and students to respond to the many factors that contribute to learning success, a responsive learning environment.

However, as I have said a number of times before and will keep saying, it is of course true that buildings alone do not necessarily improve education. The relationship with the teacher - he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata - and the personalisation of learning are the two key factors for this. However, there is also no doubt that new, purpose-built buildings and spaces that arise from community values and priorities can contribute hugely to the student-teacher relationship and the personalisation of learning. 

Te Pou Toetoe: Linwood Pool

And continuing the new building theme, many of us have been watching with great interest and growing excitement, the new Linwood swimming complex being built on the Linwood Ave-Smith Street corner. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be part of a group shown around the complex and it all lives up to our hopes. There are a variety of training and recreational pools including a deep water manu/splash pool, a family spa and other facilities.

For further information please see the Council link below: 

https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/future-projects/major-facilities/linwoodpool

I was also very pleased to learn that the Council wants to employ the new staff for the pool from the local community.

Finally, schools can be complicated places so if any member of our school whānau wishes to talk to us about anything, please contact your child's dean either directly or through the office.

I am also always available to meet with and talk with whānau. Again this can be arranged through the office or my direct email is en@linwoodcollege.school.nz and my direct dial is 982 0100 ext 839. My door is open.

Go well.

Ngā mihi nui – best wishes

Richard Edmundson

Tumuaki-Principal

Ngā mihi

Richard Edmundson, Tumuaki-Principal