Dear Whānau, Parents and Caregivers, As we come to the end of term three, it is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved, update you on some important developments and what we can look forward to in term four.

As we come to the end of term three, it is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved, update you on some important developments and what we can look forward to in term four.

This term we saw Ed Mika and Helen Crown join the Board of Trustees of Grey Lynn School. Many of you will know Ed and/or Helen from their extensive involvement with the school and we are excited to have two new community representatives of their calibre joining the Board. This year we also saw the retirement of Pip Anderson following a number of years of service to the school. We would like to thank Pip for all her assistance during this time, particularly her guidance and support during COVID where Pip has been instrumental to the school’s response.

Recently we completed the annual appraisal of our wonderful principal, Alicia Whata. This year our appraiser was a very experienced practitioner who brought considerable expertise having been a principal herself, but also from undertaking appraisals across a number of Auckland schools in different deciles. Alongside her independent review, she gathered feedback from students, staff and the community alike, concluding that Alicia is doing a wonderful job. Your board is very proud of the feedback which is testament to the considerable effort Alicia puts into the school and connection she has with the children.

During the year we have continued our multiyear upgrade of the facilities at Grey Lynn School. From the completion of a kitchenette adjoining the hall, upgrade to the garden to table area, to the recent opening of a new playground, our school’s facilities continue to improve. Judging by the sheer number of children on the new playground each day, they are bringing great joy.

Alongside the improvements to the school’s physical environment, your Board continues its push on driving better educational outcomes. Our recent PAT tests undertaken in the middle of the year highlighted what we suspected, that COVID has impacted the education of our tamariki, with average scores in reading and writing declining in the prior year, albeit only marginally. Whilst it was pleasing to see Grey Lynn School continuing to score above the national average, the results have identified particular year groups and areas in which further improvements can still be made. As a result we have put in place a number of additional activities to boost outcomes in these areas.

As we look forward to term four, your Board will be focused on the development of the school’s strategic plan that sets the priorities for Grey Lynn School over the next three years. Community involvement is instrumental to ensuring Grey Lynn School continues to deliver outcomes aligned with the community’s expectations. You should expect to hear from your Board on this next term.

Next term your Board will begin working on the budget for the school for 2023 including setting the priorities for investment over the next three years. Having now completed the upgrade of the facilities that were previously identified as priorities by the community during our previous community consultation, we will be seeking feedback from the community on what you value over the next three-year cycle during term four.

Regrettably, last week the school was advised that Grey Lynn School’s new Equity funding allocation was $0. From January 2023 the Ministry of Education is removing the school decile system as a means of distributing funding. Equity funding will instead be based on the Equity Index which estimates the extent to which young people at the school face socio-economic barriers to achieving in education. Whilst it is too early to estimate the impact of this on our budget for 2023, your Board remains focused on continuing to invest in improved educational outcomes at the school. During term four we will be considering how this impacts our budget alongside that sought from the community to continue the great work at the school.

With the wonderful success of the school gym in bringing the community together for events and sporting activities during the year, the school is investigating a continuation of some of these activities in term four. Watch this space for more including our Aloha Celebration in week 5, 18 November next term; a fantastic community event with food, fun and entertainment.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who assisted the school in many activities this year. From assisting in the classroom, organising our wonderful events like the school disco and bingo evenings, preparing food, donating equipment, helping in the gardens, to manning the stalls and barbecues, your efforts have ensured the school continues to play a central role in bringing the community together.

We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday break with friends and family and we look forward to seeing you for the final term of 2022.

Nga mihi

Stewart, Alicia, Andrea, Dan, Ed, Helen and Natalie