Andrew Osborn

Board Talk Mid-Year Issue 2022

Welcome to the mid-year edition of the Marshland School Board talk. This publication comes out once a term and will outline some of the things we are currently working on as a Board.

Halfway through the year

We are now just over halfway through the school year and still experiencing the challenges of the pandemic. However, the students, staff and their whānau are still making the most of the school year, which is great to see. I’m sure the school community will see more challenges but will keep being resilient and getting through them, as has been shown many times this year. The mid-year break was a good opportunity to recharge and relax after an end to the term that involved high levels of staff and student absentees. There are plenty of important events planned to start the term, and some of the events missed at the end of the last term will be carried over.

Upcoming Board elections

Over the next 2 months, there will be an election process to determine 3 positions on the Board of Trustees to take office for the next 3 years.

At Marshland, we operate a triennial election cycle, so the other 2 positions are up for election at the end of next year. This ensures that there is not too much change at once and there are always experienced members on the Board of Trustees.

Being a Board member is a very rewarding experience and a chance to be involved in the future governance of our school. We have 2 meetings a term as a Board with additional meetings for sub-committees or if the need arises.

To promote the roles of Board members and provide information on what the roles entail, we will be running an online session for people who are interested on Monday the 1st of August at 7 pm. This is a great chance to hear first-hand from Board Members what their roles are or to ask any questions that you have. If you would like to attend this Google Meeting, please email tracey.harrison@marshland.school.nz, and a link will be provided.

We have also posted a range of information online with links in the latest newsletter about the election process, the roles of the Board and profiles of the current Board members if you would like to have a look.

The Election this year will take place online instead of the usual voting paper system. Information will be coming out soon on the process and the nominated candidates after the nominations close.

Board Election Timeline

• Friday 15th July - Returning Officer will call for Board nominations. Our community will be issued nomination papers on this date and the necessary information to support the election process.

• Wednesday 3th August - 12 noon- Nominations will close.

• Wednesday 7th September - Election day.

• Friday 19th September - New Board takes office.

  
  

The new space in the foyer

The new space is now completed in the school office foyer and is already being well utilised. This project was completed using SIP (School improvement project) money. It is great to see this space being utilised and opening up a new space for the staff, students and school community to use. This space can be used for a wide range of activities and is really versatile.

Other projects completed over the last 2 years using this money were the PE shed construction, various landscaping projects around the grounds, and the new scooter track and heat pump cover at the front of the School. We are very grateful for the SIP money and the projects that make Marshland School even better.

Stage 3 update

We are pleased to report that detailed plans have been drawn up for the Stage 3 Build. At this stage, we are looking through the design and making suggestions for minor changes. The design will be slightly different to the other learning hubs but with the same amount of space. The main difference that will be noticeable will be a slightly reduced build height from the rest of the hubs. The inside area will have some spaces that can be shut off for meetings or when some quiet time is needed, with the majority of the design being very similar to the existing hub designs.

The Stage 3 building will be situated on the far side of the field (near the Toroa Learning Hub) and face the main (office, Kiwi, Pukeko Learning Hub) building. It is exciting to see some progress here.

We wish you well for Term 3. Andrew Osborn

Marshland School Board