Board Talks
Tēnā koutou katoa,
It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of term one already. It has been fantastic to see our staff and learners settling so well into the year and to hear from Blair the many initiatives underway to ensure Te Uru Tarata Lemonwood Grove School provides the environment for our learners to achieve success.
The board met twice this term and enjoyed presentations from our Senior Leadership Team (Sarsha, Troy and Darryn) outlining our student achievement and attendance data. These are key areas that we will continue to monitor throughout the year as we help ensure the delivery of the strategic plan for our kura (school). We took great pride in the positive report from the Education Review Office (ERO), a full copy of their report is available on our website here. We are really pleased to hear the new Oxford maths curriculum has been well implemented across the school and we have been reviewing the School’s Policies & Procedures. All members of our school community are welcome to review and comment on our policies & procedures; to do so please click on the link and instructions will follow. In our last meeting we approved the 2025 budget and it was really exciting to see the new turf installed under our covered outdoor learning area (COLA) and hear how much our learners are enjoying the new, quieter space – my three boys Will, Jack and Archie all love it!
Board Elections
This year is a board election year. Elections are held every three years and are a fantastic opportunity for those interested in becoming a parent representative on the board to stand for election. We would love to have as many people as possible putting themselves forward, so over the coming weeks we will be sharing more about what we do as a board and each current member will introduce themselves and share a little about their experience as a parent representative. Elections will take place in September.
If you have any questions about becoming a parent representative, please feel free to chat with any of us, or you can email us at elections@lemonwoodgrove.school.nz. Current parent representatives on the board are Pip Simmons (Presiding Member) Drew Winter (Deputy Presiding Member), Rebecca Congalton, Kelsey Waghorn and Sara Freitag. We are joined by staff representative Stacey Park and Principal Blair Dravitski.
Our board meetings are open to the public, so anyone is welcome to attend. This is a fantastic way to learn more about what our school board does. Our 2025 meeting dates are:
21 May 2025
18 June 2025
30 July 2025
3 September 2025
29 October 2025
3 December 2025
All meetings are held in the Grove, from 6pm. Meetings typically run until 8pm. Attached is our Meeting Plan for 2025.
What does a School Board do?
One of the board’s primary objectives is making sure every learner reaches their highest possible standard in educational achievement. As a group of five parent representatives, one staff representative and the Principal, the Board has overall responsibility and accountability for the kura (school). Our legal responsibilities are determined by the Education and Training Act 2000 and along with ensuring student achievement for all learners, we aim to ensure students of differing needs are included, the school is a safe place to be and that we give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi).
Broadly, the board’s responsibilities include –
Setting the strategic direction for the school
Protecting the school’s values (GRIT)
Being a good employer, recruitment, and health & safety
Monitoring and evaluating learner outcomes
Reviewing and approving policies and procedures
Financial stewardship
Building community engagement and support
It is important to note that the board holds a governance role, so it does not get involved in the day-to-day running of the school.
Who can become a board member?
Anyone in the community can become a board member and all members have equal standing on the board. The most valuable skills board members can bring to the board table are –
Working well as a team
Being confident to ask challenging questions and have robust, professional conversations
Good communication skills
A connection with their community
A passion for wanting the best for all learners in the school
There is plenty of training available for new members, and Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa – New Zealand School Boards Association (NZSBA) provides free advice and support to all boards to help them do the best for their students and school community.
More information about the role of the school board is available here.
We look forward to sharing more information with you over the coming weeks. You will find current board members at many of our school events and in/around school during pick up/drop off, so please feel free to come and chat with us any time.
Ngā mihi nui,
Pip Simmons, Presiding Member