The Board met last week, the first time we have met "physically" for quite some time, so there was a lot to go through!

We started the meeting with some reflections from Sylvia on the events of the past couple of months and some learnings.  The Board again emphasised their support and thanks to the staff for all the work and management through a very difficult period.  We will be making some tweaks to processes, but do need to reflect on how well it all went.  Thanks also to our community for your support during this challenging time.

There are a few projects that have stalled a little due to the current climate, and some that we are progressing along with.  Sylvia briefed us on some potential property changes she is negotiating with the Ministry - we are hopeful that we will be able to report on progress of these soon.

We also spent some time talking about the landscape around the school - there are plans for a bike-pump track, an environmental area and we are also looking at bringing in a larger building if practical.  This all takes some co-ordination and planning - a subgroup of the Board and staff will be meeting to discuss all the ideas.  The thought behind this is we dont want to "redo" areas in the future - so need to put some thought into how it all fits together. 

We are very aware of the growth in the school - and we are talking with the Ministry about what this means. Although the school has a build-capacity of 750 students, the reality is we are starting to really feel the pinch in some places and are seeking some assistance with this.  It won't happen quickly - but we will persevere and support our staff in making sure we provide the best education we can to our learners.

The other area of concern to us all is the roads/transport around the school.  We are reviewing our traffic management plan BUT we all play a major role in responsibility in this area.  There are cars parking on footpaths, leaving cars in the drop-n-kiss zones, children not using the crossings, and general poor road awareness around the school.  We are really asking our community to be VERY AWARE around the roads and help our learners with good road crossing and traffic awareness.  It starts with US as adults modeling the right behavior - we are going to talk, again, to the Council and we are hopeful they will be responsive. Road speeds, crossing where required, park and walk - YOU are responsible for that.  Please be very aware and supportive in this area.

Nearly the end of an unusual and challenging term.  We are all looking forward to a refresh and reset - and some better weather.

Stay safe.

Simon, Rob, Tegan, Steph, Sam and Megan - BoT