Kia ora koutou,

It's hard to believe we are already in the last week of Term 3. This year is truly flying by!

Woodstock's Got Talent

The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity. Last week's Woodstock's Got Talent was a definite highlight. It was wonderful to see such a range of talent take the stage. We had singers, dancers, a ventriloquist, story tellers and a gymnast. Well done to all of the finalists who bravely took the stage, and congratulations to the winning performances in each syndicate: Paisley Baars and Ava McKinnon's dance (Rimu), Mila Meyer and Zikyas Te Pou's song (Kauri) and Eva Hirst and Charcoal's ventriloquist act (Pohutukawa). 

ERO

Last week we also had ERO visit for the day. ERO, or the Education Review Office, has changed the way they review schools. The new approach is, in my opinion, much better. We have an Evaluative Partner from ERO (Niki Edwards) who has been working with us for over a year now as part of a long-term partnership. The goal is to review what we are currently doing, to acknowledge the areas of strength and then to focus on areas of improvement. We have found the new process and discussion to be much more useful than the old way (which was a 3-4 day visit every 3-5 years followed by a published report). This current approach has been much more collaborative, thorough and reflective. 

As part of her visit last week Niki visited classrooms, spoke to staff, students, parents and the Board of Trustees. She will follow with a written summary of her observations, but in the meantime here are some of the things she noticed:

• Woodstock has a range of cultures and people. We are inclusive and accepting. 
• Staff and students are friendly and welcoming. The children are secure and have a sense of belonging here.
• The children and parents love the sports on offer and all of the extra-curricular opportunities.
• The teachers are really supportive and put in the 'extra' to help students. The children love their teachers. 
• All children are supported to succeed. Even when children are very different and have different strengths, they can thrive here.
• The children said 'you can have your own opinion here. People accept you.'
• Children said 'we have a friendship seat and our friends are nice'.
• The parents and children said if there is bullying or any kind of unacceptable behaviour it is dealt with quickly. 
• The rules and values are clear throughout the school. Everyone knows what is allowed and what is not allowed. This helps the children feel safe and secure. They know that 'if they do this' then 'this will happen'.
• The children like the learning and the variety in their learning.
• Several parents talked about how their children know the SLT (teaching in classes, visible throughout the school, at the gate, out on sports field) and they value this.
• Issues are dealt with openly and restoratively.
• The learning is great. The structured literacy is amazing. The DMIC maths is cool. 
• The reports are clear. 

I had the privilege of hearing how positively our children spoke about Woodstock School. It was wonderful to hear them speaking with such honesty, confidence and a sense of belonging and ownership. 

It is exciting to now be thinking about what we can do to further enhance what we are doing at Woodstock. Some areas we are exploring further include continuing to increase the arts (drama, music, visual art and dance), continue to grow the use of te reo Māori throughout the school, and ensuring homework is positively impacting home-school partnerships and student learning. 

Enjoy the school holidays!

Well it has been a long, full, busy term. Thank you to all of our parents and caregivers for supporting your child/ren in their learning and extra-curricular pursuits. A big thanks to our staff for their mahi to make Woodstock such a special place. Everyone has worked hard and we are all looking forward to a change in pace for the next few weeks. While our staff will have some down time, they will also be using this non-contact time to work on reports and to plan for Term 4. 

We hope you all enjoy time with whānau doing activities that you love. We look forward to seeing you back next term. 

Ngā mihi aroha,

Paula Wine, Tumuaki/Principal, Woodstock Pukeora Kura