Board Update April 2022
It’s been a very busy time for the board the last couple of months with plenty of work around student achievement, revising our annual goals and planning for 2022. We like to invite staff or student visitors to the first part of our board meetings as it gives us an opportunity to learn about different aspects of the school and it enables attendees to reflect on how the board can support them in their roles. We began our March meeting (the first for 2022) with introductions to the prefect team. What an awesome group of young people we have in our prefect team! It is always a delight to hear about our students’ aspirations and learn about the difference they are seeking to make in the College through their various prefect portfolio roles. The bulk of our first meeting focussed on our NCEA, numeracy and literacy results from 2021. It…
Board Update October 2021
Kia ora koutou It’s felt quite a long term and I realise it has may have been unsettling for many of our tauira having to adjust again to learning online. Horowhenua College Board is just so grateful for all the work of our Senior Leadership Team, Student Support Workers, Deans and Teachers in assisting our students through lockdown and in the return to face-to-face learning. We are mindful that many of our staff and whanau/families have been affected by the disruption caused by Covid too, so we really appreciate all their efforts. At our most recent board meeting Miss Moerkerk presented aggregate data on where our students are at with regard to NCEA credits. Again, a huge amount of mahi is going into tracking student achievement and identifying students who may need additional support. Many of our staff are running additional tutorials and learning sessions for students outside of normal…
Board Update September 2021
Tēnā koutou katoa I do hope you are all managing well in your respective bubbles. We certainly didn’t imagine at our previous board meeting, that we would be having our next meeting on Zoom! Not surprisingly the focus of our board meeting was an update on the Covid situation and ensuring that our school systems were functioning to support online learning and the wellbeing of our staff and students. It was good to get reports from Mr Congdon, our Staff representative, Mrs Johnson, and our Student representative, Misipeka Ana, reflecting on how learning during lockdown was going from their perspectives. As a Board we are very grateful for the hours our staff have expended in transitioning back to online teaching and the efforts of the Senior Leadership Team in ensuring all our students have devices. We realise how unsettling such times are for our whānau and the many and varied…
Board Update June 2021
Kia ora koutou The reports presented by Mr Congdon, our Tumuaki and our Student Representative, Misipeka Ana at our last Board meeting were a reminder of all the wonderful activities happening in the school. After 2019 and all its Covid related disruption, it is so good to see participation in a wide range of arts, cultural and sporting activities, including Shave for a Cure, inter-school and regional sporting competitions, and our recent school Production “Into the Woods”. A special thankyou to everyone who participated in, supported or helped in anyway with this production – it was a huge but successful undertaking and it was great to see our young people perform so well. Thanks also to all parents who came out to watch the various performances too. Last meeting Mr Congdon reported on progress towards our annual goals contained in the school charter. We are focusing this year on the…
Board Update April 2021
Tēnā koutou katoa At our last board meeting we discussed progress on our annual goals as part of the Principal’s report. Throughout the year we will be looking to see shifts in practice and outcomes with respect to The development of relevant and innovative initiatives into learning programmes throughout the college The development and implementation of a self-review process that enables all aspects of college life to be reviewed and improved Consolidating and increase our links with the local community by identifying and connecting with business and community groups. In addition to financial and property matters, we discussed the review of our governance policy. This is the policy that determines how we work as a board and our key tasks and responsibilities. A new Education and Training Act came into force last year and so this, and all subsequent reviews of policies takes account of any changes since the previous…
Board Update March 2021
Tēnā koutou katoa We have had a good start back to the academic year despite the uncertainties surrounding Covid-19. As a Board we enjoy seeing all the activities our students are involved in though our four pillars of activity – academic, sports, arts and culture and service. It is also a delight to see our young people taking on leadership roles, and at our first board meeting for the year we were introduced to the Prefect Team for 2021. We appreciated learning about their aspirations for their careers and about their various roles in the school. We often have ‘visitors’ – staff or students to our board meetings as it helps us to get a feel for the heartbeat of the college, and to learn what is working well and to learn what we might do to improve things. The first meeting of the year normally has a very full…
BOARD UPDATE August/September 2020
Kia ora koutou We have had a couple of board meetings since I last wrote an update. Term 3 has also been a very busy one for the board as we continue to track and monitor student achievement in a year in which learning has been significantly affected by Covid-19. Each meeting Mr Congdon our Tumuaki provides a report which provides the board with progress against our annual strategic goals. This term we have also reviewed policies and procedures and monitored the college finances examining spending against our budget. We have had several property matters on the go – including the development of the grounds after the demolition of North Block. We are looking forward to seeing this area developed as a communal space for student activities. At our last meeting, we welcomed Misipeka Ana, our new Student Representative to the board. We are always delighted to have our student…
BOARD UPDATE May 2020
Tēnā koutou katoa We have had two Board of Trustee meetings over this lockdown period, both on Zoom. These meetings worked well, though I have definitely missed meeting with my board colleagues face to face! The focus of these meetings has largely been on our preparedness and management of the Covid-19 situation. There has been plenty to talk about with regard to this- health and safety, the wellbeing of students and staff, student achievement, digital learning from home, finances, property and ensuring we have appropriate policies and procedures in place to support the changes we are facing both during Covid levels, and as we move out of them. As a board we recognise the importance of timely and appropriate communication to students and parents, and we wish to acknowledge Mr Congdon and the Senior Leadership Team for all their work to keep our School community informed. Our sincere thanks…