Kia ora koutou,
On behalf of the Raglan Area School Board of Trustees, I would like to warmly welcome students, staff and whanau to a new school year and to our new monthly Board newsletter.
Board members are:
- Lisa Thomson – Board Chairperson
- Anita Lucas – Parent Representative
- Joe Hassell – Parent Representative
- Tara Wrigley – Parent Representative
- Fraser Pease – Parent Representative
- Tui Kaa – Poihakena Marae Representative
- Liam Coulden-Lavers – Teacher Representative
- Taliah Edgecombe-Pearse – Student Representative
- Louisa Barham – Principal
Community news
- A Whanau Information evening was held on Thursday 11 February 2021 for all families.
- Our proposed school uniform survey closed on Monday 22nd February. The survey is currently being analysed by independent reviewer, David Whyte, who will provide a report back to the board and community, the Board will make this available as soon as we are able.
- The first PTA meeting for 2021 took place on Thursday 25 February, the Board has been invited to speak about what is coming up this year and our property planning, this will be happening in March.
- 1-1 face to face Learning Conversations with school whanau are coming up in March, dates are yet to be set.
- The Canteen re opens on Monday 15th March, the new operators are Libelle. We will be publishing information for our families on our school website early next week.
- Enrolment Scheme Progress – Maria Maniapoto from the Ministry will be visiting our school in early March. She will provide the school and Board with information on our next steps regarding the implementation of the scheme. She is also looking forward to walking around the school to gain an understanding of our school facilities and the challenges we face with regard to future growth.
Information on Student Programmes
- Student Roll Numbers in 2021 are increasing, we have seen a large increase in the Year 1 level with 23 additional students. Our school role is currently at 566 students.
- Student Achievement Report 2020 Junior school – Aroha Hohepa, Deputy Principal, Yrs 0-6, presented a student achievement report for the Years 0-6 to the BoT hui on the 25th Feb – view the report at Yrs 0-6 English Medium 2020 Data. As you’ll see, this is a very visual report of the collected data that clearly demonstrated big improvements in our junior area in 2020. The Board recognises the huge amount of work that has been undertaken by Aroha and all the junior school teachers and we thank them for their continued commitment to student achievement.
- Our school House programmes and Te Ao Maori Programmes – have been revitalised this year and are being enjoyed by the students.
- PB4L – a new school wide rewards system has been introduced which will allow staff to record positive behaviours that are aligned to our school values.
- Kia Tu Life Coaching Excellence Pilot Programme is an exciting opportunity for our years 10-12 students. The key focus of the programme is developing a successful career path for every participating student and also supports Maori and Pasifika students to succeed at high school.
Finance and Property
Finance
- Our school draft budget 2021 has been completed and shared with the Board, the BoT Finance Committee will complete a full analysis of the draft which will then be tabled at our next board hui in March for approval.
Property Progress February 2021
- The school perimeter fencing project is now complete.
- The full school exterior painting project is well under way and should be completed by the end of this term.
- The School Shade Sail for the junior lower court area (ordered in Oct 2020) has finally arrived. Engineers are on-site and we hope to have that installed soon.
- The arrival of 4 new modular classrooms are due in Terms 2-4.
- Construction of an outdoor education storage shed is planned and expected to be completed in Term 1.
- Upgrading and refurbishment of B Block is scheduled to start at the beginning of Term 3, we are planning for this now.
- Resurfacing, marking and covering the outdoor basketball court adjacent to the bottom field is scheduled for Terms 2-3.
- New school signage to reflect our school values and expectations will be installed around the school over the coming months, the front entrance into our school office is a wonderful example of this.
- A Learning Support Pod for a new student is currently being constructed and will be completed March 15, ready for use.
- Thank you to Hayley and Hayden Vink who are working tirelessly with the school as our Property Project Managers.
Personnel and Policy
- The Board Policy sub committee is working on updating our school policies.
RAS COVID-19 Pandemic Plan 2021
- A big thank-you to Whaea Louisa and staff who have developed a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan which can be implemented quickly when required. We saw this in action recently when we moved into Alert Level 2. The teachers & support staff have renewed and updated their practices in response to all levels of COVID-19.
- Currently the school is at Alert Level 2, if you are popping into school please use the contact tracer app at the front office and remember to sign in and out. Remember to wash your hands regularly.
Next Board meeting
- Thursday 25 March, 6pm. Public are welcome to attend, if you would like to come please review our Public Attending Board meeting policy beforehand.
Ngā mihi
Lisa Thomson
RAS Board of Trustees Chairperson
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