Board of Trustees Newsletter Term 2
Raureka School - 2 July 2021
Presiding members report
Presiding members report:
Tena koutou! Talofa lave! Kia orana! Malo e laumalie! Namaste! Hello everyone!
Kia ora koutou katoa; warmest greetings to our Raureka community. We have had 2 meetings this term and discussed a wide range of topic from property changes to pool repairs to our Year 6 camp planning! We are chipping away at many projects for our school and our tamariki. We have met with ERO (Education Review Office) this term and will be working with them to reflect and improve on the way we do things. Our minute secretary records everything we say and types up this conversation into our board minutes. We are incredibly lucky with our minute secretary as she happens to be a staff member – Mrs. Burns. See you all at Matariki.
Naku noa na, nga mihi nui
Marguerite Watt – Board presiding member
Elected Parent Trustee: Megan Bayley- Finance
I am soon to be in the final year of my 1st term on the Raureka School Board of Trustees. I have a strong connection to the Raureka community, having been a past student, living and growing up in the area and now raising our own children in Raureka. Hannah (Rm 2) and Henry (Rm 14) are enjoying their time at Raureka and are making the most of opportunities that come their way. I work part-time at the hospital as a Medical Imaging Technologist. This allows me the time to take an active role in the RSS and BOT and within the school community. I can be found on road patrol duty on Thursday at the back gate and Friday at the front gate.
Elected Parent Trustee: Nic Burkin- Property
Kia ora koutou katoa
My name is Nic Burkin (also known as Ben and Ronan’s Mum) and I am a parent representative on our Raureka Board of Trustees. This is my fourth year on the Board and I look after our property portfolio. I live in Raureka with my husband Russ and our two boys Ben (Room 19) and Ronan (Room 1). I also have two step-children and three grandchildren, who live in Hastings too. I am on the RSS and do road patrol so come and say hi at any time.
Elected Staff Trustee: Donna Sanders
Elected Trustee: Marisa Thomson- Health and Safety
Our health and safety person is Marisa Thomson. Marisa is Richie’s Mum from Year 6 Room 5. She has also been on our board for 2 terms. Over this time, she has been versatile with doing finance and now she oversees our Health and Safety. This is a role that we are currently building on. Marisa meets each term with school management, the caretaker and a staff rep.
Co-opted Trustee: Stacey Tito -Community
Principal: Greg Riceman
BOT News
BOT News
Your BOT:
The Board of Trustees (BOT) is the governing body of the school, the board sets the strategic direction. it is the school community’s collective voice in how the school meets community needs and aspirations. Schools require policies and at Raureka School we use Schooldocs. We usually review 2 policies a term and you can look at our schools’ policies on www.schooldocs.co.nz – enter Raureka School and password 4120. We meet both face to face in the staffroom and via zoom for a Zui! Our minutes are available on request and are kept in the office.
Finance news:
The finance role on the BOT involves attendance at Finance Committee meetings which are held before each Board meeting and then I report back to the board at the BOT meeting. I am also often in the office around the 20th of each month checking off the invoices and bills to be paid. My part is double checking that the bills are justified and legitimate and being paid from the correct accounts. I am pleased to report that Raureka School is in a good financial position and currently tracking well within the 2021 budget. Remember our school bank account number is: 12-3145-0169329-00
Megan Bayley – Treasurer
Community news:
Our tamariki were treated to an excellent disco this month. The theme was ‘Emoji’ and boy did the creative costumes appear that night. Our wonderful fundraisers from the RSS (Raureka School Supporters) have got a Mama donuts event on the go now so don’t forget to buy a donut and support our school. Our Matariki celebrations are this week and it always a fun night, celebrating together and enjoying shared kai. Our school whanau usually gather in big numbers for this occasion and it’s one of my favourites of the year!
On behalf of Stacey Tito - Community
Property news:
2021 is a year for change and a year for getting things done. As such, we have some really exciting projects happening around our school in the coming months. Room 12 and 13 will be getting refurbished, with an amended start date in September. This will modify the layout of each room and update the teaching and learning spaces available. The outdoor veranda area will have more flow with the classroom allowing it to become an extension of the learning space.
We also have the end of the hall area getting redesigned and repurposed. You may remember the big trees that were planted in between the bench seats. These were removed some time ago as they became a safety hazard. This left the bench seats which are relatively uninviting and having very little use. See the picture below as to what the new area will look like.
Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank and commend our school caretaker, John, for maintaining our school grounds and buildings. In an often-thankless job, John ensures that our property meets health and safety requirements, is well-maintained and is a safe environment for our tamariki to learn and play.
Nāku noa nā
Nic Burkin – Property
Health and Safety news:
The health and safety committee meet each term. There is a group made up of a staff member, the caretaker, the health and safety rep from BOT and the Principal. They discuss potential hazards and plan for ensuring that the risks around our school are low. Our next health and safety meeting is in August.
On behalf of Marisa Thomson - Health and Safety
Get involved:
The BOT encourages everyone to get involved and make a difference together! Police vetted parents can help with Education outside of the classroom (EOTC) events. We would not be able to do these amazing events without you… Our RSS Raureka School Supporters is a friendly group of parents who make a huge difference to our children by fundraising for items needed in the school. Their next meeting is 2 August at 5.45pm at the staffroom and always welcomes new members and additional volunteers:
Staff news:
Professional development – Over the last few years we have been working on improving our cultural responsiveness; we have had staff use the Poutama Pounamu programme through out the school. We are pleased to see the positive changes being made, we are continuing to do more to support all of our children.
This year we are also working with Mr Murray Gadd to help us develop and enhance our literacy programme. We have already seen a positive improvement in the achievement of the children.
Donna Sanders – Staff rep
Principal: Greg Riceman:
We have also been working on developing our digital programme and improving the ability of all of our children so they can use ipads and other devices. We will be continuing this next year as we build on the use of STEAM and cyber safety.
Next year we will also be starting the Better Start Literacy programme in the Juniors and this will continue to develop our Reading programme using the most up to date research into how children learn to read.
Greg Riceman – Principal
You are welcome to attend our Term 3 2021 board meetings:
· Monday 9 August at 6pm in the staffroom
· Monday 13 September at 6pm in the staffroom
Stormwater and Hall Project
BOT Members
Presiding member: Marguerite Watt
Staff trustee: Donna Sanders
Elected parent trustees: Marisa Thomson – health and safety;
Nic Burkin – property
Megan Bayley – finance
Co-opted trustee: Stacey Tito – community
Contact Us
Email: office@raureka.school.nz
Website: http://www.raureka.school.nz/
Location: Raureka School Gordon Road, Raureka, Hastings 4120, New Zealand
Phone: +64 6 878 9766
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raureka.school