Happy Holidays!

Giant Christmas cracker. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: 114/402/08-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23232483

This is our last post for the year.  We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for a great year at Sylvia Park School and to wish you a very happy and safe holiday. 

Merry Christmas!   See you back at school on Monday, 3rd February.

Minutes of BoT meeting, 9 December 2013

The minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday 9th of December are here. If you have any questions or thoughts, we invite you to comment below or to contact us directly.


Esther

Introducing... Esther Casey

Kia ora koutou,  Malo e lelei, Talofa lava and Groetjes

Esther and her family
(Image all rights reserved)

Who are you?

I am mum to two great kids in the junior school at Sylvia Park.  I have been a teacher and a librarian and am now working with schools to support their e-learning.  I was born in the Netherlands, and grew up in the Waikato, but have lived in Auckland for the last ten years. 

What are you doing on the Board of Trustees?

I wanted to be on the BoT so that I could offer my skills to help the school community and support all of our kids' learning.  I was also offered the role of secretary which means that it is my job to make sure the minutes of our meetings are here on the blog for you to read if you want to.

What do you think is the best thing about being at school?

The best thing about schools is that there are so many dedicated people providing amazing learning opportunities for children and that they respond by developing an astounding range of talents and interests.  A school is just such a rich, exciting place to be.  This is especially so at Sylvia Park! 

What kinds of things do you like to do?

Baking, reading and learning.  When I have time, I like to make (and eat...) cheese.

Minutes of BoT meeting, 18 November 2013

The minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday 18th of November are here.  If you have any questions or thoughts, we invite you to comment below or to contact us directly.


Esther

Introducing... Pasepa Topeni

Pasepa and her family
(images all rights reserved)

Who are you?

Malo e lelei ! My name is Pasepa Topeni, a full time mother of seven children. It is my privilege to be part of the SPS BoT.

How long have you been part of the Sylvia Park School whānau?

About six years now.

What’s your dream job?

Always wanted to be a chef…….

What kinds of things do you like to do?

Cooking and baking

What do you think is the best thing about being at school?

Seeing kids enjoying their learning, and having a can do attitude towards their learning.

Minutes of BoT meeting, 14 October 2013

The minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday 14th of October are here.  If you have any questions or thoughts, we invite you to comment below or to contact us directly.


Esther

Introducing.... Paul Tetley

Paul and his family
(images all rights reserved)

Who are you?

I mostly do property maintenance with a growing interest in landscaping as well, I try to make the best use of what a property has to offer. I'd like to be self sufficient and have a lot more time to spend `building stuff' with the boys and their mum!

What would you like to do for a holiday?

Go back to Arrowtown and look for more Gold! or to Australia or America and go real treasure hunting with the boys...

What do you enjoy about being on the Board of Trustees?

Our BOT is privileged to have a great administration team at the school who work tirelessly to improve all aspects of the school and teachers. It's great to be a part of this and in contact with that team and understand so much more about all the different levels of `our education system'. It is a very good way to learn so much more about how wonderful the school is on a deeper level also.

What other connection do you have to the school?

My wife grew up in this school, some of her teachers are still here! We have three boys, we expect all of them will grow up right here too! I, on the other hand, went to primary and intermediate school in the Philippines.

World Teachers' Day

Image from Pixabay by Tingeling. Public domain.

Dear Sylvia Park School teachers,

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

We want to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of your very hard work, so much of it outside of what we as parents see.

We know that it takes many hours of professional learning, planning and creating to give our kids the learning opportunities they experience at school.  We know it takes energy and passion to make sure our kids are excited about learning every day and we really do appreciate the generosity of each and every SPS teacher in this.

There are many, many extras that so many of you take on, these build the riches of our school in our confident, talented tamariki and the fabulous Sylvia Park School community.

SPS teachers – you are amazing.

Thank you.

Introducing.... Nellie Tongalea

Fakaalofa atu, Hello and greetings 

My name is Nellie Tongalea, proud member of the Board Of Trustees. I come from a large family of four sisters and two brothers with many nieces and nephews so family is a very important part of my life.  

Nellie and Jayin
(image all rights reserved)

How long have you been part of the Sylvia Park School whānau?

My son Jayin started at the school in February of this year and I have been so impressed with his learning and development during his short time in the school

What do you think is the best thing about being at school?

There are lots of great things about being at school but one of the best things is the children and how friendly they all are.  It's so nice to come in and hear from JJ’s school friends “hi JJ’s mum” always makes me smile.

What’s your dream job?

Growing up I always wanted to be a police woman

What is your favourite food?

Chinese dumplings, they are delicious!

Sausages!

Thanks for coming over with your kids to pick up your sausages after your three way conferences today.  It was really great to meet so many of you. 

The parent trustees - Lyle, Paul, Nellie, Sepa, Nettie and Esther

Portfolios and Three-Way Conferences

Things have changed from the time we were at school, haven’t they?  I remember carrying my report home in a sealed envelope and not being at all sure what my parents’ reaction would be when they opened it.   I also remember nervously waiting for them to come home from parent interviews, one year even hiding when they drove into the driveway. 

As a child, I had very little idea what my teachers found important enough to talk about, what my strengths and weaknesses were.  Today, at Sylvia Park School, this has completely turned around.  My son knows exactly how he is doing in different subjects and which areas he needs to work on to take him to the next level.    He is taught to talk about this clearly.  The three way conferences are an opportunity for him to do this in a focused way.

I find the portfolio a great starting point for this conversation because it has a balance of test results, examples and comments from the teacher and my son, it isn’t just based on a single test or event or opinion.  We go through it together when he first brings it home and he proudly shows us some of his best work.  Grandparents also get a chance to see the highlights, if they’re lucky.  By the time we go to the three way conferences, we have had time to read it more carefully and to think of some questions that will help us all to understand it together.

The portfolios and the three way conferences together show my son that we are all in this together, that his family and his teacher work as a team to support him with his learning.  He also knows that he is in the centre for this, he has control of the conversation and he knows exactly what the important things are to talk about.   No hiding for him!

Esther

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 121, 23 May 1936,Page 26.  Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand. Out of copyright.

Minutes of BoT meeting, 16 September 2013

The minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday 16th of September are here.  If you have any questions or thoughts, we invite you to comment below or to contact us directly.

Esther

Introducing.... Nettie Norman

Kia ora everyone,

My name is Nettie and I am a member on the Board of Trustees. I have two children who attend Sylvia Park School and absolutely love being part of the SPS whānau.

Nettie and her whānau
(images all rights reserved)

How long have you been part of the Sylvia Park School Whānau?

My father, three siblings and myself all attended Sylvia Park School in the 60's and 90's, so this school has had a special place in my heart for a very long time. Now that my children are here, me being on the board is my way of giving back.

What is your favourite food?

CHOCOLATE. Yummo!!!

Who is your favourite celebrity?

I am a huge Sonny Bill Williams fan. Strictly based on his sporting ability, hehe.

What do you like doing?

I enjoy playing all sorts of sports from netball, softball, touch rugby and even a bit of table tennis. My other passion is kapa haka which I do both competitively and professionally.

Learning every day

Hello one and all, parents and caregivers!

You will have seen and read the Sylvia Park School mission, "Setting children on a path of lifelong learning" many times by now, and how is this achieved?   Well, it never actually ends but it definitely starts soon after a child learns to say the word "No!”  At this point they have realised they have some power to influence their world, it is up to all of us to develop that attitude to be positive and enriching for the rest of their lives.

The Ministry of Education has set a goal for all schools to actively seek ways that all students can reach their potential. The staff at our school are well equipped and spend a huge amount of time ensuring that every child is encouraged on their learning journey through school.  Many tests prove that our students are achieving well compared to the national averages.  But we want our kids to do even better, and it really does matter!

A very major factor in student under-achievement is non-attendance or ‘having to move again..' (this is a sad option in more ways than one!).  It has been shown to greatly disrupt the learning process and it is frustrating for the teachers to see such wasted potential.  Unless they are unwell, PLEASE try and have your children at school every day! 

A child is like a fruit tree that is planted in good soil by a stream, it will grow strong and deep and easily weather the storms in their life, and also produce fruit for many to enjoy....but they need their parents to partner with the teachers to maintain that solid ground for them to grow within and maintain a passion for learning at SPS!   

Paul

The role of the Board of Trustees

Image from Pixabay by geralt. Public domain. 

Every state and state integrated New Zealand school has a Board of Trustees, a group of representatives from the school community.  So what do they actually do?

Our role is to make decisions, on behalf of the school community, about the ways that we want to support student progress and achievement at Sylvia Park School.  Our bottom line is to make sure that our kids are learning and developing while they are here.

So that we make good decisions, we need to take advice and guidance from many groups of people including the Ministry of Education, professional experts, the SPS staff, our students and the families of our school community. 

The Board of Trustees do not manage the school, all of the day to day matters are taken care of by our wonderful Principal, Whaea Barb.  She is also on the Board of Trustees and provides reports at every meeting about the issues we need to know about, especially related to student learning. 

Other members of our Board are the staff trustee and we have six parent trustees.  We all meet about once a month, with smaller groups taking on extra responsibilities in specific areas such as the building projects and policy development.

To find out more about the role of Boards of Trustees, visit the New Zealand School Trustees Association website.

Esther

Minutes of BoT meeting, 12 August 2013

We will be sharing the minutes from the meetings of the Board of Trustees here in the blog to help keep you informed.  If you have any questions, or would like more information, please comment below or get in touch with us.

 

The minutes from the meeting held on August 12th are here. 

Esther

Introducing.... Lyle Cairns, Board Chair

Lyle, Dagmar and their children
(image all rights reserved)

Who are you?

Kia Ora All, I'm Board Chair, my whole whānau are involved with Sylvia Park School (SPS).  My wife Dagmar is the Art Teacher and our three wonderful children all attend SPS.  I currently work as the Director of the Service Academy programme at Tamaki College.  This is a role I thoroughly enjoy as I'm able to guide and assist senior students with their career options.  In closing, Our rangatahi are our future so lets all guide them well.   

What do you think is the best thing about being at school?

The best thing about SPS are the students, aye!!

What is your favourite food?

Chop-Suey, yum!

Welcome

E mihi ki te rangi, e mihi ki te whenua.

Ngā maunga tapu, ngā awa tere.

Te hunga mate, haere atu rā.

Tātou ngā mahuetanga, ngā mātāwaka, ngā taura here tangata.

Piki mai, kake mai, haere mai rā.

"Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi e"

With my knowledge and your knowledge we as a people can grow.

Talofa Lava, Bula Vinaka, Kia Orana and Malo e Lelei

'Oku 'oatu heni 'a e talitali fiefia pea moe loto mafana Kia tekimoutolu   kotoa pe 'oku 'ahia e paenga ni. 'Oku 'ata pe ki ha taha ke 'omi ho'o fakakaukau pea mo ha'o fokotu'utu'u e ala tokoni ki he langa hake 'a e api ako ni pea moe kaha'u 'o 'etau fanau. Ko ho'o tokoni 'e hoko ia koe fakakoloa ki he 'api ako ni. Malo.

Warmest greetings to everyone in the Sylvia Park School family to this blog.  We would like to welcome people from all over the world that come to our school and to acknowledge all those who have shaped this place and this community.

We, the Board of Trustees, will be using this blog to keep you up-to-date with what we are up to.  We invite you to comment, to ask questions and to help us to celebrate the great things that are going on in our awesome school.

Come back soon, we look forward to the kōrero, the conversation.