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