Monday July 28, 2014
Waving goodbye to school years By Sam Duff
After 25 years as principal of Lyall Bay School Dennis Thompson will bid farewell to his colleagues and students at the end of the term “I am definitely going to miss this job,” Dennis says. “I thought if I could serve 25 years in a job that I love then it’s time to pass the baton.” Dennis, who started teacher training in 1971, says he has seen many education fads come and go. “One thing that probably hasn’t changed is children and the joy they have in coming to school each day.” He says open plan learning was phased out and is now back in fashion. Dennis says he will miss wanting to come to work every day. “I will miss just seeing the happiness and the joy of the children throughout the school,” he says. “A principal’s job in a primary school is the best job anybody could ever have. “I have great staff and fantastic
OUT THE GATE: Lyall Bay School principal Dennis T hompson will wave goodbye to his old stomping ground at the end of the term. PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Duff
inbriefnews Coutts Street crash A truck crashed into a power pole in Kilbirnie last Monday night. Cables fell down onto the road on Coutts Street near Queens Drive. Drivers were temporarily asked to avoid the area.
Shaking up the dance floor Lyall Bay School are holding a funfilled Zumba fundraiser with all proceeds going to the school. The Zumba fundraiser at Lyall Bay School is on Sunday August 3, from 3pm till 4pm in the school hall. There is a $10 entry fee. Visit www.virginiak. zumba.com or Facebook/Friends of Lyall Bay School for more information.
Graduate opportunities for students support which makes my job easier.” After a quarter of a century at the school, Dennis says he is most proud of only ever suspending one challenging child. “I just don’t give up on kids, there’s always a way forward to find a successful outcome.”
A $2.5 million building project at the school during the past three years has been a huge boost for the school, Dennis says. “I feel like I am leaving the school in really good shape,” he says. Dennis is looking forward to travelling and spending more
time with his grandchildren once he retires. “Even though I am leaving the school I’m not leaving the community.” He says the board of trustees have advertised the position and his successor will most likely start at the beginning of 2015.
Basin flyover given the boot A proposed flyover motorway near the Basin Reserve cricket ground has been declined by an Environmental Protection Agency board of inquiry. The board of inquiry received 215 submissions into the NZTA’s $90 million Basin Bridge project. Wellington City Council deputy mayor Justin Lester says the flyover has been a vexed issue for the community. “It’s well known our Council had significant concerns about whether the proposed flyover offered the best outcomes for
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the city, which was why we pushed for significant mitigation measures if it were to have gone ahead,” Mr Lester says. “I acknowledge the differences of views held by many people. “From here we will need to work constructively with our CUSTOMER: UNITED CONTAINERS PROOF TIME communities and government REP ID: C06 LAST RUN: agencies to find a publically SIZE: acceptable solution to the traffic congestion issues in this area.” Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the council will be analysing the decision and its impact. “It is now time to get on and
make the best of our role in improving all aspects of traffic to reduce congestion, including better walking, cycling, and public transport,” she says. What do you think about the Environmental Protection Agencies decision to decline consent for the flyover? Email 2/09/2013 7:42:28 a.m. samduff@wsn.co.nz and let 11/27/13 9358141AA 1/4 us PG IS know. TRAFFIC: Cars pass by the Basin Reserve where a proposed fly-over motorway has been declined. PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Duff.
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