Board of Trustees Chairman’s Report 2009 has been a very productive year for the Board and the College. Good progress has been made on updating all our policies and ensuring that the College meets all its legal obligations. The annual plan has been systematically implemented and it is gratifying to see tangible results coming through. Behaviour and self pride in the school community is increasing. Enrolments continue to rise each year despite overall number declines in the Hutt Valley. Everyone – staff, parents and pupils have worked hard to achieve this. The College has performed well, through Kapahaka competitions, on the sports fields, mathematics competitions and other endeavours. The College continues to strive for increased student achievement and excellence in all aspects of school life. The new Year Nine programme to be introduced in 2010 should bring some exciting changes for these students as they start their journey through the College. The overall physical state of the College has been improved significantly. $2.3million has been invested in structurally strengthening the main block, reroofing, upgrading the heating system and refurbishing 17 classrooms, including the installation of data projectors and pods of computers. The long awaited upgrade of the student café was finally completed and was formally opened in combination with Cultural Day on 23
July. The whole day was a resounding celebration of the diverse cultures that make up our College and the completion of a project which benefitted all students. Further development is planned for 2010 with a new Special Needs Unit and relocation of the netball courts and other facilities to accommodate this. Uniform still appears to be an issue for some parents and students. The guidelines are quite clearly set out and the Board is grateful to those parents who work hard to ensure their child wears the correct uniform with pride. The Board was disappointed at the Government decision earlier this year, to cut the funding for ACE (Evening Class) programmes which would make them uneconomic to run in 2010. These programmes have been part of our College life for many years and have provided a valuable avenue for our community to meet and learn new skills. We acknowledge and thank the many people who have run the programme and tutored these classes over the years.
I would like to thank my fellow Board members and the staff for their hard work during the year. Theodora Tanuvasa-Lui did an excellent job as Student Representative until September. We welcome Thomas Bird who took up the role in September for 2009/2010. Board elections will be held again early in 2010 and if you are interested in standing information is available from the College office. Mr. Barry Winter
Student Representative’s Report Being the Student Representative of the Board of Trustees in 2008 and 2009 was a great and worthwhile experience. In other word, it was AWESOME! At first I believed that the Board member would be big, powerful, and formal-like people who had huge discussions and time-consuming arguments that would eventually confuse and puzzle me. But I was wrong. It has been a privilege and an honour to be part of the Board but at
the same time I can now say that it was a mission. The Board this year has been working to change the school in many ways, the classrooms and also our new flash café / canteen. Not only did I co-operate with the friendly and encouraging members of the Board but I learnt to voice differing points of view to the Board and Student Council effectively. More importantly, I have learnt that the feeling of involvement and being acknowledged for the things you’ve done ultimately leads to making a big difference in one’s life, and the students of Naenae. Theodora Tanuvasa-Lui
Board of Trustees
TE REO KURA 2009
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