MEET THE TEACHER Sheryl Fletcher
Principal, Bayfield School (8th year, 400 students) How did you come to be a primary school principal? After a long and successful career as a teacher and a leader in middle management positions, it was time to step up to the Principal role. Where did you train? Palmerston North Teachers College and Massey University. What brought you to your current school? I had encouragement from mentors and other principals to apply for Bayfield School, as they saw me being a good fit for the school. What are your favourite things about being a teacher? Setting up opportunities so children are happy at school, hooked into learning and achieving wonderful things across a rich and balanced curriculum. What has been a highlight of your teaching career? As a teacher, many successful years of teaching New Entrant children and getting them and their families settled into school, and creating a love of learning. As a principal, opening our new building at the beginning of term 2 and seeing teachers and children doing amazing things and being totally engaged in their new collaborative learning environment, right from that first day. What has been a low point of your teaching career? Any time a parent or family is disappointed with the school. How would other teachers describe you? Hard working, professional, positive, caring and supportive. How would your students describe you? “Caring and friendly, focused on our learning and encourages us to always do our best.” If you could wave a magic wand in your classroom... Every child would find it easy to learn to read. Five tips for mums and dads of primary school kids 1. Keep reading to your children - a love of reading will set children up for life. 2. Talk to your children about all kinds of things to grow their general knowledge about the world around them. 3. Don’t be too quick to solve problems for your children - children learn from taking risks and making mistakes. 4. Be present (and that’s for all of us, not just parents) - resist the urge to always look at your phone. That email can wait. 5. Be aware of your child’s online life. Know what your child is doing/saying/looking at online and instill the importance of being a responsible online citizen at all times.
TAMAKI SPORTS ACADEMY - FREE METAL COLLECTION TAMAKI SPORTS ACADEMY OFFERS MENTORING, COACHING, AND WORK EXPERIENCE to South Auckland youth who have dropped out of the mainstream school system but show some sporting talent. A major fundraiser for the academy, and an excellent source of work experience for our members, is the free metal collection service we offer. We will pick up any old metal - computers, whiteware, roofing iron, metal piping, venetian blinds, batteries, car panels, cars, metal shelving, filing cabinets, machinery, lawnmowers, engines, and so on. If you do have any metal rubbish to get rid of, we are keen to pick it up for you. It is a win-win for both of us. Thank you to everyone in advance, and to those who have donated metal to us previously. F PN M: 027 510 5890; T: 09 276 0328, www.facebook.com/#!/TamakiSportsAcademy
88 PONSONBY NEWS+ November 2015
Sheryl Fletcher, Principal, Bayfield School
ROUGH SLEEPING STUDY WINS GOLD AWARD A study into rough sleeping in central Auckland has won a gold award in the Public Good category at the Designers Institute of New Zealand’s Best Awards 2015. The annual Best Awards celebrate New Zealand’s best graphic, interactive, product and spatial design projects annually and included 514 finalists this year. The winning study, “An insight into the experience of rough sleeping in central Auckland”, published in January this year, was an initiative of the Auckland Homelessness Steering Group made up of Auckland Council, Auckland City Mission and Lifewise Trust. Auckland Council took an empathy research approach with rough sleepers, former rough sleepers, the public, retailers and some families of rough sleepers in order to gain deep insights into the experience. This collaborative team was mentored by service design agency ThinkPlace to visualise the experience of rough sleeping in a powerful and authentic way. Councillor Cathy Casey, Chair of the Community Development and Safety Committee, said the study provided a huge step forward in understanding why people sleep rough and helped create meaningful change for people experiencing homelessness. “Hearing from homeless people themselves and giving them a voice with this report has been the most important part of the project,” Casey says. “The steering group worked very hard on this public good study and our design partners at ThinkPlace understood the need to deliver a powerful visualisation at a low cost. This award proves we can do both.” An Auckland City Mission count in October 2014 found 147 people sleeping rough within a 3km radius of the Sky Tower - up 116% from a count of 68 in 2013. Moira Lawler of Lifewise Trust, which organises the Big Sleepout homelessness awareness event every year, says the award reflects a straightforward and clear approach to understanding a complex and often uncomfortable issue. “This report is something that our rough sleepers take a lot of pride in - it shows that homelessness is not a choice and shows people the hard realities of having no place to call home at a glance. We’ve already seen our local community use the report to make meaningful changes for Auckland’s homeless,” she says. F PN More information about the Rough Sleeping Report can be found at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)