FUTURE GENERATION PONSONBY INTERMEDIATE DISTRIBUTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION Wim Boxen has been at Ponsonby Intermediate 19 years, the last 12 as Principal. He has an understated, collaborative style of leadership which is producing outstanding results for their students. Wim told Ponsonby News he favours “distributive leadership”, which is not hierarchical, and allows even the most junior staff members to have their say on policy and the development of the Ponsonby Intermediate ethos. “We work together as a team,” says Wim, “with energy and enthusiasm.” Wim Boxen has completed post graduate studies in leadership and management. It is well known that Ponsonby Intermediate dodged a bullet in the mid-90s, when the roll dropped to under 100, and local families avoided the school like the plague. Ian Taylor came in as new Principal, with Wim Boxen as his deputy. Their task was to save the school from closure. The local community was lobbied hard, and asked what they wanted in a local intermediate school. Many responded positively, and the roll quickly increased. There are still, however, many local families who choose to send their children out of the area to private schools. This number is more than compensated for, by the number of out of zone kids who wish to come to Ponsonby. The last few years have seen 50 or more on the waiting list. Very early on, Ponsonby Intermediate decided to use more specialist teachers than most intermediates do. As Wim Boxen points out, even the best primary school teachers are not experts in every subject, and many are happy to have a great music teacher like Paul Curtis, for example, taking their music classes. This happens in all curriculum areas at Ponsonby Intermediate. Wim Boxen is physically huge, as you will see in the accompanying photo, where he dwarves his year 7 and 8 students. He is of Dutch/Australian ancestry. His father was a Dutch marine, who came to New Zealand and met the Australian woman who became Wim’s mother at Parnell Baths. Ponsonby Intermediate under Wim Boxen has achieved outstanding ERO reports with comments like “continue robust review systems”. Despite the specialisations at Ponsonby, all teachers do recovery, enrichment and extension. Wim is proud to now call all his teachers “my teachers.” By that he means that all staff have been employed by him and that he has recruited like-minded teachers. A walk around the school with the principal, shows clearly how proud Wim Boxen is of his school, his staff and his students. “Kids are the best advocates for a school,” he enthuses. This year we had a ballot for 160 out of zone places, and 50 were left on the waiting list. The warm, busy and engaged students set a beautiful tone as we wandered around the school, looking at the new gym/assembly hall, the library with well-equipped IT hub, and the clean and tidy grounds.
LEARN TO SWIM WITHOUT LEAVING HOME Learn to swim or improve your swimming technique in the comfort of your own pool this summer. The Swim Bus is a mobile swim school that brings the instructors and equipment to you when and where you want it. Owned and operated by Tanya and Janene, who between them have 30 plus years experience in teaching and coaching swimming, The Swim Bus offers a range of lessons that caters for all ages (yes, adults too), abilities and learning styles. You can have a one-on-one lesson or get a group of friends together and have a private group lesson. Take a one-off lesson to get you to the next level are available or book a series of lessons. Their coaches are experienced and love teaching swimming and survival skills. An emphasis on sound technique is key to their (and your) success. The areas they work in are Auckland City, North Shore and Rodney district. Swim Bus has a team of dedicated passionate instructors who love teaching swimming. All their instructors are police checked, have intensive in-house training and have a Swim -ed or Austswim Qualification. When they select instructors they choose people with great personalities that can relate and bring out the best in any learner no matter what their ability or learning style and some of instructors are current New Zealand representative swimmers. To make an PN appointment call Tanya or for more information go their website. F THE SWIM BUS, T: 09 480 8914 www.theswimbus.co.nz
All teachers are expected to be at school until 4pm at least (most stay much later), and are charged with, in Wim’s words, “adding value” to students’ growth and development. There are new building proposals on the books, “constant improvement” being another of Wim Boxen’s mantras. “We aim to keep ahead of the play.” The “student voice”, where students make evaluating comments about courses, has earned the praise of ERO. This is a school all about students and their progress and success. As Wim Boxen told us quite seriously, “no school would exist without the kids.” And Ponsonby News could add, “no school will succeed without inspirational leaders like PN Wim Boxen, and his dedicated staff.” www.ponsonbyintermediate.school.nz F (JOHN ELLIOTT) A proud Wim Boxen with children gathered around the computer hub in the library
120 PONSONBY NEWS+ December 2013
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)