Board of Trustees Report

Tena Koutou Katoa No Whakatāne Ahau Ko Whakatāne High School toku kura Ko Monica toku hoa raNgātira E toru oku tamariki Ko Emily Ko Cambell Me Jamie Ko Paul Julian taku ingoa No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa

Hello. My name is Paul Julian and I am the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Who are we?

Parents. Stephen Lamb, John Spring, Jennifer Manning, Tammy Rika Teacher Rep. Paul Goodman Student Rep. Taylor Jones Principal. Martyn Knapton We are all voted onto the board, by parents, every three years by other parents, the teacher rep by teachers every three years, and the student rep every year by the students. It is designed this way so that we have a good cross section of people who are involved with our Kura.

What do we do?

We help Mr Knapton run the school.

How do we do that?

Money. We have finance meetings once a month to make sure we are not spending more money than we receive, and we try and find ways of affording nice things like heat pumps, autex on the walls of classrooms, astro turf, etc. Buildings. We have property meetings to make sure the school and grounds are maintained so our students have the best possible learning environments. Lots of money is spent on roofs, painting buildings and fixing toilets. But we try to get new things like a new science block, and solar panels. The wishlist is very long. Education. We get reports on how the students are achieving. We get presentations from the Heads of Departments on how the students in their departments are doing. We discuss what is going well, and what needs improving. We get reports from Mr Knapton on what he is doing to help our students achieve to the best of their ability.

What do we not do?

We are not involved in paying the staff. The government does this. We are not involved in interviewing or hiring the staff. Mr Knapton does this. We interview and hire the principal. We don’t tell the teachers or any staff what to do. We can tell Mr Knapton what to do. We are not involved in choosing who gets what awards. We are not involved in any decision involving a single child. Unless you are getting expelled, then you and your family will have a meeting with us. We are not involved in the day to day running of the school. Mr Knapton does this. And, if we cross the line between management and governance Mr Knapton lets us know.

Why Is Our School Great? Teachers

If you have read any principal report from the last 100 years, any ERO report, listened to any head boy and head girl speech, or spoken to Year 13 students, or to past students, they will all tell you our teachers are great. They build very good relationships with the students and care about the students’ learning. I asked Mr Knapton about this - I said, “Is this true or is this one of those things people say to be nice?” He said, “I have taught at many schools, Paul, and the teachers here are the best group I have ever seen.” That really meant a lot because it often takes someone coming from the outside to open your eyes to how lucky we are to have what we have.

Sports Achievement and Participation

Our school magazines make it clear to see that we constantly punch above our weight in the sporting arena. We have produced many Olympic athletes, national title-holders, and NZ representatives. I am really proud of our participation numbers. 58% of WHS students are participating in a sport. And 60% of teachers are involved in coaching or managing sport. Both these numbers are well above the national average. Academic Achievement We have a long history of high academic achievement, we always achieve academic scholarships, and always have students who are achieving some of the highest marks in the country.

Principal

Mr Knapton is doing a great job. He is very hard working. He is well respected by other principals in the area. He is well respected by the staff and students here at WHS. He is dedicated to our school. He is committed to our town, our community and is embracing getting involved in all aspects of living in the Eastern Bay Of Plenty. He believes in our school, and has a vision for our school to be one of the best in NZ. Our school will be one of those schools that other schools visit to see how it is done. Thank you, Mr Knapton, for all that you do for our school, our kids and our town.

One Hundred Years Old

This school has been here for 100 years; many of you - like my family - have had many generations go to this school. My kids go here, I went to this school, my parents and all my uncles and aunties went to this school. I am proud of this; it means something to me to be part of 100 years of WHS. We all should be proud of our school. We have traditions here that have been in place for a very long time like prefects, dux, sports awards, cultural awards, the school song, our uniforms, sports teams, assemblies and kapa haka. We all play a part in carrying on these traditions to honour those that went before us and to pass on to those coming after us. Most of you are only at this school for five years but it is your duty to carry these traditions forward. We must wear our school uniform with pride, we must wear our sports uniform with pride, we must conduct ourselves in the classroom, on the sports field, in the playground, after school and on the weekends in a way that honours our ancestors, respects ourselves and shows we are proud to be part of 100 years of WHS. Our school is great.

PAUL JULIAN - Board Chair 2021 Head Boy 1989 Kia Whakatāne au I ahau.