Kia ora tātou
Only a week to go till school holidays! I do hope all our college staff and students have a good break over the vacation. Thank you to the more than 40 parents and caregivers who have responded to our school charter survey – we so appreciate the time you have given to do this. In Term 4 we will be working on our new charter goals and your comments will help us produce the key aspects of these goals.
In our August board meeting we spent the bulk of the evening meeting with the Heads of Faculties (HOFs). Earlier in the year we had a meeting where we identified priorities for 2017 and the focus of our evening meeting was reporting back on how these priorities were being addressed, and on the identification of the enabling and limiting factors for increasing student achievement. Going forward into 2018 we will be looking more specifically at attendance, curriculum design and ICT device management and utilisation. It was really encouraging to see the work being put into helping our students succeed, and as a Board we really value effort the HOFs put into leading their areas of speciality. Ms Moerkerk has also been extremely busy producing statistics for us on NCEA credits, and it was great to see that overall we are improved on last year’s credit totals for students at the same point in the academic year.
During our meeting time the Board also approved our revised complaints procedure and a new flow chart which should simplify the processes involved in making and resolving complaints for both parents and staff. We discussed the forthcoming student elections and our next BOT election which will be held in November. We agreed to move back to a triannual cycle for elections as this enables us to develop the board as a team with consistency through a three year work plan.
This month’s featured trustee is Mr Bob Slade. Bob was selected onto the Board earlier this year because of his expertise in finances. A chartered accountant for many years, Bob continues to be involved in consultancy work and has previously had experience of being on a school board. We are enjoying having Bob on the board and we appreciate the questions he brings each month. Bob also serves on the finance sub-committee of the board and his skills in this area are put to good use! Here are Bob’s thoughts on being a trustee:
I have had a long career as a Charted Accountant, mainly acting for small to medium size businesses. I was appointed to the Board of Trustees six months ago and also serve on the Board’s Finance Committee. I am very impressed with the high standard of governance, teaching and facilities at Horowhenua College. The College, very well lead by Principal Grant Congdon, offers the opportunity for students, willing to apply themselves, to aspire to their full potential.
I look forward to communicating with you again next term. Have a safe and happy holidays.
Ngā mihi
Juliana Mansvelt (BOT Chair)