‘Board Bits’ is an update from the Aquinas College Board of Trustees, to keep you all informed of ‘what’s on top’ of Board matters, including key developments and topics of interest for our school community.
RESIGNATION OF OUR PRINCIPAL
At our meeting on Thursday, 25th May 2017 the Board reluctantly accepted Ray Scott’s resignation as Principal. His resignation will be effective from the end of Term Four this year. Ray has been our Principal for seven years, and has been fully committed to our students, staff and community. We continue to have Ray at the helm till the end of the year, and will have an opportunity to give him a great send off in Term Four. Ray is working hard to capture and document his knowledge to ensure the transition of a new Principal is a smooth one.
Recruiting a Principal is one of the most important tasks a Board will undertake. We will be carefully planning the recruitment process, which will include taking advice from New Zealand School Trustees Association and the New Zealand Catholic Education Office. The Board will provide you with updates as the process progresses.
COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION PLAN
The Board has recognised that it is timely to review aspects of the school’s operation, pertaining to the Board’s role, along with seeking ways to communicate, engage and consult with our numerous stakeholders, in a variety of ways. Specifically, the Board is reviewing:
• Maori Cultural Responsiveness – how is our school meeting the aspirations of Māori students, whanau and community and ensuring that we are honouring the Treaty of Waitangi partnership and the 2020 Beacon Plan goals for New Zealand Catholic Schools?
• Charter Review – how is our school Charter (Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Priorities) reflecting the aspirations and priorities of our school stakeholders?
A plan has been drafted to identify times during the year that the Board would like to consult with the variety of stakeholders who will inform these reviews. Watch this space!
ASA (Aquinas Sports Academy) REVIEW
Thank you to those community members who were able to attend the review evening convened by the ASA Board, outlining the strategies that will be put in place to develop sports in our school. Chris Phayer is the Board’s representative on ASA (which is now being renamed and rebranded “Aquinas Sport) and keeps us informed of progress. It was pleasing to see the revitalised nature of this meeting and the actions undertaken in response to the recent Sport Bay of Plenty review process.
PROPERTY AND DEVELOPMENT
The Board would like to thank the PTA for initiating the plan to vitalise our school environment. The installation of table tennis tables has been popular. The Board supported the fundraising venture for seating, which together with a successful working bee and the commitment of the community and staff, achieved additional outside seating and tables for students. We are also looking at current storage challenges for both the sport and PTA areas of the school. Longer term, there is a lot of work going into the Aquinas Development Strategy.
Regards,
Scott Kahle
Aquinas College BOT Chair
