Principals and Chairperson Annual Report

For the School Year 2009

 

It has been another fabulous year at Leamington School and we have seen the school continue to grow and prosper across a number of areas. 

 

In curriculum the school had 3 target areas.  The school continues to place an emphasis on Writing, Reading, and Math.  A target of 85% for all children achieving at or above expected levels was set in writing.  Significant professional development was undertaken through the year.  This was aligned to an ICT cluster goal to raise student achievement in writing through the use of technology.  In term 1 86% of students were at or above national expectations, with 82% reaching the goal in Term 4.  After analysis we believe the drop in achievement levels from Term 1 to Term 4 is a reflection of higher teacher expectations across the school.  A school wide writing process was developed in 2009 and will continue to be implemented in 2010 to ensure this become embedded into school culture.  A teacher only day with Eric Frangenheim at the start of 2009 focusing on thinking and writing added to the quality of the writing programmes across the school.  Tied in closely with the writing achievement has been the implementation of the Smart Words Spelling programme across the school, resulting in 76% of students achieving above expected levels by Term 3 2009.  This programme will be continued into 2010 and beyond.

 

In reading a target of 85% of students are at or above National Expectations.  The school worked alongside the RTLit for the first time in many years and continues to develop this relationship to ensure we can utilise the expertise that this brings.  In Term 1 80% of Year 3 – 6 students were at or above National Expectations in reading, with this number rising to 87% by Term 4. 

 

In Numeracy, the school placed an emphasis on children learning their basic facts, and a target of 80% of students knowing their basic facts at a level commensurate with their expected numeracy level was set.  In Term 2 75% of students were meeting or exceeding National Expectations, with this number rising to 90% by term 4.  This emphasis will be continued in 2010.

 

Maori student achievement has been extremely positive in 2009.  A disparity still exists between Maori and Non Maori achievement, but this gap is decreasing over time.  The teaching staff participated in Te Mana Korero which focuses on teaching strategies that benefit all students, but in particular Maori students.  This has seen Maori achievement in reading rise in the Star test from 64% in 2008 to 73% on 2009.

 

Looking ahead in 2010 the school will continue to focus on student ownership of the learning process through formative practises to raise student achievement in Writing, Reading and Math.  An emphasis on numeracy and refreshing numeracy knowledge will feature in the year, as well as continuing the focus on development made in writing and reading.  The onset of the National Standards will impact on the school and will necessitate a review of current assessment and reporting practices to ensure the school complies with the new legislation. 

 

The school moved to level 2 bi lingual in 2009 after consultation with the Maori community in 2008.  This class was extremely successful in every respect.  Unfortunately only one class was able to be established due to no teachers applying for the junior school position.  Tania Morrison ran programmes each morning for the Year 1 – 3 students in Maori language.  These were well received by all involved and will continue in 2010.  In 2009 the school intended to appoint a teacher to re-establish the junior bi lingual class for 2010.  These attempts again failed.  The school will have no bi lingual classes in 2010 due to no teachers being available for either class but attempts will be made to re establish these classes for the 2011 school year. 

 

The Board of Trustees has had another productive year.  A detailed plan was set for the year which the BOT has been able to follow closely.  Training with NZSTA and the new webinar format has ensured the BOT is staying informed and up to date with current BOT practice.  The BOT has continued to review and refine policy over the year, reviewing the personnel and resources policy.  The School charter that the BOT has been working on since 2008 has been completed and continues to have minor changes made to it as the school adapts to changes brought about through the revised curriculum.  Alongside this, the BOT approved the appointment of a uniform supplier and ratified a uniform policy and approved a uniform design.  Early in 2009 Adrienne Windsor resigned from the BOT due to all her children having left Leamington.  After consulting with the community the BOT conducted an appointment process, resulting in the appointment of Shelly Walker for the remainder of the BOT term of office.  The BOT has taken steps to prepare the community for the election in 2010, has appointed a returning officer and set out an election timeframe.

 

In 2010 the BOT plans to publish a BOT newsletter to keep the community more informed of BOT business, and continue to bring about the areas of importance identified in the strategic plan and charter.  It will also aim to remodel the school library which it was unable to complete in 2009, and build a new playground. 

 

The school has had a number of personnel changes through the year.  In 2009 the school released Tania Morrison (Deputy Principal) from a classroom responsibility, freeing her up to focus on more management roles within the school, in particular the SENCO roll.  This proved extremely beneficial and will be continued in 2010.  Jo Kellick the Associate Principal won a principal position at the end of 2009.  Owen Corlette has been appointed by the BOT in the Acting Associate Principal position to fill this vacancy until a permanent appointment can be made in 2010.  Stormie Ivamy was granted maternity leave from Term 2 for 12 months, and Lisa Rapana tendered her resignation after a year maternity leave.  Sallyanne McNicoll left in Term 3 to return to Australia with her family.  Sue Lyon has been granted a year leave to pursue some personal interests, while Laura Nixon and Maia Hetaraka moved to other teaching positions around the country due to personal reasons.  Alana Baker, Helen van Essen and Ingrid Custer were appointed to permanent positions from 2010.  Donna Cubis left to take up a position in China. 

 

The school environment continues to be maintained due to the high standard set by Morris Phelps.  A new classroom was built on the Scott / Lamb Street corner through the money allocated to the school from the 1:15 staffing changes.  The entrances to the school were modernised in line with the 5YA, and signs for the front school were also erected.  Plans to modernise the library did not proceed as quickly as planned through various factors, but is planned to proceed in 2010.  The school was also selected for a network upgrade which will be completed in 2010, modernising and replacing the schools IT infrastructure.  The BOT also placed data projectors into ¼ of all classrooms around the school, and continued working with the PTA to build a new playground.  The Nursery is in the process of being extended, and a native garden near the senior playground is under way. 

 

Sport continues to be an area of priority for the Leamington School community.  A large number of children again participated in Saturday morning sport, and soccer training started at Leamington School.  Lunch time sporting activities for children were encouraged, with PE gear purchased to allow more involvement by children, and games run by teaching staff.  The school won the Top School games competition held at Te Kowhai School, and also employed Kelly Sport to work with all students around the school to develop co ordination and athletics skills.  In 2009 a emphasis was placed on parents being able to support their children in sport, and as such the swimming sports were held in the evening, and cross country was held over lunch time.  In 2009 Leamington reinstated houses for children to generate further school pride.  The names of 4 local mountains were chosen as house names.  Sport will continue to be a focus in 2010 with all of the initiatives started in 2009 continued where possible.  An aim is to also introduce hockey to the school if possible. 

 

The introduction of a uniform was a significant project in 2009.  A uniform steering group was established to research and make recommendations to the BOT.  This group shortlisted and then interviewed numerous uniform suppliers before taking their findings to the BOT.  A fashion show for the community was run and feedback sought before deciding on a final uniform.  The BOT installed EFT pos to the school to make the purchase of uniform items easier.  Students were able to start wearing the uniform late in 2009, with full implementation happening over the 2010 period.  Initial feedback from the community has been extremely positive. 

 

A significant area of development over 2009 was the service provided by the school for its After School Care Programme.  A teacher was given a unit to oversee and develop this programme.  The name was changed to Funky Kids Club after a competition for children to find a name was run.  Weekly meetings with the staff, co planning programmes that focus on children being actively involved in craft, PE activities and cooking have all resulted in the service catering for the needs of children more adequately.  A survey was undertaken late in 2009, with approximately 90% of users now speaking highly of the service. 

 

The Enviroschool Programme trialled all children being involved in activities each Friday.  After two terms this trial was stopped in favour of planned enviro days to be held in the school from time to time.  The nursery is in the process of being extended and a vegetable garden built, the native garden project has been continued, and the students worked with the Waipa Council to plant out a park near the school. 

 

The roll of the school fluctuated in 2009.  Many families moved out of the Leamington area due to work reasons, resulting in the lowest 1 July return the school has ever seen.  However, shortly after this the roll grew significantly finishing in the mid 360's.  We predict the roll to remain stable around the 360 children range in 2010.

 

Both the Whanau and PTA groups had productive years.  The numbers in these groups were down on previous years, but a group of committed parents continued to ensure these groups ran smoothly.  Both groups clarified their roles within the school to avoid confusion, and a fund raising calendar was established to ensure no double up occurred.  The PTA focused on raising money for playground, generating over $10,000 towards project, through a Christmas raffle, selling Easter eggs and helping at the opening of the Leamington Shops.  The Whanau group approved the purchase of kapa haka uniforms which will be delivered in 2010.  Discos continued to be run through the year and are always well attended.

 

A number of EOTC activities took place through 2009.  The Year 5 – 6 classes went on a camp to Mt Maunganui.  The Year 3 – 4 children had a camp at school staying in the hall, while the Year 1 – 2 children had a camp day, culminating in a night walk before being taken home.  Many classes visited local Cambridge locations, making the most of the local surrounds.  A highlight of the year was a whole school trip to the Maungatautari Marae paid for by the Whanau group.

 

A great many cultural opportunities were on offer again through 2009.  The orchestra again performed at a variety of locations around Cambridge like the Rotary Club and outside the BNZ.  The Choir groups also had a large number of participants in 2009 performing in a variety of stages, as did the kapa haka groups who not only performed, but welcomed a number of people to our school.  A talent quest was again run show casing the talent of our children.  A high light of the year was the family concert allowing our Kapa Haka, Choir, and Orchestra groups to perform.  This was extremely well attended by families.  The end of year assembly took a different approach in 2009, becoming a more formal event and farewelling the year 6 students more formally. 

 

The Special Abilities and special needs groups again catered for a large number of children across the school.  The special abilities group again produced a high quality magazine of which we can be proud, despite the economic down turn.

 

The school continues to be in a comfortable position financially, allowing it to complete the extra projects identified in the Strategic, 5YA and 10YP.  The surplus the school generated in 2008 was dipped into due to various projects and roll changes.   We benefited in 2009 from receiving money from a number of external sources.  The school roll sits comfortably in the 360ish range with a healthy group of new entrants starting school in 2010. 

 

To finish it is important to recognise the success of the school relies in the strength of its staff.  The staff of Leamington School is a group of dedicated, hard working, and talented individuals who work extremely well together to deliver learning programmes second to none.  Teachers, support staff, and volunteers all give tirelessly of themselves to make Leamington School a place we can all be proud of.  Many of these people work behind the scenes ensuring things always run smoothly, we cannot thank these people enough for all that they do. 

 

There is a great deal of excitement about what 2010 holds, and we look forward to partnering again with the Leamington School community to make our school the best it can be for our children. 

 

Regards

 

 

 

 

Mike Malcolm                            Peter Fraser

Principal                                   BOT Chairperson