HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC
PRIMARY SCHOOL
BOARD OF TRUSTEES NEWSLETTER: July 2017
Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa , Malo e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hau, Bula, Kumusta ka
As another school term draws to a close, it is hard to believe that the school is half way through its foundation year. It has been a very busy Term 2 with so much being achieved. On behalf of the Establishment Board of Trustees and the newly elected Board, I would like to thank the staff, children, school families, our Parish Priests and our wider community for the great work that is being done. You can be very proud of what has been accomplished in just two terms. A special congratulations to Peta Lindstrom, our Principal, and the staff team for the wonderful work being done for our children on a daily basis in the learning communities. The time, thought and effort that is being put into this foundation year by everyone, is bearing beautiful fruit!
Two of the major events of this past term have been the Official Opening of the school and the Board of Trustees Elections.
Official School Opening
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, congratulations and sincere thanks to the Official Opening Committee, the school staff and our community for a wonderful official opening celebration. It was a wonderful testimony of Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School’s vision in action – Ka Ako Ka Aroha Ka Manaaki. There have been many positive comments made about this celebration, particularly about the strong sense of community that was very evident and the strong Catholic Special Character which is being well embedded in everything we do as a school.
Establishment Board of Trustees
For the Establishment Board of Trustees, the Official Opening of the school was the culmination of two and a half years of dedicated service in getting the school established and operational. As Chairperson, I thank my colleagues on the Establishment Board for the time and effort put into their various roles and for their on-going support.
Our thanks also go to Faye Gibson, our Governance Facilitator, for her untiring service and guidance as she has walked this journey with us.
Our Establishment Board gathered on 10 June, and celebrated with a Liturgy of thanksgiving for the time we have shared together in our work over this two and a half years. Linda McQuade, Vicar for Education, was able to join us for this time and we thank Linda for all her support and guidance.
Board of Trustees Election
A special thank you to all those who put their names forward to be considered for our new Board of Trustees. As a result of the election, our Board of Trustees for the next two years is as follows:
Parent Elected Representatives: Tony Nawisielski, Bradley Rudsits, David Kenyon, Joanna Petrie, Vavae Nuia
Bishop’s Appointees: Philip Cortesi (elected Chairperson), Father Peter Murphy, Anna Soo Choon, Apaula Lautua
Staff Elected Representative: Ana Silva
Principal: Peta Lindstrom
Faye Gibson, our Governance Facilitator, will continue working with the new Board until the end of August.
Our new Board took office on 16 June and have had our first meeting, coupled with an induction workshop facilitated by the N.Z. School Trustees Association. This was a very worthwhile workshop and provided the Board with an excellent framework which will guide our work.
As a Board of Trustees, we are ultimately responsible and accountable for the school’s performance and required to set the direction for the school and monitor the progress towards achieving the goals set.
The Board’s governance determines:
the “what”- designing the school’s future
the “ends” – the outcomes to be achieved
the policies- statements of what is expected
The Principal’s Management determines:
the “how”- designing how to get there
the “means”- strategies to achieve the desired outcomes
the procedures – steps to be taken to meet the expectations.
In fulfilling our respective roles, we must never lose sight of our prime responsibility, which is the achievement of our children and as a Catholic school, providing them with the best Catholic education we possibly can.
It is an exciting time ahead as the new Board grows itself as a team and takes Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School on the next part of its development. An important part of the Board’s work is consulting with the community and as such, we look forward to your ideas and support.
The Board of Trustees monthly meetings will usually be held on the fourth Tuesday of the month, the next meeting being Tuesday 21 July.
Staffing
This week the school farewells Miss Andrea Charlesworth, who leaves us to take up a position as a Resource Teacher for the Deaf with Kelston School for Deaf Education. The Board of Trustees takes this opportunity to thank Andrea for her valued contribution to the school, particularly to the children in Learning Community Awa, in this important phase of the school’s development. We wish Andrea the very best as she takes up this exciting new challenge and continues her teaching career.
May God continue to bless all of us, as together we go forward on the Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School’s journey.
Kind regards and blessings
Philip Cortesi
Chairperson
