NAENAE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting
held on Thursday 23 September 2021 at 6.30pm
Present:
Sarah-Jane McCosh (Chair), Andy Soper (Deputy Chair), Nic Richards (Principal), Karen
Shepherd, Tafaoimalo Loudeen Parsons (Co-opted Member), Devon Turi (Staff
Representative), Rome Vailini (Parent Representative), Trudy Stead (Co-opted Member) and
Te Rina Isa’ako (Student Representative)
Apologies: Tia Turahui (Co-opted member)
In attendance: Annette Dyer (Secretary)
Andy provided the karakia for opening and closing of meeting.
S-J welcomed everyone to this meeting.
1. Student Representative report
Te Rina’s report was taken as read.
• Re: the LAR Council budget – the water fountains need cleaning. New basketball hoops are needed
and it is generally felt that things need to look more ’lively’. This is work in progress.
• TWT cards – the teachers hand these out to students who display the TWT values. The prefects are
taking the initiative and feel that this is a great concept.
Motion that the Student Representative’s report be accepted.
N. Richards/A. Soper
Carried
2. Staff Representative report
Devon’s report was taken as read.
• A number of images were transferred onto walls and there seems to have been a positive response.
The wall was painted and then the mural added and it looks great.
R. Vailini/K. Shepherd
Carried
3. Principal’s report – 23 September 2021
Questions invited –
• Te Roopu Manaaki programme – this programme has been 3 or 4 months in the planning. It was set
up for disengaged students with poor attendance.
o It is pleasing to have both Jo and Khya appointed. The students have been engaged.
o The class is a home room class. Students are out for one option and core subjects are in the
home class. Various curriculum aspects will be run throughout. Other agencies will come in
and maybe external providers. It is about whanaungatanga. Jo has worked in the U.K. for 20
years where Teacher Aides do this work. Khya is a year out of St Pats and has a direct
connection in terms of being a young person. Fiona Crawford is leading this project.
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o These students won’t stay as a separate cohort. In the absence of the Ministry providing any
help NNC is running this programme. It is only 2 days in so far and has been going well.
Students may roll through after maybe two terms.
o There’s good access to learning support if any students require extra assistance. This is
resourced with Ministry money which has come out of covid. Next year it will be funded
within the school. eg. HVAC have 2 teachers, 2 teacher aides, etc. for 20 students.
o Through the enrolment process we will know what help students will need on entry to NNC.
o This class is to foster relationships and partnerships with the home class. The gender balance
is fairly even but there are challenges with attendance.
o The Ministry are also very interested in this class. Karen from Taita, Nic and 2 other principals
will be working on a project about what they used the covid money for in their schools.
o Attendance will be our big tracker and is the primary foci. Next is engagement and measuring
it by participation, not necessarily academic achievement, and then social interaction.
Quantitative data and qualitative data will be captured.
• Nic said staff are coping; they have had to pivot with online learning and back to school and also
manage their own families through lockdown.
• How are things going for support staff? There can be more anxiety for support staff. Teachers feel
part of a larger cohort. When we came back to school everyone met, support staff and teachers. Staff
had missed their connections.
• How will people feel with the new Admin block? Nic hopes staff will renew their resilience before this
work starts. It may be unsettling for staff given the shifting goalposts.
• Admin block – covid has had a massive effect on the building industry. Costs are increasing 3-4% per
month.
• Nic drew attention to the last paragraph of his report referring to his sabbatical in term 2 of 2022 (Te
Reo, as board approved in June 2021) – Alex Maehe will be acting principal during that time and he
will be supported by the team.
•
Attendance: The board were pleased to see the upwards trend (data in Principal’s report).
o Nic responded that two years ago, before covid we had one of the best outcomes for Pacifica
students at Y11 particularly – great success rate. This flowed into programmes that support
these students. Our focus is on students in Aotearoa – eg. the introduction of psychology and
the Pacifica studies programme for next year.
o The MoE are folding the Attendance Service, local areas will come up with their own way
ahead and it’s all about local engagement.
o There has been a continual evolution as we look at academic support and also culturally –
māori pacific arts, poly club. There is a recreational programme next year with no credits
attached. Māori performing arts and kapa haka regionals are included in our curriculum.
•
Pacific and Māori Males: One area of struggle is the pacific and Māori male identity – eg, what it
means to be a young māori man. Poly club and Kapa assist. However in general there are plenty of
programmes for young women but for young male māori or pacific men, there isn’t.
o Board asked what opportunities there could be to have Pacifica role models actively working
within the school? An example of where such opportunities could occur is the DHB garden
project: garden to plate experiences. This is a rich opportunity for NNC. The students can own
the school space and bring the wisdom in from the community and it is a contextualised
opportunity. Rome suggests we need to find ways to provide for our kids when it comes to Pacific
achievement, classes, interventions and other support.
o Board wishes to look more strategically at this (whilst ensuring a safe environment for all learners
re: just bringing parents in)
o The board discussed this topic and identified that pastoral care support be moved to a high
priority. Engaging our community on some things is problematic, and additionally, over the last
two years covid has interrupted.
o Last meeting Loudeen spoke about strengthening pastoral support. Loudeen will take this to a
community meeting and ask for their help.
o Rome is suggesting that school could investigate in-house first, look at resources and then
come back to this table and suggested getting this item higher on the prioritisation list and
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look at it every meeting or second meeting. Nic acknowledged this is a national problem.
Loudeen suggested starting with Māori and Pacific staff & board members getting together
initially to get issues & suggestions on the table, and then widening this out in our community.
•
Student engagement and pastoral care: As a result of the above discussion, the board agrees to put a
stronger focus on the broader issues of student engagement and pastoral care. Decided to have a
regular recurring agenda item –
Strengthening Student Engagement
• Karen suggested we have a new file in the google drive –
Strengthening Student Success and
Wellbeing.
• Agreed to report back on this item in January – where are we at and what action has been taken?
Karen recognised the efforts of all the staff for all the effort that goes into this. Devon will report back to staff.
ACTION: Devon to pass the board’s gratitude to staff for all their efforts
with supporting students’ learning, online and back at school.
ACTION: Annette to add a new file, ‘Strengthening Student Success and Wellbeing’
to be added into the Google Drive.
Motion that the Principal’s report be accepted.
R. Vailini /L. Parsons
Carried
4. Sub-Committee Reports
• No reports.
• Resource Committee – applauded the toilet block opening. Te Rina indicated that the feeling about
this from the students is that they are good, there is more privacy and it feels like a good space.
5. General Business
Nil.
6. Correspondence
• NZSTA Collective advice re: collective bargaining for most of the agreements which expire next year.
• Arise Church – are no longer participating in activities/working at school. An email has gone from the
Principal to Arise advising of this decision, after SLT discussion. Query as to where this leaves us with
the Social Work team. Nic replied that we use Challenge 2000.
o Arise provided Youth Workers who came in and provided pancakes for breakfast and ran a
club on Fridays. However breakfast will continue regardless. There was an inconsistency
through Arise evangelising and the marginalising of our Rainbow Team. By contrast, Destiny
Church has a contract with NNC which protects our school reputation (and allows to address
breaches). Jacqui, our social worker, spoke to Eleanor from Arise and explained the issue with
Arise’s work contradicting our school values in not recognising diversity in the community.
o All students need to be safe at school and know that school is a safe space.
o Karen said it even made other students uncomfortable.
o Devon expressed thanks to Nic for the decision, on behalf of the Rainbow Community,
o Volunteers in the school should be clear on our school values.
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o Nic thanked for explaining the Arise Church situation. Whilst the Principal has delegation for
such decisions as part of management, the board need to know from community, values &
goals (including safety & wellbeing), and reputational perspectives.
7. Minutes of meeting held 26 August 2021 Tabled in pre-reading pack and taken as read, apart from
particular queries or corrections.
The previous meeting minutes were taken as read. One amendment required to the attendance section –
Trudy’s name to show co-opted member.
Previous actions:
-
Andy – reviewed documentation to see if there is a directive on whether staff should be vaccinated.
There’s no directive on this from the Ministry at this date.
-
Eastern Hutt Rotary – Andy will talk with them and would like to form a Rotaract Club in school for
students to do community projects ie. volunteerism. Andy would like to keep connected with the
Naenae College community via this avenue in the future as he isn’t intending to stand for re-election
to the BOT next year.
-
Suggestion put forward to speak to NNC students by (our Kids on-line), a group who are offering to
present on the effects of Social Media.
-
School Uniform - Te Rina advised that the general consensus of the LAR Council was that students felt
that gendered references should be removed and that there be a non-gendered uniform list which
should make everyone feel comfortable.
Motion that the Minutes of the previous meeting are accepted.
S-J. McCosh/R. Vailini
Carried
8. General Business
Nic had been in touch with Tapaau. She has finished Wellington based treatment.
9. Items for next meeting/s:
• Recurring monthly agenda item: Strengthening Student Engagement
• Proposal from Loudeen on the well-being centre: how/what/why/who help
Closing karakia by Andy.
Meeting closed: 9.00 pm
Signature: ________________________________ Date: _________________________________
MEETING
ACTIONS REGISTER
Responsible/ Due Date/By
Actioned (√)
Next Meeting
SEPT 23
Strengthening Student Engagement – report back in
S-J
Jan. 2022
January
SEPT 23
New Google Drive file – Strengthening Student Success
Annette
By next mtg
and Wellbeing
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FEB 25
To draw up appealing strategy document for website.
Rome/SJ
Ongoing
Organised to meet in the holidays.
FEB 25
Schooldocs - Andy will send a message to members to
Andy
As required
flag documents which come up for review.
REFLECTION/KARAKIA ROSTER
28 Jan
25 Feb
25 Mar
15 Apr
27 May
24 Jun
Kai
Karen
Trudy
S-J
Loudeen
Trudy
Karen
Meeting opening & close
Tia
S-J
Rome
Andy
Devon
Tia
29 Jul
26 Aug
23 Sept
28 Oct
25 Nov
Kai
Te-Rina
Tia
Andy
S-J
Rome
Meeting opening and close
Loudeen
Karen
Trudy
Devon
S-J
If you cannot do a session your name is down for, please just separately arrange a swap with someone
else.
MEETING SCHEDULES
Draft dates for Resource Meeting (Mondays) – 2021
12 April (no
21 Jan (Thurs)
15 Feb
15 March
17 May
14 June
meeting held)
12 July
16 August
13 September
18 October
15 November
Dates for BOT Meeting (Thursdays) – 2021
27 May
(Faculty Heads
28 January
25 February
25 March
15 April
24 June
presentation –
5pm)
29 July
26 August
23 September
28 October
25 November
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