Tārai Kura, February-March 2024 Pānui 23
By Diana Wilkes •
Tēnā koe and welcome to the first pānui for the 2024 school year.
This month’s feature article is an interview with Jonathan Hughes, principal of Pasadena Intermediate who shares some of the approaches he and his team used to navigate the redevelopment of their school buildings into flexible learning environments (FLEs).
Our second article uncovers how the kaupapa of Niho Taniwha, a book written by Dr Melanie Riwai-Couch, is being used to improve teaching and learning for ākonga Māori through professional learning.
This pānui also shines the light on leadership and governance of new schools and redevelopments. We share the perspective of two presiding members of a brand new school. Both experienced in school leadership, Michelle Nell and Diana Wilkes share their insights around navigating priorities and risks, being community-centric, fostering relationships with tangata whenua and overcoming challenges while embracing triumphs.
We also hear from Sandra Jenkins who shares her thoughts about her experience of being a first time governance facilitator for a new build school. In the interview she shares the successful approaches used and reflects on the collaborative nature of the work, offering some advice and guidance for those in this space.
You will also find a brief introduction to a wonderful resource created by Grow Waitaha called the ‘Adaptive Governance Guide’. This guide offers ten tips and some genuine advice for leading change.
Finally, we invite you to register to our upcoming online event: Leading school transformation webinar which will take place on the 14th March 2024, 4-5pm online. In this webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from three Tumuaki who have led transformational change in a variety of diverse contexts: Maurie Abraham, Hobsonville Point Secondary, Barbara Cavanagh, Huntly College and Lynda Knight de Blois, Glenview Primary School.
So grab a cuppa and dive in!
If you would like to learn more about Tārai Kura, check out our website here. Ngā mihi to all pānui contributors.