As you will have no doubt seen from information around the community and recent Bird’s Eye View newsletters, elections to the Board of Trustees of Muritai school will be held in May this year. Nomination forms will be posted this Friday with nominations closing on Friday 20 May. As Andrew has mentioned, four of the board members are retiring this year and there is a great opportunity to have some fresh faces involved in the governance and direction of our school.
The fact that the retiring members have each stayed on the board for between four and six years is a testimony to what an incredibly rewarding opportunity being a trustee presents. Attached to this email is a brochure produced by the Ministry of Education outlining in more detail the responsibilities of school trustees. In essence the trustees are responsible for the governance in direction of the school and we work closely with the principal and leadership team.
Below are some comments from existing board members about their role and what particularly they have enjoyed.
'one of the main reasons I volunteered to be on the board is also one of the most rewarding aspects of the job - and that is the opportunity to be really involved in the education of my children utilising my skills whilst leaving the actual teaching to the experts. It is also this latter truth, and the expertise of our teaching staff, which I have most greatly appreciated. The various monthly reports and particularly the beginning and end of year student achievement plans and reports highlight again and again the incredible work behind the scenes, and the care and professionalism which go into the educating our children. As a board member, the process of receiving, reviewing and having the leadership team speak to incredibly detailed reports is both an honour and a rewarding process and one which has given me great confidence that my children are in excellent hands” - Stu
'When I became a member I didn’t know what to expect - the learning curve was really steep but so interesting and diverse!!! The Board gets involved in so many aspects of school life – finance (are we on budget – what are the priorities), developing our strategic and annual plans (what the school will look like going forward, what are our priorities for the year ahead) engagement with the community (developing questionnaires, seeking our communities’ views), property (building a new library, earthquake strengthening), student achievement (understanding various assessments, asking questions)….There are also challenging issues as we are part of a community and people have different expectations of the school and its priorities. Ultimately it’s the positive dynamic between the teachers, kids and parents that creates the heart of the school and it’s been immensely rewarding to be a part of it!” - Olivia
'There were 2 key reasons why I became a trustee. The first was a chance to give something back to Muritai School and the community who looked after me so well all those years ago. The second was to play an active part in the schooling of our kids and help ensure the teaching professionals who are entrusted with that responsibility have the best possible support to make it happen. Over the last 5 years, we have dealt with a huge range of issues, achieved some great successes but we’ve also had some very testing times as well, all of which have made my time on the Board fascinating, a great learning experience and a privilege I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Muritai is a special place and I would recommend becoming a trustee to anyone interested in helping continue and improve the strong culture of success, inclusion and citizenship at Muritai .There is not a one size fits all solution to that and it requires a strong cross-section of backgrounds, experience, outlooks and skills from parents interested in making it happen. If that sounds like you, I’d encourage you to get involved. You won’t regret it and Muritai and our kids will be stronger for it.” - Griff
We really urge you to give involvement on the board serious thought. Meetings are monthly though with holidays etc we usually have around 10 meetings per year. Time commitment outside the meetings depends on what you get involved in within the board (there is a committee which focuses on the property, another one on finance, overseeing heath and safety, communications etc so lots of opportunities to do something aligned to your skill-set) and we try to do as much by email as possible to limit or eliminate the need for additional meetings. The commitment is for three years to enable a continuity of leadership.
If you are considering it and would like to discuss further please don’t hesitate to contact any of the board members. Our email addresses are below. It is a genuinely rewarding way to play a meaningful part in the education of your children and all the kids in our community.
Board Members
Phil Fisher - philip.fisher@xtra.co.nz
Craig Griffiths - caltgriffiths@xtra.co.nz
Olivia Paterson - oapaterson@gmail.com
Julie Parker - wattersparker@yahoo.com
Nick Brownsword - the.brownswords@xtra.co.nz
Stuart Stock - stu.stock@mac.com
