Newsletter May 2011

Tena kotou te whanau o te kura Muritai,

Welcome back to term 2. We trust you had an enjoyable Easter break and were able to enjoy some quality family time where-ever you spent it.

During the break it was wonderful to see Muritai once again take a front role in a moving (albeit damp) ANZAC day service, leading a haka and the closing waiata and with the address given by our Principal, Andrew Bird. We can continue to be proud of the significant role the school has within the Eastbourne community not only as a centre of learning but as cultural and community leaders.

Since our last newsletter in March, the Board has been busy gearing up for the Charter redevelopment this year. We would encourage you to review the interim 2011 Charter on the Muritai School website which was completely redrafted by the Board this year to make it more accessible and to meet new governmental requirements including the incorporation of National Standards targets. Whilst the MoE are planning to use our document as a template for schools who are struggling to come to grips with the new requirements, it was developed as an interim document. As the governing document for the school we feel it is crucial that we spend time this year consulting with both our school and the wider communities, to ensure that the decisions and direction Muritai takes over the next few years reflect, as far as possible, your hopes and aspirations for your school. The bulk of this consultation will take place this and next term and we encourage you to take the opportunity to have your voice heard.

To help spread the load we are also very pleased to announce the selection onto the board of two new trustees. No objections were received to our doing so and accordingly in April Dave Griffiths and Julie Parker kindly agreed to join us and we are delighted to have them on board. You can read the personal biographies of the Board here.

At the end of term 1 the Board was thrilled to meet, for the first time ever, with the entire staff en masse and we used the opportunity to discuss the Student Achievement Reports and 2011 Target Setting. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk together about plans and visions for learning in 2011 and also for the Board to more fully understand the immense work which goes into developing a tailored plan for each student at Muritai. While the process of reporting against the new National Standards remains problematic, there is no doubt that Muritai maintains exceptionally high achievement levels, with most children at the school effectively working a year or more ahead of the National Standard for their age group. The Board is also confident there are excellent systems in place both to develop those who are not quite there yet and to extend those who are.

As you know the school’s focus this year is on “Standing Tall” and there is a delightful passage in a book of the same name by Vivian Stringer, head coach of the Rutgers University Women’s basketball team, which suggests “Real success is achieved when you set your own worth, fulfill your own destiny, and stand up for what you know to be right.” These are concepts which underpin the focus at Muritai School and we are sure echo your own heart for your children. It is encouraging to witness students even from a young age, set their own achievement goals and work towards achieving them and we would encourage you to discuss these goals with your children and their teachers as you support them on their journey to ‘stand tall’ and ‘be all that they can be’.

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,

Ki kite ano

Muritai School Board of Trustees