Principal's Newsletter July
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13:13-15
Christopher S Rooney
MEdMgt (Hons), GradDip Bus, BA
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Feedback from ERO:
You will have received a newsletter from Mr. Jason McLennan the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. I will not repeat what he has reported but I do wish to share a little more of the feedback from the ERO team which visited the school earlier in the term. The overall report is most favourable and acknowledges the positive successful tone of the College. I wish to thank all of the staff for their continuing hard work in establishing this success. Indeed there is a tutorial programme available for NCEA students during this break. This is one example of the staff’s commitment to student success. One of the key recommendations was to increase the 21st Century learning initiatives across the College. You will be aware that we have now adopted e-learning for Years 7 – 9. We are currently planning a new classroom block which will be designed as a Modern Learning Environment (MLE). The College has certainly made changes to the way we teach and better meet the learning needs of students. The challenge is to make the best use of current research and best practice to build on our success to date. The ERO team acknowledged the success of the College and challenges us to lift to the next level. As someone who is constantly looking for ways to improve our Teaching and Learning I look forward to meeting the challenge.
It was most gratifying to have the ERO team comment on the positive relationships they experienced during their visit. We have worked hard to ensure that dignity and respect are the key characteristics of all relationships across the College. The embedding of the Restorative Justice practice has contributed significantly to the positive tone.
I will keep you informed of our response to the ERO feedback as we continue to reflect on the recommendations and prepare for changes in planning and practice.
E Learning:
We are well into the first year with all Year 7 – 9 students using devices on a regular basis to assist with their learning. I will be using a survey to hear from the students how they are finding the experience. One of the best outcomes from the programme is the opportunity for the role of teachers and students to be reversed. I have had a number of examples given to me where the teacher has become the learner and the student the teacher because the student has better expertise with the device than the teacher.
We have a hard working group of teachers who are sharing their learning with others to help them to become more confident and skilled in the use of devices to improve teaching and learning.
I am keen to hear your feedback on the programme so far. If you send your comments to the College email address I will have access to them.
Mid Year Reports:
The first full report for the year has been posted home and you should have a copy. If you have not received a copy of the report please contact the College office and we will arrange for another report to be posted to you. The report indicates whether or not you should attend the Parent-Teacher interviews on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd July. Even if there is no request for you to attend the interviews you have the right to do so. If you wish to meet with your son’s teachers you can still do so. You will be able to book an appointment time on line as we have done in recent years.
I am interested in your feedback on the current reporting format. We are currently reviewing how we report on student progress. I would appreciate your thoughts particularly as we have just posted the first full report for the year.
Staff Changes:
There are several staff changes which will take place next term. Ms. Sarah Hooper takes over from Mr. Hardy as the Head of Humanities. Sarah joins us from Rangitoto College. I would like to thank Mr. Peterson who has taken responsibility for keeping the Department running while we were waiting for the new HoD to begin at Liston.
Ms. Louise Coleman from the English Department will be leaving us to take up a position in a school in England. This is no doubt part of her OE experience. I thank Louise for her contribution to the College over the past three years and wish her every success in her new role.
Strategic Planning:
The Board is currently reviewing the Strategic Plan. Jason McLennan will keep you informed of progress. I will give you relevant up-dates through the regular newsletter. If you have any queries please contact either Jason or myself.
Father-Son Breakfast:
The Prefects organised this annual event. Usually we plan this to coincide with the week-end of Father’s Day. This year we had the opportunity to have Sir Graham Henry as our quest speaker and had to change the date to fit in with his World Cup commitments. Everyone who attended commented on the success of the breakfast. Sir Graham was very informative and entertaining. He was also very generous in his signing of autographs and in his posing for photographs!
One of the gifts we presented to Sir Graham was the latest product from Toby Carr and Elliot Smith of the Young Enterprise Group. They will be having the official launch of their product early next term. We wish them every success with their project.
Liston College App:
Many people have commented to me on how effective this App is especially with the alerts which appear on screen. It is another means of communicating with you and assisting you to contact the College. The Absence part has been popular. So far we have 580 users of this app. If you haven’t got it already all you have to do is download the Liston College App to your phone or tablet, by going to Google Play or the iTune store for this free download.
May God bless you and your families.
C S Rooney
Principal
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