Afternoon families,

Last week we were treated to a wonderful experience in the shape of our annual School Production. There were so many wonderful parts to it, however, it is the way in which the children manage to story, through the power of the stage, real life messages that are very relatable, whether you are a middle aged Principal or young student. Communicating to a wide and diverse audience is a real challenge and our children did it exceptionally well. They added humour and as the audience we were able to witness the real sense of joy they had in not only creating, but performing it. A very big well done to all of the students and thank you to all who attended. It meant a lot to the children to see and have you there. 

A few years ago when I was at a Principal's conference we were all encouraged to engage in 'resistance' reading. Reading articles, points of view, research papers etc that don't completely align with our own bias or perspective on things. Recently, I engaged in a research paper that was just that, centred around ILE's (Innovative Learning Environments). I was interested in why and how they had formed the perspective that the Ministry of Education's decision to build schools as ILE's is an experiment, cost saving exercise and lacks any research in impact on learning outcomes. While I was somewhat underwhelmed with the article and how the authors perspective was formed it got me thinking about the common reactions and resistance we face when the status quo is challenged and then changed. We see it in kids sport, transport, education, to simply name a few. No doubt, the people who challenge change, resist it and need more clarity for the why are important contributors to the process, we need all people's thoughts, ideas and contributions, it keeps a healthy tension. 

My challenge to us all when we are going through the change process is to not just question or ponder the risks associated with change (whatever the context may be), but also question the risk associated with not changing. What is the impact and potential outcomes for us if we choose to not shift our thinking and hold onto the status quo? My experience with this model is that it creates a more balanced perspective. 

On another note, last night, we had our 2nd PTA meeting for the term. A large element to our meeting last night was centred around our up and coming Spring Fair. Some information is going to come out about this soon. However, we are currently looking for parental support. Please do contact our PTA Chairperson Merynn at pta@puketaha.school.nz if you feel you could contribute to this wonderful community event. 

Warm Regards

Geoff