When a member of the teaching staff leaves it can be an unsettling time for our learners, our parents and the rest of the teaching team at that level. Rest assured that one of the key roles for me as Principal is to support the appropriate team leader to manage the transition as successfully as possible. Some key elements that this includes is ensuring that:

• Careful consideration is given to making sure that the right professional is selected for the relevant group of learners and teachers in the team. This is done in consultation with the appropriate team leader.
• Key summary information about our learners (progress, achievement, challenges and successes) is passed onto the new teacher. This includes providing the context of our learning structure and the way we do things around here!
• That the 'story' that this summary represents is represented and 'brought to life' by the team leader and the rest of the teaching team at that level for the new teacher.
• The new teacher is supported in transitioning into our teaching and learning environment. This includes making sure appropriate structures are put in place, both during classroom time and outside it, to give them the most effective, efficient and successful start to continuing the learning programme for our children. Responsibility for this sits with the senior leadership team, the team leader and all the teachers in the relevant teaching team - ie mutual accountability!

This summary reflects just some of the thinking and effort that happens everyday to make sure that our school is the best it can be for each and every individual and family involved - no matter what changes come about from the everyday happenings of life!

As we end the last week of Term 1 it is interesting to look back and think about some of the key initiatives and personal touches that we are working on. Some examples of these are:

• We begun the year by sharing with you the developing philosophy and understanding that backs the day to day elements of what is school in 2016!
• We gave the opportunity for (formal) one to one goal setting meetings with your child's teacher to 'engage' or 're-connect' with you in the coalition of our learning partnership!
• We have worked hard at developing further that 'personal touch' of being available to you. Our aim, when it is needed and appropriate, is to be proactive in our contact with you, and making the effort to do this via a phone call, or face to face before or after school, rather than via an email or text.
• We have focussed on being available to talk to when you request it and in taking the time to listen to what you have to say with the appropriate people involved so that we can make a difference where it counts!
• Our teachers have begun to further challenge their practice around the structure and nature of our collaboration within our different learning teams. We expect our learners to everyday to work with a range of people and to be challenged in their thinking around a whole range of learning tasks. As teachers we want to model and enrich our teaching and learning with this practice for all learners.
• We have talked about the need to be conscious of what our mindset is around learning situations. As educators we need to show our children that we are learners as well, not knowers. We need to example that intelligence (or mastery) is not fixed and can be changed with effort.
• Our whole staff had a day together that gave cause to reflect on the interaction of what each of us do and how we approach that together. Again, no matter what a persons role at our school there is a range of actions that either example professional practice or undermine it. Our job as a staff team is to be mutually accountable to each other with these practices and to be honest in our actions and our conversations.

That's just a few examples of some of the thinking and structure that has supported the first term of learning at our school. Over the term break there are a number of initiatives happening around our school as we get set for a new term. Thanks to the proactive nature of our Board of Trustees and Parent Groups (Friends of the School and Iron Kidz committees) Some of these are:

• The transformation of the old 'Room 9' happens as we replace the end wall cladding and install a rather large sliding door so it opens out into the 'hub' of Te Ohanga - our new entrant area.
• Heat pumps for all learning spaces in the lower blocks happens (Rooms 1-4; 5-8). This also includes any spaces around the school that somehow missed out with earlier installs.
• Cobble stones are laid around the new leadership office (both in front and behind) to improve both parking area and student space outside Rooms 5 & 6.
• The digital infrastructure set up for our new gear is set up ready to manage and administer the new iPads and Chromebooks ('browser only laptops') that we have turning up. (The aim is for this to be all go day 1 of term 2 but predicting this one with absolute certainty is like asking how long a piece of string is!)

This is just a few of the exciting elements that example the proactive and positive approach to learning that is our school. I'm already excited about what the new term holds! 

Our Lavinia has just recently won a teaching position at Hobsonville Point Primary School! Faced with the challenge of moving her family to Auckland Lavinia decided to get proactive and to make the required move as rewarding as possible - both personally and professionally. She had a go at one teaching opportunity that really excited her in a school that connected strongly with her teaching beliefs and practices and succeeded in winning that position! It is a real credit to her effort and attitude and while we are all going to miss her contribution to our school and to the children's learning journey in Room 14 we all wish her the very best in this new adventure.

Lavinia finishes teaching at Waipahihi School at the end of Term 1 (next week). The process is already underway to confirm the new teacher who will take over Room 14 from the start of Term 2 until the end of the 2016 school year.

This is a representation of what the right level of learning grit can provoke for us as learners. Getting into the learning pit of real learning, that is not to easy but not to hard, is provokes just the right amount of learning anxiety. Part of what we do everyday as learners is to be aware of where we are at and what we need to problem solve and have a go at to get where we need to go. This applies to all learners - both children and adults!

Here's just one snap from the working bee last Sunday. If you look closely in the top left of the photo you will notice our Board Chair (Kevin Insley) literally 'being passed' a cobble as we fossicked in the crusher dust to stack some 13,000 cobbles on 26 pallets. These will be transported to school at the start of the term break to live in our car park while they are installed in front of the new leadership office (the old dental clinic) and in front of Room 5. A huge shout out to our small, but very determined, group of parents, children and staff who worked for approximately four hours to complete this job! It is much appreciated.

Last Thursday the staff (all teachers, teacher aides and office staff) spent the day at school looking at the difference between the specific acts of every day 'teacher practice' and the 'professional practice' responsibility that underpins it for each individual.  This discussion was led by Tony Burkin from Interlead Consultants who specialises in Human Resource Management to approach the challenges of getting the best out of other adults, leading change, developing organisational culture and transforming schools into Learning Organisations (Professional Learning Communities).

Whether we are a classroom teacher, a support staff worker or a member of the management team we talked about the individual teaching practices that have the greatest impact on a chid's progress and achievement and the specific acts of our professional practice that support and underpin that.

Again, no matter what a persons role at our school there is a range of actions that either example professional practice or undermine it. Our job as a staff team is to be mutually accountable to each other with these practices and to be honest in our actions and our conversations.

We are committed as a staff to continuing to develop the core strength of our school and its staff team to be a strong and cohesive unit who work professionally together, enhancing our every day practices, to provide the best possible teaching and learning environment for each and every learner - both child and adult! Days like this pull a team together and give them a shared understanding of what we expect from each other. Days like this mirror the conversation that goes on every day in the learning context of a classroom. As adults in a learning community we want our staff interactions to example the practices we expect every day from our children. 

Thank you for your support and understanding of what this day enabled for all our staff. Be assured that any day taken in term time is seen as an investment into the staff culture that our school is working to enhance. It is not taken lightly. The next 'teacher only day' is on the last Friday of the term break (April 29) before school comes back for a First Aid refresher course.