January 2021 - Welcome Back
Kia Ora ngā Tumuaki o Tāmaki Makaurau
We hope that this newsletter finds you relaxed, recharged and ready for another year ahead. A special welcome to all our new Principals in the region. You have over 424 colleagues to call on for help and advice, we look forward to meeting you at our gatherings this year.
This time last year we were learning of a potential virus alert, little did we know how much the emerging news item would affect our lives. We can safely assume that this year will be another challenging year. The latest report from ERO around learning through Covid-19 tells us a lot of what we already know, but should be a starting point for us to begin the year. Revisiting our pandemic planning, how we deliver remote learning, and staff wellbeing plans should be high on the agenda for our Leadership Teams.
Thank you to our Business Partners for your continued support in these different times. We look forward to reconnecting with you all this year.
Website and App
The new APPA website is live and should be your one-stop shop for any information from the APPA. The calendar is a very important part of the site, so please put the meeting dates in your calendar. See the related article in this newsletter about how to install the app.
APPA Elections
Both Wendy Kofoed (Vice President) and I are re-standing in the upcoming APPA elections. After a year of leading through Covid-19 we both found that we hadn't had a chance to see out some initiatives that we were passionate about. We shared these thoughts at the last APPA council meeting of 2020 where we received a positive response. There is no space in the constitution to extend these specific roles so we are proceeding as normal with the annual election. Stephen King and Heath McNeil are also seeking re-election in their roles of Treasruer and Secretary respectively. If you wish to stand for any office on the APPA please use this form. The timeline for the elections will be confirmed in the coming week.
ERO - Revised Model of Evaluation
Our 25 schools in the region are still working alonside ERO in the trial of the new model for evaluation. We have yet to meet as a whole group to provide feedback and the 'co-constructing' of the model seems to be following a 'tailored response to individual school needs' approach. The APPA are in discussions with the Senior Leaders at ERO about the roll out. We will organise an informal meeting of the schools involved in the trial early in the new year.
Subscriptions and Membership
In the next couple of weeks we will email you around membership, so please keep an eye out so you can forward this to your admin team for payment. You may also need to update your contact details. There is great value in the membership and we want to see all principals signed up so they can take advantage of all the APPA has to offer. Your local clusters are sub-groups of the APPA and representatives of each cluster form the APPA Council. For any subscription informtion or questions please contact Sue Green, our Executive Secratary.
Staffing
Please take some time to complete the Staffing 2021 survey (scroll to the bottom of this message). It does help us form a big picture for the region and gives us good data when we talk to the Deputy Secretaries at the MoE and the Media.
Property
Remember we have an Auckland Property Group that meets with the National managers regularly to talk about issues and to improve on the way projects are rolled out. Please tell us your stories so we can help the MoE to improve - this form gets your voice through.
and finally...
It is going to be a big year. Take some time in your calendar to visit a colleague new to your area. Seek out collegaues who are new to principalship, or who have moved to a new school and take them out for coffee or something stronger. We are often so caught up in the 'busyness' of our schools that it can seem that we are everything to everyone. There are around 424 of us doing this leadership thing in the Region, we are not alone.
Have an amazing start to your year, remember that the APPA Executive are here to help and support you in any way we can.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa - let us keep close together, not far apart
Stephen Lethbridge
President
Staffing Survey Please Complete
Staffing Survey 2021
This survey is expiredThis link will guide you through installing the APPA App on your phone.