The great thing about working with young people is that there isn’t much room for negativity. For most of us 2011 has been a challenging year. Reefton Area School has been caught up with the ongoing challenges of Pike River and the Canterbury earthquakes. There have been a series of unrelated events that have impacted on our school organization. Many of our families and our staff have been affected in some way by changing circumstances. For our students, however, it has been a full and busy year of learning and achievement. The school has been able to carry on with a business as usual approach. This is a strong endorsement on the qualities of our students, our parents and caregivers, the staff and wider school community.
Many of our students have worked hard and been rewarded with improved outcomes and the achievement of their goals. Throughout the year our students have been able to take a full and active part in academic, sporting and cultural activities. This doesn’t happen by chance. We are very appreciative of the support we get from our school community. We readily acknowledge how busy people are. Many of our parents work long and demanding hours, yet they find the time to generously support the activities of our students.
One of the benefits of a small area school is that our students have plenty of leadership opportunities. We are fortunate that our young people willingly take on these roles. Aisha Woolhouse, Gemma Thawley, Jaime-Leigh Dredge and Teneal Reeve have taken their head student roles seriously. They have been effective leaders, advocated strongly for the student body represented our school well. As with all of our school leavers we wish them well with their new ventures.
The Board of Trustees under the leadership of Ariel Didham has worked very effectively in their governance role. The school received a favourable Education Review Office Report. With the report and our new strategic plan there is clear direction for our school over the next few years. The Board have overseen the development of significant projects. Our swimming pool will be an excellent facility for school community use in the coming year. It is a pleasure to work for a team who are focused on doing things right for the benefit of all of our students.
I would like to acknowledge our staff and the leadership of Sue Bass. There have been significant changes in the way schools operate to improve student achievement. This has required intensive professional learning and a huge amount of work from all concerned. Every effort is being made to make sure our students are well placed to meet their learning goals and achieve to their potential. Our support staff works hard to enable the school to operate efficiently. The grounds are immaculate and the buildings well cared for. The school is well resourced. This makes for a pleasant, positive learning environment for all concerned.
2011 may have been challenging, but we are looking forward to a very productive 2012.
