Ruahine School Charter
1.0 Preamble
1.1 Introduction
The needs of the children and
their learning shall be the focus of this charter. The School Community and the Ministry of Education,
working together in a strong partnership under the provisions of the Education
Act, can best achieve this. The benefits
of this partnership are the shared goals and collective sense of responsibility
and ownership of the school, felt by all in the Community.
By following
the guiding principles of the Charter and Strategic Plan, the Board of Trustees
will ensure that all students are given a sound education, which enhances their
learning and fosters success in various areas.
This education shall challenge them to achieve their best and to reach
their full potential.
The Board of Trustees recognises
The Board of
Trustees will work diligently to ensure that
1.2 Process to date
With the merger of Ruahine and Rua Roa in 2004 there was a huge need to redevelop the charter
and strategic plan so that they truly represented the wishes and culture of our
new community. This is an ongoing
process that includes consultation and updating of our charter on a regular
basis.
Process undertaken
2004 – Term 3 Board,
Staff and Community meetings to finalise the new Charter and Strategic Plan and
EDI Strategic Plan.
2005 – Term 4 Updated EDI Strategic Plan and
revised Strategic Plan to align with the JSIF Strategic Plan.
2006 Community
consultation
2007 Updated charter and
new strategic plan
2008 Updated charter and
updated strategic plan
2.0 General
Description
Ruahine is a vibrant, rural
full primary state school. At the moment
we have a roll that fluctuates between 140 to 170 children. The BOT have developed and implemented an
enrolment scheme to prevent the possibility of over crowding. Our School is situated in a predominantly
dairying and sheep/beef area approximately 12 kilometres south west of
Dannevirke in the Tararua District. Children
attend the school from the broad surrounding area, mostly by Ministry funded
buses.
2.1 Ruahine school
consists of:
a main block made up of 5 classrooms and
administration area
2 relocatable classrooms
a hall and indoor swimming pool
an up to date, renovated library
a 4 bay shed
a bus shed
a school house with garage
Ancillary facilities include a pump shed. There are also 2 adventure playgrounds, a
large sports field and a netball/tennis court.
We are pleased to be using our new astro-turf
court, completed in 2006. A new arts
& resource room will be in use by the end of Term 1, 2008.
2.2 Sporting
and Social Groups.
There are a large number of
well supported sporting and social groups operating within the district and
strong community involvement in everyday school life. Ruahine has a strong tradition of support for
the school which is shown in the wonderful facilities available. The district and school are part of a very
close knit and supportive community
3.0 Statements, Values and Beliefs
3.1
The
needs of the children and their learning shall be of the highest priority and
therefore all the people working in and for the school must ensure that all
students are provided with an education that respects their dignity, rights and
individuality, and challenges them to reach their full potential.
3.2 Vision
Statement
The Best I Can Do, the Best I Can
Be.
3.3 Shared Values
The
values we want to encourage and be known for are:
Honesty
Respect for ourselves, others, property and the environment
Caring for others
Pride in ourselves, our achievements, our school, and our community
Self esteem – it takes effort and perseverance to
achieve
3.4 Core Beliefs
Children
at
They
are actively involved in goal setting and are encouraged to take responsibility
for their own education.
They are in a
safe, caring and positive environment.
Their beliefs,
opinions and ideas are valued.
They are provided
with meaningful, co-operative learning experiences.
They experience
success.
They are
encouraged to think deeply and to take risks.
They are in a
stimulating environment where their efforts are proudly displayed and valued.
They are
challenged to reach their full potential.
There is a strong partnership between home and school.
4.0 Local Goals and Objectives
We,
the Ruahine Community, believe our school should:
4.1 Foster and develop our core values.
Parents and The BOT will:
Endeavour to practice and model the vision and values of our school.
Teachers will:
Implement our shared
values and be consistent.
Prominently display our key phrase signs.
Promote positive attitudes and values across the
school.
Promote and recognise success and achievement in all
areas of a child’s development.
Plan units using our shared values.
4.2 Focus on literacy - a key
learning area essential for all forms of communication and learning.
Parents will:
Listen to or monitor their children’s reading daily.
Check spelling during the week.
The BOT will:
Emphasise
the importance of literacy by allocating funding for staff curriculum training
and resources.
Take an active interest in seeing literacy results
improve across the school.
Teachers will:
Display samples of quality work, with an emphasis on
literacy.
Ensure that adequate time is put aside during the day
for literacy.
Plan
appropriate lessons using up-to-date, child related assessment. These lessons will be carried out and then
evaluated, which will be the basis of future planning and teaching.
Place an emphasis on literacy in the homework they set
their children
4.3 Focus on Numeracy - a key
learning area necessary for everyday life.
Parents will:
Help children with
maths learning e.g. times tables
The BOT will:
Emphasise
the importance of numeracy by allocating funding for staff curriculum training
and resources.
Take an active interest in seeing numeracy results
improve across the school.
Teachers will:
Display samples of quality work, with an emphasis on
numeracy.
Ensure that adequate time is put aside during the day
for numeracy.
Plan
appropriate lessons using up-to-date, child related assessment. These lessons will be carried out and then
evaluated, which will be the basis of future planning and teaching.
Place an emphasis on Numeracy in the homework they set
their children.
4.4 Promote our Bi-Cultural school community.
Parents will:
Support our efforts
to promote our Bi-Cultural community.
Be involved in the
Whanau group where appropriate.
The BOT will:
Provide resources to
develop a Kapa Haka group.
Give opportunities for interaction between our school
and the local marae.
Survey the Maori community regularly.
Promote and
advertise the purpose of the Whanau Group so that there are avenues for people
of all cultures to share their thoughts, concerns and queries with the BOT.
Take all
reasonable steps to provide instruction for full-time students requesting
tuition in tikanga Maori and te reo Maori.
Teachers will:
Develop opportunities
for our Bi-Cultural community to be expressed and fostered. e.g.
powhiri
Include aspects of Maori in all units, where
appropriate.
4.5 Give children many opportunities to succeed
in other learning areas.
Parents will:
Assist their children
in completing homework.
Assist teachers by offering
their skills and experiences.
The BOT will:
Encourage teachers
to give children opportunities across all curriculum areas.
Follow and implement the ICT and Library strategic
plans.
Allocate funding for staff curriculum training and
resources.
Teachers will:
Develop and
implement curriculum statements and overviews for all learning areas.
Plan appropriate lessons
using up-to-date, child related assessment.
These lessons will be carried out and then evaluated.
Plan
and implement their timetables with the underlying thought that at our school
we want to “Do LESS but do it BETTER”.
Include
the use of ICT, thinking skills and environmental education into units where
appropriate.
Use local
resources and people in planning and delivering lessons.
5.0 National Education Guidelines
The Government sets the following goals for the Education System:
The attainment of the highest standards of achievement, through programmes
which enable all students to realise their full potential as individuals, and
to develop the values needed to become full members of
Equality of educational opportunity for all New
Zealanders, by identifying and removing barriers to achievement.
Development of the knowledge, understanding and
skills needed by New Zealanders to compete successfully in the modern,
ever-changing world.
A sound foundation in the early years for future
learning and achievement through programmes which include support for parents
in their vital role as their children’s first teachers.
A broad education through a balanced curriculum
covering essential learning areas with high levels of competence in basic
literacy and numeracy, science and technology.
Excellence
achieved through the establishment of clear learning objectives, monitoring
student performance against those objectives, and planning programmes to meet
individual needs.
Success
in their learning for those with special needs by ensuring that they are
identified and receive appropriate support.
Access
for students to a nationally and internationally recognised qualifications
system to encourage a high level of participation in post-school education.
Increased
participation and success by Maori through the advancement of Maori educational
initiatives, including education in Te Reo Maori,
consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Respect
for the diverse ethnic and cultural heritage of
National Administration Guidelines
Ruahine School Board of Trustees must foster student
achievement by providing teaching and learning programmes which incorporate the
New Zealand Curriculum (essential learning areas, essential skills, attitudes
and values) as expressed in the National Curriculum Statements.
Ruahine School
Board of Trustees, through the Principal and Staff, is required to:
NAG 1
develop and implement teaching and learning
programmes:
o
to provide all students in years 1-10 with
opportunities to achieve success in all the essential learning and skill areas
of the
o
giving priority to student achievements in literacy
and numeracy, especially in years 1-4;
through a range of assessment practices, gather
information that is sufficiently comprehensive to enable the progress and
achievement of students to be evaluated; giving priority first to:
o
student achievement in literacy and numeracy,
especially years 1 to 4;
and then to:
o
breadth and depth of learning related to the needs,
abilities and
o
interests of students, the nature of the school’s
curriculum and the scope of the
on the basis of good assessment information, identify
students and groups of students:
o
who are not achieving;
o
who are at risk of not achieving;
o
who have special educational needs (including gifted
and talented students)
develop and implement teaching and learning strategies
to address the needs of the students and aspects of the curriculum identified
above;
in consultation with the school’s Maori community,
develop and make known to the school’s community policies, plans and targets
for improving the achievement of Maori students;
provide appropriate
career education and guidance for all students in year 7 and above, with a
particular emphasis on specific career guidance of those students who have been
identified by the school as being at risk of leaving school unprepared for the
transition to the workplace or further education/training.
NAG 2
Ruahine Board of
Trustees with the Principal and teaching staff, is
required to:
Develop a strategic plan which documents how they are
giving effect to the National Education Guidelines through their policies,
plans and programmes including those of curriculum, assessment and staff
professional development;
Maintain an ongoing programme of self-review in
relation to the above policies, plans and programmes, including evaluation of
information on student achievement;
Report to students and their parents on the
achievement of individual students, and to the school’s community on the
achievement of students as a whole and of groups including the achievement of
Maori students against the plans and targets;
Document how the National Education Guidelines are
being implemented.
NAG 3
According to the
legislation on employment and personnel matters, the Ruahine Board of Trustees
is required in particular to:
Develop and implement personnel and industrial
policies, within policy and procedural frameworks set by the Government from
time to time, which promote high levels of staff performance, use educational
resources effectively and recognise the needs of students;
Be a good employer as defined in the State Sector Act
1988 and comply with the conditions contained in employment contracts applying
to teaching and non-teaching staff.
NAG 4
According to the legislation
on financial property matters, the Ruahine Board of Trustees is also required
in particular to:
allocate funds to reflect the school’s priorities as
stated in the Charter;
monitor and control school expenditure, and ensure
that annual accounts are prepared and audited as required by the Public Finance
Act 1989 and the Education Act 1989;
comply with the
negotiated conditions of any current asset management agreement, and implement
a maintenance programme to ensure that the school’s building and facilities
provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students.
NAG 5
The Ruahine Board of Trustees is also required to:
provide a safe physical and emotional environment for
students;
comply in full with any legislation currently in force
or that may be developed to ensure the safety of students and employees
NAG 6
The Ruahine Board
of Trustees is also expected to comply with all general legislation concerning
requirements such as attendance, the length of the school day, and the length
of the school year.
6.0 Ruahine School Board of Trustees
Code of Conduct
Trustees shall:
ensure that the needs of all children
and their learning shall be paramount;
ensure that all students are provided
with an education which represents their dignity, rights and individuality, and
which challenges them to achieve personal standards of excellence and to reach
their full potential;
serve their school and community to
the best of their ability and be honest, reliable and trustworthy in all
matters relevant to their roles and responsibilities;
respect the integrity of staff,
principal, parents and students;
be loyal to the school and its
charter;
maintain the confidentiality and trust
vested in them;
ensure strict confidentiality of
papers and information related to the Board’s position as an employer;
act as good employers;
ensure the individual trustees do not
act independently of the Board’s decisions;
ensure that any disagreements with the
Board’s stance on matters relating to the
employer position are to be resolved within the Board;
exercise
their power of governance in a way that fulfils the intent of the Treaty of
Waitangi by valuing and reflecting
7.0
Our Staff will focus on:
Culture
Reflect
the school vision and values in all their actions.
Be
friendly and welcoming to all students, parents and visitors.
Acknowledge
students whose actions reflect the school’s vision and values.
Recognise
and respect the cultural diversity of the school community.
Teamwork
Value
teamwork and be supportive of each other.
Respond
sensitively to colleagues, students and parents concerns.
Expectations and Consistency
Reinforce
the school’s A1 standards and expect children to do their best.
Structures
Meet
the children’s needs, to the best of their ability.
Develop
procedures and policies so that we are all sure of where we are going.
Innovation
Encourage
our children to be self motivated learners.
Use
Thinking Skills, Inquiry Learning approaches and ICT tools.
Be
committed to continuous appropriate professional development.
As
part of the partnership, which we value, we would like to…
Feel welcome at our school, free to
share our ideas and concerns and to give praise where deserved.
Be supportive of the vision, values
and policies of the school, and to take part in opportunities that the school
offers to share.
Where possible, offer our help or
expertise, or be a parent helper.
Support the shared values of the
school by encouraging students to be caring, thoughtful and respectful to
others and other cultures. The school sees the parents as the
child’s first teachers’ in this area of values education.
Help students develop
self-responsibility for their own learning and behaviour and support any
homework set.
Encourage an enthusiasm for all
learning by encouraging positive interests.
Inform the school of any concerns at
home that may effect our child’s learning, and if it is a school problem to use
the correct procedure.
Feel proud of the achievement of our
school and do whatever we can to make a positive contribution.
Supporting
Documents for
This documentation is all in place and has very clear links between it.
Budget
2008
Strategic Plan 2007 - 2010
10
Year Property Plan
Curriculum Delivery Folder
4
Year Self Review Plan
ICT Plan
Policies
and Procedures
Literacy Action Plan
Review and / or amendment of the charter:
The Board of
Trustees will employ the following steps when considering any changes to the
charter:
1. Consult
with the community on any proposed amendment(s)
2. Alter any
proposed amendment as considered necessary
3. Advise
the community of any alterations to the proposed amendment(s)
4. Call a
Public meeting to approve the amendment(s)
5. Submit
the proposal to the Ministry for its consideration and approval.
(The Board of Trustees will consider
all formal written requests to review / amend the charter.)
CHARTER UNDERTAKING:
1. The
operation of this school and its progress in meeting its charter objectives will
be reviewed regularly by the Education Review Office.
2. This
Charter contains: School Mission
Statement, School and Community Description, School Goals and Objectives, Local
Curriculum Goals, School Aims (National Education Guidelines and Nation Administration
Guidelines), Board of Trustee and Principal Codes of Conduct, Reporting, Review
and Amendments of Charter and Charter Undertaking.
3. The
Ruahine Board of Trustees agree to administer the school in a manner reflecting
both the content and the spirit of the Charter.
4. This
Charter will remain in force until such time as it is amended in accordance
with the provisions of the Education Act 1989 or is withdrawn by the Minister
of Education.
The Board of
Trustees of Ruahine School accepted this charter as its undertaking to the
Minister of Education on the 6 March 2008 and submits it to the Ministry of
Education for their approval.
SIGNED …………………………………………………..DATE …………………………
(BOT Chairperson)
SIGNED …………………………………………………..DATE …………………………
(Ministry of Education)