Kia ora koutou, 

You may have seen in the news that the support staff, primary teachers, secondary teachers, and principals’ unions have all rejected the Government’s recent offer of a 1% pay increase per year for the next three years, alongside changes to conditions such as increasing compulsory call-back days during non-contact time. The NZEI Te Riu Roa (primary teachers) described the offer as “insulting,” while the PPTA (secondary teachers) called it “one of the lowest offers ever.” Both unions say the offer does little to make teaching an attractive profession at a time when teacher shortages are being felt nationwide. We also feel these shortages at Puketaha, particularly when staff are unwell. On some days, it has been difficult to find cover, and we have even considered running classrooms with fewer teachers, something we try to avoid. So far, we’ve managed without major disruption, but it is a challenge many schools face. Some of our staff will attend a union meeting on Tuesday, 19th August, to discuss the next steps, which may include strike action. We can cover internally, so there’s no need to keep children at home on Tuesday while the meeting is on. 

In our last newsletter, we shared that the rebuild proposal was with the Ministry of Education’s head office in Wellington. We’re pleased to let you know that this proposal, for the rebuild of the PAC/multi-purpose room as well as Kaakano 0, has now been accepted by National Office, which means funds have been allocated for the rebuild. Although this will still be a long process, this is a positive step forward. The Board will be meeting with the Ministry next week to discuss the next stages, and they will have an important role to play in this work throughout the upcoming year. The Board has worked effectivity in the aftermath of the fire to get important outcomes across the line for our school. It’s essential that our community votes in the upcoming Board elections to ensure you are well-represented in the next stages of the rebuild and in many other important aspects of governing our school.

Miss Jenna Mateni, who has been on maternity leave with her beautiful little boy Tāne, has decided to resign from her full-time permanent position. While we’re not surprised, as she’s taking the opportunity to spend more time at home with her little man, we will miss her hugely as a full-time teacher at Puketaha and for the immense value she brought to our Year 7 and 8 programme. Her resignation won’t have a major impact on our staffing this year, as we have employed staff to cover for the whole year, ensuring no disruption to children’s learning. The good news is that Jenna has agreed to do some occasional relief teaching for us, so we’ll still get to see her in the classroom from time to time.

I hope the sunshine sees us through into the weekend! Enjoy the rest of your week,

Ngaa mihi nui,

Nyree Olliver