Introduction

The irony continues:

I opened the 2020 report noting that we had just experienced our most unusual year in the history of our school. I also noted how proud I was, of our team, our tauira and their whānau and that despite the odds our school had performed extremely well and as had all its members.

2021 was even more unusual with almost half a year of face to face learning time spent in Lockdown or in the slow return to school. I as even more proud of the Pt England family and all that we've achieved together. Our association with Manaiakalani Education Trust, the Manaiakalani Programme, Fusion Networks and the Ministry of Education meant that we really did deal a blow to inequity and afford our community of learning, seriously excellent opportunities to continue learning and interacting. The determinant for whether our tauira could connect and engage well with online learning, was no longer the device or the connection, but rather the social circumstances of the learner and their whānau. The number of people living in a house, the availability of a room to work in, and support for learning by older members of the whānau.

2022 brought us the Omicron Wave and actually the biggest disturbance to the organisation of learning, any of us have ever experienced. The whole classes that had to go home during the early weeks of Term 1, because of how the mandate was being managed and the subsequent "revolving doors" of both teachers and tauira meant that we could not easily run a settled version of online learning or face to face learning. It taught us that "Hybrid Learning" really only works if you have steady attendance in either format.

Apart from one brief episode early in the year, when we had to close to clean and re-set (a two day closure prior to a weekend) we are proud to report that we stayed open for any who could attend, for the whole year. At the peak of the "revolving doors" we had up to a third of our staff absent at a time and fifty perecent of our learners.

Term Two brought us a "2nd wave" that was not as extreme as the first, but we consistently had between 5 and 8 teachers absent daily. The roll began to build VERY slowly.

Term Three was a solid slog trying to get things back to normal. All year we had been putting huge energy into attendance and engagement and in term 3 we gradually began to see better results. I'm really gratefully to the Pt England Team for all the phone calls, texts and follow up in the effort to get our tamariki back to school. Special thanks goes to Haare Kutia, who we employed as our "Home Visitor" to try and encourage whanau to send their children back to school.

Term Four was just a race! Most families back at school, all agencies and organisations we work with suddenly wanting F2F meetings and playing catch-up as things began to approach "normal". Add to this the pressure of trying to get it all done in eight and a half weeks and you've got quite and intense run-up to the end of the year!

I'm SO grateful to our whole Team because people have worked so hard, have not complained and have done their very best to serve our community. Well done Team, -we did it!

I'm very grateful to our Board of Trustees who assisted enormously in providing a stable and caring platform for our school and who all the way along with wise and thoughtful decision making.

And as always, mihi ki te Atua to tātou kaihanga, ko te Atua to tatou piringa to tatou kaha!

2022 brought us

• The challenge of "revolving doors" and "optional attendance"

• A long and challenging journey back toward "normal

• Winter Sport F2F!

• A return to all the lovely activities that make school fun and engaging.

• Continued participation in a Digital Equity pilot and on-going advocacy with the crown to get this sustained for more needy families

• A return to advocay for the re-generation of all the school property in Tāmaki

• A growth of resilience and capability of teachers and many learners but sadly a growth of anxiety and difficulty among the least enfranchised.

• The Mitey mental health programme funded by the John Kirwan Foundation. -AMAZING and so helpful!

As you click through and read the detail of our achievements, you will see that this has been a successful year. I offer sincere thanks and congratulations to our out-going Board of Trustees; Joanna, Fatima, Ana, Greg, Sally, and Shannon, our Board Chair who saw us through some of the most taxing times we've ever experienced. I'm also extremely grateful to our incoming Board, Ana, Fatima, Poasa, Senio, Kelsey and Kaue who carried on seamlessly. What a blessing!

• We will be using the data we get from our own school and from Manaiakalani, for advocacy with the crown to continue our efforts for better equity for our people.

• We are in a stable financial position.

• the Ministry of Education "protected" the staffing of the Manaiakalani Schools again, in view of the TRC Development.

• Along with the CoL Teacher Inquiries & Manaiakalani Research Team analysis, our Pt England Teacher Inquiry into Practice has continued to guide us into the focus we must have for 2022

• We have some excellent observation and survey results from the Manaiakalani Research Team, and were blessed in this most unusual year, to be able to complete our class observations and teacher, student and whānau surveys

To my Management Team partners, Toni, Garth, Andrea and Kent, I repeat that you are a wonderful team to work with. Your love, grace, and forgiveness are extremely precious.

To the Office Team, Leigh, Charlotte, Donna and Roz, who were a HUGE part of keeping the boat the right way up this year, I thank you for your love, care and compassion for all who come your way, not the least me! I simply could not manage without you! To Charlotte, we all say farewell, we love you and wish you every blessing as you hang up your calculator and go to spend more time with your wonderful husband Greg, and with your much loved grandchildren.

To the Specialist Staff, your programmes and energy, in this unusual year, and the way you were able to pivot and support, were fantastic to see. -So well done!

To the Team Leaders, Class Teachers and Support Staff, your dedication to leading, staying calm, loving and serving your tamariki and whanau during challenging times, are a real tribute to your commitment to your work and your learners.

As we continue to pursue our mission and purpose, we will reduce disparity, raise equity, deliver excellence and hold a long view of Wellbeing which must result in capital building citizenship.

I thank Board, Staff and Community for the opportunity to continue to serve.

During 2022, as well working to build capacity in the Manaiakalani Outreach Regions of Kaitaia, Kaikohekohe, Mt Roskill, Papakura, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, Horowhenua, Te purapura Ngātaki, Kura ā Iwi, Hornby, Te Ara Tuhura, Greymouth and Hokitika, I've been privileged to discuss our ideas for partnership in capacity building with:

• the NZ Ministry of Education

• the Department of Internal Affairs

• the Cook Islands Ministry of Education

• MBIE and other agencies and stakeholders

I selected the video below because it is a commentary on our year and is a beautiful example of the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy in action and symbolic of our focus for 2022

Our Manaiakalani Kahui Ako has managed to get up and get going again with morre of our shared activities this year.

Sadly we lost one member school when St Pius X School made the strategic decision to join the Central/East Catholic Kahui Ako.

We were able to hold all our planned meetings a wonderful Wananga at Waipuna Lodge, our annual Film Festival at Hoyts and an outstanding summit in the Cook Islands.

I do wish to thank Fiona Grant, the Manaiaklani Research Team and Rebecca Jesson for their continued contributions to the growth of our Kahui Ako. It has been a real pleasure to take these learnings and share them with our regional partners in the Manaiakalani Outreach.

I offer thanks and deep gratitude to the Manaiakalani Programme Team, Dorothy, Fiona, Anne, and Dave and to the outstanding engine room of Pat, and Jenny. This great work is available online HERE

Our humble thanks goes to all of you, our friends and supporters, and as ever, to God.

Kia ora and Malo lava!

Russell Burt