Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Board seeks to recruit Principal

The Board has begun the process for appointing a foundation Principal for Amesbury School. An Appointments Policy was agreed by the Board at its last meeting and the position is expected to be advertised in the Education Gazette in July. More details to come - watch this space!

School Kaumatua Appointed


Bishop Muru Walters has been appointed as the Amesbury School's Kaumatua. Bishop Walters' experience in education and the arts together with his recognised leadership role in tikanga Maori qualify him to provide the strategic advice on bi-cultural and other matters the Board will be working its way through.

In addition as a local resident Bishop Walters is well connected with the Churton Park community. The Establishment Board is delighted that Bishop Walters has agreed to provide this support for the Board.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Site investigation work commences


Initial site investigations have commenced to establish the best areas to build on within the Amesbury Drive location.

Media Release - June 2010


AMESBURY DRIVE SCHOOL ESTABLISHMENT BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PO Box 13417 Johnsonville, Wellington 6440

Media release

7 June 2010

Planning for new school in Churton Park well underway

An Establishment Board of Trustees, appointed by the Minister of Education in November last year, was involved in the Ministry’s decision to contract a consortium headed by Maycroft Construction to design and build a second primary school for Churton Park in Amesbury Drive. Callum McKenzie of McKenzie-Higham is the architect for the project. The Board is an active participant in the design work for the new school.

Excavations and drillings are taking place to confirm the best location to site buildings, car parking and playgrounds. The Board has erected a sign, sponsored by Tommy’s Real Estate, on the site to update progress and advertise any future community consultation meetings.

A major focus for the Board over the next few months will be the recruitment of the foundation principal. Although the principal will not officially take up his or her position until April 2011, the Board hopes to make an appointment by the end of September so that the successful applicant can have input into the planning and decision making for the school which is due to be open at the start of the 2012 school year.

Board Chair, Rory O’Connor, said that the Board has also been considering the name for the school. The current name, Amesbury Drive School, was adopted as a working name by the Ministry of Education in the planning stages for the school. The Board is in favour of using Amesbury School as the name for the school. During its deliberations the Board became aware of New Zealand links with the small town of Amesbury on the Salisbury Plain in England. In the First World War, both the Maori battalion and the Wellington regiment were in camps close to the town. “The Board is very interested to know what the community thinks of the suggestion to shorten the name to Amesbury School”, said Rory O’Connor. People can make their views known before 30 June by going to the board’s blogsite at: http://amesburydrive.blogspot.com/


Notes for editors
Contact: Rory O’Connor, Chairperson, Establishment Board of Trustees
Phone: (04) 478 3779