Marriene Langton Principal/Tumuaki

Marriene Langton Principal/Tumuaki
Tēnā koutou e te whanau. This is my 16th year as tumuaki of our lovely kura. I am one-eyed when it comes to providing the very best education for all of our tamariki, strong connections to whanau and applying attachment theory so every child has a champion adult at our school who believes in them unconditionally. I just can’t see past it. Our kaiako and kaiawhina go the extra 50 miles to give our children the best chances to succeed. My family is number one. After 20 years of camping holidays in Kaiteriteri, Graham and I are recidivist “glampers “ and ready for new adventures in our latest caravan. It’s brilliant when our family joins us too.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Post Discombobulation

I am very thankful that all of us are safe and a bit wiser. I can't even bring myself to say the E word at the moment. I guess it is to do with my personality type and strengths: I am used to being in control and this is not something I can have any say in.
Our school stood up like a little trooper and apart from some minor scratches has been unscathed. Thank you God. Our hearts go out to the school communities who have many months of rebuilding ahead of them.
Our Board of Trustees was magnificent. They were all mobilized along with Bill our caretaker ( who is extraordinary) in short order and were researching and making decisions before the MOE about school safety and closures. I guess that comes from having trustees who are leaders in their own fields.
I felt incredibly supported by our board as did our staff.
What did we do before cell phones?
I admire the MoE who faced with a very new situation where many of them were also affected, made sensible decisions and looked to support us all as quickly as possible. It certainly has not been easy to offer support when you are also stressed. This is true of our property manager Wynne from School Support whose home is close to the epicentre and who had to carry on  and sort other people's problems out before he could attend to his own.
Our teachers and students have been amazing. You wouldn't tell from the outside that anything has happened but our accident register tells the story of tired and stressed children. I know the feeling. I guess we see the signs because we know each other.
As for me; I give thanks for each day's blessings and the sight of all of the little faces (and big ones needing a shave both male and female) back with us at school.