October 27, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode, we get into the planning and preparation required to successfully launch a new school year. As the end of the summer holidays nears, principals across Aotearoa will be orchestrating one of the most critical periods in the school calendar - ensuring everything is ready for students and staff to return to a well-prepared and welcoming learning environment.
Our guests share practical insights into the multi-layered preparation process, from managing staff recruitment and timetabling through to facility maintenance, technology readiness, and establishing the right culture and tone for the year ahead.
Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.
Today’s guests are:
- Jason Miles, tumuaki of Kaiapoi North School and Vice President of NZPF
- Rohan Pearse, tumuaki of Frimley School
- Dawn Akroyd, principal of Napier Girls’ High School.
This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education.
You can learn more by accessing the e-learning modules for principals on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Eleisha (00:08):
Kia ora, and welcome to The Principals, a podcast series
for current and aspiring tumuakiin Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm
Eleisha McNeill. It may only bethe beginning of term 4, but
around the mōtu principals arealready planning one of the most
critical periods of the schoolcalendar, making sure everything
will be ready for students andstaff to return to a
(00:29):
well-prepared kura at thebeginning of next year. In this
episode, we'll get into theplanning and preparation
required to successfully launcha new school year. I'll let my
guests introduce themselves.
Jason (00:41):
Kia ora koutou, ko ahau tumuaki o Te Kura o Ruataniwha,
Kaiapoi North School, ko JasonMiles toku ingoa. I've been a
principal in four schools since1996. Currently tumuaki at
Kaiapoi North School in NorthCanterbury, and the vice
president of the New ZealandPrincipals' Federation. Kia ora
Eleisha (01:05):
Fantastic. Thank you, Dawn.
Dawn (01:07):
Kia ora kotou katoa, ko Dawn Ackroyd ahau, tumuaki Te
Kura Kōhine o Ahuriri. So, I'mDawn Ackroyd, principal of
Napier Girls' High School. I'vebeen principal of two schools
now, an integrated, uh, girls'school in Lower Hutt, and here,
of course, um, Napier Girls'High in Hawke's Bay for 21 years
(01:28):
combined total, and I'm on the,um, SPANZ executive
Eleisha (01:33):
Fantastic. Thank you, Rohan.
Rohan (01:34):
Kia ora koutou, he tumuaki ahau o te kura o Frimley.
uh, hei, kaitiaki o te koro o tewāu tapa nui, uh ko Rohan
Pearse tokū ingoa. So Rohan ismy name, I'm principal at
Frimley kura, which is forcontext is an urban U6
contributing school in TeMatau-o-Māui Hawke's Bay, the
(01:55):
beautiful Hawke's Bay, which isnice and warm today. I'v been a
Principal for 20, this would bemy 25th year, four different
kura, ranging from rural tourban, and also an active member
of Hawke's Bay Principals'Association. Kia ora.
Eleisha (02:10):
So thank you so much for joining me today, I really
appreciate it. So I'm going tostart by asking you how approach
a new school year. So, maybeRohan, if you can start us off,
can you walk us through overalltimeline and approach for
preparing for a new year? When,when do you start planning?
Rohan (02:27):
Sure well we're recording this today and we're sitting at
the end of term three, andabsolutely already in the
planning mode for start of yearnext year. For us currently
dates are set for leadership hui,team hui, and staff only days.
They're already in the eventscalendar and shared with staff
and really the main reason forthat is so that staff can
organise their whānau time andwork around those set dates with
(02:49):
the end of the year coming up,important to do that. But it's
also important to sort of tryand book the place that you
wanna be for your staffphysically and any support
people that you might wanna usewith your hopefully and all
going to plan by the end of theyear all our agendas will be set
and pretty much all thedocumentation and info will be
really or at least planned out.I think if we leave it too late
(03:11):
in that planning space then itbecomes surface level and you
tend to miss amazing opportunitythat we have at the start of
each year it's also really goodfor us as leaders to be able to
shut that door knowing that it'sdone and ready, I just can't
recommend that enough really.
Eleisha (03:26):
Dawn, do you take a similar approach?
Dawn (03:28):
Yes, we do. So we in term three finalising our budgets,
key dates for the following year,advertising positions, we're
currently recruiting at themoment for next year, so that's
well underway. But of course, soyou can have the unexpected,
even towards the end of termfour, um, a resignation or
someone that's moving on. So,you're never quite sure you're
(03:49):
100% ready to go, so you do haveto be flexible and open to that.
we start planning the seniorleadership hui, who we have that
in term four, having a look atthe year, if we're going to have
a theme, what the theme will be,what our PLD focus will be, what
our priorities are, um, we also,um, being the secondary school,
(04:10):
we've been liaising with all ourstudents during term three, to
ask about their subjectselection. So we endeavour to
meet the demands of the studentsand we're just at that stage now,
w we have a very first draft ofnumbers for subjects and what we
will be doing next term issitting down and having a look
(04:30):
at how many classes we need inparticular subject areas,
matching that up the staff andthen seeing if there are any
gaps. Um, we try and do as muchas we can on this side to make
it easier and a bit smoother.But as I said you need to be
prepared for the unexpected, the,you know, for example a head of
department came saw me in thatlast week of term, at the end of
(04:53):
last year, and had decided tomove on so that you can imagine
it was a mad scramble to get therecruitment process and to get
someone in place.
Eleisha (05:02):
Yeah. Jason, what about you?
Jason (05:04):
Yeah very similar, start at the beginning of term 3
usually the first of August isthe trigger for me. Talk to our
staff about how they think we'vegone for the year so far. Also
looking at the goals and theirintentions for 2026, we do that
quite formally we ask staffabout communicating with me
(05:25):
about any changes of levels orresponsibilities they might like
to look at and also signalingany intentions to apply
elsewhere or to ask for leave.At the same stage we're looking
concurrently at the classnumbers or the year levels to
see how they that's going to panout and compare with what we're
doing for the current year tosee if we will need to change
(05:49):
any teacher's class levels, andof course you also need to look
at the classroom spaces you'vegot available for each team as
well. For example you might sixclasses in a team and they're in
a two block but you know youmight only have five for that
team the following year and theymay need to shift to a different
area in the school so theeariler you can start doing all
(06:11):
of that planning the better.
Eleisha (06:12):
Yeah. Absolutely. And Dawn, you mentioned there staff
recruitment and, a key member ofstaff quite late last year. How,
how do you manage that, andparticularly, you know, if
you're making a last minuteappointment, and how do you make
sure that new staff are ready to,to kind of come on board and
inducted properly for the startof the new year?
Dawn (06:33):
Yeah, sure, so what we do is, of course we get an ad in
the Gazette as soon as we can,but you're constrained by time
lines, of course, but we makesure we have plan B and even
plan C. So we do have a reliefpool of teachers who I work with
their head of department and sayright, we're looking for a
particular teacher in aparticular subject area, who we
(06:55):
have, we've got that could
Eleisha (06:57):
Hmm.
Dawn (06:57):
fill the gaps. It's really important to start the year off,
and we try and match our reliefteachers with the subject
specialities. With regards toinduction, what we do is we have
a special, um, powhiri forwelcoming new staff. They spend
a whole day on site. We have aninduction program. We go through
all our policies, ourexpectations, school culture.
(07:19):
And we hear about them and wherethey're from and they, you know,
do a tour of the, of the campus.And we give them a buddy. So
there's someone in the schoolthat they can go to. And that
works really well at the startof the year, but we do have
people that join us throughoutthe term, or, you know, even
after the year has started, wehave to be mindful to make sure
(07:42):
we cover that induction.
Eleisha (07:44):
Ryan
Rohan (07:45):
I tautoko what Dawn's saying, particularly around Plan
B, C, maybe even D, you know,you just got to have them in
your back pocket because it doeshappen and the longer you do it,
the more you realise how late itcan happen So it is just
thinking through differentscenarios and it's life, you
know, things do change forpeople, so important to do.
Agree re induction, I think it'sa critical element and for me, I
(08:06):
see that very much as my role inour kura with support of others,
but it's I can set that tone andexpectation from the start, it's
really important about our why,sharing our why and who we are
and how we go about that. Youknow, it only takes us as
leaders to step into a new kurato realise different our schools
are and yet we're all stilldoing the same job and for new
(08:27):
people it's a little bit likedrinking from a fire hose to
start really. So we've got toalso be able limit what we share,
yo know, we've got to keep themain things as the priority,
what do they need to know now,what do they need to know in a
month's just to make itmanageable for them really,
because it's a big job shiftinginto a new school
Eleisha (08:42):
Absolutely. Jason, how do you handle it?
Jason (08:44):
Yeah, I'd like to start by saying, you know, this is our
biggest and most crucial job asprincipals to employ the best
staff that we can and sometimeswe'll have a large pool of staff
to choose from and we'll haveplenty of warning and you can go
through that process beautifully.But sometimes that's not the
case. So you need to take rightamount of time and the right
(09:10):
amount of care to appoint thebest staff possible. Remember,
you're not just appointingteachers, you're appoint
appointing people, you'rethinking about the way they
communicate, how they're goingto relate with your current
staff look the other skills thatthey might bring. Of course, the
other side of this slate as well,unfortunately, there will be
(09:31):
times where your staffing mightnot be as much as you've had for
the previous year. And that canput a bit of stress on schools
when you're going throughsurplus staffing. If you're
losing more than FTTE or oneteacher for the following year.
So it's crucial that you getadvice from the New Zealand
Board's Association
Eleisha (09:52):
hmmm.
Jason (09:53):
in regards to the surplus staffing it's not a nice process
to go but it's important, soimportant that you go through
the process. On induction, if wecan, we try and bring in our new
teachers together early inDecember to have an induction
day before the end of the year.We found that to work really
(10:13):
well when we can release themfrom their current jobs, pay the
reliever for what costs for thatand any travel costs and get
them together with our team fora day, about half a day with me,
and half a day with new teammembers, if they're a beginning
teacher, they'll of course meettheir mentor teacher at that But
(10:36):
as has been said, sometimes it'slast minute, and you do the
induction process on the hop.
Eleisha (10:43):
Yeah. (laughs) Yeah, so you've all touched on, you know,
that kind of fluctuating roll.So, how do finalise the
time-tabelling and classorganisation and how do you
handle those changes that comewith a fluctuating roll, Jason,
do you want to start?
Jason (11:00):
Yeah, sure, obviously you start with your initial numbers
with what you know, and thenbuild it from there. We try and
have about two less children perhome class at the beginning of
the process so that we canaccommodate any children that
are that aren't new entrants.And the same with new entrants,
(11:22):
we try not to start with fullnew entrant classes because we
know that there are likely tosome unexpected enrollments that
arrive. So when we're looking atthe class lists, we use shared
google docs. There are someprograms that you can get to
help you with that process, butwe prefer to do it ourselves and
(11:44):
we colour code children inregards to the support they
might need or the relationshipsthat they have. In our kura we
have shared classes or sharedlevels. So for example, we have
year five and six classes, andthe teacher is staying. We try
and keep the year fives withthat teacher in year six, unless
(12:07):
we have to move any So it'squite a process in making those
class lists. I do offer anopportunity to contact me and
regards to any information thatthey'd like to share to try and
front-foot that. But there'sopportunities for parents to
come and discuss class right upto the end of the year. But we
(12:31):
are the professionals and westick with placement information
that we believe is right forthat year.
Eleisha (12:38):
Yeah. Rohan.
Rohan (12:40):
Yeah, agree with what Jason's saying there pretty much
fully actually in similar sortof processes. I think the first
thing ultimately around timetabling and class organisation
is give it to someone in yoursenior leadership team who loves
that stuff, it's a bit likecross country, you either love
of it or you hate it eh, so getthe right people in the team
doing that sort of stuff. And Ithink it is critical, you know,
(13:00):
like Jason, I think thatinvolving whānau, but we only
advertise that once and not fora very long time because we
don't want to keep pushing thatand we listen, but also we're
working day in day out withtamariki. I think I've used
different ways of our classorganisation involving, you know,
just leadership and all teachersas well. And my feeling is as
(13:23):
much as we love to involveteachers fully and actually
putting kids into classes, it isreally challenging for teachers
to take their own lens fullyaway. And we've just got to be
careful that sometimes that'snot mana- damaging for some of
our tamariki. So yep, we shareand we consult, but ultimately I
see it sitting with the seniormanagement, senior leadership
teams really and then putting itout for any further feedback or
(13:44):
adjustments that might happen.They'll always be changes with
numbers and kids moving in andout. But there's enough
flexibility in that. In terms oftime tabling then probably in
primary school, we're better tohand that to Dawn because that
must be an absolute nightmare.She would probably have some
great advice for us
Dawn (13:59):
Well,
Rohan (13:59):
on
Dawn (14:00):
As you said, it's like a big soduku, either like it or
you don't. So we do have atime-tabling team and it's
mainly really our DP who worksin close connection with another
staff member. So as I said, we,our senior students, you know,
you tend to have a one-on-oneinterview and that takes place
throughout term three abouttheir subject selection and we
(14:22):
do backward mapping, so we ask,what do they want to do when
they leave school, thereforewhat do they need at year 13,
therefore what do they need atyear 12, therefore in year 11,
they should be doing X, Y, Z. Sowe, when we get the list of
subjects, we're also spendingquite a bit of time looking at
the overall selection of whatthe students have selected. Is
the course makes sense? Are theyon the right pathway? We have
(14:46):
lots of conversations with theirdean, our deans in our kura
follow the students rightthrough so they get to know them
really well. Sometimes at thatpoint we will involve whānau,
if they want to to come in or wewant to look at some changes,
you know, the reasons behindthat. So a lot of work goes into
that and then of course we giveall that to the time-tabler and
(15:08):
it takes several weeks and thenthey have to look at the lines
and they come back with, youknow, if we have a teacher
teaching junior classes, theycan't be teaching in the certain
line that seniors, honestly, Idon't know how they do it, but
they and then we towards end ofthere end up with a time table
that's pretty much set inconcrete, but then what happens
is students will have clashes.Especially if you've got small
(15:32):
numbers doing certain subjectsat the senior school, it may
clash,so then we sit down withthe students and say look that's
on at the same time, what can wedo and again, we try and
accommodate them as much aspossible, but then of course
what happens is over the holidaybreak, some students may change
mind or senior students gettheir NCEA results back and
(15:53):
maybe haven't done as well in aparticular subject so they
change their mind, they've donewell in something else, so what
we have is like week zero beforestaff are back where we have all
our deans, senior leadership onsite and our time-tablers, and
the girls will come in if theywant to change their course. So
we just have a look at how manyin the classes, and of course
(16:15):
some of our subjects arespecialist, our science can only
take a certain number, but youknow some of the classes can end
up being quite big because we dowant to accommodate, you know,
what the student wants, so thatweek is always a week of
shuffling to lock in thetimetable and classes and then
(16:36):
as for fluctuating roll numbers,our roll is pretty steady, we
have a zone, so after sort ofreally we can only accept anyone
who lives on the zone and we dohave a few spaces at each year
level, so we're very mindfulthat we do get people that move
(16:56):
into the area or they justsimply forget to enrol and just,
you know, come the end ofJanuary, think better rock up to
school and enrol, so yeah we tryto get as much done as we can,
but there's always a few towardsthe end of January with that
course confirmation.
Eleisha (17:11):
Yeah. Yeah. And you've all talked about preparing your
staff for the year so what kindof planning time and
professional developmentactivities do you prioritise the
ākonga come back to school? Ah,Jason.
Jason (17:25):
So the leadership team meeting in term four the
previous year is crucial to makesure that you know exactly what
professional development andfocus, you're going to have for
those initial staff meetings atthe beginning of the year. We
hold two teacher only days. Oneis usually with the full
teaching staff and the other oneis with the full staff and can
(17:47):
include things like first aidtraining,
Eleisha (17:49):
you.
Jason (17:50):
group activities, uh, welcoming new staff. Al of those
sort fun things. Um, but themost important thing I've found
over the years is having lots ofkai - making
Eleisha (18:00):
Yeah.
Jason (18:01):
sure that you're feeding people well. and giving people
time to reconnect at thebeginning of the year, you you
build a great relationships withyour staff over time and giving
them a chance to reconnect atthe beginning of the year is
just as important as theprofessional focus that you have.
So, it's a really important timeof the year. People are
(18:24):
refreshed and they're ready togo. It's up to, tumuaki to get
in there and enthuse andmotivate, the staff for the
beginning of the following year.
Eleisha (18:34):
Definitely. Rohan?
Rohan (18:35):
Yeah, agree. We have staff noho to start our year off
and actually twice a year duringthe year. I think we can just
never underestimate the power ofbeing together, like Jason just
said, actually eating kai, butalso preparing kai, doing the
dishes. And just connecting aspeople, you know, we're going to
work day in and day out withthese people, so we need to be
able to know each other really,really well. It can be
(18:58):
incredibly challenging cominginto a new staff, so it's
important to spend time workingon that team If noho is not
right for you, you know, somepeople might be thinking that
won't necessarily work for ourteam, then I just would
encourage you to spend time as ateam in whatever you think is
the right space to do that. Itcan't always be about the mahi,
it has to be about having somelaughs and challenges and making
(19:19):
everyone feel comfortable. Andit also gives you a great
opportunity as a leader, just tosee where people's different
strengths are that you might beable to use in different ways
later on in the year. You knowthe start of the year is about
that strategic navigation intowhere we're heading for the year
and the new places or the spacesin the awa that we might want to,
you know, navigate towards. ButI also think it's really
(19:40):
important our staff know wherewe're heading, you know, so we
can unpack annual plans, whichoften are not the most exciting
topic. But it's important thatpeople know that general
direction and where theexpectations sit with that as
well as the team building, aswell as the specifics around PLD
that we're working on for theyear
Eleisha (19:58):
Yeah. Yeah. Dawn.
Dawn (20:00):
Very similar, so we just have the one teacher only day at
the very start of the year. Weinvite support staff to the
beginning because it's all aboutwhanaungatanga and it's about
reconnecting after the summerbreak, meeting new staff, we
start with the breakfast then wehave a theme, you know for each
year we tie in with our annualplan is around that theme and we
(20:25):
have a look at the PD and we sayright this is our focus we're
going to keep it simple but thisis where we are heading so you
know what's been previously setis very important then everyone
knows right we're all on thesame page and this is where
we're going. We do a lot ofcelebrating so if anyone's
any milestones over the holidaysor wedding we celebrate and have
(20:48):
a few laughs together but wealso celebrate our NCEA results
so we have a look the resultsand celebrate those. Um it's
really important I think at thatstage of the year to be very
positive, optimistic and givepeople hope. You know we've been
through a lot. you know CycloneGabrielle here and COVID and you
(21:10):
know without all that it's apretty tough gig so we really
want to set our staff up withlots of hope and optimism for a
really good year and I alwaysbelieve you know people will
forget probably what you've saidbut they'll remember how you
made them feel
Eleisha (21:26):
Yeah.
Dawn (21:26):
and every new staff I write a personal turn saying
welcome to Kuroh looking forwardto working with you but it's
just that personal connectionyou know they need to feel part
what we're doing togetherbecause we are in this together.
Eleisha (21:43):
Yeah, 100%. Over the school holidays, things can
happen on your school property.There might be, I don't know, a
leak in your roof problem withtechnology or something like
that. How do you make sure youare on top of all that before
the school year starts? Rowan?
Rohan (22:00):
It's lists. So yeah, you've got to have lists of
stuff that's got to be duringthat holiday break time really.
Ideally, it's not you doing it.And for smaller school
principals that are listening tothis, they're going yeah right,
but I've got nobody to do that.Then on my suggestion, would be
prioritise the money in thebudget to be paying the right
people to do the right job,plumber for a plumber's job. As
(22:21):
tumuaki we must, must take abreak at that time to be able to
reset and be fit for the startof that year. It's about docs in
terms of having stuff that staffcan feed in because there'll be
things that you're not aware of,and then just prioritising them
really. And yeah, looking atwhat is the critical things to
be done. We want to start theyear off in the right way with
our place, you know, our whenuawho are being right as well and
(22:43):
our spaces looking good, solet's prioritise the main things
and just get them
Dawn (22:49):
Yes, and we're very fortunate we have a property
manager who works apart from thestats over the holiday break to
ensure that the school is reallyup and running. And we do all
that planning towards the end ofthe year so he has a list of
what needs to be done. Also,with any callouts, fire alarms,
we have a phone list and I thinkI'm about fourth on the list,
(23:12):
which again is being verymindful that you do need to have
a break. And there are peoplewho can, you know, troubleshoot.
I mean, of course, it wassomething major, they know to
call. And again, we're verylucky. We have a property
caretaker who actually lives onthe side. So we're very
fortunate. But having the rightpeople to do the stuff and, you
(23:36):
know, having that list is reallyimportant so you know exactly
what works going to be carriedout over the holiday break. Yeah.
Eleisha (23:43):
Jason, same for you?
Jason (23:44):
Yeah, really well answered by my colleagues there.
When I was in a small school, wehad some parents on a bit of a
roster. Often small schools havea pool. So you can have some
parents on that roster and theycan, you can ask them to have a
walk around the school whilethey're doing that, that roster
and let you know if they noticeanything major. Uh, but schools
(24:07):
also have the ability to contactthe emergency line at the
Ministry, if anything majorhappens, such as, you know, your
pipes bursting or, some roofblowing off or, you know,
anything really major, theMinistry are there to support
you. Um, you can ring them andabdicate that it responsibility
(24:27):
to them.
Eleisha (24:29):
So you're all very experienced principals. Is there
anything that's easy to overlookin the for the next do you think?
Rohan (24:36):
I think just people missing out on comms, comms are
critical. And by comms, Italking about the 0. 2 teacher
or the two-day a week teacheraid that might not know
something's happening. It's gotto be whole team. Everyone's got
to be in the know.
Eleisha (24:52):
Yeah. So how do you manage those comms, Dawn?
Dawn (24:55):
yeah. Well, I believe you cannot over-communicate, you
know, it's really So we have acentralized point it's our staff
panui and everything goes inthere from what's happening this
week, what's happening next term,the whole year planner. In the
past, you know, we'd send anemail about XYZ and it was just
(25:18):
too much and we've got this onecentral point and every staff
member knows where they need togo to look for information about
what's happening. We sendinformation out to whānau as
well, each year level dean willsend something out introducing
themselves and welcoming themback and they do that each term.
(25:38):
We have social media post, we'vegot the school in hostel social
media, Instagram and Facebook.We have a year nine whānau
evening, a sort of middle ofterm one where we are there to
answer sort of frequently askedquestions, you know, maybe had a
few weeks now at high school,what's working, what's
information do they need, wehave an online one for our
(26:00):
hostel. The whole schoolassembly, you know we want to
communicate to our students,setting up those expectations
for the year. But yeah, dailythat is, it's really important
that I believe you cannot overcommunicate, even personal
communication. I like to meetevery hostel family when they
come in and say look if you haveany query, it doesn't matter how
(26:26):
big or how small, do nothesitate to contact the school
and I even say you can ring meand especially if our hostel
parents are trusting their mostprecious resource for us to look
after. And that's huge andcoming to high school is huge
and some parents think ooh it'sa high school that's big
actually no, we are here for youand for your daughter, you can
(26:49):
contact us at any stage. And Ijust think that's important that
parents know that that can workboth ways, but yeah that
communication is important.
Eleisha (26:59):
Jason, do you take a similar approach?
Jason (27:02):
Absolutely. I totoku that completely. Um, but also just
remember, you're not alwaysgoing to get it right. You're
human, you'll forget some things,um, you can't think of
everything. So there will beblind sides, there'll be some
unexpected that, that happen,but you just keeping that calm
exterior while you're paddlingfuriously underneath is, is
(27:24):
crucial. Um, it's so importantfor the staff to have trust in
you that you're able to handleany situation that, that comes
up.
Eleisha (27:33):
What advice would you give to other principals about
getting this critical periodright?
Dawn (27:40):
As we've all said, start the planning early, get to know
the people, invest in a goodinduction process and be a
visible leader like at the startof the year you can meet and
greet students at the schoolgate, be out at lunchtime, be
out at interval you know, be atthe sports that's where you get
to meet and whānau, so bevisible within your community.
(28:02):
You can never over but reallyimportant you've got to be calm.
you've got to give staff hopeand you share with them that
they that is a privilege andthey also. I always say to my
staff never underestimate theimpact that you may have on a
student because you will and itis the best job in the world.
(28:23):
I'm going to say with some ofthe worst days, but the best job
in the world
Rohan (28:27):
For me, Eleisha, I think I'd say, I'd just add to that
with you know, we need a network.It can be incredibly isolating
our job. You need to build areally trusted colleague group,
you need to reach out, you needto say, this is my thinking,
what do you think, or how theheck are you dealing with this,
or this has come along. You know,sometimes we feel that burden on
our as the leader, but there'scolleagues just down the road,
(28:50):
just around the corner, anddifferent context, different
schools. Reach out, it iscritically important to do that.
Eleisha (28:56):
Absolutely, Jason.
Jason (28:57):
The start of the year is crucial. the whole year is
crucial as well. So how youstart the year, it can impact on
the rest of the year.So taketime to plan and think carefully
about how you're going to dothings, just make sure you've
got some fun in there. in theyear because it's a long year
without fun.
Eleisha (29:17):
For okay. Well thank you all so much for your time
today. Some great advice inthere.
Rohan (29:22):
Kia ora team.
Dawn (29:23):
Ka kite ano.
Eleisha (29:24):
Thank you. In the next episode, we're going to talk
about the leadership advisoryservice.
Kia ora, and welcome to The Principals, a podcast series
for current and aspiring tumuakiin Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm
Eleisha McNeill. It may only bethe beginning of term 4, but
around the mōtu principals arealready planning one of the most
critical periods of the schoolcalendar, making sure everything
will be ready for students andstaff to return to a
(00:29):
well-prepared kura at thebeginning of next year. In this
episode, we'll get into theplanning and preparation
required to successfully launcha new school year. I'll let my
guests introduce themselves.
Jason (00:41):
Kia ora koutou, ko ahau tumuaki o Te Kura o Ruataniwha,
Kaiapoi North School, ko JasonMiles toku ingoa. I've been a
principal in four schools since1996. Currently tumuaki at
Kaiapoi North School in NorthCanterbury, and the vice
president of the New ZealandPrincipals' Federation. Kia ora
Eleisha (01:05):
Fantastic. Thank you, Dawn.
Dawn (01:07):
Kia ora kotou katoa, ko Dawn Ackroyd ahau, tumuaki Te
Kura Kōhine o Ahuriri. So, I'mDawn Ackroyd, principal of
Napier Girls' High School. I'vebeen principal of two schools
now, an integrated, uh, girls'school in Lower Hutt, and here,
of course, um, Napier Girls'High in Hawke's Bay for 21 years
(01:28):
combined total, and I'm on the,um, SPANZ executive
Eleisha (01:33):
Fantastic. Thank you, Rohan.
Rohan (01:34):
Kia ora koutou, he tumuaki ahau o te kura o Frimley.
uh, hei, kaitiaki o te koro o tewāu tapa nui, uh ko Rohan
Pearse tokū ingoa. So Rohan ismy name, I'm principal at
Frimley kura, which is forcontext is an urban U6
contributing school in TeMatau-o-Māui Hawke's Bay, the
(01:55):
beautiful Hawke's Bay, which isnice and warm today. I'v been a
Principal for 20, this would bemy 25th year, four different
kura, ranging from rural tourban, and also an active member
of Hawke's Bay Principals'Association. Kia ora.
Eleisha (02:10):
So thank you so much for joining me today, I really
appreciate it. So I'm going tostart by asking you how approach
a new school year. So, maybeRohan, if you can start us off,
can you walk us through overalltimeline and approach for
preparing for a new year? When,when do you start planning?
Rohan (02:27):
Sure well we're recording this today and we're sitting at
the end of term three, andabsolutely already in the
planning mode for start of yearnext year. For us currently
dates are set for leadership hui,team hui, and staff only days.
They're already in the eventscalendar and shared with staff
and really the main reason forthat is so that staff can
organise their whānau time andwork around those set dates with
(02:49):
the end of the year coming up,important to do that. But it's
also important to sort of tryand book the place that you
wanna be for your staffphysically and any support
people that you might wanna usewith your hopefully and all
going to plan by the end of theyear all our agendas will be set
and pretty much all thedocumentation and info will be
really or at least planned out.I think if we leave it too late
(03:11):
in that planning space then itbecomes surface level and you
tend to miss amazing opportunitythat we have at the start of
each year it's also really goodfor us as leaders to be able to
shut that door knowing that it'sdone and ready, I just can't
recommend that enough really.
Eleisha (03:26):
Dawn, do you take a similar approach?
Dawn (03:28):
Yes, we do. So we in term three finalising our budgets,
key dates for the following year,advertising positions, we're
currently recruiting at themoment for next year, so that's
well underway. But of course, soyou can have the unexpected,
even towards the end of termfour, um, a resignation or
someone that's moving on. So,you're never quite sure you're
(03:49):
100% ready to go, so you do haveto be flexible and open to that.
we start planning the seniorleadership hui, who we have that
in term four, having a look atthe year, if we're going to have
a theme, what the theme will be,what our PLD focus will be, what
our priorities are, um, we also,um, being the secondary school,
(04:10):
we've been liaising with all ourstudents during term three, to
ask about their subjectselection. So we endeavour to
meet the demands of the studentsand we're just at that stage now,
w we have a very first draft ofnumbers for subjects and what we
will be doing next term issitting down and having a look
(04:30):
at how many classes we need inparticular subject areas,
matching that up the staff andthen seeing if there are any
gaps. Um, we try and do as muchas we can on this side to make
it easier and a bit smoother.But as I said you need to be
prepared for the unexpected, the,you know, for example a head of
department came saw me in thatlast week of term, at the end of
(04:53):
last year, and had decided tomove on so that you can imagine
it was a mad scramble to get therecruitment process and to get
someone in place.
Eleisha (05:02):
Yeah. Jason, what about you?
Jason (05:04):
Yeah very similar, start at the beginning of term 3
usually the first of August isthe trigger for me. Talk to our
staff about how they think we'vegone for the year so far. Also
looking at the goals and theirintentions for 2026, we do that
quite formally we ask staffabout communicating with me
(05:25):
about any changes of levels orresponsibilities they might like
to look at and also signalingany intentions to apply
elsewhere or to ask for leave.At the same stage we're looking
concurrently at the classnumbers or the year levels to
see how they that's going to panout and compare with what we're
doing for the current year tosee if we will need to change
(05:49):
any teacher's class levels, andof course you also need to look
at the classroom spaces you'vegot available for each team as
well. For example you might sixclasses in a team and they're in
a two block but you know youmight only have five for that
team the following year and theymay need to shift to a different
area in the school so theeariler you can start doing all
(06:11):
of that planning the better.
Eleisha (06:12):
Yeah. Absolutely. And Dawn, you mentioned there staff
recruitment and, a key member ofstaff quite late last year. How,
how do you manage that, andparticularly, you know, if
you're making a last minuteappointment, and how do you make
sure that new staff are ready to,to kind of come on board and
inducted properly for the startof the new year?
Dawn (06:33):
Yeah, sure, so what we do is, of course we get an ad in
the Gazette as soon as we can,but you're constrained by time
lines, of course, but we makesure we have plan B and even
plan C. So we do have a reliefpool of teachers who I work with
their head of department and sayright, we're looking for a
particular teacher in aparticular subject area, who we
(06:55):
have, we've got that could
Eleisha (06:57):
Hmm.
Dawn (06:57):
fill the gaps. It's really important to start the year off,
and we try and match our reliefteachers with the subject
specialities. With regards toinduction, what we do is we have
a special, um, powhiri forwelcoming new staff. They spend
a whole day on site. We have aninduction program. We go through
all our policies, ourexpectations, school culture.
(07:19):
And we hear about them and wherethey're from and they, you know,
do a tour of the, of the campus.And we give them a buddy. So
there's someone in the schoolthat they can go to. And that
works really well at the startof the year, but we do have
people that join us throughoutthe term, or, you know, even
after the year has started, wehave to be mindful to make sure
(07:42):
we cover that induction.
Eleisha (07:44):
Ryan
Rohan (07:45):
I tautoko what Dawn's saying, particularly around Plan
B, C, maybe even D, you know,you just got to have them in
your back pocket because it doeshappen and the longer you do it,
the more you realise how late itcan happen So it is just
thinking through differentscenarios and it's life, you
know, things do change forpeople, so important to do.
Agree re induction, I think it'sa critical element and for me, I
(08:06):
see that very much as my role inour kura with support of others,
but it's I can set that tone andexpectation from the start, it's
really important about our why,sharing our why and who we are
and how we go about that. Youknow, it only takes us as
leaders to step into a new kurato realise different our schools
are and yet we're all stilldoing the same job and for new
(08:27):
people it's a little bit likedrinking from a fire hose to
start really. So we've got toalso be able limit what we share,
yo know, we've got to keep themain things as the priority,
what do they need to know now,what do they need to know in a
month's just to make itmanageable for them really,
because it's a big job shiftinginto a new school
Eleisha (08:42):
Absolutely. Jason, how do you handle it?
Jason (08:44):
Yeah, I'd like to start by saying, you know, this is our
biggest and most crucial job asprincipals to employ the best
staff that we can and sometimeswe'll have a large pool of staff
to choose from and we'll haveplenty of warning and you can go
through that process beautifully.But sometimes that's not the
case. So you need to take rightamount of time and the right
(09:10):
amount of care to appoint thebest staff possible. Remember,
you're not just appointingteachers, you're appoint
appointing people, you'rethinking about the way they
communicate, how they're goingto relate with your current
staff look the other skills thatthey might bring. Of course, the
other side of this slate as well,unfortunately, there will be
(09:31):
times where your staffing mightnot be as much as you've had for
the previous year. And that canput a bit of stress on schools
when you're going throughsurplus staffing. If you're
losing more than FTTE or oneteacher for the following year.
So it's crucial that you getadvice from the New Zealand
Board's Association
Eleisha (09:52):
hmmm.
Jason (09:53):
in regards to the surplus staffing it's not a nice process
to go but it's important, soimportant that you go through
the process. On induction, if wecan, we try and bring in our new
teachers together early inDecember to have an induction
day before the end of the year.We found that to work really
(10:13):
well when we can release themfrom their current jobs, pay the
reliever for what costs for thatand any travel costs and get
them together with our team fora day, about half a day with me,
and half a day with new teammembers, if they're a beginning
teacher, they'll of course meettheir mentor teacher at that But
(10:36):
as has been said, sometimes it'slast minute, and you do the
induction process on the hop.
Eleisha (10:43):
Yeah. (laughs) Yeah, so you've all touched on, you know,
that kind of fluctuating roll.So, how do finalise the
time-tabelling and classorganisation and how do you
handle those changes that comewith a fluctuating roll, Jason,
do you want to start?
Jason (11:00):
Yeah, sure, obviously you start with your initial numbers
with what you know, and thenbuild it from there. We try and
have about two less children perhome class at the beginning of
the process so that we canaccommodate any children that
are that aren't new entrants.And the same with new entrants,
(11:22):
we try not to start with fullnew entrant classes because we
know that there are likely tosome unexpected enrollments that
arrive. So when we're looking atthe class lists, we use shared
google docs. There are someprograms that you can get to
help you with that process, butwe prefer to do it ourselves and
(11:44):
we colour code children inregards to the support they
might need or the relationshipsthat they have. In our kura we
have shared classes or sharedlevels. So for example, we have
year five and six classes, andthe teacher is staying. We try
and keep the year fives withthat teacher in year six, unless
(12:07):
we have to move any So it'squite a process in making those
class lists. I do offer anopportunity to contact me and
regards to any information thatthey'd like to share to try and
front-foot that. But there'sopportunities for parents to
come and discuss class right upto the end of the year. But we
(12:31):
are the professionals and westick with placement information
that we believe is right forthat year.
Eleisha (12:38):
Yeah. Rohan.
Rohan (12:40):
Yeah, agree with what Jason's saying there pretty much
fully actually in similar sortof processes. I think the first
thing ultimately around timetabling and class organisation
is give it to someone in yoursenior leadership team who loves
that stuff, it's a bit likecross country, you either love
of it or you hate it eh, so getthe right people in the team
doing that sort of stuff. And Ithink it is critical, you know,
(13:00):
like Jason, I think thatinvolving whānau, but we only
advertise that once and not fora very long time because we
don't want to keep pushing thatand we listen, but also we're
working day in day out withtamariki. I think I've used
different ways of our classorganisation involving, you know,
just leadership and all teachersas well. And my feeling is as
(13:23):
much as we love to involveteachers fully and actually
putting kids into classes, it isreally challenging for teachers
to take their own lens fullyaway. And we've just got to be
careful that sometimes that'snot mana- damaging for some of
our tamariki. So yep, we shareand we consult, but ultimately I
see it sitting with the seniormanagement, senior leadership
teams really and then putting itout for any further feedback or
(13:44):
adjustments that might happen.They'll always be changes with
numbers and kids moving in andout. But there's enough
flexibility in that. In terms oftime tabling then probably in
primary school, we're better tohand that to Dawn because that
must be an absolute nightmare.She would probably have some
great advice for us
Dawn (13:59):
Well,
Rohan (13:59):
on
Dawn (14:00):
As you said, it's like a big soduku, either like it or
you don't. So we do have atime-tabling team and it's
mainly really our DP who worksin close connection with another
staff member. So as I said, we,our senior students, you know,
you tend to have a one-on-oneinterview and that takes place
throughout term three abouttheir subject selection and we
(14:22):
do backward mapping, so we ask,what do they want to do when
they leave school, thereforewhat do they need at year 13,
therefore what do they need atyear 12, therefore in year 11,
they should be doing X, Y, Z. Sowe, when we get the list of
subjects, we're also spendingquite a bit of time looking at
the overall selection of whatthe students have selected. Is
the course makes sense? Are theyon the right pathway? We have
(14:46):
lots of conversations with theirdean, our deans in our kura
follow the students rightthrough so they get to know them
really well. Sometimes at thatpoint we will involve whānau,
if they want to to come in or wewant to look at some changes,
you know, the reasons behindthat. So a lot of work goes into
that and then of course we giveall that to the time-tabler and
(15:08):
it takes several weeks and thenthey have to look at the lines
and they come back with, youknow, if we have a teacher
teaching junior classes, theycan't be teaching in the certain
line that seniors, honestly, Idon't know how they do it, but
they and then we towards end ofthere end up with a time table
that's pretty much set inconcrete, but then what happens
is students will have clashes.Especially if you've got small
(15:32):
numbers doing certain subjectsat the senior school, it may
clash,so then we sit down withthe students and say look that's
on at the same time, what can wedo and again, we try and
accommodate them as much aspossible, but then of course
what happens is over the holidaybreak, some students may change
mind or senior students gettheir NCEA results back and
(15:53):
maybe haven't done as well in aparticular subject so they
change their mind, they've donewell in something else, so what
we have is like week zero beforestaff are back where we have all
our deans, senior leadership onsite and our time-tablers, and
the girls will come in if theywant to change their course. So
we just have a look at how manyin the classes, and of course
(16:15):
some of our subjects arespecialist, our science can only
take a certain number, but youknow some of the classes can end
up being quite big because we dowant to accommodate, you know,
what the student wants, so thatweek is always a week of
shuffling to lock in thetimetable and classes and then
(16:36):
as for fluctuating roll numbers,our roll is pretty steady, we
have a zone, so after sort ofreally we can only accept anyone
who lives on the zone and we dohave a few spaces at each year
level, so we're very mindfulthat we do get people that move
(16:56):
into the area or they justsimply forget to enrol and just,
you know, come the end ofJanuary, think better rock up to
school and enrol, so yeah we tryto get as much done as we can,
but there's always a few towardsthe end of January with that
course confirmation.
Eleisha (17:11):
Yeah. Yeah. And you've all talked about preparing your
staff for the year so what kindof planning time and
professional developmentactivities do you prioritise the
ākonga come back to school? Ah,Jason.
Jason (17:25):
So the leadership team meeting in term four the
previous year is crucial to makesure that you know exactly what
professional development andfocus, you're going to have for
those initial staff meetings atthe beginning of the year. We
hold two teacher only days. Oneis usually with the full
teaching staff and the other oneis with the full staff and can
(17:47):
include things like first aidtraining,
Eleisha (17:49):
you.
Jason (17:50):
group activities, uh, welcoming new staff. Al of those
sort fun things. Um, but themost important thing I've found
over the years is having lots ofkai - making
Eleisha (18:00):
Yeah.
Jason (18:01):
sure that you're feeding people well. and giving people
time to reconnect at thebeginning of the year, you you
build a great relationships withyour staff over time and giving
them a chance to reconnect atthe beginning of the year is
just as important as theprofessional focus that you have.
So, it's a really important timeof the year. People are
(18:24):
refreshed and they're ready togo. It's up to, tumuaki to get
in there and enthuse andmotivate, the staff for the
beginning of the following year.
Eleisha (18:34):
Definitely. Rohan?
Rohan (18:35):
Yeah, agree. We have staff noho to start our year off
and actually twice a year duringthe year. I think we can just
never underestimate the power ofbeing together, like Jason just
said, actually eating kai, butalso preparing kai, doing the
dishes. And just connecting aspeople, you know, we're going to
work day in and day out withthese people, so we need to be
able to know each other really,really well. It can be
(18:58):
incredibly challenging cominginto a new staff, so it's
important to spend time workingon that team If noho is not
right for you, you know, somepeople might be thinking that
won't necessarily work for ourteam, then I just would
encourage you to spend time as ateam in whatever you think is
the right space to do that. Itcan't always be about the mahi,
it has to be about having somelaughs and challenges and making
(19:19):
everyone feel comfortable. Andit also gives you a great
opportunity as a leader, just tosee where people's different
strengths are that you might beable to use in different ways
later on in the year. You knowthe start of the year is about
that strategic navigation intowhere we're heading for the year
and the new places or the spacesin the awa that we might want to,
you know, navigate towards. ButI also think it's really
(19:40):
important our staff know wherewe're heading, you know, so we
can unpack annual plans, whichoften are not the most exciting
topic. But it's important thatpeople know that general
direction and where theexpectations sit with that as
well as the team building, aswell as the specifics around PLD
that we're working on for theyear
Eleisha (19:58):
Yeah. Yeah. Dawn.
Dawn (20:00):
Very similar, so we just have the one teacher only day at
the very start of the year. Weinvite support staff to the
beginning because it's all aboutwhanaungatanga and it's about
reconnecting after the summerbreak, meeting new staff, we
start with the breakfast then wehave a theme, you know for each
year we tie in with our annualplan is around that theme and we
(20:25):
have a look at the PD and we sayright this is our focus we're
going to keep it simple but thisis where we are heading so you
know what's been previously setis very important then everyone
knows right we're all on thesame page and this is where
we're going. We do a lot ofcelebrating so if anyone's
any milestones over the holidaysor wedding we celebrate and have
(20:48):
a few laughs together but wealso celebrate our NCEA results
so we have a look the resultsand celebrate those. Um it's
really important I think at thatstage of the year to be very
positive, optimistic and givepeople hope. You know we've been
through a lot. you know CycloneGabrielle here and COVID and you
(21:10):
know without all that it's apretty tough gig so we really
want to set our staff up withlots of hope and optimism for a
really good year and I alwaysbelieve you know people will
forget probably what you've saidbut they'll remember how you
made them feel
Eleisha (21:26):
Yeah.
Dawn (21:26):
and every new staff I write a personal turn saying
welcome to Kuroh looking forwardto working with you but it's
just that personal connectionyou know they need to feel part
what we're doing togetherbecause we are in this together.
Eleisha (21:43):
Yeah, 100%. Over the school holidays, things can
happen on your school property.There might be, I don't know, a
leak in your roof problem withtechnology or something like
that. How do you make sure youare on top of all that before
the school year starts? Rowan?
Rohan (22:00):
It's lists. So yeah, you've got to have lists of
stuff that's got to be duringthat holiday break time really.
Ideally, it's not you doing it.And for smaller school
principals that are listening tothis, they're going yeah right,
but I've got nobody to do that.Then on my suggestion, would be
prioritise the money in thebudget to be paying the right
people to do the right job,plumber for a plumber's job. As
(22:21):
tumuaki we must, must take abreak at that time to be able to
reset and be fit for the startof that year. It's about docs in
terms of having stuff that staffcan feed in because there'll be
things that you're not aware of,and then just prioritising them
really. And yeah, looking atwhat is the critical things to
be done. We want to start theyear off in the right way with
our place, you know, our whenuawho are being right as well and
(22:43):
our spaces looking good, solet's prioritise the main things
and just get them
Dawn (22:49):
Yes, and we're very fortunate we have a property
manager who works apart from thestats over the holiday break to
ensure that the school is reallyup and running. And we do all
that planning towards the end ofthe year so he has a list of
what needs to be done. Also,with any callouts, fire alarms,
we have a phone list and I thinkI'm about fourth on the list,
(23:12):
which again is being verymindful that you do need to have
a break. And there are peoplewho can, you know, troubleshoot.
I mean, of course, it wassomething major, they know to
call. And again, we're verylucky. We have a property
caretaker who actually lives onthe side. So we're very
fortunate. But having the rightpeople to do the stuff and, you
(23:36):
know, having that list is reallyimportant so you know exactly
what works going to be carriedout over the holiday break. Yeah.
Eleisha (23:43):
Jason, same for you?
Jason (23:44):
Yeah, really well answered by my colleagues there.
When I was in a small school, wehad some parents on a bit of a
roster. Often small schools havea pool. So you can have some
parents on that roster and theycan, you can ask them to have a
walk around the school whilethey're doing that, that roster
and let you know if they noticeanything major. Uh, but schools
(24:07):
also have the ability to contactthe emergency line at the
Ministry, if anything majorhappens, such as, you know, your
pipes bursting or, some roofblowing off or, you know,
anything really major, theMinistry are there to support
you. Um, you can ring them andabdicate that it responsibility
(24:27):
to them.
Eleisha (24:29):
So you're all very experienced principals. Is there
anything that's easy to overlookin the for the next do you think?
Rohan (24:36):
I think just people missing out on comms, comms are
critical. And by comms, Italking about the 0. 2 teacher
or the two-day a week teacheraid that might not know
something's happening. It's gotto be whole team. Everyone's got
to be in the know.
Eleisha (24:52):
Yeah. So how do you manage those comms, Dawn?
Dawn (24:55):
yeah. Well, I believe you cannot over-communicate, you
know, it's really So we have acentralized point it's our staff
panui and everything goes inthere from what's happening this
week, what's happening next term,the whole year planner. In the
past, you know, we'd send anemail about XYZ and it was just
(25:18):
too much and we've got this onecentral point and every staff
member knows where they need togo to look for information about
what's happening. We sendinformation out to whānau as
well, each year level dean willsend something out introducing
themselves and welcoming themback and they do that each term.
(25:38):
We have social media post, we'vegot the school in hostel social
media, Instagram and Facebook.We have a year nine whānau
evening, a sort of middle ofterm one where we are there to
answer sort of frequently askedquestions, you know, maybe had a
few weeks now at high school,what's working, what's
information do they need, wehave an online one for our
(26:00):
hostel. The whole schoolassembly, you know we want to
communicate to our students,setting up those expectations
for the year. But yeah, dailythat is, it's really important
that I believe you cannot overcommunicate, even personal
communication. I like to meetevery hostel family when they
come in and say look if you haveany query, it doesn't matter how
(26:26):
big or how small, do nothesitate to contact the school
and I even say you can ring meand especially if our hostel
parents are trusting their mostprecious resource for us to look
after. And that's huge andcoming to high school is huge
and some parents think ooh it'sa high school that's big
actually no, we are here for youand for your daughter, you can
(26:49):
contact us at any stage. And Ijust think that's important that
parents know that that can workboth ways, but yeah that
communication is important.
Eleisha (26:59):
Jason, do you take a similar approach?
Jason (27:02):
Absolutely. I totoku that completely. Um, but also just
remember, you're not alwaysgoing to get it right. You're
human, you'll forget some things,um, you can't think of
everything. So there will beblind sides, there'll be some
unexpected that, that happen,but you just keeping that calm
exterior while you're paddlingfuriously underneath is, is
(27:24):
crucial. Um, it's so importantfor the staff to have trust in
you that you're able to handleany situation that, that comes
up.
Eleisha (27:33):
What advice would you give to other principals about
getting this critical periodright?
Dawn (27:40):
As we've all said, start the planning early, get to know
the people, invest in a goodinduction process and be a
visible leader like at the startof the year you can meet and
greet students at the schoolgate, be out at lunchtime, be
out at interval you know, be atthe sports that's where you get
to meet and whānau, so bevisible within your community.
(28:02):
You can never over but reallyimportant you've got to be calm.
you've got to give staff hopeand you share with them that
they that is a privilege andthey also. I always say to my
staff never underestimate theimpact that you may have on a
student because you will and itis the best job in the world.
(28:23):
I'm going to say with some ofthe worst days, but the best job
in the world
Rohan (28:27):
For me, Eleisha, I think I'd say, I'd just add to that
with you know, we need a network.It can be incredibly isolating
our job. You need to build areally trusted colleague group,
you need to reach out, you needto say, this is my thinking,
what do you think, or how theheck are you dealing with this,
or this has come along. You know,sometimes we feel that burden on
our as the leader, but there'scolleagues just down the road,
(28:50):
just around the corner, anddifferent context, different
schools. Reach out, it iscritically important to do that.
Eleisha (28:56):
Absolutely, Jason.
Jason (28:57):
The start of the year is crucial. the whole year is
crucial as well. So how youstart the year, it can impact on
the rest of the year.So taketime to plan and think carefully
about how you're going to dothings, just make sure you've
got some fun in there. in theyear because it's a long year
without fun.
Eleisha (29:17):
For okay. Well thank you all so much for your time
today. Some great advice inthere.
Rohan (29:22):
Kia ora team.
Dawn (29:23):
Ka kite ano.
Eleisha (29:24):
Thank you. In the next episode, we're going to talk
about the leadership advisoryservice.
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