SECKA Update 04 December 2023

Welcome to the fourth and last SECKA update for 2023, our online newsletter keeping you informed about what's happening across our Kāhui Ako. 

Within School Teacher Inquiries

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As we reflect on the academic year, we are thrilled to share the dedication and efforts of our Within School Teachers (WSTs). Throughout the year, our 21 WSTs have been hard at work engaging in insightful inquiries aimed at promoting best teaching practices and fortifying the use of an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. We are delighted to announce that the inquiries focused on literacy or numeracy to support the strategic goals of our Kāhui Ako, are now complete. You can explore their findings and insights by visiting the link below. These inquiries serve as a testament to the Kāhui Ako's commitment to moving forward in faith together. Congratulations to each of our WST's on such a successful year.

SECKA Lead Principal Update

As 2023 draws to a close, we reflect with gratitude on the invaluable leadership of Louise Campbell, who has served as the lead principal of SECKA over the past three years. Louise's tenure has been marked by exceptional guidance and unwavering commitment to the SECKA mission. 

Her leadership style has been characterised by a combination of vision and mentorship. Throughout her time, Louise has not only overseen the day-to-day operations but has also been a source of inspiration and support, steering the AST Team with expertise and resilience. 

SECKA has been truly blessed to have had Louise as a cornerstone of our educational community, and as she steps down from this leadership role at the end of 2023, remaining as proud Principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for her outstanding contributions to the growth and success of our Kāhui Ako. 

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Tracey Kopua as the new lead principal for the South East Christian Kāhui Ako. As the current Principal of St Mark's Catholic Primary School, Tracey brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of effective leadership to our collaborative community. Her dedication to education and her ability to foster a supportive learning environment have been evident in her role at St Mark's. We are confident that Tracey's vision and expertise will play a pivotal role in guiding us from the start of 2024. We look forward to a new chapter of growth, collaboration, and success within the South East Christian Kāhui Ako. 

Farewell Elim Mt Albert Campus

Amidst the remarkable growth of Elim, SECKA bids farewell to the Mt Albert Campus as it evolves into a standalone school. As we navigate this transition, we express our deep appreciation to each teacher who has played an essential role in advancing the goals of the Kāhui Ako. 

To Tania and the Mt Albert Campus team, we extend our warmest thanks and best wishes as your school embarks on this exciting new adventure. May the future be filled with continued success, growth, and the fulfilment of your educational aspirations. 

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot." 

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

ASTs in Schools

Over the last two terms, our Across School Teachers have had the opportunity to visit each school within the Kāhui Ako. 

We would like to thank every school for warmly welcoming us with open arms and sharing their journey and goals with us. These visits have proven to be incredibly valuable, fostering collaboration and contributing significantly to the advancement of the Kāhui Ako's strategic goals. The shared experiences and insights gained during these days have been instrumental in forging a pathway forward as we continue our work toward collective success. 

As we conclude this year, we eagerly anticipate continuing and building upon these enriching visits in 2024, confident that they will further strengthen the bonds of collaboration and propel us towards even greater achievements. 

Structured Literacy Hui

On Thursday 19 October, Our Lady Star of the Sea School hosted the final Structured Literacy Hui for the year, facilitated by Claire Knight from Massey University. The session was focussed on building literacy skills, specifically sentences. Teachers who attended explored:

Thank you Our Lady Star of the Sea school and Claire for a very informative afternoon, it was a fantastic opportunity to continue to build connections across our schools and learn about the amazing literacy practices that are happening.

Bi-CEP PD for 2024 and beyond

The South East Christian Kāhui Ako have been fortunate to win 80 hours in Regionally Allocated PLD in Building Teacher capability across our Kāhui Ako through Marau-ā-kura. 

We have made contact with our PLD provider, Evaluation Associates and are in the process of putting together an overview of how these hours will be used over the next 8 terms.


Marau ā-kura is vital in order to:


Resilience Survey Results

The results from the SRS 2023 highlight several important trends and areas for consideration within the SECKA student population.

In 2023, there's increased survey participation in years 11-13, but fewer students in years 9 and 10 participated. Gender disparities shifted, with about 10% more girls completing the survey than boys when compared with 2022. Resilience protective factors have stayed steady with a very slight increase of 0.2%. While the overall pattern indicates decreasing resilience as students progress through school, there has been a shift in 2023 which highlights an inflection point at year 10.

Specific patterns:

Thank you to all school leaders and teachers for the extra effort required at a busy time of the year to undertake the survey. 

The results will guide our next steps in planning forward in our Resilience Workstream


Wishing you all a happy safe and holy Christmas and holiday period.

We look forward to working with you all next year.

Mā te wā

Your SECKA AST Team