Principal - Toni Burnside
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Tena koutou katoa
I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as Principal at Banks Avenue School. The east side of Christchurch has been through a huge amount of stress and upheaval during the past four years; I am looking forward to being a part of the exciting times that lie ahead for our school with changes to practice in education and with the rebuild of our school. |
I lost my own house in the February earthquake but am now established in another lovely home in Waimairi Beach but that has only been after some very testing and trying moments so I fully understand and empathise with what many of our Banks Avenue School families and staff have been through or are still going through.
I live with one of my beautiful daughters, Mercedes, who is a doctor at Christchurch hospital. My other very beautiful daughter, Paris, a painter and decorator, lives just down the road from us; as a family we get to have plenty of quality time. I am a travel addict; happy and excited to have a weekend to Hanmer or to be a bit more adventurous and go further afield. My most interesting holiday was doing volunteer medical relief in India although I far prefer a pool and a lot of sun when on holiday!
Previously I was principal at Central New Brighton School which suffered drastically with many local homes being badly damaged or destroyed. When I began at Central New Brighton School in 2012, I was looking forward to moving the school ahead, especially with how we used technology to support children’s learning. Although we have done that to a huge degree, the major thrust of the last two years has been supporting teachers, parents and children to manage the changes thrust upon us with the proposed merger of our school.
Prior to Central New Brighton School I was fortunate to be a principal in North Canterbury. Rural New Zealand is a very special place and I have many fond memories of my time at Greta Valley School. Children arriving on the school buses, taking off their shoes (summer or winter), finding a piece of sports equipment and setting to with some sort of competitive game. No wonder they turn out hardy rugby players!
As a teacher and leader I am passionate about education and in supporting the development of learning environments where children will be engaged, motivated and achieving to their full potential across the curriculum. I know for many the thought of modern learning environments is a little daunting but after participating in a lot of personal professional development, visiting schools that are buzzing with collaborative practices, reading what the research says about learning and talking to children in those schools who are articulate about what it means to them to be a learner, I am very excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us at Banks Avenue School.
We all want our children to have high expectations of themselves as learners, to feel confident about their capacity to learn, to set goals for their learning and to construct enjoyable, challenging learning pathways to their futures. I look forward to working with you all to achieve great things for our children!
Kia mahi tahi tatou katoa mo te painga o a tatou tamariki
Let us work together for the good of our children.
Nga mihi nui
I live with one of my beautiful daughters, Mercedes, who is a doctor at Christchurch hospital. My other very beautiful daughter, Paris, a painter and decorator, lives just down the road from us; as a family we get to have plenty of quality time. I am a travel addict; happy and excited to have a weekend to Hanmer or to be a bit more adventurous and go further afield. My most interesting holiday was doing volunteer medical relief in India although I far prefer a pool and a lot of sun when on holiday!
Previously I was principal at Central New Brighton School which suffered drastically with many local homes being badly damaged or destroyed. When I began at Central New Brighton School in 2012, I was looking forward to moving the school ahead, especially with how we used technology to support children’s learning. Although we have done that to a huge degree, the major thrust of the last two years has been supporting teachers, parents and children to manage the changes thrust upon us with the proposed merger of our school.
Prior to Central New Brighton School I was fortunate to be a principal in North Canterbury. Rural New Zealand is a very special place and I have many fond memories of my time at Greta Valley School. Children arriving on the school buses, taking off their shoes (summer or winter), finding a piece of sports equipment and setting to with some sort of competitive game. No wonder they turn out hardy rugby players!
As a teacher and leader I am passionate about education and in supporting the development of learning environments where children will be engaged, motivated and achieving to their full potential across the curriculum. I know for many the thought of modern learning environments is a little daunting but after participating in a lot of personal professional development, visiting schools that are buzzing with collaborative practices, reading what the research says about learning and talking to children in those schools who are articulate about what it means to them to be a learner, I am very excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us at Banks Avenue School.
We all want our children to have high expectations of themselves as learners, to feel confident about their capacity to learn, to set goals for their learning and to construct enjoyable, challenging learning pathways to their futures. I look forward to working with you all to achieve great things for our children!
Kia mahi tahi tatou katoa mo te painga o a tatou tamariki
Let us work together for the good of our children.
Nga mihi nui
