Central Takaka's new principal a familiar face
“I’ve always been passionate about this school,” says newly appointed Central Takaka School principal, Liz Batten.
Central Takaka School has a new principal. Mrs Liz Batten, who has been acting in the position since the departure of Christian Couper, was officially appointed last Wednesday.
"I felt privileged and trusted when I was asked to be acting principal and now that has continued," said Mrs Batten. "We have a new board so we're all learning together. I've had awesome support from the other principals and Christian left a great transition package."
Mrs Batten said that her first priority was to ensure that good communication existed between the school, its board and its community.
"I've always been passionate about this school," she said. "We have a family-based culture that I want to continue to build, together with the staff, the board, the Home and School and the parents. We emphasise creativity and spontaneity too. I want to enhance that as well."
The community links are strengthened by the fact that her husband Neil is the principal at Takaka Primary School and their son Gareth teaches geography at Golden Bay High School.
Central Takaka has had a busy time recently. It has used the last of its nutrition funding to enhance its gardens.
"Gardening has really taken off," said Mrs Batten. "Grant Knowles has been helping with the orchard and we've got new plots and compost heaps. Our parents want us to become an ‘enviro-school' and we are moving towards improving our systems of recycling by being part of the Paper for Trees Programme. It's all about sustainability."
Mrs Batten explained that the school adopts a theme each term and that recently, parents had come along and helped the children make soup and bread for a pumpkin feast.
"It's another way of fostering that link between school and home," she said. "The next theme is ‘celebrate our cultures, appreciate our differences.' We'll be having dancing and food from different cultures."
Changes to the school environment include adapting the old woodshed to become a "mini technology" area, converting the journal room to a resource storage space and, in the near future, building a shed to store physical education gear. Room 3 will also be refurbished during the coming holidays.
"When you see it all written down, we've been really busy and that will continue," said Mrs Batten. "I've had really good advice about the work a principal has to do. My husband Neil always says that the work will always be there. It gets done, but the children and the staff are the most important priority."
Neil Wilson
