112 | Meeting needs of wider community Alfredton School has grounds of around a hectare including a field around the oak trees, a huge native garden, a sports field, a playing field, an all-purpose court, a swimming pool, and a playground complete with a covered sand-pit. T T Virgonia Wright “There literally is just a school, there’s no town here, we’ve got no cell phone coverage, and at the moment we have a roll of 34.” Alfredton School COMMUNITY For a small rural school like Alfredton which caters for pupils from new entrants through to Year 8, having one of their two classrooms refurbished makes a significant difference to the day-to-day experience of all those who use it. The earliest recorded formal education at Alfredton was in 1887 at its site in between Masterton and Pahiatua about an hour’s drive south of Palmerston North. Rural is correct as a description explains Principal Alison Hill. “There literally is just a school, there’s no town here, we’ve got no cell phone coverage, and at the moment we have a roll of 34. It’s a farming community so all of the children travel to school on one of three buses provided as direct resource buses by the Ministry of Education (Min Ed).” That roll is more or less stable sitting around the mid 30’s for the last several years and needing five different bus runs to gather them up from the surrounding farms. It’s an intergenerational affair with at least one family who have had a pupil at the school for five generations. A veteran of 35 years teaching this is Alison Hill’s fifth year as principal of Alfredton; her 11th year teaching primary school in New Zealand having come out from the UK with her paramedic husband in 2014. “We moved to Pahiatua originally and we’ve stayed in the area and in the community. Alfredton is a lovely rural school, it’s a vital part of the community and the community plays an important part in the school. “Our motto is “inspiring learners for a lifetime from acorns to mighty oaks.” We have seven oak trees which were planted right at the beginning and our values are all built around the word ‘mighty’,” says Alison. The school has grounds of around a hectare including a field around the oak trees, a huge native garden, a sports field, a playing field, an all-purpose court, a swimming pool, and a playground complete with a covered sand-pit where you’re as likely to find a senior student as a new-entrant, given that they all play together. The senior classroom for Years 5 through 8 is in the main block along with administration, the staff room, and the library. Its nearly completed upgrade removes a redundant stage dating back to earlier times, and by bringing the space formerly used as a cloakroom into the classroom and changing its solid wooden door out for one made of thick but seethrough safety glass, they’ve added a couple of windows and a door that bring in light and can be opened for ventilation. It now has light and space for all, easy access, and the 21 pupils currently using it can work outside on a good day and still be seen by the teacher inside. Funded through the Ministry of Education, Principal Hill is deeply grateful for that and other necessary work undertaken and speedily achieved, including the reroofing of the school, and a fence erected around the entire school in three weeks flat to cater for a new pupil who has additional needs. “All the contractors did an excellent job working in with the school timetable to keep disruption to a minimum, even working weekends,” confirms Alison. Relatively small and cost efficient, every upgrade makes a difference to the day-to-day learning of the children. With pupils all playing together and taking care of each other whether they’re five or 12 going on 13, and parents and grandparents who attended the school in their day and remain involved with the school, from Alison’s point of view Alfredton School is everything one could hope for from a truly rural New Zealand primary school. Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. Volume 6 | Issue 2 | April 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz ‘Excellence in Energy’ Taranaki’s Todd Energy will have a key role to play as New Zealand moves toward a low emissions economy. Page 8 Waikato farmers Dean & Ang Finnerty have expanded their dairy cow operation into a successful goat milking enterprise as well PAGE 10 Turning challenge into opportunity AUTUMN 2022 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Volume 6 | Issue 3 | July 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Making waves Back on track New Zealand hydrofoil maker Armstrong is generating interest around the world with its high performance products. Work on the ambitious NZCIS facility in Upper Hutt is progressing well after Covid disruptions. PAGE 70 PAGE 10 Healthy delivery A new elective surgery facility in Hastings will provide a big boost to the region’s operating capacity. PAGE 52 Volume 6 | Issue 5 | December 2021 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Cheers Boys! YoungWellington irm3Māori Boys is creating a buzz with it’s ground-breakingWai Manuka natural beverage. PAGE 45 Passion and pride New Plymouth’s Energyworks has forged a strong reputation in 50 years of business. PAGE 64 Seaview upgrade CentrePort’s SeaviewWharf facility is set for a major upgrade to bring it up to international standards. PAGE 14 businesscentral Each edition priority delivered to your door. i i i i li . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . . . 03 983 5525 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, pro iling their success. i ; i i i i - ll i , ili i . PLAN DESIGN DELIVER Contact Nicky: nicky@irgroup.co.nz 027 302 4037 Level 2, 10 Cambridge Terrace, Te Aro Wellington 6011 team@irgroup.co.nz PROJECT MANAGEMENT DESIGN QUANTITY SURVEYING STRATEGIC CONSULTING
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