Commissioner Cleave Hay, who was appointed in June, last week confirmed the roll at the opening of term three had dropped by nine, from 47 last term.
He said the school continued to operate viably with three classrooms, three teachers and support staff.
The principal continued in an active role including providing classroom relief time for other staff, he said.
Mr Hay was initially appointed to support the board in March before being made commissioner on June 20 after the school board resigned.
He last week said the families of two former members remained with the school and he believed there was community support.
He was now "revisiting" the school’s strategic vision to help "move things forward".
That would mean re-engaging with the school community.
"We’re going to do some strategic stuff with individual families and then lead that to the full school, around genuine learning partnerships and around the future direction and vision of the school", he said.
"From my perspective, I want Totara School to be the best possible school it can be. That’s my job."
A process to revisit a future strategy would be communicated to the school community soon, Mr Hay said.
The official intervention was a "good opportunity" to re-evaluate the school’s vision.
"It’s towards what we are really hoping for out of the learning, that real belonging.
"I think it’s evolved. My thought about it right from the start was stop, strip it back and re-think it ... Is it still relevant, the vision and the values?"
The focus on "inclusivity" in the school community was continuing.
"That’s what we need to do — bring the people together."
There would also be a focus on "learning partnerships" in which every child was valued.
As it was, the three classes were fulfilling their purpose, he said.
"It’s well-staffed. They’re not big classrooms ... They’re very diverse and therefore inclusive."
Mr Hay said parents would also be invited to governance meetings and a "community forum" for constructive feedback was planned.
He declined to elaborate on any "employment issues" but acknowledged it was a focus for him as commissioner using various "strategies".
Mr Hay said previous media interest in the school’s status had created a negative spiral effect around "the public perception of the school".
This worried him and he believed this had impacted on the school, day to day.
He was keen to be able to highlight positive aspects of life at the school to counter stigma for some pupils and their families.
