In the first of our new series of interviews with all six trustees, Mrs Davis tells James Beech pupils' distance from Queenstown events has prompted the school to come up with its own solutions.
Queenstown Times: Why did you want to become a board member and how long have you been in the role?
Corrine Davis: Part of being a small school, with a small number of parents, means that sooner or later, if you have a child at the school, you will be asked to take your turn on the board of trustees.
My turn came about three years ago.
QT: What is the biggest issue facing Glenorchy School pupils and what do you want done to tackle it?
CD: The biggest issue for the pupils is probably the distance to Queenstown.
It means that very often they have to miss out on after-school activities that Queenstown kids enjoy.
QT: Will national standards improve a pupil's education at the school?
CD: No. We already had a good system in place to measure a child's progress.
National standards do not take into account the developmental stages of different children.
It is an example of another one-size-fits-all policy.
QT: How would you describe the school's financial situation and what needs to be done to improve it?
CD: Every school has issues with funding, but we are getting very good at working to a budget, and don't have any major issues at the moment - touch wood.
QT: What are the advantages and disadvantages of Glenorchy School's distance from Queenstown?
CD: It means a large amount of travel time for both teachers when they must attend meetings and pupils if we are to join in with other school activities, such as sports days.
It means we have to look closely at all opportunities that come up and assess whether the benefits are worth the travel time. Sometimes this works to our advantage.
We once took the senior kids into Queenstown for technology - the old manual, cooking, woodwork etc. It proved a disaster.
They were asked to take ingredients with them, and these sometimes involved things like ice cream.
It just didn't work. So we looked at what they were being asked to make and decided we could do just as well here in Glenorchy ourselves, and so the technology dinner was born.
It has been a huge success and is now a highlight of the senior school year.
QT: How are pupils prepared for high school and are there more ways to familiarise them?
CD: Going from a small two-room school to a large high school is always a bit of a culture shock.
We do our best to give our kids the opportunity to join in with other schools for activities, such as sports days.
The other way to prepare our kids to meet the challenge of high school is to make sure they are well prepared, in terms of their school work and to have a good work ethic.
QT: How can the community help Glenorchy School?
CD: The community already does a fantastic job in support of the school.
Whenever we need help with fundraising or help to extend the curriculum, such as with cooking, languages or help with listening to reading, there is always someone available to call on.
We have an excellent PTFA that has been instrumental in raising funds over the years so that we have been able to build a fantastic adventure playground, send the senior kids to Wellington on a class camp every third year and be able to retain our second teacher when the roll fell below the number required.
