In the first of our series of interviews with each member of the Arrowtown School board, the former banker turned mother of four children tells James Beech it is important to develop a life-long love of learning in children.
Born and raised in Wellington, Mrs Gieck, husband Andy Morris and family arrived in Arrowtown four years ago to raise their children in New Zealand after living and working in Sydney, New York and London for the previous 16 years.
She worked for the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation's Books in Homes literacy programme in 2000 and said she had experience of learning in decile one schools as a pupil.
Queenstown Times: Why did you want to become a board member and how long have you been in the role?
Tracey Gieck: I was elected to the board in April 2007 and became chairperson in February 2010.
I already had a large stake in the school with four kids attending and wanted to be actively involved in the future direction and governance of the school."
QT: What is the biggest issue facing Arrowtown School pupils and what do you want done to tackle it?
TG: Our biggest challenge is to prepare our kids as well as we possibly can for the next stage of their schooling.
We need to nurture and develop inquisitive minds and develop a life-long love of learning in our kids.
QT: Will National Standards improve a pupil's education at the school?
TG: At Arrowtown School we already employ a wide variety of assessment tools to ensure we are providing the highest-quality education to meet the needs of our pupils.
The introduction of National Standards will have little impact on our teaching practices, learning outcomes and the education we offer.
QT: How would you describe the school's financial situation and what needs to be done to improve it?
TG: As with all schools, government funding is limited and needs to be well managed to meet the various financial demands of operating a school.
I believe we are doing this in a responsible and prudent manner.
We are also fortunate to be well supported financially by the wider community.
QT: What needs to be done to cater for Arrowtown School's growing enrolment?
TG: Our projections suggest that our school roll will increase by another 10% by 2012.
This puts further pressure on investment in staff, infrastructure, technology, professional development, etc.
Our annual and strategic plans are constantly reviewed to ensure we are able to meet these demands as and when they arise.
QT: How can the community help Arrowtown School?
TG: We are incredibly grateful for the support we currently receive and have received in the past from our parents and the wider community, by way of money, time and services.
There are some very generous people in our community that make a very real difference to a lot of kids.
