Have you heard of The Head Office??
The Taranaki Gifted Community (TGC) Trust is a registered charity, established in 2014, by a group of principals, teachers and parents who shared concern and passion for the learning needs of exceptional children.
It is their vision to enable neurodiverse potential.
It is their mission to be a community of people that holistically nurtures neurodiverse children and their whanau, so they grow to be well balanced adults empowered by their potential.
From very humble beginnings in 2014, with only a handful of students and a half-day programme, they teamed up with the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education (NZCGE) a year later. This partnership allowed them to offer the nationwide MindPlus programme in our region. More importantly they established strong ties with local primary and intermediate schools to ensure the best possible support for the students, consistent cooperation and flow of information.
In 2020 they decided to develop their own curriculum and programme - The Head Office. It is tailored towards the needs of our Taranaki community, giving the flexibility to respond to student interests, needs and local requirements even more.
The aim is to deliver in-depth intellectual and creative learning so that our students flourish as well-balanced individuals. Students come together, with a specialized teacher, one day a week in small classes.
In 2022 they took up the challenge to expand their services to support students with dyslexia. They ran a Pilot Programme for 6 months with a group of selected students and after its successful completion they now offer Project D to Taranaki students. Project D is a strength-based programme supporting the well-being and creative thinking of learners with dyslexia to increase academic engagement and success.
Where can you learn more?
If you are interested to learn more about the work of The Head Office programme, listen to Volly Voices on Access Radio 104.4fm on Sunday August 4th, at 2pm or Sunday August 11th at 2pm when Katja chats about what is happening on their programmes and how they support the school communities throughout Taranaki, and these young people to thrive and what is involved and where their programme locations are.
This can also be listened to from Monday August 5th on:
Spotify open.spotify.com...
Apple Podcast podcasts.apple.com...
Access Radio website www.accessradiotaranaki.com...
Volunteering New Plymouth website www.volunteeringnewplymouth.org.nz...
Who can you contact?
If you curious to learn more about The Head Office and /or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with this great programme, please contact Wendy at Volunteering New Plymouth on Ph: 06 758 8986; E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph / Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
TOPEC Triple Treat Fun Run / Walk 2025
Not long to go now.
Sunday 19 January 2025
DO YOU ENJOY RUNNING OR WALKING?
Pick a distance. 2.5Km / 5Km or 9.5Km. Even better, Choose from a 5Km flat or a 5Km Hill Challenge to Lake Mangamahoe.
Come and join the fun, the fresh country air and the atmosphere. A great family day out.
Wet or Fine.
250 plus entries at events this year.
Check out the courses and further details at: www.athleticstaranaki.org.nz......
Please spread the word with family and friends via social media etc.
Thanks for your consideration. Any queries contact Kevin: tarasupaevent@gmail.com
Some of the proceeds from this event will be donated to a LOCAL Charity.
Taranaki Down Syndrome Assn.
Organised by the Inglewood Runners & Walkers Club.
Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year.
Cheers.
Kevin.