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
Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.6% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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15.9% Hmm, maybe?
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11.5% Yes!
Council Meeting for older adults & people with disabilities
The mayor and a slim majority of the newly elected NPDC councillors are keen to see the, “Age and Accessibility Working Party”, a long-standing Council committee, scrapped.
This is not to save the minimal cost of having such a committee. But simply put; it means these councillors believe that older adults and all those with disabilities in our community do not warrant being recognised, respected or treated as people whose voice is important, to them.
On Thursday 18 December (that is, this coming Thursday) at 10am, in the Council Debating Chamber, the full council will have an opportunity to vote, “to Re-establish an Age and accessibility Working Party”.
But we need your help to get it passed. We need you at the meeting to show your support for this committee. This committee is important for the voice of the older person or people who have accessibility or challenges in our community, to be heard.
We have many in examples of what happens when council fails to listen to people with disabilities, resulting in remedial work costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Let’s support those councillors who do support the reinstatement of this committee.
Please consider joining the myriad of organisations supporting older adults and those with disabilities.
If you cannot come to the Council chambers, email the Mayor and inform him what you think. His email is; max.brough@npdc.govt.org.nz.
I hope that we will see you there.
There is parking for just $1 per hour at the YMCA opposite the Council in Liardet Street.
Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
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