Archived Director's Messages

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DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

MAY 2005

The New Zealand Teachers Council is gearing up for a significant year. This is the first of a regular series of communications to teachers in the early childhood, primary and secondary school sectors highlighting major events and issues concerning the Council's work.

In particular, this communication focuses on the 2005 elections of teacher representatives to the Council and the process for the peak renewal of practising teacher certificates.

Election
An election will be held in September 2005 to elect four sector representatives to the Council. There will be one representative from each of the Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary sectors and a representative from the Principals group. During the next few months there will be regular updates of information on the Council's website at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/election

Please ensure your contact details are current, particularly if your address has changed since your last communication with us.

The website contains an update facility for teachers who may have changed name, address (residential or postal) or school/centre since we contacted you last. We would appreciate all teachers updating their details if these have changed since the last time they contacted the Council. The link to the Change of Details Form is at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz on the Home Page.

Closely linked to the elections is the registration process. Teachers need to have a current registration in order to be eligible to vote.Therefore, we would encourage all teachers whose registration lapses in September/October to renew their practising teaching certificates as a matter of urgency.

Registration
From October to December 2005 at least 30% (or over 20,000) teachers will need to renew their practising certificate. Any teacher is able to apply for registration, as long as it is not more than 6 months in advance.

If your practising certificate expires in October, we strongly encourage you to apply NOW!

Forms and the application process
It is important that the most up-to-date forms are used when applying for registration, practising certificate renewal and non-teacher police vets. NZ Police will no longer accept forms that do not include correct references to the Clean Slate legislation. The Council offers up-to-date forms on its website at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz and urges schools and centres to destroy any old forms held and download the latest from the website. In doing so you will not delay your applications being processed because they are sent back from NZ Police.

The Council also urges you to check applications forms are complete and correct; that the appropriate documentation is notarised and sent (if specified), that forms are signed appropriately and that full payment is enclosed.

This will ensure that applications from your school or centre are not sent back for additional detail or payment.

Non Teacher Police Vetting
All regions and sectors are open for non teacher police vetting. Under the Education Standards Act: all schools and centres with non teachers and contractors in their employment (working regularly on school/centre grounds in school hours) are required to ensure these staff have current police vets. A police vet is current for three years unless the non teacher or contractor moves to a different school/centre or multiple schools/centres and then a police vet is required for each school/centre the non teacher or contractor is employed at. Police vets are not transferable. Up-to-date forms are available at http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/ntpv/form.stm

The Managers
It is my pleasure, in this message, to introduce the manager who has responsibility for the processing of the peak renewal of practising certificates. I will introduce more staff in future messages.

Jenny Thomas: Registration Manager
Jenny joins the Council management team in 2005 from Kapiti College, where she was Deputy Principal. She feels passionately about the positive differences teachers can make to student lives. Over her teaching career, Jenny has worked in a variety of roles. In particular, Jenny was the founding member of the National Association of Secondary Deputy and Assistant Principals (NASDAP) and became its President from 1999 to 2003.

Jenny is keen to get out and meet as many teachers as she can in her role as Manager of Registration.

Dr Peter Lind
Director

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