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Bellevue School Board

The board’s role is to oversee the governance of its school and to ensure that everything that needs to be done gets done – legally, ethically, and as well as possible in the best interests of its students.

The board is the employer of all staff, including the principal, and sets the overall strategic direction for the school. The principal is the board’s ‘chief executive’ and manages the day to day operations of the school in line with the board’s direction and policies.

Board Constitution

A standard board constitution is made up of: 

  • members elected from the community;

  • the principal;

  • a staff-elected representative;

  • a number of co-opted members (who must be fewer in number than parent-elected members)

  • and for state-integrated schools only – one or more proprietors’ representatives. 

Board members have a term of office of up to 3 years.

The Bellevue School Board meets twice a term in the school staffroom beginning at 6:30pm. The dates are published in the school newsletter. The meetings are open for all who wish to attend.

Board Members

  • Erin Bellhouse (Presiding Member)
  • Rachel Johnston (Principal)
  • Jeff Silverwood 
  • Clay Elgar 
  • Jacqueline Witute 
  • Sarah Richardson 

If you would like to contact the Board directly you can email the Presiding Member at

presidingmember@bellevue-newlands.school.nz

Bellevue-Newlands-School-Erin-Bellhouse

Erin Bellhouse

Parent Representative & Treasurer

I have two children at Bellevue School, in Year 2 and Year 6. I joined the board in August last year and currently serve as Treasurer.

I joined because I could see the value I could bring to the board through my experience and the active role I have in many areas of the school. I have a particular passion for encouraging children to be active and take risks.

Outside of work and school, I enjoy spending time with my family, trail running, and going on holidays around New Zealand. I’m approachable and always happy to have a chat, so next time you see me, please say hi.

Bellevue-Newlands-School-Mary-Sleep

MarySleep

Parent Representative

Kia Ora,

I joined the Board in 2022 to help this amazing school continue to support all our tamariki. Both of my children have attended Bellevue School — Millie has now moved on to Intermediate, and Milo is in Year 4.

I work as a specialist teacher in my day job, so I value the opportunity to learn more about the operational side of a school, and to share my perspective with others. Being part of the Board is a wonderful way to ensure Bellevue continues being the warm, friendly, supportive, and innovative learning environment that we all know and love.

I’m happy to answer any questions you may have via email: parentrep1@bellevue-newlands.school.nz

Ngā mihi,
Mary

Jeff-SilverwoodBellevue-Newlands-School-

Jeff Silverwood

Parent Representative & Property

I have a son at Bellevue in Year 2 and another who is steadily growing more excited to join the school at the start of 2024. There were a few factors that motivated me to put my name forward for a Board role when the opportunity came up in July 2023.

My partner, Samantha, and I were really moved by the welcome our family received to the school — from Mason’s familiarisation in the Rocket Room, to the gentle and patient approach from the teachers, and the school pōwhiri a couple of weeks later. It was a warm and memorable start to our Bellevue journey.

Our family often spends time on the school grounds during weekends, with the boys building confidence on their bikes. These sessions are also a chance for me to take a closer look at the school’s infrastructure. That might sound unusual, but my career over the past 20 years has been dedicated to designing, building, and maintaining lifeline infrastructure. There’s something very meaningful about working to manage infrastructure that provides a collective service — whether it’s an electrical grid, a port, or now, a school.

My background spans construction projects, emergency responses, strategic planning, asset management, and, more recently, property and facilities management. I’m passionate about investments in infrastructure that help achieve a vision, deliver commercial or social benefits, and manage risks — even if it means making tough compromises. So if you catch me peering into a stormwater drain, now you’ll know why.

The combination of Bellevue’s dedicated team, the school’s vision and values, and the chance to apply my skills to support the school’s infrastructure convinced me to take on this role. While I have a steep learning curve ahead, the challenge — along with my desire to contribute — motivates me to learn quickly and make a difference.

I’m always happy to have a chat. If you have questions about how my onboarding is going, or ideas related to school property, please feel free to reach out: property@bellevue-newlands.school.nz

Mandy-Mackay-Bellevue-Newlands-School

Mandy Mackay

Parent Representative & Secretary

I have been a parent at Bellevue School since 2011 and an active member of the school community, first through the FUNdraisers and later as an elected Board member in 2016.

It has been an honour to contribute to Bellevue’s development and help build an environment that our Bellevue whānau can be proud of — one that enables students to be the best they can be.

Many hands make light work, and our amazing Bellevue community is full of talent. I encourage you to share your skills and get involved with our school. It’s incredibly rewarding and helps support our tamariki to achieve success.

If you’d like to get in touch, my email is: secretary@bellevue-newlands.school.nz

Kelvin Russell

Presiding Member

My name is Kelvin Russell. I am originally from South Africa and have lived in Newlands since 2006 with my wife, Yolandy, and our five children, all of whom have either attended or currently attend Bellevue School. My eldest started at Bellevue in 2006, and my youngest began in 2019.

I believe we have a wonderful community of parents, extended family, children, and staff — one where we can all work together to create a nurturing, caring, and dynamic learning environment. This is a great place to live, and I value how our community looks out for and cares about each other.

I work in Wellington as an IT professional, and as a Board member I believe my skills enable me to collaborate with the school and community to foster an environment where our children can grow, thrive, and be the best they can be.

Anne Smith

Anne Smith

Staff Representative - also Year 0- 3 Deputy Principal

annette_borgonje_jfif

Annette Borgonje

Principal


Kia ora koutou. In 2022, I was appointed Principal of our wonderful school, after joining Bellevue in 2018 as Deputy Principal. It was the staff, students, and community that drew me to Bellevue, so it is a privilege to serve as a member of the Bellevue School Board in this capacity.

Students’ learning and wellbeing are at the heart of the Board’s work, underpinning every decision we make. My role is to take overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school, within the policies and delegations established and approved by the Board.

We are fortunate to have a team of committed and knowledgeable Board members who bring valuable skills, perspectives, and insights to the table — always keeping children at the centre of governance decisions. Working alongside them to provide strategic direction, with a focus on improving learning outcomes, is both exciting and rewarding. I greatly admire our Board members for their dedication to this voluntary but vital role.

The Board is elected by you, our community. It represents you. I encourage you to chat with our current members, consider standing for election, or nominate someone you believe would help our school continue to grow.

principal@bellevue-newlands.school.nz

Policies & Procedures

Our classes are organised into five teaching teams:

SchoolDocs provides a comprehensive set of policies and procedures applicable to all New Zealand primary, intermediate, secondary, and area/composite schools, tailored to each school’s context.

Bellevue School subscribes to SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. These policies have been thoroughly researched and align with the Government’s priorities for education, as outlined in The Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP). They are customised to our school, incorporating specific information such as our charter and our procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, and more.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to:

  • Changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines

  • Significant events

  • Reviews or requests from schools

  • Regular scheduled reviews by the SchoolDocs team

Our School Board can view and comment on changes before they are implemented. Policies and procedures are reviewed on a three-year cycle.

Accessing Bellevue’s SchoolDocs
To view our policies and procedures, visit the Bellevue SchoolDocs website.

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bellevue-newlands

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Copyright: Except where stated, the content on this site is the copyright of SchoolDocs Ltd. It may not be reproduced without written permission from SchoolDocs Ltd.

School Trustees Elections

NZSTA works in partnership with the Ministry of Education to support the school board election process and encourage community engagement and participation.

School board elections involve the largest number of candidates and voters of any democratic process in New Zealand.

Triennial Elections
Every three years, state and state-integrated school communities elect their parent and staff representatives to help govern their schools. The next triennial school board member elections will be held in 2025.

Staggered (Mid-Term) Elections
Some boards choose to follow the staggered (mid-term) election cycle. This means triennial elections are held for some parent representatives, with mid-term elections held for the remaining parent representatives 18 months later.

Find out more about school board elections here

E Tipu E Ako, Where Learning Grows