'Lois, I wanted to thank you again for your guidance and support. Working with you has been a real pleasure and you changed what could have been a very nerve wracking experience into a positive one.’
Cassie Fitzsimmons - Board Chair, Hope School, Nelson, 2015
'The Board recently asked Lois to assist us in our process to appoint a new principal. As Lois had previously appraised the outgoing principal we felt that she knew our school and its character and she would be in a unique position to assist us. Without a doubt Lois has been outstanding in every respect. Her professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile during the appointment process was highly valued by myself and the Board. Lois’ guidance and expertise made the daunting appointment process easy from our perspective'.
Scott Wight - Board Chair, Bohally Intermediate School, 2015
'The board has provided the principal with a high quality appraisal process. The principal values the opportunity for external appraisal and has benefited from the useful feedback received.’
Extract from Gleniti School 2014 ERO Report
'The principal and teachers are supported through rigorous appraisal.'
Extract from Tua Marina School 2015 ERO Report
'The principal’s appraisal and review of the school’s values relating to student management have had a positive impact on the school's culture.'
Havelock School ERO report 2015
'Thank you for my mid-year appraisal report. I appreciate the chance to reflect on my progress both by annotating the document and speaking with you. I am glad you had time in school with me and the staff/students. You have captured their voices and I am heartened with what they say. The organisation of the template is great and I enjoyed the chance to reflect on the wider issues of principalship along with my personal goals. Thank you again and I look forward to our final meeting later in the year.’
Anonymous Principal, 2014
'Thank you for this morning, you are both instructional and inspirational all at the same time. By that I mean you help me work out what I need to do, help me with how I might go about it and inspire me with your knowledge and encouragement. So when you left this morning I got straight onto some of what we talked about to see if I was on the right track.'
Anonymous Principal, Christchurch 2014
'You have been absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process. We really valued your input and experience. You were very approachable, so easy to communicate with and you have a lot of knowledge. I would have absolutely no hesitation in employing you again. The whole board feels the same. THANK YOU.'
Linda Allan – Board Chair, Hurunui College (Principal Appointment)
'I’ve really appreciated your insightful observations and the calm and encouraging way in which you offer feedback and advice. Thank you again for your support, as a board it has been very reassuring having you work alongside us.'
Board Chair – Gleniti School (Principal Appraisal)
'We contracted Lois Christmas to implement a curriculum review in our Senior School, Years 5-8 in Term 3, 2012. This was our first experience instigating our own external review and we wanted some objective feedback and feed-forward on the effectiveness of our curriculum delivery.
Lois designed a review strategy alongside the Principal and Deputy Principal that allowed for some robust data to be gathered while respecting the unique situation that we were in. Her knowledge of effective teaching practice and current educational learning theory, combined with her compassionate and understanding approach, ensured she quickly had the respect of the teachers, students and parents involved. The school received valuable information from her thorough analysis and all staff are looking forward to the benefits of further external reviews.'
Bruce Ellison – Acting Principal, Redcliffs School
‘We engaged Lois Christmas of Lead Learning to assist our board through the process of appointing a new Principal. Lois’s expertise and knowledge were key factors in this process being successful. At all times we felt confident and supported. Lois assisted us with our planning, timeframes, application package, job and person specifications and interview procedures.
Her attention to detail and efficiency resulted in a streamlined and thorough process. An important aspect for our board was that the appointment was well considered, robust and met the needs of our school. At the conclusion we were in no doubt we had ticked all the boxes.
Lois is professional, intuitive and great to work with. As a result our Board will continue to use Lois’s expertise in the role of Principal appraiser.’
Karla Yeatman – Chairperson Hinds School Board of Trustees
‘Lois has worked with the school since November 2010, firstly in the area of self-review and principal appraisal since 2011. Her support and guidance around self-review has been invaluable and the school now has well-developed guidelines and procedures that provide valuable feedback for the Board and teachers around curriculum, pedagogy and student achievement. Lois’s strong interpersonal skills enable her to work effectively at various levels; one-on-one with teachers, management teams and whole staff. The principal appraisal process has been extremely thorough and robust, providing valuable feedback from staff, parents, students and Board members that provides direction for further school improvement.
Lois has been instrumental in a very successful recent ERO review. Her knowledge, skills and support ensured we were well prepared and were on the ‘front foot’ throughout the review.’
Gary Roberts – Principal of Hornby School
‘Lois’s wide-ranging educational experience, her strong evaluative skills coupled with her engaging personality provided us with a pragmatic yet visionary influence as we developed our self-review programme, reviewed and developed our strategic plan and prepared for ERO. She has a unique ability to gain an understanding of a school’s current position and work with the Board, staff and principal in developing a unified future direction that all understand and relate to.’
Paul Dolan – Principal of Roydvale School
‘I employed Lois with the view that she would assist us for our ERO visit due this year. It is the smartest thing I did. Her external input ensured our review went very well. If you want this kind of assistance I recommend her unreservedly.
Lois has now become a critical component of our school’s performance. Her superb external analytical eye has been a key factor in our continuous development. Her warm and engaging style has ensured all groups are on board with her suggestions/advice. Engage her while she is available. It is the best decision I made this year.’
Peter Simpson – Principal of Belfast School
‘Lois supported our rigorous school wide self-review process on two separate occasions. Her analytical skills, depth of curriculum and assessment knowledge and her strength in evaluative processes has resulted in high level advice and coaching. Lois is easy to work with, professional and thorough. I envisage that we will continue to use Lois’s expertise in the future.’
Jacqui Duncan – Principal of Cashmere School
‘ I approached Lois Christmas as a support to me and the senior management team as we tackled some complex challenges. Lois won the trust and support of me and my whole senior management team, and has firmly established herself as the school’s critical friend. Whether it is completing appraisals, or facilitating a staff meeting, Lois’s professional perspective offers a breadth and knowledge which first challenges and then reassures us all, that we can go forward with confidence. We love her to bits.’
Philip Harding – Principal of Paparoa Street School
Cassie Fitzsimmons - Board Chair, Hope School, Nelson, 2015
'The Board recently asked Lois to assist us in our process to appoint a new principal. As Lois had previously appraised the outgoing principal we felt that she knew our school and its character and she would be in a unique position to assist us. Without a doubt Lois has been outstanding in every respect. Her professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile during the appointment process was highly valued by myself and the Board. Lois’ guidance and expertise made the daunting appointment process easy from our perspective'.
Scott Wight - Board Chair, Bohally Intermediate School, 2015
'The board has provided the principal with a high quality appraisal process. The principal values the opportunity for external appraisal and has benefited from the useful feedback received.’
Extract from Gleniti School 2014 ERO Report
'The principal and teachers are supported through rigorous appraisal.'
Extract from Tua Marina School 2015 ERO Report
'The principal’s appraisal and review of the school’s values relating to student management have had a positive impact on the school's culture.'
Havelock School ERO report 2015
'Thank you for my mid-year appraisal report. I appreciate the chance to reflect on my progress both by annotating the document and speaking with you. I am glad you had time in school with me and the staff/students. You have captured their voices and I am heartened with what they say. The organisation of the template is great and I enjoyed the chance to reflect on the wider issues of principalship along with my personal goals. Thank you again and I look forward to our final meeting later in the year.’
Anonymous Principal, 2014
'Thank you for this morning, you are both instructional and inspirational all at the same time. By that I mean you help me work out what I need to do, help me with how I might go about it and inspire me with your knowledge and encouragement. So when you left this morning I got straight onto some of what we talked about to see if I was on the right track.'
Anonymous Principal, Christchurch 2014
'You have been absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process. We really valued your input and experience. You were very approachable, so easy to communicate with and you have a lot of knowledge. I would have absolutely no hesitation in employing you again. The whole board feels the same. THANK YOU.'
Linda Allan – Board Chair, Hurunui College (Principal Appointment)
'I’ve really appreciated your insightful observations and the calm and encouraging way in which you offer feedback and advice. Thank you again for your support, as a board it has been very reassuring having you work alongside us.'
Board Chair – Gleniti School (Principal Appraisal)
'We contracted Lois Christmas to implement a curriculum review in our Senior School, Years 5-8 in Term 3, 2012. This was our first experience instigating our own external review and we wanted some objective feedback and feed-forward on the effectiveness of our curriculum delivery.
Lois designed a review strategy alongside the Principal and Deputy Principal that allowed for some robust data to be gathered while respecting the unique situation that we were in. Her knowledge of effective teaching practice and current educational learning theory, combined with her compassionate and understanding approach, ensured she quickly had the respect of the teachers, students and parents involved. The school received valuable information from her thorough analysis and all staff are looking forward to the benefits of further external reviews.'
Bruce Ellison – Acting Principal, Redcliffs School
‘We engaged Lois Christmas of Lead Learning to assist our board through the process of appointing a new Principal. Lois’s expertise and knowledge were key factors in this process being successful. At all times we felt confident and supported. Lois assisted us with our planning, timeframes, application package, job and person specifications and interview procedures.
Her attention to detail and efficiency resulted in a streamlined and thorough process. An important aspect for our board was that the appointment was well considered, robust and met the needs of our school. At the conclusion we were in no doubt we had ticked all the boxes.
Lois is professional, intuitive and great to work with. As a result our Board will continue to use Lois’s expertise in the role of Principal appraiser.’
Karla Yeatman – Chairperson Hinds School Board of Trustees
‘Lois has worked with the school since November 2010, firstly in the area of self-review and principal appraisal since 2011. Her support and guidance around self-review has been invaluable and the school now has well-developed guidelines and procedures that provide valuable feedback for the Board and teachers around curriculum, pedagogy and student achievement. Lois’s strong interpersonal skills enable her to work effectively at various levels; one-on-one with teachers, management teams and whole staff. The principal appraisal process has been extremely thorough and robust, providing valuable feedback from staff, parents, students and Board members that provides direction for further school improvement.
Lois has been instrumental in a very successful recent ERO review. Her knowledge, skills and support ensured we were well prepared and were on the ‘front foot’ throughout the review.’
Gary Roberts – Principal of Hornby School
‘Lois’s wide-ranging educational experience, her strong evaluative skills coupled with her engaging personality provided us with a pragmatic yet visionary influence as we developed our self-review programme, reviewed and developed our strategic plan and prepared for ERO. She has a unique ability to gain an understanding of a school’s current position and work with the Board, staff and principal in developing a unified future direction that all understand and relate to.’
Paul Dolan – Principal of Roydvale School
‘I employed Lois with the view that she would assist us for our ERO visit due this year. It is the smartest thing I did. Her external input ensured our review went very well. If you want this kind of assistance I recommend her unreservedly.
Lois has now become a critical component of our school’s performance. Her superb external analytical eye has been a key factor in our continuous development. Her warm and engaging style has ensured all groups are on board with her suggestions/advice. Engage her while she is available. It is the best decision I made this year.’
Peter Simpson – Principal of Belfast School
‘Lois supported our rigorous school wide self-review process on two separate occasions. Her analytical skills, depth of curriculum and assessment knowledge and her strength in evaluative processes has resulted in high level advice and coaching. Lois is easy to work with, professional and thorough. I envisage that we will continue to use Lois’s expertise in the future.’
Jacqui Duncan – Principal of Cashmere School
‘ I approached Lois Christmas as a support to me and the senior management team as we tackled some complex challenges. Lois won the trust and support of me and my whole senior management team, and has firmly established herself as the school’s critical friend. Whether it is completing appraisals, or facilitating a staff meeting, Lois’s professional perspective offers a breadth and knowledge which first challenges and then reassures us all, that we can go forward with confidence. We love her to bits.’
Philip Harding – Principal of Paparoa Street School