Michael Brunker’s Post

STRATEGIC PLAN 2030 || The Pembroke story began half a century ago when our founders recognised that the union between Girton Girls’ School and King’s College for boys would make us Stronger Together. 50 years on, as we celebrate this golden co-educational milestone, Pembroke is indeed stronger than ever. While we reflect upon our proud history, it is timely and prudent to prepare for an even stronger future; one that is increasingly diverse, sustainable and hopeful. Enter our Strategic Plan 2030: https://lnkd.in/gCeydzs4

The trend towards responsible financial management in higher ed is only getting stronger. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a great example. Over the past five years, the University and its leadership have embraced best practices in this area and greatly strengthened its capacity to provide quality, affordable educational opportunities to the citizens of Tennessee. The University has made tremendous progress in its efforts to manage costs, improve efficiencies, and generate revenue to improve the quality of education in an increasingly and globally competitive environment, all while championing a learner-centric approach. #highereducationleadership #utk #highereducation

CCC Long Term Plan hearings... think I nailed it with "rivers of shit". ____________________________________ Good afternoon. I’ve been reading through the submissions on today’s agenda and have seen others live over the week. I wonder, like me, if you find it incredibly inspiring and comforting – and possibly challenging - that there are so many dedicated people who care deeply about this city. In my first submission – in my role as Board Chair of Te Huarahi Linwood Ave School – I ask you to consider the safety of our children and how best to invest in their futures. For our community, this means supporting kids and families to get to school safely and cheaply; providing active transport options; providing amenities; reducing our dependency on fossil fuels; and most importantly LONG TERM thinking - so that no child is left behind. Specifically, please deliver all the CRAF & CERF projects that have been cut. In my personal submission, I had to ask myself why bother to submit, why am I here? I have two consuming passions - community and construction. I started out as a civil engineer 30 years ago and have been in construction ever since. I love it! It is all about building the best future for as many people as possible. To that end, I want to highlight how critical is it to build resilience and safety into our three waters – our drinking water, our waste water, and our stormwater. We’ve under-invested and we need to play catch up – more funding should to be set aside in the LTP. Engineering isn’t particularly sexy, a lot of it is hidden away. And you want to keep it that way. The last thing we need is rivers of shit running down our streets. I understand we need to pay for it all and my family and I fully support the proposed rates increase. Ok, that’s pretty much all. As a team, you have some big decisions ahead of you. I’d like you to ask yourself what are your passions, why are you here, why are you sitting through all these submissions? I’m guessing it’s not for the pay check. Stealing from a recent politician's valedictory speech "Presently we are stuck. To get unstuck, we will all need to let go of some things and to be more committed to finding the answers than to being right or to others being wrong". This city expects you to live up to your governance role, work together, and find the answers. At Te Huarahi Linwood Ave School our values are Be Your Best, Be Strong (kia kaha), Be Brave and Be Respectful. I hope you will embrace these values too - and I thank you in advance.

𝐐𝐧𝐀 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬! Meet Lorna Vythilingum, Membership Director. 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: What strategies do you plan to implement to foster a strong and engaged Rotaract community ? 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: First of all, I would like to create a welcoming atmosphere for new members by organising team-building activities and pairing them with mentors or fellow members. I believe this would make them more comfortable which would encourage them to interact with other Rotaract members to form personal connections. To further engage everyone in our community, I would like to collaborate with other Rotary clubs for mentorship programmes, community service projects and networking opportunities. This will not only contribute to the personal and professional growth of our members, but will also strengthen our relationship with other clubs. In this regard, it would foster a sense of purpose and shared values that will appeal to our members. Moreover, I intend to establish a feedback system to better understand member preferences, concerns, and suggestions so as to improve our service. Lastly, I intend to emphasize on the acknowledgement and appreciation of our members for their contributions through awards, certificates, or public recognition during meetings. I believe this would convey the sense of community ownership and engagement which is one of the values that our Rotaract preaches.

GOLD COAST WORKSHOP Join REAIE Professional Learning Facilitator, Kirsty Liljegren for the one day workshop, ‘It begins with how we see children’ to be held at Silkwood School, Robina on Saturday 8 June 2024. About the workshop: It begins with how we see children The reciprocity of beliefs and practice The beliefs we uphold about children and childhood and how they influence learning and well-being are not always fully realised. This workshop will open possibilities for participants to delve deeply into their view of the child and how this orients the decisions made daily. Drawing on the thinking of Malaguzzi, who said, “…the aim of teaching is to provide conditions for learning” (Edwards et al., 1998, p. 82) we will explore the interconnection of beliefs we co-construct alongside the contexts we design for learning. This pedagogical thinking is complex yet exhilarating work that can be transformational for practice and requires attention, thinking, and an attitude of research. To explore these ideas, be ready for a session brimming with meaningful reflection, lively exchanges, active participation, and connection as a community of learners. Link to register: https://lnkd.in/gVfCAfgE Reference: Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds). (1998). The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced Reflections. (2nd ed.) Praegar Publishers Inc. #reaie #reggioaustralia #reaieprofessionallearning

What is it like to have a Circle of Champions on your academic journey? We asked one of our students from JourneyGPS this question and her response is beautiful. See https://lnkd.in/g2medRVP. #www.JourneyGPS.com #CircleofChampions #StudentJourneys #BryanReece #LuisChavez #LuisSanchez #SocialCapitaltoAcademicCapital #MarginalizedStudents #EquityGap

Our welfare research features in this report 👍

I'm looking forward to participating in this panel discussion in May! As a young professional who was empowered by experienced mentors who treated me as a valued peer, I am so appreciative of vision-focused leadership where the opportunity to learn from people with different perspectives, no matter what age or background, is embraced. Smart leaders live with a growth mindset and know there is always more to be learned. 

The Object of Rotary is a philosophical statement of Rotary’s purpose and the responsibilities of Rotarians. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the Second Object, which calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”: Those objectives are: To encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and professions, to recognise the worthiness of all useful occupations, to dignify the Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society. To apply the ideal of service in personal, business and community life. To advance international understanding and goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of businessmen and professional men and women united in the ideal of service. Paul Harris wrote: "Each Rotarian is a connecting link between the idealism of Rotary and their trade or profession". Vocational Service is the way Rotary fosters and supports the application of the Ideal of Service to the pursuit of all vocations. It is the shared responsibility of both the Rotary Club and its members. The role of the Club is to implement and encourage the objectives by its own actions in dealing with the community and by the development of projects that enable members to use their vocational talents in the service of the community. The role of members is to conduct themselves and their businesses in accordance with Rotary principles, and support the Vocational Service projects that the club has developed. During January, Rotarians are encouraged to focus on this important avenue of Rotary service. Discussions on vocational service can lead to projects that not only develop the ethical consciousness and vocational skills of Rotarians but also the talents within their communities. Vocational Service Month is an opportunity to begin year-long vocational service activities, ranging from Rotary discussions to awards to community projects. #rotaryinternational #rotaryclub #rotaryvocational #rotaryvocation #rotaryvocationalservice

If you are a parent of school-aged children, or a teacher/ school administrator, I encourage you to give this journal a try with the kids in the early hours of the day. There is a home and a school version available, and a sports/team version I believe is in the works. Read more about the author, Katie Woods, below, and about the amazing impact A Simple Seed journal is making through its implementation in many schools throughout the United States, and even overseas!