Time’s Ticking Away For New Zealand Schools

Just one month remains for New Zealand schools to enter the 2000 Goodman Fielder School of the Year Awards and secure their chance to claim the honour of being New Zealand’s top school and win $50,000 cash.

All New Zealand schools were sent an entry pack in December last year inviting them to take part in the awards and have until 5pm, Friday May 4 to submit an entry. The awards, designed to showcase and reward outstanding achievements in education, are being held for the fourth year.

Goodman Fielder Milling and Baking managing director Colin Wise says the awards’ programme has been pushed back by two months, giving schools more ‘school’ time to prepare and send in an entry.

“Based on feedback from schools, we changed the timing of the awards to give schools the entire first term plus the first two weeks of term two to submit an entry, a process schools previously had to have done by the end of February,” he says.

“The change also coincides with annual reporting schools are required to do at this time which we hope will help with the ‘self audit’ nature of the award entry.

“We hope many schools embrace this opportunity for their staff’s hard work, dedication and successes to be recognised nationally by their peers and public, and wish all those that enter the very best in the 2000 Goodman Fielder School of the Year Awards.”

Entries are submitted under one of the five competition categories based on the size and type of school and judged on criteria developed to measure achievements alongside other schools in similar circumstances.

The $100,000 prize pool will see five schools each receiving a cash prize of $10,000 and a trophy, with a further $40,000 and supreme trophy awarded to the overall winner. The 10 runners up will also receive $1000 cash and a certificate.

Merit certificates will be awarded to 20 schools that show outstanding achievement in a particular aspect of their entry.

The Goodman Fielder School of the Year website is designed to help schools with their entry and also allows them to download the entry form and submit their entry online. The site is accessed by visiting www.goodmanfielder.com.au through the Community Relations’ link.

Fifteen finalists will be advised in late May with a staff and student representative from each school flown to attend a special ceremony in Wellington on Thursday, June 21 2001 where the winners will be announced.

Prepared on behalf of Goodman Fielder by Porter Novelli New Zealand.

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