Lakeview pupils dine out with their principal, from left, Nevaeh Apiata, Cruz Graham, Moses Tuia, Tay Posthuma, principal Tim Nelson and Rhion Cobb. PHOTO/ELISA VORSTER
ELISA VORSTER
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Most pupils at Lakeview School are no longer afraid of being sent to the principal’s office.
This week, a group of pupils were chosen to join principal Tim Nelson for a free lunch of Subway sandwiches as a reward for consistent good behaviour.
Nelson said the lunch was a good opportunity to spend time chatting to well-behaved children who might otherwise fall off the radar.
“These kids are all fab,” he said.
“It’s easy to not notice the kids who are always doing the right thing.”
Subway Masterton franchise owner Terry Ingles said he subsidises lunch for the school because it was good to give back to the community which supports him all year round.
“They’re good customers and it’s good to get good, nutritious food in the kids.”
Nelson said the pupils were selected based on how well they followed the “golden rules” each day, which capture the school’s values – excellence, respect, aroha and integrity.
If a pupil displays these, they get a green card.
When a pupil gets a green card every day for two weeks they go into a draw to have lunch with the principal.
Nelson said his favourite thing about the reward system was that it resets, so if a pupil doesn’t achieve a green card every day during a two-week period, they get another opportunity to go into the draw the following fortnight.
“It’s a clean slate every single time,” Nelson said.
“If they choose to make things right, a mistake made three months ago doesn’t matter.”