Letters
Below is the record of our correspondence with Titirangi Steiner School between the 2nd of April 2009 and November 2009, ordered chronologically.
Please scroll down and see just how long was the effort to persuade the school that stopping intentional hurting from re-occurring was the most pressing problem and the only issue we have had with the school.
Even if you can’t be bothered to read the emails and letters, you can see how hard we tried, from how many there are, You will find no complaints about our eldest daughter, or even about us in any of this correspondence. Not one, apart from in our dismissal letter, which was never subject to any process.
The first indication we had that our manner of approaching the school, or the College was not desirable to them, was after we were chucked out. Of course now the situation is “all about” that, and due to our direct action, it is easy for parents minds to be so focussed. But surely the school had a responsibility to let us know, if they think we are ‘unreasonable’, they had ample opportunity! After all, we mentioned their legal responsibilities from the very beginning and they didn’t seem to have a problem with that. And, hello, they are supposed to proudly uphold them.
You could say that they encouraged us to continue even and that we were set up to explode in the way we did last Monday, especially given that we were expecting a long-awaited meeting on that very day and instead all our kids were kicked out with no warning or reason.
Having failed to give us guidance or feed-back, what part of any breakdown in communication is down to them?
“I have read all your archives and mails, and your annoyance and anger at the school is absolutely justified.”
A parent of Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School (July 2009)
2nd of April 2009 (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton & Susanne Cole)
3rd of April 2009 (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
5th of April 2009 (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
10th of April 2009 - 8:25am (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
10th of April 2009 - 8:36am (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
27th of April 2009 - 3:31pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
27th of April 2009 - 8:04pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
1st of May 2009 (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
2nd of May 2009 (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
11th of May 2009 (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton, Susanne Cole, Sheryl Mace & Heather Peri)
14th of May 2009 - 7:47am (from Mark Thornton to Angel, Melanie, Heather Peri & Sheryl Mace)
14th of May 2009 - 4:57pm (from Heather Peri to Angel & Steve)
15th of May 2009 - 11:48am (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton, Susanne Cole, Sheryl Mace & Heather Peri)
15th of May 2009 - 1:10pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
15th of May 2009 (from Heather Peri to Steve & Angel)
21st of May 2009 (from Steve & Angel to the trustees: Sean Gribben, Paddy Delaney, Desmond Burdon & Irene Ryan)
24th of May 2009 (from Sean Gribben to Steve & Angel)
26th of May 2009 - 7:59am (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
26th of May 2009 - 4:09pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
27th of May 2009 (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
28th of May 2009 - 10:41am (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
28th of May 2009 - 1:27pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
28th of May 2009 - 2:49pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
28th of May 2009 - 4:13pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
28th of May 2009 - 5:28pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
31st of May 2009 (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton & Susanne Cole)
1st of June 2009 - 6:14pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
1st of June 2009 - 10:28pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton, Heather Peri & Sheryl Mace)
2nd of June 2009 - 7:56am (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
2nd of June 2009 - 10:51am (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
2nd of June 2009 - 5:49pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
2nd of June 2009 - 7:47pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
2nd of June 2009 - 8:59pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
3rd of June 2009 (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
5th of June 2009 - 11:38am (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
5th of June 2009 - 12:21pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
5th of June 2009 - 1:47pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
5th of June 2009 - 1:55pm (from Angel & Steve to Mark Thornton & Sean Gribben)
5th of June 2009 - 3:12pm (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
5th of June 2009 - 3:18pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
5th of June 2009 - 3:54pm (from Steve & Angel to a few parents)
5th of June 2009 - 5:39pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
6th of June 2009 - 9:12am (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
6th of June 2009 - 4:30pm (from Heather Peri to Angel & Steve)
6th of June 2009 - 8:56pm (from Desmond Burdon to Angel & Steve)
8th of June 2009 (letter to management and college of teachers from Angel & Steve)
8th of June 2009 - 11:12am (from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
8th of June 2009 (letter from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
------
After our children’s places were unexpectedly withdrawn:
------
9th of June 2009 (flyer for parents from Steve & Angel)
9th of June 2009 ("incident on school premises")
11th of June 2009 (letter from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
15th of June 2009 (from Steve & Angel to the trustees: Sean Gribben, Paddy Delaney, Desmond Burdon & Irene Ryan)
16th of June 2009 (letter from Steve & Angel to the teachers)
16th of June 2009 - 12:23pm (from Kay Ingamells to Heather Peri)
17th of June 2009 (from Steve and Angel to the trustees: Sean Gribben, Paddy Delaney, Desmond Burdon & Irene Ryan)
19th of June 2009 (letter from Mark Thornton to Angel & Steve)
21st of June 2009 (from Sean Gribben to Angel & Steve)
22nd of June 2009 - 2:04pm (from Steve & Angel to Mark Thornton)
22nd of June 2009 - 2:27pm (from Steve & Angel to a lot of people)
25th of June 2009 - 11:46am (from Steve & Angel to Sue Russell, Steiner Federation Coordinator)
26th of June 2009 (letter from Heather Peri to Angel & Steve)
28th of June 2009 - 7:01pm (from a class parent to parents of class 3/4)
30th of June 2009 - 10:50am (from Sue Russell to Angel & Steve)
30th of June 2009 - 11:03am (from Angel & Steve to Sue Russell, Steiner Federation Coordinator)
30th of June 2009 (letter from Heather Peri to Angel & Steve)
30th of June 2009 - 4:33pm (letter from Angel & Steve to the trustees: Sean Gribben, Paddy Delaney, Desmond Burdon & Irene Ryan)
6th of July 2009 - 9:30am (letter from Angel & Steve to Mark Thornton)
10th of July 2009 - 6:50pm (from Sean Gribben to Angel & Steve)
10th of July 2009 - 7:27pm (from Angel & Steve to Sean Gribben, Heather Peri, Mark Thornton, Sheryl Mace, Irene Ryan, Elka Baublies, Desmond Burdon & Paddy Delaney)
21st of July 2009 - 3:51pm (from Sean Gribben to Steve & Angel)
21st of July 2009 - 5:44pm (from Angel & Steve to Sean Gribben, Mark Thornton, Heather Peri, Sheryl Mace, Irene Ryan, Elka Baublies, Desmond Burdon & Paddy Delaney)
20th of August 2009 (letter from Angel & Steve to Mark Thornton, Heather Peri & Sheryl Mace)
27th of August 2009 - 3:11pm (from Mark Thornton to Steve & Angel)
November 2009 (leaflet handed out outside the school during various meetings and events)
11th of August 2010 (official invitation to contribute to the documentary)