Waihi Beach School asks for computer donations

Waihi Beach School students are hoping the community will help them raise funds for new Chromebooks to provide access to more learning and skills that technology provides.

With just 30 Chromebook laptop computers shared between 140 Year 4-6s, Waihi Beach School pupils decided they needed to increase digital equity in the classroom.

While learning how to use technology as an essential part of education is important, the students also identified that not everyone has access to computers or the internet at home, and those who do might have varying devices.

As such, choosing the Chromebooks and increasing the quantity available for access at school is an important step towards addressing digital equity, and one that the pupils are hoping the community can help with.

Their Givealittle page goal is $40,000 for the school to achieve 100 Chromebooks. As of June 23, they had raised more than $1000 towards their goal.

The crowd-funding option allows supporters to be able to sponsor a little or a lot, with every milestone equating to another child having more access to the learning and skills the technology provides.

Waihi Beach School is categorised as a decile 7, using a system that is designed to indicate the extent to which the school draws its students from low socio-economic communities and that determines the amount of funding a school receives.

Principal Rachael Coll and the school's Board of Trustees continue to raise awareness that the rating doesn't reflect the reality for the school's 250-plus students, leaving a wide gap between funding and school needs.

The funding the school receives per child is at least a third, through to just a quarter, of what other primary schools receive.

Waihi Beach's location on the border of Western Bay of Plenty and Hauraki districts sees the school ineligible for funding from several community trusts that would be available to it if it was located 10km either side of the border.

Taking matters into its own hands, Waihi Beach School has released a series of Givealittle crowd-funding pages that aim to share its story and its successes with the wider Waihi Beach community.

In addition to the Digital Equity fundraiser, people and businesses can contribute to a community van or an exciting playground, with the design developed by the students and located on school grounds that are open to the public.

Whether a sign of the times where Covid-19 restrictions halted school and community fundraising activities across the country, or a return to the days where everyone pitched in a little, the team at Waihi Beach School is willing to try something new.

Community partnerships with businesses and groups continue to be welcomed, and the school is keen to develop sponsorship programmes that continue connections within the community.