5 JULY 2021 | VOL. 100 | NO. 8
Culture comes alive Matariki inspires creativity
A little magic helps recovery from fire
Environment the focus of local curriculum
Announcing the 2021 finalists A total of 19 finalists have been selected from the Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū, Nelson and Waikato regions for this year’s Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards. Each of the finalists demonstrated innovative, effective and excellent teaching practice. Working together with tamariki, rangatahi, whānau, iwi, hapū and the wider community, they saw positive outcomes that supported all learners to succeed. See if there’s a finalist near you. Visit pmawards.education.govt.nz
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Contents
Spotlight on culture, identity and belonging
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Matariki inspires creativity and learning
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History comes alive at Sylvia Park School
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A little magic helps recovery from devastating fire
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Celebrating Matariki the Maungatapu way
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Shadi Club supports language and culture
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Environment enhances curriculum on Rakiura
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School service partnership broadens horizons
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Curriculum leads are ready to connect
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Contribution to learning support recognised
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Tech21 Summit: Connecting ākonga with the tech sector
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Future of space science in good hands
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Public engagement on NCEA subjects
5 JULY 2021 | VOL. 100 | NO. 8
On the cover Page 8: Children from Sylvia Park School on board Kupe’s waka hourua, one of several installations on the school’s history trail.
Culture comes alive Matariki inspires creativity
A little magic helps recovery from fire
Environment the focus of local curriculum
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E D UCATION GA ZET TE ON LI N E
Education Gazette podcast: Curriculum in action - Sylvia Park School’s history trail
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Staff and students from Sylvia Park School talk about their inquiry, Our Aotearoa, as they give Education Gazette a tour of their history trail. Listen to the podcast at educationgazette.podbean.com.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Celebrating Matariki
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s I write this on 24 June, it strikes me that this date next year will be New Zealand’s first public holiday to mark Matariki. I recently spent some time at Maungatapu School in Tauranga, where preparations to celebrate Matariki were in full swing. The children were learning all sorts of dances, from the ‘Birdie Dance’ to the foxtrot, in preparation for the Matariki Ball to be held at a local marae, where they will dance with their grandparents, share kai, sing waiata, release Chinese lanterns and remember loved ones. Principal Tane Bennett is eager for the new public holiday to hold real meaning for his students, and the Matariki celebrations this year will provide an opportunity for the whole school community to learn more about Matariki. You can read more about what they’re doing in this issue – and don’t miss the great article on the creative project students and staff at St Mary’s College in Wellington have taken on to mark Matariki. You may recall our article and video last year on what Apanui School and other schools from the Whakatāne Kāhui Ako are doing to lift attendance and engagement within their community. Not long after we visited, Apanui School was devastated by a fire and is now facing a long road to recovery. In this issue, we look at how the support and aroha from the wider community is helping get the school back on its feet. As we hit the mid-year point, we’d like your feedback on whether Education Gazette is hitting the mark and how we can continue to improve. Please take our online survey at consultation.education.govt.nz/spg/education-gazettereadership-survey. Chief Editor, Jude Barback
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M ATARI KI
Matariki inspires creativity and learning Matariki is providing creative learning opportunities for students at St Mary’s College in Wellington, including an exhibition of Matariki-inspired corsets made by ākonga, which will be displayed at the National Library of New Zealand in July.
Shayla, Bella, Tyra and Nan with the ‘Ode to the Suffragettes’ piece. Nan is wearing a feather korowai she made. It is called ‘Pikihoro’ and pays tribute to her marae, Takipu in Te Karaka.
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atariki celebrations keep getting bigger and bigger at St Mary’s College, a Catholic secondary school in Thorndon, as teaching staff look at culturally responsive ways to engage students in the annual event. The Matariki corset project is in its third year and Nan Walden (Te-Aitanga-a-Mahaaki), head of creative technologies, is thrilled that this year, some of the best garments were to be exhibited at the National Library. In June, National Library curators judged 30 entries from three classes of Year 10s – with a selection of the best becoming part of an exhibition, Hato Marie – Te Auaha. “The National Library has been really amazing in this,” says Nan. “They’ve got exhibitions down there: He Tohu with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Declaration of Independence and the signatures of the suffragettes. The girls visited these exhibitions and also Mīharo Wonder, 100 years of Alexander Turnbull Library, and they have taken inspiration from all of that and put it into their corsets.”
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make it the project that we are honoring Te Ao Māori as the first culture. If we have a Te Ao Māori lens, we can bring to it what other cultures represent as well. What’s good for Māori, is good for everybody here,” explains Nan. Julia Scarf’s Year 10 design technology class is also taking part in the Matariki corset challenge. She says that a culturally responsive lens allows students to bring their cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to the project. “I think one of the exciting things is that all of the girls can be exactly who they are – they do a lot of research about how they can incorporate these things and they come up with these ideas and I basically say ‘go for it’. “It’s like taking different muses. The students might take the inspiration or muses of te reo Māori, Matariki and superwomen and combine these ideas to make a Wahine Toa corset with shooting stars coming out of the shoulders!” explains Julia.
Cross-curricular collaboration
Opening the cultural dimension
Matariki celebrations at St Mary’s have become a collaboration between several departments and subjects. Food technology students catered the opening of the National Library exhibition with culturally responsive food relating to Matariki. Senior design technology students used Adobe InDesign to create promotional elements for the National Library exhibition. Digital technology students have made ‘Marvellous Matariki’ movies, which will be used in schoolwide celebrations to be held in July. The languages department will also be running a multilingual QR code ‘Amazing Race’.
Māori lens benefits all
For the teachers involved, it’s vital that all of the activities are culturally responsive, while framed by a Te Ao Māori lens. “About 50 percent of our student population are Pacific or Māori, but the other 50 percent are made up of Pākehā and many other ethnicities. So the girls get to bring all of their cultures to the Matariki corset project,” explains Nan. She says being able to show diversity and cultural responsiveness is more than putting posters on the wall featuring te reo Māori and Māori whakataukī (proverbs). “It’s not until you actually bring it into the project and
Head of languages at the school, Amélie Kelder, is Belgian and says that for the past three years, the languages department has focused on creating a multicultural Matariki event. “We wanted to see the perspective of each culture for Matariki because it’s a special time of the year across the continents. For example, Japanese people celebrate Tanabata (Star Festival). In Belgium and France, we have a music festival and the Fire of St Jean at the end of June,” she explains. Amélie goes on to say that Matariki represents harvesting, new birth and the resilience of those people who navigated across oceans using the stars. “I’m an immigrant so I know that if we can show the diversity and multiple faces of one event –it’s really allowing them to celebrate who they are and what they want to do. That’s why my department does something different every year – and every year it’s bigger.” Samoan, Japanese, French and te reo Māori are taught at St Mary’s College and the languages department will be running some multi-cultural events for the school’s own Matariki celebrations on 28 July, which will include crafts from different cultures. French students will do pointilism painting, te reo
“If we have a Te Ao Māori lens, we can bring to it what other cultures represent as well. What’s good for Māori, is good for everybody here.” Nan Walden
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Julia Scarf, Nan Walden, Amélie Kelder (with wee Oona) and Tessa Moxey are enjoying the cross-curricular opportunities provided by Matariki.
The Creative Technologies studio at St Mary's College.
Māori students will do harakeke weaving, Samoan learners will do carving and the Japanese students will use calligraphy to write some Catholic prayers for typical Japanese bunting. The language department will also be collaborating with digital technology to organise a multilingual Amazing Race, says Amélie. “At the beginning of the year, for Year 9 orientation, there was a QR code ‘Amazing Race’ for the girls to learn about the school. We’re going to re-use the template of the QR system, but all the questions will be in a target language. Working as a team, they’re going to have to understand those questions which are based on Matariki. The target is to celebrate Matariki but using digital technology, opening the culture and celebrating all the subjects in one big game,” she explains.
Inclusive festival
Tessa Moxey, teacher-in-charge of food technology, says that catering for the opening of the National Library exhibition provided a valuable opportunity for her students. “To create high level engagement and lots of learning opportunities, the students are running the whole thing. They have to figure out how they’re going to cater this, what they’re going to cook, the systems that they’ll need, and the health and safety protocols that they’ll need. “For Matariki, they will be basing the food around the seven stars – which all have a food group attached to them – but they will interpret that themselves. We will try to have a Māori flavour to the food,” she says. “Last year we made cupcakes with stars on them
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and this year we’re still coming up with ideas,” says Esther, Year 11. “We started writing a timeline on preparation for the recipes and for when we’ll be making the food beforehand. We’re practising with a Pacifika fono night,” she says. Tessa says the annual Matariki event is like glue that binds the whole project together. “As a Pākehā teacher, I think that what’s good for Māori is good for everyone. We can’t have an education system that has different outcomes for different students. “When projects like this happen in different classroom spaces, the students are less resistant to Te Ao Māori because it’s seen in every classroom, it’s a whole-school event. Maybe four or five years ago there might have been more pushback from some non-Māori students,” says Tessa.
Personal journey
Ten years ago, Nan says she did not speak te reo Māori but she now is asked to do karakia and whaikōrero (formal speeches). “As a country we’re on a journey and it’s amazing how far we’ve come. It’s about being allowed to shine and to lead. As a wahine toa, a Māori woman, and a teacher in a school, I get to set the example for my Māori students. “That’s been a journey for me as well – being a leader and honouring my tipuna and connecting with my whakapapa has been so amazing for my artistic journey – and for my student’s artistic journeys. It raises Māori achievement,” she says. Ākonga at St Mary’s are engaged in, and love, the annual Matariki events and Nan says they are a ‘good marketing tool’ for technology subjects.
Vision for creative technologies
“I have a very future-focused vision for the technology department here,” says Nan. “So many people still talk about the ‘sewing room’ and the ‘cooking space’, but actually it’s the creative technology space and the girls have agency over what they make, whether it be architecture, furniture, korowai, or wearable art.” She says the school’s vision for creative technologies is to produce future- focused women with digital skills. “We’re producing young women that want to go into trades, who want to be builders, we’re producing engineers, digital programmers and fashion designers. We are doing it all in here,” explains Nan. The exhibition at the National Library will be held from 6-23 July and then the corsets will become the centrepiece of the school’s own Matariki week at the end of July.
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Ode to the Suffragettes Year 10 design technology students Tyrah, Shayla and Bella have used a range of historical and cultural elements in their corset, skirt and korowai. The full papier-mâché skirt, which sits on a hooped crinoline was inspired by seeing the signatures of the suffragettes at He Tohu. Over a two-week period, St Mary’s students were invited to add their signatures to coffee-stained cotton fabric used to make the skirt. – referencing the foremothers who signed the early petition to gain votes for women. The Matariki corset was inspired by a painting from 1900 in the Mīharo Wonder exhibition that shows early European settlers on a log bridge. Nan notes that she is still learning about tikanga Māori and that a korowai is defined as a traditional Māori cloak made from traditionally sourced materials and traditional techniques. “All other cloaks will be referred to as contemporary korowai to honor our Māori traditions and weavers,” she explains in a disclaimer.
CULTURES WOVEN INTO PROJECT Tyra is Samoan and says that she incorporated a little Polynesian culture in the design. “One thing I enjoyed while doing the corsets was that I was able to express my creativity and ideas. Even though it’s based around Matariki, you can make any kind of corset that you really want. The first idea was making a nature-inspired corset, but that was quite complicated so we tried to change it a bit more and make it more Matariki. “The final idea was the women suffrage idea. I also do art and was able to incorporate all of my art skills and techniques on the corset. Putting a painting on the corset is a really nice idea,” she says. Shayla, who has a Cook Island Māori background, says she didn’t feel she brought her culture into the project, but the two cultures are quite close. She found that making mistakes was valuable. “One thing I enjoyed about making our corset was actually making mistakes, because every mistake we have made produced something that was better than our previous idea,” she says. Bella most enjoyed being able to bring the group’s ideas to life and using different techniques to create the corset and other elements such as sewing for the korowai and different techniques of brushing. “I have learnt patience, how to papier-mâché, how to dry brush and how to sew on lots of different things in different ways,” she says. Nan says the girls’ project honours those women who fought for future generations to be able to vote. It also represents the Matariki concept of resilience and rebirth. “We talk at length about the Suffragette movement and how we got the vote – that was a kind of oppression. “I also really enjoy that part about it being rebirth. As an oppressed people we are now being able to shine and it’s amazing that Matariki represents this. We are awoken as people and are shining and knowing that we can shine. Not hiding behind my white skin has allowed everybody around me to do that as well,” adds Nan.
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H ISTORI ES
History comes alive at Sylvia Park School Education Gazette takes a tour of Sylvia Park School’s artwork-studded history trail, the physical output from its school-wide inquiry into Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.
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eeting kunekune pigs, Hettie and Percy, was an unexpected part of our tour of Sylvia Park School. Yet the pigs, along with bees, several mini native forests designed for different bird and insect populations, and around 540 children appeared very much at home at the Auckland school, which presents as a vibrant oasis in the middle of an urban jungle. The tour begins at Gondwanaland, then leads us to the dinosaurs, to Kupe’s double-hulled waka, to a child-sized installation depicting thriving Māori communities, and to a series of pou to mark the first encounter. The trail is effectively a visual representation of the school’s inquiry, ‘Aotearoa, Our Story: Nau Mai, Haere Mai’, with each 10-week cycle of the inquiry delving into a new aspect of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, and resulting in a new addition to the trail. Students guide us along the history trail, describing the learning behind each installation we encounter. Year 5 student Freddie shares his contribution to Kupe’s waka. “So, this is the waka that Kupe sailed on from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. And on these panels show the story of Aotearoa. This is my one – it’s about how this is Kupe and he was chasing Te Wheke, a very, very annoying octopus. And while he was chasing, his wife, Kuramārotini was on and so he started the journey, chasing Te Wheke here, then in the middle of the sea. “And finally, Kuramārotini actually was looking out into the distance and she saw a beautiful piece of land and she said, ‘He Ao, He Ao, He Aotearoa’. And that is how we got the name Aotearoa. And if it wasn’t for Kupe, and Kuramārotini, and maybe even if it wasn’t for Te Wheke, we wouldn’t be standing on this land right now.” The next 10-week cycle will focus on te Tiriti o Waitangi and staff and students are eager to see what the resulting addition to the history trail will be.
Kupe's waka: ākonga proudly sit side by side in one of their installations – a waka depicting the story of Aotearoa.
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Our shared history
Principal Barbara Ala’alatoa is passionate about this topic of inquiry. “We’re sort of obsessed with it,” she laughs. “Our kids will never leave this school not knowing the important things about us as a nation. We want really positive things out of it. We want to feel proud about this country. To have a powerful image of what it is to be Māori. And to all feel a sense of belonging, because we all share in these stories. “So whether you’ve been here five minutes, or you’ve never been anywhere else, the idea that we have a history that is shared by all of us was the thing that we really wanted to emphasise.” Barbara has been interested to observe the wider conversation around the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content. “There’s a little bit of fear about how some of these stories will land and whether it’s going to start to cause some discomfort. But I think the thing that people don’t talk about enough is the pedagogy – so if you think about the way in which you create a learning context for children to inquire, to think about teasing out different perspectives, if you think about making a connection to ensuring that kids know that there are lessons in there for all of us, then you kind of avoid a lot of that stuff.” Barbara says the national curriculum is “incredibly permissive” and allows the scope to curate and deliver a rich local curriculum. She expects the refresh of the curriculum – currently underway – will enhance this further. And as deputy principal Dagmar Dyck says, it also allows the freedom to be agile and responsive in their approach. “We’re focusing on delivering our localised curriculum, but we’re also really mindful of being able to pivot quickly in terms of what’s happening, what’s current. What are we hearing in the playground? What are the children talking and thinking about? What are they truly interested in?” says Dagmar.
Building teacher knowledge
Top: Year 6 student Jadynn learned about thriving Māori communities as part of her class’s inquiry. Bottom: Alexander, Year 6, enjoyed contributing to the AOTEAROA installation project.
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Before embarking on the inquiry, it was important for teachers to build their own knowledge first. “As a staff, we are learners. It’s about removing this thing I call ‘teacher disease’ where teachers feel like they should know everything. So the idea that we all buy in as learners and we make no assumptions about knowledge we have or don’t have, has been really critical to that,” says Barbara. As a staff they listened to Radio New Zealand’s podcast series on Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, they did their own reading, and studied resources shared by the inquiry team. One of the school’s five deputy principals, Tessa Leona, says this was invaluable for her. “I learned heaps of new things along the way about our history, about Polynesian arrivals, the settlers, the Māori thriving communities. And then once I had built
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my content knowledge, it was much easier to share with the tamariki and get them motivated and excited to learn about their own history.”
The inquiry process
The school’s 10-week inquiry cycles begins with ‘Ignite’, which aims to get the children excited and wondering what’s coming. Inquiry learning is pitched to suit every child, whether they are in Year 1 or Year 8, but the integral question remains the same throughout the school. “We try to think up fantastical ideas that provoke them and sort of disrupt everything they know about in relation to a question. Then the next part of the inquiry is exploring the question,” says Barbara. “We are exploring te Tiriti o Waitangi at the moment and the kids are looking at agreements, travelling back in time, they’re trying to put their feet in the shoes of people who were involved in the events leading up to the signing and what happened afterwards. “And then after a couple of weeks of researching around that, they’ll sort and synthesise information, and then start to think about, ‘So what? You’ve learned all that stuff – what are you going do with it?’” That’s where the physical manifestation of the learning comes into it. “How do I create something with my peers, that ends up creating a better context, whether it be a tangible thing, or whether it be an action, that improves the lives of myself, my friends, my whānau, our community, the world?” The inquiry cycle ends with a celebration – usually a big reveal of what they’ve created – and then evaluation. “Did we answer that question? Did we do a good job? What do we take forward in terms of making it better next time we start to enquire?” says Barbara.
Sylvia Park School principal Barbara Ala’alatoa.
Listen to the podcast! Staff and students from Sylvia Park School talk about their inquiry, Our Aotearoa, as they give Education Gazette a tour of their history trail. Listen to the Education Gazette podcast on educationgazette.podbean.com.
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The strategic plan
The history trail ends at a magnificent colourful artwork on an outside wall. It is Sylvia Park School’s strategic plan and it underpins everything they do here, including the inquiry process. “So it was time to review our strategic plan and create our new plan for 2020 to 2022. And we thought, why would we do it when we’ve got all these amazing kids who could do it for us?” Using their approach to inquiry learning, they posed the question to their students: Sylvia Park School into the future – what does ‘amazing’ look like? “The first part of the process was to get them curious, and to ignite that wonder in them. So on the first day back, they went into all different classes, and they did weird and wonderful things. It was disruptive and it allowed us that opportunity to ask, what could learning look like?”
Q&A When will the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum updates be introduced? Teaching Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories will be part of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa from 2022 onwards. Will this mean Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories will become a compulsory subject? Histories is already part of the social sciences in The New Zealand Curriculum and Tikanga ā-Iwi in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It’s expected that Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories will be taught as part of the local curriculum and marau ā-kura at every level of the curriculum, and be
The next couple of weeks were about exploring what learning could look like. They researched what learning looked like in different contexts: around the world, in a kaupapa Māori setting, in a forest, historically. Then they started to sort and synthesise the information into what appealed to them. The students then made symbols based on the things they thought were important on the basis of their research. Each symbol, depending on its importance to the student and their whānau, was then divided accordingly into groups – these formed the school’s aspirations. The five deputy principals are champions for each of the aspirations. “For us, it’s about having an absolutely clear line of sight from these things to everything that we do in school. We have plans, we have priorities for the year, that are all linked back to this, to make sure you actually do what you said you’re going do,” says Barbara.
available as an option from Year 11. Both learning areas will be refreshed to accommodate the new curriculum content. What can schools do to start getting ready now? Schools can start planning by using this guide: Supporting school leaders to understand and plan for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in social sciences – this features the useful ‘Poutama’ of stages of readiness (page 5).
Go to www.education.govt.nz/ aotearoanzhistories for more information or email AotearoaNewZealandHistories@education.govt.nz
The AOTEAROA installation project is one of many as part of the school’s ‘Aotearoa: Our Story: Nau Mai, Haere Mai’ inquiry.
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Burnside’s international student director, Craig Rosengrave, said having a trusted insurance provider is invaluable when students require emergency or timely assistance. “In our eyes, SCTI is the only organisation that strongly commits to following-up, personal service and exceptional student care. Our representative is always there for us and it’s why we keep coming back,” he said. New Zealand Tertiary College chief executive, Selena Fox, said they have worked closely with SCTI since 2009. “We really appreciate the important work SCTI does in providing peace of mind for our students and their parents, particularly when they experience health events. Knowing that SCTI is covering the medical expenses helps to relieve some of the pressure facing our students, and lets them focus on healing, and moving back, as able, into their programmes of study” she said. In addition to needing extra support when it comes to medical events, international students are also at risk of experiencing mental health challenges. In the wake of COVID-19, many international students opted to stay in New Zealand over the summer holidays so they could continue their studies, meaning they have been away from home for an extended period of time. McCauley said some schools have concerns about their overseas students missing family and friends back home, and, even those living in New Zealand with their parents, can feel homesick. “When you add in the uncertainty around the pandemic, and what the COVID-19 situation may be in their home country, looking out for their wellbeing is vital.
“Medical events can be particularly stressful for both students, and their families back home, when they are in an unfamiliar country, but we work closely with schools to take away the worry of managing hospital arrangements, medical costs and payment uncertainty. We can also pay for parents to come and support their children if necessary,” she said.
“We offer a mental health benefit which is designed to support students in times of distress. If a student needs specialised mental health treatment, we can accept a referral from the school’s counsellor which makes it easier for students to claim and access treatment under their policy. We can also offer treatment provided by acupuncturists or Chinese medical practitioners* which can be particularly helpful for some students.
SCTI supported Christchurch’s Burnside High School through a recent period when several of their international students required medical treatment at a similar time. This included a colonoscopy, severe gynaecological issues that required costly investigation, and a pupil cutting his thumb with a guillotine.
“We’re also proud that the Southern Cross group supports Pause Breathe Smile, a mind health programme for kids. Our involvement means the initiative is free for any primary and intermediate school and it gives young learners the tools to help manage the ups and downs of life,” she said.
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Cameron Grieve from Sport Bay of Plenty races to the finish line with Reuben (Year 6). Dayton (Year 6) is keeping an eye on things.
COM M U N IT Y
A little magic helps recovery from devastating fire An outpouring of support has helped a Whakatāne school recover from a devastating fire.
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ust a couple of days into the 2021 school year, Apanui School principal Simon Akroyd got a call no principal wants to get in the middle of the night. Fire destroyed eight classrooms right through the middle of the school. Within days, staff and about 400 pupils were relocated to community facilities at the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall. “The fire was Friday night/Saturday morning; we met with the Council on the Saturday afternoon and they offered the use of the hall,” says Simon. “We shut the school on the Monday and that allowed us to come and have our blessings of the site, get out what we could and get ourselves set up in the War Memorial Hall, which ended up being home for the next month or so.”
Making it work
Classes were shoehorned into various spaces, says Simon, including a theatre, the theatre wings and a large gym, which was the ‘blow off steam’ space. “It was a bit of shock, but more linked to only being at school for two days in term 1 and then the fire happening. We put a focus on our mental health and making sure everyone was settled and comfortable in that space. “We ended up going into team teaching scenarios when most of our classes are single cell. But the teachers and support staff all banded together. We upped all our support staff hours to full time if they were available, just to make sure we had all hands-on deck. Parents were great and we all made it work. “The Council and community came on board. The Ministry of Education provided buses – it became a kind of four-week camp with lots of opportunities to go and do things that we wouldn’t normally do. Traditional reading, writing and maths looked a bit different for those few weeks, but it was a matter of getting through it and making sure everyone was safe and happy and functioning.” Simon says tamariki were brilliant in the school environment but “a handful of parents told us there were meltdowns happening at home and there wouldn’t normally be.” He adds they brought in Ministry psychologists for parents to talk to, and that their in-school social worker made sure he was around and touched base with kids. Apanui School’s 10 remaining classrooms were
deep-cleaned, and the site cleared by early March, when a tsunami warning on the east coast saw the community head to the hills.
Tsunami warning
Simon says the tsunami evacuation was just a further ‘spanner in the works’, and one day later than planned, the remaining 10 classrooms were back in use. Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi owns a former hotel and conference centre next to the school, the Ministry leased the space and there are now five classes in the building and four Portacoms on the site. “We’ve put a hole in the fence and there’s a path – kids and staff come back on site for breaks and to do PE. This is now our home for the next 18 months.”
Importance of play
Simon believes the school’s approach to learning, which includes incorporating well-structured play activities, has helped children return to feeling settled at school. “We see learning through play as the best thing for our kids – a way of supporting reading, writing and maths as well as supporting their social development. It provides an easier transition for kids into school. “When we started, we had a group of kids coming into school with poor oral language. We looked around at what we could do differently and being able to use their language through play became an obvious solution and we built on it from there. “We feed it right through the school now, so we’re working on what it looks like up the school for older kids because it obviously looks different for them.”
Magic Play Box
The school has two shipping containers full of loose parts for self-directed open-ended play. With things lost in the fire, Simon was thrilled when Sport Waitākere, hearing about the disaster from Longworth Education gifted the school a Magic Play Box. Longworth Education had been working with the school previously to help them implement play-based learning. Sport Bay of Plenty was on hand to deliver the box and get tamariki started.
“We see learning through play as the best thing for our kids – a way of supporting reading, writing and maths as well as supporting their social development.” Simon Akroyd
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“The fire certainly put a bit of a challenge into how we’re going to operate this year, with the resources disappearing and all the bits and pieces teachers build up over time,” says Simon. “The Magic Play Box was great because it just helped us rebuild some of those resources. The kids were absolutely fizzing – they love it. It’s been integrated into our play, given it a new little boost and helped to build that resource for the school,” he explains. Simon says that his teachers are highly skilled at observing children at play and building that into provocations and opportunities to extend their learning. “A big part of the play is making sure teachers are out in the play because it’s easy to be sitting in the classroom but then you’re not observing their urges and what the children are engaged in. The teachers bring that back into the classroom to integrate with the maths, writing and reading where possible.”
“The support and love has proved that, first and foremost, schools are about the people.” Simon Akroyd
Learning through water play
Water play is popular with tamariki at the school and provides many social and learning opportunities. “There’s the opportunity to be playing with water, creating mixtures and all that sort of stuff; but also, the teacher will be using the language of the curriculum. So, the teacher might grab a litre container and say: ‘this is a litre container, how many do you think it will take to fill this other container?’. “They can build in language around fractions for older kids. The skill of the teacher is in building that curriculum language with the children,” explains Simon. Water play provides an opportunity for older children to learn and play with younger children at the school. “We look to mix up the ages of the kids too,” he says. “Lots of our older boys need that water play and things that younger kids freely do. Learning through water play removes that barrier around older kids feeling they are babies playing with bubbles and doing water play. “When we mix up the 10-year-olds with the five-year-olds, the play just flows beautifully. They’re learning off each other and they are great role models for our younger kids. It removes that stigma of ‘playing with water when you’re 10’.”
Support and love Top: Reuben found a good use for some tyres and a length of pole. Bottom: Learning through structured play is a big part of the kaupapa at Apanui School.
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In a rough year, Apanui School’s approach to learning through structured play has helped the school community get back on its feet.
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“While we were at the War Memorial Hall, we provided what we could around the play in terms of resourcing and opportunities, but then when we filtered back into school, it was huge. “The kids were familiar with it, it allowed them to settle. We think it really helped with that transition back into school because it became something that they knew and an outlet for them to express themselves,” says Simon. He says that a large part of learning through play is the development of social skills along with problemsolving. “Our teachers have the skills to build that into their learning and it’s also a way to get the kids to express themselves and work through the fire. “We just want to thank all of the schools, colleagues and classes who have supported us in so many ways since the fire. The support and love has proved that, first and foremost, schools are about the people,” he adds. Education Gazette visited Apanui School prior to the fire. Watch the video on youtube.com/edgazettenewzealand to see how the school worked with its Kāhui Ako to improve attendance and engagement across its community.
Rob Stevenson from Longworth Education has a kōrero with Hamish (Year 5).
The Magic Play Box provides fun and learning opportunities.
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M ATARI KI
Celebrating Matariki the Maungatapu way The entire Maungatapu School community in Tauranga is eagerly anticipating its Matariki Ball, which will be held later this term as part of a school-wide approach to celebrating and learning about Matariki.
Te Ara O’Brien and Tane Bennett are looking forward to the Maungatapu School Matariki Ball.
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n principal Tane Bennett’s office is a 1984 class photo from Maungatapu School. He points to a kid in the third row. It’s him. It’s no surprise that – now as principal – Tane is passionate about his community. “One of our key goals is to continue to strengthen relationships with our whānau, hapū and iwi and we’re always looking for ways to do that,” he says. “We have been waiting for an opportunity to lead a community event that we can call our own, one that brings together our kaumātua and their mokopuna.” The Matariki Ball presented itself as the perfect opportunity and is set to become Maungatapu School’s special kaupapa.
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The Matariki Ball
The Matariki Ball will take place over the course of week 9 this term at Hairini Marae, with students from each syndicate attending a different night along with a grandparent or whānau member. The children have learnt special karakia for the night. They will dance with their grandparents and sing waiata as entertainment. They will also bring photos of loved ones who have passed on as an opportunity to remember them. At the end of the night, each child will inscribe in lanterns their hopes and dreams before releasing them into the sky with their grandparent. This is to embrace the significance of Hiwa te Rangi, one of the stars of Matariki.
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There will also be a cake cutting to mark Maungatapu School’s 140th birthday – it is one of the oldest schools in Tauranga.
Normalising Te Ao Māori
The Matariki Ball was initially the brainchild of former assistant principal, Ngaire Paki, and has been held each year since 2015 for the school’s rumaki classes, Te Pūwhaariki. This year, they are upscaling the event to include the whole school and their whānau. It’s all part of a drive to normalise and promote te ao Māori across the school, beyond Te Pūwhaariki. Te Ara O’Brien, senior teacher of Te Pūwhaariki, says the senior leadership team has been instrumental in this push. She sees the Matariki Ball as a great way to break down any fears or uncertainty around kaupapa Māori. “We just want to share it and show how you can celebrate Matariki. It doesn’t have to be a kaupapa Māori where you have to know everything,” says Te Ara. “There was a little hesitancy among our staff,” she says. “But we’re making a video to show what the Matariki Ball will entail, to emphasise that it’s basically about having fun with your grandparents and remembering loved ones.”
School-wide learning
In the build-up to the event, the whole school is learning about Matariki this term, with each syndicate taking on a different whetu of Matariki. At the end of the term, following the ball, each syndicate will present their learnings to the parent community in a special assembly. “We’re all sharing in the learning and Te Pūwhaariki is just there to guide, which is really cool,” says Te Ara. Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of their local hapū and community, and that of their staff, the school is growing a strong pool of resources around Matariki from their local context, for teachers to develop programmes to suit their learners. “We’re developing a clear shared understanding of the content we’re teaching our tamariki,” says Tane.
Timing is right
With the announcement of Matariki as a public holiday, beginning from next year, Tane believes now is the right time to embrace Matariki together as a school community. “I don’t want our tamariki to think it’s just another day off. I want to introduce an understanding of what Matariki means so they understand its significance.”
VIDEO COMPETITION The 2020 Ngarimu Video Competition is now open and closes on Wednesday 1 September 2021. Open to all students and ākonga in years 7-13.
THE AIM? To practice storytelling and research, and learn about Māori Battalion history.
Prizes
To student
To school/kura
Total
Entries in Te Reo Māori 1st
$2,200
$950
$3,150
2nd
$1,500
$450
$1,950
3rd
$750
$225
$975
Entries in English or bilingual 1st
$2,200
$950
$3,150
2nd
$1,500
$450
$1,950
3rd
$750
$225
$975
For further information, go to: education.govt.nz/28th-maori-battalion-competition-for-schools
COM 0718 Ngarimu 2020 Video Comp EG HP Ad_AW.indd 1
5 July 2021
18/06/2021 12:31:50 pm
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L ANGUAGE
Shadi Club supports language and culture Young children from Iranian and Afghani backgrounds in Auckland have the opportunity to learn about Persian culture and Farsi/Dari language through a monthly programme that aligns with the principles and learning outcomes of Te Whāriki: Early childhood curriculum.
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group of community leaders has developed a programme to promote Persian culture and Farsi/Dari language among their pre-school children. Safoura Banihashemian and Dr Mojdeh Owlad from the Auckland Farsi School initiated the idea of the Shadi Club (Shadi means joy). Dr Parisa Tadi, a lecturer in Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), joined them to lead the programme based on Te Whāriki. “We have always been interested to see how we could support the migrant and refugee communities – it’s our personal interest and obligation to the community,” she says. Since moving to New Zealand, the group has wanted to introduce young Persian children to their heritage language and culture and address community needs. The Shadi Club was born after last year’s Covid-19 lockdown. “These children have Iranian/Afghan roots; most are born in New Zealand. For us, there were two main points. There was the need from the community for the young children to have access to Farsi books and be in a Farsi-speaking environment. Secondly, we felt it was necessary to support the Persian community’s understanding of early childhood education in New Zealand,” explains Parisa. More than 20 families regularly attend the club, with parents and older siblings often joining in with the activities. “From the start, we aimed to promote an educational programme. With Te Whāriki as the main framework, we can focus on the funds of knowledge the children bring, by valuing their heritage language and culture. Young children enjoy learning language and culture through play with their parents’ collaboration and active participation,” she says.
Local curriculum
The Shadi Club builds a local curriculum by integrating the community’s knowledge, interest and desires into local resources and the environment. “Each month we have a specific focus. For example, in June, the focus was on the Persian culture and how children can greet in Persian culture following the Strands of Communication (Mana Reo) in Te Whāriki and fostering the relationship with their parents and community. We look at how we can say a Persian phrase in New Zealand Sign Language, or te reo Māori,” she explains.
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Members of the Shadi Club, which aims to share Persian culture and language with young children in their community. Photo credit: Ava Studio, Auckland.
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“As bilingual or multilingual children growing up in New Zealand, it’s important for them to be aware of their heritage, identity and background. That is, who they are and where they come from. This leads to a sense of belonging and making connections between Aotearoa and the country where they are rooted,” says Parisa.
Scaffolding literacy
“Learning oral language – print, pattern and shape in different languages – is believed to scaffold children’s learning of reading at later stages in their educational life – not only in Farsi but in any other languages,” says Parisa. She agrees with findings published by her former colleagues in the University of Canterbury (Professor Gillon, Dr Sadeghi and Professor Everatt) in 2018, Phonological awareness development in speakers of languages other than English, which emphasises the cross-linguistic benefit for bilingual children. Parisa also concurs with the findings of a November 2019 report, Research to understand the features of quality Pacific bilingual education: review of best practices by Professor Stephen May from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work. Stephen wrote that a more effective model of language learning is underpinned by the interconnectedness of language learning, specifically the way knowledge of a first language supports the development of another language.
“Additive bilingual programmes specifically value and include all the languages students know, as well as aiming for bilingualism and biliteracy. These programmes are found to be consistently more effective in achieving bilingualism and biliteracy as well as wider high-level education for bilingual students,” he writes. “The more a child is exposed to visual and oral texts through multiliteracy platforms, the more they will be supported in their reading skills at a later stage of their educational life,” says Parisa.
Partnership with families
Parents who attend the Shadi Club feel comfortable to ask questions about early childhood education in New Zealand. “Migrants are new to the education system of New Zealand. They ask me what their children are learning in early learning centres in New Zealand. They might not know how advanced the early learning curriculum is in New Zealand, or even whether there is a curriculum of early childhood education, because it’s something that is unique here,” says Parisa. The Shadi Club also helps to build connectedness among Farsi/Dari-speaking families, with extended families often living overseas. “It’s important for the children to have connection with their extended family, whether they are living in New Zealand or another part of the world. The first thing
“The more a child is exposed to visual and oral texts through multiliteracy platforms, the more they will be supported in their reading skills at a later stage of their educational life.” Parisa Tadi
Parisa reading with children and focusing on Farsi symbols, print, and features, such as reading from right to left. Ava Studio, Auckland.
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that enables them to talk together is the language. The other thing is understanding the culture. “At the Shadi Club, we are creating a ‘Learning Story’, or ‘Learning Profile’ in Farsi. The child can say, ‘This is my name in Farsi, I have two profiles’. Then they can talk and share about who they are with their family members, especially grandparents,” explains Parisa.
Partnership with community
The Shadi Club offers parents a space where they can connect with the wider community. “They are coming to the community space, the library – they may live nearby but have never been in the local library so they are getting to know what’s happening in the library and getting information, getting to know the area and the wider community. “They learn where they can find resources. There was a family with a special-needs child. English wasn’t a barrier, but they were new to the country, and they didn’t know where they could get support. It seemed that Shadi Club was their first contact – I am very glad that I can help my community to settle in New Zealand better.” The Shadi Club team would like to see similar programmes for other languages and cultures. “The Arab community approached us and wanted to know how we are planning this programme. I hope we can do these things for other communities because it’s not only about the language of the Iranian community. Our aim is more than Farsi/Dari language – it’s about connecting communities and bringing the richness of the culture and language to each community. “A rich multilingual environment that young children are engaged in surely supports them in their literacy [reading and writing] skills at later stages of their educational life.”
\شى فاث آلعففثقبمغ غش ي
In term 3, the Ministry of Education will publish its first educational resource in Arabic – a translated version of Dr Maysoon Salama’s storybook Aya and the Butterfly. Part of a four-book series, it’s a picture book to help children come to terms with grief, cope with change, and build resilience. For more information, visit nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz or use your phone to scan the QR code.
There are about 12,000 Farsi-speaking people (from Iran and Afghanistan) living in New Zealand. The majority live in Auckland. The Shadi Club supports the language, culture and identity of Farsi-speaking children and their families and is a community learning programme that connects people and places to nurture children’s learning. The programme, held at Botany Library in East Auckland, is run voluntarily by the Shadi Club team and a group of Farsi-speaking parents. To find out more about the Auckland Farsi School, see aucklandfarsischool.com.
View this article online to read research about the benefits of bilingual education.
5 July 2021
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ENVI RON M ENT
Environment enhances curriculum on Rakiura With a pristine natural environment, Rakiura/Stewart Island’s tamariki are hardy and self-reliant. The environment is not only their playground, but also their classroom.
Josh (Year 4) and Billy (Year 1) work with Ngakau (Year 8) on building a predator trap.
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rincipal Kath Johnson says Halfmoon Bay School is generally involved in three to four environmental projects at a time and tamariki are very engaged, whether it’s trapping rats or making pickle out of the bull kelp which fringes the coastline of Aotearoa’s most southern island. In 2017, Kath worked for six months with DOC on Rakiura as part of the Royal Society’s Science Teaching and Leadership programme. “It was cool to be able to try something different. Because I have been here for 14 years, I need to do things like the Royal Society’s programme to get out and get a break because otherwise I’m not fresh with new ideas, such as engaging community to get kids into science through meaningful projects,” she says.
Engaging curriculum
The history, places and people of Rakiura are a major focus of the school’s local curriculum. “The focus of the curriculum is around what we have in Rakiura. We do a topic for the whole year – last year it was Our Taonga – looking at all the treasures around us such as the marine reserve and Ulva Island. “This year our topic is Our Body and what fuels it and we’re looking at where food comes from – fishing, crayfish, marine farms. The year before – it was Our Stories: the history of Rakiura,” says Kath. “The big thing for our board of trustees and our school as a whole is that our kids on Rakiura don’t miss out on things. So, we go out of our way to make sure they’re getting the best deal they can. We think they are, ERO thinks they are,” she says. And the children agree. Fionn (Year 7) moved to Rakiura from Cambridge with his family in 2018, when his mum Alison Fitzsimons applied for a one-year teaching position. “It’s cool because there are a lot of experiences here – like we do snorkeling. Earlier this week we did a wharf jump for our triathlon training and we did a survival swim in our pajamas; and we do rat trapping and stuff and the penguin cams are probably the best things we do,” he says. “I love that the environment is everywhere, especially doing the penguin cams because we get to see what the animals do and how they behave,” says Ava (Year 7). “We do a lot of local curriculum. After a while I thought the kids would get sick of it, but they never get sick of the local stuff because they make so many connections with it,” adds Kath.
Citizen scientists
Since July 2020, the school has teamed up in a pilot scheme with the New Zealand Penguin Initiative and local environmental group SIRCET (Stewart Island/ Rakiura Community & Environment Trust) to observe little blue penguins/kororā at Ackers Point, near Oban. “The initiative is nationwide, and they want to find out about little blue penguin/ kororā. We set up four cameras and every two weeks, the kids download the footage from the SD cards, then upload the data onto spreadsheets. They watch the footage, record the penguin, time, date,” explains Kath.
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Rose from SIRCET shows tamariki how to make predator traps using recycled election billboards.
“We do a lot of local curriculum. After a while I thought the kids would get sick of it, but they never get sick of the local stuff because they make so many connections with it.” Kath Johnson
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Data entry
Richard Seed from the New Zealand Penguin Initiative says the organisation hopes to use the model developed on Rakiura and team up with community groups and possibly schools to monitor kororā around the coastline of Aotearoa. “The kids are recording every observation they see from that video footage. It’s not just penguins – we’re also getting data on pest species. They are recording how many penguins they see, what time they see them and whether they’re going from the shore to the nest in the forest or going down to the sea from the nest. “There’s a lot of data entry which could be perceived as quite tedious, but there’s enough action with the penguin observations that it stays interesting. We’ve possibly been lured into a false sense of security here because the kids have just been so good. Their data entry has been flawless – they’re in tune with the environment,” he says. Kath is a teaching principal who takes the senior class, which is doing the observations, three days a week in the 36-pupil school. She says giving children the opportunity to thrive in their own environment and see how they can contribute to a larger project builds their self-esteem. “Yesterday Richard showed the children some analysis of the data they’ve been collecting and told them what the scientists had learned. They have learned that the
Ben (Year 4) and Alanna (Year 2) make a tunnel to hide the predator trap.
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penguins are breeding earlier on Rakiura than they expected. They also think they might be doing two breeding cycles because there’s been a bit of penguin mating going on in the video footage,” she says.
Cross-curricular
The project covers many areas of the curriculum, including gathering and interpreting data, using the evidence they gather, making and interpreting representations and engaging with science; science, maths and writing are key parts of doing this work. “Last year for writing, the kids wrote manuals for going out and doing the penguin cameras and then a manual for putting the information onto the computer. The kids this year are using the manuals. That was great because that tied it right back into writing. It wasn’t just writing instructions for the sake of it, they are real-world examples,” says Kath. Some students also used their writing skills when they saw in the video footage some people walking their dogs. “The first lot of footage we got, they saw two people walking their dogs out there, which isn’t allowed. One of the girls wrote a letter on behalf of the class explaining what they are doing and that it’s not allowed because it’s endangering our native species. I followed it up with the person.
One of the four cameras set up by the school to monitor little blue penguins/kororā at Ackers Point, near Oban.
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“Another dog was loose – we got the Police involved. The kids showed the policeman the footage. It was a positive interaction for the children with the Police; he contacted someone at the Southland District Council.” When Education Gazette visited Halfmoon Bay School on a Friday in March, students were busy making rat traps. “Rose Bowman normally comes on a Friday morning from SIRCET. She takes a group of kids and they’re doing rattrapping lines around the school, community centre and one up a bush track,” says Kath.
Student guides
As experts about their whenua and environment, students offer their services to visiting schools from throughout the bottom half of the South Island as Stewart Island Ambassadors. They have made a flier that advertises guided trips to predator-free Ulva Island and a chance to contribute to Marine Metre Squared, a national database where children observe and record a metre of the shoreline. They also offer schools an opportunity to take part in the penguin project. “They come for their camps and our kids will work as tour guides,” says Kath. “Mostly they guide them around Ulva Island – our kids are trained by some of the professional guides. We are broadening that programme, so we take a school to do the penguin cameras: children show them the cameras and later the kids come back into our school and our kids show them how to look at the footage and input the data.”
Principal Kath Johnson says tamariki never get tired of local curriculum learning.
Good mahi
The good mahi doesn’t stop there. As well as making international headlines when Prince Harry visited Halfmoon Bay School in 2015, the school has featured in national media over the years including a story on RNZ about the film they made to protect predator-free Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara. In 2019, children were asked to write about what the island would be like in 2050 when Predator Free Rakiura has achieved its goal for the main island to be free of pests. Tai Simpson, aged 11, wrote that in the year 2050, she would be 44 years old and working as an ornithologist on the island. “The most wonderful part of my job is that we have managed to save animals close to extinction. Such as kākāpō, magenta petrel, fairy tern, white heron, black stilt and shorttailed bat. “I’m so glad that the right choices were made when we had the chance and what joy it brings me to be working in Stewart Island as I was brought up on the island as a child and had so many wonderful experiences,” wrote Tai for predatorfreerakiura.org.nz. Read this story online to learn more about Halfmoon Bay School and its role in environmental projects.
Scan this QR code to view a video made by children from Halfmoon Bay School about their mahi.
5 July 2021
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Children sand the seats together for the new fairy garden sharing circle.
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COLL ABORATION
School service partnership broadens horizons On the face of it, Saint Kentigern Boys’ School and Saint Kentigern Girls’ School in Auckland have little in common with Tāneatua School in the Bay of Plenty, but a partnership formed after the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown revealed a shared set of values, leading to a deep connection between the schools.
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hen Covid-19 quashed a school service trip to Fiji and Vanuatu as part of the Saint Kentigern Primary Schools’ service programmes, the schools quickly realised there were plenty of opportunities to lend a helping hand to schools closer to home. Presbyterian Support had previously helped connect Saint Kents (as the schools are popularly known) with a kura in Manurewa and following the success of that experience, put Saint Kentigern Boys’ and Girls’ Schools chaplain, Reverend Reuben Hardie, in touch with Mārama Stewart, principal of Tāneatua School, a rural school near Whakatāne. Impressed by Mārama’s vision for her school, Reuben, Boys’ School principal Peter Cassie and Girls’ School principal Juliet Small were eager to help and learn, and they began to explore ways in which they might be able to work together. Saint Kents, supported by Auckland City Council, has established a programme of repurposing playgrounds. So, after a few false starts due to Covid-19, and armed with this expertise, plus resources provided by some generous parents, it wasn’t too long before 44 students from Saint Kentigern Boys’ and Girls’ Schools and their parents were making their way to Tāneatua, where they were met with a warm welcome from the Tāneatua School community. Then began a working bee like no other. The students formed working groups and worked together to shore up the school’s playground, lay rubber matting underneath, and create new garden areas and an outdoor classroom.
Breaking down barriers
Students from both schools were initially a little shy and tentative, but it didn’t take long for the children to form a connection. “While the cultural differences were stark, the children quickly grew comfortable in each other’s company,” says Mārama. “Before we knew it, they were playing rugby together and laughing and telling jokes!
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“Seeing all of our kids working together, laughing and playing together, was soup for the soul and a great reminder that when our two worlds walk together as equals, everyone benefits,” she says. “They just gravitated towards each other,” agrees Peter. “They were laughing, they were singing, and they were working hard together. And they formed very, very strong connections and friendships in that short space of time. Two communities working together for a common purpose.” The experience was culturally enriching for Saint Kents’ students. “We’re on a bit of a journey, in terms of our own understanding of tikanga and te reo Māori,” says Reuben. In preparation for their visit to Tāneatua, the children learned their pepeha and experienced a pōwhiri and kapa haka performances. The partnership has had a profound effect on the leaders at both schools as well. “This job is so hard and when the school you lead is in a community affected by intergenerational trauma, it can often feel like every day is a constant battle with the outside world,” says Mārama. “The first morning Saint Kents visited I had to be offsite advocating for a whānau who were about to be illegally evicted. I arrived at school late, worrying because I knew Peter was visiting and I wasn’t there to greet him. “I was wandering around the playground looking for this fancy principal in a suit, and I found a lovely man covered in dirt pulling weeds under a tree. To meet such a kind, genuine person on a hard day like that affected me deeply.”
Interacting with new people
Mārama is eager to expand the horizons of her students beyond the rural setting of Tāneatua. “Our kids sometimes struggle when they leave here and go to the high schools in town [Whakatāne]. We’re really working on that transition process.
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Building Caption.pathways through Tāneatua School's ngahere (forest) to the fairy circle.
Testing out the newly laid rubber matting in the school playground.
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“Part of that is getting our students interacting with people who don’t look like them as much as possible,” she says. She grabs any opportunity to broaden their horizons. When Education Gazette visited Tāneatua recently, students were buzzing about the trip the night before to Tauranga to watch the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball team play. The partnership with Saint Kents was another chance for her students to interact with new people. And similarly, the opportunity to meet others from different backgrounds and a different part of the country has had a lasting impact on students from Saint Kents. “It’s pretty amazing when you hear how deeply some of these kids are affected by this opportunity,” says Reuben. Tāneatua School recently featured on Seven Sharp for its jiu-jitsu programme, which is making a real difference for their ākonga and whānau. “The next day, all of the boys here [Saint Kents] were just talking about it, saying ‘I saw my friend!’ and they were just so proud that they knew these kids, and that they were on TV,” says Peter.
Sustaining the partnership
The two schools are eager to continue the partnership. Plans are afoot for Mārama to visit Saint Kents in term 3 to look at how the schools might develop the relationship further. They are keen for Tāneatua students to visit Saint Kents, and for a return trip to Tāneatua to further develop their playground. There’s even talk of a teacher exchange. “It’s about an ongoing relationship,” says Peter. “It’s not a case of ‘we’ve done our bit, let’s move on to the next project’. It’s really working with the communities so we can, you know, trust each other, work together and understand each other and realise that, hey, we’re all there for the same reasons.” Saint Kentigern Boys’ and Girls’ Schools are keen to hear from other schools who would be interested in forming partnerships with them.
“Seeing all of our kids working together, laughing and playing together, was soup for the soul and a great reminder that when our two worlds walk together as equals, everyone benefits.” Mārama Stewart
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Te Rehita from Tāneatua and Leon from Saint Kents sharing a laugh during the Brazilian jiu-jitsu session.
Instructors from the Whakatāne Mixed Martial Arts Centre lead a Brazilian jiuCaption. jitsu session with the tamariki.
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Student kōrero “In week 6 I got the opportunity to go to Tāneatua School. I was amazed by how beautiful their pōwhiri was; the power in their voices showed how passionate they were about their culture, and how awesome it was when I clicked with some of the students. Especially Kaya and Para, who were students at Tāneatua. They both are Kapa Haka leaders and strong sports players, that were such incredible people to meet and have made a huge impact on my life. I really enjoyed being included with them in their sports. I had a fantastic time playing rugby and basketball with them. “One of my highlights was when a few of the girls and boys from Taneatua and I sung some kapa haka songs – it was a great moment I got to share with them. After a long day of work at night, the students and teachers would walk to the beach and play a game then take a seat and reflect on the day we just had – it was a fantastic way to end the day. “It was a challenge getting started in the mornings as I was extremely exhausted from the day before. By the last day my arms and legs were dead, but I knew that this was all for a good cause. It was hard but really great when the students from Tāneatua would work alongside us. We wouldn’t have got as much done as we did without them. “Over the week what I have learnt from my experience on the service trip is that I need to stop taking things for granted and I need to be grateful for the things I have. I now understand how service is such an important thing and that service isn’t acting different in front of teachers or adults, but helping others all the time.” Eva Kolose, Saint Kentigern Girls’ School “When I first heard Saint Kents were coming to our school, I thought they’d be rich, spoilt brats. After I met them, they were energetic and helpful. I loved slapping them up in basketball, rugby and touch. Most of them were so funny, some were dry, especially their ‘Momma’ jokes. “Even though they’re privileged and have more than most people down here, they still love to share and help others. I know why their parents are really successful now, it’s because they want us to work hard just like them. “I remember this one time, we were all tired – Saint Kents kids and Tāneatua kids – so we decided to sit on the pile of bark that we had been shovelling all day. The parents made us get up and soldier on. Luckily it only lasted two weeks, otherwise I would have quit and they would have heard my real Taney slang and experienced my real Taney attitude I save just for the locals. “Overall, the experience was awesome and I loved meeting them. With this Saint Kents experience I can honestly say we all learnt that you first need to serve others before you can be a good leader for your community.” Te Rehita Wana, Tāneatua School
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The curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga in Wellington at Te Wharewaka o Pōneke for a kanohi ki te kanohi hui.
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CU RRICU LU M LEADS
Curriculum leads are ready to connect Curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga are looking forward to partnering with teachers and kaiako to design quality learning experiences for all ākonga.
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he Ministry of Education has recruited a team of 38 talented and resourceful educators to provide curriculum support to teachers and kaiako through the Government’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. The curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga are a new curriculum service that is responsive and accessible to teachers and kaiako. This service is being developed with teachers and kaiako and the curriculum leads are ready to start making connections in early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura across the country. Wellbeing is the outcome of a well-designed responsive learning experience and curriculum leads, as a frontline support to teachers, will partner with them to achieve this outcome. In addition, curriculum leads will be able to guide teachers through new curriculum wellbeing supports and resources. Well-designed curriculum experiences: » involve ākonga and their whānau » reflect the languages, identities, and cultures of ākonga » consider the local context of each learning setting » ensure ākonga are supported to make progress.
How did this new role come about?
This role started in August 2020 with funding from the Government’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. The Ministry engaged with the sector to create the job description for the roles. This was refined, and recruitment began in November 2020. The first curriculum leads were on board by 18 January 2021. There are now 38 regional curriculum leads in place in the regions. Four are senior curriculum leads who are specialists in their pathway – early learning services, Māori medium, primary and secondary schooling. This new way of working alongside teachers and kaiako will see the curriculum leads build educationally strong connections
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across their region, helping connect teachers with the right curricula support.
What does a curriculum lead do?
Curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga partner with teachers and kaiako to ensure all ākonga experience a rich and responsive curriculum that supports wellbeing, which is essential to thriving and flourishing in learning. The curriculum leads’ work will help support the government’s strategic objective of increasing the wellbeing of children and youth. Curriculum leads are about the whole system learning together and from each other. They are there to help teachers and kaiako to use and make sense of the national curricula frameworks and supports so they can design great learning opportunities for ākonga. This will mean that ākonga will experience what is intended in the national curricula in a way that is relevant to them, their whānau and their community. Curriculum leads can also help kaiako to make sense of curriculum wellbeing supports (e.g. the mental health guidelines, Te Kōreroreo l Talking Together, Early Learning or Te Ira Tangata). To do this, they could support teachers and kaiako to interpret and understand resources and help them tailor these to their unique context and for their ākonga.
How will they work with you?
Curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga will work with you to determine what you need. They can help you to build knowledge and skills and connect you with people, resources, and places. They can provide three levels of support: » Self-directed. » Guided. » Supported.
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Meet your curriculum leads
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Loretta Schmidt, curriculum lead secondary – Invercargill
TeRiini Kapa-Henare, curriculum lead Māori medium and early learning – Tai Tokerau
Why did you apply to become a curriculum lead? I was part of the Kōrero Mātauranga in Christchurch and heard ākonga say they didn’t see themselves or understand why they were learning what they were learning. The community and whānau questioned this too. I felt an immediate connection to the kaupapa of the curriculum lead role and wanted to support the wellbeing of our Māori and Pacific ākonga. As a Māori and Pacific teacher, I took responsibility for looking after my community and youth. As a mentor and careers advisor for Pacific students, I guided them at school and transitioning into work or further study. I strongly believe in hauora and I love education. I believe that this role will enable me to make a difference for our ākonga. What is the most important part of your role? Working with kaiako to help them develop their own flavour of curriculum for their ākonga. Influencing change for the better and giving our ākonga a chance to be successful in their own skin. How will your job make a difference for kaiako? I believe I will be able to have those hard conversations and challenge kaiako to do better and to expand their scope to give ākonga relevant and meaningful learning opportunities. Why is local curriculum | marua-ā-kura important? Local curriculum or marau-ā-kura is important because ākonga need to see themselves in the curriculum, to be relevant, meaningful and they need to have a sense of belonging. Whānau must have input because it helps shape the futures for our children. This will help ākonga be more engaged, more successful and will enhance their wellbeing and wairua. What is the biggest opportunity for the pathway? To make a difference for not only our ākonga and their whanau, but for our kaiako too. Making a difference for our kaiako means every student will be engaged and impacted. A kaiako plants the seed that flourishes so ākonga reach their potential. The smallest change can make a difference.
He aha koe i tono ai hei kaihautū marautanga? Why did you apply to become a curriculum lead? Ko taku tino kai ko te noho me te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero me ngā wheako o te hunga Māori mō tōna whakatupuranga. He ātaahua ngā kōrero e whakaari mai ai te whakatangata a tēnā a tēnā ki tōna anō ao. I tērā wiki i Tunatahi (Dargaville) i tūtakitaki au ki tētahi whānau, ko te tono rātou ki te pūtea o Te Aho Ngārahu hei waihanga rauemi mō ngā taitamariki o te kōhanga reo me ngā kura o tō rātou anō rohe. Ko te tuhi pukapuka, ko ngā kāri kōrero anō e pā ana ki tō rātou kuia me tōna whakatupuranga. Nā tō rātou kuia i whakatū ai he kōhanga reo ki tōna kāinga, ka mutu i whakawhiwhi ki a ia he Tohu Whakapakari he ahakoa kīhai ia i kōrero Māori mō ōna 20 tau. Taku mīharo nui ki ngā kōrero i puta mai mō tō rātou kuia. I hoki aku mahara ki taku whakatupuranga me taku waimarie i tupu ake au i ngā rekereke aroha o ōku whaea kēkē. Nā rātou taku reo Māori i whakatō kia titia iho ki tōku ngākau, nā rātou taku wairua i māia kia tū pakari ai ahau ki taku taha Māori, ao Māori; ki taku taha Pākehā, ao Pākehā anō. Kia mātua mōhio pū rā anō ahau, he mokopuna ahau nā te tupuna rangatira a Rāhiri. Ko rātou ko ōku whaea kēkē aku kaiako matua, ko rātou ngā kaiako rongonui o tōku nei ao. Nā rātou ahau i nanao atu ki ō rātou panekoti, ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero huri haere ana i ngā pātū o ngā wharenui. Ka pātai mai rātou ki a au ki ōku anō whakaaro, he ahakoa taku tamariki noa. Nā te haumaru o tēnā momo wāhi ako kua tau ki roto i a au koirā he āhuaranga tika mō te ako, koinei he āhuaranga pai mō te hunga tamariki kia taea ai e rātou te noho ki ngā kōrero ā ōna mātua ki te whakarongo, ki te whai whakaaro ki ngā kaupapa, ā, kia kōrerohia ōna whakaaro ki mua o te tangata pēnei i a au. I love to kōrero with people and hear their stories. Last week I visited a whānau in Dargaville who were interested in applying for the Te Aho Ngārahu funding by creating resources for kōhanga reo and kura. They have a concept of writing and talking about their kuia, her life’s journey and how she became a kaiako and started her own kōhanga reo that was situated on her whenua after many years of not speaking te reo Māori.
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I sat with this whānau in their home, sharing stories, recording ideas, listening to them reminisce, laugh, cry, sing and tell me about what they had already accomplished so far. This reminded me of my own upbringing and how immensely emerged I was with love for who I am as a Māori kōtiro, a daughter of a Pākehā woman and Māori father constantly exposed and reminded of how amazing it is to be a mokopuna of Rāhiri. My most valuable and influential kaiako have been my aunties; they gave me confidence, planted the seed of te reo Māori into my soul, and always let me sit beside them inside our whare tupuna while listening to the rich kōrero taking place. They would ask me what I think and would involve me in their kōrero, no kaupapa was out of bounds. I always felt safe with them. This is where my most influential learning memories come from.
Curriculum leads are ... there to help teachers and kaiako to use and make sense of the national curricula frameworks and supports so they can design great learning opportunities for ākonga.
What is a local curriculum | marau-ā-kura? The curriculum leads | kaihautū marautanga can help you create great learning opportunities for your ākonga. They can offer support to introduce and guide you through new curriculum wellbeing supports. You can connect with one through your local Ministry of Education office: www.education.govt.nz/ our-work.
A local curriculum | marau-ā-kura is the way that you bring the curricula to life at your early learning service, kōhanga reo, school, or kura. It should: » be responsive to learning priorities, identities, languages, cultures, interests, strengths, and aspirations of your ākonga, their whānau and community » include the cultural narrative of local hapū and iwi » have a clear focus on supporting the progress of all learners » integrate Te Tiriti o Waitangi into teaching, learning and curricula design » help learners engage with the curricula as confident and connected lifelong learners.
Shine a light on an extraordinary teacher. Nominate today. NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD For 27 years we have been recognising, rewarding and celebrating exceptional teachers because education changes lives, and teachers transform futures. Nominations are now open for the Futurity sponsored, National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). This year, NEiTA wants to recognise the talented, caring and dedicated teachers who have displayed outstanding resilience, passion and creativity in the past year.
To nominate an extraordinary teacher, please visit, www.neita.com or simply scan the QR code.
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LEARN I NG SU PPORT
Contribution to learning support recognised Sally Jackson was among those recognised for their contribution to education in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours.
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ally Jackson has been active in the disability sector for 52 years, a leader in the education system for 40 years, and an integral part of the Ministry of Education for 24 years. Sometimes known as ‘the Mother of Inclusion’, Sally has been honoured for her significant services to special education with appointment as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Recalling the moment that she found out about the honour, Sally says she still has a sense of being overwhelmed. “I was at a meeting searching unobtrusively on my phone for the minutes of the previous meeting when I noticed the DPMC Honours heading in my inbox.
I couldn’t resist, read it, and then had to pretend I was totally engaged in the meeting I was in. “I had such a mixed reaction to the news – ranging from disbelief, excitement, but most of all a sense of humbleness because this award is for my work, which I have loved and only been able to achieve with the contribution of so many others.” Humbleness aside, Sally has led a career wholly deserving of such prestigious recognition. “The greatest win for me has been the shift in attitude towards children and young people who need extra support to learn,” she says. “We are moving away from thinking about ‘special’ and ‘others’ to thinking about ‘all’, acknowledging that all
“The greatest win for me has been the shift in attitude towards children and young people who need extra support to learn. ” Sally Jackson
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children and young people in our education system are capable learners and therefore working out what we have to do to make learning accessible for everybody.”
It takes a village
Reminiscing on her career and the key learnings, Sally is clear about the value of team work and collaboration. “Nothing can be achieved without working with others. I have had the benefit of working with great people in teams both small and large. “Every day in classrooms and early learning services across our country there are committed and passionate educators, teacher aides, specialists and wider teams who are excited about the work they are doing to ensure better outcomes for all children and young people. We need to celebrate their successes. “Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini – my strength does not come from me alone but also from others,” she says. Sally strongly believes that education is the key to changing the trajectory of people’s lives. “I care a lot about social justice and equity opportunities for all. “Disability is not really a choice people make and so we need to build a society that makes it as straightforward as possible for those who need additional support to get that support.” The key principles and components of Special Education 2000 still endure, says Sally. “The Special Education Grant, the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS), the Severe Behaviour Initiative, the Communications Initiative, Regional Health Schools, Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) and Early Intervention were all part of the Special Education 2000 resourcing framework. “Some have changed, some have grown, but all are still in place with a focus on providing early learning services and schools with support to include all learners with disabilities and learning support needs.”
Mother of Inclusion
“From time to time, I have been called ‘the Mother of Inclusion’ (more latterly ‘the Grandmother of Inclusion’),” says Sally. “I feel proud to think I have been a nurturer of others in providing better education opportunities for those children and young people with learning support needs.” On reflection, Sally feels most proud of the work where she has been able to support others to achieve. “For the majority of my 24 years in the Ministry of Education, I managed teams of committed, passionate, intelligent and diverse thinkers who have worked together and with others to contribute to getting better outcomes for those learners with disabilities and learning support needs.” While much progress has been made since 1989 and there are some outstanding examples of success across New Zealand, Sally remarks that there are still
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some inequities and resourcing challenges and a lack of confidence among some educators that create barriers to a fully inclusive education system. “However, in working together with others, sharing knowledge, skills and attitudes, ongoing progress to building more equitable opportunities and outcomes for those children and young people who require additional support to learn will be made.”
Honours list recognises education excellence CNZM: TO BE COMPANIONS OF THE SAID ORDER
» Dr Evelyn Imelda Coxon – for services to Pacific and tertiary education
» Professor Angus Hikairo Macfarlane – for services to education, psychology and Māori » John Webster Te Kapene Thatcher – for services to Māori and education
ONZM: TO BE OFFICERS OF THE SAID ORDER
» Murray Ian Bain – for services to tertiary education and digital learning » Susan Jean Hassall, JP – for services to education
MNZM: TO BE MEMBERS OF THE SAID ORDER
» David John Appleyard – for services to education » Margaret Ann Dodds – for services to special education » Miles Denis Ellery – for services to youth, education and the community » Iqbal Manzoor Haque – for services to education governance » Siale Katoa Latu Pasa Faitotonu, JP – for services to Pacific education » Bruce Henry Hart – for services to education » Sally Anne Jackson, JP – for services to special education » Colleen Janice Lyons – for services to netball and education » Helen Theresa Cecilia Varney – for services to education, particularly Pacific education
THE QUEEN’S SERVICE MEDAL
» Suzanne Blakely – for services to refugees and ESOL education » Heather Dorothy Lear – for services to inclusive education
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Students were able to try gadgetry and games, and mix with tech professionals.
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TECH NOLOGY
Tech21 Summit: Connecting ākonga with the tech sector
The recent Tech21 Summit co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and NZTech aimed to inspire Māori, Pacific and female ākonga into technology careers and connect those already in the tech industry to their future workforce.
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ames Brooks grew up in a Kiwi community blighted by poverty and street violence, an upbringing short of opportunities. Today he is a hip hop artist turned software developer, a beacon of hope to young people and one of the faces of a rapidly growing technology workforce. “My youth was all about trying to survive my environment – abuse, poverty, violence and neglect. I went to school because it meant freedom, and my passion was hip hop. Music became my pathway to a better life, first in rap and then in technology.” James works at ARA Journeys, a company that designs and creates environmental-based mobile games to connect people with te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori. “ARA blends the indigenous with technology, and I wanted to be part of that, of growing our culture in the tech space.” James and his story are testimony to the value of diversity and creativity in the world of technology, and he was a hit with young people at the Tech21 Summit in South Auckland in May, delighting them by opening his presentation with a rap. “He was cool, it was inspiring,” says 14-year-old Aydan from Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae in South Auckland. “He’s so successful, he’s proof that you can do well.”
Driving positive change
Tech21 is co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and NZTech, a not-for-profit organisation driving positive change in the technology industry. The purpose is to empower young people to gain a better understanding of future tech pathways and opportunities, for the tech sector to gain insights into the lived experiences, capability and aspirations of youth and whānau, and to strengthen the relationships between ākonga, whānau, school leaders and the sector. Following a mihi whakatau led by Roimata Minhinnick,
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from Ngāti Te Ata, ākonga from Papakura High School and Manurewa High school opened the Tech21 Summit with a key message: “To education leaders and the Ministry, we encourage you to be limitless in your vision for how we can be part of these conversations, every day.” Aydan and his peers from Ngā Tapuwae were amongst 1,400 students who joined the summit to meet and mingle with Māori and Pacific technology professionals and to explore state-of-the-art technologies such as virtual reality, robots, drones, and special effects. Manaia, aged 13, was similarly inspired by James. “I like his ‘bringing up’ story. I really like science and today I have learned about jobs combining science and technology. I liked the VR stuff a lot.” “Māori and Pasifika tech success will be a critical driver of economic wellbeing for all New Zealanders in coming years,” says Graeme Muller, CEO of NZTech. “The common theme across all of the companies and organisations is that there are a massive number of jobs, there is a shortage of skills, and there is a real issue with lack of diversity.” NZTech’s research reveals that less than three percent of the tech workforce are Pacific people, four percent are Māori, and only 27 percent are female. “It is critically important that our tech ecosystem is diverse and inclusive as we enable the Kiwis that are trying to embrace digital empowerment and transformation,” says Graeme. “We know there is a tech job to suit everyone, and we want to show ākonga tech careers involve more than just coding!”
Inspirational role models
James (Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) says the adversity of his childhood has given him insight and wisdom with which to reach rangatahi who have none or few inspirational role models.
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Ākonga explore technical wizardry in the Tech21 Imagine Zone.
“The common theme across all of the companies and organisations is that there are a massive number of jobs, there is a shortage of skills, and there is a real issue with lack of diversity.” Graeme Muller, NZTech
“I tell them, ‘I know what it’s like, I’ve been in your shoes, and I can tell you there’s so much in life we can achieve by being brave and having the courage to try’.” For Mahuta, aged 14, Tech21 was a chance to explore careers that combine his interests in te reo, maths, and science. “I want to be an engineer although I’m not sure which type. It was cool to see how you can use robots to solve Rubik’s Cubes, and it was a buzz to be out of school.” Southern Cross Campus student Raynesha, who is of Niuean descent, says it was great to see the speakers were “of different ethnicities”, and also to hear that some speakers “sounded nervous”. “It made me realise that they’re just normal people like us. Maybe I could do that sort of job one day? I was very inspired by Anne Taunga from Weta Digital, by hearing how she got into the film industry.” Anne Taunga manages the facial motion department at the Academy Award-winning visual effects company and is one of fewer than 10 Pasifika women on the 1,500-strong staff. She advocates for Pasifika and Māori young people, encouraging them to find their creative voices. “I was a small-town girl from Taranaki,” she says.
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“Growing up, I never saw someone who looked like me on the screen or animations telling Pasifika and Māori stories. But someone took a chance on me.” “We need more Pasifika and Māori representation in our films. And we need more women in senior management and creative positions. In saying that, it is improving and lots of cool organisations are encouraging positive change.” Anne encourages young people to find positive mentors, teachers who encourage them to have a go at something. “You don’t know what you can do until you have tried,” she says. “Make some space for yourself and do what you love. Find your voice, and don’t take anything for granted. You will fail, but don’t let that stop you, learn from it. “Write down your ideas and create them,” she adds. “Tell your stories every day. You never know, that mad idea you thought up in your bedroom could turn into a blockbuster film.” Faith, from Marcellin College, was also impressed by Anne: “It was really inspirational how she spoke to us and how she created movies with other people all over the world.”
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Hip hop artist turned software developer James Brooks gave a rousing performance.
Janet Sharpe, from Weta Digital, says the company is very keen to attract more Māori and Pacific workers. “We work in an industry founded on storytelling and it’s important to have diversity in the cultures represented. We are not just a company filled with people sitting at computers, there is much more than that. “Many of our recruits come through film school but there are a number of other routes, and opportunities to learn on the job and grow.” Students from Te Kura Akonga o Manurewa closed the summit, with one saying, “We felt so proud being Māori and being able to stand in front of 2,000 people celebrating our culture and love for digital technologies.” Tech21 was part of Techweek2021, a week-long nationwide festival of tech innovation. Other speakers included KidsCoin co-founder Brittany Teei, GirlBoss founder Alexia Hilbertidou and Tara Fagan from Te Papa’s Weaving Digital Futures. The summit was co-designed by a think tank including 10 schools and kura; Manurewa High School, Papakura High School, James Cook High School, Alfriston College, Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Middle School, Mt Richmond School, Sutton Park School, Te Wharekura o Manurewa and Te Kura Akonga o Manurewa. Youth and school leader think tanks, with a key focus on how they can empower youth, whānau, schools, industries, the Ministry and other agencies, are a growing part of the South Auckland education community.
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Student kōrero Scan the QR code with your phone camera to watch ākonga talk about Tech21.
Industry kōrero Scan the QR code with your phone camera to watch industry participants talk about Tech21.
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STEM
Future of space science in good hands The NASA Scientist for a Day – Kaipūtaiao NASA mō te Rā competition encourages teachers to use space as context for learning across the curriculum and gives ākonga an insight into the wonders of space.
Competition winner and Southland Girls’ High School student Sophie Ineson with Kate Breach from the New Zealand Space Agency.
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wonderous blend of creativity and science, this year’s NASA Scientist for a Day competition challenged ākonga to learn about and explore the three moons of Uranus – with two bright young minds proving the future of space science is in good hands. Sophie Ineson from Southland Girls’ High School eclipsed the competition for Years 7 and 8 (for the second year in a row), and Lucia Mochel from Whangamatā Area School shone bright in the Year 9 and 10 category. The challenge was to write a 300-word essay about which of three moons of Uranus – Ariel, Oberon and Titania – they would want to explore with a robotic spacecraft.
Creativity meets critical thinking
Sharee Ineson, mother of Sophie and teacher at Southland Girls’ High School, says the competition falls within their ‘media mash’ programme, which provides extension opportunities for students to come together and work on projects that are of interest to them, and have a media component for the final presentation. “Having the opportunity for students to go further in an area they are passionate about strengthens their self-confidence and encourages their creative and critical thinking – extending them as leaders of learning in a life-long focus. “We also link our work to being global citizens, so this naturally opens the opportunity to learn about groups like the New Zealand Space Agency and how they connect and collaborate with other international agencies. This in turn leads to careers education as the students, through their research, find out more about the world of space and the different roles people have in uncovering information.” Sharee says the students were incredibly fortunate to be able to share their planning with NASA interns as part of a visit from the US Embassy in term 1. “This was a key motivator, meeting these role models, and having them pose questions to the students that took their thinking further and built on their initial curiosity.” With an essay of just 300 words, Sharee adds that the students had to think carefully about what they wanted to communicate, make careful selection on how much
information to include, and to make their points clear and sequenced to form a complete essay.
Links with local curriculum
Rebecca Whatley, assistant principal, and head of science at Whangamatā Area School, says the competition connected in well with their local curriculum learning. “We are currently learning about the laws of physics, which includes gravity, mass and force. Students are learning about the difference between mass and weight, and how this is represented on different planets within our solar system. With Matariki coming up, we are hoping to spend some time looking through our school telescope to see the stars.” Rebecca says Lucia spent many hours researching and building her knowledge of the three moons of Uranus. “Lucia has a high level of ability in literacy, which allowed her to submit a well-constructed and researched essay. I know that Lucia is going to continue with her learning, and I look forward to having her share this with her peers.”
Over the moon
New Zealand Space Agency head Dr Peter Crabtree says they were over the moon with the number of highquality entries from over 40 schools across Aotearoa. “The space sector is an exciting area that offers career opportunities across a wide range of jobs and after reading these entries, it’s safe to say that the future of New Zealand’s space industry is in very good hands. “I’d personally like to thank all of the teachers who worked tirelessly with these students to inspire and engage their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] subjects.” Both winning students will receive a Sky-Watcher 6” Dobsonian telescope from Astronz, and the help of their local Astronomical Society to learn how to use them. They will also have their essays published on both the NASA and New Zealand Space Agency websites.
“Having the opportunity for students to go further with an area they are passionate about strengthens their self-confidence and encourages their creative and critical thinking – extending them as leaders of learning in a life-long focus.” Sharee Ineson 5 July 2021
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Kate Breach from the New Zealand Space Agency at Southland Girls’ High School.
Bright minds SOPHIE’S EXPERIENCE Sophie wrote about the moon Oberon, saying it intrigued her because like all moons, there is still so much unknown. “When the NASA interns spoke to us earlier this year, they talked about not being afraid of the unknown and using it to spark questions and challenge ourselves. The new science knowledge for me was amazing.” When asked what she likes about space science, Sophie says she loves the mix of science and creativity skills. “I was lucky to visit the Kennedy Space Center in 2018; the science involved in space absolutely blew me away. When I was back in New Zealand, I started to think about how I could make sure others got that same experience.” Sophie adds that the NASA Scientist for a Day competition has opened the world of astrology, and to see the night sky through the lens of the telescope is “amazing”. “I love seeing how the sky changes and seeing the detail, especially on the moon. It makes you think about possibilities but also appreciate the world around you.
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I like how there are so many different possibilities out there and how you can also be a global thinker and learn so much from other people.” Looking to the future, Sophie says she would like to be a science communicator in the space sector and share how the different parts of science come together. “The opportunities I have had through the NASA Scientist for a Day competition have encouraged me to keep using my creative skills alongside science to make dreams possible for myself and others. I would love to be the space version of Nanogirl and educate and inspire other students. “The future is an unknown, so I will continue to challenge myself in different ways and know that some pathways I take may come to an end and that’s okay but to have the determination and vision to try another way.” To summarise her experiences, Sophie points to a quote from one of her role models, Mae Jemison – an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. “Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it and make it the life you want to live.”
gazette.education.govt.nz
LUCIA’S EXPERIENCE Lucia had many questions about the moons Oberon, Ariel, and Titania. She quickly got to work unpacking the vast amount of knowledge and data (mostly theoretical), and examined the geological, topographical, meteorology, atmospheric, and hydrological properties of the moons. “I was acutely interested in the properties of the moons – whether they were theories or confirmed facts and were there life-sustaining qualities similar to Earth. “Along with the research of the other moons, I was presented with the wondrous opportunity to discover new facts, hypotheses, as well as possibilities that were informative and developed my understanding of the planetoids,” she says. With the research under her belt, Lucia says she also thought carefully about the writing techniques on which she could base her entry. “Although I experimented with more fictional, narrative methods, I determined that a completely scientific, nonfiction approach with correct facts in a professional manner would be most appropriate.” A very passionate young scientist, Lucia says she has been intrigued by scientific fields from a very young age. “Science for me is almost a fictional book, as though there is a hidden world that every day is being further discovered and analysed. For me, it is so fascinating that every day there is the possibility to discover something new, a breakthrough that could change the entire world as we know it.”
She adds that when she was younger, she aspired to become the first person to go to Mars – to become an astronaut and explore space. “I have been interested in space and almost all scientific fields my entire life; with the aspiration in my career to become a scientist, engineer, or astronaut.”
NASA Scientist for a Day competition The NASA Scientist for a Day – Kaipūtaiao NASA mō te Rā is a worldwide competition that NASA put on each year inviting students to write a 300-word essay to answer a question about our unique solar system and the exciting word of astronomy. The competition encourages teachers to take up further space education as part of their curriculum, and to inspire and engage student interest in STEM subjects and space careers. Read the winning essays and find out more about the competition at mbie.govt.nz/science-andtechnology or scan the QR code with your camera. For ākonga keen to pursue a space career, a good place is to start is mbie.govt.nz/spacecareers.
Competition winner and Whangamatā Area School student Lucia Mochel with Tim Searles from the New Zealand Space Agency. Photo courtesy of Jennie Black, director of Whangamata News.
5 July 2021
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NCEA
Public engagement on NCEA subjects Ākonga, whānau, kaiako, and the wider education sector can have their say on the provisional subject lists for The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
T
he Ministry of Education is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the subjects available to students under NCEA, as announced by the Minister of Education on Wednesday 16 June. The proposals, in both The New Zealand Curriculum (at Levels 2 and 3) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (across all Levels), are part of a broader programme of changes to strengthen NCEA for all learners in Aotearoa New Zealand. The NCEA Change Programme maintains strong links with the National Curriculum for Schooling refresh, which is happening at the same time. This work supports the Government’s promise to deliver opportunities for greater specialisation and deeper learning at Levels 2 and 3 together with the more foundational learning already agreed at NCEA Level 1. Recent changes proposed for NCEA Level 1 were aimed at making the early qualification more ‘foundational’, meaning broad in scope, with the intent to keep options for learners open while they consider future learning and start to develop ideas around study after secondary school, and their aspirations for work. The Level 2 and 3 changes are closely aligned with the need for specialisation at the later levels. The proposals also seek to offer further new mātauranga Māori subjects for students across all senior secondary education settings. This will help to deliver one of the most significant shifts envisioned as part of the NCEA Change Package – ‘Mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori’ (parity for Māori knowledge in NCEA). Some of the proposed new subjects will require further scoping prior to development work commencing and may be developed on longer timelines compared to currently existing subjects. This is because it will require more time to engage with stakeholders about how these will fit within their wider learning areas and wāhanga ako, and provide greater opportunity for their effective development and implementation. Proposals also include the intent to reduce the number of achievement standards across the board, to a maximum of four per subject, which will change the way they are supported. Some individual subjects are being expanded into multiple subjects, and others are being combined, so there is plenty for the sector, students, whānau and support communities to consider.
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Whakapuakina ō whakaaro Have your say E tonoa ana koe kia whakapuaki i ō whakaaro mō ngā panoni e marohitia ana mō ngā marau NCEA. You are invited to have your say about the proposed changes to NCEA subjects. Visit NCEA.education.govt.nz/have-your-say. Scan the QR code with your phone camera to go to the website. If you have any questions, you can email ras.review@education.govt.nz
gazette.education.govt.nz
He Tono mō ngā Puka Whakaatu Hiahia Hei te tau 2022, ka whakamātauria ngā paerewa hou a Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, Taumata 1. Mēnā e hiahia ana tō kura ki te whai wāhi mai ki tēnei kaupapa, tuku īmēra ki: temarautanga.oaotearoa@education.govt.nz i mua i te 22 o Akuhata 2021.
Mō ētahi atu mōhiohio, toro atu ki ncea.education.govt.nz Mō ngā pātai, tuku īmēra ki: ncea.review@education.govt.nz
Call for Expressions of Interest In school year 2022, we will be piloting Te Marautanga o Aotearoa NCEA Level 1 standards. If your kura is interested in taking part in the pilot, email temarautanga.oaotearoa@education.govt.nz by 22 August 2021.
For more information, go to ncea.education.govt.nz For queries, email: ncea.review@education.govt.nz
NOTICE B OAR D
SEN IOR LEADERSH I P DISPL AY VACANCI ES
Maths Teachers Reduce Workload and Stress (Years 11-13) Use our Editable Assessment Masters, Internal, End of Year, and Parallel. www.sincos.co.nz SINCOS Mission Statement: Reducing Teacher Workload
U2 TEACHING PRINCIPAL Springdale School Years 1 to 8 We are a rural school situated in the Matamata Piako District, well supported by our wider community. We have a strong and caring culture, wonderful children, and passionate and skilled teachers who encourage and help children to grow. Recently renovated classrooms that enable collaborative and meaningful learning are surrounded by gorgeous, spacious grounds. We are seeking a principal to start Term 1, 2022.
To view the PLD, general notice listings and vacancies at gazette.education.govt.nz Scan the QR codes with the camera on your device. PLD
NOTICES
VACANCIES
We would like someone who … • Has a vision for developing innovative, resilient and critical thinkers. • Values a collaborative and inclusive culture. • Is inspirational and empowering. • Fosters strong relationships within our community. Closing Date for Applications 5:00PM, Tuesday 10th August 2021 Application Pack, and further information, are available from Rachel Allan, Recruitment Consultant allanrachel22@gmail.com 0211629311
Principal
St Pius X Catholic School Glen Innes, Auckland U3 - Years 1 – 8 We are a Decile 1 Catholic Primary School. We serve a culturally rich, faith-based community founded on the Holy Faith Sisters. In 2020 we celebrated the rebuild of our school which supports and enhances our teaching and learning practices. We are looking for a leader who will: • Uphold the Catholic Character, the values and culture of the school • Develop a partnership with the Parish and the community • Focus on the quality of teaching and learning and enhance the success and achievement of our students • Respect and celebrate the school’s rich cultural diversty • Have strengths in effectively managing all aspects of the school Condition of Appointment. Our new Principal will have a willingness and ability to take part in the religious instruction appropriate to the special character of the school. The appointee will be required to accept and recognise the responsibility to maintain and preserve the special character of the school. Application Packs are available at www.educationgroup.co.nz or contact Tanya Prentice, (09) 920 2173 or Julie Schumacher 021 081 07226 The position commences Term 4 2021. Applications close on Monday 19th July at 1.00 pm - visits to our school are encouraged.
5 July 2021
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PRINCIPAL U6 Decile 8 Roll 556
Tahuna Normal Intermediate School is a well resourced and successful school situated in the picturesque city of Dunedin. Tahuna is a vibrant and progressive school which has a proud history of excellence in academic, sporting and cultural achievement. » Tahuna, as a normal school, is in partnership with the University of Otago to provide high quality practicum for student teachers.
Fernside School Principal / Tumuaki
» Tahuna Normal Intermediate is the lead school for the Coastal Otago RTLB Cluster which serves 118 schools in the region. Our principal is retiring and so the Board of Trustees seeks applicants for his replacement.
This is an exceptional and exciting opportunity to join a rural school that has strong values and an engaged community. We are looking for an inspirational, visible and innovative visionary leader with proven school management skills and experience. You will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with the school and wider community. You will have a clear and obvious desire to ensure a student-centred and future-focused school, which has a deep commitment to provide an inclusive and dynamic education to develop every learner. Additionally you will have the skills to build on the current strengths of our school and develop and imbed new initiatives to ensure a strong culture of building teaching and learning success. The ability to enhance and promote our school vision and values as well as engage and work positively alongside staff, students and the community will be essential. The successful candidate will need to be flexible, organised and collaborative, and of course be a great teacher.
We would like our new principal to build on the strengths of our current principal: » Be passionate about education, especially middle school education; and have an excellent understanding of current pedagogy. » Be an excellent communicator; personable, and visible within the school community and the wider community » Have a collaborative approach to decision-making, fostering a team culture of strategic thinking and planned implementation; » Be prepared to lead and to make the tough or awkward decisions when required; » Be an inspirational team player who is approachable and caring and who possesses a good sense of humour; » Have proven skills in managing finances, property and administrative systems. This is an opportunity not to be missed, working with an enthusiastic, skilled and incredible staff alongside amazing children. For more information and/or to apply please go to tahuna.school.nz/about/vacancies/ Applications close Friday 30 July 2021.
If this is you, we would love to hear from you! This position is available from the beginning of Term 4, 2021.
For any queries, please contact our Board Chairperson email: applications@tahuna.school.nz
Applications close 30th July. Please contact Tom Scollard for further information and or an application pack. Email: tom@tomscollard.co.nz Ph.( 021) 183 6462.
Remarkables Primary School Empowering Learning Whakamana Akoranga
PRINCIPAL (U6) Truly Remarkable People – Nga Iwi Tumeke
With the departure of our much-loved Foundation Principal, the Board of Remarkables Primary School seeks to appoint an inspirational leader to continue our successful journey. We see each student as an explorer, discovering how best to develop themselves whilst taking responsibility for their own learning, both in school and outside. We make full use of our enviable Queenstown location with the panoramic backdrop of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains beyond. As a thriving Decile 10, U6 primary school, for Years 1 – 8, with a growing roll of over 600 students from diverse ethnicities, we have a dedicated staff team and enjoy great support from our parent and carer community. We live our values throughout all aspects of school life: Respect, Reflect, Reach Up, Reach Out and Reward. Are you ready to lead us through the next exciting stage of our journey? Our New Principal • You will have the vision to create a school environment that inspires, challenges and supports the educational needs of all students in preparation for a lifetime of learning. • You will be highly visible and engaging as a leader, prepared to make the bold decisions when necessary, naturally curious to explore new teaching practices
and uncompromising in your determination to see all students achieve their true potential. • You have a deep understanding of the New Zealand Curriculum, you are fully committed to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and are often described as a role model who leads by example, a persuasive communicator and an inspiration to work with.
APPLY NOW. Closing Date for Applications 5.00pm Monday 9th August 2021 Contact Jane Parkinson at Blackcat Education for an Application Pack on jane@blkcat.co.nz For a confidential chat phone Andrew Harris on 021 0296 9891. Also please visit www.remarkablesprimary.school.nz and our website www.blackcateducation.co.nz We look forward to hearing from you. Nga mihi.
S E N IOR L EADERSH I P DISPL AY VACANCI ES
PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT (U5)
Principal
U 5. Year 7 – 15. Roll of approx. 480. Commencing term 4 2021
Situated in the beautiful, rural township of Maungaturoto. The area has plenty of outdoor activities to offer and urban amenities close by.
kotahitanga, high expectations, responsibility, resilience and a well-balanced personal hauora/ wellbeing are at the heart of what we do.
We celebrate our diverse community; high staff/student morale and great results across a range of academic and personal achievements. We’re a growing school.
We are looking for a Principal who demonstrates strong interpersonal skills to build great relationships and powerful leadership for staff, students and the community. Our new principal will be enthusiastic, energetic, highly visible and able to take our school to the next level.
We value our whakatauki ‘He waka eke noa’ and strive to prepare students for their future success through a broad curriculum. The principles of
Applications close 12:00 noon Friday 30 July
We would welcome your visit. Please phone Nikki Donaldson on 09 431 8230 ext 213 Application pack available at www.educationgroup.co.nz Any queries contact Tanya Prentice or David Ellery admin@educationgroup.co.nz or 09 920 2173
The board of Waiheke High School is on the search for its next tumuaki/principal and seek an outstanding educational professional who is inspirational, dynamic and able to lead our school into an exciting future. Our year 7 to 13 school of about 450 students is a school for everybody on the island and a good reflection of the local people. Waiheke Island is a beautiful and unique setting with a strong identity and sense of community. Our students enjoy a rich, diverse curriculum that embraces innovation, cultural diversity and academic success. The school is in an attractive setting with excellent facilities including recent refurbishments and new teaching spaces to support the creative industries. A schoolhouse may be available. The successful applicant will – •Have demonstrated high performance in all key areas of educational leadership. •Have in-depth pedagogical and NZ Curriculum knowledge. •Demonstrate a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and demonstrate a high degree of cultural competence and responsiveness. •Celebrate diversity and value inclusiveness. •Have excellent communication skills and be highly relational •Have the ability to lead with insight and reflective practices so that Waiheke High School provides excellent educational outcomes for all.
Application packs are available from: petergall@edsolnz.co.nz
Tawa College serves young people and whānau from Tawa and further afield, living our motto “Do Justly”. We believe that education best takes place when relationships are treasured, and our students have a strong sense of belonging. The connections between students, staff, whānau, and our community are nurtured through our commitment to restorative practices.
TAWA COLLEGE Wellington Principal, U11 For an application pack or to request a school visit please contact Sue Abraham at: tawacollegeboard@tawacollege.school.nz
Situated within the Ngāti Toa rangatira rohe and part of the Tawa Kāhui Ako, our large, culturally diverse, co-educational school community means students bring a breadth of experience and strengths to the college. This allows our dedicated staff to provide meaningful and relevant contexts to learning through a rich and local curriculum. Our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi includes working collaboratively with Ngāti Toa, and
Applications close:
4.00pm, Friday 30 July 2021
continuing to develop kaupapa Māori as an integral part of our kura. With our values at the heart of what we do, our students engage in a wide range of opportunities and activities that enhance academic success, personal growth, and future pathways with a focus on leadership and service. We are seeking a passionate, proven, future-focussed educational leader who embraces our motto, values and restorative practices. Our new principal will be an inspiring and effective communicator with the ability to develop and maintain respectful relationships. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a collaborative, dynamic and reflective team who create programmes that deliver an outstanding and well-rounded education to prepare our ākonga for success in the classroom and beyond.
Applications close at 5pm on 5th August 2021. Position commences Term 1 2022.
5 July 2021
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ACCORD
TEACHER ONLY DAYS
FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
NCEA Change Programme FOCUS:
» Level 1 Review of Achievement Standards
WHEN & WHERE: 3 Aug: 5 Aug: 10 Aug: 11 Aug:
Tai Tokerau, Taranaki/Whanganui/Manawatū Wellington, Otago/Southland Auckland, Canterbury Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast, Bay of Plenty/Rotorua/Taupō
12 Aug:
Waikato, Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne
August
Further information will be provided through the School Bulletin and the NCEA Education website www.ncea.education.govt.nz