Education Gazette 101.14

Kaitiaki of the future

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EDUCATION GAZETTE ONLINE

Climate action at Paekākāriki School

Year 7 student Aneke talks about her impassioned speech to the Kāpiti District Council about the region’s environmental footprint.

Student agency at Paekākāriki School is all about who their students will be, and the difference they might make in the world when they go on to secondary school and beyond.

Deputy principal Rachel McMullen talks about the school’s local curriculum and strong environmental connection.

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Partnerships, passion and progress

Usually, I can weave an editor’s note that reflects some sort of overarching theme for each issue, but this one is truly a mixed bag. However, I think the reo Māori kupu on our cover really sums it up. Kaitiaki. Guardians, caregivers, mentors, keepers, stewards. That is you, e ngā kaiako, and that is what you are for each generation that walks through the doors or logs online to your early learning centre, school or kura. It is also in this way, that you are kaitiaki of the future.

A big focus in this issue is on literacy and communication, particularly for our youngest ākonga; whether that’s best practice for effective language development and an inclusive approach to language skills in early learning, igniting a passion for summer reading in both yourself and your students, or using storybooks and digital technology to foster compassion and guardianship for animals.

We also have two articles that explore some key partnerships for Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga; one with the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group to support better outcomes for ākonga Māori, and one with the Curriculum Advisory Group to support the future of curriculum development.

On a very exciting note, we also have three new videos to share on the Education Gazette YouTube channel. Kaitiakitanga is a huge part of student agency and local curriculum at Paekākāriki School on the Kāpiti Coast. We kōrero with deputy principal Rachel McMullen and Year 7 student Aneke about students challenging local leadership on environmental issues, the school’s approach to agentic learning, and how they put their local curriculum into action.

Happy reading!

Sarah Wilson, chief editor.

Education Gazette photographer, Adrian Heke's large lense was a topic of conversation for Varkeychan (left) and Nimrat, who are photographed with speech language therapist, Claire Fouhy.

Intentional teaching supports effective language development

A research project using data tools and the professional growth cycle (PGC) to observe and record oral language and communication has helped some early learning kaiako respond more effectively and confidently to the language development needs of tamariki.

The Hutt City Kindergarten Association (HCK) employs speech language therapist Claire Fouhy to support kaiako in the important mahi of language development for two to five-year-olds.

“It seemed to me that teachers were demonstrating really good practice in terms of how they supported children’s language development, but not always making the link between what they were doing and how it was supporting language development,” explains Claire.

“I wanted to lift the importance and profile of how the teacher interacts and show that it has a significant role to play in children’s language development, wherever that is sitting.”

Shifting narrative

Claire hoped to shift the narrative by using a data lens so that kaiako gained a better understanding of the importance of targeting oral language skills at a vital stage of development.

“The project was about introducing that data element – what is data and how do we work with data? We don’t need to be afraid of data. Data is a source of information that can help us to be more fine-tuned into how to intentionally plan and teach,” she says.

The year-long project involved four teams from four of HCK’s 20 kindergartens who worked with data tools to enhance teacher inquiry into the Mana Reo (communication) strand of Te Whāriki. Each team included a teacher researcher trained to lead the team in working with data tools and collecting observation data of children’s language experiences.

“We wanted to ensure that we were noticing their language development and responding with interactive experiences to keep children moving forward as confident, competent communicators,” says Claire, who was project lead.

Project design and tools

Project design and ongoing mentoring was supported by Dr Tara McLaughlin, senior lecturer in Early Years at Massey University and Associate Professor Sue Cherrington, director of the Institute for Early Childhood Studies at Victoria University, Wellington.

The project built on the experiences and tools developed in the Data, Knowledge, Action TLRI and TLIF projects (see more on page 9).

The project introduced a new culture of data use to teaching teams. Data tools focused on:

» exploring specific aspects of children’s oral language and communication

» structured observations of children’s engagement in the learning environment and with their peers and teachers

» examining teaching practices and strategies that teachers were using to support learning.

A teacher reflection tool looked at 28 teaching practices supportive of children’s language development. Teachers individually rated themselves on a growth scale from ‘I’ve never heard of

this before’ to ‘I’m really confident and I can train other people and support them to grow’.

The second tool, a child profile questionnaire, prompted teachers to think about things they know about a particular child before coming together and pooling their collective team knowledge.

The third data system was a structured intentional observation of a child’s experience. A teacher-researcher was trained to use an observation tool to note, by unobtrusively following a child for two hours, events and frequency data for a child’s experience at kindergarten.

“Who’s she talking to? How many times did the child initiate an interaction with a peer or teacher and did she get a response or not? Was it a non-verbal initiation, or verbal? If there was a conversation with a teacher, what sort of conversation was it? We collect data, which would be shared with teams,” says Claire.

“Why is this important? The child that initiates lots of interactions is going to be having a lot more practice opportunities with their language skills. It doesn’t mean we want to change a child’s disposition, but it’s about thinking of ways to encourage lots of opportunities to practise oral language,” she adds.

‘Aha’ moments

The key goal of the project was to investigate ways to have sustainable shifts in practice, which is why it was embedded into the annual professional growth cycle. The teams engaged in successive cycles of inquiry with the support of the newly trained teacher-researchers to help them gather data.

Throughout the project, teachers reported ‘aha’ moments which saw them engaging in more intentional planning and formative assessment of language and communication skills.

“You think you’ve interacted with a child a lot, but then you look at [the data] and you realise that they are fleeting interactions, the depth maybe is not there or maybe it only happens once during that two-hour period and it just sort of gives you more awareness of what you’re doing, where you’re going and just that whole understanding how quality is the key rather than the quantity,” said one teacher-researcher.

“The child can talk constantly all day, but they might be just talking to people fleetingly without getting that depth, so that’s made me more conscious of really trying to sustain interactions with children.”

Adaptability and sustainability

The data tools were designed to be adapted and used for each unique context and inquiry. For example, one team pivoted from researching practices around oral language to social and emotional communication skills and language. They developed their own set of teaching practices as the data highlighted a need for more intentional coaching of children on the language used with each other in peer relationships.

Hutt City Kindergartens was able to engage in the project thanks to a grant from HealthCarePlus and their Grants for Good scheme.

“Teams reflecting collectively with time, support and guidance is hugely valuable. It’s a real challenge to find the time to do this, but it’s worth it.

“The funding from HealthCarePlus provided the opportunity and space to engage with expertise. This made an enormous difference to rolling out a successful process of professional learning and development in a priority area of learning for all children, and especially our most vulnerable children,” says Claire.

“We think we have a languagerich environment because we talk all the time, but actually it’s breaking it down and analysing what we are doing. It’s made us aware of being present to have those conversations.”

Lyn Guild

Lyn and Hunter share a book in the ngāhere at Avalon Kindergarten.

Empowering kaiako

All 19 teachers involved in the research project demonstrated increased confidence in using data to facilitate language learning.

“Being an intentional teacher includes collecting data and information and analysing it. It’s an important piece of the puzzle for the team to use to decide what to do next,” says Claire.

Using data tools to actively engage teachers in reflection on their role in the critical development of a child’s oral language, has resulted in teachable moments through child-led play being used in the moment and intentionally planned for in advance.

“Teachers are noticing, recognising and responding to oral language learning opportunities more consistently and integrating communication goals intentionally and holistically for all children; including those with strong language skills who need greater stretch to progress, as well as those whose language development shows signs of delay or difficulty.”

The project has given the HCK valuable data about time investments that offer the greatest value for children’s learning outcomes.

“The use of new tools and the supported process of inquiry lifted the quality of teams’ observations and reflections, focused their shared communication, and expanded their capacity to respond more confidently with teaching practices tailored to the language development stage of the individual child.

“Now that we have engaged in this process with a high level of support, we have the confidence to develop and adapt what we have learned to create time and space for further professional growth across our pool of 100 teachers and 1,000 tamariki,” Claire concludes.

Nimrat and Claire share some exciting kōrero.

Sustained conversations vital

Avalon Kindergarten kaiako Lyn Guild was one of the teacherresearchers involved in the data project. With more than 20 years as a kaiako under her belt, she describes the experience as “amazing” even though initially she had her doubts.

“I thought I was too old to learn something new, I didn’t know anything about data collection, and I’m too busy – how much non-contact time was it going to take?

“But it was exciting for me to learn new things such as the new technology and to be a researcher. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it’s given me a lot more insight into how effective we can be. I think each of the teacher-researchers learned a lot about themselves and their understanding.

“Since being involved I feel like I am more analytical about what is happening with children, and I feel there are so many nuances in what happens in an interaction. There are a lot of steps involved in learning to have a conversation with somebody.”

Team talk

For the teacher reflection tool, each teacher did their reflection individually and then had a team discussion.

“It was quite a vulnerable process because you had to talk about

your [perceived] ‘lack’. But it was really affirming because colleagues would say ‘no, no, I saw you do this, this and this under that category’.”

The child language profile tool also involved teamwork with kaiako doing individual profiles for a child, then collating the data.

“It was a collaboration and collation of information which then gave us a fuller picture. It brought to the top where a child may need a little support in their language development, or it provided us with information to say to whānau, ‘we’ve noticed this, what have you noticed?’ It’s evidence-based and you can actually start a plan from a stronger place.”

Observation opportunity

Having the opportunity to be an observer (teacherresearcher) in a different kindergarten was an opportunity not often offered to kaiako and Lyn found the data gathering and coding in the structured intentional observations allowed her to break down interactions in a nuanced way.

Some of the data was collected using tablet-based software and put into Excel to produce graphs that showed what a

child was doing, types of social engagement, number of times they initiated interactions and the kinds of interactions they had with kaiako.

“With the coding and pictorial representation, if for example you can see a child is spending a lot of time by themselves, you start to ask why. You start to look at who is friends with that child? Is the child doing a range of activities at the kindergarten? You start to be quite analytical about what the child is doing.”

Building on the skills she learned as a teacher-researcher, Lyn was able to do an observation on a child at her own kindergarten as his communication and oral language development was of concern.

“I knew the child but when I had two hours to watch, within an hour and a bit I went ‘aha!’. The child had never had much experience in initiating interactions. He would bring a toy, which most kindergarten teachers discourage as they don’t have time to look for lost toys. But I realised he was desperate to interact with us and the other children but wasn’t confident enough. It was a non-verbal way of initiating an interaction.

“Once we realised that it was partly a comfort thing and it gave him something to talk about, we engaged in conversations with him about it. He became a real chatterbox, and he was a lot quicker at joining in with things. It helped us answer questions about what this environment wasn’t providing and what he wasn’t comfortable with.”

Sustained conversations

All teachers involved in the project learned how important it is to have sustained conversations with tamariki.

“We think we have a language-rich environment because we talk all the time, but actually it’s breaking it down and analysing what we are doing. It’s made us aware of being present to have those conversations. Those sustained ‘serve and return’ conversations are vital and as you’re building it up, they become more competent.”

An amazing new STEM resource from Genesis School-gen & Nanogirl Labs

An early love of reading supports future educational outcomes.

Growing a nation of readers

When school’s out for summer, it’s time for students and teachers alike to enjoy some R&R (rest and relaxation). Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, National Library ’s Services to Schools would like to add an extra R to the holiday mix: reading.

According to the OECD, a love of reading can be more important for a child’s educational success than their family’s socioeconomic background. In Aotearoa, not everyone has the same opportunities to develop a love of reading, and young people’s reading for pleasure and levels of literacy are in steady decline.

As part of addressing inequities in access to libraries, National Library’s Services to Schools hopes to get books into the hands of as many ākonga and kaiako as possible during the long summer break. To make it even easier, books will be available over and above the usual term allocations – they won’t be due back until April 2023.

There is free online access to a huge range of books and advice from skilled National Library’s Services to Schools staff, and kaiako in Auckland and Christchurch will be able to borrow books from walk-in centres after school from 14 November to 9 December 2022.

“The summer reading programme is a joy and a celebration of reading. We have a huge, outstanding collection of books for children and young people. We’re really encouraging kaiako to read for their own pleasure and wellbeing and to explore the rich resource that we have for ākonga,” says Anne Morgan, national manager Reading Services to Schools.

“We have books in 17 different languages; home and heart languages; books for refugee and migrant students, and accessible collections in large print and dyslexic fonts,” she says.

Addressing the summer slide

While public libraries generally run summer reading programmes, National Library’s Services to Schools knows that not all tamariki and whānau visit libraries and hopes

that by providing access to books and role modelling a love of books, teachers and schools will help to address this inequitable access.

“We see what we do as being a significant contribution to making books available to allow more kids to have access to books and to encourage people to connect with some of the on-the-ground programmes, whether public library or school programmes,” says Elizabeth Jones, director of literacy and learning for the National Library.

Role models and collaboration

The more that schools and communities understand their influence in creating young readers and the potential impact of reading for pleasure, the more effective they will be in encouraging and supporting reading.

Collaboration is key: tumuaki, kaiako, school librarians, whānau and public libraries can all collaborate with each other to build communities of support that encourage reading.

“Some schools put together summer book bags. So it might be that schools do small things in terms of a summer reading programme. Others might put together a team –school librarian, literacy lead and students – and do a more sustained programme where they organise an event and distribute the book bags and talk about summer reading –a festive thing,” says Jo Buchan, from the Communities of Readers project.

“Whānau, peers, teachers, librarians and community have huge influence as role models. They can make a difference through talking about books they have read, telling stories, sharing their own interest and joy in reading, reading with whānau of all ages, providing access to a range of great books and being seen reading themselves,” concludes Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Jones

“Whānau, peers, teachers, librarians and community have huge influence as role models. They can make a difference through talking about books they have read, telling stories, sharing their own interest and joy in reading, reading with whānau of all ages, providing access to a range of great books and being seen reading themselves.”

Communities of reading

Since 2019, the National Library Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers initiative has been working to build reading engagement and address inequity of access to books by collaborating with local and national partners to co-create a collective approach. Projects were undertaken in four diverse areas throughout Aotearoa, with more planned for 2023.

Read, Share, Grow in South Dunedin is one of the projects –it’s a partnership between Dunedin City Council, Methodist Mission Southern, Ministry of Education, the National Library of New Zealand, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki.

“The thinking around reading was, how do we grow a nation of readers? This requires collaboration and it’s about bringing a strategically focused approach to how we build collaboration, capability, awareness and support while working with a whole lot of different people,” explains Elizabeth Jones.

Diverse communities

Read Share Grow has seen more than 16,000 books distributed through 120 early childhood education centres, schools, community groups and businesses in South Dunedin.

Bridget Schaumann works for National Library’s Services to Schools in Dunedin and says that a key finding from Pūtoi Rito is that there is a lack of diverse stories and books that tamariki and whānau from a range of cultures can relate to.

“We’ve learned that there’s a great need for diverse books – especially in Pacific languages – and for children to see themselves represented in story and picture books living their everyday lives. We know that there are just not enough of those books.

“We’d love to encourage anybody who’s got a story in them to get it written so that kids can see the local stories. There are a lot of cultures that have an oral tradition with myths and legends passed down through families, but it

Read the online version of this article for more links to Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers.

One of 30 Lilliput Libraries in South Dunedin.

would be wonderful if there were more books that a child could pick up in a school library and the family could share together,” she says.

Engaging tamariki and whānau

Last year, as part of the library’s summer reading programme, Read Share Grow developed a book trail featuring the 30 Lilliput Libraries in South Dunedin. Lilliput Libraries are a community initiative of small free libraries in the streets of Dunedin. People can take books for free and may add to the library if they wish.

“We’ve made a map so the kids go from Lilliput to Lilliput and tick off the ones they have been to. They can take books from there, or swap books out. They take their completed form to the South Dunedin Library where they can do activities and then they get a book,” says Bridget.

Pūtoi Rito continues to go from strength to strength in South Dunedin with the Read Share Grow team holding and attending many events, including the Lilliput book trail and book swaps which will be run again this summer.

“One of the success factors was that it was a joyful strength-based concept and approach –who doesn’t want wonderful, beautiful books? We’ve tried to ensure that we have books in home and heart languages, such as Farsi, Arabic, te Reo, Pasifika languages, to ensure kids have books they can identify with,” says Jo Buchan.

“We know there have been shifts in attitude, awareness, confidence; a real sense of pride and ownership by the community and a longterm commitment by the partners to keep going with this,” adds Elizabeth.

Read, Share, Grow, a National Library Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers initiative, is well supported by the community in South Dunedin.

FROM FARM TO FORK

TEACHING TAMARIKI ABOUT FOOD PRODUCTION

If you were to ask your class today to look at their lunches and tell you where the food came from, what would they say? Could they tell you who grows it and how it got from the paddock to their lunchbox or plate? Most likely the answer is no.

Many children finish primary school with little knowledge of where their food comes from. Rabobank research suggests teens living in New Zealand’s cities and regional towns have an alarming lack of knowledge about food production, with 81 percent surveyed admitting they know only a little or nothing at all about the topic. Kaiako in schools across the country echo this sentiment, saying too often their tamariki have no idea where food comes from.

Farmer Time is an exciting new programme bridging this gap and is a huge hit with tamariki and kaiako alike.

Developed in the UK and launched this year in Aotearoa New Zealand, Farmer Time connects your primary or intermediate class with their very own food producer, bringing farming life directly into your classroom via video call technology, allowing students to experience first-hand how food is produced and the story behind it.

Your farmer is beamed live into your classroom for 15-20 minute sessions once a fortnight. Sessions are child-centred and based on questions your tamariki ask. Learning revolves around on farm activities, often linked to your class curriculum areas.

If you’re a school that already has existing programmes such as Enviroschool, 5+ A Day, Garden to Table, or Ka Ora, Ka Ako (Healthy School Lunches), Farmer Time will complement these so that your tamariki develop a greater understanding of the food that sustains Aotearoa.

Former teacher Marie Burke farms sheep, cattle and vegetable crops in the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region and is one of the food producers participating in Farmer Time. Marie is also the national farmer time coordinator and ensures when a teacher signs up, they are matched with a farmer who best suits their needs.

Location is no barrier to the learning on offer through Farmer Time, a class from the North Island can be matched with a farmer or producer from the South.

Marie says, “It’s so rewarding hearing back from teachers about the wide range of experiences coming from the Farmer Time programme. The children love learning about the animals, the farm machinery and how life on farm changes through the seasons.”

One of the teachers taking part in Farmer Time is Brigid Ladley, a Year 2 teacher at St. Michael’s Church School in Christchurch. Her class is matched with Hawkes Bay farmers Pat and Isabelle Crawshaw, and Brigid can’t speak highly enough of the programme and the relationship that has developed between them and her class.

“The sessions open the children’s eyes to a whole new world,” says Brigid. “Children need to know where their food comes from and see it for themselves – it’s all about farm to fork and understanding the whole picture.”

“I’d say to any teacher – get involved because huge learning is coming out of our Farmer Time sessions – whether it’s geography, science, maths or language – the whole lot is there.”

The key to the programme is that it is quick and easy to run, is flexible and fun and it is free.

From the comfort of your classroom, Farmer Time takes your class on an unforgettable journey out into the countryside, and whether it’s for a term or a whole year the experience is one they will never forget.

There is a list of food producers waiting to be matched with your class for 2023.

For more information please visit www.farmertime.co.nz

If you teach about healthy communities and environment, the living world, the economic world, people who help us, sustainability, healthy kai, statistics, measurement or even careers, this new programme should be added to your annual plan.

Teacher Brigid Ladley and her Year 2 class from St. Michael’s Church School in Christchurch, chatting to Hawkes Bay farmer, Pat Crawshaw. Photo credit to Cosmo Kentish Barnes & Radio New Zealand.

Tamaiti and faiaoga at Richmond Road School have a strong sense of pride in their culture.

CREATIVE ARTS

Deeper learning for tamaiti through Siva Samoa

An eight-month dance project enabled tamaiti in a Samoan bilingual unit to connect more closely with traditional arts, and to gain confidence and pride in their culture.

Tamaiti of Mua-i-Malae at Richmond Road School in Ponsonby, Auckland, are a little jittery. The big day is here and after three terms of preparation, they are going to perform for their peers and aiga.

All 60 tamaiti are dressed in bright and beautiful costumes and sit cross-legged as they watch aiga, most clutching cameras, file into the audience section. It’s a special occasion to have family in the school, the first time since pandemic restrictions have lifted. And it is extra special to share what they have been working on all year – Siva Samoa!

This is a Creatives in Schools project led by Mua-iMalae togafau Filo Tu-Faleupolu and two local artists, Cilla Brown and Albert Tupuola.

Cilla is a choreographer and dancer, and the project leader of Pacific Dance New Zealand. She created the programmes and timetables for the project.

Albert is a dance tutor from Pacific Dance New Zealand with a passion for Samoan aganu’u (culture) and siva (dance).

Filo, a second-year teacher, is also an artist who has been choreographing dance, performance, and drama since he was 10. He’s also a classically trained pianist and has studied flute and violin.

“I developed a love and passion for Samoan aganu’u and siva when I was young and have led workshops and overseen projects both locally and internationally to promote understanding and comprehension of Samoan culture and its unique style of dance.

“The goal of our project was to ensure that our tamaiti were given the opportunity to learn and understand our Samoan culture through song and dance. Each vasega (class) was to learn one form of Siva Samoa to showcase at the end of the project.”

Each of the three vasega spent two hours a week with creatives, time they spent learning songs, dance, and how it related to Samoan legends of love, war, and history. All learning aligned to Mua-i-Malae inquiry topics.

Tamaiti dressed in bright and beautiful costumes for their performance in front of peers and aiga.

Students learning songs and dance, and how it relates to Samoan legends of love, war, and history.

Filo says the impact on tamaiti has been extremely positive, that they are noticeably more confident, and their cultural knowledge has been greatly increased.

“The creative tutors who have been a part and parcel of this journey have taught with an integrated curriculum approach which has seen an increase in the confidence of our tamaiti to be able to sing with pure enunciation, read without fault, and understand the relevance of words and rhymes.”

Faiaoga greatly inspired Faiaoga (teachers) have also greatly enjoyed the project, with Filo saying, “They have been deeply affected by this opportunity to not only see their teachings come to life through literacy, social sciences, health, and physical education but also to work with the creatives. It has been a great reminder and inspiration around teachers’ approach, preparation and planning, questioning, and behaviour management skills.”

He adds that the demand on teachers to be flexible, adaptable, and pivotal is a lot to take on, but parents and community see the intensity of the work and continue to be willing to support and do what they can within their free time.

“Having the support of a kura with leadership that sees beyond the pages of a curriculum, has been encouraging and uplifting from both a professional perspective, but also a cultural one too,” says Filo.

“We were fortunate in this round to receive such a blessing, and we will continue to source and look for more ways in which our tamaiti benefit from such resources.”

Building pride

Principal Jacqui Tutavake says the Siva Samoa project enabled the school’s Samoan community to build upon what they have: a strong identity, a strong language, and a strong sense of pride.

“I think it means a lot to the students, parents and teachers to know that the funding is external, that there is value in what the Ministry of Education is doing around Pacific culture and language,” she says.

“Faiaoga have been deeply affected by this opportunity to not only see their teachings come to work through literacy, social sciences, health, and physical education but also to work with our creatives.”

Filo Tu-Faleupolu

“There are a lot of opportunities for tamaiti to see mirrors of themselves, Samoan role models that they won’t always see in mainstream, and I think that has been quite powerful. And during Samoan Language Week they saw children (from the other units) wanting to take part in the Sasa, to learn it and perform it, and that would have gone a long way too,” adds Jacqui.

Richmond Road School is unique. There are four separate and distinct units – Māori, English, Samoan and French – and ākonga travel from across Auckland to attend, mostly to maintain connection to their homeland and to mix with like-minded whānau. There is a long waiting list for enrolment.

Jacqui says the culture is the taonga of the school.

“People want to learn about everybody else around them. They integrate naturally. It’s interesting when I have visitors come in who say, ‘Wow, I can hear all the languages and then all your children just play together’. But to our children, that’s just how it is, learning about each other’s cultures and identities is normal for them.

“We are thinking about how the Creatives in Schools funding can be used across the school for all our students because we can see how much it has contributed to our Samoan culture and language here.”

Jacqui Tutavake

“There are a lot of opportunities for tamaiti to see mirrors of themselves, Samoan role models that they won’t always see in mainstream, and I think that has been quite powerful. And during Samoan Language Week they saw children (from the other units) wanting to take part in the Sasa, to learn it and perform it, and that would have gone a long way too.”

Mua-i-Malae togafau Filo Tu-Faleupolu.

Culture is the taonga of the school.

Moon-hoppers offer an alternative way to get around at Our Lady of the Assumption.

The changing face of physical activity in schools and kura

Our Lady of the Assumption, a Year 1–8 special character school in Ōtautahi Christchurch, is transforming its approach to physical activity. Supported by its local Healthy Active Learning team, the school has made the most of other funding and resources available through Sport New Zealand to create an environment that is more holistic and inclusive for all ākonga.

Visit Our Lady of the Assumption and you can expect to see ākonga walking around on stilts and bouncing on moon-hoppers at lunchtime, teachers learning marching routines as part of their professional learning and development (PLD), and a whole school, student-led and designed Commonwealth games complete with tugof-war and soaked-sponge races.

It is all part of the whole school’s three-year transformation into a more inclusive, active, and playfriendly environment that is more suited to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse school roll.

“We were getting a variety of students from different backgrounds and so their background in physical activity and PE is different as well. We were dynamic and changing and needed to think of ways to address that,” says principal Janet Cummings.

Sport Canterbury’s Healthy Active Learning team has supported the school to make the change. The local Regional Sports Trust facilitated staff PLD, introduced resources such as MoveWell, ran leadership workshops for the school’s physical activity student leaders (PALS), and supported the school to strengthen its connections to its local community, including local sport and physical activity providers.

For lead PE teacher Bridget Grant, it has helped teachers, ākonga and whānau expand their understanding of what being active can look like at school.

“It doesn’t just have to be that we are going for five laps of the field and then doing 10 star jumps. There are so many different things you can do.”

Thanks to Tū Manawa funding, the school also

introduced a play pod to help ākonga engage in unstructured free play. Co-designed with students it comes out every break time.

Isla, who is eight years old, is a big fan of it, saying, “I like bouncing on the moon-hoppers because I like bouncing on the field.”

Tū Manawa has also supported the school to increase and diversify the sport opportunities available to ākonga. In addition to traditional offerings like hockey, football and netball, ākonga have travelled to their local gymnastics club Olympia – that also provided the school with a trailer of gymnastics equipment.

Healthy Active Learning facilitator Vicki Cowley then provided teachers with PLD to support teaching gymnastics in the classroom.

There is also handball, golf, volleyball, and marching –all delivered on school grounds by teachers or in the local community.

Janet says the increased range of opportunities is giving more ākonga an opportunity to shine.

“We were surprised by one of the young boys who led the marching team. If we hadn’t given him that opportunity, we would never have known that he had those skills.”

Physical activity is also now embedded in the strategic plan and there is an understanding across the school of the connection between physical activity, mental wellbeing, and learning.

“We are all reading from the same page, we are all singing from the same song sheet, we all value this for our tamariki,” says Bridget.

Janet Cummings

“We were surprised by one of the young boys who led the marching team. If we hadn’t given him that opportunity, we would never have known that he had those skills.”

Physical activity in schools and kura made easier

Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Funding

Sport NZ is supporting schools and kura so all ākonga can take part in quality physical activity and enjoy being active in ways that suit them, enhancing their learning and improving their wellbeing in the process.

There is a wide range of support available to help all schools and kura create an inclusive active learning environment.

MoveWell

Movewell is a joint initiative between Sport NZ, Physical Education New Zealand and ACC, supported by the Ministry of Education. MoveWell is a practical gamesbased resource that has strong links to the health and physical education learning area in The New Zealand Curriculum. MoveWell is available in hard copy and can also be downloaded on the Sport NZ website.

Tū Manawa is a Sport NZ fund managed around the country by Regional Sports Trusts. It provides funding for play, active recreation, or sport opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi. Tū Manawa is available to support school-based initiatives, particularly for those who are less active or have limited access to opportunities to be physically active.

Healthy Active Learning

Healthy Active Learning is about improving the wellbeing of tamariki and young people through healthy eating and drinking, and quality physical activity. It’s a joint initiative between Sport NZ, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health. Now in over 800 schools and kura nationwide, Healthy Active Learning is supporting schools and kura to create healthy and active learning environments, and better connections to their local communities. Schools and kura who are not already part of Healthy Active Learning can still take advantage of a collection of online resources.

MoveWell offers a number of practical games-based resources and ideas.

In Our Backyard

With New Zealand hosting a series of major sporting events over the next two years, Sport NZ has developed a suite of resources and a framework called In Our Backyard to support schools and kura, sporting organisations, and local communities to work together in collaborative and innovative ways to help students learn through sport.

Regional sports directors

Sport NZ, with secondary schools, supports a nationwide network of regional sports directors responsible for coordinating inter-school sport opportunities, connecting schools with community sport organisations, and providing support for school sport staff.

For information on these initiatives and opportunities visit sportnz.org.nz/schools.

At every break at Our Lady of the Assumption, Year 8 physical activity leaders (PALS) bring out the school’s play pod, which they co-designed based on input from their classmates.

Learning with sport opportunities in 2023

Two new opportunities to learn through sport will become available across Aotearoa New Zealand as the country hosts the Football Women’s World Cup and the Sail Grand Prix in 2023.

Clusters of teachers in different parts of the country have been working with Sport NZ, Healthy Active Learning teams and a group of national sporting organisations to put together new and innovative ways to learn sport. The topics and resources that have been created will become available for the first time as two of the world’s most significant sporting events come to our shores in 2023.

Sail Grand Prix

The first opportunity connects ākonga to the Sail Grand Prix, which takes place in Christchurch during term 1, 2023.

Yachting NZ has two opportunities for schools to use the SailGP as a context for learning. The first of these is called Kōkōkaha – Powered by wind, and focuses on the science, technology, engineering, and maths involved in harnessing the power of the wind.

The second is called Kōrinorino – In our ancestors’ wake, and relates to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, by focusing on early interactions between tangata whenua and tauiwi as settlers arrived on these shores.

FIFA Football Women’s World Cup

In terms 2 and 3, schools and kura can participate in Kōtuitui – Let’s get connected, as the country hosts the FIFA Football Women’s World Cup.

Kōtuitui uses the context of this major event for ākonga to explore the big ideas about biculturalism and multiculturalism from the social studies learning area.

The FIFA Football Women’s World Cup is going to be the biggest event ever held in Aotearoa and the excitement it generates provides a great opportunity for ākonga to explore these big ideas.

Each of these topics includes sets of classroom learning experiences supported by place-based learning experiences at sailing clubs or football clubs around the country.

To find out more about Kōkōkaha, Kōrinorino and Kōtuitui, and to register your school or kura to be involved, visit sportnz.org.nz/in-our-backyard.

In 2023, Christchurch hosts the Sail Grand Prix.

The FIFA Football Women's World Cup is a major event providing a unique opportunity for learning through sport and the empowerment of women and girls in sport.

Latest research

The latest impact evaluation report for Pause Breathe Smile, has been completed and released by the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience and Mindquip. More than 1,000 teachers trained in Pause Breathe Smile, from Feb 2021 until Sept 2022, responded to this survey Educators were asked to describe the wellbeing , characteristics and behaviours of children before, during and one year after implementation. Results showed:

Positive behaviour in the

Negative behaviour in the

12 months on from

number of

increased by 12.4%

reduced by 10.1%

general student

by 8.1%

by 8.3%

was up by 16.6%

Financial inquiry connects classroom to community

Mairangi Bay School in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has ignited a passion for business amongst ākonga, connecting them with the local village to boost financial literacy and strengthen community connections.

A PTA market day gave ākonga the opportunity to see a real market day come to life as part of their financial inquiry.

Mairangi Bay School is creating young business entrepreneurs by encouraging creativity and local community engagement in their small Auckland suburb.

The North Shore primary school’s recent financial inquiry ran all term 3 and has proved to be a triumph for students and whānau alike.

Claire Worthington-Blair, deputy principal for the junior school, says the financial inquiry was chosen for the way it would teach financial capability, while also linking to numeracy and literacy.

“This topic leant itself to maths really well, but the strength of the inquiry came from looking at the context of money. We wanted to build questions and activities to help students extend their abstract thinking and connect with other areas of learning.”

Market days

Both the juniors and seniors worked their way through a business plan, beginning at product conception and market research, and finishing with a series of highly successful market days.

Creativity shone through all year groups, with products including bath bombs, tie-dyed T-shirts, squishy balls and games involving hoops, balls and even a maze.

Peter Stoner, deputy principal for the senior school (Years 4–6), says he saw students really taking on board the different roles and stages of creating and marketing a product.

“One of the things the children really enjoyed was integrating the project into other areas of school. Posters appeared around the place, sharing either the goods or services they were hoping to make a profit with, and you’d have interactions in the playground with students presenting their idea and asking how much you would pay for it.”

The market days yielded positive feedback from tamariki.

Year 6 student Eva says she felt that it was a good experience for students to learn what it feels like to run a business, while fellow classmate Ethan reflected that since his fruit salad made $14, next time he would add more flavours.

Mairangi Bay School principal Nathan Janes says the steps from designing a product or service to delivering it at the market day had huge benefits for student learning and engagement.

“The children had to know what a business looks like, what the different roles and responsibilities are, key competencies and how to contribute to a business plan, all the while considering what the needs of the community were.”

“This topic leant itself to maths really well, but the strength of the inquiry came from looking at the context of money. We wanted to build questions and activities to help students extend their abstract thinking and connect with other areas of learning.”

Claire Worthington-Blair

Whānau is key to engagement at Mairangi Bay School.

Funds raised by the PTA market day went towards a new PE shed.

There were two market days (one each for the junior and senior years) and together students raised over $1,600 which was donated to Starship Children’s Hospital.

From classroom to community

To encourage students to link their inquiries to local community, the junior school were taken on a class trip to the Mairangi Bay Village to check out the different businesses and complete tasks like buying books and morning tea for the class to share.

Claire says the trip to the village was a way for students to connect the dots between what they were learning about inside the classroom to life outside of school.

“It’s quite a small community, and many of the shops in the village are part of our whānau too.”

Mairangi Bay School is smaller than its neighbouring schools with about 480 students, so community and whānau engagement is crucial to student wellbeing.

As a shining example to students, a third market day was delivered the following weekend – this time organised by the school PTA.

There were about 50 stalls run by teachers and parents, and Nathan says the school also reached out to local businesses who wanted to hire a stall and be involved, to show students what their financial inquiry looked like outside the classroom.

Nathan Janes

Funds raised by this PTA market day went towards a new PE shed, which has since been built and is now being enjoyed by students.

“It wasn’t just in-house teaching and learning within school sites. They saw a real market day come to life, as well as the benefits of a market day supporting their community,” says Nathan.

The parents and teachers market day and the student trip down to the local village illustrate the type of relationship the school wants to have with its surroundings.

Nathan, who only joined the school in term 2, says community engagement plays a huge role for his strategy with student learning.

“We’re very lucky to be able to use the local area as part of our programmes. Whānau and local community really want to be a part of what we do at school. It takes more than a village to grow our children.”

Market days brought ākonga, whānau and the community together.

The Mairangi Bay School PTA team ready to support the community.

“We’re very lucky to be able to use the local area as part of our programmes. Whānau and local community really want to be a part of what we do at school. It takes more than a village to grow our children.”

Onto new inquiry

The inquiry theme for term 4 is sustainability and how students can use kaitiakitanga to care for the environment, a topic well suited for a school five minutes’ walk from the beach.

Nathan says the school’s location and connection with its environment was part of the reason the new inquiry was chosen, to keep learning engaged with the local area.

“The beach and village is right on our doorstep –we’re a lucky, magical place to be.”

Ākonga made a number of different products to sell on market days, including cupcakes.

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ASSESSMENT

The power of e-asTTle in a classroom

Te Waotu School talk to Education Gazette about their Assessment for Learning and e-asTTle journey.

Across the broad spectrum of education, using professional tools to support practice is an investment in continued improvement. When it comes to teaching, using assessment tools to support improved pedagogy is no different.

Ryves Hunt, principal of Te Waotu School in rural South Waikato, describes how the school embarked on their Assessment for Learning (AfL) professional development seven and a half years ago.

“I’ll be honest, I’d dabbled with the e-asTTle previously,

but I had viewed it as a summative tool – it wasn’t until Te Waotu School that the potential and the value of e-asTTle became apparent to me.

“When we got the whole school on board with Assessment for Learning, we decided to introduce e-asTTle in alignment with student agency, in our efforts to create assessment-literate learners. The tool helped support our teachers with their judgements and next steps –and became an important part of the creation of individual, class-wide, and schoolwide goals.”

Me hoe tahi i runga i te whakaaro kotahi | Let us work together as one.

Ākonga in the Junior Room at Te Waotu School.

What is e-asTTle?

The electronic assessment Tool for Teaching and learning (e-asTTle) is an online assessment tool developed to assess students’ achievement and progress in reading, mathematics, writing, and in pānui, pāngarau, and tuhituhi.

The reading and mathematics assessments have been developed primarily for ākonga in Years 5–10, but because they test curriculum levels 2–6 they can be used for ākonga in lower and higher year levels. The e-asTTle writing tool can be used as one of the assessment sources for ākonga in Years 1–10.

The tool is designed to provide reliable and valid assessment information for teachers and students which can be used to enhance and support teaching and learning.

A major role in e-asTTle for teachers is to maximise students’ motivation to engage keenly with assessment. If any student is less than fully engaged in the test, the results for that student may be less reliable.

For e-asTTle to be reliable, assessment needs to be a

collaborative endeavour between the teacher and the student, where both want to determine what the student knows, and what might be learnt next.

Students who are involved in their learning can be thought of as assessment-capable (or active learners), central to the theory of Assessment for Learning (AfL).

What makes Te Waotu School successful?

Ryves believes Te Waotu School staff have worked hard in the last five years to implement Assessment for Learning pedagogy schoolwide.

He says e-asTTle was an instrumental part in helping teachers identify and target needs, confirm their overall teacher judgements, and create assessment-literate students.

The biggest impact, he adds, is students being more active in their learning process – and that sharing the responsibility for learning develops students who can articulate their personal progress, and know what being successful with learning looks like.

“When we got the whole school on board with Assessment for Learning, we decided to introduce e-asTTle in alignment with student agency ... The tool helped support our teachers with their judgements and next steps – and became an important part of the creation of individual, class-wide, and schoolwide goals.”

Ryves Hunt

Te Waotu School kaiako have conversations about data.

“In creating active learners, we shifted the focus of assessment control from solely teacher-ownership, towards involving students. That provided a common language about what learning should look like.

“As they grew motivated to understand and use their own assessment information, students would routinely reflect on where they’re at. These days, learners will ask about their assessment and discuss, so they can see their own progress. Nearly every child at Te Waotu School can tell you what they are learning, and why they are learning it.”

e-asTTle and teaching

The e-asTTle tool is part of a whole range of mechanisms teachers need to notice, recognise and respond to students’ learning. It can support teachers to understand the impact they are having, offer clarity about what is learnt/taught, and facilitate data discussions to help share understanding and improve teacher practice.

“e-asTTle has helped our school target needs, and we’ve come to rely on the tool as part of supporting

decisions around teaching and achievement,” says Ryves.

“We’ve used the data to strengthen our school and target teaching/learning at the individual, class and school level.

“Effective use of the tool has come from having conversations to achieve clarity around administration excellence and consistency, ensuring adequate time between assessments, and shared moderation of results. This in turn has allowed us to have assessment-literate teachers who can support students to routinely reflect about their progress and achievement.”

Now confident in their position, Te Waotu School has become an example of success, often showcasing their learning walls, learning or modelling books, and their use of e-asTTle – parts of a whole combination of supports to create learner’s agency.

e-asTTle at home

Over the past few years, the ongoing disruption by Covid-19 across Aotearoa included challenges for the

The learning wall at Te Waotu School.

professional learning and development (PLD) support for e-asTTle.

Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education has worked closely with Evaluation Associates, their e-asTTle PLD provider, to provide resources to support schools, teachers and whānau with the adjustment for students to learn from home.

Resources include a printable PDF booklet, a slideshow, and a webinar (which was made publicly available on the Ministry’s website).

The content also has advice, considerations for testing, practical support, and guidance on how the data should be used and interpreted.

To access the resource, visit e-asttle.tki.org.nz/What-s-new.

Looking ahead

Assessment should be valid, fair, and suited to the purpose. It should measure student progression, not just achievement.

The Ministry of Education is working to strengthen e-asTTle in teaching, learning and assessment for progressions, and to align with the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum, and the Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy.

For more information on e-asTTle and mana-enhancing assessment for ākonga and whānau, visit e-asttle.tki.org.nz.

For more information on PLD opportunities, visit pld.education.govt.nz.

The centre encourages language development in all activities, even playing in the sandpit.

Inclusive approach to language skills in early learning

Ako Adventures in Tāmaki Makaurau is dedicated to developing language skills in early learning, and is exploring inclusive methods to improve language and communication for all learners.

Ako Adventures is an early learning service in Manurewa, Auckland. Samara Strugnell, a speech-language therapist, has been the director of the centre since November 2019. Before this she worked at the Ministry of Education as an advisor on Deaf children. Her vision for Ako Adventures? To lead an early learning approach that is inclusive and language-centred.

“I realised there was a real need in South Auckland for something explicitly catering for Deaf children, but within a community context,” she says.

“The centre is a regular preschool in many ways with the same challenges that all early learning services face, but on top of that we’ve got this philosophy or ethos of really trying to create an inclusive environment.”

The centre has an enrolment of 60 children, but due to a transient population and absenteeism, the daily numbers at the centre are lower. Samara and her team try to eliminate potential barriers for accessing the centre – they provide a van to transport children, they don’t charge for food, and they top up the government’s 20 free hours to 30 for over three-year-olds.

Samara and her team support whānau when children first attend the centre by comforting them and letting them know that it is normal for children to feel uneasy at first, but they will adapt.

“We have an open-door policy. For some of our little ones and those who are transitioning, their parent will stay for however long they feel they need to, and sometimes we will encourage them to stay even longer just to make sure the children are really settled.”

Normalising NZSL

The centre aims to increase the language abilities of all students. To ease the situation for Deaf and hard of hearing children, the centre emphasises language access and support any listening devices the children are using.

“When I was an advisor on Deaf children, I would often go into centres and there wasn’t a good understanding about the importance of wearing hearing technology.

“With the children at our centre there is a very clear expectation that those children are wearing their devices. So, if a little one gets up from their nap and the teachers forget to replace hearing aids, I will say ‘hey, where are the hearing aids?’ There is a commitment from a leadership perspective to make sure that the hearing technology is on and working.”

The centre has two teachers who are fluent in New Zealand Sign Language. One of them is Deaf and acts as a role model for Deaf interaction as well as teaching the children NZSL.

“Having someone who truly, richly understands the language and modelling it is an advantage. The children have learnt how to approach her and to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention.

“She can lip read really well so she can understand what they’re saying to her, and the children have picked up what she’s communicating to them.”

The other teacher is fluent in NZSL and English and conversational in te reo Māori. She will often sign while talking out of habit. These two teachers, along with other staff who are not so fluent, mean the children have exposure to NZSL as part of their daily routine.

“It’s really been embedded and is part of the culture of the centre. Even our logo, which is a butterfly, is symbolic for our aspiration of setting up this co-enrolment space where children who are Deaf and hard of hearing are educated alongside their peers with both languages being used and valued.”

Broadening language opportunities

Te reo Māori is also embedded in the culture of the centre. The previous centre manager ensured the language was part of everyday use, and Samara noticed the extent of Māori language skills as soon as she took over the centre.

“I was sitting with the children outside and one of them said, ‘We need to say our karakia’, which was obviously part of their routine. He and all the others were able to say their karakia without me leading it. I was really impressed that the children had learnt their karakia.”

There was a temporary setback during Covid-19 when the centre lost many of their fluent speakers, but they are now back on track with teachers who can embed te reo Māori into everyday routines.

Samara is dedicated to improving all forms of language and has focused on PLD opportunities for her staff. This has included doing a course called ABC and Beyond, which encourages language and learning opportunities through storybooks.

“It covers different ways of using storybooks to extend language. A couple of the team went off and did that course and found it really, really valuable in that it shaped and changed the way they approached reading stories to children.”

Jisun Hutchison is one of the teachers who undertook the training. She was impressed with the practical nature of the course.

“Taking videos of my own practice certainly offered me opportunities to improve and reflect on my practice towards literacy.”

Jisun has also noticed that using the methods from the course has increased student engagement.

“One of the strategies the course introduced is having deeper conversations with the children while reading a book. This is a great way to encourage more meaningful interaction. It also helps me to understand the children’s existing knowledge and experience.”

“Even our logo, which is a butterfly, is symbolic for our aspiration of setting up this co-enrolment space where children who are Deaf and hard of hearing are educated alongside their peers with both languages being used and valued.”

Samara Strugnell

A positive environment

Another learning opportunity has been the Incredible Years Teacher (IYT) programme that provides teachers with approaches to create a more positive learning environment. Samara says this is particularly important when working with children with delayed communication and language.

“We needed to really focus on upskilling around language as well as behaviour to support all the children in the environment. We’ve also spent lots of staff meetings talking about language development, our role in supporting that, and why we’re doing it.”

The course guides teachers as to the best means to encourage good behaviour through positive reinforcement and managing challenging behaviours.

“I think all teachers should do the course. The Ministry of Education funds it and they also pay $1,000 towards the cost of hiring relievers to enable you to attend the course.”

The process of improving language development is not confined to verbal interaction with the children. As well as having children who are Deaf and hard of hearing, the centre also has some children who are neurodiverse.

“We have been working collaboratively with the Ministry Learning Support around trying to increase the

use of visual communication, not just sign language, but having good access to visuals in the classrooms. It will be a universal design for learning that will be beneficial for all our learners.”

Currently, teachers are working on which strategies they will employ to increase the use of visuals. This includes having lanyards with visuals that can be flipped to the visual they want to use – such as going to the toilet.

Samara encourages schools to contact the Ministry of Education Learning Support team, not just to get funding for individual children with needs, but to also work collaboratively in finding ways that will support all learners.

“I started out by saying, ‘I want to support all our learners. What are the holistic supports you can provide to upskill my team?’”

In addition to this she also recommends contacting other agencies skilled in working with groups that require specialist needs, such as Hearing House, Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education Centre, or Autism New Zealand.

“We have a responsibility as educators to do as much as possible to help our children with their development, particularly their language development.”

Relationship with iwi leaders supports better outcomes for ākonga Māori

The Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group and Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga share their insights after two years working together in a formalised partnership.

The Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group (MILG) is the iwi leaders group collective delegated by the National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) to identify issues of importance relating to education.

There are 83 member iwi. MILG lead technician Hana O’Regan explains the role of the NICF, and its committees, is to advocate for iwi and influence issues for better outcomes for ākonga, their whānau, iwi and hapū.

“It is not a decision-making body at the local or regional level, and all iwi and hapū maintain their absolute mana and rangatiratanga over kaupapa and take in their respective rohe.”

The MILG prepares strategic positions on education matters, takes these to the forum and has them endorsed by the collective.

“We work constructively with Government and other entities to advance our goals in education and learning for iwi Māori learners, influencing and helping shape education and learning responses now and into the future,” says Hana.

The relationship between MILG and Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga was formalised in 2020 with a contractual agreement, which will be reviewed in 2023. The collective voice of MILG was one of the keys as to why the relationship has come about.

Secretary for Education Iona Holsted says, “The MILG provides a collective voice on behalf of the iwi who form the National Iwi Chairs Forum. In that respect it provides an effective way of engaging with iwi Māori at a national level, as a Te Tiriti partner on matters of education policy and practice as it relates to outcomes for Māori.”

A growing relationship

As with any relationship it has taken time to build an effective working partnership.

“When we first started the relationship, it took us some time to build trust and transparency. Te Tāhuhu work programme is vast and it is easy to overwhelm those not deep in it with the pace and complexity of what we are working on,” says Iona.

Pou Tangata co-chairs, Rahui Papa and Dame Naida Glavish welcome whānau at the Whakatū roadshow.

Rangatahi intern technicians, Hinepounamu Apanui-Barr, Ethan Hall and Jasmine Te Hira with members of the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group.

Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group technicians with chair Olivia Hall and lead rechnician, Dr Hana O’Regan at the August 2022 National Iwi Chairs Forum held in Ruatōria .

Hana adds to this, saying the relationship has been growing steadily, with several gains being made.

“However, we have a long way still to go. The Ministry is a big and complex group and the MILG is a small team working across several areas. We have all agreed we need to do better at ensuring timely communication and engagement takes place in a way where the NICF can effectively and meaningfully participate and influence educational policy, practice, and delivery to improve outcomes for Māori learners.”

The relationship between Te Tāhuhu and MILG is critical to successfully engaging and planning collaboratively with iwi on short and long-term work programmes and strategies. It is not the only voice of Māori that Te Tāhuhu engages at the national level, but it is an influential one.

Hana agrees, saying that from the perspective of MILG, “as the primary organisation responsible for formal teaching and learning, the Ministry relationship plays a major role in the kaupapa of importance to the MILG and NICF. We also have a relationship with Te Pukenga, and other educational agencies such as NZQA and TEC.”

Focus on equity

The partnership helps give iwi a voice within the education sector to advocate on matters of importance developed by or occurring in Te Tāhuhu.

When asked about future developments being planned, it is clear there has been discussion as to priorities going forward.

MILG and Te Tāhuhu have agreed that they will focus on equity in relation to: data, streaming, the digital divide, te reo Māori and STEM. Attendance and engagement have also been a shared priority as schools work to reconnect with whānau and ākonga who have had their learning disrupted by Covid.

“Our joint focus on presence, participation and progress at school – launched following Covid-19 –provides an important opportunity not just to reconnect ākonga with attending school but for the curriculum to be designed to deeply engage them, that is, participate in learning.

Providing relevant and engaging learning opportunities will be critical to increasing ākonga Māori participation in STEM, another of the agreed focus areas.

“Maths and sciences are deep bodies of mātauranga knowledge and by connecting to those, schools can make themselves places of choice for Māori,” explains Iona.

In terms of the focus on data, this will look at providing iwi-based data to support whānau to work with their tamariki and to form educational plans.

“We’re working hard to shift the equity dial that leads to improved voice and outcomes for our Māori,” explains Hana.

For equity in relation to te reo Māori, the Education and Training Act 2020 creates an entitlement for any student to be taught te reo Māori (by 2024).

“We know there are insufficient numbers of te reo

Māori teachers and look forward to working with MILG to find innovative solutions to allow ākonga Māori, in the first instance, to have access to their reo,” says Iona.

Efforts to move away from the use of streaming is another area that has the potential to make a big difference for equity. Research shows that structural streaming lowers expectations for children in “the low stream” and overall reduces achievement.

“Te Tāhuhu has been more a backroom partner in this work – providing funding to Tokono Te Raki, a Ngāi Tahu Māori Futures Collective, to support its campaign to end streaming. This has been an effective partnership with both major education unions formally opposing streaming at their national conferences. The main barrier now to giving effect to this change is for teachers to develop new capabilities in teaching mixed-ability classes,” explains Iona.

Hana is looking forward to these developments, saying, “We look forward to early engagement on the next work programme for education, a collaborative effort on accessing useful educational data relevant to MILG requests and discussions on continuation of resourcing for the mobilisation phase of the iwi-led programme to end streaming in Aotearoa.”

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Sustainable solutions

As to the digital divide during Covid-19, Te Tāhuhu supplied digital devices to senior secondary schools in Deciles 1–3 where they did not already have them and connected several thousand households to broadband. However, Iona recognises while this went some way to briefly closing the digital divide it is not a sustainable solution.

“Te Tāhuhu is working with Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and Department of Internal Affairs to find community-wide solutions to the digital divide. I know the lack of a sustainable solution is frustrating for MILG.”

The MILG are also finalising a future work plan to ensure the equity gap is not further exacerbated by the disruptions of Covid. They continue to focus on the following priority areas:

» Long-terms effects of the continued education disruption, particularly in Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato and Northland.

» Investment into education transitions and pathways which includes the re-engagement of learners.

» Targeted support for mental wellbeing and those with additional learner needs.

» Building of whānau learner capability.

Iona says the most powerful thing we can achieve is for schools and early learning services to be building educationally powerful connections with whānau and iwi and for that to happen, leaders and teachers need to make their schools and services welcoming and whānau need to be given the tools and confidence to demand an effective relationship.

“This is a big shift for many whānau whose own experiences with schooling, in particular, felt exclusive and alien. I know that MILG is working with whānau on this, Te Mahau (the entrance to Te Tāhuhu) is providing some resource to support whānau and iwi and are also working alongside schools to grow their capability to connect with their Māori communities.”

Pou Tangata roadshow in Ōtautahi.

Rangatahi intern technicians, Urukahinga Rei and Caleb Brothers at Uepohatu.

New Zealand’s battle for te reo Māori: Call for stories

The Māori Language Commission is calling for help collecting stories, images and memories that trace the ongoing battle to save the Māori language.

“The battle for the survival of te reo Māori has been fought by generations of people, in our smallest towns to our biggest cities. On our televisions, in our schools, at our workplaces: and importantly in our own homes. Those stories need to be told and saved,” said Māori Language Commissioner, Professor Rawinia Higgins.

“We are keen for young New Zealanders to interview their parents and elders: What was it like in Aotearoa when they were growing up? Where did they see or hear te reo?”

“This year marks some significant milestones so we are encouraging individuals, families and communities to share a story, memory or memento that help tell the stories of the battle for our country’s first language.”

2022 Māori language milestones: 35 years since the Māori Language Commission opened our doors.

50 years since the Māori language petition was presented; 35 years since te reo became an official language; and

Other significant anniversaries include: 50 years since Matatini began (under another name); 40 years since the first kōhanga reo; and several iwi radio stations will also celebrate individual anniversaries.

2022 also saw the first Matariki public holiday, something the commission began lobbying for more than 20-years-ago.

“The one thing that hasn’t changed over all these years is that te reo still needs the support of New Zealanders if it is to survive and thrive. We know it takes one generation to lose a language and three to get it back: The countdown is on.” The commission also released the findings of four years of Colmar/Kantar public opinion polling.

“More New Zealanders than ever before see te reo as part of their identity as a New Zealander and that speaking te reo is something to be proud of. 35-years ago when te reo became an official language of New Zealand, many feared that te reo would divide us. But in 2022 te reo brings us together. It is the language of Aotearoa and everyone who calls Aotearoa home.”

“From the days when it was banned, to protest marches and petitions, Treaty of Waitangi claims, counter claims and cases taken to the Privy Council and back: the battle for te reo was waged everywhere from our dinner tables to the highest courts on earth. It is a taonga for all New Zealanders to cherish, now and into the future.”

Te pakanga a Aotearoa mō te reo Māori: E pōhiritia ana ngā kōrero

E pōhiri ana a Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori kia āwhinatia tā rātou whakaemi i ngā kōrero, i ngā whakaahua me ngā mahara e whakapapatia ai te pakanga kia whakamāuitia te reo Māori.

“Kua hia nei ngā whakareanga e pakanga ana kia ora ai te reo Māori i ngā tāone iti iho, tae noa ki ngā tāone nui katoa. I ā tātou pouaka whakaata, i ō tātou kura, i ō tātou wāhi mahi, ā, mātua rā i ō tātou kāinga. Me kōrero, me pupuri ēnei kōrero,” tā te Toihau o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, tā Ahorangi Rawinia Higgins.

“E hiahia ana mātou kia uiuitia e ngā rangatahi o Aotearoa ō rātou mātua, ō rātou pākeke: “I pēhea a Aotearoa nō rātou e pakeke ake ana? He aha ngā wāhi i kitea, i rangona rānei te reo?”

“He nui ngā whakanuinga hira i tēnei tau, me te aha, e āki ana mātou i te takitahi, i te whānau me te hapori kia tukuna mai tētahi kōrero, tētahi maharatanga, tētahi manatunga rānei e āwhinatia ai te kōrerotia o ngā pakanga mō te reo taketake o Aotearoa.”

Ko ngā whakanuinga hira i te tau 2022 mō te reo Māori:

Kua 50 tau i te whakatakotoranga o te petihana o te reo Māori;

Kua 35 tau i te whakamana o te reo Māori hei reo ā-ture; ā,

Kua 35 tau i te whakatuwheratanga o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

Ko ētahi atu whakanuinga i tēnei tau: Kua 50 tau i te tīmatatanga o Te Matatini (he ingoa anō tōna i taua wā); Kua 40 tau i te kōhanga reo tuatahi; hei āpititanga atu, Ka whakanuia e ētahi o ngā reo irirangi ā-iwi ā rātou ake whakanuinga ā-tau.

Hei tēnei tau, hei te tau 2022, ka kitea tuatahitia te rā whakatā ā-ture o Matariki, he kaupapa kua neke atu i te 20 tau a Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori e kōkirikiri ana.

“Kāore i rerekē i ngā tau maha nei te whakataunga me tautoko tonu e Aotearoa whānui te reo e ora ai, e puāwai ai. E mōhio ana mātou ka ngaro te reo i te whakareanga kotahi, ā, e toru ngā whakareanga e ora ai anō ia: E haere ana te wā. Kua tukuna hoki e Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori ngā putanga o ngā whakaaro i te uiuinga tūmatanui a Colmar/ Kantar.

“Kua nui atu te hunga e whakapono ana he wāhi nui tō te reo Māori ki tō rātou tuakiritanga i Aotearoa nei, ā, me whakahīhī tātou ki te kōrero Māori. I ngā tau e 35 ki muri, i nui te hunga i wehi i te whakamanatanga ā-ture o te reo Māori i Aotearoa, kei noho wehewehe tātou. Engari i te tau 2022, ko tā te reo he whakakotahi. Koia tonu te reo o Aotearoa me te hunga e whakapae ana ko Aotearoa tō rātou kāinga.”

“Mai i te wā i rāhuitia te reo, ki ngā porotēhi me ngā petihana, ki ngā kerēme o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ki ngā kerēme tauutuutu i kawea ki te Rūnanga Ruānuku o te Kuīni: i pakangatia te pakanga o te reo Māori puta noa i ngā tēpu kai i ngā kāinga, tae noa atu ki ngā kōti matua rawa o te ao. He taonga te reo hei poipoi mā Aotearoa, haere ake nei.”

SPCA storybooks foster compassion and guardianship

Every year, the SPCA rescues tens of thousands of animals, attends hundreds of animal emergencies, and investigates thousands of animal welfare-related complaints.

SPCA national education manager Nicole Peddie says this, combined with the interconnection between animal welfare, human wellbeing and the environment, highlights the need for educational change.

“This is why the SPCA is investing in education as a key strategy to advance animal welfare and inspire a kinder generation,” she says.

Nicole says the SPCA resources are there to help teachers facilitate learning experiences for children that develop their connection and sense of responsibility for animals, whilst nurturing empathetic, compassionate, and caring attitudes.

Once children have developed these skills and knowledge, they are well-equipped to make informed choices.

“They can recognise their own power to positively impact animals’ lives,” says Nicole.

Storybooks lead conversations

Elmwood Normal School started incorporating several SPCA storybooks into classroom learning last year.

They were originally asked to collaborate with the SPCA, ImpactEd and Microsoft to make a ‘Care and Create Minecraft’ world, which would be used as a resource on the SPCA and Minecraft for Education websites.

Teacher Jo Mottram and her class of Year 6 children were tasked with this project.

“New Zealand has a very high rate of cruelty to animals, and it is important that we teach children how to be responsible pet owners who show compassion and empathy for all animals,” says Jo.

While the children were designing and making the Care and Create Minecraft world, they also read two SPCA books, A Catio for Boris and Rupert, Purple Circles and the Bell.

The two books focus on animal care and wellbeing, expressed through different animal characters.

“The children were really invested in the stories and felt sorry for the animals. They wanted to create a solution to keep the animals happy and safe.”

Curious about catios

Jo explains the situations in each book are “authentic and designed for children to relate to in the real world.”

They include stories about what to feed an animal, how animals cope with fireworks, the role of guide dogs, and the work involved with getting a new pet.

Jo used the books in several ways during her teaching. For example, students read A Catio for Boris in groups, then came back together as a class to discuss what the book was about and why catios are important.

Jo says many children had never heard of a catio and so they looked up different models online.

“The children then researched different types of catios before designing their own ones on paper,” explains Jo.

Next, they designed and built a catio using the Care and Create Minecraft world. Wilj Dekkers from ImpactEd helped guide the children in the Minecraft creations.

Going deeper

As part of the Care and Create Minecraft world project, the class was asked to design and create an aquarium.

The class looked at it from a different perspective, where they designed and made an aquarium that would not be a suitable environment for a goldfish to live in.

“This task was quite challenging as the children automatically wanted to add lovely hiding places and plants. They had to pull back and remember this aquarium was for other children and teachers to use when learning about animal wellbeing,” explains Jo.

After the children created the aquarium, they read the SPCA book Rupert, Purple Circles and the Bell.

Ākonga were then able to add things to the aquarium that changed it into a happy and healthy environment for goldfish to thrive in.

Jo says she kept the books on the classroom’s bookshelf so ākonga could choose to use them during independent reading time.

Nicole Peddie

“SPCA instructional readers are a fantastic example of how animal welfare and responsible animal guardianship can be used as a rich, engaging and meaningful context to teach a range of curriculum areas and skills.”

“The children really enjoy reading the books for pleasure. Reading mileage is really important for the development of reading skills and if children have access to books they enjoy then they are more likely to read for pleasure.”

Since incorporating the SPCA storybooks into her classroom, Jo says the children have a deeper understanding of what animals need to stay happy and healthy.

“They are developing a better understanding of what is involved in being an animal guardian,” she says.

Kaitiakitanga

Students have also learned about the Five Domains Model. This model is composed of the five things an animal kaitiaki needs to consider: nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental wellbeing.

Jo says ākonga are thinking and reading about things they may not have considered or thought about previously.

“They are able to identify that animals are just like us and need certain things for them to flourish and be happy,” she says.

The ākonga are now researching different animals in their own time. They are wanting to see what natural environments different animals live in, as well as learn about the diverse requirements that different animals need to survive and thrive.

Jo says it’s an important thing for children to develop a deeper understanding of, as different animal species are increasingly being threatened and affected by climate change.

The books encourage the children to think about the impact humans have on animals, be that positive or negative.

“It’s our hope that our education programme, including these new storybooks, empower the youngest members of our society to think and act for the wellbeing of humans, animals and our natural environment,” says Nicole.

Ākonga in Jo’s Year 6 class reading A Catio for Boris

Developing empathy

Jo is seeing the positive impact first-hand, saying the books really help with awareness and developing empathy.

“The children are relating to the characters and problems in the book. They talk about similar situations from their own prior knowledge. They are developing compassion and empathy.”

Nicole says the SPCA is consistently wowed by Jo’s innovative teaching practices.

“Her use of SPCA instructional readers is a fantastic example of how animal welfare and responsible animal guardianship can be used as a rich, engaging and meaningful context to teach a range of curriculum areas and skills.

“It also allows the nurturing of children’s empathy and compassion for the living world, without being anything additional or standalone for teachers to try and fit into their day.”

Jo Mottram

Teacher portal

The SPCA has a teacher portal with advice and resources on using the books within the classroom. There is a variety of reading material for all ages, with books available in te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan and Mandarin. They can also be downloaded as PDFs.

“The children are relating to the characters and problems in the book ... They are developing compassion and empathy for all animals.”

Jo says the portal also provides one-off lessons and unit plans, curriculum links, and other materials and support, including reader response activities for ready-to-read texts, journals and connected articles that feature animals.

“This means teachers can confidently teach the children in their classroom how to become wonderful animal guardians,” explains Jo.

Nicole says the SPCA created these animal welfarethemed resources to help teachers easily integrate the readers into existing classroom programmes.

“The SPCA’s education team know how busy classroom teachers are, so the last thing we want to do is add to their already jam-packed timetables.”

If teachers want to get involved with the SPCA, Nicole says the first step is to look at its education programme.

The next step teachers can take is to encourage their students to investigate and explore the collection of interactive and engaging learning materials on their children’s section, including webinars, videos,

animations, photos, information sheets, quizzes, activities to do and things to create.

There’s also an “ask an expert” component to support inquiry learning and students have the option to submit and share their work with other students from all over Aotearoa.

Resources for schools and kura are available at spca.nz/teachers.

Students can explore childfocused content at spca.nz/kids.

SPCA have a number of storybooks and animal welfare-themed resources.

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Influencing the future of curriculum development

The Curriculum Advisory Group (CAG) is committed to supporting teachers and kaiako by finding ways to build more trust between Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education and the sector. Two key members are co-chairs Sarah Martin and Āwhina Gray.

Following the independent review of Tomorrow’s Schools, the Government agreed to establish Te Poutāhū | Curriculum Centre within Te Mahau as the leader of national curriculum and assessment for Aotearoa New Zealand.

In 2021, to help with this work, there was a call to New Zealand’s leading curriculum innovators to express their interest in being part of the newly formed Curriculum Advisory Group (CAG). Two such innovators are Sarah Martin and Āwhina Gray, who are now the cochairs of the CAG.

The CAG’s purpose is to provide fresh perspectives and strategies to the Ministry on how to strengthen curriculum leadership, especially in building a learner/ whānau curriculum system in which ākonga can see themselves every day.

Āwhina and Sarah are excited about the potential of their roles and about the CAG as a whole.

“This focus on curriculum is such a beautiful opportunity. It is the heart and soul, in my view, of ensuring our young people are served; they’re exposed to stuff that really matters,” says Sarah.

Curriculum is at the heart of setting ākonga up to thrive and flourish.

“It’s real. It weaves the critical knowledge and the capabilities, skills, dispositions, that are going to set our young people up to thrive and to flourish.”

Sarah adds to this, saying, “We are looking at coherence across the three curricula, we want curriculum to act as a lifeblood and enable a consistent experience for all learners and their whānau.”

Transitions and progressions

Part of this work involves looking at the best ways to achieve seamless transitions through the education systems where learning experiences are built on, leaving none of the prior learning behind.

“I think we have to do better as a system to keep [learning] pathways as unobstructed as possible and make sure that the experiences of whānau and ākonga along the way aren’t lost or become irrelevant,” explains Āwhina.

This is where the composition of the group is helpful, as their different perspectives can assist in creating a holistic view of the education experience.

“I think for a group like the CAG and [its] advisory role, you need the different voices and the different perspectives to create the picture and to appreciate the picture,” says Āwhina.

“It’s about clarity for teachers, clarity for learners and their whānau about the learning that should not be left to chance,” adds Sarah.

The CAG has been looking at where they can add the most value and be most influential. A priority theme is providing advice around the concept of progression and progress across curricula.

“How do we build a system that is trustworthy, builds confidence and informs us about the extent to which it is improving?” asks Sarah.

Bicultural collective

Another key theme is the notion of a bicultural and indigenous curriculum, especially one that reflects partnerships and respect for local knowledge.

Āwhina views one of the hallmarks of an indigenous curriculum is the ability to equip whānau and tamariki for the future while still retaining traditional values.

“Mātauranga grows like any knowledge, and it must. In order to contribute and be sustainable, knowledge needs to grow and be dynamic and organic. At the same time, we don’t want to lose what is important.”

CAG’s members represent all parts of the education system from early learning to senior secondary (including NCEA), for both English and Māori medium settings.

Āwhina likens it to having a networked system, much like a city that needs infrastructure, access and pathways that are clearly signposted to enhance a learner’s agency. The curriculum infrastructure needs to make it easy for learners to move between education settings and mediums, without impacting progress. It also needs to

“I think we have to do better as a system to keep [learning] pathways as unobstructed as possible and make sure the experiences of whānau and ākonga aren’t lost along the way.”

Āwhina Gray

provide universal entitlement and access for all learners.

“We’re finding opportunities in the current structure and making recommendations as to what might need to change to enable it to keep serving communities in a way that’s going to be responsive in the future,” she says.

Experienced educators

Both Āwhina and Sarah are experienced educators. Āwhina started teaching at the age of 19.

“If I could go back now to when I was a 19-year-old teacher, I’d be more focused on student learning rather than my teaching.”

Since 1997, she has worked almost exclusively in the Māori medium sector and has been involved in a variety of Ministry of Education initiatives including the initial re-development of Te Mātauranga o Aotearoa in the 1990s through to the current redesign of the marautanga and resources to support the revised mātauranga as well as working with kaiako in the Māori medium community.

“The Māori medium PLD community is small, so we know each other well and often work closely together. The relationships we have with one another as individuals and across organisations is a real strength. It’s very much a collective.

“There is no hierarchy in the CAG. We might be coming from different perspectives, but we’re all starting in the same place trying to find the spaces that we can have influence and put energy into as a group.”

Sarah went into teaching 25 years ago and has had many memorable experiences during this time. Her goal has always been to make learning real and engaging for those the system has often not served.

“Kids are often our biggest teacher. How do we ensure that all learners see themselves in the learning and are excited every day to come to school? Creating a seamless curriculum experience for ākonga has great potential to help us achieve this.”

Sarah went on to do exemplar work and take on leadership roles while promoting education reform both in New Zealand and overseas. She is the foundation principal of Stonefields School in Auckland and was appointed to the CAG after involvement with the Curriculum, Progress and Achievement Ministerial Advisory Group.

“That was a really neat opportunity to think with diverse sector colleagues about curriculum and progress. That is the reason I was keen to be involved in this work [CAG]. I wanted to see the continuation of some recommendations.”

You can find out more about the CAG and their most recent conversations and advice at education.govt.nz.

“How do we build a system that is trustworthy, builds confidence and informs us about the extent to which it is improving?”

Sarah Martin

VACANCIES

Huntley

Huntley School is an Independent Co-Educational Boarding and Day School situated in the lovely Rangitikei just 30 minutes from Palmerston North and Whanganui. We have small class sizes no larger than 22 and potential accommodation is available.

Director of Curriculum

We are seeking a passionate educator with knowledge and expertise in teaching and learning to lead our teachers in the delivery of our curriculum. This position has a teaching component attached as it is a full time position. We seek a dedicated and passionate teacher with strengths in curriculum, building positive relationships with all stakeholders and effective communication with colleagues and parents.

Scale a Teacher

Do you like working with supportive parents and motivated students? Does being part of a dynamic teaching team motivate you? Does taking a sports team excite you? If you answered yes, this is the job for you. Due to roll growth for 2023 we are looking for a Y7 classroom teacher. We seek a dedicated and passionate teacher with strengths in curriculum, building positive relationships with all stakeholders and effective communication with colleagues and parents.

SchoolThese positions will commence in Term One 2023. Applications close 3pm Friday 11th November. For an application package; ph (06) 327 8049; email your covering letter and CV to office@huntley.school.nz

We are seeking a new

2023

Tomarata School

Position

Tomarata School is a little country school with a big heart. Located 15-20 minutes drive from nearby towns Wellsford and Mangawhai, we’re spoiled with the pristine surf beaches Te Arai and Pakiri, as well as the beautiful Tomarata Lakes, on our doorstep.

We are a small, diverse and exciting full primary school (Years 1-8) with a supportive community and Board and all the benefits of a stunning country location and environment. Our children are real

Nurture the

and

take the reins

energetic,

organised

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tamariki.

will blossom/Poipoia te kakano

Associate Principal

Permanent Full Time 10 MU 1 SMA

is a large, progressive co educational secondary school based in Richmond, Nelson. A rare and exciting opportunity exists for an experienced and suitably qualified

Waimea

to join our dynamic Senior Leadership Team from Term 1, 2023 to make a positive impact on the lives of our young people.

We

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to develop well rounded, confident young adults who are equipped for our modern and changing world. We are proud of the

that confirms we are on the right path to achieving this.

Principal role will offer the opportunity to support the Principal and wider

Team

of the College. The

of the students.

the successful implementation of the strategic direction and

also

the

school activities and student service

and support to teaching staff and educational leadership and

excellent facilities, a strong school culture, and a modern, progressive

in the school motto: Semper Contendite (Always Strive).

Scott Haines Principal

To express your interest in the role and discuss the application process, please phone Andrea Bankier on +64 (0) 274 478 102 or email andrea.bankier@sheffield.co.nz quoting 8392EG.

A Candidate Briefing Document, including PD, is available at www.sheffield.co.nz/job-search.

Closing date: 20 November 2022.

RECTOR/PRINCIPAL/TUMUAKI

Visionary Catholic Leadership

St Bede’s College educates young men in Catholic, Marist traditions with Jesus Christ at its centre. St Bede’s is a Year 9-13 Integrated College for boarders and day boys, on a beautiful Christchurch campus. Faith is an integral part of everyday life at St Bede’s and the boys are encouraged to live out their faith through the Sacraments, prayer and service to the community.

The Rector/Principal/Tumuaki is responsible for the strategic leadership of the College, inspiring the team and leading this thriving college into the future.

Willingness and ability to participate in religious instruction appropriate to the Special Character of the school is a condition of appointment.

The role includes the option of an accommodation package to live on campus.

You will be:

• A committed and active Roman Catholic; a visible witness within your Catholic community

• A strong, experienced educationalist with deep knowledge of the needs of boys/young men and passion for holistic Catholic education

• A successful strategic leader, with leadership presence and mana

• Leading change with conviction and resilience

• Committed to biculturalism in the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and sensitive to multicultural issues

• Skilled in building and maintaining networks and stakeholder relationships

• Able to represent St Bede’s College as a brand ambassador

• Energetic and enthusiastic, with the ability to inspire others

• An open and direct communicator, relating to students, colleagues and whānau

• Honest and an emotionally mature person with integrity, and appropriate personal and professional boundaries

• Experience with boarding would be an advantage.

Middle School Principal Auckland, New Zealand

Principal role.

of the Middle School,

and includes assisting in converting

Kristin is an independent, co-educational school of over 1800 students from Early Learning through to Year 13, located in Albany on Auckland’s North Shore. The Junior, Middle and Senior schools are all situated on the same campus, comprised of 50 acres of park-like grounds with state-of-the-art facilities. Each school is aligned to the philosophy of Kristin, while delivering its age and stage appropriate high-quality educational experience.

In its 50 years of operation, Kristin has established an enviable international reputation based on its outstanding academic results, wide ranging cocurricular opportunities and strong pastoral/wellbeing supportive culture. The School’s vision is to provide students with a superior all-round education, to prepare them to be responsible global citizens, to think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively and learn enthusiastically throughout life.

Kristin’s Middle School delivers the MYP (IB) curriculum, and as an IB World School is committed to enhancing its international perspective and a sense of global awareness across all three schools. This also includes ensuring the development of a strong bicultural

Kristin

in partnership with the Senior

character within the School given its location in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Key features of Kristin’s learning opportunities include annual School camps as part of its experiential learning, and the development of service leadership experiences and skills through a wide range of community projects – both within New Zealand and overseas.

The Middle School has become a particularly successful feature of the educational journey at Kristin. It has a strong focus on ensuring young people have essential academic skills, as well as growing their self-confidence and knowledge through exploring a range of new experiences and opportunities. This has proven to be an outstanding platform for senior schooling and the attainment of superior qualification results through either NCEA or the IB Diploma programme.

We welcome applicants with impressive educational credentials for the position as Middle School Principal. This is a unique opportunity to lead a well-established and collaborative Middle School team. One that is dedicated to developing creative and

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NCEA Change Programme

Accord Teacher-Only Days are for schools and kura to prepare for the changes to NCEA in the way that best suits them.

Schools and kura can choose which day they will hold the Teacher-Only Day allocated for Term 4, from within the Teacher-Only Day window:

Teacher-Only Day

If

need

contact the

to connect with other schools and kura in your region,

at your regional office.

For the

visit ncea.education.govt.nz/teacher-only-days or check the School Bulletin.

Te Hōtaka Panoni o NCEA

Ko

Rā mō ngā Kaiako Anahe 21 Noema – 2

Mehemea

Mō