Principals Today #104

Issue 104 Term 4 | 2014

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LEADERS IN EDUCATION NEWS SINCE 1989

The wonder of words

Child literacy advocate Jackie French on how to get kids into books

KEEPING KIDS MOTIVATED

Quick tips to keep kids on task with summer holidays on the horizon

LIFE LESSONS

Preparing school leavers for the real world

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

High expectation teachers lift student success

WILLIE ROSENDAAL

Waerenga Primary School’s principal shares his ideas

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Contents 8 WILLIE ROSENDAAL Principal Q&A

Principals Today

Waerenga Primary School’s Willie Rosendaal shares his teaching philosophies

Issue 104

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Academy House 47B Birmingham Drive Middleton PO Box 1879 Christchurch

10 KEEPING KIDS MOTIVATED

MANAGING DIRECTOR Gary Collins

Finishing the year strongly

OPERATIONS MANAGER Di Barclay

ADMINISTRATION

Quick tips to keep kids on task with summer holidays on the horizon

Kylie Palermo ADMIN MANAGER Kelly Allen Jade Haylett Shannen Johnson

SALES & ADVERTISING Bill Thew Verne Williams Mogens Peterson Clive Greenwood

MEDIA CONSULTANTS

The wonder of words Child literacy advocate Jackie French on how to get kids into books

PRODUCTION

Caroline Duke PRODUCTION MANAGER Carolynne Brown CO-ORDINATOR Carolina Babot DESIGNERS Rochelle Price Olivia O’Callaghan Luke Wattchow Jarred Shakespeare DESIGN & ONLINE

17 HEARTS AND MINDS Winning over students

ISSN 1170-4071 (Print) ISSN 2230-6358 (Online)

5,234 ABC circulation as at 30/06/13

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6 MOVING EDUCATION FORWARD Teachers’ Council chair Alison McAlpine on getting everyone singing from the same hymn sheet 7 AND THE WINNER IS… Introducing our Super Student of the Year, Jonathan Everett 11 LIFE LESSONS Preparing School leavers for the real world 11 GIVING KIDS A SPORTING CHANCE Research shows kids’ sporting environments are dominated by unhealthy foods 16 GREAT EXPECTATIONS High expectation teachers lift students’ success

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 18 YOUR NETWORK FOR LEARNING ULearn makes it easier for teachers to share classroom resources 19 MAKING A MARK ONLINE How to get labware at great prices 20 ONLINE PAYMENTS PAY OFF Alfriston School’s online payments gets off to a flying start

Phone: 03 961 5077 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: production@academy.net.nz

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6 WANT TO STUDY IN THE STATES? Then throw your hat in the ring and apply for a Fulbright teaching award

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14 TAKING EDUCATION OUTSIDE Great places to learn, relax or retreat

12 ON THE COVER

Jonathon Taylor EDITOR Laura Hall JOURNALISTS Davina Richards

Issue 104 / Term 4, 2014

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News | Opinion

News | Top Teachers

Moving education forward

Want to study in the States?

Alison McAlpine is the chair of the New Zealand Teachers Council.

Visit www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz

New Zealand has just finished an election where education was a topic of strong debate. This is not something new and I am sure it will continue to be the case in the future.

We should be passionate about the things that matter most to us and certainly education fits that description.

I often think that, while we spend much time arguing about the things that we disagree on, how much better off we might be if we put that time into identifying the things we agree on and used that as a basis for moving forward.

There is much we in the education sector do agree on. We agree that educational success is a vital component of good life outcomes. We agree that success in education can be defined broadly – it means the acquisition of knowledge, the development of critical competencies, the growth of personal qualities and the development of a love of learning.

Although debate sometimes suggests disagreement on whether success is universally viewed in this way, all of these dimensions are reflected in the New Zealand Curriculum, and I hear no one disagreeing with the curriculum.

It is universally regarded as a great asset for our education system; a product of collaborative effort from a wide range of participants in New Zealand education.

We also agree that education faces great change. There are several reasons for this.

The world is changing very quickly and what our young people need to learn to prepare them tomorrow is vastly different from what it was even 20 or 30 years ago.

One of the most dramatic changes that we have witnessed in recent years has been the development of digital technologies.

Technology is not a silver bullet that makes all things possible, but neither can it be ignored – it permeates almost every aspect of our daily lives and the lives of

our young people. When used well it provides enormous new possibilities for learning.

Change is not something that should scare us or inhibit us. Rather we can be confident that the education sector will embrace change in the same professional way it always has.

New Zealand education is not afraid to innovate. The change in secondary school qualifications that has occurred over the last 15 years is a great example of how we can work together to make necessary change for the benefit of all students.

It is professionals working together for the benefit of students that will be essential to the success of the changes we now need in our system.

Our system is facing significant disruptive change. There will not be a single solution or response to this.

Rather groups of professionals working together, experimenting with new approaches to create successful learning environments for the young people they work with, evaluating what works and what doesn’t, continuing to innovate and improve and sharing their knowledge with the wider professional community is the way forward for our system.

This is already happening in many areas of education. But we need to encourage and support it as the preferred way of working.

In such a world the role of the professional teacher becomes both more demanding and more rewarding.

We have talked for a long time about the importance for teachers of the enquiry based model of professional practice.

The enquiry based model is at the heart of the Teachers Council’s approach to teacher appraisal and professional learning, and something we have been emphasising in recent workshops with professional leaders and teachers.

Continually investigating and improving professional practice will be the critical platform from which we can successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities created for our education system by our changing world.

The call has gone out of the nation’s top teachers to put their hat in the ring via applications opening for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching.

These are for highly accomplished Kiwi teachers in primary and secondary schooling – two of which get to participate in an intensive professional development programme in the US for four months.

The two New Zealand teachers will join participants from 11 other countries to be hosted by a US university’s College of Education, which will provide a broad range of education classes and faculty support.

They will take classes, design and complete an inquiry research project, visit local schools and engage in other teaching related activities.

Academic support will be provided by a host institution advisor in the international grantee’s area of interest.

Upon returning home, grantees will be expected to share the knowledge and experience gained on the programme with teachers and students in their home schools and within their communities.

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching are available to full time primary or secondary school teachers (in any subject) with at least five years of full time teaching experience, or other school staff who work with students at least 50 percent of the time. Preference will be given to teachers serving in public schools in underserved communities.

A Fulbright exchange provides life changing opportunities to gain international experience and advance your career, to explore America, to share your culture and to make friends and colleagues from around the world.

Grantees undertake an exchange to one of America’s leading universities, which are world renowned for their expertise and resources.

Applications for 2015 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching for New Zealand Teachers, to take part in a professional development programme from August until December 2015, close at 5:00pm on Monday, November 3, 2014.

Four new Partnership Schools to open Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the Government has signed contracts to open four new Partnership Schools in 2015.

“These new schools will help raise educational achievement, in particular for those groups of students who have

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for a long time been under-served by the mainstream system,” she says.

“We have a number of different types of schools operating in New Zealand, such as faith-based schools, single-sex schools, Māori medium kura and independent schools. Partnership Schools are another option, giving parents and students more freedom to choose the type of education that works for them.”

The four new Partnership Schools are:

• Te Kura Māori o Waatea: sponsored by the Manukau Urban Māori Authority.

The school will be a co-educational primary school (Year 1-8) in Mangere, South Auckland • Pacific Advance Senior School: sponsored by The Pacific Peoples’ Advancement Trust. The school will be a co-educational senior secondary school (Year 11-13) in Otahuhu, South Auckland • Middle School West Auckland: sponsored by the Villa Education Trust. The school will be a coeducational middle school (Year 7-10) in West Auckland • Te Kāpehu Whetū (Teina): sponsored

by He Puna Marama Charitable Trust.

The school will be a co-educational primary school (Year 1-6) in Whangarei.

The Government will invest $15.5 million across four years to establish these four schools, which take the total number of Partnership Schools to nine, out of more than 2,500 schools in New Zealand.

“There are 350 children enrolled in the first five Partnership Schools we have opened, with parents recognising the opportunity they represent,” Parata says.

“Students I have talked to when I have visited these schools have told me they are enjoying their new school and the possibilities for their futures they now see. Teachers also tell me the students are doing much better than they have in their previous schools.”

An independent evaluation on how the Partnership Schools model is performing is currently being conducted by Martin Jenkins Ltd, with the first report due next year.

“Partnership Schools have contracts with the Crown to deliver a range of specified school-level targets aimed at raising student achievement.”

No further rounds are proposed while

the evaluation is undertaken.

The launch site for every Kiwi career

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News | Super Student of the Year

News | Super Student

SUPER STUDENT JURGENS DENYSSCHEN - INVENTOR A solution for every parent who loves to go out for a stroll while pushing their baby in a pram, but this is one step better than the traditional bottle holder – an invention which heats up a baby’s bottle of milk or a cup of coffee while on the go.

>

Jonathan Everett being presented with the Peter Spratt Memorial Award by RichardMeylan

Super Student of the Year This year’s Principals Today Super Student of the Year is Jonathan Everett from Whakatane High School.

Congratulations Jonathan!

So why did we choose Jonathan as this year’s winner?

Well he received the Royal Society of New Zealand Peter Spratt Memorial Award at the prestigious Realise the Dream event for his electronically controlled automatic gear changing system for his bike.

It isn’t the first time he’s dabbled in science either. Jonathan, who aspires to become a mechanical or electrical engineer, decided to embark on his Autobike project after his experience as a finalist at RTD in 2012 with a project to study the effect of car tyre pressure on fuel economy.

He was impressed with some of the other students’ robotics projects and wanted to learn how to do something like that himself.

Last year, Jonathan’s dad Graeme, called up a friend, Nick Murray who acted as a mentor to Jonathan and offered advice on his project – designing and producing the automatic gear changing system which changes gears based on pedal cadence and includes a manual override option.

The idea for the project came about when it occurred to him that cars had automatic gears but bikes didn’t, and the cyclists he talked to about it saw potential in his idea.

“Little motors push the shifters to change the gears depending on how fast the rider is pedalling. The pedal speed is measured by a component that generates a pulse from a magnet attached to the pedals,” Jonathan says.

While testing and revising his design to improve the system, he had to rise above unexpected technical challenges.

“It took me a while to gather momentum because I’d never

really done anything like this before, so I had to learn from scratch. I had trouble getting the gears to change up on the front cog because the bike I used is around 35 years old and doesn’t have any ‘pick up’ hooks to help move the chain. I had to take pick-ups off a newer cog and rivet them onto my bike’s cog.”

He was taken by surprise when his name was announced as the recipient of the award at the Government House in Wellington in December last year. The award, a $3,000 scholarship, was presented by Richard Meylan, senior manager public engagement at the Royal Society of New Zealand and a close friend of Peter Spratt.

Jonathan enjoyed his week at RTD; visiting Genesis Energy, Dairy NZ, AgResearch and NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research), he also saw The Hobbit film, walked on Auckland Harbour Bridge and went to Hamilton Zoo after hours, among other activities.

Thirteen year old Jurgens Denysschen of Glenfield Intermediate School in Auckland entered the Energy Quest competition, run by the children’s television show Let’s Get Inventin’ and Genesis Energy, with his Heat-OPram concept – a cup holder which heats fluid such as milk or coffee using electricity generated by the pram.

The idea was sparked when Jurgen would go out with his mum and baby sister to the park, but would have to come home early so his sister could be fed. “I thought it would be cool if there was an attachment to the pram like a cup holder that warms up the bottle of milk or coffee while my mum pushed the pram. Mum said ‘where can I buy one?’”

The first model of Heat-O-Pram, which was built by the Let’s Get Inventin’ team and revealed on presentation day, needed more work as the wheels needed to turn so fast that you would have needed to run a marathon to heat it up. “So back to the drawing board it went!” Jurgen says.

sees their inventions come to life with the help of experts. Executive producer, Luke Nola informed Jurgen he was the winner of the competition last October.

He won $5,000 towards inventing the prototype, as well as a Nerf gun. “I was stoked and lost for words,” Jurgen says.

He added that the most nerve wracking part of the competition was “going on TV”. The announcement was made on the Genesis website and in North Shore Times.

The Heat-O-Pram currently resides at Massey’s E-centre and Jurgen hopes his invention will one day go to market, but admits he will face difficulties because of the costs involved.

Jurgen aspires to be an architect when he’s older, but when asked if there are any new projects on the horizon, he replies “Yes, I would like to invent a remote control to shut my brother up!”

The invention required a special generator imported from Germany, and Jurgen says the only problem he came across on his project was working out how the invention would attach to the pram.

Let’s Get Inventin’ is a multi-award winning reality TV series featuring young inventors aged 8-14 years and

Nominate a student Don’t forget schools can nominate students for the Super Students award.

At the end of the year a student will be selected as the Principals Today Super Student of the Year. So if your school has a student or students who are excelling in any field, be it studies, sports, arts or interesting hobbies, then we’re interested.

All we need are details of their achievements in about 250 words and a high resolution photograph.

Send the details to editor@academy. net.nz or by post to The Editor, Principals Today, PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140. www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 7

News | Q & A

PRINCIPAL Q & A Willie Rosendaal Principal at Waerenga Primary School “I have been the principal of Waerenga Primary School since September 1995. This is my second time as a principal having spent just over four and a half years at Tokirima Primary in the King Country.

“I am currently a member of the Waikato Principal’s Association, the Hauraki Plains Learning Network Cluster and have been president for Central King Country and North Waikato Principal Associations.”

What is the role Waerenga School plays in the life of its students?

To set up a secure environment for the students to develop trust which leads to positive learning experiences and demonstrating the importance of resilience, responsibility and respect.

What are the main objectives of the school?

At Waerenga we are fostering pride and respect in the school, community and New Zealand. For us all to take responsibility for our choices and be committed to learning – this is for everyone.

We are moving into making our learning more interactive and are developing connections with the support of our Learning Network Cluster. We are working with students to take charge of their learning and be life long, life wise workers.

different sectors of education due to perceived personal agendas.

Principals and teachers are generally working hard to do the best for the students and communities, but the lack of support for challenging behaviour and learning problems at times takes its toll.

Also, the rapid change of what we see school and learning is becoming challenging for our sector. This learning culture change is a necessity for our schools and communities to move into the future.

What new initiatives are you looking to implement at the school?

We are looking at improving the quality of moderation in written language and raising the student

“

I am currently a member of the Waikato Principal’s Association, the Hauraki Plains Learning Network Cluster and have been president for Central King Country and North Waikato Principal Associations.

What socio-economic background do students come from?

When I first came here there were 60 students and most of them came from farming families. At present we have 91 students coming from a variety of backgrounds with most coming from lifestyle blocks, travelling from nearby areas and who rent farm cottages.

What has been the biggest challenges facing teachers at the moment and how are you dealing with it at your school?

What are the most compelling challenges within today’s education system?

The constant changes that are becoming so politically driven, which lead to the lack of trust between the

“

The challenge of helping parents and teachers deal with student behaviours and learning issues that have to be addressed by the school. To get the support needed for this can be very difficult and slow, causing frustration for the student, parent and school.

achievement levels. We have been working with other schools and students to improve the quality.

To get the students involved and sharing their learning through studentled conferencing so they have ownership.

Working on developing our digital

8 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

classroom so students are connected and interactive with the learning world.

Who or what influenced you to become an educator?

I was not sure what I was going to do. I thought about farming, being a ‘Naki’ boy, law and medicine. When I was in Year 13 I tutored Year 11 history and the history teacher, Mr Hodgeson, suggested I should look at teaching as a career – so I applied.

Who has most influenced you throughout your career?

A number of people over the years supported me as a teacher and as a principal. A friend, Alex Higgins, encouraged me to make the most of my talents. Also, Jim Sheedy my principal at Robinson Road in Mangere in the late 80s.

I enjoyed my time there as he challenged me to where and what direction I would take my career, which led to my first principalship. Also, my family and wife, who have been supporting me throughout my career.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?

To see students have those moments when things fall into place and that ‘I can do this and want to learn more’.

To work with a great bunch of people who want to make a difference. The variety of people you meet in this job that add to you as a person. Working with other schools and principals to solve common issues we are facing.

What have your students taught you?

To stop, listen and be real with them, share your thoughts and dreams. To enjoy now, be a kid and learning is ongoing for all of us.

What would you change if you were Minister of Education?

To make clear and obvious connections between all stake holders. A shared vision and purpose across all political parties. I believe it has been difficult to make changes long term due to the political agendas in education being on a three year electoral cycle. “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”

News | Numeracy

News | Water Safety

For a water safe summer For an island nation, drowning statistics in New Zealand are worryingly high and on average 108 people die unnecessarily in our waters every year.

Reading between

the lines with Gloss

by Margi Leech

The Gloss test interviews have such a wealth of potential knowledge for teachers to use in analysing their students’ success and failure, as well as their own teaching.

The introduction guidelines state that the ‘questions are designed to be answered mentally’. So what support is given to children who can’t do these tasks ‘mentally’?

Not all of us can complete tasks mentally, especially not young children and older ones if they have a learning difficulty. If your student is not answering questions well, then provide them with pencil and paper to support their mental activity.

Many people are not able to work mentally - they either have working memory difficulties or need to see and do, and use written methods, and ‘structural manipulatives’ to help them think.

Think about how you work. Do you like to write down lists of numbers to add them, or can you do it all in your head? From my experience most teachers in junior classes are visual learners, not cognitive learners. This is reflected in the classroom displays and environment. Consider - Is this a memory test, or an interview to scope children’s understanding of mathematics?

Numicon effectively leads its willing learners, Numicon-trained teachers, using this very important pedagogy.

Teachers are most effective after official professional development in the methodology, resources and implementation of Numicon.

Numicon is a great approach because of the ongoing Professsional Development, easy to use structured teacher resources and the methodology in which it was created.

My concern is the added stress placed on students who are required to work from memory (in the cognitive learning style), without visual supports and without a clear structure of the number system (for big picture thinkers), a demonstration of relationships (because of counting being overemphasised), and an emphasis on activities and strategies, rather than knowledge and being confident to converse about what is really happening in mathematics (being the teachers’ procedural legacy).

Working alongside WaterSafe Auckland, AUT Millennium is committed to raising awareness of water safety in the community.

Founded in 2002, the organisation seeks to help New Zealand’s athletes win on the world stage and the community to live longer, fitter and healthier lives.

Part of that commitment has seen AUT Millennium’s Schools Programme implementing a successful Water Safety programme for the past 12 years. The programme has taught thousands of school students how to stay safe in and around the water and places a high level of importance on teaching key water safety principles and skills to ensure young people can enjoy our waters safely and confidently.

During water safety sessions, students participate in an extensive range of activities designed at improving skills such as survival swimming, buddy rescues, capsize drills and deep water rescue drills.

Michelle Bryant is the Schools Programme coordinator at AUT Millennium and believes the Water Safety Programme, which is endorsed

by Coastguard, is having a positive impact on reducing drowning rates in Auckland.

“We place a high importance on using experienced instructors who are able to work with students of all abilities and confidence levels.

“By providing a hands-on approach and utilising boats and lifejackets, the students experience water safety and survival skills in a controlled, fun and safe environment,” she says.

As well as water safety training, AUT Millennium has a well established learn to swim programme and in May was awarded Outstanding Swim School of the Year, by the Swim Coaches and Teachers Association of New Zealand.

One of the organisation’s key objectives is to give school children the opportunity to learn to swim and help improve the worryingly high percentage of children who struggle to swim.

Bryant says the learn to swim programme is popular with schools because of its ability to not only develop important water safety skills, but also get children active.

“We believe the development of motor skills and understanding about movement in the water is also a great way to get active, and promote swimming as a great source of fitness and creating healthy communities,” she says.

The programme is expecting a busy Term 4 as schools utilise the facilities at AUT Millennium and ensure their students are prepared for a fun, busy and most importantly safe summer in the water.

To book your school into a water safety course contact the Schools Programme team at AUT Millennium.

Call (09) 477 2000 email Schools@autmillennium.org.nz or visit www.autmillennium.org.nz/ schools-programme

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www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 9

News | In the Classroom

Igniting learning’s spark Heretaunga College is giving its curriculum the once-over with a view to giving students greater choices.

The overhaul is designed to help students achieve what they need to in order to get ahead in life.

Keeping kids motivated

By Laura Hall

Keeping students focussed, motivated and on task can be a challenge at the best of times, but it can become significantly harder when the promise of the long summer holidays and Christmas are just around the corner.

Children can easily become distracted from their school work as their minds begin to wander dreaming about summer freedom and an exciting Christmas ahead. The danger is allowing them to switch off completely from school work and slip into an early holiday mode.

Keeping kids on task is important to ensure they have a successful year.

Here are several easy methods you can utilise during the summer countdown.

Routines

Now is not the time to shake up your classroom routine. It is important to stick to the routine you have used throughout the year to emphasis a ‘business as usual’ approach to the last few weeks of term making lessons a priority for your students.

Consistent structure keeps children settled and focussed; introducing new or additional games, arts and crafts time or outdoor sports will only encourage children to loosen up and act up.

Embrace summer

It is inevitable as the holidays draw closer that student excitement will grow. But you can constructively embrace summer fever by incorporating their holiday plans into positive learning activities.

In art class ask younger students to draw a picture of what they are most looking forward to in the summer or maybe what they would like for Christmas.

Creative writing is a useful tool to use for older students; ask them to write a page about their favourite summer activity or their favourite holiday destination.

These activities will allow them to vent their anticipation and express themselves, while still retaining structured, worthwhile lessons.

Reward good behaviour

A small reward for good behaviour can be an effective tool that can encourage kids to stay on track.

Reinforce good behaviour such as listening, staying on task, participating in activities and finishing work in a timely manner.

Not only will the student who receives the reward feel encouraged to keep up the good work, but other students will learn from their actions and simulate it in the hopes of receiving their own treat.

The reward could be as simple as leaving for lunch 10 minutes early or a no homework pass.

Get creative

Even though students may be longing to hear the final bell ring there are ways to keep them engaged, you’ve just got to be creative.

Why not try a new approach to a mundane text heavy task? Try incorporating documentaries, film clips, power points, interactive group activities, pop quizzes and bright colourful hand outs to liven up lessons.

Lead by example

As a teacher you are probably looking forward to the summer break just as much as your students, you are only human after all.

But even if you are daydreaming about a tropical island getaway over your morning coffee it is important to maintain your normal behaviour and attitude in front of your students.

If you kick back and relax in class your students will follow suit, but if you continue to show the same enthusiasm and passion for teaching as you have done throughout the year then they are sure to follow your lead.

10 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Assistant principal Hayden Shaw says the school has listened to its students and, in its determination to keep learning exciting and relevant, has shaken things up in class.

“It’s about finding the spark, the interest, the relevance for our learners.

It’s been great for our teaching staff too.

They’ve been really creative in coming up with course options. They say change is as good as a holiday.”

Some examples of courses offered for 2015 are English for Beauty, English and Dystopia, Sport in Education, Sport in Math, Sport in English and Sport in Science.

“In the past we’ve offered English, for English’s sake. Now we have changed the course to make it more contextualised. English for Beauty is a much more relevant course for students wanting a career in the beauty industry.”

The school also launched its implementation of Vocational Pathways with a career day for students in Years 10, 11 and 12, where they are introduced to the Profile Builder tool on the Youth Guarantee website.

“It’s a great conversation starter. When we ask ‘What you are going to do when you leave school?’ all too often we get shrugged shoulders,” Hayden says.

“But with the profile builder students can share where their strengths and interests lie so we can give guidance and direction.”

Vocational Pathways is a Ministry of Education initiative designed to provide clear learning pathways for students providing them with relevant study options with the aim to improve the links between education and employment.

“When students study subjects in areas which are relevant and interesting to them, then they are much more likely to stay at school and remain engaged with their learning,” Arthur Graves, the Ministry of Education’s group manager for Youth Guarantee, says.

“Vocational Pathways allow students to see the purpose of what they are doing and are able to make more informed decisions about their future,” Hayden says.

On Careers Day the school is divided into the six Vocational Pathway segments with students able to explore their selections. This is followed by a parent and whānau night where students finalise subject selection.

Course books also include the relevant Vocational Pathway icons which help students to plan their current and future study.

Hayden says there are also updates to the school’s student management system, KAMAR which will see individual student’s academic profile linked to the Vocational Pathway system. The programme will display an up to date visual graph, which will show learner achievement against the six Vocational Pathways.

Learners and teachers will be able to identify student’s progress on the Vocational Profile and identify where they need to raise levels of achievement. It will also assist in planning courses for the following year and allow a check that course selections provide the pathways needed for students to achieve their goals.

Hayden sees this development as a crucial step in taking the scheme forward and giving teachers, students and parents increased understanding of the Vocational Pathways concept.

“Here at Heretaunga we have about a quarter of students going on to university. When you look at that and targeted specific courses, we aren’t meeting the needs of 75 percent of our students.”

During the past year Hayden has also led Achievement, Retention and Transitions (ART). This is another Youth Guarantee initiative, which in partnership with Vocational Pathways, is helping students achieve NCEA Level 2 within coherent curriculum choices to give them a relevant pathway toward study or employment in a certain sector or industry.

The initiative aims to generate higher levels of NCEA achievement and support the Government’s Better Public Services target of 85 percent of 18 year olds achieving NCEA Level 2 or equivalent, in 2017.

News | End of the Year

News | Food and School

Unhealthy foods don’t give kids a sporting chance Research shows kids’ sporting environments are dominated by unhealthy foods and beverages and that parents often feel powerless to combat the marketing of junk food to their children.

Life lessons for school leavers

By Laura Hall

As another school year draws to a close high school leavers are preparing themselves for life after school.

Most students will already have plans organised for next year, or at the very least they will have put some thought into it. They might be going to university or polytechnic while some may be heading into a trade, full time work or overseas travel.

But, while they are organised for their future study or employment it’s fair to say they aren’t prepared for the real world.

High school leavers have spent the past 13 years in school listening to teachers and following the rules. With the best intentions in mind education facilities have made all of the big decisions for students organising the majority of their lives so far.

The 2014 school leavers will soon be set free from the highly structured school environment and released into the big bad world. And even the most diligent test smart student can expect a shock.

They are going to have to learn hard and fast that school rules are vastly different to the rules in reality – real life isn’t as forgiving as school. They will be faced with situations in which the consequences of their own decisions are more immediate and severe than a detention.

So give them a helping hand and drop a few subtle hints about what they are likely to encounter out there, they’ll thank you for it later.

Money matters

The year after high school will probably be the first time most students are completely in control of their own finances.

Some students will already have smart budgeting skills and will be able to handle their finances responsibly, while others will receive their first student allowance payment and blow it in one day.

nowadays everyone goes home a winner.

It is very difficult for students to fail high school because they are given the chance to re-sit and try again. This sensitive approach does not exist in the real life.

If you fail that’s it - there are no second chances.

Adult responsibility

It’s important for young adults to fully understand that the freedom they’ll have after high school comes with the price of a greater accountability for their actions.

Many 18 year olds still behave like children, but in the eyes of the law they are viewed as adults.

They may get off lightly at home or at school when they act out, but they need to understand they will be held fully accountable for their actions in the real world.

If they mess up it’s not their teachers or parents fault it’s theirs. They need to take responsibility for their actions and learn from them.

No breaks

The high school year may be divided up into four terms with long holidays in between for relaxation and recovery, but full time work bears no resemblance to this whatsoever.

by food companies for commercial gain. Dr Smith says this is a violation of children’s rights under UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which New Zealand is a signatory.

“What we’ve found is that children are continually confronted with high calorie but nutritionally poor food whenever they engage with sport. They get McDonalds vouchers when they play well; they have All Blacks encouraging them to “get active with Powerade” when it is a high sugar sports drink not recommended for children playing Saturday sport, and they see high profile sports like rugby, football and cricket being sponsored by KFC, McDonalds and Milo.

“New Zealand children are now the third most overweight and obese in the OECD and are presenting with type 2 diabetes, which is typically diagnosed in adulthood.

“When kids play sport themselves or attend events at stadiums, the food options are almost always chips, hot dogs, hamburgers and fizzy drinks.”

Dr Smith said parents told her that countering this environment is a real battle and that they often feel overwhelmed, unsupported and underpowered in their efforts to provide a healthy food environment for their children.

“Parents get their kids involved in sport because they want them to be active and healthy, and these messages run completely counter to that. The parents say it promotes unhealthy eating habits early on and ask why sporting heroes don’t encourage their kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

The research also showed that both young people and parents recognise that children are deliberately targeted

“The Convention says children have a right to the highest attainable standard of health, that they should be protected from any form of exploitation and that parents should be supported in providing good nutrition to them.

Tooth decay is the leading reason for our children being admitted to hospital from a waiting list. This situation clearly shows that our children’s right to health is not being realised and our current sport-related food environment does not support that right.

“The Convention requires governments to act and support parents to protect children’s rights, including the right to live in a healthy food environment.”

Dr Smith said a comprehensive policy approach is needed to improve the sport-related food environment and that strategies should include: replacing food industry sponsorship with health promotion advertising, establishing food policies at sports settings and implementing healthy food initiatives at sports clubs.

“These approaches must be supported by broader population health strategies to counter junk food marketing to children. But parents, coaches and health professionals also have a role to play here and need to be supported by local and central governments.”

Working life has very limited breaks and bosses won’t care if they want the summer off to party with their friends.

Grab opportunity

High school offers up a countless number of opportunities to students from academic success, sporting aspiration and leadership roles. If they don’t take up one opportunity at school they can be assured another one will always come around.

People don’t get rich by spending money, but by saving money. The wealthiest people in the world have never lived beyond their means.

In adult life opportunities don’t come around everyday they are few and far between. So when one does come there way they need to learn to grasp it and make the most of it.

No second chances

Life isn’t fair

In the politically correct world we live in today many teens have forgotten what it feels like to lose, because

During the recent NZ Population Health Conference held in Auckland, Dr Moira Smith, from the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit at the University of Otago, said the research involved giving cameras to children in Wellington sports clubs, and their parents, and asking them to photograph food and beverage related items they associated with their sport. Focus groups were then held to determine broad themes and concepts.

It is plain and simple, life isn’t fair.

Students need to accept this fact and deal with it. www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 11

News | Cover Story

The wonder of words

By Laura Hall

Few authors can claim they have written more than 140 books, but then again most authors don’t have dyslexia.

Australian Children’s Laureate and award winning author, Jackie French says dyslexia has been her life’s greatest gift; that her career has been a success because of her dyslexia, not in spite of it.

Jackie’s career as an author spans almost three decades, 36 languages, some 60 awards in Australia and overseas and more than 140 books.

She has written books in a number of genres and for a wide range of audiences, but her speciality lies in children’s books.

She is a strong advocate for children’s literacy and has written educational books which aim to help children with reading difficulties. Earlier this year she was given the huge honour of becoming the current Australian Children’s Laureate, a prestigious role which requires her to promote the enjoyment of reading to children; a job which she is already a natural at.

Self-taught Jackie’s form of dyslexia means she finds it very hard to concentrate and read a single word however, she is able to understand and read a full page of words at lightning speed.

By the time she started school she had taught herself to read through word recognition, but she could not read a single word on the board. When her teacher asked her to stand up and read ‘run spot run’ she didn’t know where to begin and couldn’t say the words to save herself.

Despite her difficulties in the classroom her love for reading was notdiminished.

“I illegally snuck into the library at lunchtime one day and I was frantically reading Black Beauty when the head

mistress caught me and called in my teacher. I still remember their conversation over my head trying to work out why this kid who could not read ‘run spot run’, but was obviously speed reading Black Beauty and understanding every word.”

Her natural enthusiasm for reading and writing was encouraged by her teachers and as a result she wrote her first book at the age of six. The book was about a haunted horse and a ghost. It was such a hit with her classmates the head mistress printed a copy of the book for the school.

I was blessed to have a great teacher, Ms Davies, who even before dyslexia was recognised, understood that I was trying, I wasn’t stupid, but there were things I simply could not do, like recognise words.

Even though her talent for writing was obvious at a young age, it wasn’t encouraged by her parents and guidance councillor. “They told me I couldn’t be a writer because no one can make a living as a writer in Australia.”

12 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

So she continued to write in secret for her own enjoyment, until one day she found herself in a dire situation and in desperate need of money.

“I ended up a single parent living in a shed in the bush. I’d just had a caesarean with complications and I needed $106.44 to register the car, but I only had $82 in the bank.

“I had a friend who was a freelance journalists, he suggested I send a couple of stories to several publishing companies. I did and within three

News | Cover Story She says children in indigenous communities have told her in overwhelming numbers that their idea of the prefect school is night classes.

weeks I had a book accepted and I was writing a regular column for a magazine. I quickly went from being an amateur who just wrote for her own pleasure to suddenly making a living as a writer; not a great living, but it was a lot more money than I had ever had in my life before.”

“Their idea of starting school later on in the day makes perfect sense. It means the school could provide them with a proper dinner so they can concentrate; there are a lot of nutritional problems in indigenous communities. And it will be a lot cooler, which means the school can save on air conditioning and the students won’t be as hot and fidgety.

I spy a great reader Jacqui’s dyslexia means she understands all too well how hard learning to read can be for children.

Her experience has made her a crusader for children with learning difficulties and she is on the war path to make sure every child in Australia and abroad has the proper support and educational facilities available to solve their learning difficulties.

If you want to know how something could work better ask the inmates; that is exactly what Jacqui is doing and it is proving extremely worthwhile. “I didn’t expect to receive such deeply thoughtout, initiative ideas about teaching methods, but I am so pleased I have and I am determined not to waste them.”

She says too many reading problems aren’t picked up by parents and teachers due to a lack of resources, lack of time and lack of training.

Jacqui is already approaching Australian minsters of education to discuss the children’s recommendations and “thrusting ideas down their throats”. At the end of the Laureateship she will compile her research findings.

“Schools need to have targets in place to ensure no child is left behind. Every child needs to read at their target reading age and if they can’t, then that teacher has failed, the school has failed and the parents have failed them.”

There are many reasons why children struggle to learn to read. Some are simply slow learners, others have tracking difficulties and ear infections causing hearing problems, while some have foetal alcohol syndrome. There is not one simple answer to diagnosing a reading problem, but Jacqui says the answer must be found and resolved – quickly.

She says if there was a simple answer then her latest book I Spy a Great Reader, which discusses reading problems and how to solve them, wouldn’t be as big. She advises teachers and parents to go through the book and learn about the different causes and cures.

“There are many reasons for reading problems. Some children can be very bright, but they might have a tracking problem, which is very, very common.

Other kids might be kinetic burners which means they need to move.

Learning behind a desk is one of the most inefficient ways for kids to learn.

Many kids actually have co-ordination problems and they can’t write a letter until they are eight years old. We are asking them to do the two hardest things in their lives; learn to read and form a letter at the same time at a young age.

“I wish I could say ‘here is the 10 step method to teach every child to read,’ but it’s not that easy, you need to find out what the problem is and every child is unique. The good news is once you find that method to solve the problem, the child normally learns to read very, very quickly.”

If there is one thing she wants people to take anyway from the book it is for teachers to be more flexible. She says adults need to stop thinking there is only one way to teach children to read because it is simply not the case.

Australian Children’s Laureate Jacqui was appointed the prestigious role of the Australian Children’s Laureate earlier this year.

“I don’t know at this stage if the research will make a book or a manual, but it is certainly the basis for many submissions and conference papers. It has already led to changes.”

The two year role requires her to promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians, while acting as a national and international ambassador for Australian children’s literature.

Since taking on the role she has acted as a voice for the industry, recognising its successes and speaking out about its down falls. She is also working to raise the profile of books in children’s lives and champion the cause of young Australian’s reading.

“A major part of my role is acknowledging the extraordinary number of superb things so many people are already doing for children’s literature and simply saying thank you, you are doing a wonderful job, please don’t stop.”

could be better without much money being spent.”

One child came up with the idea of fitting the teacher with a lapel microphone and giving every child ear buds, so they can concentrate and listen exclusively to what the teacher is saying, without being distracted by other children talking in the classroom.

Another child wrote about wanting longer school days if they could use the extra time to work on projects of their choice.

With such an extensive career after over coming the odds, a mammoth number of book titles under her belt and a distinguished position in the Australian literature community you would forgive Jacqui for having achieved all of her goals.

But she says there is one goal in particular she wants her career to achieve. “I hope I am giving kids the knowledge that books can not only give them dreams about the future, they can also give them the tools and inspiration to create their future.” And it is one goal she will never stop trying to achieve.

But the role hasn’t been all talk, she has spent the majority of this year travelling to schools across Australia and New Zealand to promote children’s literacy and carry out research into how schools can be made better. The Laureateship brought her to Christchurch earlier this year to speak at the Storylines Festival of New Zealand and to share her wisdom on the wonders of reading for children.

She has talked to thousands of children in packed out assembly halls, encouraging children to embrace books and asking students how they think school and learning can be made better.

“During my time as Laureate so far I have been asking kids to write about their idea of the perfect school and it has been fascinating. I expected to hear a lot absurd things like being asked for no homework, but by and large, kids are coming up with seriously sensible ideas about how schools www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 13

the classroom

Camp Raglan

Blue Mountain Adventure Centre

The beautiful 14 acre Camp Raglan campsite is pleasantly situated on the slopes of Mt Karioi overlooking the panoramic view of Raglan and the Tasman Sea. Camp Raglan offers a fully catered camp for a total of 150 children and adults in dormitory style accommodation which is particularly suited to primary and intermediate school children.

All the main facilities are under one roof.

The resident chef cooks excellent meals and special dietary needs can be catered for. Camp Raglan is known for its good food and excellent hospitality.

Your host Roger Humphris will offer you a very warm welcome and is also happy to discuss your individual needs.

Bethel House is an independent building available for hire separately from the main camp buildings. It has five twin share rooms and one double room as well as a kitchen, lounge room and two separate showers and toilets. It overlooks the breathtaking view of the Tasman Sea. An information pack to help you with your planning is available from the camp and gives full details of facilities, accommodation and what you need to know to make your booking.

Camp Raglan provides the following facilities and activities: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Flying fox BMX track Gymnasium Playground Huge beach Volleyball Swimming pool Sports field Archery Air rifles Confidence course Low ropes course Orienteering course

• Team building challenges.

The gymnasium has equipment for basketball, volleyball, badminton, and hockey and is a great space to use for many activities if the weather is not at its best.

On a cool, damp morning on the side of a ridge overlooking the Whakapapa River, a dozen teenagers from South Auckland dismantle the makeshift camp where they have just spent a rain-soaked night.

A couple of kilometres away, another group take turns abseiling down a 35 metre rock face overlooking the foothills of Mt Ruapehu. A third group is watching a team mate negotiate steel cables suspended five metres up in a stand of pines.

This is Winter Peak Adventure; a week long crash course of team work, confidence-building and problem solving, hosted and run by The Salvation Army Blue Mountain Adventure Centre (BMAC).

Nestled between the banks of the Piopiotea Stream and the village of Raurimu, the centre is one of The Salvation Army’s lesser-known masterworks. With Mt Ruapehu and its ski fields at its backdoor and dozens of caving, hiking, camping, rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking sites close by, BMAC has, for the past 21

years, provided an outdoor education experience for thousands of people, from pre-schoolers upwards.

While it may sound simply like a good excuse to go thundering down rapids on a raft or squirm through the Okupata limestone caves, BMAC is primarily about education and changing lives for the better.

BMAC has a family feel to it. Its instructors seem to have perfected a relaxed, yet no-nonsense approach to teaching, coaching and managing people of all ages. Collectively, the instructors have an array of skills ranging from specialist instructor qualifications for the full spectrum of adventure activities through to training in social and youth work, counselling and tertiary biblical studies.

This broad skill set and a wellgrounded team are critical to fulfilling BMAC’s aims of developing the physical, emotional, social and spiritual facets of their charges’ lives.

Blue Mountain Adventure Centre The Salvation Army RD1, Owhango T (07) 892 2630 E bmac@nzf.salvationarmy.org www.bluemountainadventure.org.nz

The main hall has a stage area with a large screen at the back which is excellent for showing movies etc in the evening.

Camp Raglan is also ideal for studies on native bush, beach and stream as well as small town studies.

Camp Raglan 578 Wainui Road Raglan T (07) 825 8068 E campraglan@cbm.org.nz www.campraglan.org.nz

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where memories are made!are made! where memories wherearememories made!

14 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

the classroom

Lakeside retreat Lakes Ranch aims to equip children with tools for the future and create lasting memories. Camp provides a challenging, but safe environment for this to take place.

We all grew up where children built a real tree hut, in a real tree. Lakes Ranch is set on 127 acres of outdoor fun and the direction we are moving in is one of adventure. We are helping kids gain confidence in an environment that is both challenging and safe.

Lakes Ranch wants to embrace the past and give kids the opportunity to love the outdoors, teaching them to look for adventure instead of being bored. The aim is to give kids the skills to minimise risk and the confidence to give things a go, instead of doing nothing for fear of getting hurt.

Therefore, the goal is to provide a place where opportunities are available to jump in, have a go, and meet the challenges offered by our site.

Lakes Ranch offers a new perspective as they live in the community for a week. It gives them the opportunity to experience other relationships in a familial unit. In a society that lacks community in its purest form, this creates special moments in itself.

Activities

There is a huge range of activities for school groups to get involved with at the camp.

For a boost of confidence and for something a bit more challenging, have a go on the Mud Run and get covered head to toe in mud. The Mud Run course is also used for the Tough Guy and Girl Challenge which is held annually. After that relax in the hot thermal pool or take a dive into the swimming pool. Kayaks are also available and great for checking out the sights.

Sports facilities and fields are available to kick a rugby ball on, or have a game of competitive volleyball. Tennis and badminton are great games for kids to get involved with and sports gear is available at the camp. Archery and air rifles are also available for the students to try something different, and of course all these activities can be supervised.

School holiday programmes

And don’t forget the camp is a hop, skip and jump to the local attractions Rotorua has to offer. From zorbing to luging, the options are endless. Maybe try a spot of fishing on one of the lakes, or check out the cultural sites around the region.

Lakes Ranch 79 Lake Rotokawau Road RD4 Tikitere Rotorua T (07) 3503010 E office@lakesranch.org.nz www.lakesranch.org.nz

Lakes Ranch offers extensive holiday programmes. For those who love to get out into the great outdoors on horse back. From trekking to trotting, the camp offers amazing opportunities to harness your skills on horse back. And you don’t even have to know how to ride a horse. The talented team at the camp can teach you.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT? Contact us to plan your next unforgettable camp experience.

WWW.LAKESRANCH.ORG.NZ PH: 07 350 3010

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 15

News | In the Classroom

Great expectations Students’ success can be improved by a teacher with high expectations for their entire class, so University of Auckland academic Associate Professor Christine Rubie-Davies has written Becoming a High Expectation Teacher. Raising the Bar, to help teachers reach that goal.

Associate Professor Rubie-Davies is head of the School of Learning, Development and Professional Practice at the University’s Faculty of Education.

As a former primary school teacher for many years before joining the university, she decided to write the book after hearing policy makers and schools call for teachers to have high expectations, but never offering any advice on how to become one.

“I witnessed that teachers who I perceived had high expectations for all their students, appeared to have a huge positive effect on not only their students’ achievement, but also their self belief.”

Her research career has involved identifying teachers who have high expectations for all their students (high expectation teachers), versus those whose expectations are low for all (low expectation teachers).

“There appears to be a clear understanding that high expectations are important for student achievement, but what does having high expectations look like?

“Does it mean that teachers indulge in lots of self-talk – ‘I must have

high expectations’? Does it mean that teachers should plan learning experiences well in advance of what they believe their students can achieve – and perhaps watch them fail?”

The book is based on the first ever intervention study in the expectation area designed to raise teachers’ expectations for all students.

It explores three key areas that high expectation teachers enact differently: the way they group students for learning, the way they create a caring classroom community and the way in which they use goal setting to motivate students and to promote student autonomy and master learning.

The study ran across three years (2011-2013) and involved 84 teachers of whom 43 were in the intervention group and 41 in the control group.

Failing vulnerable students – time for a better way?

At the beginning of the study there were more than 2,500 students. Because students were tracked across the three years of the study, there were closer to 5,000 students by the end.

Schools with the greatest needs get too little to meet those needs and the consequence is vulnerable students falling through the cracks.

Associate Professor Rubie-Davies has already received high praise for her work. Distinguished scholar Professor, Patricia Alexander of the University of Maryland, has described her book as an “absolute privilege” to read.

This is the message from PPTA president, Angela Roberts who says the current school funding system is failing to support our most vulnerable students – one of the many issues discussed by delegates at the PPTA’s recent annual conference.

“You have succeeded in capturing the rich and empirically solid literature on teacher expectations in language that is readily understandable to educators at all levels of practise – from beginning teacher to seasoned university professor.”

Professor Alexander was especially impressed with the “sensible and workable” examples and guidelines for practise sourced from Associate Professor Rubie-Davies’ expectation research on students and their teachers.

‘A needs-based model of resourcing for schools - time for a national discussion?’ a paper discussed at the conference, looks at schools’ reliance on locally raised funds for resources such as staffing, the lack of security in school resourcing and the need to support those with behavioural and special education needs.

“When locally raised and decile related funds are added together, decile one schools have just $350 per student more than those in decile 10 schools to address their relative educational disadvantage.

This $350 equates to five percent of total school funding, yet an Australian review (the Gonski report) recommends students from lower socio-economic backgrounds should attract an extra 50 percent,” Roberts says.

“Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions and these are determined by the resources invested in them.

“As most of these resources are invested by the state, how much, and how they are delivered are political questions.”

Roberts says the timing of the paper was auspicious because education minister Hekia Parata had made a number of public comments about wanting a new funding model.

“She appears to be talking about outcomes based funding – something similar to the model used in tertiary.

The government purchases a number of, say level one NCEA credits, and the school agrees to deliver them. If the school succeeds all is well, if it fails it loses funding for the following year.”

The OECD has reviewed outcomesbased funding and warned it can lead to “gaming and pervwerse incentives,” she says.

This year’s conference paper explores what “needs-based” could mean in terms of school resourcing. It recommends PPTA seek to work with other organisations to initiate discussions on this and contains a number of questions which could form the basis of a national discussion about how we want to fund our schools.

The full papers are available at: http://www.ppta.org.nz/events/ annual-conference

Our websites start from $1997+gst for a standard business website or full e-commerce site, which means your business can sell products 24/7. gary@fatweb.co.nz | 0800 444 090 | 16 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

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News | Opening Doors

Hearts and minds Winning over Pasifika school students

Education and industry have joined forces in South Auckland to find ways to keep Māori and Pasifika students engaged and persevere with secondary school education in order to attain NCEA Level 2 and move onto further study, training or work.

Aorere College, Mangere College, Southern Cross Campus and De La Salle College, with the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) and TOL Logistics, have pulled together to create a ‘logistics’ programme developing the school curriculum using the Services Industries Vocational Pathway.

Completion of the programme will not only help students gain credits toward their NCEA Level 2, but students will also achieve a Vocational Pathway Award, an accolade showing that they have skills and a broad understanding related to a particular industry.

The Mangere-Otahuhu Network is in South Auckland, a burgeoning manufacturing and distribution centre which includes some of New Zealand’s biggest companies. With a growing need from industry for a pipeline of skilled and educated young people to join the workforce, the creation of a ‘logistics’ programme provides the opportunity for students to achieve qualifications and skills related to the industry, and provide potential training or work opportunities.

Aorere College deputy principal, Amy Martin has Year 11 boys enrolled in the programme; eight Māori and three Pasifika students. “We targeted our Maori and Pasifika males who had potential, but were not particularly engaged in school. Students who we thought needed direction.

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Students at Aorere College “We chose students who were interested in this industry. We took them to Foodstuffs where they had a tour and listened to a manager who had worked his way up the ranks. We did this before they signed a contract to commit to the programme.

Students needed to have reasonable attendance and prove themselves to be reliable and responsible.”

Students spend Tuesdays at MIT or on work placement with TOLL Logistics.

At MIT, the students spend the day focussed on one learning area and in one classroom. They are not moving around and changing classes or subjects.

One example is Sam Fa’afuata, 16 years old from Papatoetoe and in Year 12 at Aorere College. Sam is studying the Logistics programmes as well as maths, science, English and two transition courses at this school.

“When the teachers asked me if I wanted to participate in the logistics programme I saw it as a new opportunity, especially as I am not sure what I want to do after school. There are currently lots of jobs in this industry, so there is a good chance of me getting work if I do this programme.

“Also, it doesn’t just link to logistics, but we are learning about other areas of work like safety, security and warehousing of goods.”

Sam is not sure what he will do after school, but he enjoys the way he is learning at MIT and on the job and is determined to get the credits he needs

“

More than 4,200 senior secondary schools students from 264 schools are enrolled at a trades academy this year, in 22 SecondaryTertiary Programmes throughout New Zealand.

“

The Mangere-Otahuhu Network is one of a number of Youth Guarantee Networks which have sprung up around New Zealand bringing together schools, industry training organisations and tertiary institutions to find alternative ways to make learning relevant to secondary school students which are at risk of dropping out, or just don’t know what their future could look like.

to go to university and learn more. “If I continue with this course then I can go straight into tertiary study,” he says.

Amy says “These are kids who might never have had any experience or reference for tertiary education, so it exposes them to options that are available. It helps break down barriers,” she says.

“Many of the skills they are learning are transferrable – things like taking responsibility, time keeping, how to conduct yourself in an adult workplace.

All of these will help develop them into dependable, employable and upstanding New Zealand citizens.”

According to Arthur Graves, group manager at Youth Guarantee, partnerships across education and business are crucial to the success and sustainability of initiatives, such as this, to contribute to developing a more educated and skilled workforce.

“New Zealand has poor retention rates of 15-19 year olds remaining in education to get NCEA Level 2 or equivalent qualifications and skills that will benefit them, and not enough young people are progressing to Level 4 or above on the New Zealand qualifications framework. The MangereOtahuhu Network is doing a great job and changing this,” he says.

More than 4,200 senior secondary schools students from 264 schools are enrolled at a trades academy this year, in 22 Secondary-Tertiary Programmes throughout New Zealand.

For initial outcomes from these programmes, refer to the ‘Youth Guarantee Monitoring Report: Impact of Trades Academies & Youth Guarantee Fees-Free Provision on Student Performance’.

The Ministry of Education is holding regional workshops on the Youth Guarantee, focussed on raising achievement, retention and transitions of young people across secondary schools and tertiary providers.

The workshops will discuss initiatives to raise student achievement and develop relevant learning opportunities for students; connecting school, tertiary and future employment.

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Learning Space | Technology

All teachers can jump into N4L’s Pond

New features revealed at ULearn now make it

easier for teachers to share classroom resources.

Teachers are gearing up to make a bigger splash in Pond, the new digital learning hub designed by Crown company Network for Learning (N4L), now available to all educators and administrative staff working in New Zealand schools.

When teachers return from school holidays for Term 4, they can take part in N4L’s new Make a Splash programme designed to help them make the most of Pond. More than 75 schools representing around 2,000 teachers have already signed up to be part of the programme, and they will join the 1,500 teachers already inside Pond.

Programme participants will be using the new Pond features, enabling users to group and bookmark resources.

Pond’s new features

“Teachers have told us they want the ability to group items into related topics,” says Chris South, N4L’s Head of Dynamic Services, responsible for Pond’s development.

“From today, they can now bundle resources into ‘buckets’ and other

teachers can easily view and share these buckets within Pond. We wanted to make it easier for teachers to see what their colleagues in other schools find interesting and useful for student learning and their own professional development.”

Other new Pond features include the ability to bookmark items (called ‘Ka Pai’, the Maori name for ‘good’) and a new ‘Ponder this ...’ tool allowing teachers to save items into Pond via a Chrome web browser (by clicking on a Pond icon on the browser’s toolbar). Teachers can now also upload documents directly to Pond.

N4L is regularly adding new features and refining existing functionality to ensure Pond remains responsive to the needs of teachers now and in the future.

What teachers are saying about Pond “We are always looking for new ways to engage our students and improve their learning,” says Steve Hornby, a primary school teacher from Solway School in Masterton.

“Pond prompts us to consider alternative education resources that we may not have otherwise known about. If a colleague teaching the same subject in another school has found an online programme that has helped get their students excited about a topic, then our teachers can see this in Pond and review the programme

18 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

knowing that their peers have used it and liked it.”

Primary school teacher Trudi Browne, who is introducing Pond to Burnside primary school teachers in Christchurch, says the response to using Pond has been really positive.

“Our teachers are enjoying following the teacher profiles of their colleagues in other schools. The search engine is also proving popular as it allows us to go deep into the archives of Digital NZ and search video clips that are hard to find on regular

search engines. Pond’s search returns the more educationally useful material to the top of the list and this saves us time having to go look for them.”

Ahead of schedule Both the rollout of N4L’s Pond and Managed Network are running ahead of schedule, with the company surpassing its end-year target of giving all teachers access to Pond a couple of months early.

A connection to N4L’s Managed Network is not required to use Pond, which can be accessed with any Internet connection.

Learning Space | School Labs

Making a mark in the online space By harnessing the efficiencies of the Internet, one online seller is offering the education sector labware at great prices.

Labwarehouse is a wholly New Zealand owned and operated glassware and lab equipment supplier with all sales conduced online or via their 0800 labware number.

A focus on schools

A core market for Labwarehouse is the education sector. It aims to make laboratory equipment easily obtainable, but while the majority of products are offered online to anyone who wants to register, there is a special focus on supplying schools at the best possible price.

“We aim to make access to labware in New Zealand as easy as buying a book or toner cartridge,” says online manager Bruce Young.

“We can keep our prices low because we harness the efficiency of the Internet without the costs of printed catalogues and on the ground selling.

However, we do have some pretty decent education discounts that are not shown to anyone else.

“Schools should contact us on 0800 labware or email when they register on our website to make sure that we apply our education discount to their profile so they’ll get the best possible price.”

$50 welcome vouchers

“Until Term 1, 2015 Labwarehouse is offering a $50 welcome onboard credit to new education customers. To get yours, simply phone 0800 labware and they’ll setup your online account.

(Limited to the first 25 new customers).

Using latest technologies

The company’s website is in its second generation since its inception. Due to changes in technology and the way people use the Internet, constant innovation is required balanced with trying to maintain consistency and simplicity for accessing information and making purchases.

The new website has been optimised for mobile devices. Although these still make up a very small portion of users, it’s important to be part of this technology, as it gets more and more ingrained in our everyday activities.

Finding new products

Always on the lookout for new ideas and products, Labwarehouse has access to a range of suppliers. In the UK

>

Umberto Binetti using the Newton Nm1 onboard the Shokalskiy en route to the Antarctic

this includes Brannan thermometers and Testometric who manufacture materials testing machines. At more than $30,000 each, these are not for the mass market, but while on a UK visit last year, the agency for a fantastic portable microscope was secured.

The Newton nM1 (pictured) is ideal for schools as it’s built as a robust and compact field instrument using an innovative design. The ability to attach an iPhone camera to them is a popular feature with students!

The not for profit Millennium Health Microscope Foundation developed the product with assistance from the likes of the Gates foundation amongst others. The objective was to create an affordable instrument that could be used for diagnosing diseases in the field.

customers. Now we recycle as much of our incoming packaging as possible on outgoing orders. We’ve been able to pass on these savings in reduced shipping costs.”

Labwarehouse is keen to help in other environmental areas also. It sponsors a kaka protection project in the Hauraki Gulf, predator control on Great Barrier Island and earlier this year the Mawson Antarctic expedition.

Labwarehouse would also be keen to help schools that need assistance with recycling or environmental education.

If you’ve got any ideas you’d like to share with other schools via the Labwarehouse newsletter and website, or need glassware, or other lab equipment for your environmental project – let them know. There may be some assistance available.

For more information visit www.labwarehouse.co.nz or call 0800 labware.

“

We do have some pretty decent education discounts that are not shown to anyone else.

“

Think of them like a mini Amazon.com or Officemax for laboratory supplies.

Keeping it online is an efficient business model enabling the company to stay competitive and ensure the lowest possible pricing to its customers.

Back in January Labwarehouse supplied two of these instruments to the Spirit of Mawson Antarctic expedition led by Professor Chris Turney. He said “The technology absolutely blew me away”.

Although that expedition didn’t go quite as planned with the ship being caught in ice, the microscopes were put to good use and feedback was excellent.

Supporting environmental projects Recently the company has been investigating ways to become more environmentally aware,” Bruce says.

“We realised we were disposing of dozens of perfectly good boxes from incoming shipments and buying in new boxes and fillers, just so the outgoing orders looked fresh.

“This was a cost to both the environment, us and ultimately our www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 19

Learning Space | ICT

Websites that work Obviously, being able to access instant information has made the Internet a bit of a hit. But with continually evolving software and higher spec hardware to run it, keeping up with the pace of change can seem a little daunting. But it doesn’t need to be if you get the right people to advise and help.

Let’s say it’s been a few years since your website was given a facelift, then SchoolWeb may be the answer you’ve been looking for. The SchoolWeb Website Content Management System (CMS) is an easy and cost-effective way for schools of all sizes to implement a website.

The system allows schools to login to a password protected system and maintain their website. Unlike other competing systems, SchoolWeb allows full control over creating and amending webpages, and it’s almost as straightforward as using Microsoft Word! You do not need any knowledge of HTML, web programming, or how to upload your site using complicated FTP software. You can update the site from wherever you have a web-browser and an Internet connection.

To begin with, your website is designed by a professional graphic designer, who goes to great lengths to ensure that the graphical design reflects the unique culture of the school. Then free training is provided to get you started

and there are no expensive yearly licensing fees.

Now of course you’ll want to update, improve and adapt your site as time goes on, so all the editing is done through the CMS system that’s easy enough for even the most technophobic classroom teachers and admin staff to use.

As well as a general website media, SchoolWeb features ways for staff to collaborate, parents to participate, children to communicate and the whole community to share in the activities of schools in a safe way moderated by the schools.

Newsletters, calendars, homework downloads, classroom projects with visitor and parent comments, forums, rosters, resource bookings, calendars, blogs and surveys are among the many abilities of the SchoolWeb system. The schools are in control and anything is possible.

Another focus is the growing trend towards integrating content from external websites. Schoolweb allows content from Youtube, Teachertube, Slideshare, Twitter, Blogger, Google Apps and numerous other style sites to be easily embedded into the system.

Schools can obtain more information from either www.schoolweb.co.nz or by calling 0800 48 48 43

Online payments off to a flying start Less than six months after introducing an online payment option at Alfriston School, more than 60 percent of the parent community had signed up as users.

Principal Michelle McCarty puts this quick uptake down to a combination of good communication and the school meeting a genuine need in the community.

“We had spent quite some time looking for ways to make payments easier for our parents. A lot of families were finding it difficult to get into the office – either because both parents were working or were simply too busy.“ Michelle had read about the successful introduction of Kindo at Stonefields School and decided to find out more.

“There are a lot of parallels between Alfriston and Stonefields, so once we had met and discussed the system with Sandra Finlay, we decided to give Kindo a go,” she says.

Stationery success

At the start of 2014 Alfriston School directly supplied student stationery packs for the first time, so the administration team set up stationery and donations as their first two items for online payment.

“We were initially surprised by the number of families that took advantage of the stationery buying function online,” says school administrator Jane Keys. “We communicated the introduction of Kindo well and advertised it in our school newsletter at the end of 2013 to let families know it was coming.”

The news quickly spread via word of mouth. This was supported by clear communication from the school management team through the school e-newsletter. Six months later the school continues to include an item in every newsletter outlining how to use Kindo.

Cut down routine paperwork

“Information in the newsletter directly links to Kindo so parents can

20 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

click through without having to go looking online,” Jane says. “We also emphasise the online payment option alongside any information on trips, PTA fundraisers, stationery and school uniforms.”

Kindo is the only online school payments system that can capture all the information usually collected in paper forms. This avoids much of the routine paperwork and messy manual reconciliations in the school office.

According to Jane, this permissions function has been particularly useful from an administrative point of view. “We have set up the online permission form so it’s an intrinsic part of the payment.

“This cuts out all the problems caused by pupils losing forms or not taking them home on time. Parents no longer have to go searching for crumpled up pieces of paper at the bottom of their child’s backpack to find out what’s going on.”

Simple for parents

“We are winning on several fronts,” Michelle says. “Kindo is simplifying life for a lot of our parents; it is also reducing the school admin burden by cutting down on foot traffic through the office and the detailed live reporting makes it easy for us to filter and sort information for the teachers responsible for co-ordinating activities within the school.”

According to the administration team, the system is easy to manage. “I can set up 15 ‘products’ in the appropriate categories in half an hour,” Jane Keys says. “We took more than $10,000 through Kindo in the first five months this year, a sum which would represent a huge amount of admin time if it were handled manually.”

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Working Space | Solar Energy

Schoolgen solar programme keeps expanding Each of the 70 schools has embraced learning about solar energy and energy efficiency. Live solar data is graphed from every school which gives students amazing solar data to compare solar generation across New Zealand.

Thanks to Wellington City Council share funding with Genesis Energy, there will be 14 new Schoolgen schools in Wellington by the end of this year.

The Temuka / Geraldine Rotary Club has also helped Geraldine Primary School and Temuka Primary School become Schoolgen schools as well.

Becoming a Schoolgen school helps a school become a model of energy efficiency. Schoolgen essentially addresses the lack of energy awareness in schools with the longer term goal

that it will spread out into the wider community over time.

Energy is central to the functioning of a modern society and vast energy flows are required to sustain our standard of living. For this standard of living to be itself sustained, energy must also become sustainable in the longer term at a local and global scale.

Schools, with little exception, are quite wasteful in their energy use and it is largely not reflected in the day-today core business of schools, which is teaching and learning. As teachers are largely unaware of energy use and its implications, students have little chance of being educated in sustainable energy practises.

Schoolgen highlights energy use as an essential activity relevant to our lives and then uses this in a highly relevant context to teach many aspects of the NZ curriculum.

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Genesis Energy ‘s unique Schoolgen programme is on track to have 70 schools across the country set up as Schoolgen schools with free solar panels by the end of the year.

Thorndon School celebrates becoming a Schoolgen school

energy into their teaching and learning programmes with a web-based programme that all schools can embrace.

The Schoolgen website can be used by every school. A comprehensive and growing body of teaching resources

is offered freely to all Kiwi schools through the website.

Special features are the e-books with character voice-overs enabling all students to enjoy the learning journey.

Look out for the Maori version of these books which is now underway.

Students take this learning home and into their lives. The students in our schools today will be the decision makers in our country tomorrow. The Schoolgen programme has led the way in New Zealand to enable teachers to easily link energy efficiency and solar

Get Power Technology to bring Solar Power to life in your school For over 30 years New Zealanders have trusted Power Technology with their power system needs. If efficiency, reliability and peace-of-mind are important to you, call us before you make a decision about a ground or roof-mounted solar energy system. Visit www.powertech.co.nz to see many of the great sites designed and managed by Power Technology using only premium quality equipment.

Genesis Schoolgen Genesis Energy developed the Schoolgen proramme to bring solar energy and energy efficiency to life for children across New Zealand. It is one of the largest roll-outs of mulitple PV roof top implementations for a single client NZ-wide, with multiple sites for Government and the private sector.

Power Technology has so far installed nearly 70% of these systems, and presented “How the Solar on your roof works” in schools with the rolls ranging from 19 to 2213 pupils.

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22 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Working Space | Property

Kids can give school property a really tough time without even realising it. So it’s important that equipment and installations are both functional and durable.

This is where FSP can help. The company produces a range of items, but its school lockers for both students and staff, the Oz Loka, is up to any task.

All FSP products are rust free, UV stable, graffiti resistant, impervious to salt and most acids, have a very high impact strength and come in a wide range of colours.

Why choose Oz Loka for your school?

Plastic school lockers keep looking good After years of active use and outdoor exposure our lockers stay in better condition than lockers made from other materials.

Vandalism and fire resistant Polyethylene cannot be damaged by water and does not catch fire.

Easy to clean Plastic lockers are the easiest lockers to clean – just hose them out at the end of term.

Huge colour range Our school lockers come in a fantastic range of colours.

The Oz Locka is an ultra-tough plastic locker made from hardened polyethylene.

Easy to install They are easy to install, lightweight and completely stackable.

They are one of the most popular lockers in Australia and New Zealand with more than 200,000 lockers already in active service in schools and colleges.

Locker accessories Our lockers come with all the accessories you need – stainless steel number plates, locks, kickboards, shelving and more.

They come in a wide range of anti-fade colours and you can mix and match-plus they come with a massive 15 year warranty.

Made in NZ FSP New Zealand commenced manufacturing operations in Tauranga in August 2013 as part of the FSP worldwide group of companies.

Solid warranty Every Oz Loka school locker comes with a 15 year warranty.

Why choose the Burgess Wetpour system?

The reasons for using and benefits of a Burgess Wetpour system are varied! This great playground surface enables your matting to be installed as a continuous installation, flowing around equipment and poles, leaving no gaps, rolling over mounds and following contoured surfaces.

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• 15 year warranty • Easy to clean - just hose them at the end of the term • Graffiti resistant • Lightweight, stackable & easy to install • Mix and match colours

24 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

• Continuous installation, flowing around equipment and poles, leaving no gaps, rolling over mounds and following contoured surfaces • Fabulous coloured options and you can join these with a pattern or design of your choice and you have your own unique playground • 100 percent recycled rubber • Impact Pads for areas where a softer landing is needed, scuff pads, DIY modular long run and tiles, deck and ramp matting are also BMS specialties • Make it non slip and safe • Wetpour requires minimal maintenance – forget the days of topping up bark

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Burgess Matting offers a free, no obligation measure and quote. A sales representative can meet with you to discuss the matting systems which are suitable for your requirements.

Invest in BMS Wetpour Playground Matting, provide your children with a safe and enjoyable environment and give yourself the benefit of reduced maintenance.

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Working Space | Environment

Green

dreams

Students and teachers from across the country have been busy sprouting big ideas on how to create an environmentally focussed education space in their school grounds with the hope of winning a $10,000 environmental makeover.

Eleven schools were named as finalists in June’s stage one judging round, as part of Treemendous School Makeovers for 2015, a joint initiative between the Mazda Foundation and Project Crimson Trust.

Highlights from this year’s submissions included the proposed restoration of a gully and one to restore a creek – both would provide students with great learning experiences. While others focussed on constructing nature walks and research into native plants that would attract birds, insects and even frogs.

The 11 finalists include Fairhaven School (Te Puke), Havelock North Intermediate (Hastings), Horsham Downs (Hamilton), Hillside Primary (Winton Southland), Renwick School (Marlborough), Rowandale Primary (Manurewa, Auckland), Takapuna Primary (Auckland), Waikouaiti School (Otago), Wairakei Primary School (Taupo), Woodleigh School (New Plymouth) and Berhampore School (Wellington).

These schools are in the running to receive $10,000 to transform a disused part of their school grounds into a blooming educational space for students and teachers to enjoy.

“Every year we’re amazed by the level of creativity in the applications; we love to see students getting so passionate about the environment. It’s so great to see how they come up with new and exciting ways to conserve the world we live in,” says Andrew Clearwater, chairman of the Mazda Foundation.

“Judging the next round will prove to be very difficult as each submission is a very strong contender. So much so 11 schools were chosen this year

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as opposed to the usual 10 due to the high calibre of entries.”

Stage one of the application process asked students and teachers to submit a proposal which included details about aspects of their planned makeover.

For their stage two submissions, finalists develop landscaping plans, which are then used to choose the winning entries. Four out of the 11 schools will be selected to each receive a $10,000 makeover that will take place in 2015 and the remaining finalists will be awarded $500 for their hard work.

The four winning schools will be announced later in the year.

Please visit: www.mazdafoundation.org.nz/ treemendous for more information.

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Call 0800 777 444, or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today 47b Birmingham Drive, Middleton, PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140.

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 4, 2014 | 25

Working Space | Display Cabinets

The perfect place to show off Trophies and awards are obviously a source of great pride for schools - a tangible reward for hard work and organisation.

But most schools have their trophies poorly displayed - collecting dust, in dimly lit spaces, unsecured or, worse, not displayed at all.

Showcases Direct products include:

• Upright cabinets • Countertop cabinets

The easy solution is the extensive range of quality display cabinets now available from Showcases Direct.

• Counters

Showcases Direct is one of New Zealand’s leading suppliers of high quality showcases, display cases and display cabinets.

• Plinths

In addition to its unique range of frameless cabinets, they also stock a range of framed cabinets, countertop cabinets, counters, freestanding units and wall units.

Trophy cabinets should be well lit, lockable, have adjustable shelving, be strong and, most importantly, provide easy viewing. And being inexpensive doesn’t hurt either, says director David Lindsey.

• Wall mounted cabinets • Shelving units.

“When advising schools considering a display cabinet, I recommend they ensure it is made of toughened glass, uses quality components, has lighting options, is lockable, and has adjustable shelves.

“Also, ensure the company you purchase it from can back you up with after sales service. If it has these things, you will have gone a long way towards providing your school with a great investment, both now and into the future.

Make Your Trophies the Centre of School Pride ▶ Specialists in display cabinets ▶ Framed and unframed cabinets ▶ Standard range and custom built ▶ Unbeatable pricing

“Showcases Direct believes in providing our customers with well designed, high quality products at a great price. These are the elements schools require, and our track record demonstrates this,” he adds.

Lee Hopkirk, Principal of Milford School says “Our new trophy cabinet from Showcases Direct is perfect for what we needed. We wanted something low that would fit under an existing display. It also needed to be strong because it would be in a public area of our school. We got both of these things, and we are very pleased with the result. Showcases Direct were very accommodating.”

So, whatever your situation, a quality glass cabinet from Showcases Direct will serve you well.

Showcases Direct fast facts: • Made to order • Cabinets can be shipped throughout New Zealand at competitive rates • Assembly is easy, and helpful instructions and all the tools necessary are included • Showcases Direct has New Zealand’s largest range of frameless glass cabinets.

Sue Cattell, Deputy Principal of Takapuna Normal Intermediate School adds “Our trophy cabinet has been everything we hoped it would be. It displays our school’s achievements in a very elegant fashion and gives our school community a focus for the pride they feel in themselves.”

Showcases Direct’s customers include schools, pharmacies, tertiary institutions, jewellers and gift shops all the way through to corporations and collectors.

Cabinets can be shipped throughout New Zealand at very competitive rates – usually flat packed to avoid damage and save costs.

Model: EC800 $350 inc gst Adjustable shelving Optional lights

Assembly is straightforward, with helpful instructions and all the tools necessary provided in the box.

For a no obligation quote call 021 293 7193, or visit www.showcasesdirect.co.nz

Sizes available EC800: 800mm wide x 400mm deep x 1800mm high EC500: 500mm wide x 500mm deep x 1800mm high EC300: 1200mm wide x 400mm deep x 900mm high

Ph. 0272937193 E. info@showcasesdirect.co.nz www.showcasesdirect.co.nz 26 | Term 4, 2014 www.principalstoday.co.nz

09 832 2670

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