Principals Today Term 1 2013

Issue 97 Term 1 | 2013

www.principalstoday.co.nz

LEADERS IN EDUCATION NEWS SINCE 1989

oneatstep a time William Pike’s mission to impart outdoor skills and show kids how far sheer grit and determination can take them

new directions Howick College’s Nathan Kerr reports back from education’s big initiative gig

SEARCHING FOR THE WIGGLE-ROOM How can we get students involved, engaged and participating?

DOLLARS AND SENSE Is there any way out of the Novopay malaise?

IS PRESCHOOL BAD FOR children?

Why the Home Education Foundation is using Sweden as an example of how not to care for children

WHY IT PAYS TO SAVE Wasted energy is invisible and may be costing your school thousands of dollars a year

ds Thousanworth s of dollarr Rewards e of Read is issue! in th tails

R R e 4 for d e g a p See

ISSN 1170-4071 HAVE THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE SEEN THIS?

Complementary copy of

inside!

Principal Administration Dept Board of Trustees Property Manager Outdoor Ed Dept Teachers

r Dear Teachers/Principals, TEARAWAY Magazine has been completely revamped and we now have some outstanding opportunities for students to get involved, get creative and have their work published.

Please photocopy and post the info on the iPad below on your noticeboards, hand it out to your English, Art and Photography departments and mention it in your newsletters! Alternatively head to our brand new website at www.tearaway.co.nz for more information (scan the QR code to go straight there!). We are really excited about building a TEARAWAY where ALL content is created by young people.

As always, I welcome your feedback, ideas and suggestions.

EDITOR: Rain Francis

RAIN FRANCIS Editor rain@tearaway.co.nz

Become a Maverick!

Do you have d reams of worki ng in print or d Do you take aw igital media? esome photos , or write a hila you NZ’s answ rious blog? Are er to the Cyan ide & Happines s cartoons?

As Aotearoa’s ic onic youth mag azine, we are lo student writers oking for , photographer s and illustrator our new ‘band s to join ’, the Mavericks ! This is a unique be part of TEA opportunity to RAWAY’s new d irection and h that direction. elp define For our brand new website an d a completely magazine we w revamped ant YOUR input . If you are bet 24 and would ween 13 and like to gain inva luable experie your work pub nce and see lished in print and online, we from you. want to hear TEARAWAY is kn own as “the Vo ice of New Zeal which makes it and Youth”, the ultimate ou tlet for express matters to YOU ing what really . We need repor ters, dreamers every corner of and artists from the country. W e can offer work a supportive, ch experience in allenging and FUN environm opportunity n ent. This is an ot to be misse d.

Send samples of your work (artic les, reviews, blog writing, photog s, creative raphs, cartoons - whatever!) or rain@tearaway an y questions to .co.nz.

Be a part of so mething massi ve and help cr truly unique! eate so

mething

SUBSCRIBE For personal or school subscriptions to Tearaway Magazine, simply call 03 961 5050 or email subs@academy.net.nz or just download a subscription form from our website.

www. tearaway .co.nz

Contents 12 new directions

5,240

Howick College’s Nathan Kerr reports back from the global summit for education initiatives

Issue 97

ABC circulation as at 31/12/12

www.principalstoday.co.nz HEAD OFFICE

Academy House 47B Birmingham Drive Middleton PO Box 1879 Christchurch

13 WHY IT PAYS TO SAVE

MANAGING DIRECTOR Gary Collins

GENERAL MANAGER

Rebecca Harris

OPERATIONS MANAGER Di Barclay

ADMINISTRATION

Kylie Moore ADMIN MANAGER Kelly Allen Jade Haylett Rhondda Brisbane Rachel Cooper Stacey Coy

SALES & ADVERTISING

Phone: 03 940 4734 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: editor@academy.net.nz

Disclaimer: This publication is provided on the basis that A-Mark Publishing is not responsible for the results of any actions taken on the basis of information in these articles, nor for any error or omission from these articles and that the firm is not hereby engaged in rendering advice or services.

A-Mark Publishing expressly disclaim all and any liability and responsibility to any person in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done, or omitted to be done, by any such a person in reliance, whether wholly or partially upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.

Advertising feature articles are classified as advertising content and as such, information contained in them is subject to the Advertising Standards Authority Codes of Practice.

Contents Copyright 2012 by A-Mark Publishing (NZ) Ltd. All rights reserved. No article or advertisement may be reproduced without written permission.

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

www.magazinestoday.co.nz

22 STUDENTS IN NEED SAC costs come under the spotlight

25 FUNDRAISING Using online networking to get projects up and running 26 ENVIROMENT Bringing solar energy and energy efficiency to life in New Zealand schools

16 searching for the wiggle room Negotiating the nonnegotiable in primary schools

Phone: 03 940 4732 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: production@academy.net.nz

20 IS PRESCHOOL BAD FOR CHILDREN? Why the Home Education Foundation is using Sweden as an example of how not to care for children

24 PERFORMING ARTS Liberate your words – the National Schools Poetry Award is on again

PRODUCTION

Caroline Duke PRODUCTION MANAGER Carolynne Brown CO-ORDINATOR Jenna Day DESIGNERS Janelle Pike Sarah Betman Jarred Shakespeare Andrea Frame ONLINE Ian Knott

18 SUPER STUDENTS Binary brilliance by James Watson and an environmentally friendly business fundraising plan

Wasted energy is invisible, but may be costing your school thousands of dollars a year

Standing at the top of a mountain is just about one of the best places in the world for William Pike, who now shares his love of the outdoors with intermediate aged school children

NEWSROOM

10 THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION Dr John Langley on how education is being re-imagined by the youth of today

Supplements

One step at a time

Jonathon Taylor EDITOR Karen Pasco Melinda Collins Davina Richards Corazon Miller

9 Q&A Manurewa Central School principal Laurie Thew talks about his patch

Making the most of energy opportunities

14 cover story

Bill Thew Verne Williams Evaon Watkins Grant Williams

news 7 DOLLARS AND SENSE Why a Novopay rescue package is needed and needed now and what the minister intends to do

World Summit on Innovation in Education

Principals Today

Issue 97 / Term 1, 2013

How can we get students involved and engaged with a positive attitude that enables them to participate?

28 RESOURCES Digital tables – the next step for New Zealand classrooms and hope for students stuck in maths 30 SWIMMING Ensuring your pool is safe to swim in shouldn’t be left in amateur hands 31 SCHOOL CAMPING A collection of great places for the perfect class getaway 36 PROPERTY Branding in schools and the two hour mission to turn a wasteland into a thriving school vege garden 38 FINANCE Since the advent of Tomorrow’s Schools in 1989, the management of school finances and their subsequent reporting environments has been a roller coaster ride

RR Reader rewards in this issue…

• Win a Samsung 43” plasma TV with Academy Diaries on page 5 • Get a free resource kit from Firewise on page 23 • Receive free pegs and a carry bag with a Shade7 Gazebo on page 32

COMPETITION CONDITIONS OF ENTRY This publication is printed on papers supplied by All wood originates from sustainably managed forests or waste sources.

All mills utilise the Chain of Custody system to verify fibre source End product is recyclable.

All mills are ISO 14001 certified

4 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

* CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: One entry only per person and must be sent on the official entry form or as otherwise stated. Entry is free and open to all residents of New Zealand. All entrants must be over the age of 18, proof of identity and date of birth may be requested. Employees and their immediate families of Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication are ineligible to enter. Winner(s) will be notified by e-mail/phone. The judges’ decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into. No responsibility is accepted for late, lost or misdirected mail. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever suffered (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss) or personal injury suffered or sustained, during the course of prize winning travel or in connection with any other prizes won. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication accept no responsibility for health, luggage, insurances, travel, personal expenses and transfers other than specified.

Entries remain the property of Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication and cannot be returned. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication reserves the right to photograph and publish winners. Entries may be used for further marketing purposes by Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication but are not made available to any third party.

RR

STARTING

FROM AS

$1.00*

Student Diaries

LITTLE AS

201N3NING WI

COVER

r by Confirm your orde ed returning your enclos 28th Report Sheet before your February 2013 and draw to school will go in the WIN a Samsung 43” Plasma TV

Whakatane

HIGH SCHOOL

S T U D E N T D I A R Y 2 01 3

Artwork by Zachary Sutton

Congratulations:

WHAKATANE HIGH SCHOOL

Name:

Winners of the 2013 Cover Competition. The School received a notebook and cover artist Zachary Sutton won an Apple iPad. (Actual prize may differ from that shown)

K A R T W O R

B Y

L M I C H A E

K E L L Y

Y E A R

Year:

Mercury Bay

1 2

AREA SCHOOL

STUDENT DIARY 2013

Ve rdon

Artwork by Fiona

Hicks - Yr 12

Fairfield College 2013

Student Diary

Queen Charlotte

COLLEGE

STUDENT DIARY

2013

COLLEGE

Artwork by Harry Linford - Yr12 Name:

Year:

Name:

Artwork by Aya Yamashita - Yr13

Name:

Year:

Year:

Year:

2013 ST UDENT D I A RY Name: A R T W O R K

Name:

SECONDARY & TERTIARY DIARIES There are many ways you can personalise your student diaries, such as by providing artwork for the cover and including rules and regulations specific to your school at the front of your diaries. More ways to personalise your diaries are by being able to choose the type of binding and also the layout of your internal January-December diary pages.

• From as a little as $1.00 per diary • FREE delivery prior to Term 2014 • Personalised front cover

• Full colour school specific preliminary pages ie rules, regulations, map, uniform, NCEA tables • Public and school holiday dates • Term planners • Contact pages • Conversion tables • Peace of mind, we’ve produced more than 1.25 million diaries for studen ts in secondary and tertiary education in New Zealand so we know what we’re doing and we’ve been in the education industry for close to 35 years!

*Conditions apply.

47B Birmingham Drive, Middleton, Christchurch 8024 • PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140 T: 03 961 5050 • F: 0800 555 054 • E: info@targetmedia.co.nz • W: www.targetmedia.co.nz Academy Diaries is a division of Target Media

B Y

Year: Z I V A N N A

News | Issues

DollaRs & sense While investigations are being launched into who is responsible for the Novopay payroll disaster – schools, students, principals and administration staff are buckling under the pressure of a broken payroll system.

PPTA is urgently calling for a rescue package to support the education sector while the Novopay mess is sorted out, president Angela Roberts says.

“In an ideal world the system would be replaced tomorrow with something that works effectively – but realistically, even with a technical review underway, that is not going to happen. If reality dictates schools must endure until the payroll system is repaired or replaced then we must ensure they, their personnel and students do not bear the brunt of a situation not of their own making.”

It was unacceptable that resources, time and funding were being drained from the core functions of schools and that the focus of senior managers and teachers was being constantly directed away from teaching and learning, Roberts says.

“At this time of year teachers and principals should be concentrating on settling their cohort of students in. It is not right that students’ education should suffer because of this.”

In consultation with principals and senior managers PPTA is writing to the minister in charge of school payroll, Steven Joyce and acting secretary for education Peter Hughes, suggesting some mechanisms that could provide recompense and support for schools.

The list includes: financial compensation for schools via the operations grant, additional tagged support staff time so teachers get back to teaching and principals back to leading learning; extra time for senior managers who have had to put their professional responsibilities on hold to focus on Novopay and a one-off special leave provision for principals who have been working all hours, gratis, for Talent2.

It also calls for the employment of more trained staff at the Novopay call centres with each school having an identified contact person; the provision of EAP (employee assistance programmes) for staff suffering from stress and compensation for interest, penalty payments and tax incurred by teachers and schools.

“We support the reviews underway and expect those responsible for taking the risk in launching this flawed system to be held to account but that’s not going to solve the actual problem.

an immediate independent review of Novopay to ascertain the extent and seriousness of the state of the software and capability of Talent2 to deliver the education payroll system.

“The decision to implement this system was not made by schools or those working in them and they should not be left to suffer the consequences unsupported,” she says.

“We are delighted that Hon Joyce has agreed to an immediate IT review and this is the first time that the education sector has had public acknowledgement of the full extent and seriousness of the errors that continue to occur and compound.

The announcement to appoint Hon Steven Joyce to sort out the six-monthlong shambolic saga of Novopay has been met with cautious optimism by the education sector.

New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Philip Harding says principals across the country have been under unbelievable pressure since Novopay went live.

“We are cautiously optimistic that Hon Joyce will be thorough in his investigation into Novopay, that a resolution will be found and that appreciation of the stress and financial cost schools have had to absorb will be acknowledged,’ he says.

“The level of errors grows with every pay round and our last survey indicated that 97 percent of principals have no confidence that Novopay will come right in the next 12 months,’ he says.

Principals last year called on the Auditor General’s Office to conduct

- continued on page 8

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 7

News | Issues

The ministerial response The minister with responsibility for Novopay, Steven Joyce has announced measures to address the situation.

“I have made it clear to all parties that the on-going issues with Novopay are unacceptable and new measures are being put in place to provide timely solutions.”

“I appreciate the issues with Novopay are hugely frustrating for those affected and I understand the pressures school pay roll staff are under. I can assure them that everything is being done to resolve the issues as quickly as possible,” Mr Joyce says.

The new measures include: • Conducting a technical audit of the stability of the Novopay system and the data contained in it A technical review by Murray Jack of Deloitte, incorporating the results of the audit currently being undertaken by Ernst & Young on behalf of the Ministry of Education and an accelerated audit of a sample of schools.

• Instituting a new Novopay remediation plan - Led by the Novopay Management Board - Will accelerate software stabilisation, monitoring and enhancements and improve customer service

- Will involve more resources, which the Government will initially provide on a contingency basis while reserving its contractual position with Talent2.

• Undertaking active sector re-engagement - Led by the acting Secretary of Education and the Ministry of Education - Will use the Ministry’s regional network to support schools, document their feedback and provide them with more information and training

sector bodies to ensure on-going sector engagement and input into system enhancements.

• Investigating a revised contingency plan - Led by the acting Secretary of Education who has commenced dialogue with previous supplier, Datacom.

•Establish a Ministerial Inquiry - Intention is for the findings of the technical review to be fed into the inquiry, and for the inquiry to cover all aspects of the teacher payroll system from outset to present day.

- Revitalise a reference group, chaired by the acting secretary, which will include senior members of education

Dance-in-Education Programme 2013 Footnote Dance-in-Education programmes were born in 1985 as an opportunity for children to experience live performance as part of their cultural experience. Founding Director Deirdre Tarrant felt that the experience of dance needed to be specially developed for the learning and physical environment of school as a chance to not only watch but also actively participate in kinetic learning…dance!

Equally important is the opportunity for students to see contemporary dance as an expressive and relative art form. All choreographies used are made on the company dancers by New Zealand choreographers and are part of the company’s Made in New Zealand repertoire touring season in theatres throughout the country. The chance for students to meet and to work with ‘real’ professional dancers is a very important ingredient in the ‘magic’ of a visit by Footnote Dance.

Footnote Dance-inEducation options: A: ‘Money Works’ 1 hour interactive experience (Years 1-8) Part performance/part participation, with a focus on the self responsibility to live in a fast paced and changing world. $525 inc gst B: Footnote Residency (Years 1-13) 1-4 days (max. 30 students per session) with the option to focus your current curriculum. $730 inc gst per day C: Footnote Ambassadors for Dance (Years 7-13) (numbers determined by space) Performance programme showing NZ repertoire to NZ music from our current Made in New Zealand season. $680 inc gst

8 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

News | Q&A

Principal Q+A Q&A with Laurie Thew Principal at Manurewa Central School

NZ Glass Environmental Fund Attention Teachers

What school are you principal of?

I have been principal at Manurewa Central School for a good number of years. It is a school that celebrated its centennial in 2006 and consequently has a long and proud history of service to its community. Manurewa Central occupies a high profile site in, as the name suggests, the middle of Manurewa.

How many students are there?

The roll of the school is currently 575. The school has operated an enrolment scheme since the 1980s.

Interestingly approximately 85 percent of the students come from outside the school’s enrolment zone. This is because of the high number of schools in Manurewa and the fact that the school zone consists of many commercial properties. It is believed this is one of highest out of zone enrolments in the country.

“

What socio/economic background do students come from?

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

Students are drawn from across Manurewa and also further afield across South Auckland. This is largely a low socio-economic area and the school’s current decile rating of two reflects this.

This year our school plans to:

What inspired you to become a teacher?

• Utilise the recently completed installation of ultra-fast broadband, expand individual student use of digital devices; and continue to search for ways enhance student engagement through the use of IT

Although I became a teacher almost by accident, I have continued in the profession because of my belief in education as a process that can deliver personal growth, opportunity and choices in life. This is particularly so for young people from poorer areas of our country.

Why did you then decide to take on a principal’s role?

Initially moving into the role of principal seemed the expected thing to do. However, the position of principal has given me the opportunity to engage in education nationally, internationally and at an academic level.

More importantly however, principal leadership has provided me with an opportunity to have a direct influence in the day to day lives of our youngest students and help set them on the path to success in whatever they may wish for. Equality may not be possible but education does provide the promise of greater equity.

Many of my actions today are based somewhere in lessons I learnt from the students I have taught.

• Continue to build on the success of the Biddulph “Reading Together” programme which is probably the most effective and efficient whanau engagement programme I have ever seen

• Further enhance opportunities to enjoy the multi-cultural nature of our school and community.

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

International experience has taught me that, amazingly New Zealand’s education system seems more highly regarded overseas than it appears to be in New Zealand.

One of our big challenges right now is the lack of respect for our nation’s teachers by people in leadership positions who you would think would know better. This has caused teacher morale to be at an all-time low. Fortunately parents by and large are very supportive of their local schools which have enabled schools to continue to be highly effective.

Deadline of expressions of interest to make application for a

”

grant from the NZ Glass Environmental Fund are invited. Up to $25,000 will

Another challenge is the apparent shift in education from a high trust to a low trust leadership model which increases administration, forces punitive accountability and stifles innovation. I try to deal with this by trying to run a high trust institution, by considering what motivates people and by acknowledging the great things our nation’s teachers achieve.

be available in total for suitable environmental projects.

For application forms and guidelines see our website www.recycleglass.co.nz or contact: NZ Glass Enviromental Fund PO Box 12-345 Penrose Auckland 1642

What have your students taught you?

Phone: 09-976 7127

Many of my actions today are based somewhere in lessons I learnt from the students I have taught. Young students constantly show me why we should all continue to view the world with joy and amazement as we grow older.

I also think children show us daily how friendly, co-operative and accepting of individual difference we can be. Unfortunately intolerance and discrimination are behaviours we seem to learn as we “mature”.

Fax: 09-976 7119 Deadline for expression of interest is 31 March 2013

Sponsored by O-I New Zealand.

My years teaching Year 7 and 8 taught me that it is amazing what students will do if you stop telling them what to do. I think this is also true of adults.

It is far more exciting to talk with people about what needs to be done, discuss how that might happen and then have the confidence to let them go. However this requires a high trust working model which, in turn, requires persistently brave leadership in today’s low trust world. www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 9

News | Opinion

> Dr. John Langley is the former dean of education at the University of Auckland, CEO of Cognition Education and a senior educator with numerous accomplishments in education, business, government and project leadership.

I recently participated in the inaugural Telecom ‘Amazing Ideas Search’ as a judge. The competition called for Kiwi students (primary through to high school) to imagine ways ultra fast broadband (UFB) could change the way we live, work, learn and play.

Having reviewed entries from around the country it quickly became apparent how impressive the range of ideas from children (and their application) really are.

The future of

education

Education, as we all know, is fundamental to the success of our country and the world as a whole. We can also see the empowerment technology enables and ultra fast broadband over fibre promises even more opportunity.

What’s more, children are right behind it!

The power of

music

Research on arts programs for disadvantaged kids shows music, when taught the right way in the right environment, can be truly transformative.

Victoria University psychology academic Angela Utomo was part of a research team exploring the experiences of refugee-background students as well as teachers and artists involved in The Song Room program, which introduces music and creative arts to disadvantaged children in selected schools.

10 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Interestingly, five of the 10 winning entries had a learning and education focus. The majority of the winners were also from regional cities and towns.

Students are embracing and expanding the worldwide trend in education where technology both supports student’s unique learning needs and the role of teachers.

The education ideas put forward by kids involved in the competition revolved around enhancing the way students learn– acknowledging the very important principle that learning doesn’t always have to take place in a classroom - with one teacher delivering material.

Students are clearly aware technology provides new ways to express themselves and illustrate their comprehension.

Case in point, this year, three of the winning entries were delivered via a movie file posted to YouTube. It’s

The Song Room runs about 250 free programmes annually across Australia, including in-school and school holiday workshops, performance programs and training to help sustain programs into the future. The national not-forprofit program has already reached more than 150,000 socio-economically disadvantaged, special needs or recently arrived migrant and refugee children.

Angela’s research, which she presented at the Place & Displacement conference late last year, focused on what it was about The Song Room experience that engaged children so effectively.

“Teachers said many of the students were hard to engage in classes but as soon as The Song Room music program came they reacted to the hands-on, experiential learning and immediately engaged,” she says.

She found the musical experience – for many kids their first – as well as the non-disciplinary style of instruction and the welcoming environment made children feel comfortable.

inspiring to see technology become the means of feedback, and not just delivery, as it provides a powerful new range of tools for expression and impact.

In addition to education, other entries addressed tourism, healthcare, agricultural productively, sustainability and of course, technology. One of the winners in the technology space presented impressive insight into how Ultra Fast Broadband will provide opportunities for New Zealand website hosting, resulting in reduced costs and greater reliability and opportunity for New Zealand businesses.

To see such vision coming from young students is fantastic as it’s vital they understand technology is both a tool and an opportunity for their own future.

Arguably much of New Zealand’s future productivity gains and export opportunities will come from development and use of technology to take our ideas and products to the world.

As the roll out of UFB continues (through to 2019), hopefully initiatives like the Telecom ‘Amazing Ideas Search’ will not only not only spark the imagination of today’s students, but also will inspire tomorrow’s future thought leaders and entrepreneurs.

From what I’ve seen the talent is out there.

“The children seemed to experience it as a place of safety and beauty: places which are important for all of us to have,” she says. “Above all else it was a very social place for them – from the way activities were organised to the way seats were arranged – so that kids from refugee and non-refugee backgrounds mixed and spoke much more than they usually did in school or other settings.”

She says while the programme was not designed exclusively for children from refugee backgrounds, the focus on building musical ability, regardless of academic or English proficiency and the interaction between all involved, had been therapeutic without singling them out as being deficient or in need of therapy.

“What comes through in this research is the restorative quality of music and arts programme like this if the right environment and tone is created.”

Her work was part of a larger research project in 2010 with The Song Room that led to the ‘New Moves’ report by Victoria University’s Associate Professor Michele Grossman and Associate Professor Christopher Sonn.

WIN!

The Super Safety cyclist rhyme — “Make sure your brakes work every time Your safety helmet wear each day And lock your bike — so it can’t stray.”

Supply your own artwork and you automatically enter our Nationwide Cover Artwork Competition!

For more than 35 years Academy School Books has been teaching New Zealand school children Safety Awareness by providing FREE* Exercise Books, FREE Wallplanners and Personalised Covers!

Your school could win a Laptop and the artist an Apple iPad! Each school that provides their own artwork will receive a certificate and a prize for the artist.

2012 WINNER

Waitaria Bay School student Brydie was the Winner of the 2011 Competition!

Walla ce

town

*Conditions Apply.

Oroua Downs School student Chante was the Winner of the 2012 Competition!

2011 WINNER

Email Julianne Eady for more info: julianne@academy.net.nz www.academyschoolbooks.co.nz

News | Education Summit The thrust for constant innovation has long prevailed in sectors such as technology and healthcare, but education has generally lacked this approach in both policymaking and the classroom. However, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is proving that innovation is not just relevant to the private sector.

An international platform for creative thinking, debate and action on how to build the future of education through innovation, WISE is enabling successful education initiatives to spread and grow. Each year the three day event in Doha, Qatar explores current educational challenges and highlights innovative educational solutions.

Howick College mobile learning specialist and teacher Nathan Kerr tells WISE that mobile devices are “Communication Swiss Army Knives”, with ever-increasing opportunities for student learning and success.

Why is the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) approach important today?

The rise of the BYOD in education has been driven by students, who daily bring computers to school in their pockets. Harnessed appropriately, these will make real positive learning outcomes in the lives of students.

The m-learning (learning with mobile devices) project undertaken by Howick College and Vodafone in 2010 revealed how students use their mobile devices and their willingness to use them for learning. The BYOD concept is in fact not new with many private schools running laptop schemes in the late 1990s. However with the advent of smaller, more powerful and cheaper devices, especially tablets and the smart phone, all schools are now able to pursue personal one to one technology programs.

How has BYOD changed teaching for you? What has been the impact on students in terms of learning and engagement?

Students are using their BYOD devices in ways we as teachers had not thought of. What I find is that students in my

new directions class are capturing short videos of me as I teach, taking photographs of the content on the white board and even taking images and videos of each other’s work. Students capture information in formats they can easily review later. In capturing a fellow student’s work they are able to compare and contrast their thinking with that of their peers. I even had one student using a ‘split screen’ mode on their device to view their work simultaneously with that of another student.

As a teacher, it gives me freedom to interact more with the students as less time is used in communicating facts. The students are both engaged and taking the initiative to support their own learning. We have found that students are using the captured material to talk to their parents and other students.

During class time students are using their devices to further research work. I find that less and less of the questions asked are of a factual nature but more questions of ‘why’ and ‘how’, much more high-order thinking. The students are using multiple sources of information and allowing me to be their guide in learning rather than as a deliverer of content. This is changing the way I am teaching the classes and allowing more extended thinking in the class. It is instant learning.

However, this is a high trust model. The students and I have a shared goal and I trust them to be on task and working towards that goal. I still take the time to be about the classroom and ensuring

that students are on task and that they are using the device for legitimate work.

How can public-private collaboration help create a digital learning environment in classrooms?

Public–private partnerships between schools and organisation(s) can generate positive learning outcomes. In January 2010, the Ministry of Education, University of Waikato, Vodafone New Zealand and Howick College undertook the m-Learning Capability Pilot Project, in which both selected students and staff researched the potential of mobile devices in class and on student learning outcomes.

The pilot was for six months and resulted in better engagement of students, models of best practice and etiquette of mobile learning within classrooms, to promote better learning outcomes. Many people use mobile devices, as ‘Communication Swiss Army Knives’, and schools need to be careful not to become pen and paper islands in a digital sea. Findings from the pilot also indicated that students preferred an ‘instant on’, highly portable device for learning. For students, having their learning device with them meant that they could review resources and learn at times that were convenient for the student.

How can such collaborations train teachers to implement digital tools in the classroom?

Our aim is student learning. The students must benefit from all that we

http://www.facebook.com/YouthtownNewZealand

Check out Youthtown’s holiday and term programmes

12 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

do. Initially our work was at the request of the students. It was they who asked us to incorporate their mobile devices into their learning and it was they who initially showed us how to do this.

Once we had mastered the initial skills and concepts we then took this to the New Zealand Ministry of Education who supported us by providing an opportunity to develop some models of best practice and classroom etiquette / management and essentially some ‘do’s and don’ts’. This was carried out in the classrooms of Howick College in many diverse subject areas such as my own area, Geography, as well as Japanese Language, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Art History, Economics and even Food Technology.

What would you say to sceptics who believe that ICT is not going to change anything unless we change the way we teach?

Modern society is changing and schools must reflect this. Our students spend a lot of time working with electronic media, from MP3’s to video, Facebook to MSN and eBooks to electronic documents. Schools that persist in outdated technologies will become just that; outdated. At Howick College we strive to “Equip individuals for lifelong learning” and we realize that the nature of where and how students learn is evolving. We see this as crucial to empowering today’s students to learn for their tomorrow.

News | Conservation

Why it

pays to save Schools encouraged to make the most of energy opportunities

Wasted energy is invisible, but may be costing your school thousands of dollars a year. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is working with schools to help improve energy use and understanding – bringing benefits both to education and school finances.

Come three o’clock on a Friday, schools around the country echo to the sound of excited voices as the nation’s children flood home for the weekend – followed soon after by the nation’s teachers.

But analysis shows the hum of school heating and equipment often continues long after occupants have left. Out of hours energy use – through evenings, weekends and holidays – is going unchecked and is costing schools.

From 2010, schools’ heat, light and water funding was fixed at a level based on the average of the past three years’ energy costs. Any difference in terms of energy saved, will deliver money back to the school.

Although schools are aware of the financial benefits of managing energy, many are simply too busy to devote any time to it, says Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) project manager Dan Coffey.

“Schools have very full agendas, so energy is put on the backburner – it’s on the ‘good to do’ list but not seen as essential.”

This simply isn’t helping schools, Dan says. “Because they aren’t examining energy use, most are unaware of how much is wasted. If schools can tap into those savings, it’s money that can be re-directed to support educational aims.”

A pilot supported by EECA and the Ministry of Education, and delivered

by Energy Solution Providers, has found that as much as half of a school’s energy consumption may be occurring while it’s unoccupied.

Case study

Solar energy heats Dominion Road School pool Dominion Road School pupils are swimming for six months of the year, thanks to EECA Crown loan funding.

The Mt Roskill, Auckland primary school used a Crown loan to fund solar water heating for its swimming pool, as well as a pool cover and energy monitoring system.

Switching off can deliver sizeable savings, and a school-wide campaign is an opportunity to build energyawareness among students. Another pilot in Christchurch, delivered through Enviroschools and funded by the Christchurch Agency for Energy with EECA and the ministry – is collecting energy data, alongside a campaign to encourage student participation.

Completed in time for the 2011/12 swim season, the pool is now consistently available from mid October to mid April.

Switching off is effective, cheap, and easily done. But when it comes to larger energy-saving projects that require investment, EECA offers lowcost finance through its Crown loans scheme.

The board had been investigating economic options for pool heating when the EECA funding came to light.

“The loan gave us immediacy - we were able to get stuck into the project straight away. Without it, planning and organising finance could have taken 12 to 36 months. It was an easy process which I’d recommend highly to other schools,” he says.

“Many types of school projects qualify for Crown loans, provided they provide a cost-effective return on investment through energy savings,” Dan says.

Recent Crown loan-funded projects include an efficient lighting upgrade at Avondale College, heat pumps at Kahora School, and pool solar water heating at Dominion Road School.

Under EECA’s commercial buildings programme, grants may also be available for energy monitoring and targeting, setting up energy management plans, or to ensure good energy performance in new building design.

“Our pool was often just too cold for children to swim – they would hop in and we’d have to pull them out again.

Now we can plan and deliver our swimming programme and the kids love it,” principal Marian Caulfield says.

The project cost around $18,000, and is estimated to be avoiding nearly $4,000 in energy costs a year (compared to an electric water heating system which was the likely alternative).

Provider Solar Group Ltd also installed an interactive monitoring system which shows via a screen display how the system is using solar energy and generating heat. This has proven to be an excellent learning resource in itself.

School energy monitoring highlights up to 50 percent savings potential Energy monitoring over the summer holidays has provided graphic evidence of energy waste while school’s out.

In a pilot supported by EECA and the Ministry of Education, Energy Solution Providers (ESP) installed energy monitoring equipment to help schools manage their energy. Before term finished, ESP analysed schools’ energy data and advised them on which loads could be switched off most effectively.

The schools then implemented their ‘switch-off’ regime, ensuring heating, air conditioning, IT and office equipment remained off.

As at mid-January, Puhinui Primary had reduced energy use by 38 percent over the previous holiday period, Kingsford Primary achieved 50 percent energy savings, and Papatoetoe East Primary, 52 percebt.

“These are excellent results and a credit to the schools involved,” ESP managing director Jeremy Allen says.

“If all schools monitored their energy use and ran a switch-off campaign covering holidays, weekends and after-hours, they could save a vast amount of energy.”

The first step is to install monitoring equipment to get the data. The next steps are to analyse data and identify where energy is being wasted, then to recommend solutions that best fit the individual school’s requirements, budgets and technical capability.

Energy monitoring will be extended to further pilot schools during term one.

To find out more about EECA funding or get energy management advice visit www.eecabusiness.govt.nz

Hauora Lesson – in your School Children Massaging Children is an academically researched programme that teaches Empathy and Compassion as a HAUORA topic at your school to balance IT virtual technology and computer based education.

$450 to train all your teachers + free promotion of your school on our website Reserve your place now info@childconnection.org.nz Visit our website and complete our contact form www.childconnection.org.nz

During a 3 hour workshop we will present: 1.

Academic research supporting the necessity of touch for proper child development

2.

CMC (Children Massaging Children) programme

3.

How to supervise CMC lessons in the classroom

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 13

News | Cover Story

Oneatstep a time

By Karen Pasco

Standing at the top of a mountain is just about one of the best places in the world for William Pike.

Taking in the scenery, breathing in the sharp air that comes with being at altitude with the satisfaction of knowing you got there on your own steam is nothing short of magical for the Auckland teacher.

It is in this adventure sport of mountain climbing that Pike just about lost his life, yet despite losing a leg, he continues to traverse mountains, cross rivers, bike, hike, kayak and try as hard as he can to live his life to its fullest potential. For him every day’s a good day.

Not only that, now he is sharing his love of the outdoors with intermediate and high school aged school children in order to use the magnificent wonders this country has to offer, to impart skills and show them with sheer grit, determination and motivation they can take on and conquer challenges no matter how hard they may seem.

Pike and his mate James Christie were mountaineering on Mt Ruapehu in September 2007. For Christie it was to be his first experience in the mountains.

They had completed a day’s climbing and were all tucked up asleep in the Dome Shelter on the mountain when it erupted at 8.20pm.

Pike had his legs trapped – crushed and buried in the rocks, mud and snow that flowed into the shelter. He felt them crack and break as the vicious lahar ripped through the shelter. Christie, who was free, tried to get Pike out but was unable to. Help was needed and due to the conditions and the vulnerability of Pike’s situation, it was needed fast.

Before Christie left, Pike asked him to pass on a message to his parents, Barry and Tracy, that he loved them. Christie replied, “Nah mate, you can tell them yourself”.

As he waited to be rescued, Pike slowly checked off in his head as his body reached the different stages of hypothermia. His body functions progressively declined; before he slipped into unconciousness, he thought about death.

During the time it took Christie, dressed only in his thermal underwear in -15°C temperatures, to spot someone on the mountain, alert emergency services and for those services to reach Pike, it was about 11pm. Pike’s body temperature had dropped to a life-kiltering 25°C, the normal body temperature being 37°C. Doctors later told media he was seconds away

14 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

from death when he was found by the search and rescue team.

Challenge Award and put great value in the programme for their school.”

He was flown to Waikato Hospital where he underwent nine weeks of intensive treatment and operations including the amputation of his right leg just below the knee. Not only was his body battling to recover from his injuries, but it also then had to contend with severe septicaemia and renal failure.

The William Pike Challenge Award (WPCA) sees students complete eight or more challenges, all of which need to be completed within the school year in order to receive the award.

Pike works closely with teachers and outdoor adventure providers to choose activities best suited to each school.

He is adamant it was his fitness, determination and sheer bloody mindedness that kept him alive on that mountain that day. It’s those qualities which helped in the recovery of both body and mind, and it’s those qualities which he now teaches to children through outdoor activities, to inspire them to conquer challenges as well as learn important skills, including planning for all eventualities and survival techniques.

When Pike graduated from teacher’s college he knew that he wanted to develop a programme to encourage children to challenge themselves in the outdoors. He says as a child in the year 7 and 8 age group he wasn’t confident and lacked direction. “I didn’t know who I was; I didn’t have a strong group of friends. I really enjoyed my swimming but I didn’t have my feet on the ground in any way.”

If there had been an outdoor education programme, like the one he has now developed, he believes he would have gained the confidence and skills which would have made him feel better in his own skin.

Surprisingly it was the very incident that almost took his life which sped up the process to develop the William Pike Challenge Award. “Ruapehu was a very strong catalyst for bringing a few key people together to create what we’ve started.”

It was a pilot and parent Paul Dawson from Hilltop School in Taupo that approached Pike. He had read his book Every Day’s a Good Day about Pike’s Ruapehu ordeal, the rehabilitation and the massive impact the outdoors had played in Pike’s early life.

“I worked with them in 2009 to create a programme. They have set the standard and have been the benchmark for the William Pike

This includes tailoring the WPCA to meet schools’ values, goals, staff and the group of students participating in the WPCA. Throughout the year, William works alongside each school to ensure their WPCA is a success.

An emphasis is placed on schools using their local outdoor environment and resources, making the most of the school’s nearby landscape. No two school’s activities will be identical – it is a flexible programme that can be tailored to meet the needs and geographic location of each school.

News | Cover Story In addition to outdoor activities, students are required to participate in 20 plus hours of community service that directly benefits their local community. The development of a new sport, skill or hobby during the school year is also a requirement for each student participating in the WPCA. Last year schools from throughout New Zealand Skyped each other about the adventures they were having. Children wrote blogs on their experiences and the challenge was integrated into class room learning.

Pike visits each school at the beginning of the year to deliver a presentation to students to show them that you can achieve – no matter how hard a challenge may seem.

Rosie enjoyed her community work so much she continued well past her 20 hours of compulsory service. Through the challenge her confidence grew and she is proud of her achievements. “I’ve learnt that you’re able to step outside of a situation and not be scared, to challenge yourself in various situations.”

Pike pays special credit to Murray’s Bay School, in Auckland, and its principal Ken Pemberton. Pemberton took on Pike as a teacher after his accident, despite not knowing how he would really cope.

“It was a risk. At the time I wasn’t sure what my true ability would be – if I could participate fully in all school areas. He showed his good character, if he hadn’t given me that opportunity to get back into it, to do what every teacher wants to do, it could have really knocked me. I’m forever grateful for him to opening the door for teaching fo me.”

In those days Pike still needed to attend a lot of appointments and frequent trips to the “leg shop” (limb clinic). “In my first year teaching there I spent a considerable amount of teaching time

He hopes that this year, with a bit of time off from his day-to-day job, he will be able to visit each school at the beginning and end of the programme as well as complete one of the challenges with some of the participating schools.

Loburn School, near Rangiora, Canterbury, ran the programme for the first time last year. At last year’s graduation ceremony, Pike presented each student with their award – an artificial leg carved out of wood – Pike also received one.

After the ceremony Loburn pupil Rosie Ashwin, 13, said the WPCA had opened her eyes to what outdoor activities there were. She has also decided on her future career – through her community work portion of the challenge.

“I want to be a nurse when I’m older now. I’ve been working in an old peoples’ home and now I really want to be a nurse – I’m really thankful for that.”

She found some of the challenges difficult because she confesses she is a bit of a “fashion kind of make-up girl”.

“But I did try my hardest and completed them all. I’m so happy I did because it’s a great achievement. I actually have quite a lot of strength and I’ve found I love being on the water – I’ve taken up sailing.”

That support has continued as Pike has taken on more and more work out of the classroom. “He can see the value in what I’m doing. I may not be in the class but I am working with hundreds and hundreds of other students. The William Pike Challenge wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for his support.”

Pike admits it would have been easy for him to become a couch potato after losing his leg but for him the focus became on living life – knowing full well he is extremely lucky to still be here.

“Before my accident I was crazy and passionate about the outdoors. I knew what it was like to stand on the mountain top and feel what satisfaction that could bring. The outdoors has taught me to overcome challenges, to be passionate to keep going when things aren’t going well.

The outdoors taught me to believe in myself, believe in what I’m doing to become successful.”

”

The award has already gained traction – going from one school in 2010 to 21 schools taking part this year.

getting my leg right. He (Ken) was extremely flexible as I was a beginning teacher as well as a teacher going through a lot of changes in his life.”

The outdoors has taught me to overcome challenges, to be passionate to keep going when things aren’t going well. The outdoors taught me to believe in myself, believe in what I’m doing to become successful.

- Teacher William Pike

”

Sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, once said; “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”

These words, patience and perseverance, are often scattered amongst the language used by William. Whether he talks about his own challenges or talks to children about the need to overcome their own, perseverance and patience are interspersed among the words and ideas.

But more important than the words are the actions. He shows despite great adversity you can achieve your goals through planning, a smattering of courage, and a bucketful of sheer bloody-mindedness.

To find out more visit www.williampike.co.nz

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 15

News | Getting Active

Searching for the

‘wiggle -room’ ...negotiating the non-negotiable in primary schools

By Joanne Naera

How many students in your school are absent on cross-country day or bring an ‘excuse’ note’?

School, community, cluster and regional sporting events are a dominant feature of the annual calendar in many primary schools, and also often form the basis of, or impetus for, what some might call a ‘physical education’ programme.

Engagement in a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) funded project, called Everybody Counts, made me question how we squeeze all of these in, why we do so, what the learning really is, and how we might get our students involved, engaged, skilled and having a positive attitude that enables them to participate.

Our experience on this research project suggests that it is useful to take a good look at the events and programmes, pulling them apart to critique their impact on different students.

For some, events like the school cross-country, swimming and athletics generate anxiety and negativity, especially for a student who is not so physically literate. Each of these events puts every student’s abilities on public display as their peers, family and community can literally see who is good and who is not.

This has raised many questions for us: Who do these events really cater for?

How inclusive are they? Why do we create situations where all students regardless of interest or ability are

asked to do all the same things?

Furthermore, if this wouldn’t be considered an appropriate or inclusive approach to build confidence or competence in any other learning area, why is it deemed acceptable in this situation? And also, how might such events be done completely differently?

If we are going to continue to run traditional co-curricular events then a key challenge is how to get all our learners prepared to participate given they are so diverse. In this commentary, I go in search of the ‘wiggle room’ – the opportunities to re-imagine and shuffle existing traditional events in ways that might better meet the needs of the diverse learners in our classrooms and schools, and ensure that the focus is on learning.

Each of the four teachers involved in the project has examined what the ‘wiggle room’ for these non-negotiable school events might be in the two different school contexts.

In doing so our intentions have been to support children to feel good about what they are doing, be able to do their best, and identify and equip children with the skills, body awareness and ‘mind space’ needed to confidently participate in these events.

A reconfiguring of activities in the athletics day and the ways that the children were allowed to travel (other than running) in the school Start to Finish event (previously referred to as the cross-country), are two examples of changes that were immediately made in one school context.

What has become apparent throughout the process of finding the wiggle room is the importance of ensuring that there is consistency between the messages promoted in and through events such as athletics and swimming sports and those that underpin our curriculum physical education programme.

A key part of fostering this alignment has been keeping the focus in each squarely on the inclusion of diverse students and on learning.

BRING THE PINK BAG TO SCHOOL PROJECT

Seedy Fundraisers for Schools!

• Buy our retail packets at a discounted price for resale! Pre-sell our Top Sellers at their standard retail price, place your order with us and we’ll supply just what you have sold. No leftovers! You pay the discounted price and make a healthy profit!

• Buy bulk seed at a discounted wholesale price to grow seedlings for sale. Tap the green-fingered ones amongst your school community to put their sowing and growing skills to good use.

• Run competitions to grow giant pumpkins, gourmet vegetables or sunflowers.

Great for School Fairs!

• Buy seed on a small scale for projects in your school garden: Even if you just wish to buy retail seed packets for small gardening projects at your school, we will always supply these to you at a discounted rate

Want to find out more? Give us a call today!

PO Box 283, Katikati 3166 • www.kingsseeds.co.nz • accounts@kingsseeds.co.nz

16 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

SCHOOL FUNDRAISING MADE EASY Raise funds for your school project while promoting the benefits of recycling to your school community.

The Textile Recycling Centre Ltd and SaveMart will help your school co-ordinate your fundraising collection.

RECYCLE REUSE REDUCE “RAISE CASH” Visit our website below for all the information.

We are proud to be the major funding partner to the Child Cancer Foundation.

Take a look at www.bringthepinkbagtoschool.co.nz

News | Getting Active

The following example illustrates this in action.

movements like bending, twisting, turning and swinging.

‘telling’ them in relation to each of these movements.

In the lead-up to the athletics sports Deirdre (my colleague at Maungatapu) and I pondered the question of what teaching and learning needed to occur to enable all learners to confidently participate in all the events. We then mapped out our class-based programmes, beginning by asking the students the simple question ‘What is movement?’

It would seem the ‘doing’ rather than the ‘thinking’ prompted a shift in their understandings of the range of movements possible. From here, we took our non-negotiable context of athletics – the mandatory expectation that in term 4 our class will participate in a school wide event (with some students going on to compete at cluster and regional events) – and tried to generate positive ways of thinking about it.

We discussed the power of the mind and the ways belief in ourselves can shape our ability to achieve. The results of these mind/body explorations were posted on a storyboard with each group then taking digital photos of each stage of their event with everybody contributing. The photos were subsequently used to make a movie that enabled us share what our body and mind is doing in athletics events.

First up, we listed all the events that students in our senior school (Years 5 and 6) are required to participate in.

Next, students worked in groups to explore what movements their bodies would be doing in a specific athletics event, while also investigating what their minds might be doing or

This example shows how you can take a non-negotiable activity in your school context back to classroom teaching and learning, making it meaningful so that all students can achieve to the best of their ability without worrying about their ability, size or shape.

Although movement refers to a broad suite of activities and contexts, the initial responses of our Year 5 and 6 students were invariably restricted to things like ‘jumping’, ‘running’ and ‘walking’. In an effort to expand the thinking about movement, we shifted from trying to verbally define movement to getting students to explore different ways they could move by themselves, in pairs, and in groups.

We asked them to try out five different ways of moving their bodies that were then shared with a buddy and with a group. As a class we came back and collectively mapped the raft of different movements our bodies are able to make. These included

The philosophy of our TLRI project, ‘Everybody Counts’ motivated us to ensure that when we plan around nonnegotiables, we do so in relation to catering for all our learners, rather than just the few physically ‘capable’ ones.

While we continue to make the most of the wiggle room, we also linger on questioning the purpose of co-

curricular sports events, what students actually learn about themselves and other from their participation, and how inclusive they really are.

What’s happening in your school in this regard, and what questions may need to be asked in your context to better meet the needs of all learners?

Joanne Naera is a classroom teacher of a Year 5/6class at Maungatapu Primary School, Tauranga, New Zealand.

The basis for this discussion is drawn from work completed as part of a collaborative research project, involving primary school teachers (Jo Naera, Joel Devcich, Deirdre Duggan, and Shane Keown) and university partners (Kirsten Petrie, Lisette Burrows and Marg Cosgriff). This project was made possible with the support of the Teaching, Learning and Research Initiative funding; the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research; and students, staff and school communities. For more information on the project and access to future publications see http://www.tlri.org.nz/tlri-research/ research-progress/school-sector/ every-body-counts-understandinghealth-and-physical or contact Dr Kirsten Petrie, Project Director at kpetrie@waikato.ac.nz.

www.principalstoday.co.nz

Term 1, 2013 | 17

News | Super Students

binary brilliance

by James Watson

The days, weeks, or even months of frustration required to solve the Rubik’s Cube are now a thing of the past thanks to Burnside High School student James Watson, who built and programmed a robot that solves the puzzle in just 10 minutes.

“It took me five weeks to stop the cube from falling out. And there were a few flaws in the programme – the robot would finish but the puzzle wasn’t solved at all. It was a lot harder than I thought.

James, 17, was amazed when he won first place at the 2012 Bright Sparks competition, and was awarded $1000 cash prize and free sessions with a patent lawyer. To top it off he scooped up a trip to Taiwan after winning the 2012 Royal Society of New Zealand Realise the Dream competition.

“The robot was supposed to have been a prototype. Due to time restraints I had to use whatever materials I had and stick with them. I also knew I had to improve its appearance so I used pieces of cardboard for the frame to improve its presentation.”

He recently disembarked New Zealand to go on his all-expenses-paid eightday trip to Taiwan where he competed against 23 nations in the 2013 Taiwan International Science Fair competition.

It took James 10 weeks to design, construct and develop the robot, including tapping in every single one of the 2000 plus programme codes.

James was able to produce a functional and accurate robot using only the most basic materials: Popsicle sticks, hot glue and Lego. But perfecting the robot wasn’t without trial and error.

‘George’ works with 100 percent accuracy rating and James rightly deserves the prestigious award for his achievement.

James has already been assigned his first paid business venture – designing a safe box from a cash register which allows the handler to open it using a remote control at long distance.

At just 17 years young, he has excelled in technological development and is a fine example of what young talented kiwi’s today are capable of achieving.

university of waikato Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education at the University of Waikato strives to produce the highest quality graduates, undertake research that makes a difference and implement high quality professional learning and development. We set trends in research and teaching and continue to influence education policy and developments nationally and internationally.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

POSTGRADUATE STUDY

RESEARCH

Our flexible on-campus and online postgraduate programmes are based on current theories in education. We offer a diverse range of qualifications including Masters degrees in Education, Educational Leadership, Counsellor Education, Disability and Inclusion Studies, Global Studies in Education and Sport and Leisure Studies.

We have a reputation for high quality, innovative research in a diverse range of educational contexts. Our educational researchers are involved in national and international collaborative projects and publish widely.

Supporting these research activities are our research centres and the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research (WMIER). WMIER undertakes, supports and disseminates research relating to the broad field of education.

Our centres conduct research in areas such as the Early Years, Global Studies in Education and Technology, Environmental, Mathematics and Science Education.

Students can also undertake a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Doctor of Education (EdD). The EdD is a professional doctorate for senior practitioners who want to complete a research-based qualification. The EdD involves completing a research portfolio and thesis.

The newly established Institute of Professional Learning and Development offers high quality, research-informed programmes that contribute to improved professional practice in early childhood centres, kura, schools and tertiary institutions nationally and internationally.

CONTACT US For further information about being a student, professional learning or research opportunities give us a call. (see advert) > 18 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

News | Super Students

An environmentally friendly business

fundraising plan Wanting an environmental project for their school a group of Ellesmere College year eight pupils last year decided to sell an environmentally friendly product to raise money.

>

So it was team leader Jessica Carter, her right hand helper Jessica Dunlop and other team members Ella McClure, Elsie Wadie, Nicole Ashby and Kate Inwood put a plan together and worked to reach their goal.

Ellesmere College super students (from left): Jessica Carter, Nicole Ashby, Jessica Dunlop, Ella McClure, and Kate Inwood. Elsie Wadie is absent.

SUPER STUDENTS

Jessica Carter says after completing their science project to encourage litter free lunches in the school, they wanted to expand on the theme and create another positive project.

“Our teacher Mrs Kidd found an article in a magazine explaining about SafeBottles which she brought to our attention, as at that point we were looking for another project to do.”

To get the project off the ground they needed some capital, so gave an impressive presentation to the Board of Trustees, and it was after this meeting they were given $200 as a start-up loan.

The project saw them undertake a marketing campaign with emails, posters and oral presentations.

“We advertised around the local community for instance the A&P show, Health Expo, and the Leeston Pharmacy. We were really keen to get the message across that BPA is extremely bad for your health. Most people were unaware of the harm it can do to you, such as cause cancer, and increase the risk of pregnancy problems.

“Everybody at Ellesmere College and the community were very supportive and were willing to help. It was a very exciting opportunity for all us girls.

There were also some seniors in the school that are doing their part to help the environment, they created a group called TeWaihora Warriors.

Their aim is to clean up our local lake (Lake Ellesmere).”

There are still a few bottles left to sell but the money has already gone towards buying plants for the school with any left over money being donated to the student council.

And the work isn’t over for this group of girls yet either.

“We’re looking at doing another project when we finish selling the SafeBottles,” Jess says.

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 19

News | Early Education

is preschool

IS THE STINK FROM YOUR BOYS URINAL TOILETS A CONSTANT PROBLEM? CLEARDOR IS A UNIQUE PRODUCT THAT IS GUARANTEED TO ELIMINATE THAT SMELL

bad for children?

As the government Select Committee draws up its report on the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill, the Home Education Foundation (HEF) of New Zealand hopes committee members will look to Sweden—as an example of how not to care for children.

HEF national director Barbara Smith says “In Sweden, it’s illegal to home educate children. The authorities will tear home educating families apart with little provocation. In the most infamous case, nine year old Domenic Johansson was forcibly removed from his parents by Swedish authorities two years ago. The Johanssons have not even been able to see their son for months.”

“Why is she ignoring the hundreds of families, some of which are beneficiaries and all of which are just an injury or job loss away from being beneficiaries, who have made informed decisions to provide better or different child care than that available at their local preschool?

Barbara believes the Social Security Bill, which makes preschool compulsory for the children of beneficiaries, is a step towards Swedish-style family tragedy, asking “Is this what New Zealand is headed for?

Jonas Himmelstrand says, “The Swedish Government claims that research shows that children in day care develop and learn much better than home cared children. But the Swedish statistics tell another story.

“With all the emphasis on poverty and vulnerable children, together with the assumption that preschool is the only responsible choice for early child care, it would seem so.”

“Psychosomatic symptons such as regular headaches, tummy aches, worries and anxiety tripled for girls and doubled for boys during the years 1985-2005.”

According to Jonas Himmelstrand, a Swedish parental rights advocate, the Swedish government has not yet made preschool compulsory. He says however, “The propaganda about the blessings of day care, even for one year olds, is very intense. Not having your child in day care after parental leave is considered strange and even weird by a large part of the general public.”

Jonas says government investigations also show that in comparison to similar European countries, Sweden has the “worst development in psychological health among our youth”.

Barbara Smith says, “Paula Bennet, the Minister for Social Development, has also been telling us that preschool is a widely-accepted social norm and her bill merely puts ‘the right kind of care’ around beneficiaries and their families.

“The quality of parenthood has deteriorated, and adult sick leave is high, especially for women,” he says.

NO NEED FOR ODOURISING BLOCKS

School results also plummeted since the inception of subsidised day care in 1985, and are now in some subjects below the OECD average.

He believes the early separation of children and parents for too long is “the most realistic cause”.

“As Sweden is materially rich with a wealth of public social insurances and good wealth distribution and low child poverty this is hardly the cause.”

CALL 0800 324 231 OR EMAIL sales@admarketing.co.nz FOR YOUR FREE NO OBLIGATION TRIAL

Surfaris Surf School Auckland & Northland

• Lessons, Beach Days, Electives, Camps • Level 2 & 3 credits NCEA • Water Safety & Confidence Building • From just $15 p/p Ph: 09 4343843 M: 0277 344 877 E: surf@surfaris.co.nz

20 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

“And why is she ignoring the evidence against preschool?”

Barbara urges concerned New Zealanders to write, call and visit their local MPs and the Select Committee.

“Tell your friends. Make appointments to see the committee members or your local MP. We still have the freedom to make decisions for our children’s developmental and psychological health,” she says. “Let’s not lose that.”

News | Education Costs DFNZ says the extra costs are likely to escalate as more parents and students become aware of their rights to seek SACs for learning differences, such as dyslexia. Support available can include extra time, reader/writer assistance or use of a computer, and is available for learning differences and those who have a physical or medical disability.

sac costs

under the spotlight

The Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand (DFNZ) is raising its concerns about the upward trend in exam costs relating to students requiring Special Assessment Conditions.

Increasing costs of providing exam accommodations to students for NCEA only reveal the tip of the “students in need iceberg”, it says.

The comments come on the back of latest statistics from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), released under the Official Information Act and reported by the Otago Daily Times, which show the authority

expected it had spent spend close to $433,000 in 2012 on the provision of Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) an increase of around $159,000 from 2011.

Actual numbers of students that received SACs in 2012 were 3418 of the total of 143,000 who sat NCEA external exams, which included 2535 new applicants.

Through Steel Shed Systems 3D software, we can build a solid design to bring your project to life. This generates a replica which enables the school to see a working model, of its desired building, on its site, exactly as it will be built. You can see how it will fit into the existing grounds and any linkages that will be required. We include a full budget and quote; no surprises for anyone.

Our experience and knowledge guides our selection of products and materials of the finest quality and finish for your building, and our engineering and design team pay close attention to the little details of every project we embark on - this way we ensure you receive a high-quality, custom-made and -engineered product.

Steel Shed Systems will guide you through every step of the building process. Our approach of working in close collaboration with our clients means you’ll get the building that you’ve envisioned.

Please refer back to the December issue of Principals Today for a company profile.

DFNZ Chair of Trustees, Guy PopeMayell says “Students granted SACs last year only represent 2.4 percent of students sitting exams. With a conservative estimate of at least 10 percent of the population having dyslexia, it is inevitable that we’re going to see more and more applications for this much needed support.

“Dyslexia robs the dyslexic student of time, so these simple accommodations are vital to levelling the playing field and give equality of educational opportunity. They provide these students and others with the means to express what they know.

“While dyslexia is often misunderstood as just a problem with reading and writing, for example, it can affect a spectrum of skills from auditory and visual perception, planning and organising, and motor skills, through to short-term memory and concentration,” he says.

Although the recognition of dyslexia in 2007 is the likely cause of the surge in numbers, a planned review of the SAC assessment process criteria and guidelines by New Zealand Qualifications Authority will further fuel the trend, if only by making the process smoother for schools.

“NZQA has been under huge pressure over the last year dealing with the sharp rise in applications which is understandable however, a very unfortunate consequence was an escalation of initial denials of those applications,” he says.

“So while NZQA has reported increased costs, the other part of the picture is

NUMICON IS THE ANSWER FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

that they have been denying a greater number of applications, forcing schools to appeal. In many instances the denials were in contradiction to educational psychologists’ reports. Once issues with the assessment process are fixed, there are likely to be a greater number of eligible students than ever.”

One of the more obvious issues with the application process is that SACs are currently only available to students of ‘at least average intelligence’, with schools expected to make a judgment call on this.

“This is a fundamentally flawed variable because intelligence may be masked by learning difference, so everything depends on a school’s ability to extrapolate or see beyond this. It goes to the very heart of how the education system has related to dyslexia in the past, and reflects ignorance not truth.

“Another concern is that private schools and decile 10 schools have by far the greater number of students being granted SACs. SACs are expensive to manage, so clearly lower decile schools are at a disadvantage. All schools need to have access to a pool of funds that is specifically for this – otherwise other priorities steal this right from students that learn differently.”

DFNZ had worked closely with NZQA in the last quarter of 2012 to identify some of the specific issues arising with current SAC guidelines and has supported schools and parents appealing SAC declines.

“We look forward to the formal NZQA review this year to sort out the SAC process and funding. In the meantime, we continue to urge parents to advocate for their children to get these SACs, and demand that schools prioritise this.

“In simple terms, accommodations allow these young people to show us what they know, which keeps them engaged in learning and allows them to reach their potential.”

‘Our children are quickly learning their number facts and seeing relationships and patterns with numbers.

Their language and discussion reveals that their thinking is clear and structured. They have made generalisations about numbers and how you use them.’

- Andy Vosslamber Hillview School ‘It totally revolutionised my teaching’, Suzanne Mudge, Lincoln Heights School’

Let’s Talk, We Listen No obligation appraisal Freephone: 0800 800 750, Mobile: 021 426 851 Email: miket@steelshedsystems.co.nz

Website for your local company, www.SteelShedSystems.co.nz

22 | Term 1, 2013

www.principalstoday.co.nz

• Numeracy success for ALL! • Visual, Hands-on • Teachers and students gain confidence • Structured, Consistent • Early childhood- Year 4 and beyond • Supports knowledge • Great price • NZ schools having great success • Special needs

www.numicon.co.nz | 0800 678 581

RR

Performing Arts

setting the STage

Liberate Your Words – the National Schools Poetry Award is on again The search is on for the best and most original poems from Aotearoa New Zealand’s young writers. The National Schools Poetry Award is on again and Year 12 and 13 secondary school students are urged to liberate their words.

The winner will receive $500 cash for themselves and a $500 book grant for their school library. Nine shortlisted poets also receive $100 cash, and all finalists are invited to an exclusive one day masterclass with leading New Zealand poets at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters. They will also take home a package of literary subscriptions, books and book tokens.

Stronglite Staging is a specialist in the design, manufacture and hire of premium staging equipment that is ideal for schools, universities, theatres, community centres, sports and multiuse venues. The Stronglite range is ideal for school halls, auditoriums, drama suites, gymnasiums, sports fields and swimming pools.

All Stronglite products are manufactured to exacting standards and feature unique benefits.

Strength: Stronglite stage and seating products are designed and manufactured to be strong and durable and are tested to make sure they meet our high standards of performance under live and static load conditions.

Lightness: Innovative design and use of material creates equipment that is light and easy to handle, saving time and possible injury.

Portability: Designed for easy handling, transporting and storage. Choir risers fold up and wheel away. Grandstands quickly disassemble for easy transport and storage. Wheels and trolleys are also available for increased manoeuvrability.

Stage Sections: These are portable, safe and easy to handle and store.

They’re ideal for stages, catwalks, tiered audience seating, seated choir/ orchestra risers, display/work tables, ramps and more. No tools are required as there are no folding or moving parts

to trap fingers etc. Sections can be stacked on castor wheels for storage and moved as a stack.

Pit Infills & Stage Extensions: These can be custom designed and are ideal for either new venues or refits.

Choir Risers: Two, three and four-level, folding choir risers with safety rails and carpeted decks are quiet, stable, easy to handle, transport and store.

Grandstands: These all aluminium grandstands can be demountable or fixed. Wheels can be fitted for manoeuvrability making them ideal for the gym, around pools and the sports field.

Stronglite Staging Ltd is committed to finding a solution that works for the individual client and guarantees its products. They can also provide a comprehensive range of equipment for hire to support occasions where a larger or more complex staging/seating set up is required.

Full sound and lighting services are available for hire to support and enhance any event. Just call and a member of the team will be happy to discuss your specific requirements (sales and/or hires) and can provide references from many satisfied customers.

Stronglite Staging Limited 196 Finlayson Rd RD10, Hamilton T (07) 825 2933 E stages@stronglite.co.nz

Stage Sections, Choir Risers, Grandstands, Audience Seating, Drama Suite Modules, Drapes, Steps, Lecterns, Trolleys, Ramps etc.

Top quality, NZ made products, designed to be easy to handle and store.

Guaranteed to perform.

Currently installed in many schools, universities & performance venues.

Choir/Chorus Risers

Stage, Steps & Lectern

Design • Manufacture • Sales • Hire Services Email: stages@stronglite.co.nz Phone 07 825 2933. Mobile 027 473 4443

24 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

The entry deadline is July 5, 2013. Entry forms, guidelines, and writing tips for the Poetry Award are online at www.schoolspoetryaward.co.nz.

The judge for the 2013 award is Anna Jackson. Anna, the Wellington-based, Auckland-born poet bought an electric typewriter in her twenties and began writing poetry which she published in small magazines put together with groups of friends, before a selection of these poems was published in AUP New Poets 1 (1999).

She has since published five critically acclaimed poetry collections with Auckland University Press. Her most recent book Thicket (2011) was named as one of the NZ Listener’s Top 100 Books of that year and was a finalist in the 2012 NZ Post Book Awards.

Anna has a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Oxford. She teaches in the English Department at Victoria University of Wellington and is also the author of Diary Poetics: Form and Style in Writers’ Diaries 1915–1962 and, with Charles Ferrall, Juvenile Literature and British Society, 1850-1950: The Age of Adolescence. She is a co-editor of The Gothic in Children’s Literature: Haunting the Borders and Floating Worlds: Essays on Contemporary New Zealand Fiction.

Prizes include membership of the New Zealand Book Council and the New Zealand Society of Authors, a copy of The Exercise Book, and the literary journals Sport and Landfall, and a $50 Booksellers Token. Flights and accommodation at the Bolton Hotel are included in the prize package for masterclass attendees living outside the Greater Wellington.

The winner and shortlisted poets will be announced on National Poetry Day, 16 August, and the masterclass runs on August 31.

The National Schools Poetry Award is organised by New Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious creative writing programme, the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University.

“The Poetry Award is a significant creative opportunity offered to every senior secondary student in New Zealand. It provides a focus and incentive for creative writing, both inside and outside the classroom. We want to encourage the writers of the future to find their voices,” says the director of the International Institute of Modern Letters, Damien Wilkins.

An information pack will be sent to all New Zealand secondary schools in March.

For further information, contact Katie Hardwick-Smith or Clare Moleta at modernletters@vuw.ac.nz or phone (04) 463 6854.

Fundraising

Getting the crowd on

your side

By Melinda Collins

There was once an elusive proverb penned telling of needing money to make money. Not the easiest advice to follow, particularly when the money is as elusive as the proverb. But today hundreds of projects are getting off the ground thanks to an innovative funding platform using just the internet and some good old fashioned networking.

Crowdfunding is hitting headlines around the world for its successful campaigns – and now small businesses here in New Zealand are giving it a go. Popular crowdfunding websites such as PledgeMe, Kickstarter and Indiegogo are home to thousands of creative projects and resourceful entrepreneurs opting for an alternative way to raise funds.

New York based funding platform Kickstarter has raised more than $323 million for upwards of 10,000 projects in the past three years. The site’s top 10 projects have pocketed more than $32 million.

While sceptics call it an internet fad, there is no sign of an impending slowdown; Kickstarter’s second biggest project has only just recently wrapped up.

Thousands of Kiwis have signed up to the New Zealand equivalent, PledgeMe, pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into local projects and campaigns, half a million dollars to be precise.

A popular vehicle for artists and musicians to raise cash to get a project off the ground, such sites have enabled webcomic books and roleplaying video games to be developed. Perhaps best-known is TaikaWaititi’s use of crowdfunding to help pay for the distribution of his movie Boy. It’s funding without the big banks and investment brokers, says PledgeMe co-founder Anna Guenther.

“Crowdfunding is a new way to fund projects. Instead of self-funding or accessing government grants, crowdfunding allows you to tap into your crowd of family, friends, and fans to help fund projects up front.

“This is a new form of patronage, with a reward system around giving. It is an all-or-nothing model, meaning that the projects are only funded if they reach their goal by their deadline,” she says.

PledgeMe has been operating since June 2011, with a re-launch in February 2012. Project creators submit their proposals online, the PledgeMe team helps them set up a page and they ask their crowd to get involved. Their pledgers pledge money in return for rewards, but are only charged if the project goal is met by the deadline.

“The creative industry seems like the natural starting point - the projects are engaging, and the creators need funding,” Anna explains. “But, there are so many more applications for crowdfunding – community projects, technology, business startups – it’s just figuring out the project pitch and who your crowd is.

“Projects definitely need to be clear about what they need (and why), and need a video and some inspiring rewards to engage their crowd.”

The key things you need to consider when planning a campaign are who your crowd is, how you can engage them and what you need to go ahead, she says.

So, why is crowdfunding such an incredible platform? “It’s participatory -

“

The main goal of our project is to raise awareness about breast cancer in New Zealand and PledgeMe allowed us to reach out with this message, while also sharing the stories of the brave women behind the Pink Ribbon Calendar.

- PledgeMe co-founder Anna Guenther

it allows your crowd to help you create your project. It also gives valuable feedback when you’re still in the planning phases and gives you the feedback you need to go ahead.”

Crowdfunding in action The ‘Pink Ribbon Calendar Girls’ project really touched the hearts of a lot of people, with 114 pledgers giving more than $10,000 to get the project off the ground. Here’s what they have to say about their PledgeMe experience.

What did you like about PledgeMe? “We really liked the idea of crowdfunding for arts projects. What a great way to help get projects off the ground that might not otherwise get the opportunity. We had also been looking for sponsorship for our project without much success. This seemed like a viable alternative… and it worked!

“The main goal of our project is to raise awareness about breast cancer in New Zealand and PledgeMe allowed us to reach out with this message, while also

”

sharing the stories of the brave women behind the Pink Ribbon Calendar.”

How did you find the experience?

“Nerve wrecking, but very exciting at the same time as we inched towards our goal. It took much longer to build up a network of supporters and awareness about the project than we realised. In hindsight we should have put the project on PledgeMe for longer than the recommended 30 days.

“As New Zealanders gain awareness a bout PledgeMe and the concept of crowdfunding it will be easier for future projects. We spent a lot of time educating people about PledgeMe and crowdfunding and how it all worked.

We are thrilled that we managed to reach our target!

“The team at PledgeMe got right in behind us, helping us to promote ourcause and even making a pledge themselves! Thanks PledgeMe you have really helped to make our project a success.”

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 25

Environment

solar energy

Bringing

and energy efficiency to life in New Zealand schools

The Schoolgen programme is a unique Genesis Energy initiative that has given a two kilowatt array of free photovoltaic solar panels to nearly 50 schools across New Zealand.

The Schoolgen website makes it easy for teachers to access quality resources that bring the benefits of learning about solar energy and energy efficiency to life in the classroom at all levels.

The Schoolgen programme is continuing to embrace new regions; in February 2013 the offer of a free two kilowatt photovoltaic system is coming to Whakatane and Whangarei.

This will enable these schools to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable solar energy, as well as providing live data from their panels for analysis by their students.

Which is the sunniest school at the moment in New Zealand? Simply visit the Schoolgen website to find out.

Students can also compare the data from New Zealand schools in different parts of the country and those in Australia at any one time.

All schools can link to the Schoolgen website which provides free online resources under the strands of solar energy and energy efficiency with strong links to science, maths and technology at all levels from Year 1 to Year 13.

Creating school-wide goals to reduce energy consumption enables schools to lead the way and set an example for their students and the wider community.

Other unique projects to date have included high quality posters sent to all schools in New Zealand and nationwide competitions.

• Genesis Energy provided a special package to Lake Tekapo School with a high capacity battery bank in addition to a two kilowatt array of photovoltaic solar panels. This enables this small school to run off solar power every day from 11 am to 3 pm and be the independently powered emergency centre for Lake Tekapo with electricity storage and generation for three to five days • National Science Week Solar Oven Challenge, 2013. Embrace this competition in week three of Term 2, with special prizes from the Schoolgen team • Mean Green House Design Competition 2013. A competition which has returned this year by

popular demand. A useful and in depth study that extends students’ thinking about renewable energy and energy efficiency with research, design, construction and presentation integrated into the project • The e-books with character voice over soundtracks have been created for New Zealand students from Year 1 – Year 8. > Kiwi Kids Discover the Sun Yr 4–8 > Green Dream House Yr 5–8 > Beaky and Bluey See The Light Yr 1–4 • Energy Cluster Days. Each year a number of special days of intensive learning are created in different regions to enable four students and a teacher to come together with the other schools in their cluster to learn about solar power and energy efficiency with experts from Genesis Energy. In Term 1 Tauranga Intermediate will host this special day and in Term 2 it will be hosted by Sumner School in Christchurch.

By students focusing on their own school being energy efficient they can use this understanding in their wider world. Schoolgen aims to raise awareness of energy to enable students to be prepared for a more sustainable and energy efficient future.

Maggie Twaddle, a former primary school principal, leads the Schoolgen programme. She is a passionate educator who has developed the Schoolgen programme along with her colleague Rob Duff to ensure learning about solar energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency are at the cutting edge of this educational programme with strong links to science and sustainability.

Teacher resources Education about responsible and sustainable energy generation and consumption is the key objective behind Schoolgen.

Genesis Energy believes that by talking and interacting with students we have a real chance to cultivate environmentally aware thinking and behaviour - not just theirs, but that of the people around them - friends, teachers, parents and the wider community.

26 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

“

www.schoolgen.co.nz Schoolgen aims to raise awareness of energy to enable students to be prepared for a more sustainable and energy efficient future.

Since Schoolgen began in 2006 Genesis Energy has created a comprehensive programme that includes 40 free teaching resources that explore electricity generation, climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy, particularly solar energy.

Schoolgen resources can be used in a variety of ways, but particularly in the context of student Inquiry Learning.

The resources have been developed to align closely with the New Zealand Curriculum.

The strong links to the key curriculum areas of the New Zealand Curriculum are: • The vision: Schoolgen encourages our young people to become actively involved citizens contributing to the well-being of New Zealand • The principle of future focus: Schoolgen addresses issues of sustainability which includes energy issues and global climate change

”

• The values: Schoolgen encourages, models and explores values such as innovation, inquiry and curiosity; ecological sustainability, and community participation for the common good

• The key competencies: Schoolgen resources encourage the engagement of a wide range of the key competencies such as thinking, using language, symbols and text managing self, relating to others and participating and contributing.

The Schoolgen site provides a large database of electricity generation data from all of the Schoolgen schools, glossaries, teacher-led activities (lesson plans), student fact sheets and independent student inquiries.

For more information visit www.schoolgen.co.nz or email info@schoolgen.co.nz

Resources

hope for students stuck in maths

Another school year has begun with lots of counting underway, but not for all.

Now think about the teen numbers.

In your mind, place a dark blue shape (a 10 shape) in front of each of the shapes in the sequence. Voila! You have created 19. Add another set of tens and you have created the 20s pattern.

Gattegno showed us how simple it is to understand our number system through this model.

Counting is a necessary life skill, but it doesn’t teach us anything about the relationships of the numbers or of the numbers themselves. Some students don’t progress through the stages as quickly as their peers. Why not?

Because the counting strategy is too cumbersome for their working memory and sequential processing; the numbers are too abstract – they can’t ‘see’ or imagine them.

Most teachers and students are visual learners. If they could see why the numbers are sequenced the way they are and work with structured materials in a rich programme, then their thinking would be supported and their logic skills and mathematical thinking encouraged.

Notice the increasing size of the Numicon shapes reflecting the nature of numbers in these patterns.

Numicon uses the rich understanding of maths from Montessori, Gattegno, Cuisenaire, Stern and the teaching approach is influenced by Biner and Vygotsky.

The language of numbers is clear when you can see it!

Children really enjoy using the Numicon shapes and learning with this internationally acclaimed and researchbased programme. Teachers become very confident in understanding maths better and discover the sequence of learning through the Numicon programme. Teachers are enthusiastic using this programme too. The lessons are sequential with the language explicitly taught along with activities to apply in real life situations.

Through research it has been found that students who use the Numicon approach are more likely to take maths in Years 11 -12 than those who don’t.

The shapes tell us something about numbers themselves - they increase in value by one and decrease in value by one. When you put them in order, concepts such as ‘before’, ‘after’ and ‘next’, become meaningful.

The shapes also tell us about patterns in the number system too. Look at all the shapes in the warm colour sequence; they are all the odd numbers. By comparison all the cool coloured shapes are the even numbers.

Using the shapes is very easy for students to understand this concept of odd and even. Having to explain why a number is odd is obvious and easy. But there’s more. Join together two even shapes and the result is another even number, but try this with two odd shapes- an even number is produced. There’s something going on with numbers!

What the teachers say “It totally revolutionised my teaching.”

Suzanne Mudge, Lincoln Heights School “Our children are quickly learning their number facts and seeing relationships and patterns with numbers. Their language and discussion reveals that their thinking is clear and structured.

They have made generalisations about numbers and how you use them.”

Andy Vosslamber, Hillview School Numicon T 0800 678 581 or (09) 520 4022 E margi@numicon.co.nz www.numicon.co.nz

digital tables

the next step for New Zealand classrooms Just as parents come to terms with the fact that their kids can use iPads and smartphones better than them, and that blackboards are now museum items, here comes something even bigger to get their heads round - digital interactive tables. Hang on to your schoolbags – the future of educational technology has arrived.

empty plates with labels in the middle.

Students have to drag and drop the food into the right plate i.e. dairy, meat, fruit or veggies. At the end of the session the ActivTable can even tell the teacher how much every student participated – a discreet diagnostic tool which can be used to see where help is required.

The ActivTable, designed for educational group use with kids aged four to 11, is essentially a giant, robust, tablet or iPad on steroids (and legs). It has an interactive touch screen table with a 46 inch HD LCD display that allows up to six users to interact at one time.

And her little digital students are learning more than just how to employ new technology. In fact, in contrast to many other electronic devices, this one encourages a lot of interpersonal communication. “It’s great for teaching a lot of non-digital behaviours as it will not work unless children co-operate, take turns and learn to work together.

These are all crucial life skills.”

It’s only in a handful of schools, one of them being tiny 55 pupil Tangiteroria School in Northland and principal Braden Eades is delighted. “It’s very exciting to be the first school in the country to use this technology. This, along with our existing information and communication technologies, is really enhancing the learning journey that our staff and students are on.”

An example of this learning in action is a game where an assortment of virtual food is stacked around the edge of the board and there are a number of

Mary Pedersen, the teacher who has this exciting piece of technology in her classroom at Tangiteroria, is enjoying the ride so far. “It’s bright, colourful, instant and fun – perfect for young learners. We find them spending time outside class on it too.

“We love it for writing collaborative stories and you can save work and pick up again where you left off.

This is great for young attention spans. Synonym dominoes is another popular activity.”

Murray Thoms of Activboard New Zealand says the ActivTable is the ideal small group interactive tool for schools and special needs education.

“Every school we have taken it to, the students can’t wait to use this really cool collaborative tool that encourages participation and collective engagement. It’s very exciting to be part of this next step in educational technology.”

For more information visit www.activboardnz.com

Visit www.ero.govt.nz to read ERO reports on national education issues, individual schools and early childhood education services, and for information about the review process.

Recent national reports available online include: Evaluation at a Glance: Transitions to Primary and Secondary School Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools

Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa! The Child - the Heart of the Matter 28 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Swimming

Testing the water By law schools are required corporations to private individuals from across New Zealand and the world. to test their pool water The laboratories adhere to the strictest quality assurance programmes to ensure that it is safe and are accredited under the IANZ to swim in. This is not accreditation system. With premises in the North and South Islands (and something that should Japan) Hill Laboratories employs more than 280 people with a passion for be left to amateur hands science and technology.

– you need expert advice Water testing is one of Hill Laboratories specialist areas and testing is done to ensure the correct for a wide range of different water procedures are followed. contaminants in water.

Hill Laboratories (known Swimming Pool water by many long term should be tested for: customers simply as “Hills”) • Standard Plate Count (SPC) to ensure it is less than 200 per ml. High levels has a specific test kit for may indicate that the disinfection system is not in good working order swimming pool • Faecal Coliforms or Escherichia water available. coli (E.coli) to ensure it is less than The company’s track record speaks for itself. Hills was established in 1984 by Roger and Anne Hill. Since then it has grown into the largest independent analytical laboratory in New Zealand.

Hills has three major divisions: Agriculture, Environmental, and Food & Bioanalytical, which broadly reflects the kind of analytical testing that is done.

The company supplies testing to a large and diverse range of clients, ranging from internationally recognised global

1 per 100ml. Levels above this are an indication of faecal contamination

• Staphylococcus aureus to ensure it is less than 100 per 100ml. This bacteria can cause skin irritations or sickness if swallowed • Pseudomonas aeruginosa to ensure it is less than 10 per 100ml. This is a bacteria associated with eye and ear infections.

To arrange a swimming pool water test or to find out more information call 07 858 2000 in the North Island or 03 377 7176 in the South Island

A Fundamental skill

for all kids

Drowning is recognised as a leading cause of injury related death in children, both in New Zealand and globally.

Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) general manager Matt Claridge says, “It must be a priority for all New Zealand children to have the opportunity to learn to swim and survive. Without the ability to swim and survive, our New Zealand children are lacking in the basic skills and knowledge that will enable them to use and enjoy the water safely.”

It is vital that awareness be raised about the importance of ‘swim and survive’ as a core life skill. “WSNZ’s position is that quality swim and survive provision should be an essential component within the New Zealand Education Curriculum.”

Claridge acknowledges this is an issue that will continue to escalate in the short term and have major long term repercussions.

“WSNZ will continue to advocate for this issue. We will continue with our efforts at regional and community level and work towards a situation where all primary school aged children are provided with the necessary opportunities to learn to swim and survive.”

It isn’t just at school and public pools where the danger is prevalent, he says.

“It is frustrating and difficult to believe that New Zealanders are not aware of the significant hazard that water can present for small children in and around the home. Incidents continue to occur at a shockingly high rate, all of which are preventable.

“The time it takes for young children to get into trouble is remarkably short, a matter of seconds. Evidence suggests that around 71 percent of infant drowning deaths occur because of a breakdown in supervision. Supervision incorporates three variables: attention, proximity and continuity. Therefore the importance of the “active supervision” message and the understanding of what this means is absolutely critical for parents and caregivers of young children,” he says.

Active supervision is described by WSNZ as ‘being in the line of sight with the ability to provide immediate assistance’.

“It’s a straightforward message: if your child has access to the water, then you as the parent, or a designated responsible adult, must make safety

30 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

the first priority - always be within sight and reach and ready to intervene if required.

“The most effective way to protect your child in and around the home is to have a fully fenced area where your child can play without the threat of water hazards. If this is not feasible then all potential water hazards must be identified and eliminated from the home environment. This will include the removal of any container that could contain water, fixing of any property drainage issues and, of course, if you have a swimming or spa pool, ensuring compliance with NZS 8500: 2006 Safety Barriers and Fences around Swimming Pools, Spa Pools and Hot Tubs. Should any hazard be irremovable then it must be isolated to a degree that makes it impossible for a young child to gain unsupervised access,” Claridge says.

In addition to the home environment, WSNZ warns parents not to let their guard down when visiting rivers, beaches or public pool facilities.

School Camping

welcome to your camp raglan Where memories are made

outdoor classroom

Where else in the world can you jump on the back of a trailer and get towed along the beach by a 1949 Minneapolis-Moline tractor to a bird colony? Welcome to your outdoor classroom!

Making the most of any excursion Research shows that teachers and students will get the most out of the learning experiences outside of the classroom if teachers: • are clear about the learning goals for the visit • ensure that the visit is linked to the curriculum as part of a more extensive unit, and is not a one off activity • work closely with the visit liaison before, during, and after the site visit • ensure that they and the liaison have the same learning goals • link pre-visit learning activities with the site visit, and follow up with post-visit activities.

Activities and discussions with students before and after a visit enrich the experience • ensure that (in collaboration with the education officer) the programme suits the age group of the students • encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning (for example, by working at the site in small groups with other students and with adults).

Established in 1952, Gannet Beach Adventures has a long history of providing tours on a spectacular stretch of the Hawke’s Bay coastline, from Clifton to Cape Kidnappers.

Where else can your students experience a unique mode of transport, combined with a visit to the beach, study the history and geology of an amazing landscape and - to top it off - see and learn about some amazing seabirds at the same time? What a way to spend your LEOTC experience!

Tours can be adapted to your requirements – whether you are bringing older students who are studying geology, or younger students who are studying the rock pools – Gannet beach can alter the tour to cater for your specific needs.

Depending on the time of the season, students can witness new-born chicks, through to four month old gannets preparing for their first ever flight to Australia. Tours are suitable for all ages and school rates are available.

Gannet Beach Adventures 495 Clifton Road Clifton, Hawke’s Bay T (06) 8750 898 E info@gannets.com www.gannets.com

The beautiful 6 hectare 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. The main hall has a stage area with a large screen at the back which is excellent for showing movies etc. in an 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

MT TARANAKI GUIDED TOURS

Guided Tours in the Egmont National Park: • Mt Taranaki- Pouakai Crossing Trekking Tour-1 Day • Mangorei Track- Pouakai Tarns Trekking Tour- 1Day

Discover the magic of Cape Kidnappers -

• Pouakai Circuit - Trekking Tour- 2 Days

Join our experienced guides and visit the largest mainland gannet colony in the world.

• Waingongoro Circuit Tour- 1 Day

• Spend time with and get incredibly close to the majestic gannets in their natural habitat.

• Discover how nature has shaped the towering cliffs of the Cape Kidnappers coastline.

• Enjoy a memorable tour experience while travelling on our iconic vintage tractors.

• View ancient earthquake fault lines.

• Mt Taranaki Mountain Summit Experience Tour - 1 Day • Plus other activities.

Ph: 06 875 0898 or 0800 GANNETS (426 638) w: www.gannets.com / e: info@gannets.com

M: 0274417042 E: mttaranakiguidedtours@gmail.com www.mttaranakiguidedtours.co.nz

Hammock, a Camping Area on a Stream Edge, a Sports Playing Field, and a large Gymnasium.

Where memories are made!

Camp Raglan is a beautiful campsite situated on the bush-clad slopes of Mt Karioi and has panoramic views of the Tasman Sea and beach. It is a great place to get away from it all and have loads of fun!

Contact: Roger Humphris Ph: (07) 825 8068 Fax: (07) 825 7091 Email: campraglan@cbm.org.nz Website: www.cbm.org.nz

Our Activies Include: Confidence Course, Swimming Pool, Archery, Air-Rifles, Orienteering, Flying Fox, Table Tennis, BMX Bikes, Volley Ball, Trampoline, a Developed Playground Area, Beach and Bush Walks, a Giant

prior arrangements, special dietary needs can be catered for. The camp is fully catered, and the teachers and Our camp has been developed to cater campers will have every reason to enjoy their time away. for a wide variety of groups, which include Primary, Intermediate and We aim to provide a service and facility High Schools with endless scope for that will enrich and enhance your learning activities. outdoor educational programme.

This includes bush, small stream If you have never been to Camp studies, inner harbour and ocean Raglan, we warmly invite you to come beach studies, farm and small town and visit our facility. studies to name a few.

Sleeping Accommodation is essentially under one roof, which provides easy and secure supervision.

Camp Raglan has a resident cook who provide excellent meals, and with

Your host Roger Humphris, is available to answer your enquiries.

Ph: (07) 825 8068, F: (07) 825 7091 E: campraglan@cbm.org.nz W: www.cbm.org.nz

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 31

RR

32 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

School Camping available and great for checking out the sites.

Sports facilities and fields are also available to kick a rugby ball on, or have a game of competitive volleyball.

Tennis and badminton are also 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 are supervised.

lakesidE

Retreat

Activities For a fantastic summer There is a huge range of activities for holiday programme, or a school groups to get involved with at mid-term school camp, the camp.

Lakes Ranch in the lovely For a boost on confidence and for lakeside town of Rotorua is something a bit more challenging, have a go on the Mud Run and get the place to be covered head to toe in mud. The Mud The camp is the perfect spot for school groups, outdoor education, tenting and church groups, as well as families looking to get away for a break. The camp also hosts horse camps and horse trekking for those who enjoy a bit of adventure on horse back.

Run course is also used for the Tough Guy and Girl Challenge which is held annually. The bush swing is also a lot of fun and will give an adrenaline buzz to your students. After that relax in the hot thermal pool or take a dive into the swimming pool. Kayaks are also

Rotorua is like nowhere else; its spirit is expressed in the raw beauty of a stunning landscape that has enchanted visitors from around the world for more than 160 years. Lakes Ranch Christian Camp showcases the best of the region; tied neatly together in a package ideal for school groups, outdoor education, tenting, church groups and families looking to leap the rural/ urban divide and get away from it all.

For getting out and enjoying the great outdoors head on a day hike or check out the glow worms at night, your students will love the way the glow worms sparkle in the dark bush. The camp also offers abseiling, orienteering, swoop, rock climbing, a water slide and movie-in-the-pool – something to keep everyone entertained.

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.

School holiday programmes 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. This camp is designed for 12 year olds and up.

Kids Camp is also a holiday programme offered by Lakes Ranch. If you don’t know what to do with your children during the school holidays, and they are getting bored, then send them off to Kids Camp to experience the great outdoors, learn new skills, make new friends and have fun.

This is the perfect holiday escape for children aged nine to 12 and there is also a leadership training programme for secondary school aged students.

Why choose Lakes Ranch?

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 52 hectares 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.

Phone Fax Email Web

07 350 3010 07 350 3080 office@lakesranch.org.nz www.lakesranch.org.nz

Outdoor education has been flipped on its head with the range of options at Lakes Ranch. Get covered head to toe on our Mud Run course used for the annual Tough Guy and Girl challenge.

Relax in the hot pool or take a dip in the cold pool. Jump on one of the camp’s kayaks and check out the sights.

Kick a rugby ball around the sports field, get into a competitive game of volleyball, tennis or badminton with the available sports gear. Try your hand at archery or grab a slug gun for something a little different at our fully supervised facility.

Lakes Ranch also offers abseiling, orienteering, swoop and rock climbing . You can even watch a movie while soaking in the hot pool. Head out on a day hike or check out the glow worms sparkling in the dark bush at night.

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 local lakes, or check out the cultural sights around the region.

School holiday Horse Camp programmes are on offer for those 7 years and above who love to get out into the great outdoors on horseback. From trekking to trotting, the camp offers amazing opportunities to harness your skills . You don’t even have to know how to ride, our talented team can teach you.

We also have Kids Camps for 9-12 year olds which run every school holidays.

Accommodation includes lodge rooms holding between three and twelve people, bunk rooms bordering the riding arena which sleep 11 in each, studio units with ensuites (perfect for parents and teachers), a Retreat Centre with five bedrooms and tenting and motor home sites are also available. Lakes Ranch includes a kitchen and dining area where our talented catering staff can whip up something delicious or we have self-catering options.

Run by a dedicated team, Lakes Ranch Christian Camp is an oasis of strong moral guidance in a fun and exciting holiday package.

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 33

School Camping

a togreat place build futures Catering can be arranged to suit Conference centre Just off State Highway requirements with great value prices.

Blue Skies Retreat offers a separate One, 15 minutes drive The food is traditional home-cooked conference facility with two conference style food that everyone will enjoy. from Christchurch Airport, rooms which can be divided into four syndicate conference rooms: a lounge Main complex is Blue Skies Conference and dining room with full catering, Part of the original building, the main Centre – a well established, available to suit your requirements. complex can seat up to 100 in the main dynamic facility offering a It also allows accommodation for 24 hall and sleep up to 48 in the 12 rooms guests in the immediate building, (six bunk rooms and six twin rooms). range of options suitable with residual guests able to stay in the While catering can be organised, there complex accommodation, or at a for all groups. From school main nearby motel. Accommodation consists is also a dining room and kitchen where all eating and kitchen utensils are outings and conferences to of 21 rooms (18 singles, 3 twins), with provided, a large bain marie, two large shared toilets, showers and laundry. fridges, a chest freezer and commercial picnics, retreats or family The conference centre can also be dishwasher and electric ovens. gatherings, Blue Skies is hired on a day rate which includes There is a PA system, DVD/CD player, the use of the conference rooms, the venue to cater for data projector and screens available. equipment, grounds and confidence course.

The complex has two toilet/shower all occasions.

Blue Skies manager Gary Taylor and assistant manager Davitt Joslen are able to provide training equipment including: a data projector, video/ DVD player and television, slide and overhead projectors, whiteboard copier, white boards, flip charts, radio/ tape/CD player, blackboards and accessories. This means clients needn’t worry about having to bring it all with them.

• Only 90 minutes North of Auckland • Sleeps 140 in comfort • Modern facilities • Sheltered beach nearby • Great on-site activities • Several large indoor spaces

Email us for an information pack:

mbccbook@gmail.com Office: (09) 433 0167 www.marsdenbay.co.nz 34 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

blocks and a laundry with coin operated washing machine and dryer.

Youth lodge The Youth Lodge is the newest of Blue Skies’ buildings with seating for up to 200 delegates / attendees in the main hall. Set in a private area away from the main buildings, the lodge can accommodate up to 100 in bunkrooms with two adult units which include a

School camping double and single bed in one room, two singles in the other both with ensuite facilities.

There is a separate kitchen with all eating and utensils provided, a large bain marie, walk-in chiller, commercial dishwasher, commercial gas oven and an electric oven.

It has both fixed-leg and fold away tables, white boards, PA system, DVD/ CD/VCR player, ceiling mounted data projector and pull down screen, with two toilets off the dining room.

The accommodation is supported with three toilet/shower blocks and a coin operated laundry with washing machine and dryer.

With all of the facilites there is the flexibility of a day charge and accommodation charge for those guests staying on site.

Picnics The large grounds at Blue Skies, lends itself as an exciting venue for a picnic or barbecue. There is a hire charge for adults and children which includes use of the pool, flying fox and toilets.

With the ample space available, groups have previously brought in spit roasts, bouncy castles and marquees to their functions.

Onsite activities There is a range of on site activities that can be co-ordinated and facilitated by groups without the need for qualified

instructors. The abseiling/rock climbing is the only onsite activity that has an extra charge for use and requires qualified instructors.

• Outdoor swimming pool There is an outdoor medium-sized pool suitable for up to 30 people, fully fenced with toilets and changing rooms. Not heated, the pool is only open during late spring until the end of term one.

• Abseiling tower and climbing wall For those interested in a challenge and a bit of an adventure, the abseiling tower and climbing wall fits the bill perfectly. The highest abseil is 16m with a lower abseil at just eight The climbing wall will take participants 9m up the tower.

The climbing wall and abseiling activities are run by the Blue Skies Abseiling Team. Bookings must be made at least three weeks in advance of date required.

All equipment and instructions are provided. Visit www.bsat.org.nz for further information.

• Confidence course With 15 obstacles the confidence course is a perfect activity for team building. The course includes the popular flying fox and takes about 40 minutes for a group to complete.

• Initiative activities The eight initiatives are suitable for groups of up to 7-8 people per activity and also encourage communication, problem solving and teamwork.

They include the spider’s web, electric fence, cable drum, balance drum, centre pole, river crossing, swamp crossing and high wall. Each activity takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

• Orienteering Orienteering is the perfect activity for individuals or small groups.

Participants use the map to find the 26 markers located around Blue Skies.

The course takes anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes to complete.

• Fitness circuit For those wanting an energetic activity, there are 18 exercises located around the grounds, for individuals or small to large groups. The course takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete.

• Barbecue Area There are also three barbecue areas on site which are available for work, social clubs or picnics.

• Other on-site activities Water slides, tug-of-war ropes, pioneering timber and ropes, table tennis and pool tables.

Blue Skies Retreat 12 Williams St Kaiapoi T (03) 327 8007 E gary@blueskies.org.nz www.blueskies.co.nz

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 35

Property

garden challenge

why choose the

Burgess Wetpour System The reasons and benefits of a Burgess Wetpour system are endless!

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.

Some of the key features for using this system are: • 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, eck and ramp matting are also BMS specialties • Make it non slip and safe • Avoid tile joins • Wetpour requires minimal maintenance – forget the days of topping up bark • Will last for many years as it’s very durable • Base preparation prior to the matting installation is of the utmost importance and can add years to your playground surface • NZS5828:2004 compliant and comes with a five year warranty.

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.

...turns wasteland into thriving school vegetable garden in two hours

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

Features of the BMS Wetpour system • Safe • Low maintenance • Durable • Provides uniform safety all year round • Porous • Non-slip • Impact absorbent • Long life • Easy to clean • Indoor /outdoor use • Colour choice • Aesthetically pleasing • 100 percent recycled rubber • Virtually seamless system • Maximises equipment use • Reduces noise & vibration • Good equal access for children with disabilities • Excellent long term investment • Installed by BMS installation team • Polymerically bonded to provide a hardwearing all weather surface • Supplied with a five year guarantee against faulty materials and workmanship • Available in three different surface texture options – Safebond, Flexibond and Permabond.

Burgess Matting T 0800 80 85 70 E admin@burgessmatting.co.nz www.burgessmatting.co.nz

Safety Matting for Decks, Playgrounds, Sports Areas, Wheelchair Access Ramps, Impact Pads, Flooring & Gym Tiles

Tauranga home based early childhood organisation Footsteps partnered with the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) to turn a bare plot of Brookfield Primary School land into a vegetable garden – in record time.

In the space of two hours an 80 strong team of teachers and students built a 450 metre square garden equipped with custom built sleeper beds, 20 fruit trees, two vegetable patches and a 20 metre long mural.

The ‘garden challenge’ formed part of the Footsteps annual national conference, which was held in Tauranga during term 4, 2012.

Footsteps’ national team of homebased early childhood teachers and staff worked on the garden which is on Brookfield school property, alongside 10 children from the FYD’s Project K programme who painted a mural of a Taurikara, the school’s Maori legend.

Footsteps CEO Kevin Christie says the gardening challenge launched a new nationwide community outreach programme, in which all Footsteps teachers would receive one day of paid community volunteering leave each month in an effort to work more closely with organisations that would benefit from their educational expertise.

“We believe the key to quality education is teaching children in a sustainable way, and the Brookfield Primary School garden is a wonderful example of this in action. We understand that great teaching requires a focus on family and community, and through our outreach programme we’ll be giving communities around New Zealand 400 volunteer hours every month,” Kevin says.

Brookfield Primary School principal Robert Hyndman says the school was delighted to be the first beneficiary of Footsteps’ volunteer time. “The vegetable garden is a wonderful enhancement to our school environment. We are all looking

We’ve got it covered - For all your Matting Requirements www.burgessmatting.co.nz | 0800 80 8570 | sales@burgessmatting.co.nz

36 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

forward to the learning opportunities it will provide,” he says.

FYD regional programme manager Dan Allen Gorden says the project was an example of Tauranga community collaboration at its best.

“It’s great to see businesses, volunteers and young people in the Foundation for Youth Development working together to make a powerful difference for the good of Brookfield kids and their families.”

To build the Brookfield Primary School garden Footsteps donated 300 volunteer hours and $5000 of materials.

FYD and several local businesses also supported the project, with building supplier Carters providing wood and volunteers to build the nine sleeper beds, 10 metres of Daltons’ lawn mix, six metres of compost from Gammans, 10 metres of top soil from Taylor Bros, 10L of paint from Dulux for the mural, Incredible Edibles fruit trees, Copperfield Nursery citrus trees, Growers Direct seedlings and Yates 150 packs of seeds.

About Footsteps Footsteps is an organisation that offers free early childhood education programmes and home-based childcare with a commitment to quality and 1:1 support.

Footsteps early childhood education programme is fully funded by the Ministry of Education and there is no charge to those taking advantage of the service.

Footsteps was established in 2001 and began offering its free early childhood education programme throughout New Zealand in the same year.

Footsteps home-based early childhood education services are both offered in urban and rural communities throughout New Zealand, being the only organisation in the country to offer a national service of visiting teachers.

Property

making your mark

-branding in schools

Education and marketing are words seldom used in the same sentence, but according to design firm gardyneHOLT, effective marketing is as important to schools as any other business.

Schools could do better to communicate their image, culture and point of difference to help people understand what their unique strengths and values are.

GardyneHOLT partner Malcolm Dale says a lot of schools do not view themselves in a commercial sense. “The reality is that schools have two, if not three audiences to communicate to when presenting themselves to potential students.

“This includes the student, the parents of the student and, for overseas students, a student’s agent.

And all three might collectively be making a decision about the future education of a child. That means schools and educational institutions need to effectively communicate

who they are and why they are different to the next school down the road.”

Dale says many institutions consider marketing to be a dirty word when put alongside education. But for the multibillion dollar education export industry, marketing is vital to attracting new students.

“Export educators are competing for students in a global market and need to be sending the message to parents that New Zealand is a clean, safe, academically sound environment where their children can receive an excellent education.

“At the end of the day most students only get one shot at education.

It’s a very important decision.

Parents need to be confident that their children will be safe and will come back with an education that is genuinely useful to them. New Zealand can give them that confidence.”

The students themselves, on the other hand, might be more interested in having a good time. It is just as important to highlight the lifestyle benefits of New Zealand living.

Quantum Education Group, which offers business, information

technology, hospitality, tourism and other courses to local and international students, says its online marketing is paramount when securing new business. Since it rebuilt its website in 2010, traffic has doubled month on month.

Quantum Education marketing coordinator Tracey Watters says its goal when redesigning its website was to draw both domestic and international traffic and, in particular, allow international students to complete the application process online without external forms and having to duplicate information.

“In the past most of what we got were enquiries, but now it’s actual applications. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve internationally,” she says.

Dale says branding is as important to the local primary school down the road as it is for an export educator.

“All schools need to inform parents of their strengths so they know what to expect – and what is expected of them - when their child starts school.

a vision and a set of values for the school that encapsulated the partnership between the school, parents and community.

By creating visual symbols representing the schools values, Titirangi is now able to more easily communicate with parents and students about the values it holds.

“Our five visual symbols encompass a richness of stories we can explore with the children and use with our communication to parents,” Gary says.

“By visually communicating our vision and values we have been able to create a rich learning experience at Titirangi Primary School. It’s a great outcome of our vision and branding process.”

“Every school is different and its communication to parents and their children must reflect those different values and strengths to ensure parents and their children are accurately informed.”

Auckland based Titirangi Primary School recently underwent a rebranding initiative for this very reason. Principal Gary Pearce says staff, parents, and the school board worked for 18 months to create

A MAT FOR ANY SITUATION Remember we've seen it all before and there is no situation where we don't have a solution at hand.

Our strength has been the committal to customer service, with quality products, at competitive prices.

Arrow Matting Systems has the largest range of products available, as we strive to be your 1 stop shop for all floor safety products.

Give us a call on 0800 806 287 or email us on sales@arrowmats.co.nz CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE www.arrowmats.co.nz www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2013 | 37

Finance

A better way to

balance the books

tabling the cashbook, just the bank statements or even nothing at all.

Everything appeared fine until audit time rolled around.

Managing finances While I was not involved in the first two years of Tomorrow’s Schools, I was involved in doing school audits from 1991 – 1994. Since then I have been involved in the school accounting side of things, seeing first hand the evolution of the school accounting environment during the last two decades.

Let’s just say the early years were an “enlightening” experience. In some cases the audit process commenced with the school dumping a big box of “stuff” off at the auditors, invoices for African in no particular order, bank statements – not all of them, no annual financial statements or even a ledge recording the transactions.

Since the advent of Tomorrow’s Schools in 1989, the management of school finances and their subsequent reporting environments has been a roller coaster ride.

It was, back then, common place to see a parent volunteer, who was often roped into being the board treasurer, attempt to do the school’s books. It was seen as being in the same vain as being on the committee or being the treasurer of the local golf club or rugby club.

Quite often the cashbook was handwritten and the monthly report to the board could be anything from

But the scariest thing was the apparent oblivion of the schools, both principals and board members, to the nature of the problem. More often than not they all thought their financial systems and reporting was fine.

Even today there is still a bit of this laissez-faire attitude to the financial system. School’s often don’t know what they don’t know. I do think in general – though admittedly not always – schools don’t know the difference between good and poor accounting.

It is often only during the course of an audit, or when replacing key office personnel that school’s will evaluate their financial functions.

The key questions all schools must ask of themselves are: • Do I receive my monthly reports in a timely fashion?

• Are my reports comprehensive? Do I get all the information I need?

• Did I receive an un-qualified audit opinion?

Peace of mind Financial Reporting Education services provides a Financial Reporting Service to over 560 schools – we are the largest provider of accounting services to school’s in New Zealand – and would love the opportunity to help you.

Take all the worry out of Financial Management and have everything done on time, every time and done right!

• • • •

No software needed at the school No specialist accounting skill needed at the School Reliable, on time, every time Service provided anywhere in the North Island

If you would like a no obligation quote to compare the cost of our service to what you are currently receiving, or would like enquiries exactly what our service involves.

Phone Pete on (06) 757 5489 or email: pete@educationservices.co.nz

www.educationservices.co.nz 38 | Term 1, 2013 www.principalstoday.co.nz

• Were my annual financial statements at audit by the statutory deadline of 31 March?

• And in this day in age – can I access my financial information anytime, or anywhere via the web?

I think most schools these days can answer the above questions with a yes – but if for any reason you can’t, a revamp or just an evaluation of your financial systems is needed.

In-house finances The internal controls and procedures in relations to school’s finances are also an area of importance. In my journey of over 20 years of being involved with school finances, all instances of fraud or misappropriation of funds that I have come across has involved schools using an in-house system. In my book outsourcing and having someone else reviewing all transactions is gold.

However, I think there is a bit of a threat out there when some schools are seeing software alone as the silver bullet. While there are some really good and innovative software packages on the market, they are only as good as the user.

If you are contemplating a change to an in-house system several questions also need to be asked: • What is the cost of the software?

• How many extra hours am I going to have to pay my staff?

• Do my staff have the skill to do the annual financial statements?

• Will I need to pay an accountant at year end?

I have, over the years, seen many schools come unstuck thinking they were making really prudent cost saving decisions – but when the above factors were weighed up it was actually costing them significantly more.

For more information visit www.educationservices.co.nz Peter McBreen is CEO of Education Services and owner of a long professional history in banking, chartered accountancy, commercial accounting and building, shares his thoughts on juggle the schools books in today’s changing world.

- A NEW INITIATIVE

WIN

AN APPL E IPAD

DO YOU BELONG TO A SCHOOL, CLUB OR FUNDRAISING GROUP? WE HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO HELP YOU RAISE MONEY EASILY! SafeBottles Fundraising is a great way to help save the planet, save your health and raise money.

To get started simply email: jacqui@safebottles.co.nz using the code “APPLE” in the subject line.

Let us know who your school, club or fundraising group is and also include your name and contact details.

We will then send you information on our SafeBottles fundraising initiative for you to take to your organisation.

If your group is interested simply fill in the “expression of interest form” and fax it back to us.

We will send you our fundraising pack, which includes order forms for each fundraiser, brochures and educational resources. Once you recieve this you are all good to go!

In addition when we receive your organisations completed fundraising order, we will put you in the draw on September 17th 2012 to win an Apple iPad.

TESTIMONIAL It was a great and easy fundraiser to do. We thought we might do it again in the summertime.

Also, we have a big school fun run on 16th September and we thought we might advertise this in the literature and have some bottles available to sell if that is okay?

Many thanks again for being so helpful. We will definitely recommend SafeBottles!

North Loburn School – Home & School Assn. Chairperson

If you have any questions or would like more information please contact me anytime on

“Great

and easy fundraiser”

“We will

definitely recommend SafeBottles” Jacqui Colley

(03) 961 5160 | www.safebottles.co.nz | jacqui@safebottles.co.nz

P.S. There’s an iron-clad, lifetime money-back guarantee on all bottles.

Jacqui Business Colley National Development Manager Development Manager

Smart Teaching with Smartpens Livescribe smartpens allow educators to efficiently increase instructional time and drive student-centric learning.

Increase Real Teaching Time Capture and archive an interactive version of your daily written and verbal instruction so student (and parents) can hear, see and relive lessons exactly as they were delivered.

Access Student Thinking

Livescribe smartpens provide a unique solution for student assessment because they capture a students’ written and verbal work.

Account for Different Learning Styles

Smartpens reduce anxiety associated with taking good class notes, homework review, and test preparation.

Learn which smartpen works best for your educational environment at www.smartpen.co.nz/teachers or www.livescribe.com or find us on Facebook