School News NZ - Term 2 - 2010 by Multimedia AU/NZ

The Essential Management Guide for Education Industry Professionals

Kelston Boys’ High School Motivating students to perform

Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Property Managers • Professionals

• NEWS • EDUCATION

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SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES $42 for 12 Months $72 for 24 Months Phone (03) 365 5575 subscriptions@schoolnews.co.nz www.schoolnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Auckland: (09) 309 7944 Christchurch: (03) 365 5575 advertising@schoolnews.co.nz PUBLISHER Darren Willis publisher@schoolnews.co.nz EDITOR Rebecca Wood editorial@schoolnews.co.nz

The National Standards were launched at the beginning of the school year with much fanfare by government and amid cries of outrage from the education sector. Principals and teaching associations criticised the potential for the Standards to create league tables that allow parents to compare schools, and decried the fact the Standards had not been trialed. In this issue School News looks at how the Standards are being implemented at schools across the country and whether initial fears are coming to fruition. Uniforms are a perennial problem for many schools and debates over the high cost of kitting out students with summer

PRODUCTION Richard McGill studio@schoolnews.co.nz

and winter uniforms are reported in the media every year. We take a look at how schools can ensure they are getting the best deal, comply with the Competition Act when choosing a supplier and how they can help struggling parents to purchase the uniform. We’ve also got a range of great articles on keeping the school secure, how to welcome new trustees to the board, the benefits of museums on students’ learning and how to ensure student safety if you’re thinking of installing a rock climbing wall.

schoolnews THIS ISSUE: SECURITY | NATIONAL STANDARDS | PHOTOGRAPHY | MUSEUMS www.schoolnews.co.nz

Issue 10 | Term 2 2010 | $12 Inc GST

The Essential Management Guide for Education Industry Professionals

Kelston Boys’ High School Motivating students to perform

Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Property Managers • Professionals

• NEWS • EDUCATION

• ADMINISTRATION • HEALTH & SAFETY

• SPORTS & RECREATION • EXTERNAL LEARNING

• TEACHING RESOURCES • FOOD & BEVERAGE

• PROPERTY • PROFILES

Issue 10 | Term 2 | 2010

Ka kite ano, Rebecca

CONTRIBUTORS Julie Carter, Sam Cunnane, Rachel Goodchild, Peter Goodwin, Kelli Hedges, Helen Lloyd, Neil MacKay, Elspeth McIntyre, Pat Newman, Geoff Pearson, Steve Reader, Chris Robinson, Inga Stunzner, Donna Watt, National Association of Steel Framed Housing. School News is distributed quarterly to all primary, intermediate and secondary schools nationwide and selected tertiary education providers by Multimedia

Publishing, publishers of leading industry and consumer titles. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are

not necessarily those of the publisher or Multimedia Publishing Limited. Every effort has been made to

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ensure the accuracy of information in Schoolnews, however the information contained in Schoolnews is intended to act as a guide only. The publisher, authors and editors expressly disclaim all liability for the results of action taken or not taken on the basis of information contained herein. We recommend professional advice is

4. News in brief 6. Principal speaks 8. Ministry news

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10. An uneasy standard 12. All on board 13. Guiding lights 14. In search of magic bullets

administration 15. Finding the right fit 16. I spy

profiles 18. Making the transition

external learning 20. Museums bring learning

to life

teaching resources 23. The move to digital 25. Fully adjustable 26. That sinking feeling 28. Broadening the information landscape

30. New books on the block 31. First steps to success

food & beverage 32. Safe food tips for the school canteen

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health & safety 34. Built to be better

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property 42. Keeping out the winter weather 43. Space, specifications and speed 44. It’s only temporary 45. Preparing a pool for winter

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schoolnews Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

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News in Brief

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Protecting public education

experiment” as the Infrastructure Minister Bill English has said.

Safeguards must be put in place to protect public education from profit-driven private investment says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa. The government is expected to decide shortly whether to approve the private sector building and maintaining a primary school by 2013. NZEI President Frances Nelson says public private partnerships (PPPs) in schools raise big questions. “For example who would control use of the school hall or gym? Would they be leased out to other users for profit? We need to be sure that schools can continue to use and adapt their buildings and facilities in the way they want – in a way that is best for teaching and learning and for the school communities.” NZEI believes that, when it comes to education, teaching and learning should come before profit, and allowing a school to be built as part of a PPP should not be considered a “worthwhile

Helping students love science A secondary school teacher who has turned science into a popular subject and made it a favourite, even among habitual troublemakers, has won the inaugural Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize. Dr Paul Lowe, head of science at Morrinsville College, was awarded the $150,000 prize at an awards ceremony held in March. Lowe is so driven to help students of all abilities enjoy science that he has completed doctorate research and developed new teaching programmes that have resulted in higher grades and greater enthusiasm for his pet subject. “It’s about allowing what is relevant to kids to come into the classroom,” says Lowe, who has linked issues such as swine flu, energy efficient homes, tsunami safety and bush fires to curriculum learning. Dr Lowe encourages students to seek out their own

resources. They use technology such as podcasts, animations and Skype and work closely with Dr Lowe’s network of scientists around the Waikato region and beyond.

NZ education website scoops international award Two Team Solutions staff members at the Faculty of Education at The University of Auckland have won a prestigious international award for using online media to support teachers in Auckland and Northland. The Digital Pathways Development (www. digitalpathways.org.nz) is an interactive site which provides professional development and resource materials for teachers so they can better provide career education for students in Year 7 and above. It is particularly useful for teachers in rural isolated schools where access to professional development is more limited. The resource won the Scholastic Achievement Award at the Rich Media Impact Awards which recognise excellence in the

practical and creative integration of Mediasite software in business, education, health and government.

Listen up Listen Up!, New Zealand’s first hearing loss prevention programme for school children, was launched in April. The Listen Up! programme, led by the Pindrop Foundation, aims to prevent unnecessary noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) in school children. It teaches children how loud is too loud and what to do about it. Elena Keith, Listen Up’s programme director, says even a mild hearing loss can lead to difficulties with children’s educational, emotional, social, and speech development that can have far-reaching consequences as they get older. The free programme will be introduced to 2,500 schools with the intention of reaching over 700,000 school aged children, their parents and their grandparents over the next five years.

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Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Property Managers • Professionals

The Essential Management Guide for Education Industry Professionals 4 school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

ool

ert

All-rounder off to Cambridge as Myers Scholar William Tennent, head boy and dux at New Plymouth Boys’ High School last year, has won the prestigious Douglas Myers Scholarship to Cambridge University in England. He was awarded the scholarship, worth $100,000 a year, for 2010 to attend Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge. There he will spend the next three years studying for a bachelor of arts in economics. Tennent, the son of New Plymouth Mayor and Mayoress Peter and Rosemary Tennent, was the first head boy at New Plymouth Boys’ to be dux since 1956 and only the third in its history. Tennent says he is “absolutely overwhelmed” to have been awarded such a prestigious scholarship. “This scholarship will give me the opportunity to go to one of the most prestigious colleges at one of the top universities in the world. I will be interacting with some of the world’s future leaders, and doing my best to be a credit to Sir Douglas, Taranaki, and New Zealand.”

News in Brief

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On finishing his university studies Tennent wants to enter investment banking and take an active role in community leadership.

Reading recovery grant Chevron New Zealand recently announced the launch of a $70,000 Caltex Energy for Learning Resource Grant for Reading Recovery. The one off grant will supply much needed extra reading resources to students in the Reading Recovery programme, and a round of $300 grants to more than 200 individual schools will contribute at a grass roots level to the advancement of education in New Zealand. Chevron New Zealand country chairman Nick Hannan says, “This partnership with Reading Recovery allows us to help improve the lives of 10,000 six-year-old children who enter Reading Recovery annually in a meaningful and positive way.” More details on the application and granting process will be available to Reading Recovery tutors and schools in 2010.

William Tennent, head boy and dux at New Plymouth Boys’ High School last year, with Sir Douglas Myers.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Principal Speaks

news

Where have all the leaders gone?

few years ago I wrote an article published in the NZPF Magazine August 2005 titled “Where have all the Bolshies Gone”. In it I stated, amongst other things, that if we believe that education is the key to long-term sustainable change in our society, something that I strongly adhere to, then we as principals have a responsibility not only to our own school, but also to the education system and society as a whole. That responsibility requires us to keep up with not only educational change, but also with the political philosophies and concepts that drive education. It requires us to take part in the debate and not to sit back and leave it to others. If we don’t, we will wake up one day to find principals have been replaced by non-educational leaders – supposed educational outputs will be sucked electronically to data collection points, often misanalysed, and will control everything from funding to staffing. If we don’t, we will wake up one day, to find that our experience means nothing in comparison to academic qualifications. If we don’t, we will wake up one day to find that the autonomy of Tomorrows Schools has been replaced by total centralised control. I wish I had the same fortune telling ability with the horses! In 2010 as we face the worst of what

6 school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

I predicted happening, with the politically motivated National Standards being foisted upon our educational system, I now have to ask: where have all our leaders gone? Yes, there are some such as Flockton, Snook, O’Neill, Thrupp, Milne-Ihimaera, Rush, Horgan, Faire, McMillan, Hawkins, Campbell, Thompson, Hunt, Watson, Smythe and many other individual principals, teachers and parents who have stood up to be counted over the National Standards issue. They have shown the courage of their convictions, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the profession as a whole. Over the last ten years, despite massive money being spent on supposedly developing leadership, we do not seem to have a profession dominated by strong leaders with clear philosophies, demonstrating true courage. Instead we seem to have a profession of principals, many of whom appear tired, disillusioned, despondent and desperately against National Standards, but feeling powerless, which has resulted in many being too scared to have the courage of their philosophies. These often appear almost clone like, subservient to the Ministry line, waiting to be told what they should do, or hiding their heads in the sand, just hoping the issue will disappear.

We have other principals who have not bothered to really investigate the absolutely damning effects of such policies overseas and, unfortunately, other principals who have embraced the concept with the belief that their own school will benefit to the detriment of adjacent schools. In my view, these are not leaders serving the interests of our profession and the children they espouse belief in. Principals need to understand that this is not an educational debate. It is a political one. You don’t win a political battle with logic, debate and some strange belief around professionalism. At this time, when we drastically need courageous leadership, our national and local leaders seem to be more interested in leading by consensus and representing all views, including those mentioned above, rather than drawing the line in the sand and using all resources to win this battle. The closest analogy I can think of is Neville Chamberlain’s “Peace in our time” comments just prior to World War Two and we know what happened as a result of this strategy. As I stated earlier, this issue is not an educational one. It is a political one. Politics is simply about winning. About using the tools available to win. It’s about using media and any tool available to win the battle. It’s

about getting dirty. It’s about playing the politicians at their own game, but better. Our leaders have tried the discussion, the logic, the lets be professional approach and it hasn’t worked, and yet that’s what they continue to propose as the answer to winning this battle. It’s an approach that is doomed to us all failing, but being able to say, “Yes, but we failed our kids professionally”. The New Zealand Principals’ Federation and NZEI have said that they are totally opposed to National Standards. What we need from them is to get their hands (and any other bit of their anatomy needed) dirty and to win this war, as this issue is too important to accept anything but a win. It’s about showing courageous leadership and standing up for what they say they believe and refusing to accept one bit of National Standards. Its about learning how to play the political game, and not getting hung up about looking so called professional. It’s about leading principals, rather than hiding behind pseudo representation. That is why I now ask: where have all our leaders gone? - By Pat Newman, principal, Hora Hora Primary School.

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Ministry News

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Getting tough on truancy “Rolleston-Lincoln’s school-age population is expected to grow by more than 2,700 students by 2026,” says Education Minister Anne Tolley. “We need to make sure we have enough schools to cater for this increase in students. Following extensive consultation with the community, we have plans in place to continue to meet increases in the school-aged population,” she says. Plans include: • Providing extra classrooms for schools that have an increased roll. • Letting state-integrated schools apply to increase the maximum number of students they can enrol. • Careful monitoring of population growth by the Ministry of Education, and if needed, building a new secondary school and/or primary school in the area.

The government has unveiled plans to cut down on truancy.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has outlined government plans to help schools crack down on truancy. “The results of the Ministry of Education’s 2009 truancy survey show that just over 30,000 students are truant from state and stateintegrated schools on any given day,” she says. “This government is determined to get tough on truancy, and we have doubled the amount of funding to tackle the problem. An additional $4 million per year will help schools introduce stronger and more proactive measures to reduce truancy rates.” Initially the funding will go towards allowing more schools to use electronic attendance registers, enabling them to quickly identify casual truants before they become regular truants; encouraging more schools to implement the Early Notification System, which automatically sends a text message to parents whose children are missing from school without explanation; and one-off funding of $1.5 million to reduce the time it takes to get non-enrolled students back into school. A small amount has also been set aside to help schools prosecute parents of children who are persistently truant.

8 school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

“Work will continue on our longterm approach, aimed at keeping more children engaged at school, rather than having to get truants back into the system once they have become disengaged,” says Tolley.

OECD to study National Standards New Zealand is to be part of an OECD international review of evaluation and assessment in schools. “New Zealand is internationally recognised for our innovative policies and approaches to education and this will give us the opportunity to showcase our strengths,” says education minister, Anne Tolley. “An OECD team will visit later in the year to analyse our systems, including National Standards which have just been introduced in primary and intermediate schools. “The implementation of National Standards is unique to New Zealand and has gained interest from many other countries. The OECD review will allow us to examine how our evaluation and assessment policies can be even more effective in raising student achievement, and how the Standards can contribute to that,” she says. The information gathered from New Zealand, and the eight other countries being visited, will be

brought together in an OECD report which will share policy innovation with other nations on how to lift student achievement.

Engaging with India An agreement to strengthen and broaden New Zealand’s education engagement with India has recently been renewed by Education Minister Anne Tolley and India’s Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal. “India is a key education market for New Zealand,” says Tolley. “Currently the twelfth largest economy in the world, India is projected to be the third largest by 2025, with a population of 1.1 billion.” Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says export education, New Zealand’s fifth largest export earner, is vital to continuing growth of both the economy and the tertiary sector. “It’s essential that we maximise our opportunities in this area and that we are able to compete with other countries for international students in a sustainable way. This agreement is an important step in the right direction.”

Future schooling strategy Plans to cater for an increasing school-age population in Rolleston and Lincoln have been announced.

Contributions sought for Nga Whanaketanga Rumaki Maori Teachers, principals and whanau have been asked to help contribute to new draft National Standards for Māorimedium education programmes. The government wants to lift student achievement, particularly in numeracy and literacy, and Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori is expected to play a vital role. “The Maori-medium education sector is very different to the English medium sector, and simply translating English standards into Maori will not work. Information gathering will help us ensure the Whanaketanga are set at the right levels and that teachers and principals are well prepared to work with them,” says Associate Education Minister Dr Pita Sharples. “With the Māori-medium Curriculum Te Marautanga o Aotearoa due to be implemented in 2011, this is also a good time for us to work with parents, families, whānau, teachers, principals, and school trustees to ensure the Whanaketanga align to Te Marautanga,” he says. Submissions can be sent to the Ministry, or submitted online at www. minedu.govt.nz. The standards will be finalised for publication in October 2010.

Events

news

Events Calendar May 2010 Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2010 May 25 – 28, Surfers Paradise www.spectronics.co.nz/conference/ Dyslexia aware best practice – the new teaching paradigm May 31, Auckland www.4d.org.nz/workshops/

June 2010 4D Advanced – achieving the 4D Edge June 1, Auckland www.4d.org.nz/workshops/ Interventions – beyond great teaching, un-sticking the 4% June 2, Auckland www.4d.org.nz/workshops/ Leaders – creating change through vision and empowerment

June 3, Auckland www.4d.org.nz/workshops/

NZ Association of Language

Pre-School – the ABC of early identification June 3, Auckland www.4d.org.nz/workshops/

July 4 – 7, Queenstown

New Zealand Principals’ Federation Conference July 4 – 7, Nelson www.nzpfconference10.co.nz/

July 2010

Teachers Conference 2010 www.nzalt.org.nz/conference/ New Zealand Geographical Society Conference 2010 July 5 – 8, Christchurch www.nzgs2010.org.nz/ New Zealand International Science Festival Everyday

SciCon 2010 New Zealand Association of Science Educators May 7 – 9, Christchurch www.confer.co.nz/scicon2010/

Science: Food for Thought

HETTANZ Conference 2010 July 4 – 7, Auckland www.trcc.org.nz/trcc_2008/ doormouse/main/trcc_2008_main. php?pid=4511&expand_id=116

July 15 – 16, Auckland

July 6 – 11, Dunedin

Congratulations to the winners of the schoolnews online reader survey draw. • Murrays Bay Intermediate School, Auckland. • Hora Hora Primary School, Whangarei.

www.scifest.org.nz

• Matamata Primary School, Waikato.

NZConnectED Conference

• Manning Intermediate School, Christchurch.

www.learningnetwork.ac.nz/ shared/products/productConference. aspx?id=CONF1001

• Finlayson Park School, Auckland. Each school receives a set of six rugby training DVDs.

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

National Standards

education

An uneasy standard

t’s several months since assessing to the National Standards became a legal necessity for schools. So what’s the progress? Do schools feel ready to implement the processes needed to ensure they are measured correctly? And do they feel clear in what they will be measuring in the first place? There remain several key concerns for the primary and secondary sectors in terms of assessing and reporting on the Standards. The first is a concern for how the data will be moderated and kept safe. Ernie Buutveld, president of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) says the concern is that incorrect management of the data collected could lead to a “Name, blame and shame for teachers, schools and wards that would in the end be unconstructive to improving education quality in some areas”. Knowing what the data will be used for and whether the data collected is valid is a significant part of the implementation. Though it’s several years before full training and roll out of exactly how the whole process will work are completed, this still needs to be set in place with initial reports coming out at two points this year. The first raft of nationwide results will not be published until 2012. Of course adding to the teacher’s already large workload is also a concern, though for some schools, the existing records can probably be used as raw data. While the education sector and the public may all have a better idea of whether children are meeting (or not) the National Standards, the question is whether this will then improve the individual’s achievement once the knowledge is released. “Will it improve teacher quality, or improve communication lines between home and school and community? Will it come with support for those schools who need extra help to reach the Standards or will these schools be seen as failing and feel unsupported?” asks Buutveld. In terms of the children being assessed under the Standards, there is some confusion over the point at which you can say a child has reached a particular level. For example, at Year Eight, with eight numeracy standards to meet, will a child be seen to have

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

“

“The effect on struggling schools is not conducive to equal opportunities of learning”

– Colin Dale, principal,

Murrays Bay Intermediate reached this Standard when they’ve achieved five or six, or the full eight? Colin Dale, principal at Murrays Bay Intermediate, says there is a concern that some children may be labeled early as poor achievers, when they may simply be late to achieve against the National Standards. “They do not take cognizance as to how children actually learn. Many successful people did not meet the expectations of their class age level of achievement – rather they made connections later and have proved to be successful in their life’s goals.” Buutveld says over a thousand

schools have issues with believing whether it’s going to work well for their school, board and community. He feels there is some division between the stance of many Boards of Trustees who “need to represent the needs of the community as well as govern the school”. Dale feels that for schools in lower socio-economic areas who struggle to have high numbers of children meeting the Standards, there can be negative implications for these schools and communities. “The effect on struggling schools is not conducive to equal opportunities

of learning if comparisons were to be in the public domain. At Murrays Bay Intermediate, entry level in terms of achievement is very high – other places do not enjoy this reality.” Trying to find a way in which the Standards can empower rather than disempower these schools is an important part of the implementation process, he believes. A national test was not introduced as it was a concern that teachers would teach to the test, and remove opportunities for the organic, teachable moments, that all educators enjoy in their classrooms. However, Dale says he’s heard of some teachers treating the Standards as a test, with some “photocopying exemplars to teach children how to best respond to them”. This can compromise the authentic learning that is promoted in the new curriculum as the foundation for all teaching plans. For some schools the changes will not be huge. If they already have good assessment procedures in place, they will be able to measure children against them once they know exactly what the measures are. Murrays Bay Intermediate, for example, are planning to add a simple sentence to their reporting to parents, relating it back to the Standards. “There will be no change to what we already do except to explicitly make reference in our report to the Standards,” says Dale. While both Dale and Buutveld recognise that the National Standards are here to stay, they, and many others are still struggling with how the changes were introduced. Dale says, “If we were to operate our schools in the manner in which we have been told to implement these Standards we would expect to be criticised severely.” Buutveld believes that in the end schools want a positive outcome. With a little “slowing down, allowing a little trial and error” allowing teachers to adjust if there is any change in the methods they use to test, record and assess data, perhaps the education sector will feel more positive about the whole process. - By Rachel Goodchild.

Profile

education Supplier Profile | Senior Events Ltd

Visit the largest exhibition of educational resources in New Zealand The Education Expo 2010 returns to the ASB Showgrounds, from 18-20 June 2010. An exhibition showcasing everything educational from toddlers to teens, pre-school to Secondary school, for Teachers, Principals, School Buyers, Early Childhood Centre Owners and Parents. This years’ show is even bigger and better with more than 3,500 square metres of the latest products, teaching equipment and aids, books and stationery, grounds and outdoor, camps and excursions, facilities maintenance, capital equipment, contractors and external services, food and health, toys and games, sports and physical education. All visitors will enjoy the free samples and resources, demonstrations and show-only specials. They will also be able to speak to experts, get the latest information and purchase goods at show specials from more than 100 exhibitors.

The focus of the expo is to provide educators an opportunity to access the best products, services and information to help their Schools, Kindergartens and Childcare Centres to achieve better outcomes for their students. This event is a must visit for anyone working within the Education Sector and entry is FREE of charge. Register for your FREE ENTRY ticket at www.educationexpo.co.nz/ register.html

Visitors said the following:

For more information visit the expo

“Thank you for a superb expo!’ I spent several hours at the show and will certainly be attending next year.” School Principal

website www.educationexpo.co.nz Contact: enquiries@educationexpo.co.nz Tel (09) 448 5210 (Please note the expo is not suitable for class trips)

“The Expo met all our expectations.” Primary Teacher Hamilton

ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland 18 - 20 June 2010 10AM - 4PM DAILY An Exhibition of Everything Educational from Pre-School to Secondary for, Teachers, Principals and Education Professionals. See the Best and Latest Educational Products, Teaching Resources and Services under one roof. Who must attend ! z Teachers, Early Childhood to Secondary

z Administration and Teaching Support staff z Education policy makers, administrators and consultants

z Early Childcare Centre Owners

z School canteen managers and convenors

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www.educationexpo.co.nz Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Board of Trustees

education

All on board

ith the Board of Trustee elections over, and boards reconvening with either a full swag of new members or a smattering of new faces mixed with the old, it’s important to consider how to ensure the new collection of people work together with as little disruption as possible. Succession planning and induction programmes can help both new and incumbent members understand the structure and feel of the previous board, taking into consideration the previous board’s work to develop governmental policies. Elaine Hines, training and development manager at the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), says the level at which each board chooses to control the day to day running of the school can alter widely – from being hands on to maintaining a distant overseeing of the school. Even if you are welcoming new members who have contributed to other boards in the past, or who have had a great deal of experience in management in the corporate world, no one board has the same dynamic and policy structure of another, and so induction is an important part of the process of ensuring there is a minimal amount of change and upheaval, she says. “Even if there is only one new member to the board, that changes the dynamic enough to be considered a new board. The group needs a common understanding and a sense of the level of control, and that best comes from utilising an effective induction programme.” Jim Peters, a contractor with Cognition Education, an independent education services provider that offers training and support for boards and schools, says many schools already give quite a lot of thought to ensuring continuity. “Part of the management comes from using mid term elections, and planning for change well in advance.” While some boards try to select people to stand from the community to create the ‘perfect mix’ in board dynamics, Peters believes the key is having a group of people who’ve made a commitment to work together, no matter their background. However, both Peters and Hines agree that it isn’t the initial background of the people coming

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

to the board that makes it function better. Hines says “Sometimes boards with a high percentage of professional parents can feel that they don’t need training or an induction programme”. As the processes initiated by a board outlives the personnel, it’s wise not to make an assumption that someone’s previous experience will fit into the existing governance policies. Some boards expect the school (and in particular the principal) to provide the support and information they need to transition over change. However this adds an extra stress to the already busy job of the principal, and, if there are any signs of tensions between the two parties, they can be magnified by this. Using an outside group to add support and training “gives a fresh look at what is happening,” says Peters. Plus “you’re getting someone who works with a variety of boards, who can offer a range of alternative solutions to any problems that may eventuate”. For schools who can see their

board may need extra support and training, it’s important to remember it’s not the schools’ responsibility to provide this. “It’s the board’s responsibility,” says Hines. A principal can provide support by giving information about training, or how other board’s are using their policies of succession and governance to work together, but as “both a member of the employer body, and an employee,” says Peters, “it places the principal in a delicate position should there be any issues down the track.” Using the free training provided by the Ministry, support from the NZSTA and help from places such as Ministry-approved Cognition Education can help without affecting the relationship between principal and board. Peters and other contractors for Cognition Education have seen a trend in boards forming clusters to improve school governance. One such cluster, in the Papakura and Takanini areas of Auckland, has seen 26 schools collaborate to improve

the effectiveness of a range of areas, from strategic planning to seeing how best to implement the New Zealand curriculum. Peters says this later aspect has been a growing focal point for boards, who can see they have some responsibility in working on how a school can best deliver the academic results needed in either numeracy and literacy in primary, and NCEA in secondary. Grant Pepper from the cluster says “We’re stronger working together”. The cluster has used training from Cognition both as a larger group and then for individual boards and chairs as needed, raising the functionality of each board. The Ministry encourages boards to work together, so that the skill sets of the different boards work together to create higher levels of functioning. The benefits to individual schools is clear – the more effective the board is, the more effective the school is, making it easier for teachers to deliver the results everyone wants.

- By Rachel Goodchild

Careers Advice

education

Guiding lights

Pani: Whanau engagement is important in a students’ total education package, not just careers education. If we include whanau into the career planning process, the student is more than likely to achieve their career goals.

areer advisors fulfil an important role in many schools around the country. Not only do they provide advice and guidance on career options, but they arrange work placements and apprenticeships, and co-ordinate training programmes such as STAR and Gateway. Maggie Hames, co-ordinator of student services at Auckland Girls’ Grammar and president of Career Advisors & Transition Educators (CATE) and Pani Kerehoma, career advisor, Horowhenua College discuss how they guide young students towards a successful career path.

The career experts

What benefits do career advisors provide to students and schools? Maggie: A career advisor has an in-depth knowledge of career education that can be supportive to students, parents, and classroom teachers. We see ourselves more as career developers than advisors. The new model is Career Development Guidance – instead of choose a career and making a living we say “Create a career and make a life”. Pani: For schools, the career advisor gives teaching staff a focus on applying their subject areas towards career opportunities. For students, we provide an extra form of support to help them identify their interests, qualities and skills and link these with possible career pathways.

How do you work with students who might otherwise leave school? Maggie: I try to involve the parents/ caregivers in a family conference, often involving the dean or guidance counsellor. We need to resolve what is in the student’s best interest – often this is the specialist knowledge the career developer has of appropriate pathways that can be used outside of the school system. Pani: Being honest is the right approach to take. I have often used the line “You might as well go straight to WINZ and sign up for the dole” to students who seriously think they can leave school without NCEA L1. Gaining a rapport and building solid relationships is crucial – if students don’t come and see you on their own accord, why are you there?

- By Peter Goodwin

Do you also arrange work placements? Maggie: Yes, we see great value in work placement and encourage all Year 12 students to go out on a work experience placement. We also encourage students to consider apprenticeships and I wish more were available. We utilise STAR funding to give students experiences outside the classroom. Our school was a pilot Gateway school in 2000, so we have a well established programme which has benefited many students. Pani: My role is career advisor, Gateway and STAR co-ordinator and teacher of life skills, so I do organise work placement for the Gateway students. We have had 95 - 97 per cent positive outcomes for our Gateway students in the last two years. Data shows that STAR funding is not being utilised for Maori and Pacific Island students as it should be and many students could be benefiting from this funding.

How can the whole school contribute to career planning for students? Maggie: Career education is most effective when it is seen as an essential component of the education a school provides for its students. Schools need to establish career education and guidance as a whole school responsibility and support teachers to contribute to their student’s education. Pani: Our senior management team are very supportive of career education. I have a regular fortnightly meeting with our deputy principal where ideas for new career initiatives are discussed and agreed upon.

Why is it important to engage families of students in careers education? Maggie: Parents, caregivers and whanau play major roles in their children’s career decisions. Students need their advice and support. Schools should encourage families to be active in their children’s career development.

“Careers advisors are the careers experts in a school. They are the people who are in touch with the latest developments and resources and can assist other staff to develop their competence in delivering careers education,” says Michelle de Vries, a career consultant with Career Services, a government organisation that provides independent career advice and information. Career Services works closely with the Ministry of Education and School Support Services to build career education programmes in schools and, says De Vries, successful schools establish career education and guidance as an essential component of the education provided. “Career education and guidance can be created through pastoral care, learning areas, co-curricular and specific career-related activities. All staff have the opportunity to be involved,” she says. But it’s not just the school that needs to be involved in career education, families, whanau and community have a major influence on a young person’s career decisions. “Students need the advice and support of family, caregivers and whanau as they make their plans and transitions. Engaging with the wider community allows students, staff and families to become more aware of the world of work and the range of opportunities and challenges that students will face.”

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Dyslexia

education

In search of magic bullets

nn Hartley, Chair of the Maori and Pasifika Educational Initiative (MPEI), remarked in a recent article printed by the New Zealand Herald that, “It’s already clear that educational underachievement is unlikely to be overcome by a single silver bullet, but rather by a number of magic bullets”. So what magic bullets work in dyslexia-aware classrooms across New Zealand, and how can these strategies also benefit Maori and Pasifika students who are not dyslexic but who may have certain preferred ways of learning? The motto of the Maori and Pasifika Education Initiative is “We speak for ourselves,” while the mantra of the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand and its 4D initiative is “No student left behind”. So the first magic bullet must be an increased emphasis on the importance of talking, sharing ideas and concepts, and valuing these skills through formal assessment procedures. The key competency “use of language” is of particular importance in terms of the ability of both groups to show what they know in preferred ways, despite weak skills in spelling, sentence construction and paragraphing. The next magic bullet is a willingness to teach and assess across a range of alternative evidence of

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

“

“The first magic bullet must be an increased emphasis on the importance of talking, sharing ideas and concepts.”

achievement – such as contributions to discussions, oral presentations, video evidence, mind maps, story boards, flow charts etc – without always requiring them to be in written form. When English is a second language, or when thinking is faster than reading, it is important that students are given the opportunity to be assessed and given credit for higher order skills such as inference and synthesis through talking as well as writing. The third magic bullet is to use talk to transform preferential/alternative evidence into formal written evidence. Turning any form of alternative evidence into writing is a teachable skill, but one which is often implied or assumed in lesson planning rather than being explicitly taught as a technique. For example, producing a mind map, with one student scribing ideas onto post it notes on behalf of the rest, means students with vivid ideas and language, and those who may think and talk more effectively than they write are included in the process and their contributions add value to the

group. Chunking or breaking lessons up into bite size chunks is the next dyslexia aware magic bullet. The beauty of planning for chunking is that each chunk requires talk in order to review what has just been done and prepare for the next bit. Something as simple as “Tell your partner three things you have discovered about.....” is a valuable technique as is “Next we are going to look at.........Tell your partner / group what you know about it.” The National Curriculum presents education as a journey, with individual entry and exit points. Te Marautanga Aotearoa emphasises the importance of starting points which are defined by a learner’s own knowledge, linking the new to the old and stressing the importance of personalisation – learning how to learn. These approaches, translated into action suggest that much dyslexiaaware best practice is also likely to be best practice for Maori and Pasifika students. The Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand seeks to empower all learners to be the best they can be and is proud of the links it has developed

with Maori educators through its programme of workshops in 2009. So, to return to the question posed at the start, does getting it right for dyslexics mean we get it right for all? The answer must be a very positive and resounding “Yes!”

The Dyslexia Foundation is running workshops by British dyslexia expert Neil MacKay, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, from the end of May until June 4. The workshops range from basic knowledge about dyslexia through to advanced strategies and techniques for working with students with dyslexia. For more information see www.4d.org.nz/workshops/ - By Neil MacKay, an international consultant and trainer, with 28 years teaching experience in secondary and primary schools, specialising in inclusive, whole class approaches to Dyslexia.

School Uniforms

administration & management

Finding the right fit

t’s a perennial problem that rears its head at the start of every school year. Students need new school uniforms to see them through the summer and winter months, but parents and social commentators lament the expense for low and middle-income families. In some cities it can cost more than $800 for a full secondary school uniform by the time blazers, shirts, skirts, shoes and PE equipment emblazoned with the school logo is purchased. Prices differ between schools, but for families with two or more children requiring uniforms it can be a daunting expense. Many schools choose to engage in an exclusive contract with a uniform manufacturer, which enables the school uniform to have unique designs, fabrics, colours and monograms. This has the benefit of making students recognisable when competing at sporting events or taking part in events outside the school grounds. However, parents often baulk at the high cost of these exclusive uniforms and want as much choice as possible when it comes to price. They argue that it is unfair of schools to require they purchase a monogrammed school shirt at a cost of around $40 when a similar shirt on the high street costs half that. This is especially so in primary schools where children are growing and a shirt that fits in the first term may not fit by the start of the fourth when students are expected to wear summer uniforms again. To ensure schools act fairly, and do not breach The Commerce Act by only offering uniforms through a single supplier, the Commerce Commission has issued guidelines that schools should follow when they enter into arrangements for the supply of school uniforms. Commerce Commission director of competition Deborah Battell says buying school uniforms represents a significant cost for parents. “While exclusive arrangements can provide benefits for schools, such as rebates or gifts to support school activities, they also reduce parental choice and can result in increased prices.” On the flipside, however, Battell says exclusive arrangements can also achieve consistent quality and design. “A single supplier may also

ensure efficiency of production which may result in lower prices.” The guidelines advise schools to take into account both the benefits to the school and the price of the uniforms and to take particular care where there is an exclusive supplier arrangement. If schools do choose to offer their uniform through a single supplier, there are a number of ways they can help alleviate the stress parents face when they have to pay out significant amounts of money for a uniform. If the school operates its own uniform shop, offering a range of good quality second-hand uniforms can help to keep the cost down for struggling families. Parents whose children have outgrown their uniforms can donate items for the school to on sell at cost, or alternatively the school may operate a sell on behalf arrangement, where the parents set the price and the school takes a 10 per cent cut of the sale price. A common problem for schools that offer this service, however, is the condition of the uniforms offered for sale. Some donated uniforms have rips, tears or stains that make them unsuitable to on sell and items may not have been drycleaned before being presented for sale. Those schools that do not have their own uniform shop may choose to operate a second-hand uniform register to put buyers in touch with sellers, or may hold uniform sales in the school hall at the end or beginning of the new school year. It can also be helpful to pointing parents to second-hand clothing websites such as Trademe and secondhand.co.nz, and remind them that charity shops in some cities may stock good quality school uniforms. Although schools these days want to have a good image and promote their school brand through the uniform the students wear, schools do need to consider whether the cost of a new uniform is prohibitive to some families.

MAKE MONEY FOR YOUR SCHOOL WITH EVERY PURCHASE

. List your school Uniform with Apparel4U . Give your parents the opportunity to buy direct . Apparel4U will set up a reward system . A percentage of every purchase back to your school It’s time to change the School Uniform monopoly in New Zealand and give parents a fair price for quality product. List and sell with us at: www.apparel4u.co.nz email: info@4ushops.co.nz ph: 09 414 4466 fax: 09 414 4467

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

School Security

administration & management

I spy

and mean someone can be on site within minutes of the alarm going off.

andalism, break ins, arson attempts, tagging and anti-social behaviours, such as bullying, are unfortunately becoming increasingly common in schools around the country. The range of expensive teaching equipment used in today’s schools, such as laptops, audiovisual equipment and interactive whiteboards, provide rich pickings for petty thieves and criminals. Schools are often considered easy marks and, in many cases, are repeatedly targeted. New Zealand’s schools are responsible for ensuring students have a safe and secure environment in which to learn. So how can they ensure staff, students and property are protected? Greg Watts, executive officer of the New Zealand Security Association, says schools should use a reputable security company to review and assess the security needs of the school before making any decisions. “A security consultant can provide unbiased information on the security needs of a school.” Security consultants can advise on the most appropriate alarm systems, whether CCTV is a necessity and the most appropriate locks and security doors for the different areas of the school.

Locked away One of the simplest ways to ensure the school buildings are secure is to invest in commercial grade locks for the windows and doors. A master key system on external doors can be useful. One master key, perhaps held by the principal or caretaker, can be used to open all locks in the system with staff members given keys to only the areas they need. The Ministry of Education recommends that schools maintain an up to date register of all keys given to staff, and implement measures to ensure keys are unable to be copied except by a master locksmith and with written authority. Access control systems, such as pushbutton door locks or swipe card systems, can be used to secure areas of the school that are accessible to members of the public after school hours, or for areas where access needs to be restricted, such as chemical storage areas.

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Catching them in the act

“

“The cameras have been used to identify suspects in several high profile assaults on school grounds.”

An alarming situation Security alarms are an important tool in the fight to deter wouldbe thieves from entering school buildings. The Ministry of Education provides a standard specification for the purchase and installation of security systems to ensure that school security is of good quality, is reliable and is able to grow as the school grows. It also ensures that schools around the country have a consistent level of security. As an example, the specifications require the security systems for schools to be reliable in

the extreme heat situations that can develop when buildings are closed up over the summer holidays. It also stipulates that alarms must also be able to function reliably in an environment where there is a lot of movement of people in short bursts, such as students moving between classes. While an audible alarm can help to deter some break ins, silent monitored alarms can sometimes be more effective if the school has been the target of previous burglaries. These alarm systems trigger a call out by the security company monitoring the alarm

CCTV cameras are also becoming an important weapon in a school’s security arsenal. The cameras have been used to identify suspects in several high profile assaults on school grounds, including a recent incident at Lynfield College where a group of eight armed teenagers from a neighbouring school entered a classroom and beat up a 14-yearold boy in front of his teacher and fellow students. Other schools, such as Palmerston North Boys’ High School, use CCTV surveillance as a means to protect students and school property. The school also makes it clear any instances of bullying caught on its cameras will be dealt with accordingly. Watts says CCTV has its place in some areas but the need for such a system should be evaluated on a case by case basis. “It depends on the area the school is in and the amount of vandalism occurring at the school,” he says. “For those that do need it, it has its place as a deterrent for crime and can be used as evidence in a criminal situation.” For those schools that choose to install CCTV cameras, the Ministry of Education provides guidance on how to make the most effective use of the cameras. It advises schools to ensure cameras are clearly advertised as being installed and make sure sufficient lighting is available to optimise the colour and clarity of camera recordings. However, it is important to ensure the privacy of students and staff is protected and footage caught on CCTV is only used in certain circumstances. In many schools implementing a few additional security measures such as these can help to ensure our students have a safe and secure environment in which to learn. For further information on the Ministry of Education’s security guidelines for schools, see: http://tinyurl.com/24p6r8o

School Security

administration & management Supplier Profile | Kaba New Zealand Ltd

Kaba total access solutions KABA NEW ZEALAND LTD represents the global Kaba Group of companies one of the world’s leading players in the security industry which is dedicated to providing “Total Access Solutions”. An internationally active, listed company, it employs around 9,000 staff in more than 60 countries. Kaba provides innovative, comprehensive access control solutions for schools, universities, hospitals, defense and other commercial and government facilities. It also offers solutions for staff and enterprise data collection which meet client’s needs for security, organisation and convenience. The company is a key expert and technology leader for a range of security solutions. Kaba offers leading technological solutions for mechanical, mechatronic and

electronic access control systems for applications that satisfy a wide variety of security needs. Two important security solutions for schools and tertiary education are restricted Key Systems and Commercial Access Control. restricted master keying systems provide the convenience and security that many customers demand. Kaba key systems include the patented Kaba experT which is a high performance, high security cylinder system suitable for all key systems from large to small, structured to complex. The Kaba experT system fulfills durability demands for a grade 6 after 1 million cycles (ten times more than required) and works ﬂawlessly afterwards. Kaba experT offers the world’s largest expansion rate for master keying (theoretical number of different keys is 269,

684, 591, 731, 200) and has 22 possible pin positions arranged in 4 rows making it the most secure system to guard against picking, raking, bumping, impressioning or manipulation with a key. All keys are colour coded for easy and quick identification. Commercial access control is offered through our worldrenowned Exos, Elolegic & Push button lock systems. The Kaba Exos system offers the latest in online access control which is user friendly, scalable and ﬂexible. Our push button and Elolegic proximity lock system provides access control features whilst remaining stand alone through the use of batteries which saves on large install cost. All of our access control systems can be integrated with the Kaba key systems to make the complete One Key Solution.

Kaba NZ also provides a complete range of contemporary project door hardware offering a variety of styles & finishes to suit the individual needs of schools, universities and other educational facilities. To achieve this we offer, at no charge, a comprehensive and personalised door-by-door hardware scheduling service and general door hardware specification to suit any project needs. Kaba door hardware includes: • Mortice locks • Lever furniture • Door closers • Locksets • Panic exits • And a large selection of necessary project hardware. for more information on any Kaba product or services please contact us at info@kaba.co.nz or free phone us on 0508 727 072

Education Solutions Kaba New Zealand Limited 39A Sir William Avenue East Tamaki Auckland New Zealand Tel: 09 274 3341 Fax: 09 274 3301 info@kaba.co.nz www.kaba.co.nz

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Kelston Boys High School

profiles

Making the transition

he transition from intermediate to high school can be a stressful one for many students as unfamiliar territory is explored, new subjects are taught and new friendships formed. One Auckland school is helping to make that transition smoother for its students with the range of mentoring services it offers to new students and their families. Kelston Boys’ High School (KBHS), located in Waitakere City, Auckland, provides a unique Home Visit programme which sees all Year 9 students visited in their home by their tutor group teacher in the first term. “Home visits are used to ease the transition from intermediate to secondary school and answer any questions parents and students may have,” explains KBHS principal Steve Watt. “The school is located in a relatively low socio-economic area and we find many parents are not comfortable coming in to the school for parent teacher interviews. The home visits are done on a more informal basis and help families become more comfortable with the school,” he says. Senior students also act as mentors to junior students in the house system, emphasising the schools’ ‘big brother, little brother’ philosophy, and are paired with Year 9 students to act as reading supporters. This supportive environment extends to the schools’ dealings with the wider community, in particular its involvement in the

Hands-on learning is promoted at Kelston Boys’ High School.

Achieving @ Waitakere initiative. The initiative was set up by nine secondary schools in Waitakere City that were seeing their top students enticed to top performing schools on the North Shore or in Auckland City. Watt says up to 30 per cent of Waitakere students were leaving the city for their secondary education. “To turn these statistics around we gained Ministry of Education support to raise education levels within the city and improve numeracy and literacy in the junior school. We were the first schools to use the e-asTTle tool and we use best practice to raise our

educational standards,” he says. “The results from the nine schools involved have shown a significant improvement in general education levels and in top student retention over the past few years.” As an added incentive to keep its top students focused through their high school years, KBHS now offers the IGCSE Cambridge examinations to its top students. The school first offered the IGCSE Cambridge examinations in 2008 to a selected group of students because it was finding that its top students weren’t motivated to perform in the end of year NCEA exams and it was having an impact

on their results. “The students hadn’t had the opportunity to put themselves under pressure and their poor exam technique showed,” says Watt. “By offering them dual qualifications in NCEA and the Cambridge exams, our students are now motivated to study and test themselves against the best scholars in New Zealand and the world.” The benefits of introducing the exams have already been noticed as, in 2009, a Year 11 Kelston student was the top ranked scholar in the IGCSE Cambridge mathematics paper.

KYLE CABLING CO LTD Proud to support Kelston Boy’s High School with their Admin and Hall Upgrades SOMERSET APPAREL LTD We at Somerset are pleased to be associated with Kelston Boys High School.

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school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

We have been proudly supplying their school uniform for many years and are looking forward to a long association. We congratulate the school on being selected for this business profile. 17 Pollen Street, Grey Lynn PO Box 5667, Wellesley Street, Auckland

Phone (09) 376 8590 Fax (09) 376 8593 somapp@xtra.co.nz www.somersetapparel.co.nz

Kelston Boys High School

profiles

The school celebrated its 50th Jubilee in 2004 with the opening of the Jubilee Auditorium.

Opportunities to succeed abound throughout the school, not just in the top streams. Students have the opportunity to proceed through four separate pathways (advanced, proficient, basic and elementary) within the school depending on their academic ability. Junior diplomas are offered in each of these streams and exit goal qualifications are identified for each student. Special courses, including an Academic Institute for the most able Year 9 and 10 students, the Gateway Programme and a highly successful services academy in the senior school are also offered. The services academy, in particular, each year prepares a group of young men for careers in the police and armed forces and has been highly successful.

How boys learn Recognised as one of the leading single sex boys schools in New Zealand, KBHS caters for 1100 students, with more than 40 ethnicities represented. As a boys only school, teachers are able to focus on implementing strategies that engage students and complement the way boys like to learn. Teachers have found that boys

The introduction of the IGCSE Cambridge examinations helps keep top students focused.

prefer to concentrate on one thing at a time, they like solving problems, they don’t like writing for long periods of time, they like moving around and ‘hands on’ activities and they like physical activity to be incorporated in their learning. To assist with this the school places great focus on opportunities to learn outside the classroom. For example, the school runs an intensive school camps programme with Year 9 and 10 camps being run by senior boys under the supervision of teaching staff and outside facilitators. As well as the opportunities for camps KBHS offers a wide range of activities, not only in sport, but also in performing arts, cultural activities, work experience and young enterprise. The school has an outstanding reputation in producing top sportsmen and New Zealand representatives. Old boys of the school have represented New Zealand in a wide range of sports and a significant number of All Blacks have been educated at KBHS. With the range of sporting, cultural and academic opportunities available to its students, Kelston Boys’ High School looks set for a bright future.

The arts are seen as an important aspect of the schools’ curriculum.

Profile your

School or Project in

We are always on the lookout for interesting stories about successful schools and exciting projects for our readers. If you would like your school put forward for consideration give our team a call! Phone 09 309 7944 or email profiles@schoolnews.co.nz School NewS: The essential Management Guide for education industry Professionals

Students at Kelston Boys’ represent more than 40 different ethnicities.

SN10_MG_Filler ad_89x131.indd 1

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

5/12/10 10:59:37 AM

school news

Museums

external learning

Museums bring learning to life

Students taking part in an education programme at the Police Museum, Wellington.

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Photo: Hayley Miller

he 2005 Strategy for the Museum Sector in New Zealand states that ‘Museums and art galleries in New Zealand are well positioned to play a dynamic role in our national cultural life as centres of excellence where people can learn, experience and enjoy, and be stimulated to think about their place in the world’. For school students of any age, museums and art galleries offer a variety of learning opportunities across the curriculum, from history and geography to science and social studies. Many of New Zealand’s museums have tailored education programmes to key learning requirements, and employ trained educators to inspire learning by bringing subjects to life. Museums are a valuable learning resource for schools, and are essential to a well rounded education. By providing a tangible visual link to what students are learning in the classroom, museum education programmes enable

students to participate in memorable and inspirational experiences with real artifacts in stimulating environments. Every time a student visits an art gallery, such as City Gallery Wellington, Auckland Art Gallery or Dunedin Public Art Gallery, they can have a totally different visual art experience, as the gallery changes shape with the installation of each new season of exhibitions. Depending on the exhibition they come to see, students might view a wide range of visual arts in many different media, from painting, drawing, photography and sculpture to installation, video and multi-media arts, by either international, national or local artists. Educators at these, and other galleries around the country, provide an extensive programme of curriculum linked visual arts learning experiences in response to inspiring exhibitions, wherein students can be art critics, art historians and artists.

“

Museums

external learning

“Museums are a valuable learning resource for schools, and are essential to a well rounded education.”

Many students learn about artists at school by looking at images in books or on the internet, but nothing compares to being confronted by the real thing. Students are often awestruck by seeing the scale and detail of real artworks. Educators at art galleries around the country aim to enhance this experience and bring the art to life by stimulating student’s creative responses. They inspire students to examine the art they see and make their own personal interpretations of it, developing their visual literacy skills. But it’s not only art galleries that help bring subjects to life. The education programmes at

many of New Zealand’s museums allow students to be actively involved in the learning process, becoming historians and detectives who unravel the mysteries behind the exhibitions. Dynamic delivery of information across a museum’s education programmes is essential and educators at museums such as TheNewDowse in Wellington, Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch and MOTAT in Auckland for example, enjoy dressing up and using drama and other creative tools to make the learning experience exciting and memorable for students. 22 

Exploring the aircraft at the Airforce Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch.

Supplier Proﬁle | air Force Museum of New Zealand

The sky is not the limit THE aIr ForcE MUSEUM offers exciting curriculum-linked programmes that cater for all age groups and levels. when it comes to EoTc programmes, including exclusive access to areas of the Museum not open to the public, we offer some of the best value-formoney, fun and ﬂexible education programmes in New Zealand. as experienced teachers we know how busy classroom life can be; simply make your booking – we’ll take care of the rest. Two of our most popular programmes are:

Exploring Flight get hands-on with ﬂight! Through a series of activities, learn about the parts of an aircraft, how the control surfaces of an aircraft work, the four forces of ﬂight, and what an aerofoil is. Make a kitset glider to take home, and use it to demonstrate new knowledge! (years 4–13 Programme)

Be an Air Force Pilot come to the air Force Museum and be an air Force pilot! after listening to a story about James the air Force Pilot this programme lets children try on real pilot’s clothing, watch an air Force video, sit in an ejection seat, and make a kitset glider to take home. (Kindergarten – year 3 Programme) The air Force Museum of New Zealand is a registered charitable trust so, by booking an Education Programme with us, you are helping to support our national museum of military aviation. we consistently get great feedback from visiting kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools. whether you choose one of our seven available programmes, or have our trained teachers design a speciﬁc programme to meet your needs, you will not be disappointed.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Museums

external learning

 21 Sparking the imaginations and interest of students, so that they are hungry to learn more on their return to the classroom, is one of the key objectives for many museum educators. Educators will often work closely with teachers to achieve this outcome and to tailor programmes that ensure visits are of most benefit to the class and that learning outcomes are met. Visits to museums not only enable students to deepen their knowledge and understanding in specific subject areas but also provide opportunities for them to demonstrate and develop the Key Competencies. Many museum education services are financially supported by the Ministry of Education via their LEOTC Learning Experiences Outside The Classroom fund and can be found listed on their website at www.eotc.tki.org.nz. However this is not an exhaustive list of the programmes available so try contacting your local museum, or get in touch with MEANZ the Museum Education Association of New Zealand www.meanz.org.nz to find out what is available in your region. - By Helen Lloyd, educator, City Gallery Wellington, Erin Flanigan, educator, New Zealand Police Museum, and Andy Glanville, education manager, TheNewDowse

Students taking part in an education programme at City Gallery, Wellington, during the exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years 2009.

New Zealand has some great museums offering all sorts of learning opportunities for students. These are just a few of the many museums and galleries that offer educational programmes for school students.

Airforce Museum The Airforce Museum of New Zealand offers educational tours that cover key competencies in science, technology, English and social sciences. As well as exploring the museum, students can view the storage and restoration hangars, which provides an opportunity to participate in a simulated parachute jump, and can be exposed to a simulated bombing raid in the Pacific Room Simulator Experience. Go to www.airforcemuseum.co.nz for further details.

Ferrymead Ferrymead Historical Park allows students to discover what life was like in the early 1900s. The park is set out as an Edwardian township with cottages, school house, jail, railway station, and picture theatre; and offers educational programmes linked to the science, social sciences and technology curriculums. Visit www.ferrymead.org.nz for more information.

Lakes District Museum The Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown offers a fascinating insight into the history of New Zealand’s Southern Lakes District. It provides educational programmes linked to social science, history and geography. Students can try their hand at gold panning, butter churning and even experience life in an 1880s school house. See www. museumqueenstown.com/ education.htm for further information.

Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery Located in central Napier the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery offers a range of educational programmes that can supplement a variety of curriculum areas including art, social science, technology and science. Educational tours can focus on regional history such as the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake or the art deco influence on the city, or can be more general such as the technology in the 30s and 40s. Visit www.hbmag. co.nz for further details.

New Zealand Police Museum The Police Museum’s forensic programme links directly to the Nature of Science strand of the NZ

curriculum by focusing on scientific investigation. The programme aims to develop students’ respect for the process of gathering, preserving, analysing and communicating scientific evidence, in the context of everyday Police work. Students examine real criminal evidence and find out how it was collected from an actual crime scene and used in a ‘true life’ Police investigation. See sites.google.com/ site/newzealandpolicemuseum/ home/education for more details

TheNewDowse and Petone Settlers Museum The Hutt City Museum’s education team offer programmes across two facilities, TheNewDowse and Petone Settlers Museum. TheNewDowse holds some of the region’s most precious and historically significant Taonga, like Nuku Tewhatewha, a pataka carved in 1856, while the Petone Settlers Museum shares stories of life in Te-Whanganui-A-Tara (Wellington Harbour) in the 1830s and 1840s. It allows students to see artefacts, taonga, dioramas and models of houses, townships and even sailing vessels of the era first hand. Visit www.newdowse.org.nz/ to find out more.

FERRYMEAD

HERITAGE PARK CHRISTCHURCH

External Learning Programme 2010 Heritage; Social Sciences; Technology; English; Arts and Mathematics. Contact: Ferrymead Heritage Park Ph: (03) 384-6492 heritage@ferrymead.org.nz www.ferrymead.org.nz

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Lakes District Museum (LEOTC provider)

A living classroom Hands-on learning experiences Inquiry based learning expriences Years 1 - 10 Social Sciences NCEA Geography, Economics, History Full and half day programmes available

For more information contact: Angela, 03 442 0317 www.handsonhistory.co.nz | handsonhistory@queenstown.co.nz

The Photography Room

teaching resources

The move to digital

e’ve still got our first digital SLR: A Canon EOS 300D, the silver version. We bought it in 2005 and, to start with, I wouldn’t let students take it out of the classroom. That didn’t really work though, because they wanted to shoot projects that involved other locations, and it was hard to argue that an exploration of industrial spaces and fluorescent light – a là Rut Blees Luxemburg – could be done with analogue black and white, the only other technology they had access to. During that first year I had about a third of a class of Level 3 students fighting over the 300D, while the rest continued in the darkroom. As the year progressed I noticed that despite the 300D being shared between half a dozen students, they were producing more photos each than the students who were using their own cameras and working in the darkroom.

Making lots of photos is by no means a guarantee of producing good work, but it does seem to allow for more critical engagement with image making. I would look over a proof sheet with a student, and when I suggested that they should re-shoot several images to explore some different lighting or another composition, they would come back the next day with the new images. A three-week turn around was about usual for students using analogue. Based on this experience of the positive impact on student learning of single 300D, we worked hard to secure some extra funding, and managed to purchase a dozen 350D’s for the following year. This allowed us to introduce students to digital photography at NCEA Level 2. Again, students would present a proof sheet, discuss it with their teacher, go away and shoot more images, and return with a new proof sheet within the week. 24 

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“In my experience, making and reflecting on more images helps students to develop and extend their ideas to a much greater degree.”

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w w w.kens.co.nz Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

The Photography Room

teaching resources

 23 At about this time we had to make a decision: replace a darkroom full of dying enlargers with new ones, or abandon the darkroom and invest in more cameras and computers instead. I’d initially been a staunch supporter of the need for students to know the analogue version of what they could do in PhotoShop. “If a student’s going to use the dodge tool, they need to know how to get the same effect in the darkroom.” However, when it came down to students learning how to make great images, the bottom line was that we needed to invest in whatever was going to be most beneficial for the students’ learning. In my experience, making and reflecting on more images helps

students to develop and extend their ideas to a much greater degree. Using digital processes allows us to teach the basics of how to use an SLR, just as we did when using film and darkroom. The major point of difference though, and the one that I think has an enormously positive effect on student learning, is that the technology no longer dominates the learning. We now spend about four weeks during the NCEA Level 1 course teaching students how to use the basic technologies – digital SLR, iMac for uploading and manipulating images, and inkjet printer – then focus the rest of their time on how to make really good images from a pictorial and conceptual point of view. In comparison, we’d spend about a term teaching camera and

darkroom skills with analogue. Of course, a lot more learning about the technology takes place as students progress, but this is in support of making the images the students want, not the other way around. Interestingly, during the last couple of years we’ve started to re-introduce students to analogue processes. Not as a core component of the course, but as a way of encouraging them to push the limits of their understanding of photography. We’re now using a mix of photograms, Polaroid, and 120mm colour film shot on a Holga to supplement the image making they do with the Canon EOS’s. This combination of low-tech, where there’s no opportunity for ‘edit-undo’, with hi-tech digital

shooting, manipulating, and printing has led to increasingly rich investigations of photographic image making (and, as a byproduct, increasingly good NCEA grades). At the core of this approach is a belief that our students, as developing photographic artists, should be familiar with as many technologies as possible. The more they know, the more tools they have to make the images that they want to make. This making is not driven by a specific technology, whether analogue or digital, but by investigating and learning from the photographs made by other artists. - By Sam Cunnane, photography teacher and head of visual arts, Fraser High School, Hamilton.

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school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Ergonomics

teaching resources

Fully adjustable

Modern classroom furniture should be mobile and easy to move.

uge emphasis is placed on ensuring our children are sitting on the best chairs and at the most appropriate desks, but too often our school leaders and teachers are overlooked. Teachers spend many hours on their feet in the classroom and then sit for hours at a time to prepare lessons and mark work. Today’s classrooms are far removed from yesteryear where students stayed in one place all day and sat lined in rows facing the front. We have learnt that flexibility in our learning environments is paramount to student learning, and it stands to reason that this should apply to the teacher taking the classes. All teachers and principals are different, they have different needs and different bodies, so the key to choosing the best furniture is adjustability. One of the most important features when considering furniture for the

Preventing discomfort ACC and the Department of Labour are working to update the Approved Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Visual Display Units in the Place of Work (1995). The updated document, the Computer Guidelines for the prevention and management of discomfort, pain and injury, is currently in its draft format and is due for release in June. “Computers are such a big part

teacher is the chair. It should be height adjustable so that the teacher can sit with their feet on the floor helping to avoid strain to the back and the legs. The seat should be contoured with a rounded front edge to avoid pressure points and restriction of circulation to the legs. Lumbar support and back angle adjustments should be the bare minimum, however the best choice would be an added function on the chair that allows the seat to tilt forward, providing advantages for the pelvis and lumbar spine posture. Studies have shown that shifting positions and postures during the course of the day can help reduce RSI type injuries. As a result, a desk that can be set low for writing and keyboard work and high for discussions and reviewing student’s work works best for many teachers. It also avoids putting pressure on the same muscles and bones, and promotes better of people’s lives that we need a document that is up-to-date and relevant to help prevent injuries that occur through the use of technology,” says Lorraine Gardner Wood, ACC programme manager for Workplace Injury Prevention. The guidelines highlight the health problems that can occur from using computers for any length of time, and provide advice on organising work, providing a suitable work environment and establishing a comfortable computer workstation – advice that is important for teachers and students alike.

physical health. An added bonus to all of this is that it has been shown that working standing at your desk can help burn calories and keep the mind alert. If sitting at a non-height adjustable desk, the desk top should be level with the elbows with arms hanging down

and elbows at 90 degrees. The monitor should be placed approximately 45 – 60 cms (or arm’s length) from the body, and should be at a height that has the head parallel to the screen without having to tilt your head to see the screen. With today’s flexible learning spaces, furniture is moved frequently to suit the type of lessons that are taking place. Furniture, outside of the teachers desk and chair, should be mobile and easy to move to ensure the teachers’ back is protected. Trolleys are another option available on the market for the movement of bulky, heavy teaching equipment to assist in preventing back injuries. Furniture suppliers in New Zealand will often have height adjustable teachers’ desks, administration desks and gas lift chairs available for purchase. When buying furniture, deal with manufacturers and suppliers that offer choice, have the ability to design specific items and have an interest in the end users health. - By Julie Carter, director, Distinction Furniture

Why Distinction ? - When purchasing from us you are buying quality furniture from an experienced team who know furniture - Specialists in new school projects - We offer innovative solutions that fit the needs of a modern classroom - Our vast range of furniture ensures that you receive a product that suits your needs - We offer a minimum 10 year warranty on all our products

Phone: (09) 523 4092 - Fax: (09) 523 4093 view our website www.distinction.net.nz

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Case Study: Kaipara College

teaching resources

That sinking feeling

n 2006, the students at Kaipara College in Helensville, north of Auckland, started to get a sinking feeling during science classes. But it wasn’t the threat of a pop quiz or even upcoming exams giving them that feeling – it was the building. The school’s existing science block had started to sink. As John Grant, principal of Kaipara College explains, the school is situated on the Kaipara Harbour in an area with difficult geology. “The soils in the area are soft and vary dramatically in their load bearing capacity.” This, along with cost issues and potential disruption to classes, meant that repairs to the existing buildings were not feasible and the decision was made to rebuild the science block in an area of the school with more stable geology. However, with the whole school undergoing a period of substantial redevelopment, finding a position large enough for the science block, that was also in keeping with the overall development plan for the school, was a challenge. But, with a bit of reshuffling of existing classrooms and buildings, a suitable space was found and development of the block commenced in September 2009. The result is an innovative building that allows teachers and students to interact around a central teacher demonstration desk, and one which includes many of the latest technologies and safety features. During the design process, Sue Glasson, the school’s facilities manager and laboratory technician, head of science Peter Soole, and deputy head Richard Limmer, identified a number of areas where laboratory space could be used more efficiently. Glasson says the school’s science teachers examined how they taught, what worked best in the classroom and what they wanted to change. “The room layout and seating were trialled in a laboratory with similar proportions to the ones being offered in the new block,” she says. “When it came time to actually draw up the building we had very clear views on what had to be in each room and

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

The science block is taking shape

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“When it came time to actually draw up the building we had very clear views on what had to be in each room and the spaces and services required.” – Sue Glasson, facilities manager and laboratory

the spaces and services required.” As a result, the only storage is at the front of the classroom, allowing greater workspace in the remainder of the laboratory. The staff resource area has two large bays of rolling shelving to accommodate resources and equipment, and a lockup trolley bay in each laboratory provides safe storage of chemicals and equipment setups needed during the day. Every laboratory has an identical layout and identical control panels, and there are windows between the laboratories that allow teachers to monitor adjacent classrooms. A lot of thought has also gone into the control systems in the building, to make them energy efficient and to provide a number of tools to keep staff and students safe. “There is a big red stop button in each laboratory,” says Glasson.

technician, Kaipara College

The shell of the atrium which will be used for displays.

“This stops everything in the laboratory except for three 24-hour power outlets. In the event of a fire alarm, or at the end of the day, staff can be sure there is nothing left running and the gas is off.” Most windows are double glazed to increase the thermal efficiency and reduce noise transmission, and variable AC/DC low voltage power is provided at each student experimental station and at the teachers’ demonstration bench. The air conditioning and extraction fans are interconnected and cannot be run simultaneously to save energy. The inclusion of all students is important and the laboratories have been designed with disabled students in mind. Each lab, for example, has a student experimental area set up at wheelchair height so that, with the help of their teacher aide, disabled students can do the practical experiments themselves. “We have several students in wheel chairs and strive for their full inclusion,” says Glasson. A senior laboratory is set up for year 13 classes, which tend to be smaller. It is student laptop ready with plenty of data outlets and is planned to be a space where senior students, year 12 and 13, can do long term experiments and studies that run for several weeks. The school also created a virtual laboratory within the building to provide additional teaching space and remove students’ computers from the wet chemistry teaching spaces. “The virtual laboratory allows for software-based learning. Virtual chemistry and physics classes, for example, allow student to experiment individually and answer class work sheets on the computers,” says Glasson. Technology is key throughout the development and the ultimate aim is for each teacher to have a computer at their desk, a data projector, and a tablet interface, which allows control of the audio visual equipment from anywhere in the room. “Successful lessons will be stored electronically and can be used and improved in future,” says Glasson. “Each room is also capable

Case Study: Kaipara College

teaching resources

The new building provides two buildings on the same floor slab

of voice amplification through speakers in the ceiling and we hope to be able to use personal response systems to track student learning outcomes and get instant feedback during lessons.” But it’s not just the technology and safety features that will set this science block apart, the design is also innovative as it provides two buildings on the same floor slab with a blue glass atrium hall and display area in between, giving two separate fire zones within the block. Waitakere Architects have used blue, grey and green float glass and several cladding materials and colours to define various parts of the core structure and the use of exterior cladding to line the atrium gives an indoor/outdoor feel, whilst providing a very durable wall lining for the corridor. So what advice would Kaipara College give to other schools thinking of updating their science block? “Allow plenty of time to plan what is required in the building. We spent two years researching items we wanted to incorporate into our dream science block,” says Glasson. “Science teachers know more than architects about what is required to successfully teach science, so the design should allow for staff to teach the way they intend to, well into the future. Providing the architects with all the information specific to teaching science at Kaipara College made the design process quick, clear and precise. Our science teachers can’t wait to get in to their new building,” she says.

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“We spent two years researching items we wanted to incorporate into our dream science block.” – Sue Glasson, facilities manager and laboratory

technician, Kaipara College

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Libraries

teaching resources

Broadening the information landscape

ducation professionals, whether they are teachers or librarians, talk much about the information landscape in which their students live and learn. Finding enough information is no longer the greatest difficulty, but rather management and critical analysis of the information available have become paramount. New Zealand’s new curriculum expressly requires that educators conjure into being young people who are connected, critically literate users and creators of information. The effective pedagogy section of the New Zealand Curriculum document expects that: “Effective teachers stimulate the curiosity of their students, require them to search for relevant information and ideas, and

challenge them to use or apply what they discover in new contexts or in new ways”. How can school libraries support teaching and learning in these areas? One of the best tools in any school’s arsenal should be a well resourced library, staffed by highly skilled professionals, and which employs the latest technology to support student learning. A good school library operates as the information hub of the school. It is the place to which teachers and students turn in their quest to locate the best, most relevant, and most up-to-date information which will help them not just to complete the assignments set, but to also create new understandings, and to build real connections to their world.

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Phone 0800-493378 WWW.HYDESTOR.CO.NZ school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

The new generation library software can be a very effective tool in this fight to better manage information, and present it to users in a coherent, accessible and timely way. No longer simply a catalogue of what is available within the walls of the library; the web opac innovation in library software can take student access beyond the walls of the school, into their homes, and across the World Wide Web. Librarians can now catalogue not just newly accessioned resources, but also link databases and specific, relevant, carefully evaluated websites to the library catalogue itself. For schools that are prepared to allow their library catalogue to sit on the school network and be accessed by students from the classrooms and at home, a new world of managed information access becomes available. Another of the features being offered by library software providers is

a greater degree of user interactivity. Young Johnny, currently sitting at the computer in your school library, expects that he won’t just be able to read the words on the screen, but that he can interact with the software. He wants to place his own reserves, and renew his own books. He would like to upload his own book reviews, and enjoy reading the reviews of his classmates. He would definitely be keen to tag resources for future reference with his own keywords – which are meaningful to him and his peers, but which won’t necessarily meet the strict criteria laid down by Dewey. The software is there, and ready to go, and Johnny is more than willing to use it – the barrier to this particular innovation is likely to be the reluctance of teachers and librarians to hand over control to their young patrons. Schools will need to decide if this innovation is a challenge, or an opportunity.

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Libraries

teaching resources

“As with all technology, the innovations are exciting, and have huge potential not just for student learning, but also for student engagement.”

School libraries are now also being offered a new generation of information resources, in the form of e-books. The earliest iterations were simply digital editions of hard copy books newly published. Purchased together or separately, the e-resource can sit on the school intranet, and be available to multiple users, depending on licensing restrictions, and has enormous potential for interactive whiteboard classrooms. E-books are relatively expensive; however, the potential for sharing texts, discussing text features, and critically analysing the information as a class is enormous. The next innovation, becoming available now from providers such as World Book, is e-books purchased on subscription, to which live updates can be accessed via a web connection.

These changes in information access and storage are likely to create some additional networking and hardware issues for schools. Indeed, one of the most critical issues faced by school library teams is technical support within the school – the functionality is readily there from most library software providers, but implementation can be hindered by technical and security issues within the school’s own computer networks. As with all technology, the innovations are exciting, and have huge potential not just for student learning, but also for student engagement. The challenge is to make it work – seemingly effortlessly, seamlessly, efficiently, and preferably yesterday. It’s what the Web 2.0 generation expect! - By Donna Watt, communications leader, SLANZA

Super shelving Display of resources is an ongoing challenge for most school libraries. Space is always at a premium, as many libraries have fixed wall shelving and very little wall space remains for displaying curriculum resources and new purchases. Modern library shelving systems increasingly offer the option of flexible face-out display shelves. These can be angled amongst regular shelving, and allow covers to be clearly seen. The reluctant reader, in particular, is more likely to pick

up a book whose cover can be seen, than he is to select something from a row of spines. Modular, mobile shelving systems are also an effective way to upgrade the library environment at a reasonable cost. These allow the library team to reconfigure the library work spaces as the school’s needs change, and the collection develops. These shelving units are on wheels, and can be purchased in a range of configurations depending on the school’s requirements. They, too, provide an excellent way to ensure that the library is a constantly changing and interesting space.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Book Reviews

teaching resources

New books on the block How do expert teachers do it? How do they enhance student learning? How do they manage the dilemmas and tensions inherent in working with 25 different students in every lesson? Drawing on the best research on pedagogy, Loughran outlines the crucial principles of teaching and learning, and shows how they are translated into practice using real classroom examples. He emphasises that teaching procedures need to be part of an integrated approach, so that they are genuinely meaningful and result in learning.

The Haystack By Jack Lasenby Published by HarperCollins RRP$19.99 It’s the 1930s Depression, and Maggie is growing up without a mother in the tiny Waikato dairying township of Waharoa. Maggie is learning how to take care of herself. She has to make do with her father’s friends, neighbours, and old Mrs Dainty who should know better but can’t help herself. She torments the boy down the road, sets fire to the dunny, helps to build a haystack, and sees first-hand, the tragedy of unemployment.

Throughout he shows how teachers can engage their students in ways that create a real ‘need to know’, and a desire to become active learners.

**Teachers - win a copy of What Expert Teachers Do and About Time for Teaching. To enter, simply email us your name, school and address at win@schoolnews.co.nz with Time for Teaching in the subject line.

from the highest-achieving students in New Zealand and Australia. The students tell us how they blitzed the year, each in their own way – including how they handled stress, what they ate, how they fit in parties, sports and socialising, whether they found studying with friends helped or not and the importance of picking subjects you like. And the students’ Number One tip?... use your time well. The highestachieving students said they did as much work in school as possible - they listened hard, took notes, and asked ‘dumb’ questions. All students will benefit from these excellent tips and tricks to doing well in the last year of high school.

They escape Onewére on an untested sailing craft, hoping to find reprieve and rescue on Marawa Island. But when they finally reach their destination the island appears to be solely inhabited by birds. Perhaps the Apostles dire warning about the fall-out of the Tribulation were true after all? This fast-paced, direct and powerful novel is the thrilling sequel to The Crossing, which was recently shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Awards.

**School News has three copies of Max Your Marks: Tips from top students on how to conquer Year 13 to give away. To enter the draw, email win@schoolnews.co.nz with Max Your Marks in the subject line. Please include the name, telephone number and address of your school. Entries close Friday July 16 and winners will be announced in the Term 3 edition.

The Haystack is the latest in a long series of books Lasenby has written about his childhood town of Waharoa. It is a charming tale for junior readers, with much that will be poignant to adults as well.

The second book in the Blood of the Lamb trilogy, Into the Wilderness continues the story of Maryam, Joseph, Ruth and Lazarus.

About Time for Teaching By Robyn Pearce Published by Getting a Grip Publishing RRP$34.95 About Time for Teaching, 120 timesaving tips for teachers and those who support them, is a useful book full of practical tips to help teachers and administrators save time and sanity.

MAX YOUR MARKS:

The books offers best practice advice on eliminating classroom clutter, reducing interruptions, enjoying your own kids outside of school, simplifying and reducing meetings and effective communication strategies.

Tips from top students on how to conquer Year 13 by Rowena Austin & Annie Hastwell, with Dorothy Vinicombe Published by Allen & Unwin RRP$23.99

What Expert Teachers Do By John Loughran Published by Allen & Unwin RRP$55

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Each year about 40,000 students from around New Zealand complete year 13 assessment. And the competition for top marks is intense. Max Your Marks offers study advice and lifestyle tips

Into the Wilderness By Mandy Hagar Published by Random House RRP$19.99 Age 15+

It also contains four chapters dedicated to school support staff and the important role they play.

Performing Arts

teaching resources

First steps to success

he performing arts are becoming more highly valued by the community and this trend is reflected in our schools with a growing number building new or improving existing theatrical facilities. One problem many schools face is that there’s no magic recipe for creating an ideal theatre. Two schools could build theatre spaces of a similar size and shape, yet one school ends up with a great little theatre while the other ends up with a dysfunctional room that nobody likes using. Why is this? As the old adage says, the devil is in the details. Theatrical equipment can only function effectively and safely if it’s positioned at exactly the right places within the theatre space. That position varies from one type of performance to another so a great deal of flexibility needs to be incorporated into the design of the theatre space to enable equipment to be moved about as required. This requires lots of wiring to various power points and connector panels for sound, video and data equipment. The best place for wiring is inside the wall cavity so it’s essential to install it early during the build process because adding or changing wiring after the walls are lined is more difficult and expensive. It is also wise to build in a fair amount of future-proofing to accommodate emerging technologies. Then there are all the drapes that are needed to define the theatre space and provide masking so the audience cannot see into the off-stage areas. Usually there will be a house curtain which is used to separate the stage

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“Theatrical equipment can only function effectively and safely if it’s positioned at exactly the right places within the theatre space.”

from the audience between acts, and mid-stage tabs may also be desirable. Ordinary fabrics and curtain tracks are not suitable, you need serious durability and fire safety regulations must also be complied with. The majority of the theatrical equipment will be suspended from the building structure several metres above the stage and auditorium so the question of safe access must be addressed. The combined weight of all the suspended equipment can be surprisingly large. A lighting bar with lights may well weigh 200kg, and most facilities will need more than one lighting bar.

The weight will not be evenly distributed over the building structure either; there will be some points where substantial extra strength needs to be built into the building. For example, if the house curtain weighs 100kg, its weight is nicely spread across the width of the building when the curtain is closed but when it is open there will be 50kg at each end of its track. Add to that same point a 50kg speaker bin plus some lights and you could have the better part of 200kg at just one point on each side of the stage. If the building isn’t strong enough to support this weight the equipment can’t be installed, and if someone

without adequate knowledge does install it, you immediately have a very serious safety hazard. Another problem is the budget. In reality budgets are always tight, even in large municipal facilities, so the difference between achieving your desired outcome and ending up with a dysfunctional facility is in the planning and design. It is true that tight budgets carefully applied over several years can achieve fantastic outcomes providing a robust plan is followed and only good quality professional equipment is purchased. If you purchase cheap equipment it will burn up your budget with ongoing maintenance and replacement costs preventing you from building up your desired equipment list. The first step to success is to engage the services of an experienced theatre consultant who has expert knowledge of all aspects of theatre technology, the building process, and the associated standards and regulations. On a large project your consultant will need to be able to work with your architect. The consultant will design systems for your theatre facility that will work properly with products from any reputable manufacturer, and will be able to recommend the optimum choice of products for your needs. These products will be available from multiple suppliers to enable your school to obtain competitive quotes and carry out due diligence as desired. - By Steve Reader, managing director, Adena

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Food Safety

food & beverage

Safe food tips for the school canteen

iseases carried in food can make students and staff very sick, and foodborne illnesses can quickly spread in environments like schools where lots of people are in close contact. Fortunately, food poisoning cases linked to school canteens in New Zealand appear to be uncommon but they do occur. As a result canteen staff need to be properly trained, scrupulous about hygiene, and kept up to date with changes in the canteen. In one case where a student fell sick with campylobacteriosis, the probable cause was linked back to an undercooked chicken patty served by the school canteen. Investigations showed it was a new product but staff had cooked it the same way they had cooked the previous product. An important difference was overlooked – the previous brand of chicken patty was precooked, while the new one was raw. The same time and temperature was used to cook the new product because staff assumed it was also precooked. The incident highlighted several shortcomings in the canteen’s operation: no temperature check was done on any cooked product, there was no temperature check of incoming product or storage conditions, no staff sickness policy was in place, and the canteen was not inspected by any agency and had no food control plan or similar food safety measure in place. School canteens are exempt from registration under the rules covering food premises but they still have to ensure the same level of food safety as any premises selling food. Here’s how workers in the school canteen can reduce the spread of foodborne illness:

Training Staff and volunteers should be trained in safe food handling practices before they start the job, whenever new equipment, products or procedures are introduced, or if a food handling problem is identified.

Personal hygiene • Wash hands before preparing food, between preparing different foods, and after using the toilet. • Avoid touching your hair or face,

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

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“School canteens are exempt from registration under the rules covering food premises but they still have to ensure the same level of food safety as any premises selling food.”

and keep your hair tied back and covered. Also remember to keep wounds or skin rashes covered with a brightly covered plaster and disposable gloves. • Cough or sneeze into an elbow, not your hand, and don’t handle both money and food. • Food should be tasted with a clean spoon, not fingers. Use tongs, scoops and spoons instead of hands to handle food wherever possible.

Store food safely • Order only what you need and rotate stock properly – first in, first out. This reduces the amount of leftovers and wastage. Develop a relationship with your supplier so you can be sure the food is transported under safe conditions. • Check the ‘use by’ date – it is illegal to sell food after this date. Food is safe to eat after the ‘best by’ date but the quality may have deteriorated. • Store food as recommended by the manufacturer. Use a fridge/ freezer thermometer to check

your fridge is between 2–4°C and the freezer is between -15 and -18°C. • Avoid overloading the fridge as this makes it difficult to keep it at safe temperatures. • Cover all food while on display or in storage. Store raw foods in covered dishes below cooked foods in the fridge – in particular store raw meats on the bottom shelf to prevent juices dripping on cooked or ready-to-eat food. • Keep rubbish in covered bins away from food preparation areas.

Food preparation and cooking • Clean chopping boards and utensils thoroughly before preparing food and between preparation of different foods – especially raw and cooked foods. If possible use separate chopping boards and knives for raw meat. • Wash all fruit and vegetables thoroughly. • Cook hot foods right through and reheat foods until steaming hot. • Do not refreeze thawed or heated food and do not reheat

food more than once. • Keep cold foods cold (below 4°C) and hot foods hot (above 60°C). Remember the two-hour rule: never leave perishable foods between 4°C and 60°C for more than two hours. If in doubt, throw it out. • Try to minimise leftovers by monitoring what you’re selling and ordering only what you need. Leftovers can be used if they are cooked in a ‘new’ product eg, leftover potatoes made into potato top pie. School canteens don’t have to be registered with the local council, but most council environmental health officers are happy to provide guidance and advice. Useful tips and templates for recording safe food handling practices can be found in NZFSA’s food service and catering food control plans which can be downloaded free from www.nzfsa.govt.nz. - By Elspeth McIntyre, senior advisor (communications), New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

Grow Your Own

food & beverage

Brain food

cross the country, students of all ages are mucking in at school gardens, then tucking into a healthy harvest of seasonal fruits and vegetables. As well as benefiting their growing bodies, these school gardening projects are enriching learning across the curriculum, and fostering strong ties between schools and their wider communities. At May Road School, in Mt Roskill, Auckland, the focus on community has been one of the most important outcomes of establishing the school garden. “It’s been a great way to get the community involved with the school and get the community to care for the school,” says principal Lynda Stuart. “People have looked after our garden – it’s helped make the school a hub of the community.” That connection has also seen the school reaching out to help the community, sharing the harvest during plentiful times and offering cooking classes to help parents learn about preparing healthy meals. The connection to the wider community also extends to teaching children about using natural resources wisely. “It’s all about sustainability,” Stuart says. Using the environment effectively is part of the curriculum and students at May Road School have set up composting systems, a worm farm and are establishing a recycling station. Along with the environmental focus, many other areas of learning also tie into the gardening experience. East Tamaki School principal Sarah Mirams says her school’s gardening project fits in with the curriculum key competencies

Bumper harvests are shared with the community.

and several curriculum areas including maths, health, social studies, science, English and technology. “The programme provides authentic learning opportunities in all these areas,” she says. East Tamaki School started its garden 18 months ago, developing a disused area of the school grounds into a veggie patch. The school then became involved with a project from the Garden to Table Trust, an organisation which facilitates programmes that teach students to grow, harvest, prepare and share food. Students, volunteers, and paid professionals from the trust now work together to plant, harvest and prepare healthy food. At the end of a cooking session, children, staff and volunteers sit down to share a meal together. Tables are set with flowers from the garden, and children start the meal with a prayer in one of their first languages. After each session, one of the children thanks the volunteers for the work they’ve done that day. Back in the classroom, children keep a garden journal with copies of the recipes they’ve cooked and entries about what they’ve done that day. “It’s very much about the children doing the work, with the volunteers alongside them,” Mirams says. “The children love eating what they have made, and are extremely proud of the garden and their cooking.” As a result, Mirams reports, the school has healthier children with enhanced social skills and greater knowledge of gardening and cooking. The children are also spreading the message, and more

The May Road School garden has encouraged the community to get involved.

gardening is happening in children’s homes and the wider community. Spreading the gardening message through children’s learning is also the aim for the Tui Great NZ Schools Grow Off, says Tui business development manager Katie Hertnon. “I think there was sort of a lost generation, where our parents didn’t necessarily teach us how to grow things because supermarkets were everywhere and we didn’t need to grow our own food,” Hertnon says. “We’d like to see the next generation learning from an early age, so it’s just natural for them to grow their own fruits and vegetables. It’s such a healthy hobby, and if you can provide for yourself, it’s a good step towards sustainability.” The initial Schools Grow Off was just for primary and intermediate schools, but the 2010 competition, which will start in Term 3, will also include preschools and colleges. “We’ve been blown away by how eager schools are to grow their own vegetables, and how strapped they are for resources,” Hertnon says. To that end, Tui will provide all schools

that register for the Grow Off with plenty of information and gardening tips, bags of Tui vegetable mix, and, in partnership with Zealandia Nurseries, a generous starting supply of seedlings. At East Tamaki School, Sarah Mirams has also heard from a lot of schools keen to get their gardens growing. “It’s very much a growth area. We get so much interest from schools all over NZ,” she says. “Driving this is the increased interest in gardening and sustainability throughout society, and also the focus on healthy eating.” Stuart agrees. “It’s about promoting healthy living, healthy lifestyles and health in an overall way,” she says. “The children’s knowledge about gardening, about plants and about what plants need to survive – all that has grown exponentially,” In this year’s Great NZ Schools Grow Off, and in school gardens across the country, the proof will be not just in the tasting, but in the learning. - By Kelli Hedges.

Students and their parents learn about healthy eating.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Hygienic Waste Disposal

health & safety

Built to be better for the environment

Bio Bin

Revolutionary biodegradable sanitary disposal system

ften considered the bane of many a school caretakers’ life, unblocking toilets caused by students flushing feminine hygiene products is one of the more unenviable tasks they have to undertake on a regular basis. With statistics showing the average woman will use around 11,000 sanitary items during her lifetime, it’s likely that a significant proportion will be flushed down the school toilets on a daily basis. Schools have a responsibility to provide a safe and hygienic environment for all students and hygienic waste disposal facilities are an essential requirement for any school with female staff and students. There are a number of features that those selecting hygienic waste disposal facilities need to take into account. For example, it is recommended that the waste disposal facilities have the option of a touch-free operation, sensor or pedal so users can avoid the need to touch the unit. It should hold a large amount of waste, and should be easy to service regularly. David Andrews, managing director of TerraCyclic, a hygienic waste disposal manufacturer whose product is exclusively distributed in New Zealand by Powder Room Services, says toilet cubicles are also getting smaller and a cylindrical unit will take up less space in this confined environment. “Females, when asked, say a wall mounted cylindrical unit is less intrusive than the large rectangular units, which are often jammed in beside the toilet seat,” he says. But the supply of these services doesn’t need to come at a cost to the environment. With schools and students giving more thought to the way in which they can operate in a sustainable manner,

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

and placing greater emphasis on the use of environmentally-friendly products, hygienic waste disposal services are responding. The current trend is for environmentally-friendly sanitary disposal bins that are better for the planet. In many cases, the plastic cartridges that hold the waste products are now made from biodegradable plastic that is better for the environment. Conventional plastics break down very slowly – often taking decades or even centuries. But new generation technology, such as that used in the Bio Bin from TerraCyclic, breaks down much faster. Once put into landfills, these cartridges safely degrade and biodegrade within nine months to five years. “The norm throughout the sanitary hygiene world is to have large trucks to transport the waste receptacles, large premises to be able to accommodate fossil fuel burning washing machines, powerful exhaust fans, and special plumbing to cope with the residue,” says Andrews. “However, systems such as the Bio Bin require only small vans to service, no washing machines, or exhaust fans, and more importantly no water to clean.” Even the deodorisers used in the bins are being made from essential oils to ensure they are non caustic and biodegradable. “The hygienic waste industry as a whole is trying to find ways to be more environmentally-friendly,” he says. And, with schools at the forefront of teaching students to be environmentally responsible, that can only be of benefit to future generations of students.

“Schools have a responsibility to provide a safe and hygienic environment for all students.”

Hygienic Waste Disposal

health & safety

Hand washing habits

ith recent research from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service revealing that one in five men and one in ten women leave public toilets without washing their hands, implementing a good hand washing routine in our students has become all the more important. “Hand hygiene behaviours learnt today will be taken forward as students get older,” explains MinSiew Teo, brand manager at Initial Hygiene. “When you think about what and who you touch on a daily basis, hand hygiene is extremely important,” she says. “Your hands are responsible for transferring bacteria and, when you realise cold and flu viruses can survive on surfaces for more than 24 hours, it is important we teach our children to wash their hands properly.” As a result, Initial Hygiene have

Washing tips Four simple steps to keeping your hands clean: • Wet your hands with warm running water. • Add soap, then rub your hands together vigorously, making a soapy lather. Do this away from the running water for at least 20 seconds, being careful not to wash the lather away. Wash the front and

says Geoff Polkinghorne, general

back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.

manager of Initial Hygiene. Posters have been distributed to schools across the country

• Rinse your hands well under warm running water. Let the water run back into the sink, not down to your elbows.

promoting hand hygiene and

• Dry hands thoroughly with a clean paper towel or under a hand dryer for 20 seconds. This is most important, as drying your hands after washing them will help remove bacteria and also reduce bacterial count by an average of 58 per cent.

students can achieve a Hand

inviting students to play the Mission Clean Hands game on the company’s website, where Hygiene Diploma. In 2009 colouring competitions and essay competitions were used to help reinforce the hand hygiene message, and 30 schools around the country were given hand sanitisers. Launched in conjunction with the Food Safety Authority’s annual

launched Hands on Hygiene, an education programme to teach New Zealand students about the importance of washing their hands. “Hand washing is a bit of a

boring subject for kids, so we have come up with a variety of fun, interactive activities to interest and engage them – getting them excited about hand hygiene.”

Foodsafe Week, this year’s Hands on Hygiene programme will offer something different and will be introduced to as many schools as possible, says Teo.

Help your school pass the hygiene test.

Initial Hygiene Touch-Free Sanitary Units Initial Hygiene Anti-Bacterial General Purpose Wipes

Initial Hygiene Hand Sanitiser An ethanol-based hand sanitiser that kills 99.9% of germs to protect your school’s students and teachers all year round.

For discreet and hygienic disposal of sanitary waste. Touch-free means total protection from the spread of germs in a washroom.

Pre-moistened wipes to reduce the build up of bacteria in your classroom and office.

0800 INITIAL (464 842) | initial.co.nz

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Managing Allergies

health & safety

An extreme reaction

ew Zealand is in the midst of an allergy epidemic, and while no one knows exactly why this is, it can have an enormous impact on schools. Most schools throughout New Zealand will have a child at risk of anaphylaxis, which is the most extreme form of allergic reaction. So what is an allergy and how can schools manage students with severe allergies? An allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to a substance – called an allergen – in the environment. These allergens are found in house dust mites, pets, pollen, foods, drugs, insect stings, latex and moulds. A reaction often occurs within minutes or up to a few hours after contact and may lead to many different symptoms, which can range from mild to severe to life threatening. Symptoms can be categorised according to the organs affected, such as: • The skin: hives, eczema and facial swelling. • The respiratory system: symptoms can affect the nose (hay fever), throat (swelling) and lungs (cough, wheeze, bronchospasm). • The gastrointestinal system: nausea, vomiting, stomach pains and diarrhoea. • The cardiovascular system: feeling faint, weakness, pallor, floppiness (particularly in infants), and collapse. Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction, often affecting several parts of the body, including either the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, or both. So what do you do when a child with severe allergies enrols? Because there are no standardised guidelines on managing allergies and anaphylaxis, many schools have had to develop their own strategies. Allergy New Zealand, a national charity that provides information, education and support, has developed a set of guidelines that have been recommended by the Ministry of Education. However, it’s important to note that not all children with severe allergy are the

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

same, and there will be different triggers for each child. The first step is to obtain allergy information from parents or caregivers at the time of enrolment. If the student has a severe allergy and is at risk of anaphylaxis, ask the parent to provide an allergy or

anaphylaxis action plan signed by a doctor. Schools should then work with the family to formulate an individual health care plan for the student, and the risks within the school and in EOTC activities, should be examined.

Training in allergies and anaphylaxis can be arranged for staff and should include the use of an adrenaline autoinjector, EpiPen, and emergency response. It can also be useful to include allergies as a topic in the school health 38  curriculum.

Backpacks

health & safety

Heavy school bags causing back problems

tudents these days are expected to carry a number of heavy items to, from and around the school grounds. With laptops, heavy textbooks and library books being a key part of modern learning, the school bags and backpacks our students use on a daily basis need to provide adequate support. Recent studies show that up to 75 per cent of students may experience back, neck or shoulder pain because of heavy, poorly fitted school bags, and the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA) has advised that carrying heavy bags can cause chronic shoulder, neck and back pain, even in young children. “Most kids are carrying too much weight in their backpacks.

“

“The weight kids are carrying often exceeds recommendations for adult weight bearing in the workplace.” – Dr Simon Kelly, spokesman,

New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association

In fact, with large textbooks, sports gear and laptops all in the one bag, the weight kids are carrying often exceeds recommendations for adult weight bearing in the workplace,” says Dr Simon Kelly, spokesman for the NZCA. A school bag, filled with books

and equipment can often weigh up to half a student’s body weight but, to ensure this generation do not end up with chronic back problems in the long term, experts recommend they should only carry around 10 per cent of their body weight in their school bag. Students need to learn how to pack their bags, lift and wear them properly, Kelly says and he advises parents and teachers to keep an eye on student’s posture when wearing backpacks. “If they’re leaning forward, the bag is too heavy, poorly fitted or badly packed. Make sure heavier items are at the bottom of the bag, closer to the child’s centre of gravity.” One of the simplest ways schools can help ensure students don’t end up with chronic back problems due to carrying heavy books, stationery and computer equipment is by providing lockers for students to store books when they are not needed. The modern range of compact lockers can be fitted in or near foyers and hallways and provide secure storage facilities for student’s belongings. They can also be bolted to the wall to eliminate problems with them being tipped over by boisterous students. Often made of steel or iron, modern school lockers are hardy and can be large enough to hold a selection of textbooks and a laptop. Many companies will now hire banks of lockers to schools and provide annual servicing and maintenance of the locks and storage facilities, allowing schools to trial how students will treat their lockers, whether it helps to curb instances of bullying and whether it helps improve student health.

Nine rules for backpacks 1. Ensure backpacks have wide, padded and adjustable shoulder straps. Padded straps help absorb the load while narrow straps can dig painfully into shoulders. 2. Encourage parents to look for a backpack with “S” shaped shoulder straps. These will ergonomically contour to a child’s body. 3. Ask parents to choose a backpack with a moulded frame and/or adjustable hip strap so the weight of the full backpack will rest on the child’s pelvis rather than their shoulders or spines. 4. Be sure the backpack is the right size. It should not be wider or longer than a student’s torso, (i.e. from the bony bump at the base of the neck down to the top of the hips.) 5. Pack heavy items so they are closest to the student’s back and make sure they can’t move around. It is important to be balanced in the natural centre of gravity. 6. Make sure students understand that carrying a backpack over one shoulder will cause back pain and possible injury. 7. Consider the weight of the backpack when empty. Canvas bags are lighter than leather. 8. Provide lockers so students can store unneeded books and sports equipment. 9. Don’t try to save money by buying the biggest pack to last through college – parents should buy one that is appropriate to the child’s size, and one they approve of.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Headlice

health & safety

Managing headlice outbreaks

he end of April sees students and teachers heading back to the classroom for the new school term. However, there are also some unwanted creatures that find their way into the classroom at this time of year too – headlice and nits (the eggs). So what are headlice, and what can schools do to educate parents and deal with infestations throughout the year? Headlice have been a societal problem for centuries and have often been associated with poor hygiene and poor living conditions. This, however, is a myth, as people from all walks of life can be infested with headlice at any stage, no matter whether hair is long, short, clean, unclean, brown or blonde. Lice are transferred through direct head-to-head contact with an infected person, which is why they are common in schools where students work closely in groups. They feed on blood from the scalp of an infected person which can cause itchiness, although in many cases there are no symptoms at all. To lessen the impact of an infestation at school, parents should be regularly reminded to be vigilant about checking their children’s hair at least once a week for evidence of lice. It can also be useful to include details

 36 An anaphylaxis/allergy action plan for the student needs to be completed and clearly displayed in commonly used areas of the school. Parents should supply medication in a clearly named and labelled container (with a photo of the child on the label) to be stored in an unlocked, central location. Alternatively the student could carry the medication as agreed in the health plan.

Minimising risk Avoidance of specific triggers is the basis of anaphylaxis prevention and will also help towards obtaining optimum health in children with allergies who may also be prone to asthma and eczema. As a general principle it’s not

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

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“Headlice have been a societal problem for centuries and have often been associated with poor hygiene and poor living conditions.”

of the latest treatments available for headlice and nits. Children, too, can be taught about body care and cleanliness, or about insects and parasites during science class to help them spot evidence of lice and nits. Schools and parents can work together to actively discouraged children from playing with each others hair, and sharing brushes, combs or hats. School policies can also indicate that long hair should be kept tied back during the school day. The Ministry of Education has produced guidelines on the legal

requirements of schools when it comes to managing headlice and nit infestations. The guidelines include a sample letter to be sent home with students when an infestation has occurred, information on potential treatments and steps to take to deal with an infestation. It provides guidance on how individual teachers should manage a student with headlice in their class, from reacting in a discreet manner to an outbreak, to contacting the parents to collect the child to begin treatment as soon as possible that day.

Although headlice are a community problem, schools can be part of the solution by educating parents, children and the wider community on ways to control and eliminate problems with headlice.

recommended that children with a food allergy be physically separated from other children. Appropriate avoidance measures are critically dependent on the education of the child, his/her peers and all school staff. Allergy New Zealand’s guidelines include more information on this. Implementation of blanket food bans or attempts to prohibit the entry of particular foods are not recommended. Instead, general policies should include no sharing of food, food utensils and food containers, and all children should wash their hands after eating to prevent the spread of food allergens. It’s important that children with allergies are allowed to develop in the normal way and not be

stigmatised. They should have the opportunity to participate in all school activities. Whenever a severely allergic child goes out of school, for example on a sports trip, their emergency kit should go too. A staff member trained to treat allergic symptoms must accompany the child. When sporting activities are arranged at other schools, the PE teacher needs to be fully aware of the allergic child’s condition. A member of staff trained in administering adrenaline should accompany the team, and the host school needs to be kept fully informed. Before the camp, it is important to liaise with parents. If the child has food allergies, they will need the opportunity to consult with the

camp’s caterers and organise ‘safe’ food. When at camp, always make sure the emergency kit is nearby and easily accessible. At least one staff member will need to be trained to administer adrenaline. It is a good idea to think about doing refresher training. Carry out risk assessment, including distance of the camp from emergency services. If the distance is considerable, it may be necessary for the child to access to adrenaline auto-injectors.

The Ministry of Education’s document Headlice and Nits: A Guide for School Communities is available from: www. minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/ EducationPolicies/Schools/ SchoolOperations/ HealthAndSafety/

- By Inga Stunzner, information officer, Allergy New Zealand. For more information, contact Allergy New Zealand on 0800 34 0800 or visit their website www.allergy.org.nz and click on Education Sector.

Tapawera School

sports & recreation

A court for all weathers

ith the cold, rainy weather fast approaching, many schools are now considering ways to ensure their playing fields and court surfaces can be used throughout the winter months. For one school in the South Island, the solution came in the form of artificial turf, a surface that has more than doubled the versatility of the school’s existing playing courts. Tapawera Area School, a well established school near Nelson catering for students from new entrants through to year 13, urgently needed to repair its playing surfaces. The schools’ existing netball and tennis court surface consisted of asphalt laid over concrete slabs which, over time, had become loose and, in some areas, had moved causing ridges and cracks. Tapawere Area School principal, Nic Richards, says the courts were becoming increasingly dangerous and there was significant potential for rolled ankles and other, more serious, injuries. “Students didn’t like using the courts because of the poor state of repair they were in,” he says. The school examined a number of surfacing options and, after an extensive tendering process, chose artificial turf supplied by Oamaru company Numat Industries. “In the end it came down to the company that could repair the underlying surface and create an all weather playing surface,” says Richards. In late January, Numat resurfaced the school’s courts with 20mm sports grass, a product that requires limited long-term maintenance. Tony Judd, marketing manager for Numat Industries, says the sports grass simply requires occasional sweeping to resettle the sand. “It is a hard wearing product that will only require occasional maintenance such as leaf blowing and sweeping of the sand every so often.” The sports grass provides the school with a number of benefits such as a consistent playing surface, a softer, safer playing surface for children and the added bonus of not getting hot like the traditional asphalt courts. The resurfacing project took Numat two weeks to complete, with

The new court surface at Tapawera Area School provides a consistent playing surface.

minimal disruption to school PE classes. “We now have a multipurpose facility that allows us to use the courts, not only for netball and tennis, but also for basketball, soccer and general PE classes,” says Richards. “It is a fantastic resource that provides a surface the students can play on in almost all weathers, for example if it has been raining the PE classes can be held on the courts not on the grass in the mud.” And it’s not just the school making use of the new multipurpose courts. Nelson Football use the courts for training and community netball teams are also making use of the new facilities. “The courts are easily convertible for a range of different sports as the lines are already marked in the turf,” says Richards. Nets and poles for the different sports can also be easily stored and rolled onto the courts when needed. And one of the more impressive benefits of the resurfaced court facilities is the extra care students are taking in the school. “If you provide new facilities it has a knock on effect with the students taking greater pride in the school,” he explains.

“

“It is a fantastic resource that provides a surface the students can play on in almost all weathers.”

– Nic Richards, principal, Tapawera Area School

The artificial turf requires limited maintenance.

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Rock Climbing

sports & recreation

Off the wall

he need to develop a healthy attitude amongst students towards challenges, achievements and the conquering of fears is well documented. However, when it comes to rockclimbing, the types and costs of systems available, safety protocols and the training required to operate them can often be difficult for schools to source or understand. Most schools, when considering having their own wall, look primarily at the initial setup cost but fail to account for the ongoing usage, maintenance, training and actual life of the system they are investing in. Unfortunately after a couple of years, when maintenance is required and harnesses, hardware or ropes need replacing, the trained staff have moved on and the school is left with a white elephant that is often very dangerous. Choosing the right equipment from the beginning can save time and help you operate your climbing wall safely. It is important to note that there are no regulations concerning climbing walls unless the operation is commercial. Although most safety is common sense, there are nine basic safety protocols schools should be aware of when considering installing their own wall: 1. The climbing wall should have a safe, longlife climbing face and holds, plus swinging and landing space. 2. Instructors must know the equipment, correct procedures, rescue techniques and first aid.

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

Rock Climbing

sports & recreation

“

“There are no regulations concerning climbing walls unless the operation is commercial.”

3. The rules of operation and safety warnings should be posted within sight and constantly reinforced. 4. A fenced safety area is required for controlled authorised usage, a safe drop zone and landing space. 5. Safety mats must be used to prevent spinal shock and offer step up assurance to climbers and instructors. 6. The environment should be taken into consideration and the wall set up in a safe area shaded from sun or elements whilst allowing spectators to watch. 7. Daily inspection notes on usage and all equipment must be kept. 8. If hiring a wall for a special event or taking a trip to a climbing wall, ask for and check the centre’s risk analysis management forms, public liability insurance and references. 9. Ask about the type of belay system and instruction programme content, as there are major differences.

Safe anchor When ensuring the safety of students, the belaying system used requires careful consideration. There are a wide range of manual belay systems, whereby the climber is attached to a rope that is controlled by another person, the belayer. However, if the belayer is inattentive there can be too much slack in the line so that if the climber falls they fall with force (which can cause injury), or if the belayer has incorrectly set hardware or safety devices a climber may continue to fall to the ground resulting in serious injury or death. Unfortunately, as proven by a number of recent accidents, manual belay systems should not be used by unqualified parents, teachers or students. Most of these incidents have occurred when students belay other students. However, for experienced

students who are directly supervised, manual belays can be a great tool to learn real, technical, trust, communication and free climbing skills. This system requires very experienced instructors at a one on one or maximum of two to one ratio. Auto belay systems, which have no human error element and keep slack out of the line whilst a climber is climbing and automatically slows them if they fall, so they can grab back onto the wall or arrive safely back to the ground, are costly but can be an option for schools concerned about student safety. There are two main types of auto belay, the first is a fully redundant hydraulic system with wire ropes which is expensive, but has a long life and is very safe. The other is a spring ratchet capsule system with a nylon line, however, these have been recently withdrawn by the manufacturer due to accidents. Auto belays provide the ultimate climbing experience to students, whether experienced or inexperienced climbers, as they offer high throughput and none of the usual belaying dangers. They are a great tool to help students build confidence, trust and communication skills, whilst learning climbing and abseiling techniques. As the instructor isn’t tethered to a belay rope or to any individual student they are able to control larger groups more easily, giving teachers free-time to make observations, note student behavioural changes, take photos or record individual achievements. The latest new sport – speed rock-climbing – is only possible with auto belay systems, as a belayer on a manual system can assist a climber to climb up which is cheating, whereas the auto belay system requires the climber to do it all themselves, giving a far greater sense of satisfaction. - By Geoff Pearson, director, ROCKUP (North) Ltd.

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Keeping The School Warm

property

Keeping out the winter weather

ith the cooler weather starting to hit many areas of the country, now is the time to look at the range of options available to help you keep students warm through the winter months. Smaller, modern schools may look at installing a heat pump as the main source of winter warmth. These systems have the added benefit of doubling as an airconditioning unit and cooling the air during the summer. Heat pumps also work well in eliminating draughts and creating a more comfortable learning environment. However, Shaun Bowler, programme manager – wood energy at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), warns that, although heat pumps may be a low cost option to install, they may end up costing the school a significant amount in unplanned electricity usage. “We’re finding a number of schools are using heat pumps year round,” he says. “Instead of opening the windows for natural ventilation during summer, some schools are keeping the windows closed and using the heat pump as an air-conditioner which drives up the schools’ electricity costs.” Additionally, using a heat pump puts a strain on the electricity

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

supply network. “There is no guarantee that the electricity you’re using comes from a renewable source,” says Bowler. A reticulated system, where schools have a boiler connected to a school-wide hot water heating network, is a lower cost option in the long term. Around 600 schools across New Zealand still have these heating systems that were traditionally run with coal, gas or oil. However, there is now an environmentally sound option for using this plant. The boilers can be converted or replaced to run on wood chips or wood pellets, which are both carbon-neutral fuels. EECA’s recent Renewable Heating for Schools project, for example, helped 31 schools convert or replace existing coal-fired boilers with boilers that are fired by wood pellets or wood chips. Of the schools taking part, six schools received new wood chip boilers, six received new wood pellet boilers and 19 existing coal boilers were converted to run on wood products. As well as reducing the participating school’s carbon footprint, the schools have also reported reduced fuel costs and increased efficiency in heating the school.

“

“As well as reducing the participating school’s carbon footprint, the schools have also reported reduced fuel costs and increased efficiency in heating the school.”

“The project has been particularly successful in areas, such as Christchurch, where schools may have been forced to shut down their boiler systems because of issues with air pollution,” says Bowler. Switching to wood pellets or wood chips also means the boilers produce around one fifth of the ash of coal boilers. Even better, the ash that is produced is completely organic. “It makes cleaning the boiler a much simpler job for caretakers.” Schools that want to change their boilers from burning coal to wood will need to engage the services of a heating consultant. “The burning properties of wood and coal are very different and a consultant will be able to tell you the modifications required by your existing boiler,” says Bowler. “Often the fuel feed system will be

automated at the same time, which can make the system more efficient.” In addition, schools need to be aware of the differences between wood pellets and wood chips. Wood pellets can be used in coal boilers that have been slightly modified, whereas wood chips are less processed and require a purpose built boiler with a particular style of grate. “Wood chips are very cost efficient and often more effective than coal, with the added advantage of no emissions,” says Bowler. And what about the 31 schools that participated in the trial? Bowler says EECA is currently evaluating the pilot in detail. “But it is fair to say it has shown significant benefits already. These 31 schools alone will avoid 1700 tonnes of CO2 a year between them.”

Solving The Space Shortage

property

Space, specifications and speed

ust 15 minutes southwest of Christchurch, the town of Rolleston is growing rapidly. Statistics from the 2006 census indicate its population has all but doubled over the last five years and that more than half the town’s households are families with children. “Rolleston-Lincoln’s school-age population is expected to grow by more than 2,700 students by 2026,” Education Minister Anne Tolley said in mid-April, appreciating that Government needs to make sure there are enough schools to cater for the expected increase in students. To help ease pressure on surrounding schools and provide a foundation for future increases in student numbers, Clearview Primary School opened in January, just 13 months after the Mainzeal Group was awarded the contract. The company’s brief: to complete construction of a totally new school in 12 months, starting from scratch. Designed initially by Opus, the school had to cater for 400 students, but be designed to expand capacity to 600 in the future. The first stage consisted of three single-storey classroom blocks, giving a total of 17 classrooms, plus associated amenities buildings including administration, library, hall/gym, caretakers shed, vehicle parking, playgrounds and fields. “This is the fastest-ever construction of a school in New Zealand,” explains Mainzeal project manager Graeme Earle. “The works commenced on site in mid-April 2009 and we finished 270 calendar days later.”

Clearview Primary School in Rolleston was constructed with steel framing.

Steel frame-constructed relocatables can meet the need for short term learning spaces.

Such a tight timeframe, which included several months of South Island winter, helped determine the choice of materials and building techniques. By using steel framing, manufactured from New Zealand Steel’s product AXXIS Steel for Framing, the typical weather problems associated with conventional timber framing were eliminated.

“Once we got the roof on,” says Earle, “we knew for certain we could get on with constructing the interior. If we’d used timber we’d have had three to five weeks down time waiting for the moisture content to dry out.” To reduce the need for significant maintenance in the future, Kingspan architectural insulated panels, which uses prepainted steel as the external liner,

were used for the roofs and some of the facades. As clients, customers, and construction companies well know, tight time and budget constraints are an ever-present challenge. “Yet,” says Earle, “the use of steel products ensured that all deadlines were met – with one entire classroom block being erected in a week. “We co-operated as a team, with every person involved, from the Ministry, Board of Trustees and school principal to each contractor, pulling out the stops, and we delivered – within time and within budget,” he adds. Chairperson of Clearview School’s Establishment Board of Trustees, Natalie Lombe, confirms that Board members feel a “real sense of pride in the facility they’ve delivered to their community”. The Board worked closely with the architects, builders and the community, and were pleased that a local firm was able to supply the steel framing. 44 

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Solving The Space Shortage

property

“

 43 Since the school opened, Lombe has heard from parents that their children seem “really engaged in learning” and that being at school is a positive experience for them. “There’s so much flexibility,” she says, “with different learning spaces, not just classrooms, where children are taught. Corridors, for example, are actually learning spaces too, not just passageways.” And variable learning spaces, according to principal James Petronelli, reflect the school’s philosophy. “Learning is not confined to the four walls of a classroom,” he explains. “Classrooms are actually ‘homebases’ from which the children move around, into bigger learning spaces where they mix with students from the other homebases and learn to operate in different environments.” Enhancing this flexibility, the entire school is wireless. “Children can access the internet on their laptops or i-pod devices from anywhere in the grounds.” According to Petronelli, the entire construction, from the steel componentry to the cedar interiors,

Strong as steel Steel frames are strong yet lightweight.

has low-maintenance appeal: “Our 10-year maintenance plan is more about cleaning and washing the surfaces than repairing and repainting,” he says. “The whole design is fantastic. It has created a great learning environment, which, along with a great team of teachers and a strongly supportive community, is our formula for success.” - By the National Association of Steel Framed Housing (NASH).

It’s only temporary

espite recent increases in funding to the education sector, there are many schools facing space shortfalls this year. Often due to increased rolls, whether a large number of five year olds starting school or increases in the number of senior students moving into the school zone, schools around the country require effective, workable teaching spaces to help avoid overcrowded classrooms. Most schools will not want to go

down the same route as Longbeach School, a small school south of Ashburton, which, in 2008, installed a shipping container on site to serve as a classroom for nine of its Year 5 students. The school had long had an issue with overcrowded classrooms and was regularly using the library as a teaching space. A large utility cupboard was also being used for special needs teaching. After much negotiation with the Ministry of Education over zoning

Relocatable classrooms must comply with Ministry of Education standards.

school news

Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

“This is the fastest-ever construction of a school in New Zealand.” – Graeme Earle, project manager, Mainzeal

The steel framing used at Clearview Primary School in Rolleston has the potential to revolutionise the notion that classrooms are ‘fixed’ assets on a school campus. Steel frame-constructed relocatables, for example, present a speedy solution for meeting the need for short term or variable learning spaces. The frames don’t move in transport, and steel’s dimensional stability provides a quality fit for doors, windows and cupboards that remain true over time. Not only can steel frames be used in all climate conditions, with properties that make it an excellent material to resist earthquakes, it is

issues, the school was granted two temporary classrooms to help alleviate the pressures associated with overcrowding. Whilst shipping containers have a place in schools to store archived documents and sports equipment, what other options do schools have to temporarily increase teaching space? In many schools, prefabricated classrooms are the temporary teaching space of choice. These classrooms are an important part of New Zealand’s school classroom stock and are often moved on to the school site by the Ministry of Education to fill a short term roll growth need. However, many of these classrooms are old and need to be upgraded to ensure they are fit for purpose. Schools can apply for a new classrooms grant from the Ministry which provides funding to equip new classrooms with teaching and learning materials. This grant is paid for each new classroom generated by roll increases or increased staffing entitlements. There are additional grants available to help schools pay for furniture and equipment. Schools can also choose to hire or invest in their own temporary buildings, also known as portable,

strong yet lightweight, making it easy for installers to handle. It doesn’t absorb moisture and steel does not twist, warp or split. This dimensional stability contributes to better drywall and exterior appearance and performance, resulting in fewer time-consuming call-backs to fix cracks in interior and exterior linings. Steel resists fire, deforming but not burning under high heat. Dry galvanized products used in studding, track, ceiling batons and other building components, don’t off-gas or rot or grow toxic mould and can’t be attacked by vermin or insects. As a result, it is considered nonallergenic, with neutral impact to indoor air quality, and so contributes positively to a healthy learning environment.

relocatable or modular classrooms. There are a number of companies around the country that will design, build and assemble fully portable buildings on site. Alternatively these can be built off site and transported to the school in the holidays to lessen disruption to classes. Styles vary from company to company, and range from single basic classrooms to classrooms with cloakrooms, toilets and resource rooms attached. It is also possible to find old classroom buildings for sale on auction sites such as Trademe, although it is possible that these classrooms will require additional work to ensure their compliance with current building regulations and fire codes. The Ministry of Education requires that relocatable buildings are upgraded to state standard as a minimum and to a standard comparable to the rest of the school. It must also meet the Ministry’s design standards before being purchased and moved on site. While property issues tend to be the domain of the Ministry of Education, there are a number of options schools can choose from to lessen the impact of temporary space shortages.

Winter Pool Usage

property

Preparing a pool for winter

nless your students like to swim in freezing waters, which is very unlikely, the odds are that your school will close its pool for at least six months of the year. Recent research has shown that only three per cent (approximately 40) of the 1474 school pools in New Zealand have the capability to remain open year round. School swimming pools are valuable educational assets that need to be managed appropriately. So, at this time of the year, it is important to focus on closing your swimming pool properly, which will save a lot of time and potentially costs when it comes time to open the pool for the summer. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget safety first, winter or summer. Every pool should be â&#x20AC;&#x153;closedâ&#x20AC;?, preventing unsupervised access by children. Here are some guidelines to properly close your pool for the coming winter season. If you are unsure on how best to secure and prepare your pool for a period of inactivity talk to a professional pool service company for advice.

Cleaning and water treatment Thoroughly clean the pool by vacuuming, skimming and brushing the surface of the pool. The pool should be as clean and clear as possible prior to closing. If not draining the pool completely, ensure the water chemistry is balanced. You should make sure that your pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness are all balanced, this will protect the surface of the pool from staining and etching.

Adding a winterising chemical kit to your water will help keep it blue and clear for the next season. Be sure to follow the manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s instructions for the kit.

Filter Prepare your filter for winter by placing the filter control in winter mode, removing the bottom drain valve, and removing any sight glasses and pressure gauges for the winter. You should also remove your backwash hose for the winter. Repeat this process for your pump by removing the drain plug and the connector hose for the pump and filter. You should store your pump and filter in an enclosed area, such as a shed, for the winter. But, if that is not possible, cover the pump and filter with a tarp that will encompass the entire assembly and secure it tightly.

Cover and fencing A tight fit of your pool cover is essential. Your cover should not have holes or gaps where leaves and debris may enter the pool. Fencing is also an important consideration as even closed and empty pools must be fenced in compliance with the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987. In fact, in such a state, a disused pool may create a greater hazard than a well maintained and used pool. The Act clearly details the specifications for the construction of a pool fence, including information on height, ground clearance, materials, gates and doors, and the operation of gates and doors. 46 ď ľ

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Issue 10 - Term 2 - 2010

school news

Winter Pool Usage

property  45

legislation and standards – is your school meeting all the requirements associated with fencing, health and safety, water quality and signage? • Learning to swim is a core life skill for all New Zealanders. Is your school’s learn to swim programme delivering to students the required skills to progress from learners to swimmers? • Is the schools ‘pool users’ policy’ working effectively? Considerations include supervision standards, code of behaviour, after hours use. With a bit of effort at the beginning of winter, it is possible to safely maintain and prepare a school pool for use when the weather gets warmer.

Safety review Now that your pool is properly prepared for closing it is appropriate to review all aspects of pool use and policy to identify and address any issues that may have arisen over the past season. It is important to consider the following points: • Pool maintenance is required on an annual basis and should be budgeted for each year. Putting off maintenance and repairs of the swimming pool or plant will only lead to higher costs in the long term. If maintenance work is required, especially if it relates to health and safety issues, work needs to be undertaken as soon as possible – even as an interim measure until new budgets are approved. • Compliance with all relevant

“

- By Chris Robinson, marketing manager, Water Safety NZ.

“Adding a winterising chemical kit to your water will help keep it blue and clear for the next season.”

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