School News - NZ - Term 4 - 2016

Poverty and learning: Should schools be feeding students?

Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Living the values Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Teachers • Professionals

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What’s In This Issue

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sn inside | Term 4 - 2016 ISSN 1178-9964

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Kia ora and welcome to School News for term four.

In this issue we consider the impact of the proposed introduction of Communities of Online Learning (COOLs). While there is staunch opposition from some quarters, others say it is about time that online learning has been brought to the forefront of education in New Zealand.

We also examine the impact of poverty on education, in particular, the issue of managing students who arrive at school with no lunch.

Latest Unicef figures reveal that one third of all children in New Zealand are now living in poverty, and the question remains how schools can be expected to teach children who are simply too hungry to learn.

It’s a fresh start for Lyttelton schooling after a rocky few years post-earthquake. The town’s

news 04 Ministry News 06 News Round-up 09 Special Report – Online Learning: COOL or not so cool?

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A fresh start for Lyttelton schooling after a wobbly five years

14 Wesley College: All change for New Zealand’s oldest school

what’s hot education 17 Principal Speaks: Fine-tuning a school of tradition for modern pedagogy - and state systems

20 Professional Development: uLEARN16: Transforming practice for future-focused education

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two primary schools have been merged, and the new school has opened in state-of-the-art premises looking out across the harbour.

Meanwhile, at New Zealand’s oldest school, Wesley College, it’s all change as the school’s extensive grounds go up for sale to be developed into a new town for South Auckland.

Sale of the land will finance a brand new school catering to an increased roll, and secure the future of the college which was established for the education of disadvantaged students.

In Te Reo, we look at the importance of reflecting the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the classroom, what exactly this means, and how to get it right.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and successful term four.

Noho ora mai

36 Te Reo: Te Tiriti o Waitangi – living the values 38 Book Reviews

food & beverage 39 Going Hungry: Should schools be feeding hungry students?

40 School Canteens: Keeping your menu healthy and attractive

44 Drinking Water:Keeping drinking water safe and accessible

external learning 48 Overseas Educational Tours: International school trips – worth the hassle?

50 Camps and Excursions: Planning your 2017 external learning curriculum

health & safety 52 Teacher Wellbeing: a cost or an investment?

53 Mindfulness: How being mindful can lower your stress levels

sports & recreation 54 Sports Days: Everything you need for your school’s Sports Day

property 56 Sun Shades: Sun shades in schools a necessity, not a luxury

56 Acoustics: Designing quality learning spaces 58 Playgrounds: Designing your school playground

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Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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NEWS |

Ministry News

Ministry apologises over handling of seclusion room complaint The Ministry of Education has ordered schools to stop using seclusion rooms, and has apologised to parents for its handling of the complaint about use of seclusion at Miramar Central School.

making clear the expectation on every publicly funded education provider that they will raise the achievement of every New Zealand child.”

The Bill provides for a new statement, called the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP), to be made periodically, setting out the government’s objectives for educators. This will establish a clear strategic direction for educators, focusing on the educational achievement of children and young people.

“It is clear that the Ministry didn’t act with the urgency it should have to stop the use of seclusion,” says acting education secretary Katrina Casey. “Children’s wellbeing must be at the forefront of everything we do and we will work with schools and their communities to ensure we all get this right.”

“This Bill is also about maintaining choice, both for parents and schools so that they have the flexibility to choose what works for their students and what will get great results for their kids.”

The investigation had revealed that the use of seclusion went “well beyond” the management of extreme situations. “In some cases it was used as a more routine behaviour management practice,” says Ms Casey.

There is an option for parents and schools to enrol new entrants on the first day of the term closest to the child’s fifth birthday. This means at the earliest children could start up to eight weeks before they turn five, although parents will still have the option to delay their child starting school until their sixth birthday. There is also the proposal to develop Communities of Online Learning (COOLs) which would see some students working remotely.

“With that in mind we have implemented a series of actions to improve Miramar Central’s performance in all future dealings with challenging behaviour.”

The Ministry has announced an action plan which Ms Casey says is of the same level as a statutory intervention, but because of the school’s level of cooperation, a more formal intervention is not required.

Ministry staff will be onsite to review all behaviour management plans, parents will be asked to sign off on their children’s behaviour management plans, and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) will be implemented at the school.

The Ministry is now focused on ensuring that any other schools using seclusion rooms stop the practice immediately. “All schools need to understand seclusion is unacceptable. This case highlights that we should have acted much more decisively when we first received the complaint about the use of seclusion at Miramar.

“We know that there are health

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and safety risks around putting a child in a locked room. When a child is exhibiting extreme behaviour there are sometimes also health and safety risks to the child and other people. We are investigating the regulatory and legislative implications of all this, as well as other potential legal matters this issue may surface and we will be reporting to Minister Parata on this.”

The Education Review Office (ERO) advises that it always asks schools about their strategies to address the needs of children with special needs, and observes teachers and children in special needs units as part of their evaluation process. ERO has now sharpened its focus on how schools manage individual children with extreme behaviour issues.

Detailed guidance to schools about alternatives to seclusion and how to manage challenging behaviour will be issued in the next few weeks. The Special Education Principals’ Association (SEPANZ) is working with the Ministry to support special schools to adopt the guidelines.

Education Act Update passes first reading A legislation update to New Zealand’s education system has passed its first reading. “The Education (Update) Amendment Bill is the biggest update to education in this country for nearly 30 years,” says Ms Parata.

“This Bill is about putting the achievement of our children and young people at the heart of the education system. It’s about

Other key proposals include an option of shared governance for a Community of Learning, as well as expanding the current power for school boards to work for others. For example, a board could provide accounting services to an ECE or kohanga reo or another school or kura in their Community of Learning.

Under the proposed Bill, the MOE will be able to intervene in lowperforming schools much sooner than under the current Act. And the process by which complaints about teacher competence will be much faster.

Having passed the first reading the Bill is now referred to the Education and Science Committee for its consideration.

“Anyone with an interest in the future of our education system will get a chance to comment on

Ministry News

the provision in the Education (Update) Amendment Bill, through the Select Committee process.

“This is an important opportunity for us to look ahead to the next 30 years in education, to ensure that young New Zealanders now and in the future are getting the best support they can to achieve and to leave school with the skills and qualifications for their next step in life,” says Ms Parata.

Minister Parata leaving politics Education minister Hekia Parata

| NEWS

as education minister as long as the prime minister wishes me to. There are still a number of deliverables in the education work plan in the meantime and my focus and energy will be unwavering.

“It is an honour to work each day in this portfolio – it’s true that it involves a number of diff icult decisions but I have been committed to making the right decision for our children and young people.

“I am also keen to see a fresh candidate nominated in the marvellous seat of Mana and to provide voters with a strong contest at the next election.”

Ms Parata was elected to Parliament in 2008 and has served as the minister of education since 2011. She has previously held several portfolios including Pacific Island affairs, energy and resources, and minister for women.

More than half of schools in COLs has announced that she will not be contesting the next election.

More than half of schools in New Zealand are now off icially working together in communities of learning (COL).

“It is a privilege to be part of the John Key-led government.

However this is the right decision for me and my family, and it is the right time to make my intentions known,” says Ms Parata.

“An additional 31 communities of learning have now been approved, taking the total number to 148, and including more than half of the schools throughout the country,” says Ms Parata.

“I have no plans beyond serving

“This is fantastic news – these

communities will bring together local schools and early learning services to help boost student achievement.”

More than 1,260 schools and 18 early childhood services have now formed COLs, supporting more than 410,000 children.

Of those already established, 26 have had their achievement challenges endorsed and 30 COL leaders have now been appointed. In addition, more than 60 across school and almost 320 within school teachers have been appointed to new roles within the COL. The 31 additional communities approved are in Tai Tokerau (2), Auckland (11), Waikato (3), Bay of Plenty-Waiariki (1), Taranaki-Whanganui-Manawatu (1), Hawkes Bay-Tairāwhiti (2), Wellington (5), NelsonMarlborough-West Coast (1), Canterbury (1) and OtagoSouthland (4).

They cover 240 schools and more than 87,000 students including more than 16,500 Māori and 9,500 Pasifika students and two early childhood services.

“I want to acknowledge all the schools and early childhood

services that have decided to work together to lift student achievement and I know that many more are looking to join soon,” says Ms Parata.

More pathways into work and higher education A pilot program to help school leavers into tertiary education and work has been launched.

DualPathways is for students in years 12 and 13, and will come into effect next year.

On the program, students enrol part-time in both secondary school and in either tertiary education or industry training.

Tertiary education, skills and employment minister Steven Joyce says DualPathways will help “because it allows young people to more fully explore career options while they are still enrolled at school, and get a head start on gaining the skills which employers are looking for”.

Both the school and the tertiary provider receive incentive payments if the student moves into employment during the year and is supported to continue a qualification.

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Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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NEWS |

News Round-up

High needs students excelling at “thinking like a computer” High needs students being taught to “think like a computer” are excelling to the point of performing better than children in mainstream settings.

The students at Allenvale School in Christchurch are taking part in a computer skills program run by Code Club Aotearoa that has been adapted to suit their learning needs. The school caters for children with a variety of disabilities, including autism.

CS Unplugged (Computer Science Unplugged) provides learning activities for in or outside the classroom that teach computer science through engaging games and puzzles.

Code Club Aotearoa’s curriculum developer Tracy Henderson says every child should have the opportunity to learn to code and there’s nothing to prevent children with different learning needs from learning the concept of computer thinking.

“Computer science is based around patterns and rules and for many of the students at Allenvale this is welcomed learning where they can quickly pick up patterns and what is needed to create any number of unique tasks or programmes.

“From what we observed, students at Allenvale were potentially picking up the computer science theories as quick, if not quicker than students from mainstream settings.

“These children are valued members of our society and by unlocking their thinking through using computer science, one of them may well be the next person to invent something extraordinary.”

Allenvale information technology teacher Jenny Gosney says the students love coding activities and understand the employment

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Support staff angered by lost pay School support staff have reacted with anger to the Ministry of Education’s decision to not pay up to 6,000 annualised support staff for a fortnight at the end of the annual payment cycle.

opportunities these skills can provide.

“Bringing coding and computer science unplugged to Allenvale has filled a gap that I think we have missed in special education. Some of our students love rules and structure and are great at debugging.

“We have one student who whips through the hour of code sessions and can’t wait to make his own computer games. I spent an afternoon with one student learning binary numbers together and the student got it quicker than me.

“The students are highly motivated to take part in coding and like that they can talk the language of their peers by being able to say that they code at school,” Ms Gosney says.

The NZTech Digital Nation report released this year recognised the tech sector is constantly challenged by skills shortages and urged faster implementation of computational thinking into the curricula throughout New Zealand schools from year one.

“The New Zealand education system is not evolving fast enough to generate local talent to support the growth of the tech sector. It is critical for all children to develop skills to prepare them for the jobs of the future,” the report says.

Allenvale is now working to develop Unplugged Thinking across the school so that every class and student can interact with the activities. Some students will also be able to join a community Code Club where they can learn to code alongside their peers.

The Employment Court upheld the earlier ruling of the Employment Relations Authority that the Ministry could not unilaterally reduce the pay of 6,000 annualised* school support staff by 3.7 per cent for all of 2016 because of a payroll anomaly that sees an extra fortnight in the payroll every eleven years.

Hamilton teacher aide Carol Webb was one of many disgusted with the Ministry’s response to the ruling – the Ministry has announced it will reimburse the back pay then not pay support staff for the first fortnight next February.

“The Ministry claims to offer ‘choice’ with all of its funding decisions.

But this is not a choice – it’s an ultimatum. We can have our pay docked throughout the year or cut at the end of the year. Support staff make up a third of the education workforce and it just shows the low value the Ministry puts on us and our work,” said Ms Webb.

“About 36 per cent of us have our support staff income as the only or primary income in our households. We’re not well paid and have to budget carefully, so this treatment by the Ministry is disgusting.”

Christchurch school administrator Kay Addei said, “Reimbursing the back pay then taking it back in one chunk at the end of the financial year is just insulting.

“The Ministry has just done what they want to do, and ‘too bad’ for support staff. The minister of education would no doubt cope just fine if she missed a fortnight’s pay, but most of us are struggling to support our families from week to week.”

Ms Addei also said the Ministry was trying to divide support staff by offering non-union support staff the option of continuing on reduced pay and not missing a pay day at the end of the year, or receiving the back pay, slightly higher pay for the rest of the year and missing the final fortnight’s pay. Staff remaining on the collective agreement will receive the latter option.

NZEI spokesman Andrew Casidy said support staff should not feel rushed into any decision, as NZEI would be taking the matter back to court to argue the Ministry should still be paying on the pay day in February next year.

“Our basic position is if you have chosen annualisation and are paid fortnightly then you should receive a payment every fortnight. Support staff shouldn’t pay the price for the latest Novopay debacle and the Ministry’s inability to manage payroll correctly and legally,” he said.

“NZEI is publicly calling on the minister of education to forfeit a fortnight’s pay to highlight the injustice the Ministry is imposing on support staff,” said Mr Casidy.

“We’ve offered a number of options during negotiations that would have allowed support staff to be paid on February 1 as they should, but to no avail.” *Annualisation: Many school support staff work for only 40 weeks of the year. Annualisation allows them to spread their expected income into 26 even fortnightly payments throughout the year. However, there are 365 or 366 days in a year, rather than the 364 days of 26 fortnightly payments. Every 11 years, this adds up to one extra payment that annualised staff receive. The Ministry decided to claw back that extra payment during 2016 by reducing wage payments by 3.7 per cent the year.

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NEWS |

News Round-up

Resource teacher of Māori honoured

Call for departing minister to listen to educators

Resource teacher of Māori, Tiri Bailey, from Taranaki’s Waitara East School, has been made a Fellow of NZEI Te Riu Roa, one of the highest honours in the education sector.

Education minister Hekia Parata, who has announced that she is leaving politics, is being implored to make her parting move to ditch radical bulk funding proposals.

Ms Bailey has iwi links with Te Atiawa Taranaki and Ngāi Tahu.

NZEI president Louise Green said that Ms Bailey had been a passionate advocate for the institute, supporting members industrially and professionally.

“I feel very humble, and yet proud, to get this award. It affects me personally but also acknowledges the work we do for Miro Māori

Tiri Bailey, Taranaki’s Waitara East School and Māori education. We can’t do this work without the support of whānau and members.”

President of the New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI), Louise Green, says it is clear that Ms Parata has been passionate about her work in education, and that she can rule out bulk funding for schools before she leaves her role “as a sign of genuine goodwill for the young people, parents, and educators who value public education”.

“Recently the combined membership of the NZEI and the PPTA voted almost unanimously to reject the government’s radical funding proposals, which would result in bulk funding of schools and risk driving down the quality of public education.

“We believe New Zealand children deserve the best education in the world and that our country can afford to provide it.

“Any replacement for Ms Parata must have the ability to convince Cabinet to significantly increase the funding of education, if they are serious about ensuring every child in New Zealand can access the best education possible,” Ms Green said.

Global recognition for Hawke’s Bay kura design A kura in tiny Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, has won international acclaim for its striking design, and a local prize for its colour scheme – which was chosen by the students.

Since opening in April 2015, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa has won the education prize in the 2016 Gisborne Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards, made the shortlist of the NZ Architecture

Awards, and was one of 14 New Zealand finalists at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore last year. The kura has also won the Resene Colour Award for its colour scheme which was chosen by the students.

wing are the learning areas for senior students, as well as the library and technology areas. The purple central area, joining the wings together, is the wharenui where the whole school meets for karakia every morning.

In the green striped wing are the junior students, from years one to eight. It has break out wet rooms for activities such as painting and papier mâché, and plenty of room in the main learning areas for everything from reading to kapa haka. In the orange striped

Tumuaki Anaru Ratapu says this part is called Te Aio, which means peace. “The building is the heart of the whole school,” he says.

“We have all our school meetings here. The kapa haka kids go there to play games. We have a class at the moment doing transition

[from English to Māori].”

The kura was designed by architects RTA, who designed it along traditional lay lines.

The hall faces directly north, with the Wairoa River mouth to the south. The eastern wing is orientated towards the mountain, Whakapunake, and the western wing is orientated towards local marae Takitimu Wharenui.

The central hall and 2 wings are connected by a single roof resembling a “cloak” acting as shelter.

Top students rewarded with offers of paid employment A group of students from St Andrew’s College in Christchurch has launched a business offering low cost tutoring which doubles as a means to reward top students with paid employment.

The business, Student Direct, is the brainchild of four senior students led by Nick Marriot.

Mr Marriot says the group’s research found that peer tutoring could make a big difference to students’ progress while also providing paid

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employment to high achieving students.

“We found that kids just needed things explained to them in a one on one environment where they were not embarrassed to ask an adult what might seem a dumb question,” he says.

“We also found students sometimes struggled with group settings, therefore we made sure all our tutoring was done one on one.”

The group has started by employing high achieving St Andrew’s students and is keen to expand to include

other schools and areas of Christchurch, and then around New Zealand.

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Special Report – Online Learning

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Online learning - COOL or not so cool?

Darren Sudlow NetNZ

It has been an interesting few weeks since the government announcement on the Education Amendment Bill and the proposed Communities of Online Learning (COOLs).

My initial excitement was tempered by the almost hysterical reaction from politicians, media and some educators. Twitter went wild with many seemingly predicting the end of public education as we know it, while others drawing immediate comparisons to online charter schools in the United States.

Although there has been some balance in recent weeks, there still exists a fairly strong negative feel around the whole issue, especially in the media. With submissions now open to the parliamentary select committee it is important we engage with this process constructively and recognise there is an opportunity here.

There seem to have been two initial reactions. One in response to opening up provision for online education beyond what we already have.

For many, experience with the current government suggests

a privatisation agenda. That this is a way to further develop partnership schools, open up the doors to private enterprise both here and overseas and to generally destroy public education as we know it. I certainly have no wish to see more privatisation within this country, but let’s be fair, it isn’t like it doesn’t already exist. Could this potentially open the door further?

In short, yes, but it also opens up a number of other doors.

One being the possibility for our public schools to have significant ownership of the virtual space in NZ. Let’s face it, globalisation will eventually bring overseas providers knocking on our door.

We prevent that having any real effect by providing a robust network of online schooling that is national and state owned, and firmly based in our schools. If we do not engage with this initiative (assuming it gets through), we risk our current network disintegrating as other providers come in and do the job more effectively. Does this matter? Well yes it does if you believe in schools having ownership of virtual learning in this country. Our schools providing curriculum for each other has significant benefits over it being done for them by an external organisation.

It provides ownership of what is going on at both a learner and organisational level. Schools are able to influence program development, strategic direction, learner support, etc.

• It provides very important teacher development, for not only staff directly involved, but all staff throughout the school.

The best of both worlds is a ‘blended’ approach, and to fully realise this potential you need to be working in the online spac e. Teaching online is a game changer. It really is a completely different way of doing things and provides an important foundation for rethinking teaching and learning.

• It also provides significant challenges to traditional school systems and structures.

Schools must keep in touch with technological development and the implications for the future of schooling. Otherwise they risk becoming obsolete.

For example, how should we structure a school day when students have complete flexibility over when and where they ‘do’ learning? Just one of many questions schools needed to continue to consider.

A system of virtual education that is integrated into everyday

school life and a part of what schools do is vital for remaining relevant.

• It reinforces schools as networks, rather than isolated silos and forces them to think about how they use and share resourcing. It connects the schools, but importantly, the teachers who work in each. A ‘connected’ schooling system is far stronger than the sum of its parts.

While I understand the fear of privatisation, I do not believe that is the main motivation behind this. Yes, it could possibly be a small part of an agenda, but this is really fuelled by a failing system which has been firmly entrenched for some time.

This cabinet paper clearly states the intent to ‘modernise’ our current system, and “...to encourage contestability through accrediting additional providers to deliver it. Such an approach will add to the diversity of provision.”

This same intent was shared with us by ministry policy analysts who spent time with NetNZ earlier in the year and stated that there would be a “levelling of the playing field”. We just didn’t know when that would happen and in what form. Now we do.

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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NEWS |

Special Report – Online Learning

In short this will be a contestable environment in which a number of different providers will act. Single schools could offer niche subjects online that they specialise in, tertiaries could offer hard to staff programs directly into schools (such as computing), we may get a partnership school in this space, existing communities of schools could act together (as long as they are a body corporate). What is important, is that there is a very strong network of schools that acts in the best interests of each other at a national level. Basically, a spine of online schooling that runs through the country. This will ensure our schools have plenty of control over this environment now and into the future. If they don’t, things could get interesting.

So those who keep referencing the virtual learning networks as an already existing, and working system need to be aware that what we all do is entirely funded by our schools and has been for a very long time. NetNZ gets no direct financial support from the Ministry of Education. We would not be acting in the best interests of our schools if we did not view this as an opportunity.

An opportunity to potentially reduce the financial burden on our schools and receive external funding which would allow us to evolve, grow and innovate; we currently run so lean it is very difficult to do much more than just operate. An opportunity to provide a far broader and diverse

curriculum that can potentially meet a wide range of learning needs. And an opportunity to grow fully online learning at a national level.

The second reaction was one that shocked me to be honest. While I understand that the media won’t have much of a handle on what effective online learning would look like, I was surprised with how many educators viewed online learning in a very negative light.

Their vision of online learning was one in which pasty young children are sitting in their bedroom all day interacting with content through a computer.

There would be no teacher.

They are replaced by algorithms, software, and online quizzes.

That this is our understanding of what online learning might be is quite frightening, and it is rather ironic that these views were being shared through an online social network that enables us to connect with a wide variety of people. Really?! You are able to use the internet in such a powerful way, yet you think online learning will be the opposite? Yes, it could be that way, but it isn’t.

Not in this country.

I prefer to think of it as ‘connected’ learning. This is what the internet provides. It gives us the opportunity to connect far beyond our own four walls. We can connect with content, and with ideas, but most importantly, with people. We form strong online communities of learning

in which learners connect and interact with each other, with experts anywhere in the world, with a multitude of ideas and thoughts. And we can provide face to face type opportunities through synchronous video conferencing (and I haven’t even mentioned what virtual reality could bring).

And let’s be clear. This does not replace face to face. I love Keri Facer’s book, Learning Futures, in which she outlines the importance of community in an ever changing world. People, and human contact will remain an extremely important part of who we are. No one wants to change this. These philosophies have become a very important part of my own view on technology and

change. Technology can isolate, but so can a book. The reality is that used in the right way it opens up the world. Little Johnny living and growing up in Twizel, need not be limited by his physical surroundings. And that to me is what technology provides us. We can see the negatives, but they tend to be very much a human, rather than a technological failing.

So in the end, yes, the Education Amendment Bill is an opportunity.

One in which we will tread with some care, but we need to engage and shape as much as we can, rather than obstruct. And finally, fully online learning has been brought to the forefront of New Zealand education. About time.

By Darren Sudlow, NetNZ

Darren Sudlow is executive leader (education) for NetNZ, a community of more than 50 secondary and area schools in the South Island. He is also a founding member of Knowledge Building New Zealand, an association dedicated to the promotion of knowledge building and connected approaches to learning. Darren is passionate about future focused learning and how the internet can transform education.

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Lyttelton Primary School

| PROFILES

A fresh start for Lyttelton schooling after a wobbly five years Fish ’n chip evenings, pool parties and a teachers’ trip to Melbourne were all part of the meticulous planning to ensure a successful merging of two primary schools in Lyttelton, Canterbury.

The schools, Lyttelton Main and Lyttelton West (already old and somewhat decrepit), were both damaged in the catastrophic earthquake of February, 2011, with repair bills and strengthening work estimated at more than $2M. But rather than fix the buildings, the Ministry of Education (MOE) decided to merge the two and re-house them in brand new buildings on the Oxford Street site of Lyttelton Main.

Repair work was not the only factor; the MOE deemed the school-age population of Lyttelton, a port town of 3,000, too small to support both schools.

At the time, each school had around 125 enrolled students.

The Lyttelton Main site was chosen as the continuing site because of constraints associated with Lyttelton West, including underground tunnels, which would limit development.

The new school has two levels and can accommodate 300 students creative times, sports days, fun days, and vertical groupings.

This also allowed teachers and children to get to know each other.

Lyttelton West principal of 21 months, Diana Feary, was appointed principal designate in September, 2013, and tasked with managing the transition process, a time she concedes was challenging. The schools officially morphed into Lyttelton Primary School - Te Kura Tuatahi o Ōhinehou, in May, 2014, but for two years, the staff and students remained split across two sites, causing all sorts of practical and operational difficulties.

Principal Diana Feary oversaw the merger

“Existing on two sites created difficulties around meetings and communication. Staff were constantly moving between sites, and this was particularly true for leadership. It was not uncommon for people who were meeting to find themselves on different sites, and this was also true for visitors!” says Ms Feary.

Getting staff together who did not know each other was the first challenge. “We planned staff only days and staff meetings where we focussed on shared teaching practices, and the emerging design of our new school. We brought the children together through activity days, assemblies,

“Shared professional learning development provided by CORE Education was critical to enable teachers to develop understandings of the changing face of education. Attending a conference in October, 2014, was a great catalyst for change for the teachers, as well as providing time for teachers to get to know each other. The trip to Melbourne in July, 2015, was pivotal in our collective understandings of collaborative teaching, and from then we were able to begin to develop a pedagogy that we believed would work well for our new school, and for our children.

CORE also provided learning opportunities for parents through workshops and visits to schools.”

The Education Review Office (ERO) praised the leaders and board in managing the split site,

saying, “Delays in the school’s opening and building delays affected the smooth running of the school. Some parents have voiced their concerns about changes to learning and teaching program. Throughout this unsettled period of change, trustees, senior leaders and teachers have kept a clear focus on student achievement and wellbeing.” And despite the difficulties, more than 80 per cent of students were achieving at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

Visits between sites, (roughly 30 minutes’ walk) began in May, 2014, for shared assemblies, learning and play times. Social occasions were organised too, so that parents from both schools could get to know each other.

“We held fish ’n chip evenings, pool parties, and provided forums and workshops for parents to learn about modern learning practice and the changing face of education which has an expectation of student agency.”

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PROFILES |

Lyttelton Primary School

according to needs and interests, and for children of various year levels to collaborate in their learning.”

Construction was awkward given the constraints of the site in the hilly town On the first day of term two this year, 25 staff and 212 students finally congregated in their shiny new school on Oxford Street.

is hilly with narrow streets and buildings dating back to the mid1800s, making restoration work difficult and costly.

The build had been far from straightforward with the first design rejected and the process starting over in early 2015. The actual build began in June, 2015, took ten months and came in at $14.9 million - a sum that included remediation work on the historic Gaol Wall which borders the site. Lyttelton has a rich history and the school’s playing field was once the site of a gaol for “murderers, lunatics and debtors” with seven men hanged inside the walls. The town itself

Today, the wall is the only clue to the site’s bleak history.

The school, a stark, two-level building, is thoroughly modern - and tangible evidence of a town getting back on its feet.

All four learning studios can accommodate 75 children and three teachers, each with two break out spaces, a teachers’ room, a kitchen and an art space.

“The learning spaces are open and spacious with lots of glass and amazing views (across

The learning spaces look out across Lyttelton Harbour

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Lyttelton Harbour), and the buildings - decorated in a neutral palette - are warm and welcoming,” says Ms Feary. “We think the design of our learning spaces is conducive to children developing self-managing skills to support their learning.”

Ms Feary, a teaching professional of three decades’ experience, is a fan of MLE pedagogy. “Our MLE is cleverly designed to provide interesting areas for teaching and learning, and independent and collaborate activities. The learning areas on each floor are open which allows children and teachers to move between the areas. This allows for grouping

One example of this is the school’s writing program. The teachers of years five to eight collaborate, grouping children according to their identified needs or interests. Another is the five-week review process which entails teachers from each floor (years one to four and years five to eight) meeting to talk about the progress and achievement of all their children in reading, writing and maths. “This means that all teachers have knowledge and understanding of attitudes, dispositions as well as progress and achievement. Using Google Drive to share data is critical in this initiative.”

Design for the school’s playground was the work of both landscape architects and children, and includes an astro turf court, two climbing frames and a creative play area with slides and sandpits. There are stairs rising to the grass play area on the other side of the gaol wall.

Ms Feary has now resigned from LPS and will finish in January, 2017. “My focus since my appointment has been on bringing two schools together in spirit, philosophy and in consistent practice. I am proud of our transition and of how well teachers, staff and children

The playground design was a combined effort of children and landscapers

Lyttelton Primary School

have adapted to their amazing new environment. This has been due to our persistent focus on understanding the changes we needed to make, and holding fast to our beliefs. It has been a time of incredible challenge, hard work, and a commitment to doing the best for the children, regardless of our circumstances.

It has also been a privilege not many educators have the opportunity to develop a new school. I am looking forward to taking some time out before I decide on what next. I am having a ‘gap’ year!”

Board of trustees chairwoman Bridget O’Brien said she was very sorry to see Ms Feary go.

| PROFILES

She said Ms Feary had overseen a “very diff icult and complex” period for primary schooling in Lyttelton, and had given outstanding service.

“The board wants to acknowledge the incredible work load that Diana has shouldered.

We also want to thank her for all that she has achieved in managing the transition while maintaining excellent student achievement results.”

Recruitment for a new principal is underway.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Bringing history to life in the playground Entering the project later than was ideal, and balancing school aspirations with MOE budget limitations, Rough and Milne began consultatively; they workshopped with school staff and children.

The result: a master plan for the school including outside teaching spaces, an amphitheatre, sports court, play equipment including sandpit and “look out”, seating, rock walls and vegetable gardens.

The beauty of a well-considered plan, says Tony Milne, is the ability to roll out elements of a clear vision, as funding allows.

The school’s location in Lyttelton and overlooking Lyttelton Harbour was influential. “Through design we sought to weave and

thread the history of the mana whenua into the fabric of the school environment.”

Using cultural narratives, aligning design elements with culturally significant Whakaraupō landforms, and the use of native flora, a sense of place and spaces was revealed. “Tena Tuoro’s playground was designed around the legend of a monstrous taniwha who lived at Purau (nearby).”

Mr Milne shares his vision of landscape design and school environments that take into account environmental sensitive design and reflect cultural values, while being highly useable, fun and with elements that ‘tell a story’.

“Treating the landscape as equally important is critical for our children,” he says.

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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PROFILES |

Wesley College

All change for New Zealand’s oldest school Wesley College, the oldest registered school in New Zealand, is making history again, this time by selling up to make way for “Wesley Town”, a new hub for south Auckland.

The college and its dairy farm, a 300 hectare chunk of land at Paerata, near Pukekohe, will be divided into thousands of sections to be transformed into houses, shops and parks - the new town of Wesley. The sale of the sections will finance a complete rebuild of the college nearby, and excess funds will be invested in the school’s future.

It’s a bold move, but Wesley College has never shied away from change; it was New Zealand’s first registered school, the first private school to integrate into the state system, and one of the first boys’ schools to admit girls.

School management say the decision is crucial in securing the future of the college. “The key beneficiary is Wesley College which provides for economically disadvantaged students,” says the school’s trust board secretary, Chris Johnston.

The college was founded by the Methodist Church in 1844 specifically to cater to students from disadvantaged backgrounds,

The college is selling its 300-hectare block of land at Paerata in South Auckland to fund new, state-of-the-art, premises particularly Māori and Pasifika.

Initially, most students were of Māori descent with more Pacific Island students arriving in the 1900s, but the strong Island connection to the Methodist Church has made Wesley a school of choice, particularly for students of Tongan descent.

Today the college retains its special character status, as well as its ethos of providing for the underprivileged. Preference of enrolment is given to boarders, and all have their fees subsidised by the school’s trust board.

Stationery, trips, sports and other activities usually charged to parents are also funded

through the trust board or BOT. Once the new school is built, Wesley students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities.

Principal Steve Hargreaves says the plan is for the new school to cater for 600 students with an even number of girls and boys (currently it’s a 20:80 ratio), and to include 450 boarders.

use of glass will allow for teachers and students to adapt spaces to suit what they are doing.

“We have engaged architects and begun the design process.

Latest materials and technologies will be used. The idea is to have classrooms that can be reconfigured as needs change.

The basic space will look something like a traditional classroom but movable walls and

Established in Grafton, central Auckland, the college currently has a roll of 308 boys and girls in years nine to 13. All students receive substantial financial support from the college trust board and some boarders also receive funding from the Ministry of Education.

“We won’t be moving far and we’re examining sites within a few kilometers of the current campus.

It’s an incredibly exciting stage in the life of New Zealand’s oldest secondary school.”

Before Wesley, Mr Hargreaves had been deputy principal at Macleans College for six years. He joined Wesley at the start of 2015 at a time when it was under close watch by the Education Review Office (ERO) to “encourage improved performance in curriculum and teaching, analysis and use of student achievement data, self review and various aspects of school management”.

Limitations in the school’s capacity to maintain a rigorous and sustainable program of self review, remained an ongoing concern and a further review began in 2013.

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Wesley College

| PROFILES

Wesley College was established for Māori and Pacific Island boys. Today, 78 per cent of students are of Pasifika descent Progress has been exceptional and the school’s most recent NCEA results drew praise from education minister Hekia Parata.

In 2015, the school’s level one pass rate rose by 13 points, level two by nine per cent, and UE was up by three per cent.

and want the best for their children but sometimes aren’t sure how to help in achieving that at school. Our focus has been on lifting achievement without losing the other strengths of the school such as the faith, sport and culture.”

“Congratulations on your students’ success,” wrote Ms Parata. “Their success is a demonstration of the strength of the school’s community, and the quality of the work done by your board of trustees, school leadership, teaching and support staff, students and their families and whānau.”

Wesley is famous for turning out rugby stars, notably Jonah Lomu, Stephen Donald, Charles Piutau and current All Black Malakai Fekitoa. At the last Rugby World Cup there were ten former Wesley students in teams from New Zealand, Australia, France, Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.

“Academic achievement is the most important aspect of a child’s education,’ says Mr Hargreaves.

“Our students often enter school behind in literacy and numeracy.

Our parents are very supportive

Other old boys include filmmaker and founder of Weta Workshop, Sir Richard Taylor, and actors Ian Mune and Temuera Morrison.

Rugby league participation is growing and the school’s 1st XV

The college opened to girls in 1985. Today girls make up 20 per cent of the roll but the goal is to extend this to 50 per cent in the new school

now participates in the central North Island competition. “This has provided the boys with some new life experiences such as being billeted in the Hawke’s Bay and going to milk the cows and shoot possums alongside a whole new rugby exchange,” says Mr Hargreaves.

Celebrating diversity of cultures is another big part of life at Wesley.

At daily chapel, songs are sung in all languages of the Pacific, and cultural groups and Polyfest are huge parts of school life.

Many staff are fluent in Pacific languages.

Mr Hargreaves says seeing students gain the skills, values and knowledge that will set them up for life beyond Wesley is “the main driver”. “Many of our students struggle to see the value of an academic qualification and we want to change that. A good academic qualification can change a life. We are building strong relationships with outside training providers, lifting attainment and encouraging students to be more responsible

for their learning. “At the moment it is about engaging students in their learning and making sure they are ready to learn. That means focusing an attendance, equipment, completing homework and, in the senior school, close tracking and monitoring of credit information. We are acknowledging academic success publicly as often as we can, making it something to be proud of. We have also reviewed our subject offering to include some new subjects that suit our natural talents such as drama, sports leadership and media studies.

And we are getting students leading more in assemblies and chapel to gain confidence and new skills.

“We are working to build selfmotivated learners who are engaged in their learning and excited about their futures while belonging to the supportive, encouraging Wesley family.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Celebration of cultural diversity is a big part of college life

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EDUCATION |

Principal Speaks

Fine-tuning a school of tradition for modern pedagogy - and state systems At Wanganui Collegiate School, principal Chris Moller is ever mindful of maintaining age old traditions while keeping up with modern learning practices.

Students sing Christmas carols in the school chapel. All buildings at Wanganui Collegiate are heritage listed.

Nearing the end of my third year here at Wanganui Collegiate School, I feel as though I have inherited a classic old car and have been spending time tuning and modernising the engine to help her run even better. We are now doing some modifications to the panel work to restore her to her former glory. It requires hard work, time and money but it is an absolute privilege to take a turn, as the nineteenth headmaster, in the driver’s seat.

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that I would make money from playing sport. What I did know was that I really enjoyed being at school and learning and I loved the social aspect. A passing comment from my PE teacher set me on the path to training as a primary school teacher with a focus on PE and social sciences.

Later, I moved into the public school sector as a teacher and housemaster at St. John’s School in Leatherhead, Surrey. After leaving New Zealand with only a backpack, I returned seven years later with a wife, two children, a dog and a container of furniture, to take up an assistant principal position back at Hastings Boys’.

school was in many ways a logical one, considering the needs of the school and my skill set.

Collegiate has more than 300 boarding students and is limited by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to 150 day students. There is a domestic roll cap of 430 students and a board-imposed limit of 50 international fee paying students. The school, established in 1854, has significant history and a well-known heritage. The student expectations are very high and standards of behaviour exceptional. In 2013, Collegiate was integrated into the state system as a school of significant special character in the Anglican faith.

It’s a long way from where I began my journey in education, but looking back it was a logical move.

When considering the position, I looked at the Collegiate values and how they would fit with my own educational philosophy. It was a provincial school in the Hurricanes rugby region (blokes would understand!) - a region I knew well. I had three schoolage children and a move to Collegiate would definitely add value to their education. The boarding system was a replica of the English public school system in which I had previous experience, and as a baptised Anglican the religious aspects of the school sat easily with me.

The school has an absolute focus on all round development of the individual, something I strongly believe in. The academic results were very good and the teachers were working hard to meet the community expectations.

As head boy at Waitara High School, I was a decent sportsman and my academics were adequate but I would hardly say I was a natural at the more disciplined subjects. As captain of sports teams growing up, I had natural leadership talent but I never realised or really wanted that responsibility. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do apart from dreaming like most teenage boys

What struck me when I came to Collegiate was the magnificent campus; the whole site has Heritage New Zealand status.

However, with grand heritage buildings comes a lot of maintenance. In my first three years at the school, we undertook seismic strengthening of the science block and refitted five laboratories. We have moved the administration team twice in two

schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

My teaching experience began at Havelock North Intermediate, then Hastings Boys’ High school as a PE and junior subject teacher. Whilst teaching I was playing a lot of sport which eventually led me to England where I worked as a contract teacher and did a lot of travelling.

In 2004, I took a position at Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth, an integrated Catholic boys’ school.

I spent ten years there as deputy principal, happy to be back in Taranaki after many years away.

The move to Wanganui Collegiate

A pōwhiri is held each January to welcome new students and their families

Principal Speaks

Students perform a haka for the school rowers. The school has won the Maadi Cup 17 times years as we prepare to rebuild the library and construct a new administration block. Importantly, the students’ learning has not been interrupted, apart from lacking a library in which to study and research. We also plan to upgrade the four boys’ boarding houses and are looking at opportunities to expand the girls’ boarding offer.

The chapel at Collegiate is an impressive building and a memorial to those masters and students who lost their lives in the wars, from the Boer War to the subsequent First and Second World Wars. The service of the Collegiate community to the war effort was immense and is a significant part of the service component we all live by at Collegiate.

Five pillars make a firm foundation for a Wanganui Collegiate student: academic excellence, sporting achievement, cultural enrichment, Christian fellowship and lifelong friendships. The school motto is Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum, and translates as Never a Footstep Back.

Collegiate in many respects runs as a traditional boarding school in a modern world. Unlike most boarding schools, we want our students in school at weekends.

The school runs Saturday morning classes, I believe the last in this country to do so. On Wednesdays, we run a half day of classes in the morning, with the afternoon used for sports fixtures or practices. Sport is compulsory which encourages the values of participation and endeavour. Other great features of Collegiate are the weekly chapel singing practices and the service run by our chaplain twice weekly, on a Wednesday morning for the whole school and

a Sunday evening for boarders.

We hold many weekend activities for our 300 boarders and other events which also involve parents.

We host our families at three Collegiate weekends each year, celebrating sports, drama, music and culture.

With all these fine traditions in place, the challenge for me as a new leader was the modernisation of systems and improvement of administration.

As Collegiate was a private school until 2013, there was very little knowledge of the state system and MOE compliance, no elected board of trustees (BOT) and only basic policies and procedures in place. My main task for the first two years was to upskill or employ staff to comply with all MOE requirements. Although teachers and students were doing a wonderful job with teaching and learning, the school had moved into a new paradigm of administration and governance and the skill set was not there to move with it. After nearly three years the school is now running smoothly with the interface of MOE and all other systems required. There is an elected BOT and our first ERO review, released in May this year, was very positive.

| EDUCATION

One of the school’s winning rowing teams Our major work with the teaching staff was education on how an integrated school works, including the importance of robust appraisal processes and good reporting from the heads of learning to the headmaster and board. We also faced challenges from the teachers’ union over the unusual working arrangements on Saturdays and Collegiate weekends. Ultimately, negotiation is the way forward; one can’t expect to work in a school with the values and philosophies of Collegiate, without taking on more than the classroom work.

As a school we spent almost $200,000 installing new servers and wireless capacity throughout the whole campus. We recently upgraded all classroom furniture to a modern standard. The reality is that Collegiate faced tough times financially in the past and a lot of routine maintenance you might expect in a government funded school had not been done. The tasks being undertaken now are bringing the whole site to a leading edge in design and function. In other areas, we instigated a link with a local flight school to enable students to gain private and commercial pilot licences, developed a ski

racing program, and are currently developing a golf academy with a local club. We have strong links with Massey University and the ANZ Bank which provides an annual $30,000 university scholarship for a Collegiate student.

We employ top coaches to develop our sporting programs.

Our exceptional athletic and cross country program wins us many national titles. Collegiate was the first school in the country to row and last year won four medals at the Maadi Cup and we hope to build on that success. We have our own rowing club and sheds with thousands of dollars’ worth of boats and a full time manager.

The arts department organises a robust debating competition, a whole school house music competition and an annual musical production. It runs an outstanding music, voice and instrumental tuition program, all celebrated in the auditorium named after Prince Edward who spent time as a gap tutor at Collegiate in 1982. Weekly tikanga lessons with local iwi culminate in an inter-house competition of haka, haka pōwhiri and waiata.

Our students can welcome other groups unassisted and have a strong cultural awareness of tikanga Māori.

Our aim is simply to be the best boarding school in the country and to stay true to our vision and values.

Wanganui Collegiate school is an stateintegrated secondary school, decile 9, with 456 students.

Principal Chris Moller presents an award to a student

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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EDUCATION |

Professional Development

uLEARN16: Transforming practice for future-focused education If you were a firsttime visitor to uLearn, you could be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.

The numbers were huge - 1823 delegates, 285 break outs and 70 exhibition stands at this year’s conference - and so was the physical sprawl of the events (across event centres and hotels). Luckily for those of us without a background in military planning, conference creators CORE Education were extremely efficient and helpful, and had thought of pretty much everything to ensure delegates could make the most of the four-day event.

All sessions were in the heart of Rotorua; keynotes and exhibitors at the Energy Events Centre, and break outs at the Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre, the Blue Baths and surrounding hotels. Nice proximity to the Polynesian Spa, too. Although the venues were within easy walking distance, the weather was somewhat unreliable so conference buses were well utilised.

I learned a thing or two from seasoned uLearners; they arrived in groups, weeks of planning under their belts, then fanned out across the break outs to maximise coverage before reconvening to exchange notes. They had also done their homework on places to eat in Rotorua and booked ahead.

Very wise.

It is well worth putting in the groundwork as there is a vast

niche subjects like te reo, science and maths, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs), and Maker spaces were popular.

We also notice that sessions on the deeper areas of educational focus such as student agency, future-focused curriculum, managing change, assessment and research-based sessions are attracting larger numbers than ever.”

uLEARN16, in Rotorua, offered a vast number of opportunities for professional development supply of quality content up for grabs every year, and it is a great opportunity to network with educators from both New Zealand and overseas. “uLearn is a showcase for educational possibilities - with the aim of expanding horizons and pushing educational boundaries,” says Becky Hare from CORE. “It is designed to both inspire and to meet educators’ practical needs - to help the profession grow deeply, in pedagogically sound ways backed by research, and to share ways for educators to grow the learners in their care.

We are ultimately all there for the students.”

At uLearn, it’s a mix of listening and doing: there are four keynotes offering perspectives on global and local issues affecting education, and hundreds of hands-on workshops to showcase new ideas, tools and resources.

Educators can network and share knowledge

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

This year, some workshops were so sought after that they booked out within hours of appearing on the uLearn16 website. “Smaller, hands-on workshops can be very popular, and have limited numbers so as to deliver the best learner experience,” says Ms Hare. “They are most often bring your own device sessions. uLearn has a raft of hands-on practical sessions to give teachers experiences that will readily transfer back into the classroom.

“The Communities of Learning (CoL) breakfast was especially created in response to a recognised need, to help principals and lead teachers develop strategies to make their CoL a networked success for students, whānau and communities.

“In addition, sessions offering practical experiences in using iPads, junior literacy, coding, and

Other break out sessions traversed subjects as diverse as teaching five-year-olds in an ILE, appraisals made easy, and engaging with families and communities of Pasifika learners.

Education minister Hekia Parata addressed the conference, saying that historically our education system was founded on the industrial model, but that teachers today were embracing what digital life and technologies offer.

She said educators needed to be transformative, beyond incremental, and that within the next two years, every school in New Zealand would be able to be technologically engaged. The challenge was for teachers to take advantage of that.

The uLearn16 program was structured around transformational aspects of future-focused learning and assessment, professional practice and leadership. This meant that delegates could choose to follow a strand through the conference, or to explore different combinations.

Hands-on workshops were extremely popular

Professional Development

| EDUCATION

Develop the future of education together Transform the experience of your learners, whānau, school, kura, centre or Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako For your vision to become a reality CORE can help you with the skills and strategies to develop collaborative practices that embed change, encourage excellence and embrace the future.

• Customised facilitation & mentoring Education minister Hekia Parata addresses the conference With so much on offer, it wasn’t easy to choose. The keynote speakers were education thought leaders Larry Rosenstock, John Couch, Karen Spencer, and Michael Fullan. “The keynote speakers all really hit the spot for me!” said one delegate. “From the relaxed story-telling of Larry Rosenstock, high academic discourse of John Couch and Michael Fullan to the punchy words of Karen Spencer! The best combination yet!”

Mr Rosenstock is the founder and CEO of High Tech High, an American network of public

charter schools focused on project-based learning, and he serves as an advisor to numerous commissions and boards both in the USA and internationally.

His address, It’s Time To Change The Subject, was about transforming learning and assessment by re-imagining, beginning and ending with learners, and with “a large dose of craziness”. Rather than segregating subjects, the students themselves must drive their learning, finding authentic contexts within their community.

• Evaluation and self review • Breakfast seminars & hands-on workshops • Online learning programmes • uLearn17 and regional events • Kaupapa Māori research and evaluation • Innovative practices and learning environments • Cultural connections • Digital technologies • Networked leadership Phone Carolyn English 021 227 6581 or explore core-ed.org

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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EDUCATION |

Supplier Case Study – The Mind Lab by Unitec

Upskilling at The Mind Lab by Unitec The Mind Lab by Unitec offers postgraduate training for teachers to help them stay inspired, and to keep their practice fresh.

Three program graduates who have been recognised for exceptional progress on the program share their stories here.

Desirè Truter was awarded a NEXT Foundation Expert Teacher Award, while Simon Woudberg and Harvey White were named as finalists.

Ms Truter is an English teacher at Edgewater College in Pakuranga, Auckland, and she enrolled in The Mind Lab’s postgraduate course to find ways to spice up her teaching.

“It’s easy to become complacent and feel safe in an area you are familiar with but I found The Mind Lab’s postgraduate program incredibly valuable in helping me to examine my practice. The course takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to innovate, explore and think more broadly. The only limits are those you place on yourself,” she says.

expectations I place on them.”

“Learning with The Mind Lab has had a significant impact on the way I teach. It’s highly practical so you’re learning and applying new things from the get-go. Being pushed into the role of learner again gave me a much greater appreciation of my students as learners and insight into the

“I showed students the blog I had created then we began creating blogs together. I used to struggle to get written reading logs from the students but now that they can check how many hits their blog is getting, they want to write more! It has been fantastic to see such high levels of engagement

Mr Couch, head of education division at Apple, spoke about new dimensions in learning. He believes that coding is the future, and that it will be integrated into the classroom of the future as a key and fundamental skill.

The challenge, she said, was to understand the value - from the way connections were made and from how connections were made. She urged educators to see the story behind the data, and to embrace discomfort rather than rushing to find solutions.

Ms Spencer, education director at NetSafe, spoke about the “extraordinary possibilities of a networked profession”. She said networked learning, where anyone could connect and share ideas with each other, was a powerful catalyst for change.

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Desire Truter and Harvey White upskilled through the Mind Lab by Unitec

After completing the course, Ms Truter introduced blogging to her classroom which has proven a great success.

Mr Fullan, professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, spoke about new pedagogies for deep learning.

He explained how his focus was driven by what he had observed as three innate human

as a result of introducing this technology,” she says.

Opotiki teacher Simon Woudberg enrolled in the course to find new ways to use technology in the classroom.

“The program challenges you to rethink what you know about education. It makes you question teaching practices and consider whether they are relevant for today’s environment,” he says.

“The assignments encouraged

behaviours: wired to connect, wired to create, wired to help humanity. Life and education could either amplify these characteristics or suppress and eradicate them.

There was also a lot of inspiration to be found in the exhibition hall where delegates could try the latest gadgetry, browse new resources and learn about tools to make school life more efficient, for example, BYOD management solutions and financial literacy apps.

us to explore the idea of collaboration so after finishing the course I started combined teaching with another teacher who had also done the course – double the teachers, double the students, and double the space. It has been a great way to engage the students in a fun and innovative way.”

Waitakere College teacher Harvey White wanted to reinvigorate his teaching practice and ensure he wasn’t left behind in the digital world.

It’s a lot to take in, and educators will have had a lot of ideas swirling when they returned to work.

Meanwhile, staff at CORE are already busy planning uLearn17 which will be in Hamilton, October 11-13. Key strands will be will be learning in communities, learning digitally, and learning for success.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Supplier Case Study – The Mind Lab by Unitec

| EDUCATION

“With changes such as Bring Your Own Device, I realised that I needed to do something to keep my teaching practice relevant.

Although I was initially a little nervous of making the change, the course taught me that change is inevitable, necessary and desirable if teachers are to be able to respond to the needs of our students, both now and in the future,” he says.

“I was humbled by being named a finalist for the award. The calibre of people on the course was extremely high, and it was incredibly inspiring to be in the company of teachers who are passionate and committed to improving education outcomes for students.”

educators who are motivated about improving teaching practices, and the program itself for its challenging and thoughtprovoking ethos, and practical and theoretical tools.

All three teachers say they would encourage others to enrol in the course, citing the opportunity to network with like-minded

The teachers also credit the NEXT Foundation which provided 1,350 teachers with scholarships this year to enable them to take

Simon Woudberg wanted to find new ways to use technology in the classroom part in the program. The NEXT Foundation plans to invest $100 million during the next ten years to create a legacy of environmental and educational excellence for the benefit of future generations of New Zealanders.

The Mind Lab by Unitec’s Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital &

Collaborative Learning) is a part-time, 32-week program and is redefining professional development for teachers by offering a hands-on, progressive and blended qualification.

The next intake for 2016 is in November, and 2017 intakes are in March, July and November.

By The Mind Lab by Unitec

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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ADMINISTRATION |

Storage

Finding storage solutions for your school

Schools of all types face challenges when it comes to managing their floor space.

The combination of expanding rolls, shrinking budgets and rising construction costs mean that schools must make highly efficient use of all areas.

can help to make learning spaces more effective and flexible, and improve the aesthetic appeal of a room, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE). Many different storage options are available to suit different needs. For example, use of wall units can free up floor space, while moveable book displays allow books to be accessible to even the smallest learners.

The shift to flexible learning environments has also raised new challenges for where to put everything. Some schools are having to rip out cloak bays to make way for break out areas, which then raises the question of where to stow coats and bags.

Then of course there is the issue of keeping electronic devices safe.

Schools are having to rethink their storage for everything from books and bags to classroom supplies and laptops.

The MOE advises schools to consider that:

In the learning spaces Modern schools need storage systems that are flexible and space saving, as well as cost effective. Well-designed storage

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

student to have their own device and schools are under pressure to provide secure storage.

Options include student lockers with built-in pouches for devices, popular in BYOD schools, and multi-device storage units for the teaching spaces. These are available both in fixed wall styles and as moveable units. Newer models include built-in charging docks - no more time wasted looking for chargers!

Allow also for flexible spaces nearby which you can adapt for individual, small or large group use during reading enrichment and other activities.

The other consideration is what sorts of shelving will be required in the library office for activities such as processing and maintaining books.

In the locker bay

Storing electronic devices

Types of shelving for the storage and display of resources vary in design from wall-mounted to freestanding and rollaway units.

For a seemingly innocuous piece of equipment, the school locker has a surprisingly varied and interesting life. They’re no longer just used for jackets and boots, they now have options to store devices, books and schoolbags.

Also, in time, most are decorated with gum or graffiti, and some are even used as gym equipment (think pull ups on an open door) or set alight.

The shift to use of laptops and tablets in the classroom has sent demand for device storage rocketing. Where previously a classroom might have had a few laptops for pupils to share, it is now not uncommon for every

Advice from the National Libary when planning the layout of your library’s resources is to visualise how you can use the resources to create a welcoming, vibrant and culturally inclusive environment through face-out displays.

New-style, fully plastic Oz Lokas are sturdy, graffiti-resistant, and flame retardant. “We had one school where a fire was lit in a locker and it didn’t spread, it was contained,” says Craig Vigis from furniture suppliers, class*.

• the look of a room can change depending on whether you choose open or concealed storage.

• if you locate storage over data and socket outlets, the outlets might become inaccessible.

The school library School libraries come in all different shapes and sizes, so each needs to be designed with thoughtful consideration to its area, resources and users.

ADMINISTRATION |

Storage

Weather tightness is an important factor to consider, too. “We find that schools are moving lockers to outside areas, on the verandah for example, to free up space inside. They may not be out in the rain, but they do need to be moisture proof.” Accordingly, these new Oz Lockas are made out of UV-stabilised plastic. They are also available in bright colours to cheer up the look of bays and corridors.

When planning storage for clothing and bags, the MOE advises schools to consider that storage is best located near entry

doors to preserve the condition of the carpet, especially during wet weather, and that poor design can lead to congestion at busy times.

Securing it to the wall is usually straightforward,” is the off icial advice from the Earthquake Commission.

Safety

Along the corridor

A serious consideration for New Zealand schools is how shelving and storage units will hold up in the event of an earthquake.

Static units may require support by fixing to floors, walls or have overhead tie arrangements.

“The taller something is, the more easily it will start rocking and topple, particularly if it’s top-heavy. Falling furniture can be dangerous and destructive.

“Many school buildings have large corridors along one side. One way to use this space more effectively is to turn these corridors into learning streets,” says the MOE.

Indestructible Oz Lokas The lightweight heavy duty plastic Oz Loka is made to take it: •

Stores everything from schoolbags to devices

•

No more painting, rusting, dents or noisy doors

•

Easy maintenance, weatherresistant & super-durable

•

Lightweight & stackable

•

100s of options to choose from

Get in touch with class* today, or check out our website to find out more!

Ask for your new free 186 pg. catalogue Freephone 0800 33 75 74 sales@class.net.nz www.class.net.nz

Aside of showcasing students’ art and providing space for mini break out sessions, learning streets are also useful places for storing bags on hooks, and for cabinets in which to store art

supplies, road patrol equipment and so on.

Resource rooms The school resource room is storage central, home to thousands of valuable paperback and audio books, all methodically filed. With space at a premium, shelving needs to be capacious.

Mobile shelving units double the capacity for storage, and users can “walk in” to the shelves.

Leading shelving suppliers Hydestor customise mobile shelving units to provide maximum use of space.

Charge Buddie LTD Your solution to all charging and storage problems

Wall mounted and mobile units available.

Storing and charging any eLearning device, from iPads to Laptops

We can also custom make to suit your needs • Easy installation and user friendly • Cables and chargers locked away • Self organising after installation • Identify when a device is missing • Safe storage with small foot-print • NZ Designed and made • Durable Stainless Steel

Vanessa Basson 021 742 201 or (09) 480 8905 chargebuddie@gmail.com www.chargebuddie.co.nz 26

schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Storage

| ADMINISTRATION

Keeping devices secure while charging Charge Buddie products appeared on the market in late 2014. These units, designed and built in New Zealand, are specifically for storing, organising and securing laptops and tablets while they are charging.

The Charge Buddie catalogue includes cabinets in a range of sizes and designs, both secured and mobile, and the company also offers a custom design service to suit the needs of each school.

Company directors Francois Esterhuysen and Vanessa Basson say Charge Buddies are perfectly suited to classrooms as they take up very little

space, “less than half a square metre for a unit containing 32 devices”.

Charge Buddie is also now

“Our products are built in New Zealand and designed to bolt onto the wooden walls of the Kiwi classroom. They are made of stainless steel, which is virtually indestructible, and all wiring is locked away, making the storage completely safe in the classroom environment.

The design also provides easy control of the devices for the teachers.”

Dave Winter, outreach manager with Manaiakalani Education Trust says, “I like the way that Charge Buddies keep the chargers safe, as well as the devices. It’s a big advantage as it prevents time being wasted on untangling cables and looking for missing chargers.”

available in lockers for BYOD.

Flexible storage options for schools As pedagogy changes, so too do the practical needs in a school.

The single cell classrooms with fixed shelving are fast becoming outdated, and are being replaced by large, openplan ILE spaces with moveable furniture.

Hydestor Manufactering Ltd supplies powder-coated steel shelving and storage solutions for schools and have noted an increased demand for their rollaway units in schools with flexible learning spaces.

“Our library rollaway units are being utilised more as it means shelving can be readily moved around and create flexible spaces to meet current needs while still maintaining the book collection,” says company

spokesman, Dave Stevens.

“Schools are also asking for product in a range of bright colours,” he says.

More than 1,000 schools in New Zealand use Hydestor

storage solutions including free standing, rollaway and wallmounted shelving for libraries, mobile shelving, general storage, art supply storage, science labs and resource rooms.

The company offers a full design and consultancy service at no cost. “We go to site, measure up the available area, then talk through the options and provide a range of solutions to meet the school’s needs.”

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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ADMINISTRATION |

Planning

Organisational tools for teachers Any professional role requires a modicum of organisational prowess to manage the multiplicity of tasks; communications, schedules, updates, and those time-sucking memos that characterise operations in many an industry.

Let us all pause for a moment to pay tribute to those in the education industry, you the educators. You incredible (possibly super-human) beings manage that dizzying list of tasks, obligations and interruptions with up to thirty-five students chattering, emoting, and needing things...

Teacher organisation is at the heart of what separates the selfassured smooth operator from the mere mortality of a fraught teacher. If the teacher is not calm and collected, the students cannot be expected to operate in an orderly manner.

In early primary years, a wonderful opportunity exists for teachers to model organisational

skills in the context of daily operational and personal task.

Daily and weekly planners can enhance the teacher’s ability to institutionalise this rhythmic programme of achievements, from the simple daily task of placing bags on hooks, to a set of reading objectives, prominently displayed.

High school years herald an increased work load, with assessment schedules that can threaten to cave in on a disorganised teenaged learner. An opportunity exists for secondary teachers to transfer solid selfmanagement skills and attitudes to students, who will ultimately

emerge into a frenetic and fastpaced industrial landscape.

Aeroplane passengers are advised to affix their own oxygen masks before assisting others.

Organisation is no different; teachers can only assist students if their own feet are free from the chaotic quagmire of unmet tasks.

New planners and diaries customised for teachers A new range of diaries and planners designed specifically for New Zealand teachers is now available.

bound using twin loop wire on one edge, allowing the user to open the diary back to back.

It stays flat when opened and includes a spacious layout allowing ample room for notes.

The planning products, designed by ATC, have been a fixture in Australian classrooms for almost 50 years and have been customised for teachers in New Zealand.

Planners are available in a range of formats; you can choose between primary school daily or weekly, secondary school daily or weekly, and all are available both bound or loose leaf.

Inspiration has been drawn from the company’s signature diary, The Australian Teacher’s Chronicle, which has been adapted to include New Zealand public holidays and school terms.

The diaries are sturdy wire-o

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Primary teachers can choose between dated or undated planners, while secondary teachers have a choice of daily planners split into four, five, six, seven, eight or ten subject periods. All are available in both dated or undated formats.

With a weekly planner, you can see the week ahead at a glance, and access practical and efficient features for all planning and recording requirements.

additional pages and pockets, designer covers, deluxe leather grain covers, bookmark rulers, wall planners, pen holders and stylus pens.

Diary features include 2017 year planners and calendars, professional development records, interview records, staff meetings, curriculum overview planning, and student work and test record pages.

ATC has been making and supplying planning and record solutions for teachers for almost 50 years.

There is also space to record personal contacts, timetable blanks, email records, interview records, and home class records.

A range of extras designed especially to accompany the ATC products includes

Their first diary and planner was produced in Australia in the ’70s to address teachers’ increasingly demanding schedules.

Products have continuously evolved to meet teachers’ changing needs.

All planning products for 2017 have now been customised for the New Zealand market.

Planning

| ADMINISTRATION

All teachers will be aware that teachertrainers recommend establishing a long term plan and then plotting key milestones on a planner

Daily planners are more than just a place to record your appointments. Planners can be specifically geared towards primary or secondary teachers, allowing you to stay on top of class activities, student records, and learning outcomes in one daily planner.

include features such as blank timetables, must do activities, space to list meetings and duties, attendance records, a section for student notes and even a seating plan. Products will come in daily and weekly versions, and you can streamline everything required into one binder.

Choose a planner geared to teachers, a good planner will

Team-teaching, as recommended by education experts such as

John Hattie, and Field Rickards of the Melbourne Graduate School or Education, can be supported by collaborative planning.

All teachers will be aware that teacher-trainers recommend establishing a long term plan and then plotting key milestones on a planner.

These days, digital planners

can facilitate schedule and plan sharing, with other teachers and school administration.

Most organised teachers use a combination of both mediums, to maintain collaboration with colleagues and keep their heads together, when 30 eyes are watching them, expectantly.

By Suzy Barry, Industry Reporter

nz Teacher’s Planning Diary New for New Zealand – Planning products for teachers 2017 marks our entry into the New Zealand market with diaries and planners customised to suit.

Available now for you, we offer the 2017 NZ Teacher’s Diary & Planner.

• Sturdy wiro-bound twin loop wire allows you to open your diary back to back and stays flat when opened.

• Available in Primary School Daily or Weekly and Secondary School Daily & Weekly.

• Includes New Zealand public holidays and school terms.

• Physical Education and Assessment and Attendance Record planners are also available.

• Stylish range of optional extras.

• We are a trusted provider of planning and record solutions for teachers, with almost 50 years of service to the teaching community.

How to Order

Order online via our website – www.nzteachers.co.nz Telephone Toll Free 0800 227 030 Email info@nzteachers.co.nz Website www.nzteachers.co.nz

Orders dispatched next business day Express Post All prices quoted on our website are in NZD. GST is not included in any pricing.

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Maths

A hands-on approach Numicon is a multisensory approach to mathematics using structured apparatus designed to give students understanding of number ideas and number relationships.

Each Numicon unit is a coloured square with a hole: so two is twice the size of one, and three is an angled shape. The holes are good for counting, and also make the program accessible to visionimpaired learners.

Which maths resources for your school?

While there is no substitute for effective classroom teaching, access to increasingly sophisticated maths resources can be extremely helpful.

The tricky bit is knowing which tools to choose. Do you opt for digital or multi-sensory? Is it worth investing in programs designed to support the New Zealand curriculum or do you find an app that is free of charge?

“Schools have the scope, flexibility, and authority they need to design and shape their local curriculum so that teaching

and learning is meaningful and beneficial to their student communities,” says Karl Le Quesne from the Ministry of Education (MOE). “This means that while every school curriculum must be clearly aligned with the direction of the National Curriculum, schools have considerable flexibility in how they implement their programmes.

In doing this, they can draw on different resources and models.

“Schools and teachers should consider the needs of their learners and the appropriateness of any resource to meet these needs when making teaching and learning decisions.

Cuisenaire rods, base ten and pan balances are also incorporated. The shapes and rods are weighted allowing balancing activities to demonstrate the meaning and use of ‘=’.

Numicon has been in use in New Zealand since 2003 and is now used in more than 500 primary schools and ECE centres around the country.

While especially popular for use in primary schools, it has been proven very useful for secondary learners, too. One high school teacher reports: “I worked with a year eleven student who just did not understand how numbers worked together, even in basic facts, but after one session, he got it – and still does. We are now preparing for NCEA, algebra and all!”

Numicon director Margi

Leech says the program aligns perfectly with the New Zealand curriculum, and that teachers of year one students are finding that they have completed level one of the curriculum. “These are wonderful results which will impact on the students’ confidence and success for the rest of their lives.

We all know that students having diff iculty at any level always has its roots in year one with misconceptions, poor connections and understanding of numbers and how they relate to each other.”

The teaching program is carefully sequenced to construct learning through all the strands together. For example, if the concepts are counting in hundreds, then exploring and doing practical maths with millimetres, millilitres and grams are incorporated. A strength is helping students to generalise their learning of concepts and applying them to practical maths in any situation.

The activities are mostly investigative with problemsolving followed by recording results in the exercise books.

The investigations require collaborative learning, while the individual student’s progress is observed and recorded every week. This allows the teacher to notice and support any diff iculties immediately.

Use of Numicon encourages conversation about number ideas and relationships

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Maths

| TEACHING RESOURCES

A personalised pathway with Symphony Math® Symphony Math® is an online program that provides a rich, cognitively-based learning environment to support students in the development of a deep understanding of number.

The program aligns with the New Zealand curriculum levels one to four for number and algebra, and covers number knowledge taught in years one to eight. It is also used for older students needing remediation.

Symphony Math® licences are available in 12 month blocks, and priced depending on the number of students, starting at $30 per pupil. Free one term school trials are available.

ITECNZ business manager Janine Trembath, the New Zealand program

“Students will always automatically be given the appropriate level of instruction for them, saving teachers time, however for the exceptions when teachers prefer to change this they can turn on or off any levels, or any fluency rounds, or adjust their speed.”

A Symphony Math® class representatives, says the program teaches and remediates number skills at a conceptual level, and provides an environment that is challenging and encourages flexibility in students’ problem solving.

“Students develop an in-depth understanding of number through the manipulation of various visual representations such as dot cards, number bars, number lines, and fraction bars. Auditory sentences and story problems develop maths

language and promote problem solving skills. In essence, students learn to better apply their math skills in real life scenarios.”

The program allows each student to follow a personalised pathway as the level of instruction adapts automatically according to user responses.

Teachers can check student progress in real time, and an alert system flags up students who are struggling and links to skill specific support resources that can be printed.

While Symphony Math® is used in the USA, UK, and Australia, it may still be a new name to many New Zealand teachers.

“To ensure the program’s suitability for New Zealand education, we have trialled it in more than 70 schools here.

Symphony Learning have recently added two years of instruction and support to the upper levels of program, and we believe it is now very well placed to launch in New Zealand as more than a remediation option,” says Mrs Trembath.

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Science

Science learning is key to citizenship, say teachers Quality science education in our schools - primary and secondary - is crucial, not just for those who want a career involving science, but “an essential component of core knowledge that every member of our society requires,” says Sir Peter Gluckman, science advisor to the prime minister.

“There is no doubt that the role of science in modern society

is changing. It is very different to that of a generation ago.” Sir Peter says that the challenges we face as a community depend on science, not only global issues such as climate change, but local problems too - how to cope with an ageing population, for example, and how to improve economic productivity.

Accordingly, science education is changing rapidly. Science lessons in New Zealand schools have come a long way from the days of “transmission education” in which the teacher had the answers and

students were expected to absorb what they were told. Today the relationship between teachers and students is an aiako approach to exploration with just-in-time opportunities for learning.

This emphasises student work as a starting point and promotes positive feedback learning cycles.

Questions are open-ended and a route to an endpoint may be ambiguous, and the ‘result’ may be different to the predicted outcomes.

“Today we possibly don’t know what we are going to find out,”

says Pru Casey, head of biology at Otago Boys’ High School. “I’m learning as the students learn and that’s very exciting, whether at the top end of the school or with my youngest pupils - about how science is working for them.

“It’s very much more of an authentic exploration.

“It’s a tremendous change from when I started teaching 35 years ago. Teachers in the past may not have said ‘I don’t know’ and children may have been reluctant to challenge the teacher.”

Good news for chemistry budgets There’s good news for chemistry budgets with the release of an entry level fume cupboard and fan - at almost half the cost of other models.

The Student 101 Fume Cupboard has been invented and manufactured by Malcolm Hubbert of Calibre Solutions,

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

specifically for schools, and retails at $6,500 plus GST, including delivery within New Zealand and Pacific Islands.

I am now proud to announce success, with two new products to offer which comply with AS/ NZS 2243.8.”

“Fume cupboards are a relatively expensive work bench, and even our modest price is a significant obstacle for schools surviving on charitable income.

Last year I was challenged by a customer in Honiara to develop a complete set at half price and

The Standard is extremely important, explains Mr Hubbert.

“There is a lot of confusion about maintenance of fume cupboards. By law, they have to be tested and maintained annually and in many schools there is a perception that the

person carrying out the testing is maintaining them. But the test is only for audit purposes and is a separate requirement.

There is no sign off unless maintenance has been carried out.”

Mr Hubbert advises schools to contact the manufacturer of their fume cupboard for further advice.

Science

| TEACHING RESOURCES

Supplier Profile | Kiwibots

Programming with VEX IQ Kiwibots is a charitable trust whose mission is to ‘inspire a passion for STEAM’ through VEX robotics platforms, its curriculum and learning support, and associated challenges and competitions, writes Chris Hamling.

Everything needs to have a beginning, so this description of the programming pathways associated with VEX should start with the VEX IQ Challenge. It is the VEX IQ challenge that the Kiwibots use to get students to find STEAM exciting.

The structure of the VEX IQ Challenge is such that no student ever feels that they have lost at technology, yet there is a champion at every event. This is achieved by having robots work together to maximise the points they jointly achieve. The tournament champion is the team with the highest accumulated points.

Once we have students’ attention and they’re enjoying the sport of robotics, they start wanting their robot to do more. This leads them to investigate programming and to start asking questions about robot design. Once this happens the rest is easy.

Expedition Atlantis

(robotvirtualworlds.com/atlantis/) Expedition Atlantis is a great starting point for students that have never done any programming before. Introducing them to the concept of numbers to control distance and direction.

RobotC for VEX (robotc.net/download/ vexrobotics/)

Having completed the Expedition Atlantis introduction game, it is time for them to start programming. We recommend that schools use RobotC for VEX as it is not only free but it has a Scratch-like Graphical mode, a Natural Language mode and a full blown C mode.

Robot Virtual Worlds

(robotvirtualworlds.com)

We suggest that students are introduced to programming with Robot Virtual Worlds (RVW) and then given the chance, at distinct points in time, to switch their code over to the real world VEX IQ robots. RVW allows every student to do the course at their own pace, creating their own virtual environment, without the need to have real world hardware all the time. Teachers and students are assisted with a wealth of free curricula that will help then through the process of learning and teaching.

educators teaching computer science, engineering practices, and mathematics using robots. It allows them to create groups of lessons that their students can have their results logged against.

Real World Robots While RVW virtual programming goes a long way to teaching students about robots, it doesn’t fully replace the excitement of see their real-world VEX IQ Robot7 obey their commands.

This can be done with several students sharing one robot and taking turns programming it while others work in the virtual world.

CAD links to RVW and real robots When the time comes teachers may want to introduce CAD into their courses.

With Autodesk Fusion 360 (autodesk.com/products/ fusion-360/), this is not only possible but there are great online tutorial videos available and it’s free to schools and students.

A complete solution++ The Kiwibots believe that the VEX IQ platform coupled with RobotC 4.x for VEX and Robot Virtual worlds presents the ultimate solution to teaching robotics in the classroom.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Chris Hamling is national manager, Kiwibots. If you’d like to know more, he can be contacted at c.hamling@kiwibots.co.nz and 021 664 176, or kiwibots.co.nz

CS-STEM Network (cs2n.org)

CS-STEM Network’s mission is to develop engaging educational technologies to support

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Science

Recently Ms Casey’s year eleven students investigated the effect that the dredging of the Otago harbour would have on photosynthetic rates in seaweed and change of C0² in the water, changed distribution of invertebrates and the pH of sea water, and the effect it had on plankton.

“For their exploration they gained credits, each group doing a different exploration, and none of us knew what we’d find out.

“Science is about learning to learn and learning to work hard.

It involves group work, inquiry, technical skills, fine motor skills and critical thinking.

Not all my students will go on to work in science, but they will come away with values and competencies that they can use in whether they are lawyers, fathers, rugby players or engineers.”

These values and competencies are at the heart of VEX Robotics, classroom-based competitions now involving 10,000 teams across 33 countries. VEX promotes a culture of “gracious professionalism” - sharing and working together rather than winning at all costs.

Teacher Dave Aston, who leads the robotics program at Glenfield College, recalls an incident from a national competition. “Some new students turned up and their robot wouldn’t go. Two students and teachers from other schools provided encouragement, suggestions, and parts. So instead of giving up and not

coming back, the students went home that evening and rebuilt their robot so that it was ready for the next day’s competition.”

Chris Hamling is national manager for Kiwibots, which supports and maintains VEX robotics competitions in New Zealand and supports them in

Keen to get going with robotics? but no money for robots?

Here’s your chance to win your school access to Robot Virtual Worlds, a sophisticated, online robotics club It’s designed especially for students who don’t have robots, who want to learn to program and full teacher support is provided.

Kiwibots, who organise the VEX Robotics competitions in New Zealand, is not financially associated with Robot Virtual Worlds, but believes it is a fantastic solution for schools wanting to teach robotics.

Kiwibots is therefore offering to fund a full annual licence to Robot Virtual Worlds for one lucky school.

WFIUNLL

A LICENSE ANNUAL 0USD 30 $ H WORT

To enter, simply go to https://kiwibots.co.nz/RVW_Competition and complete the form.

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Science

| TEACHING RESOURCES

Supplier Profile | Calibre Solutions

A new solution to fume cupboards Australia. “The idea is to create to a field of dreams to get kids excited about science and technology,” he says. “It’s growing and going very well, but what we’ve found is that there is a large number of teachers who need support in navigating what is a potentially confusing landscape that they find themselves in.

“We don’t have enough teachers who can teach software and robotics in our schools. The same occurs in the USA, and the USA has created some very strong curriculum material to support not only the mechanics but the software of the program. One platform that is easy to pick up is the Robot Virtual Worlds because it allows teachers to teach robotics in the classroom and not have real world robots, it can all be done in a virtual world.

The other advantage is that free CAD software from Autodesk allows you to design your own virtual worlds for the robots allowing students to create their own worlds for other students to explore.

“A lot of schools have gone down the route of very basic robots that don’t do a lot, they’re teaching

students how to make little bugs that move around on the table.

But by using the virtual world and interacting in the virtual arena, you can do a lot of complex mechatronic tasks as opposed to simple software. It also allows teachers to follow students’ activities.”

The big advantage is the small price tag; the only cost is buying an emulator. A licence for 30 users will cost roughly “the same as two little robots”, and users.

“It’s not a Mickey Mouse outfit, it’s cheap because it is funded through a vast amount of sponsorship in the States. It’s your STEAM curriculum in a box, almost. If your school is looking to set up a robotics program, I would urge you not to make a decision until you have seen what’s available on this.

Mr Hamling says Kiwibots has no vested interest in Robot Virtual Worlds, “we just want to get the word out that it’s phenomenal.

The curriculum and the teachers’ support materials are free.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

I have been manufacturing laboratory fume cupboards and fans for 40 years.

I have oriented my business to manufacture high quality, well designed products at reasonable prices. Our fume cupboards are installed throughout New Zealand, and Pacific Islands. We have fume cupboards which are still in good condition after 25 years service, so I think that our products have excellent competitive value in both purchase price and lifespan.

However, the fact remains that fume cupboards are a relatively expensive work bench. The costs arise from compliance with Standard, materials of construction, and skilled labour required to assemble a diversity of components, all of which accumulate in the selling price.

Even our modest price is a significant obstacle for schools surviving on charitable income, especially within countries of low currency rate.

The FumeFlow 101 Fan a simple alarm and timer. (Water and drain are not in the basic price either, but can be added as an extra.)

Design of a completely new fan.

Not just the fan, but also an ingenious roof bracket adjustable for roof pitch and purlin spacing, which provides rigid support for the fan AND the flue.

What is unchanged?

•

Proven aerodynamic mechanical design

Last year I was challenged by a customer in Honiara to develop a complete set at HALF PRICE. After an intense program, I am now proud to announce success, with two new products to offer an entry level fume cupboard and matching fan, which comply with AS/NZS 2243.8.

•

Proven construction methods and engineering skills

•

Compliance with Standards

•

Ease of installation

•

Complete kitset with ducts

•

Technical support

How was this done?

For more information please contact: Calibre Solutions Ltd, 37 Manurere Rise, Matakohe 0593 Freephone: 0800 422 542 or email: 101@calibre.co.nz

A small reduction in size has a significant affect on material usage, and allows all components to be a little lighter.

Components have been reviewed to allow either an alternative source, or reduce labour. The size also reduces the airflow demand, which means smaller duct and fan. All of these reduce material costs.

Eliminating gas and power avoids the need to control energy sources, and the safety sequence controller is replaced by The Student 101 Fume Cupboard

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Te Reo

Te Tiriti o Waitangi – living the values We all know the importance of reflecting the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the classroom, but what exactly does this mean and how do we know if we’re getting it right? Michele Coxhead, from The Te Reo Māori Classroom, explains.

I often tell the story of a friend, an extremely capable teacher, being interviewed for a teaching position. The question, “How does your teaching practice reflect the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles?” made her break out in a sweat. She repeated the question back to the panel, looked around the room then responded with a bit of a ramble which, upon reflection, was probably not what they had been hoping to hear.

Later, when we discussed the question, she realised that she was in fact reflecting the Treaty principles in her practice in very many ways, she just hadn’t understood the question. So many of us don’t. We appreciate the importance of the Treaty, but we sometimes lack confidence in demonstrating our understanding.

This is unsurprising given that it is difficult to find any Ministry documents explaining exactly what is meant by this question,

• inquiry- place based learningfinding out about the Māori origins of your rōhe, mountains, rivers, history.)

• having Māori representative /s on Boards of Trustees • equity for Māori • power sharing Partnership relies on us welcoming and having genuine relationships with our Māori community.

Waitangi, New Zealand’s most important historic site and what the principles look like reflected in your teaching practice.

The New Zealand Curriculum states: “The Treaty of Waitangi is one of eight principles in The New Zealand Curriculum that provide a foundation for schools’ decision making.

The Treaty of Waitangi principle puts students at the centre of teaching and learning, asserting that they should experience a curriculum that engages and challenges them, is forwardlooking and inclusive, and affirms New Zealand’s unique identity.”

Still confused? Let’s begin by looking at the principles.

The three “P’s”, as they are often referred to, are the principles of partnership, participation and protection. These underpin the relationship between the

Signatures on the Treaty of Waitangi

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Michele Coxhead The Te Reo Māori Classroom

Government and Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. These principles are derived from the underlying tenets of the Treaty.

They are used to bridge the gap between the literal differences between the Māori and English texts.

Partnership Partnership involves working together with iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities to develop strategies for Māori education.

Partnership encourages and requires Māori to be involved at all levels of the education sector, including decision-making, planning, and development of curriculum.

Partnership is: • engaging with Māori community

Historically for many Māori there have not been “open door” policies and Māori have not felt welcomed and valued in some schools. Sometimes these relationships take time and effort.

For most communities, once they feel there is genuine relationship building, they will be more than happy to be a part of the school and add expertise.

Protection Protection means actively protecting Māori knowledge, interests, values, and other tāonga. Identity, language, and culture are important expressions of what it means to be a culturally located learner. Ka Hikitia (Ministry of Education, 2007) emphasises that “culture counts” and describes a commitment to “knowing, respecting and valuing where students are, where they come from and building on what they bring with them”

Whare Runanga, a gallery of Māori art at Waitangi had meaning for Michele

Te Reo

• School environment reflecting the biculturalism of Aotearoa • aspirations of Māori whānau reflected in school planning • equity for Māori Protection is: • valuing, validating and protecting local knowledge (place-based learning) • normalising te reo Māori • learning and including tikanga school-wide • equity for Māori As classroom teachers we are able to implement these principles every day. Normalising te reo not only in your classroom, but in staff meetings, the staff room, on duty, at assemblies and in other areas.

Adding a Māori perspective to topics and inquiry is an opportunity for us to weave

tikanga and Māori view point into everyday situations.

Participation Emphasise positive Māori involvement at all levels of education, as expressed in NEG 9: “Increased participation and success by Māori through the advancement of Māori educational initiatives, including education in Te Reo Māori, consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.”

Participation is: • working to strengthen homeschool relationships • Māori participating in school decision making

If you begin working on strong partnerships, participation will happen organically. I have always felt that as soon as your whānau and community see that you genuinely want to move forward with Māori participation, the help is always offered. Coming from the place of honesty and wanting to make a difference for the ākonga puts you in a perfect space to be treaty partners. Māori participants are an asset to our school communities.

While writing this I found myself reflecting back to my secondary school years in the Bay of Islands.

Sixth form art class was spent at the Whare Runanga (Meeting house) on the Waitangi Treaty

| TEACHING RESOURCES

Grounds, a remarkable gallery of Māori art. We learnt the meanings of all the whakairo/carvings and the carving styles of the different iwi of Aotearoa.

We could have stayed in the confines of the classroom and studied the Impressionists and Modernists through books and pictures. But Waitangi was real for us; place-based learning, history, and living art with its stories. For me this was when I really felt a connection to a place, and I still feel strong connections to Waitangi. This learning from outside the classroom remains with me and by passing on what I have learned I am protecting Māori culture, language and art knowledge.

Whaowhia te kete mātauranga Fill the basket of knowledge

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Maui and other Māori Legends

By Peter Gossage

This is a beautiful collection of Māori legends by the late artist Peter Gossage.

Gossage’s memorable retellings of Māori oral myths have captivated the children of New Zealand for generations.

Their dramatic and distinctive illustrations with minimal yet evocative language form a powerful combination, and each has earned its place among the beloved classics of our literature.

Book Reviews

Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upperclass Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between two Fives competitors - one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This imaginative escape into enthralling new lands weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

Hachette, For readers 12+

Clover Moon

By Jacqueline Wilson

family be just what she needs to find a place that really feels like home?

Penguin, Random House For readers 10+

Did You Hear A Monster?

By Raymond McGrath

Clarice Caroline is not exactly a brave little girl. In fact, Clarice Caroline is a little frightened of . . . everything! So she always wears her helmet (just in case).

So why is Clarice Caroline out of bed in the middle of the night, to investigate a bump and a thump?

Penguin, Random House For readers 7+

Run

By Kate Elliott

By Kody Keplinger

Quick Quack Quentin

By Kes Gray & Jim Field

When tragedy plunges her into a world of grief, Clover realises that everything she loved about the place she called home is gone.

Clover hears of a place she could run to, but where will she find the courage – and the chance – to break free? And could leaving her

Quentin has a problem with his Quack in this humorous new title from Kes Gray and Jim Field.

Quentin was a duck with a very quick quack. ‘QUCK!’ said Quentin. ‘What’s wrong with me?’

Quentin’s quack has lost its A.

A new title to delight Jacqueline Wilson fans, Clover Moon is the story of a young heroine trying to survive in bleak Victorian London. When we meet Clover Moon, her imagination is her best escape from a life of hardship and poverty, but tragedy forces her to push beyond dreams to find a new reality.

schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Hachette, For readers 12+

This is a companion title to It’s Not a Monster, It’s ME! and the award-winning Have You Seen a Monster? It is filled with suspense - and has a twist at the end.

Puffin, Penguin Random House For readers 6+

Court of Fives

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Despite everything, they become best friends. When Bo shows up in the middle of the night, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn’t hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require confronting some ugly secrets.

A delightful, monster-themed picture book with a CD of songs performed by The Little City Critters, plus a read-along version of the story.

Contains eight legends including How Maui Found his Mother, Battle of the Mountains and Pania of the Reef.

A teenage girl secretly competes in her city’s prestigious athletic competitions in this high-fantasy adventure.

an alcoholic mum. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Agnes Atwood has never stayed out past 10pm and never gone on a date. She’s never broken any of her parents’ overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter - but Agnes isn’t quite sure what they are protecting her from.

Do any of the other animals have one to spare? Not likely!

APES don’t want to be PES. SNAKES don’t want to be SNKES. PANDAS don’t want to be PNDAS or even PANDS. Will Quentin be stuck with a very quick QUCK?!

This is a fun book to read out loud and to teach children about vowel sounds.

A story about the risks we’ll take to save our friends & ourselves.

Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and

Author Kes Gray also wrote the award-winning Eat Your Peas.

Hachette, For readers 5+

Going Hungry

| FOOD & BEVERAGE

Should schools be feeding hungry students?

Poverty and hunger go hand in hand. And with one-third of New Zealand’s children 300,000 - now living below the official line of poverty, there’s a lot of hunger in our schools

schools in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. A further eleven schools are on the company’s waiting list.

“The feedback we’ve had from schools receiving our GIVE lunches is incredible,” says Eat My Lunch founder, Lisa King. “It changes the way teachers engage with kids. Time is no longer spent ensuring the kids are fed so they can learn, instead the focus is back on learning.

Hungry kids pose a big problem for schools because they cannot learn efficiently, no matter how hard they try. Like the rest of the body, the brain requires energy to function properly so hungry children are likely to have problems with memory and concentration because they do not have enough energy to carry out these functions.

“We also get feedback on the children’s behaviour and concentration in class – they are able to focus and participate, whereas when they were hungry, they would be disruptive. There has also been positive feedback on the children’s health, in particular their skin is much better.”

“Poverty is the single most disruptive condition affecting a child’s education. There is evidence that stress arising from food insecurity affects a child’s ability to focus in class, or attend school at all,”says Dr Prudence Stone, child rights advocate for Unicef New Zealand.

To date, most public discussion of hungry children in New Zealand has placed a strong emphasis on parental inadequacy as being the fundamental reason children go hungry. The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) says the evidence suggests otherwise, and irrespective of the cause, children are not responsible for their poverty.

Latest figures reveal that the number of children living in poverty, defined by Unicef as living in households bringing

Absenteeism because parents have no food to send with kids has also dropped significantly in some Eat My Lunch schools.

Feed the Need delivers hot lunches to seven low decile schools during the winter in less than 60 per cent of the median national income - $28,000 a year or $550 a week - rose by 45,000 from last year.

While policy makers argue over who is at fault, it is falling to schools to try to plug the gap.

With no funding to feed students, but acutely aware of their moral responsibilities, more schools are turning to charities for help.

So far, 28 orchards have been planted in decile three and four schools

Free lunch providers are relatively new in New Zealand, and any that crop up are swamped with requests from schools with hungry students. Eat My Lunch gives one lunch to a child in need for every lunch bought by a consumer. In little over a year, the number of lunches donated daily has grown from an initial 100 to 1,215 each day, across 28

It’s a similar story at Feed the Need, a charity which distributed 72,000 lunches to students at seven decile one schools in South Auckland during the winter.

“Funding is limited so we focus our efforts on hot lunches during the coldest time of the year when children’s health is most vulnerable,” says program director Laurie Wharemate-Keung. She knows all too well the hardship of going without food. “My father and mother worked hard to meet the needs of our family of ten, but often times money was short.

Children’s charity KidsCan is helping schools to plant orchards so they can grow their own food

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

School Canteens

Keeping your menu healthy and attractive School canteens help students develop positive attitudes and behaviour towards food. Eating healthy food also makes a big difference to students’ ability to learn in the classroom.

The foods and drinks offered in the canteen need to be nutritious, varied, quick and easy to prepare, appetising and well presented to appeal to students. Here are some practical ways your school canteen can achieve these goals.

How to add variety A school canteen menu should provide core items based on the four food groups that rarely change, to enable the canteen to operate in a manageable and profitable way. This will make

sandwiches and wraps or burgers, salads topped with seeds, and fruit salad topped with yoghurt.

Food that is easily portable and able to be held in your hand is popular with students. Serve baked wedges in a cone, a salad in a noodle box or soup in a large takeaway cup. Have some food items in bite-sized pieces. Instead of a whole piece of fruit serve as a fruit salad, or fruit kebab. This is also a great way to get students to try vegetables or fruits. ordering along with preparation time easier. Add variety and interest to the menu through daily or weekly specials which are suited to the season. Remember, using seasonal vegetables and fruit is the most cost effective way.

For example, having pizza on a Friday means all the preparation for these items can be done on

one day. Depending on the age of students, offer different serve sizes of foods where possible.

How to appeal to the students Interesting contrasts in colour, flavour and texture can be achieved with the addition of fresh, crunchy vegetables in

Along the corridor, her colleague keeps a koha basket in the classroom. “This is where students can put any lunch they don’t want. They can swap it or just leave it for someone else to take.”

She estimates that about 50

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

Stand in your students’ shoes: what can they see when they are at the counter? Are the healthier options clearly visible?

Attractively displayed foods and drinks, with choices positioned on

opt for the latter, and often provide some social services for families as well.”

“I distinctly remember the familiar feeling of an empty stomach, the embarrassment of having little or no lunch at school and the stress of trying to ‘cover up’ this fact by making excuses for why I ‘forgot’ my lunch or explaining that I simply wasn’t hungry.”

It’s a scenario played out in schools up and down the country, and it’s no longer limited to the lowest decile schools. A teacher from a decile six intermediate told School News that she provides one of her students with food every day, not just for lunch but to take home to share with his sibling, “else they’d have nothing”.

“I give him whatever food we have in class, for example, leftovers from shared lunches to take home as well as boxes of Weetbix, porridge, longlife milk, fruit and leftover sandwiches to eat at home.”

How to present and position your foods and drinks

pupils at the school regularly arrive without lunch, and often gives away her own to a hungry student.

According to CPAG, schools in New Zealand have been stepping in to feed hungry students since the 1990s, but things really ramped up in the mid-2000s.

To gain understanding of what was driving schools to provide food, in 2010, CPAG conducted a phone survey of 17 decile one and two primary, intermediate and secondary schools in the Auckland region. The results were published in their report, Hunger for Learning.

“Schools talked about parents facing multiple stresses, with

most trying to do their best under what were often difficult circumstances. Issues highlighted were parents working long hours and/or multiple jobs, low incomes, lack of access to transport, and issues around housing including overcrowding and transience.

Schools also talked about a minority of parents failing to cope with the multiple stresses in their lives, up to and including feeding their children.

“The tension for schools is whether to usurp parental responsibility by stepping in and feeding their children or to make sure the children have eaten sufficient good quality food to learn. On balance most schools

At KidsCan, a charity supplying breakfast and lunch items to more than 20,000 children a week, the work now includes helping schools become sustainable.

Last year they started working with schools to plant orchards in order to reduce dependency on lunch programs and give students access to fresh fruit. So far, 28 orchards have been planted in decile three and four schools, as decile one and two schools receive fruit through a Ministry of Health initiative.

“No child should go hungry, especially not in our own backyard in a developed country like New Zealand, says KidsCan CEO and co-founder, Julie Chapman. “Lack of food impacts children’s ability to get to school in a position to learn – to attend, concentrate, and get a good education. We believe that education equals opportunity, and every child should have a fair start in life.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

School Canteens

the counter and and at the front of the fridges and cabinets sell well.

Wrap sandwiches and rolls so the fillings can easily be seen.

Combos Providing combos is a great way to not only ensure children are eating a balanced lunch, but are also a great way to offer a complete meal at a cost effective price.

Ideas such as a burger with salad, small carton of reduced-fat plain milk and a piece of fruit, or a sandwich and vegetable sticks and hummus.

How can Fuelled4life help?

Fuelled4life is based on the Ministry of Health’s Food and Beverage Classification System (FBCS). It’s a free, practical tool which helps schools provide healthier foods. It aims to increase access for young people to healthier food and beverages, and to inspire food services to provide tasty, nutritious products.

Everyday foods and drinks are lower in energy, fat and salt so are appropriate for everyday consumption.

Sometimes foods and drinks are still good choices but are a bit higher in energy, saturated fat and salt and so should be eaten in moderation. Sometimes foods and drinks should not dominate the choices available.

Sign up to Fuelled4life One in three Kiwi kids is overweight or obese, but you can help change that. If you are a teacher, principal, canteen manager, caterer or cook and would like to see your school offering healthier food and beverages, here’s what to do:

| FOOD & BEVERAGE

• Sign up to Fuelled4life for loads of free resources to help you choose healthier options.

• You’ll also get free access to the Fuelled4life website and newsletter with tips, recipes, special deals and information on ways to improve nutrition in your school.

For more information or oneto-one nutrition support, please contact the Fuelled4life team on 09 526 8550, email Larissab@ heartfoundation.org.nz or go to www.fuelled4life.org.nz

By The New Zealand Heart Foundation

ruNning a SchooL canTeen iSn’T easY – We caN helP you.

We offer FREE advice on menus, recipes, finances, management & policies.

Sign up today at www.fuelled4life.org.nz to receive our many free resources.

wWw.FuellEd4liFe.oRg.nZ Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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FOOD & BEVERAGE Supplier Profile | Sanitarium Healthier Vending Initiative

School of Champions busy day in the life of a highly successful coach, there are games to coach, practices to run, training and tactics sessions to lead, there is a mouth-guard to find, there’s a phone call to take, a txt to respond too, consulting with school coaches across all sports to share and compare, there’s practice balls to sort out and then back to some more meetings.

For Moon, he treats each day like any other day of teaching and sorting out stuff with the boys who trundle in and out of his off ice.

Still fresh from the euphoria from winning the championship it seems like yesterday after Mount Albert Grammar – known as MAGS - claimed their National First XV title.

Spirits are understandably high. Geoff Moon is the current Director of Rugby and First XV head coach at the school, and is backed by a dedicated coaching team of James Hantz and Kerry Baker. MAGS has produced a host of New Zealand league internationals and 10 former All Blacks, including Bryan Williams, Sonny Bill Williams and Steven Luatua.

MAGS has an incredibly strong sporting culture. It’s a co-ed school of around 2700 students, and while they don’t offer 15s rugby to girls, there is a popular female 7s team. Boys play 7s and touch rugby too, and the school also offers a rugby league team. The school, led by Headmaster Patrick Drumm, is located in central Auckland, is state-run, Decile 8 and takes in students from its zone in Mount Albert.

The only thing they don’t have is a modern gym for the rugby team – although Moon and his players love their dusty shed and selection of free weights down the back of the grounds. Despite the apparent willingness of parents and alumni to donate resources, Moon says MAGS doesn’t offer scholarships to players at First XV level, preferring to bring their own players through from Year Nine up.

Clearly, the rugby programme is doing many things right. The mana Moon has with the boys is contagious. He is more than a friend - he is their coach for life. He is fond of them and they are of him. On a

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

After the humble and dusty training shed his off ice is a hub. Moon is an iconic man for the school and his one word mantra is ‘unbreakable’. His off ice sits right beside the school’s pristine playing fields. MAGS supports 10 rugby teams in total – the First XV, Second XV, U16, U15 and U14 sides, as well as weight-graded teams at each of those age grades. “You could be a little fella at U14 and play in restricted-weight grade with people your own size,” explains Moon, who is also an assistant coach for the Auckland Mitre 10 Cup team. ”We’re trying to capture all boys and they grow at different times.”

How did Moon build a successful culture using homegrown boys who came through the junior ranks of the school?

Moon accepted some key outside help when it was offered. In association with Andy Rodgers of Aktive Auckland, Dr Ralph Pim was brought in to talk to the team. Dr Pim is an expert on culture and team building from the United States West Point Military Academy. The process of MAGS developing an ‘unbreakable culture’ began.

“The strongest culture you’ll ever have is your family,” says Moon. “Inside your family culture, you understand right from wrong, you understand expectation, you understand who you are, you understand how you can’t let anybody else down, you understand that ‘I’ve got responsibilities to make the most of every opportunity I have.’ That’s culture.

“We take the concepts of our family, the values that we have in our family and family life, and bring them into our rugby team. We turn our team into a family, where all our behaviours are clear and they don’t get compromised.

“We then get this environment where the boys start getting closer to each other, they start giving each other a bit of tough feedback and helping each other out.

Everyone starts getting better. That’s what we experienced this year. Culture produces results – there’s no other way.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

When you get your environment right, your performance improves, people grow and people learn. At school level, the key is to make sure that the boys are in a good culture.”

“In our young teams, we don’t focus on winning,” says Moon. “We focus on learning how to train and understanding the game and having a lot of fun. We’d rather they got out there and played, made a few mistakes and learned what works, what doesn’t work, how to control their mindset.

“We have a developmental long-term approach to our junior school where we want to grow athletes who are learning all the time. We don’t have a win-win-win attitude, it’s about ‘let’s get better and learn’.

“We do quite a bit of analysis to teach the boys,” says Moon, who also teaches PE at MAGS. “We don’t think we are bigger or smarter than anyone. At First XV level here, we have a tactical group who coordinate game plans, work out our strategies with the coaches, design plays, analyse opposition lineouts, and change game plans on the field. We do that with 16 and 17-year-olds, because that’s part of their development. The tactical group meets twice a week in the classroom and we plan and organise our game plans and tactics for the next game.”

That process allowed MAGS to implement a variety of game plans this season, something that was key in their national success, particularly as several of their

key games were played in testing weather conditions. While First XV rugby brings pressure and a winning mindset, Moon stresses that giving the players a longlasting love of rugby is the ultimate goal at MAGS. “Success for us is that when they’re 25, they’re still playing rugby. It’s too easy these days to take the easy option - when school finishes, so do you and rugby.

Success is that they’re staying in the game, and they’re still playing at 25. Young, fit, active, striving to be better than they were the day before.”

Things could not have gone any better for MAGS in 2016. A clean sweep of the trophies, 22 wins in 23 games. Moon saw the single defeat during the Auckland 1A regular season as a valuable lesson for his team. It taught them that the focus should not always be about winning but more about growth. The magic was winning the Auckland Secondary title against Sacred Heart College 15-13, and the NZ Secondary School title against Hastings Boys High School 14-13. MAGS’ Second XV also won the Auckland Championship this year.

Those players will make up the First XV in 2017 and will travel to Japan in April to take part in the prestigious Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament.

“We’re unbreakable.”

The highly-rated captain and lock Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa started the year with personal challenges of his own, but with some mentoring support from Moon and his coaching team “grew into a Richie McCaw”. According to Moon, even Riedlinger-Kapa’s parents saw the focus and change in their son – so much so that during the year they almost did not recognise the old from the new man he had become.

Moon, shared his journey with other outstanding leaders, who have worn the MAGS jersey during the year, such as, centre Caleb Clarke who went on to play for New Zealand Secondary Schools this month against Fiji and Australia. Fullback Niven Longopoa was on the New Zealand Barbarians team – essentially, the national schools B team – against the same opposition.

When talking about his players, Moon shared the success stories of the growth of boys into men, that ultimately shaped the season they bought into;

Isaiah ‘Ice’ Papali’i, a member of the MAGS First XV, is an openside flanker who was named the NZ Secondary School Player of the Year. Isaiah, also a powerlifting champion, possesses a respectful manner and a firm handshake. The powerful back rower seems mature beyond his years.

Papali’i was one of the key men in Mount Albert Grammar School’s drive to the Auckland 1A, Blues region and National First XV Championship titles this season – the school’s third national title in their history.

“We’re a family.”

“It’s all about our culture.”

The key takeaway is that the team was more than the sum of its parts. MAGS

has developed a mindset that the school values coaching across all sports and this has translated into life on and off the field and specifically educational achievement in school. Moon stresses that the school’s chief concern in rugby is to breed a love of the game among the students who opt to play the sport.

As one of the longest partners of the Sanitarium Healthier Vending Programme initiative, MAGS has benefited from partner proceeds to support all its Sports codes.

Whether it’s the world’s largest kids sporting event, the Weetbix Tryathlon, the Kick-start Breakfast Club, through the Sanitarium Healthier Vending Programme initiative, MAGS has utilised the partner proceeds to invest back into a sporting culture of excellence.

If the All Blacks and professional New Zealand franchises and unions are looking for players to buy into their cultures, then MAGS is doing a fine job of producing them. It’s also very clear that Moon is working with some genetically gifted young players, but he points out that size and power is nothing without the aforementioned tactical and technical skill, as well as the all-important culture of being better than before. The physical talent of youngsters in this region of New Zealand is well-known, particularly with such a Polynesian influence, but a core part of Moon’s philosophy at MAGS is ensuring that the players not only understand rugby, but to instil a culture around family, respect and growing warriors.

Supporting Local Communities Sanitarium Healthier Vending Partnership Initiative: Making a difference for our children, making a difference for our schools and paying dividends for life.

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Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

Drinking Water

Keeping drinking water safe and accessible Staying hydrated is essential for our health and well-being, as well as our ability to stay on task.

It is therefore imperative that schools maintain provision of safe drinking water - and encourage students to keep sipping.

In many instances, it is mild dehydration causing the concentration lapses, tiredness and headaches that can lead to poor performance and classroom disruption, something that can be easily remedied by a trip to the water fountain, says dietitian Lea Stening.

“Fluids are essential to us. Water fills the spaces in and between our cells as well as playing a vital role in the digestion and absorption of all the food we eat.

Fluids also help to keep our body temperature within safe limits.

“We need to make sure that our bodies stay hydrated, especially in hot weather, when exercising or playing sport. The amount needed varies according to age, size, the weather and how active we are, but as a rough guide, children

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should be drinking four to six cups of water a day, and adults six to eight cups.”

Ms Stening points out that children and adolescents dehydrate much more quickly than adults. “They have a greater surface area to body volume ratio which makes it more diff icult for them to regulate their body temperature as they are more affected by environmental conditions- particularly humidity, wind and altitude. And when they exercise, they produce more metabolic heat per mass unit than adults during activities such as walking and running. Unless this extra heat is released, core body heat will rise and may cause heatrelated illness.”

The other concern is that kids don’t always drink even when a drink is put in front of them. “In hot weather children need to be reminded to drink because thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration and even as much as 1-2 per cent of dehydration can reduce their performance.”

In schools, provision of clean, safe water is the responsibility of school boards of trustees, part of the overall responsibilities for

health and safety. Specifically, this means ensuring that drinking water is freely available to staff and students, being vigilant in protecting everyone from drinking unsafe water, and taking adequate steps to prevent corrosion metals in drinking water.

Here in New Zealand, widely touted as “pure”, we tend to take for granted our access to clean drinking water. But risks remain, and at no time in recent history has this been more apparent than during the August crisis in Havelock North where more than 5,000 residents succumbed to gastro illness after drinking contaminated water. The crisis is estimated to have cost more than $700,000, although of course the real cost was to the health of the town’s people with dozens admitted for hospital treatment and hundreds more seeking medical help. The town’s schools were forced to close temporarily.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), there are relatively few waterborne disease outbreaks in New Zealand each year. “The recent Havelock North outbreak was an exception,”says Dr Stewart Jessamine for the

Ministry. “The usual cause of disease outbreaks is from drinking untreated water - for instance when people drink rainwater collected from their roof which may be contaminated by bird droppings.”

If your school’s water does become unsafe to drink, you must stop people drinking it. For example, put up notices saying ‘unfit for drinking’. You then need to take immediate steps to make the water safe. This may mean contacting your local council, or correcting the issue yourself if you are a self-supplying school.

A self-supplying school provides its own water rather than being on town supply. There are around 500 self-supplying schools in New Zealand, all required to: • have a water safety plan, approved by a drinking water assessor, that is in the process of being implemented • have appropriate treatment based on the risk to the supply • monitor the water quality • take action when your water supply or water quality is compromised

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

Drinking Water

Vandal-proof fountains in demand At Mountain Fresh, manufacturers of a range of water dispensing products, there’s been an increase in demand from schools for hygienic, filtered drinking fountains.

Providing a minimum amount of drinking water All schools must consider their drinking water storage requirements. You should have at least a 20 day supply in reserve available for emergency drinking water at the daily rate of four litres per person per day. For normal daily use you must be able to provide not less than 23 litres per person per day.

Schools also require drinking fountains to be vandal resistant in order to keep maintenance costs down, says Mountain Fresh director, Grant McCarthy “Most of our drinking fountains are equipped with vandal-protective shrouds, come standard with drinking bubblers, bottle filling taps and security-keyed maintenance taps. Our new brightly coloured range is very popular with students and easy to spot as well.

Mountain Fresh also supply sink-mounted filtered drinking bubblers, water coolers, under bench water purifiers, Ultra Violet water sterilisers, whole house water filtration and replacement filters.

Mr McCarthy advises schools to seek out an established supplier who listens to what schools want and asks

questions about age groups and roll size to ensure that the right height, type and quantity of fountains is provided.

Consideration needs to be given to the fountain position for ease of access, installation and any vandalism issues. It is also important to factor in budget constraints.

Maintenance is normally a yearly filter change which is arranged by the Mountain Fresh customer contact team. The company can and does arrange plumbers for installations, although some schools prefer to use their own plumbers who are familiar with the school layout.

Colourful bubblers a hit with kids The Fel Group Ltd has supplied drinking fountains to schools in New Zealand for more than 20 years under their brand, Street Furniture.

Throughout the years, the designs have been continually improved. Company spokesman Andrew Collins says the most recent changes

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schoolnews Term 4 - 2016

are the use of bright colours, making bubblers highly visible and attractive to children, and also more practical for filling drink bottles.

Schools do not need to take out maintenance contracts with the supplier, but can use any plumber of their choice to look after the fountains.

“The internal mechanisms are simple,” says Mr Collins.

Avoiding corrosion metals in drinking water Some heavy metals get into water through metal pipes corroding. It builds up when water sits in the pipes overnight.

Make sure all drinking taps are run briefly before the start of school. This is usually done by your caretaker.

Drinking fountains You must provide at least one bubble fountain or similar for every 60 students in your school.

Waterborne disease According to the MOH, the most common illness associated with contaminated water supplies is gastroenteritis. This is usually caused by a virus, and symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Common viruses are rotavirus and adenovirus but there are many others.

Because there are many viruses that cause it, a child can get gastroenteritis more than once.

Campylobacteriosis, the gastro bug which caused the crisis in Havelock North, can involve fever, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and as many as ten watery, often bloody, bowel movements daily.

Stylish look for new bubblers Drinking fountains have come a long way since the bowl style that many of us remember from our school days.

Water fountains are now sleek, in a range of styles, and often in cheerful colours. “Bowl style fountains have been phased out as they tend to get filled with rubbish and become unhygienic, something of a bird bath,” says Robert Grundy from A.L. Byrne Waterways, which supplies fountains to hundreds of New Zealand schools.

The new Blueline range designed by Enware comprises slick, minimalist creations which cleverly factor in hygiene, safety and economy.

The bright blue rubber guards have built in ultra violet protection, and are designed for utmost hygiene and safety;

the design prevents mouths coming into direct contact with the tap and also prevents possible teeth injuries if the child is jostled when drinking.

Mr Grundy advises schools to choose fountains that are durable. “Few schools have the luxury of being able to assume taps will be treated gently.

Since we also supply public toilets and prisons, we know very quickly if a product we supply is not up to the job!”

The next considerations should be hygiene and water efficiency. “The fountains should also be serviceable, with spares readily available.

These features are built into everything we sell.”

Drinking Water

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| FOOD & BEVERAGE

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Preventing spread of gastro illness Many gastro intestinal bugs can be spread easily from one person to another. One of the most important things that schools can do to keep children well is to encourage proper hand washing.

Advice from the MOH is to always wash and dry hands before eating or preparing food and after sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose, playing outside, having contact with animals or going to the toilet. Washing hands should take 20 seconds to soap hands thoroughly and wash them. Twenty seconds is around the time it takes to sing happy birthday. Then children should spend the same amount of time

drying their hands. Children who are sick should also be encouraged to stay home until they’re well.

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Keeping water supplies safe The Ministry of Education (MOE) advises schools to budget for water supplies by including water management in the ten year property plan. “If your school supplies its own water, include costs for repairing, maintaining and upgrading your water supply treatment plant. Include this in your water safety plan. “If your entire water supply system breaks down, then it becomes a priority one urgent, health and safety project, which can be paid for through your five year agreement funding.”

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Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

47

EXTERNAL LEARNING |

Overseas Educational Tours

International school trips: worth the hassle?

Choosing the right destination, creating the itinerary, organising fundraisers, hosting parent information evenings - yes, overseas educational tours are a lot of work.

But ask any student - or teacher - who has been on one and they will tell you what an exceptional experience it was.

For many, the benefits continue long after arriving home. Teachers report that students who perhaps were lacking in confidence or resilience have blossomed as a result of the touring experience, and that the shared experience of travelling together has helped classes and groups to bond.

And that is before the value of exploration is taken into account.

Overseas travel allows students to experience first hand other cultures, sites of historical significance, and organisations of special interest. Students today can enjoy cultural exchanges to Korea, pick through ancient ruins in Greece, sing at Westminster Abbey and lunch with astronauts at NASA. While it all sounds very appealing, it is, undoubtedly, a big undertaking on top of the day-to-day demands of teaching. Because of this, many schools turn to specialist touring companies to make the arrangements.

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Tour Time is an education tour company. A family business of 25 years’ standing, it facilitates school tours both within New Zealand and overseas.

“The need for our young people to be globally connected, informed and active in our world has never been greater,” says Tour Time CEO Brent Imrie. “We guide the students on a learning experience that will enhance the way they see the world with a particular focus on their chosen subject, and we ensure that all curriculum outcomes are met and exceeded.

International travel empowers the students to not only become well-rounded global citizens with a wide variety of skills, but

to experience new cultures and develop understanding of their place in the world.”

Tour Time caters for sports, music and educational tours to destinations including Australia, South America, UK, Europe, USA, Singapore and Malaysia.

Currently, Argentina is the most requested destination for music, sports and cultural groups, while Europe is the top choice for educational tours.

The company makes a point of factoring in what they call the “like never before” experience. For a choir or orchestra, this could be the opportunity to perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall, for

young basketballers it could be a training session with the Boston Celtics, while digital animation students can access training with Disney Dreamweaver.

“We deliver new, inspirational and life changing experiences that empower students and help them develop as global citizens.

It can open their eyes to career pathways and expose them to future careers around the world,” says Mr Imrie.

“We are continually developing ground breaking tours such as physics tours to CERN (the European Council for Nuclear Research) and the Linear Hadron Collider, and visits to global

Overseas Educational Tours

Case history - Rosehill College, Music

corporations to inspire young leaders.�

Mr Imrie cites being fully bonded and licensed as one of Tour Time’s major advantages for schools and parents. “When parents or schools pay deposits and progress payments, their money is lodged into a school/ tour specific trust account which is fully audited and bonded by TAANZ; this means that those tour funds can only be accessed for the payment of their specific tour and the funds cannot be used for anything else e.g. wages or advertising. All groups’ payments are fully protected.�

Rosehill College’s tour band has travelled internationally with Tour Time to Argentina, Singapore, Malaysia and China, and is currently planning its tour for 2017.

Head of music Sue Banham says the band tours so that students can feel the “connectedness� that music offers between people of all countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities, to strengthen the band’s performance skills, to perform under different conductors, and to strengthen as a group.

When looking for a tour company,

| EXTERNAL LEARNING

she says the school chose Tour Time because it offered the best value for money and because of its flexible approach. “They are always happy to add to or delete from the itinerary, even when we’re actually on tour!�

In non-English speaking countries, Tour Time organises for interpreters to be with the group at all outings and meals.

Using a tour company made a phenomenal difference to the workload for staff, she said. “We have done tours on our own, so we really appreciate the work done by Tour Time. Their staff have previously visited all the places on the proposed itinerary and this takes a huge stress off us as it is so important to know of all potential hazards when taking students on tour.�

But more importantly, we love having Brent and Dave on tour with us! They become an integral part of the tour and even take photographs that they upload to Facebook daily.

“This is such a great help and provides such peace of mind in a foreign country.

There is a real personal, family touch, both within New Zealand and whilst on tour!�

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Saint Kentigern College at CERN on their European Physics Tour

Tour Time School Tours: Empower TUVEFOUT UP CFDPNF XFMM SPVOEFE HMPCBM DJUJ[FOT Inspire leadership and develop confidence Educate tomorrow’s leaders today Ensure curricular outcomes are met Financially bonded to protect your finances Health & Safety/Risk assessments provided to you Fundraising/Sponsorship initiatives provided

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Engage and Inspire your Students like never before Tour Time are New Zealand’s leading School Tour Company with 25 years’ experience touring school groups around the globe. As a New Zealand family owned and operated business, Tour Time are the unrivalled market leaders in Education, Music and Sports tours for New Zealand and Australian schools.

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2016

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

49

EXTERNAL LEARNING |

Camps and Excursions

Planning your 2017 external learning curriculum As we roll towards the end of the school year, it’s time to think about your EOTC plans for 2017.

Whether it’s a trip to a recycling centre, a train ride to the city centre, or a hiking expedition, getting out on adventures allows students to make connections and discoveries - about themselves and the wider world.

School camps School camp is a really big deal for kids, and often the memories are treasured for life.

The great outdoors - or the living classroom - provides students with multiple, hands-on learning opportunities.

They may not realise it, but while they are taking on new challenges such as sleeping away from home, bush walking, kayaking or climbing, kids are developing resilience, gaining independence, and learning about the value of team work.

Being in close proximity to others who they may not normally spend time with also allows them to extend their social skills too.

In New Zealand, there is a huge choice of sites for school camps ranging from traditional grass camping sites through to activity centres designed especially for school groups. These usually include dormitories, dining halls and indoor gyms, as well as playgrounds, swimming holes,

walking tracks and bush. Most offer catering facilities with a variety of menus to suit different preferences and budgets.

Bush and lakeside sites remain very popular, but many schools also arrange for students to sleep over at museums, zoos and aquariums. Marae overnights give students the opportunity to learn about the importance of Māori customs and protocol.

STEM education Educational science trips are a fantastic way to give students the opportunity to extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject. And there are lots of choices for hands on science learning, even for the youngest learners.

for primary children which travels New Zealand, taking a range of interactive and technology exhibits into communities. It includes live shows and hands-on exhibits to broaden students’ knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Current themes include My Body, and Sounding Out Waves.

The local museum is another great resource for school science outings with most offering tours tailored specifically to the curriculum. Current programs at the Te Papa, the national museum in Wellington, include Awesome Forces, all about earthquakes and volcanoes, and You Called Me What? a look at the stories behind scientific names.

From Dargaville to Dunedin, there is a range of theatres which showcase the wonders of the southern hemisphere’s night sky, exploring galaxies, comets, clusters, our solar system, the moon, sun. In Tekapo, home to the world’s largest dark sky reserve, students can explore the galaxy through the country’s largest telescope at Mt John Observatory.

In Auckland, the Museum of Transport & Technology (MOTAT) is visited by 26,000 school students each year. Permanent collections include aviation, road transport and communication, and current exhibitions are Get Smart, a look at the the growth of computing, gaming and communications, and The Idea Collective, an exhibition with interactive sound and light pieces.

The Science Roadshow is a mobile, science discovery centre

For high schools wanting specialist science trips, there are

Surfing: a great day out Surfing continues to grow in popularity and many schools now include surfing in EOTC activities.

The O’Neill Surf Academy is a surf school offering instruction across much of the upper North Island. Not only do they offer lessons across all of Northland, Omaha, Orewa and Tawharanui, but they have just opened a new surf school in Mt Maunganui.

Much of the academy’s business is with schools as it tailors courses for students from absolute beginners through to the advanced.

Students can even gain NCEA level three credits through surfing.

“We work within the idea that learning to surf in a safe and positive environment has a hugely positive impact on all aspects of our hauora,” says academy owner Simon Clowes. “We understand that every individual learns in a different way, and our experience has shown us that children who may struggle in one learning environment are likely to flourish in another.”

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The most popular choice with schools are the Beach Safety Days which are designed for primary and intermediate age children. “They are an affordable, safe and easy EOTC activity that the students will love,” says Mr Clowes. “The children will learn the fundamentals of surfing and ocean safety through a beach lesson, learning about tides, rip currents and the basics of how to surf. This is followed by time in the water to gain confidence, have loads of fun and no doubt catch the surfing bug!”

All O’Neill instructors hold the qualifications necessary for EOTC including ISA surf coaching, lifesaving, sports first aid, and are insured for public liability. All are police checked. https://vimeo.com/182364623

Camps and Excursions

several agencies that organise tours to explore boiling mud pools, volcanic rocks, and ancient glaciers to name but a few.

Sports trips During sports trips, school teams have the opportunity to verse similar ability teams, try different sports grounds, and explore a little scenery along the way.

Added to this is the value of team bonding and strengthening, with coaches consistently reporting big improvements in performance through residential trips.

Backpacker hotels are a popular accommodation choice for schools as they are budget friendly, and most provide a selection of room sizes from dormitories to private rooms. Some also have budget

| EXTERNAL LEARNING

restaurants on site with meal deal packages that can be booked in advance.

In school visits Inviting experts into your school offers students a window to the wider world at a low cost to the school. The New Zealand Book Council facilitates visits of writers and illustrators to member schools, either in person or through an online session. Sessions are part funded by Creative New Zealand, and schools have the option of extending a session to a full day visit, or topping it up with a workshop. Other popular choices of visitor include emergency service personnel, dog handling experts, sporting champions, theatre companies, and the Life Education Trust, a charity that

teaches health and nutrition to 245,000 school children each year.

Cultural excursions The first point of call for cultural learning outside the school is often the local museum. These are treasure troves of taonga such as ancestral carvings and weaponry, and many offer workshops in which students can explore biculturalism. Other ways to connect with Māori culture are to enter the school’s kapa haka

group into festivals, visit maraes, sites of significance to Maori, and to explore traditional craft such as harakeke/flax weaving.

Secondary students can also enter the Ngā Manu Korero speech competitions, contests intended to encourage the development of skills and confidence of Māori students in spoken English and Māori.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Surfing Education for Schools NEW LOCATION: MOUNT MAUNGANUI Our objective is to teach and develop surfing skills for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary Schools, coaching students to be active and have fun in the ocean by increasing ‘Beach Safety’ through the enjoymeny of learning how to surf.

We offer NCEA Achievement Standards, surf tours, ‘Beach Surf Safety’ days and can assist your school camp or day excursion.

P: 09 434 3843 M: 027 734 4877 surf@oneillsurfacademy.co.nz www.oneillsurfacademy.co.nz Surfing Mount Maunganui, Northland, Matakana & Orewa

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

51

HEALTH & SAFETY |

Teacher Wellbeing

Teacher wellbeing: a cost or an investment?

Ian Vickers Deputy Principal, Sancta Maria College teacherwellbeingnz@gmail.com

Teaching is a great profession of talented, skilled, innovative, curious, industrious and fun people.

If we want them to deliver a high quality service to our young people for years to come, then we must invest in their wellbeing and wellness. It is not a cost but an investment in delivering excellence in New Zealand schools.

Congratulations to the many educational institutions nationwide that now have a teacher wellbeing program running. When I started talking about this concept in 2011, there were only a very few schools around that had practical programs in place to care for the wellbeing and wellness of teachers.

Five years’ on, and thanks to the positive and growth mindset of many principals, senior leaders, teachers, guidance counsellors and boards of trustees’ members, programs have popped up in all sectors of education.

The Ministry of Education’s new guidelines to comply with the updated Health and Safety Act, suggest that a staff wellbeing program is considered a must for all schools, through key component nine, one of the 12 components advocated for a robust and effective health and safety system in our institutions.

Thank goodness that in 2016, teachers and senior leaders fully understand the daily workload demands and intensity of life in 21st century schools, and the need for some practical wellbeing support to guide them through the year. The introduction of a teacher wellbeing program is no longer seen as a ‘cost’ but as an investment in all of the staff at a place of work. The education sector has arrived very belatedly to align ourselves with what is now the norm in the vast numbers of businesses, industry, and workplaces small and large. The benefits of workplace wellness programs are extremely well researched

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and such an investment in the workers has many documented positive benefits including reduced sickness rates, increased productivity, a happy workplace and reduced staff turnover; it’s a win-win for everyone.

Our teacher wellbeing program at Sancta Maria College was acknowledged in 2013 at the national workplace wellness awards sponsored by the Heart Foundation and HAPINZ. At the Wellington ceremony, attended by the majority of the well-known industry and businesses in New Zealand, alongside numerous lesser known small and large organisations, a panel of eminent judges recognised the value of our school’s wellbeing program. We scooped the Innovation Award one of the four major awards at this prestigious annual event. After the event, CEOs and leaders from many organisations congratulated the school on a wonderful program to support all staff at the college.

It was truly humbling to be in the presence of some terrific companies that are well known for investing in their people and who deliver such wonderful wellbeing support during the hours of work.

So what was the response from the educational sector? Let me tactfully say, disappointing. The usual comments were wheeled out: teachers don’t need this, teaching has generous holidays

unlike other professions, it is not our job to look after a teacher’s wellbeing, and this a cost that we don’t need. One principal, in very direct language, confirmed his hardline approach: “I work a teacher hard for ten years then, when they are burnt out, I move them on and bring in a younger model and go again”. I was speechless.

As a sector, we haven’t got a great track record in investing in our highly professional and skilled workforce. For example, from the late 90s through to 2007, NZCER conducted three nationwide research surveys into principal workload, stress and burnout.

Each report summary raised increasingly alarming results and suggested immediate actions, yet the key players and ministry did next to nothing to support the nation’s principals. Much of the early stonewalling came from people with a fixed mindset with knowledge and understanding of only 20th century schools and with very little or no experience of working in today’s schools.

Thankfully, much of the higher echelons of the educational sector are now being replenished with skilled ex-practitioners or well researched academics who fully understand what it is like to be a teacher in a 2016 school. I am currently aware of much work behind the scenes at the ministry

and by the various teacher and principal union executives on providing wellbeing resources for all in the sector and I applaud them for their work, initiative and innovation.

What started out as a few people and a few schools doing small things to support colleagues in their schools, has now turned into a sector wide flood of ideas, programs and resources. It is wonderful to see and I look forward to seeing what others produce in the years to come and in turn, incorporating much of the best practice into our teacher wellbeing program at Sancta Maria College.

Such a wellbeing and wellness program should be embedded in the ethos of every school, should be a live document that is regularly reviewed and tweaked for years to come.

It has been an absolute pleasure to write wellbeing articles for ‘School News’ for the past few years and now is a good time to pass the baton to others, to take teacher wellbeing to the next level.

As always, a final plug for the ‘Good New Habits Book’ and if you would like a free electronic copy of the 2016 teacher wellbeing resources which you can rejig for 2017, then please send me a note to teacherwellbeingnz@gmail.com Best wishes for a great term four.

Mindfulness

| HEALTH & SAFETY

How being mindful can lower your stress levels “To be mindful while learning is to pay attention to the teacher and the subject matter. To be mindful while teaching is to pay attention to the students.”

– Dr Craig Hassed and

Dr Richard Chambers

Teaching is as challenging as it is rewarding – there is a myriad of stressors to deal with in the classroom so it’s vital that all teachers have the skills not only to teach well, but to look after their own wellbeing so they can better cope when things get tough.

One way teachers can build wellbeing and create a classroom environment where they can respond positively to situations and students, is by learning how to be mindful.

Mindfulness, explains Mindful Aotearoa operations manager, Grant Rix, is the skill of paying attention to what is presently occurring with kindness and curiosity.

“We might be paying attention to a thought, a feeling, physical sensations, other people or the environment around us, but to be mindful means to give the present moment our full attention,” says Mr Rix. Research reveals that when we practise mindfulness areas in the brain responsible for learning and memory grow, while the fear centre decreases. There is also growth in the empathy and compassion areas, a decrease in feelings of stress and anxiety, and growth in the areas responsible for attention and sensory processing.

“The neuroscience is quite amazing. Brain scans are showing changes resulting from mindfulness training that are not just functional but structural.”

It is the only locally-designed and researched mindfulness program available to schools that considers the unique context of New Zealand classrooms.

Mindful Aotearoa, part of the Mental Health Foundation, has been delivering its unique mindfulness program Pause, Breathe, Smile to school students in New Zealand since 2013.

Follow up by research teams at Auckland University and Auckland University of Technology prove that the program is making a tangible difference.

The eight-week program, designed by Mr Rix, was developed to align with the key competencies of the New Zealand curriculum and addresses specific learning areas, particularly within the health curriculum.

“We have measured significant increases in the wellbeing of those students who have participated in the program, with increases in their ability to selfcalm, pay attention and focus on the task at hand,” says Mr Rix.

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SPORTS & RECREATION |

Sports Days

Everything you need for your school’s Sports Day Sports days are one of the highlights of the school year, and slick organisation will make it much more enjoyable for everyone involved students, staff, family and whānau.

When planning the event, there are a lot of factors to consider: location, events, equipment and prizes, as well as seating for spectators and for students awaiting their turn.

Most schools keep stock of some event equipment, but it can make sense to hire gear such as shade structures and audience seating.

Staging Stage trucks are fully selfcontained, mobile stages. Using a stage truck can be more cost and time efficient than dealing with individual contractors for staging, lighting and sound. Stage trucks are available in a range of sizes and are suitable for events catering for 100 to 3,000 people.

The other options are buying or hiring temporary or permanent stages. Hiring a temporary structure means that the supplier will take care of the

At Nawton Primary School in Hamilton, the program has had a noticeable impact. “We’re seeing real benefits to the children,” says principal Rubina Wheeler.

“It teaches them to focus their attention on their school work during instructional reading, writing and mathematics. We’re also noticing they are persevering when they meet challenges, not just when they encounter challenging behaviour from others, but also when they’re finding learning difficult. When it’s hard, mindfulness gives them the skills to keep trying.”

Mindful Aotearoa is now working to support school teachers to learn more about mindfulness so they can use it for their own wellbeing and start integrating the practice in the classroom.

The program, Foundations of

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wanting to save money, time and space. When the system is extended, the appearance is of permanent seating, suitable for any spectator event. However, once the audience has gone, the seating can be pushed back up onto itself, quietly and easily, to free up floor space. Retractable seating systems are available in units of as few as 30 chairs and up to the thousands.

Shade structures installation and removal, and that there is no pressure on your school to store the stage when not in use. However, buying a temporary structure can be a good investment for schools that regularly require staging, and today’s models are lightweight and easy to dismantle.

school events. These are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and are available in aluminium or plastic. Optional extras include handrails, aisles, seat numbers, frames and canopies for shelter from the elements.

Spectator seating

For big schools, grandstands may be a worthwhile investment.

Purchase and installation of a permanent structure will provide your school with an impressive event area, while a temporary structure can be dismantled and stored within the school grounds.

The other option is to hire a grandstand, leaving the task of delivery, installation and removal to the suppliers.

Portable bleachers are an increasingly popular choice for

A retractable seating system can be an excellent choice for schools

Mindfulness, is an eight-session webinar series for personal benefit and also prepares teachers to deliver mindfulness programs to their students.

“Everyone needs to practise mindfulness to cope in the environment we have created, to be present and have an awareness and healthy curiosity to life and most importantly to be able to show compassion towards others,” she adds.

Factors to consider are the height of the stage (some are adjustable), how easy they are to mount and dismantle, and whether there is ramp provision for wheelchair access. If buying, consider too where it can be stored in your school.

Lara Hall, a teacher from Westport North School, says the training has helped her immensely. She has been through two Pause, Breathe, Smile programs with her students and has also completed Foundations of Mindfulness.

“I truly feel that all teachers should have the opportunity to have mindfulness training as part of professional development.

Our jobs are becoming beyond stressful and I worry about the wellbeing of myself and colleagues working in such a pressurised environment,” says Ms Hall.

Like most things, it takes practise.

“The more we practise being mindful, the more we learn to stop worrying about past problems and future fears, and focus more fully on the here and now. This is incredibly important for teachers who have so many social and

Sports days are often long, hot and busy. Sometimes they are very wet. In any event, provision of canopied areas will make the day much more comfortable for both participants and audience.

Choices for shelter include pop up marquees, awnings and canopies.

For bigger events, these can be joined together to cover large areas. Shelter structures can be hired on a DIY basis, or with delivery, set up and collection included.

Portable sound systems Students, staff and spectators need to be able to hear what is going on in order to fully engage. When choosing a sound system for your sports day, consider whether you will

emotional demands to contend with in the classroom setting”, says Mr Rix. “Mindfulness becomes established – like riding a bike – and after a period of time your capacity for present moment awareness becomes increasingly natural and spontaneous. When we are mindful, we are able to control knee-jerk reactions to stressful situations and choose a more compassionate approach,” he adds.

By Amanda Watson, Mental Health Foundation of NZ

Amanda Watson is a program engagement specialist at the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHF). The MHF is a charity that works towards creating a society free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing. MHF covers the A-Z of mental health information and support, taking a holistic approach and promoting what we know makes and keeps people mentally well.

Sports Days

| SPORTS & RECREATION

Hire equipment for special events need microphones, speakers and megaphones, and whether it needs to be weather proof.

Ask your supplier about battery life and amplifier power to ensure that the equipment is equal to the task, and also what distance it will cover. Extension speakers can be added to some systems to extend coverage. Options include built-in Bluetooth, compact disc players, usb connections, wireless microphones and digital recorders and players.

Awards for the winners How does your school celebrate its winners on Sports Day? Will you provide certificates to all participants, trophies to place getters, or medals for those who shone for effort?

There is a vast choice of cups, trophies, medals and badges available, many of which are inexpensive.

Options include trophies with figurines or images, badges in house colours, and custom made medals.

Refreshments On Sports Day, students, staff and spectators will need access to refreshments, particularly water.

On average, children need to drink four to six cups of water a day, but more during hot weather or if they are exercising.

While many students carry water bottles, it may be worth considering provision of portable water coolers to ensure participants stay hydrated on what is normally a warm day. You may also opt to invite in a food truck, an increasingly popular way to supply quality coffee and snacks to large numbers of visitors.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Stronglite Staging® Ltd manufacture quality portable equipment for staging and seating.

The Stronglite Staging® range includes stages, seating risers, choir risers, grandstands, lecterns, ballet barres, steps and ramps. Stronglite Staging® all-aluminium grandstands can turn any area, indoor or out, into a venue with clear viewing.

Stronglite Staging® products are used in many schools and event equipment is also available for hire including staging, grandstands, sound, lighting, screens, marquees, amenities and fencing, Stronglite Staging® taking care of the delivery, set up, disassembly and removal of equipment.

If you are not sure what you require Stronglite Staging® will help you to find the best solution.

“We produce a range of portable, modular equipment that has been specifically designed for durability, ease of handling, safety and versatility. Ideal for school events such as sports days, concerts and prize giving” says Lloyd Sutton for Stronglite. “We manufacture and can customise equipment to suit individual requirements.”

“In the supporting role”

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www.stronglite.co.nz Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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PROPERTY |

Sun Shades

Sun shades in schools a necessity, not a luxury With spring here and summer on the horizon, sun safety is a topical subject in our schools.

Around the country, teachers are reminding students to wear sunscreen and hats, and are mindful of the need for access to shade from the sun.

But access to shade is not a given in our schools, despite the fact that the ultra violet (UV) radiation levels in New Zealand are high, and that we have one of

the highest death rates from skin cancer in the world.

Schools are encouraged to become “sun smart”, that is, to have policies in place that promote and support positive sun protection behaviours such as hat wearing, seeking out shade and wearing 30 or above SPF sunscreen. However, schools do not receive funding to build shelter, they are expected to do so at their own cost.

“This is a big challenge for all schools, especially low decile schools to manage and one that concerns us,” says Claire Austin

Image credit: Fresco from the Cancer Society. “The Ministry of Education is drafting guidelines for new builds to incorporate appropriate shade and we are supportive of that approach. The challenge for existing schools is how they can fund sunshade in their schools, particularly in play areas.”

According to Fresco Shades, a company which manufactures

and supplies fixed canopies, many schools simply cannot afford to provide adequate shelter for students. “We find schools often ask for a quote for a shade but have to fund raise for months or even years to get the money together, and meanwhile there are many other priorities for investment,” says spokesperson Megan Cummins.

PROPERTY | Acoustics

Designing quality learning spaces The Ministry of Education (MOE) owns one of the largest property portfolios in New Zealand, with more than 30,000 buildings in about 2,100 schools.

With that comes a great deal of consideration towards the acoustic performance of those spaces. In 2007, the MOE and the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) released the original Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS); documentation to provide guideline on treating acoustics in learning spaces.

The way teachers and learners engage with each other have changed significantly in the last decade. School design needs to reflect the changing needs of the users, and learning spaces must be designed to support the way they are being used. The update of the DQLS series has been undertaken to ensure the spaces that are built are flexible and can support the many different styles of teaching and learning.

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The changes (mandatory from January, 2017) reflect current teaching practise and flexible learning spaces and include: • sections rewritten for a target audience of architects, designers and engineers involved in the design and specification of schools • restructuring to bring mandatory requirements to the first section of the document • clarity; MOE requirements are now clearly marked as ‘mandatory’ or ‘recommendation’ to make them easy to find The new version of the DQLS also provides requirements on how architects and designers should address the hierarchy of environmental factors, this is listed as: Flexibility of space > Acoustics > Ventilation > Daylight> Energy Use The DQLS treats each space differently; however, it recognises that speech intelligibility is the top priority and is measured via Sound Transfer Coefficient (STC),

Impact Isolation Class (IIC), Ambient Noise (decibel reading in an unoccupied room) and Reverberation Time (RT).

• Carpeted floors where possible

By providing high density materials in the walls and ceilings, learning spaces are required to achieve on average an ambient noise of 35-45 decibels which equates to the same level of noise as rustling leaves or a fridge humming. This can be addressed by applying between 45-60 STC materials on the walls and applying a mandatory 55 IIC in the ceiling.

• Geometry of room (unparalleled walls create less reverberation)

Once the external noise sources have been addressed, the interior of the learning space can treated with acoustic absorbers. Following the MOE requirements, learning spaces must make the following considerations in their design: • Full ceiling coverage with a high performance absorptive product with a minimum NRC 0.85 (compulsory)

• An acoustic wall treatment like Autex Composition, Cube or Quietspace Panel

• Sufficient floor area per learner – the MOE recommends 3-4m2 per child • In flexible learning spaces, incorporate moveable furniture to create breakout spaces • Use moveable furniture to define spaces and zones, provide nooks and quiet corners • Create “learning zones” As with all types of construction, there isn’t a one size fits all application, although the MOE provides recommendations; Autex is your acoustic expert and staff are happy to walk you through your design to help achieve the new requirements.

By Jeremy Robertshaw and Jonathan Mountfort, Autex

Sun Shades

| PROPERTY

“Shade should be a fundamental facility for the health of our children, and we believe the government can play a more active role in helping to fund this.”

Shade is a key component to gaining SunSmart status, and in decreasing the risk of getting skin cancer. The, “Slip, slop, slap, wrap” message suggests slipping into shade as much as possible, particularly when the UV index is three or above. This tends to be during terms one and four at the very time that pupils are outside eating lunch or involved in outdoor play.

Shaded spaces are recommended for areas where students congregate to eat, and over play equipment, sandpits and courts.

Provision for outdoor teaching spaces and small assemblies should be taken into account, too.

Image credit: Fresco It is what qualifies as quality shade that can be unclear. Advice from SunSmart stipulates that high protective shade must use an excellent UVR barrier shading material, and be placed to shade students as the sun moves across the sky. The view of the open sky should also be restricted. This can be done by keeping the edges low. Adjacent landscape, buildings, fences, trees and planting can be used to further reduce this ‘sky view’. The

material used is also important, to provide “warm shade” where UVR protection is provided and it doesn’t become too cold under it for people to use.

It is important to consider how long students will be beneath the shade and also whether they are likely to be wearing hats and sunscreen. As hats and sunscreen are unlikely to be applied an hour before a maths lesson out on the verandah, sheltered areas need to

be carefully designed to give more protection, that is, to shield the diffuse UVR from the open sky.

The design of shade needs to be appropriate for the intended use and the micro-climate of the location. Consider the path and angle of the sun to ensure the area will be shaded from direct sun between 11am and 4pm, October to March.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Pinehurst School

Be SunSmart: 99% UV Protection

St John’s School Mairangi Bay

Sunnybrae Normal School

Dairy Flat School

Key benefits:

Outdoor Living Solutions

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Fresco Shades have custom designed outdoor canopies for Auckland schools and pre-schools for 16 years.

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v Extend your usable space v Shade in summer and sheltered areas for students all year round v Keep classrooms cooler in summer and increase productivity! v Strong PVC roof blocks 99% of all UV rays v Modern curved shape enhances any environment v Great for pools, walkways, entrances and school shops v NEW netball court canopies for increased protection We have many delighted customers in the educational sector, and would be happy to provide references on request.

For an obligation free quote, please call (09) 443 3414 or 0800 Fresco (0800 373 726) $ nnn%]i\jZfj_X[\j%Zf%eq

Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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PROPERTY |

Playgrounds

Designing your school playground The playground is a very important part of any primary school. In fact, some would argue that the learning that goes on in the playground is at least equal to, if not greater than the learning that happens during class time.

management requirements, and ensuring that designs meet New Zealand safety standards. This is the responsibility of the board of trustees who must be satisfied that the design will provide a safe environment for the children.

Surfacing When choosing your playground surfacing, consider the pros and cons of each type. Sand is natural, cheap, clean and non packing, however it is unsuitable for wheelchairs, can be swallowed or get into hair and eyes, and can be thrown or tracked onto other surfaces.

This is especially true for a school’s youngest children for whom the playground is a familiar feature from preschool, supporting the transition process.

“Play isn’t some sort of soft approach before the ‘real’ learning begins. That idea is a hangover from education’s industrial era,” says Keryn Davis, senior research at CORE Education.

“Play has been consistently described across time as central to cognitive, language, cultural, and social development. I’m really confident that play is also the preferred mode of learning for young children. They get it. Play is what young children do. It’s what they know, and they are good at it.”

In the playground, children are able to develop their social and language skills, gain strength, extend agility and improve their motor skills.

“As children develop, they are drawn to different forms of

play which encourage their development, like rough and tumble play. From a physical point of view, kids naturally seek this form of play, which helps them to work out their physical space in the world, where their body begins and where it ends. This is crucial for the development of their motor skills and spatial awareness,” says clinical psychologist Dr Malie Coyne.

“Playgrounds can provide different opportunities to stimulate physical development for children of all ages, for example slides and swings promote balance and coordination, climbing frames strengthen their muscles, and

“A child’s sense of physical strength and mastery can also be encouraged when they have achieved something very difficult.”

Engineered wood fibre is more expensive than bark mulch or wood chips, but is wheelchair accessible, durable, less abrasive than sand, and stays in place better than other loose fill materials.

Getting your design right for your learners can therefore be hugely beneficial to their social and physical progress.

Other options are pea gravel, rubber matting, bark mulch, artificial turf and loose rubber crumb.

In New Zealand, schools have the freedom to choose the design and facilities for their play areas to best cater to their learners. This includes the provision of high risk equipment such as trampolines and skate parks so long as MOE standards are met. These include following the Ministry’s project

If your school would benefit from equipment adapted for students with special needs, you can apply for property modification funding.

This could be used to add ramps and rails to a fort or climbing frames, or for installation of a wheelchair swing, for example.

tactile panels help with hand-eye skills.

Gym and sports equipment Odyssey Sport supplies gym mats and crash mats ideal for use in school gymnasiums. The company, owned

by Peter and Sheryl Moran, is based in Auckland and supplies schools throughout New Zealand.

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Odyssey’s most popular products are crash mats, landing mats and gym mats. These can be used both inside and out – most popularly for gymnastics and fitness times, and also at sports days. The crash mats are for high jumps and other forms of safety fall protection, says Mr Moran.

The gym mats are manufactured from quality foam and heavy duty PVC, and are available in a range of colours. The crash

mats have two handles on both sides, making them easy to move around.

Another matting system which Odyssey supplies is flexi roll matting which lends itself to many uses in schools. “It is light yet super strong, easy to handle, and provides excellent impact protection. A full roll covers large areas and measures 12m x 1.8m, but can be cut to suit a variety of sizes.”

Odyssey also provides post wraps and post protectors for netball and rugby, and rugby tackle bags.

Playgrounds

Wood chip a clean, safe choice Wood chip is considered an excellent natural playground surfacing product for reasons of safety, sustainability, convenience, comfort, durability and budget.

“Goodfall engineered wood chip is certified and has a fall rating of 3m, surpassing that of other materials,” says Julie Frieswyk of Goodwood Wood Waste Solutions.

It is also a very clean product, and easy on bare feet. “Goodfall is made from air-dried timber so there is virtually no dust, and doesn’t absorb heat in the way rubber matting does, so no more burnt feet.” And it stays in place after playtime so little raking is needed.

Air-dried wood chip is a low maintenance choice offering value for money, says Ms Frieswyk.

“Bark and green wood chip breaks down a lot more quickly than air-dried wood chip products so top-ups are less frequent. A Goodfall playround with medium usage would need to be topped up approximately every three to five years.”

| PROPERTY

School Safety Matting Odyssey Sport 2000 Ltd Ph: 0800 GYMMATS admin@odysseysport.co.nz

1 x Roll g measurin mm .8m x 38 12.8m x 1 ally is norm gst $2850 + of ia – spec l t. gs + $2550.00

Tackle Bags

Crash Mats

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0508 4 Goodwood | julie@goodwoodnz.co.nz

www.goodwoodnz.co.nz Offer ends 23rd December 2016

Gym Mats

www.odysseysport.co.nz Term 4 - 2016 schoolnews

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At Woods, we believe that education is of the utmost importance – not just for the children of today but for our world tomorrow.

This belief has driven our team, for over half a century, to study how children learn – from a behavioral, ergonomic and cognitive perspective – to develop furniture that is flexible, adaptable and stimulating.

It’s this philosophy that inspired our innovative Hokki Stool.

An intelligent ergo-dynamic stool designed to improve motor and muscular-skeletal development of growing children.

To find out more about our innovative range of educational furniture visit woodsfurniturenz.co.nz or call 0800 196 637.

We’re for flexible learning