School News NZ - Term 1 - 2017

Music: Tuning in to the value of music in schools

Profiles: Ellerslie School Pegasus Bay School Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Teachers • Professionals

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What’s In This Issue Kia ora and welcome to the first issue of School News for 2017. By now, the summer holidays will be but a distant memory and school life will be in full throttle.

ISSN 1178-9964

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PRODUCTION Richard McGill - (03) 365 5575 r.mcgill@schoolnews.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS: Alice Patrick, Anna Clements, Cancer Society of New Zealand, Caroline Page, Autex, Carolyn English - CORE Education, Heart Foundation NZ, Jamie Cashmore, Edwards Sound Systems Ltd, Ros Lugg, The Learning Staircase, SPELD, Stacey Nelson, Suzy Barry and Viv Shearsby - CORE Education.

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In this issue we hear from Carolyn English at CORE Education who has been advising schools on how to make the most of their Community of Learning (CoL).

Carolyn points out that collaboration focused on the improvement of teaching and learning is one of the highest-yielding strategies to boost student, school and system performance, and goes on to explain how CoL steering groups can stay strategic and purposeful.

Another learning journey many educators are on is the shift to innovative learning-style pedagogy.

We find out about lessons learned at Pegasus Bay School, purpose-built for ILS, and also take a look at types of furniture designed specifically for open teaching spaces.

In Te Reo, we look at ways that teachers in English

news 04 Ministry News 06 Round up 08 Special Report: How Communities of Learning smooth the journey to success for all learners

profiles 10 Ellerslie School: Full makeover for fast-growing Ellerslie School

14 Pegasus Bay School: First zero net energy school reflects on lessons learned

what’s hot 16 What’s Hot: The latest trending education industry products

education 18 Principal Speaks: Dunedin principal urges all to speak up for vulnerable children

20 Dyslexia: Literacy teaching - one size does not fit all

21 Dyslexia: A boy transformed 22 Discovery Through Play: Why play time is so important

administration 24 E-commerce: Review your e-commerce system to save time and money

26 Furniture: Setting up your flexible learning spaces 29 Fundraising: Fresh ideas for school fundraisers

teaching resources 31 Book Reviews 32 Music: Tuning in to the value of music in schools

PO Box 5104, Papanui, Christchurch, 8543, NZ Phone: (03) 365 5575 Fax: (03) 365 1655 Email: mail@multimediapublishing.co.nz www.multimediapublishing.co.nz School News welcomes editorial contributions and images on relevant topics for features, new product profiles and news items.

Please email to editorial@schoolnews.co.nz. Images should be in high resolution (300dpi) JPEG or TIFF format. Editorial queries should be directed to the editorial department on (03) 365 5575.

| INSIDE

medium schools can support Māori language revitalisation for the benefit of all students and teachers. Teachers can be catalysts for change in the education system, says reo Māori advisor to schools, Alice Patrick, and “the learning of Māori language can serve as a vehicle to success for our priority learners, too many of whom are Māori”.

It’s an exciting time at several clusters of decile one schools who are involved in El Sistema, a music programme which seeks to effect social change through the pursuit of musical excellence.

Participation is free and the results are stunning, with an independent valuation revealing that students engaged in the programme had a significantly higher educational achievement in both reading and mathematics than those who were not.

And to help you retain your energy and drive for the school year, we provide fitness and well-being advice prepared especially for teachers. Have a happy and successful 2017. Noho ora mai.

34 Te Reo: Supporting Māori language revitalisation in English medium schools

36 Classroom Projectors: Using interactive projectors to boost student engagement

39 Literacy: Supporting readers with online literacy tools

eotc 42 Virtual Field Trips: Getting outta class on a virtual field trip

food & beverage 44 Tuck Shops & Canteens: Keeping canteen choices fresh and simple

46 Tuck Shops & Canteens: Lunch choices to benefit students and the school

48 Tuck Shops & Canteens: Sugar-free choices for the school canteen

health & safety 50 SunSmart: Schools asked to help with SunSmart research

sports & recreation 52 Sports Flooring: Choosing the right floor for your school gym

property 57 Acoustics: Using acoustic planning to reduce background noise

58 Outdoor Digital Signage: Using outdoor digital signs to boost community engagement

60 Solar Power: Harnessing solar power to wipe out electricity bills

62 Audio: Four reasons to upgrade your school’s audio system

Key - For easy perusal Commercial supplier profile or supplier case study Supplier information or content Suppliers share their views in one-off, topical pieces General editorial. Case studies and features may cite or quote suppliers, please be aware that we have a strict ‘no commercial content’ guideline for all magazine editorial, so this is not part of any commercial advertorial but may be included as relevant opinion. Happy reading!

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Ministry News

MNZM • Jacqueline Lindsay (Jacquie) Bay, for services to science and education • Ross Brown, for services to education • Jillian Corkin, for services to education • Derek Sinclair Firth, for services to arbitration and education • Madeline Gunn, for services to education

Much work needed to raise Māori achievement rates - MoE Latest information on Māori student achievement rates reveals there is much work still to be done.

Information derived from the Ministry of Education’s Public Achievement Information (PAI) publications, the Iwi Education Profiles show iwi by iwi as well as rohe breakdowns of early childhood participation data and schooling achievement data.

For all three iwi, NCEA level two achievement rates have improved compare with 2014. Achievement rates for the three largest iwi in 2015 ranged from 69.4 per cent to 76.6 per cent, up from 66.9 to 72.9 per cent in 2014.

“I am incredibly pleased with the progress that these profiles are showing”, says education minister Hekia Parata. “However, there is still work to do to meet the government’s target of 85 per cent of 18-year-olds achieving NCEA level two or equivalent in 2017.

There is also more work to be done to raise Māori achievement at all levels, to get to the point where there is no difference between the achievement levels of our children and young people regardless of their background.”

Ms Parata says the iwi profiles have been well received by iwi

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and hapū as well as the wider education sector. “They can be useful for iwi, schools, and Communities of Learning to identify specific educational challenges and target efforts to increase achievement.

“Quality information, especially over a period of years, is critical to understanding what’s working well for our children and young people as well as what more needs to be done to tackle education challenges.”

Educators congratulated on NY Honours

since 1969. She has also been a member of the Education Expert Panel for the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.

“Dame Georgina has worked tirelessly in education for over 40 years and has played a pivotal role in the education of generations of young Māori women. This honour is truly deserved,” says Ms Parata.

The 17 recipients are: DNZM • Georgina Kingi, QSO, for services to Maori and education

Those named include Georgina Kingi, QSO, who received the highest honour – Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Miss Kingi has been principal of St Joseph’s Māori Girls College since 1987, having taught at the school

• John Heyes, for services to education • Robyn Hickman, for services to education • Nahusita Selupe, for services to education and Māori and Pacific communities • Alison Thelma Wilkie, for services to health and education QSM

Education minister Hekia Parata has congratulated the 17 New Zealanders who have received New Year Honours for services to education.

“There are passionate and committed people working hard every day to help ensure that young New Zealanders get a world-class education and it’s great to see some of the very best being honoured,” says Ms Parata.

Former principal of Epsom Girls’ Grammar Madeline Gunn was awarded MNZM

• Graham Leslie, for services to education • Barbara Stewart, for services to youth and education Georgina Kingi has been principal of St Joseph’s Māori Girls College since 1987

ONZM • Beverly Rae Duff, for services to women and education • John Ioane Fiso, for services to sport, education and the Pacific community • Professor Robert Hans George Jahnke, for services to Maori art and education • Dr David Ross Mitchell, for services to education

• Herita Rita (Rita) Toko, for services to Maori and education

Mixed bag revealed in provisional NCEA results Provisional NCEA data shows a slight improvement on 2015 in levels two and three, but a drop in achievement in level one and University Entrance.

Ms Parata says the data shows achievement in NCEA level two has risen by one percentage point to 77.4 per cent compared with last year.

Ministry News

| NEWS

Overall achievement of NCEA level three has also increased by 0.7 percentage points to 63.4 per cent.

However, NCEA level one achievement is 0.2 percentage points lower than the final 2015 figure, while provisional data for University Entrance is 0.7 percentage points lower. Both are expected to increase before the results are finalised as schools update and provide late internally-assessed results, and students apply for review and reconsideration of their results.

Ms Parata says a preliminary assessment of results for students at schools impacted by the Kaikōura earthquake in November indicates that achievement is in line with national trends and past patterns of achievement. “This is extremely heartening and shows that our system of assessment

Christchurch’s newest high school, Rolleston College, has opened

is both responsive and robust enough to minimise the impact on students of events which were completely beyond their control.”

and music studios. Principal Stephen Saville says he is very excited about the potential that the new school has.

Rolleston College officially open

“The buildings have been designed to fit the needs of the learners rather than the other way around.” Waitaha School, which caters for students with high and complex needs, has a satellite unit at Rolleston College.

Rolleston College in Christchurch is off icially open for business.

The new school is located on a six hectare site with facilities including a range of flexible learning spaces, a 500-seat theatre, multi-purpose gym, an automotive workshop and dance

Te Taumutu rūnanga gifted the school name Horoeka Haemata (“the flourishing lancewood”) to the board of Rolleston College.

Lancewoods are unique trees that change dramatically as they mature – a symbolic idea that has been incorporated into the school vision.

Rolleston College, along with three other schools, has been built as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The new school caters for students in years nine to 13 and has opened with a roll of more than 200 year nine students.

This is expected to rise to 1040 students by 2021.

“In the supporting role”

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Round up stationery. But, says the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), schools cannot by law charge for delivering the official curriculum, and already overstretched families face the dilemma of either taking on significantly more debt to fund the purchase or seeing their children disadvantaged at school.

Principals are under alarming levels of stress

Principals’ heavy workloads a major health and safety risk, says NZEI An independent, in-depth health and wellbeing survey of primary school principals and deputies has uncovered alarming levels of stress, burnout, excessive workloads and a lack of professional support from the Ministry of Education and school boards.

Teachers’ union NZEI Te Riu Roa commissioned the study by Australian Catholic University because of anecdotal reports in the sector that increased workload was putting principals and other school leaders under greater stress and risk of burnout.

Twenty per cent of all primary principals, 398, completed the survey, along with 145 deputy and assistant principals.

Key findings: ■ Approximately 72 per cent school leaders work more than 51 hours per week during term, with 25 per cent more than 61 hours a week. Even during the term break, half worked more than 25 hours a week.

■ The greatest reported cause of stress is the sheer quantity of work, closely followed by a lack of time to focus on teaching and learning. Given the government’s stated focus on teaching and learning, the lack of resourcing and funding to allow principals to lead in this area is a major problem.

■ The third-highest reported cause of stress was “government initiatives”.

■ Work-family conflict is far too high, at 2.2 times the rate of the general population.

■ Burnout of school leaders is 1.7 times the general population,

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but significantly higher in rural and isolated areas where there is less professional support.

■ School leaders score less than the general population on all positive measures of health and wellbeing and higher on all negative measures.

NZEI president Lynda Stuart said the results were very worrying.

“The report found that school leaders are hardworking and intrinsically motivated but face considerable pressure in their roles, most often from increasing workload caused by new government initiatives. The stress of trying to budget to meet the needs of every student despite increasingly inadequate funding must also play a part.

“Survey respondents reported very little professional support from their boards of trustees, which employ them, or from the ministry.

Those who felt supported in their role were finding support from their personal networks instead,” she said.

“This situation is not sustainable and places significant health risks on the people leading our schools.

It’s now a major health and safety risk that the government must address.

Schools reminded not to pass digital technology costs on to parents Schools are urged to be mindful that they cannot by law charge for delivering the curriculum, including requiring students to bring in electronic devices.

With digital technology now officially on the New Zealand Curriculum, it has become the norm for schools to encourage families to buy computers for their children to use as part of a BYOD policy. Many schools include the device on the list of required

A basic device may cost several hundred dollars, while a higher quality one can cost well over $1,000. On top of this, parents may need to buy accessories and additional insurance.

“Time payments for such purchases may end up costing more in the long run through high interest rates. Many families turn to short-term loan providers to ensure their children are as adequately equipped as their peers, resulting in ongoing, increased weekly costs,” says CPAG’s education spokesperson Professor John O’Neill.

“The Ministry of Education and Education Review Office (ERO) have a role to play. The ministry needs to advise Government on the funding levels that schools require to meet all the costs of curriculum delivery, including digital technology. ERO needs to ensure schools follow the law in terms of charging fees and requesting donations, and in being reasonable in their expectations of how much overstretched families will contribute to meeting the cost of a 21st century learning experience for children.

“Introducing digital technology into the curriculum is a good thing.

Expecting schools to include these in a stationery pack and pushing families further into a spiral of debt is not.”

Teachers’ unions want te reo Māori taught in all schools Teachers’ unions NZEI Te Riu Roa and PPTA Te Huarahi are backing the the Green Party’s goal for te reo Māori to be taught in all schools in New Zealand.

Māori in our schools we help make learning more inclusive for Māori children, and we also help ensure our indigenous language stays truly alive for all of us.”

PPTA Te Huarahi representative Johnny Waititi says, “E tautoko marika mātou ngā hiahia, ngā tumanako o Te Pāti Kākariki mo tō tātou reo rangatira, pono marika tērā. No reira me tuku tēnei kaupapa ki te ao, me tuku kia rere.

“Ko tēnei te hiahia, engari he aha ngā rautaki hei whakatinana wenei hiahia, koina.” PPTA president Jack Boyle adds, “1We have had policy supporting te reo Māori as a universal subject since 2001, so it’s excellent to see a political party taking concrete steps towards achieving it.

“Being able to learn te reo Māori will benefit every child in Aotearoa/ New Zealand. Te reo Māori is part of the fabric of the economic, social and cultural history of all New Zealanders.”

“Of course, having the right number of teachers of te reo is critical to the success of this policy.

Currently the demand for teachers of te reo Māori outstrips supply.”

“There is a clear need for more teachers with appropriate skills and qualifications. Māori teachers are needed to provide the source for the teaching of Māori language and culture in the public education system. They are strong advocates for te ao Māori within their schools,” says Mr Boyle.

Students short-changed by teacher drought New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) president Whetu Cormick says official views on availability of teachers and relief teachers and the reality facing principals in schools do not add up and children’s learning will suffer as a consequence.

The Green Party has announced its Māori caucus will be working with parents, teachers, unions, hapū and iwi to create a plan that will ensure every Kiwi child will learn te reo.

“Auckland is an obvious case,” says Mr Cormick. “Principals are telling me that the pool of relievers has already reduced as more relievers have been asked to take on fixedterm or full year positions to try to meet the teacher shortage. But many relievers are retired teachers and do not want to take on longterm work.

“Te reo Maori should be a part of our everyday language, and taught as a key part of New Zealand’s curriculum,” NZEI president Lynda Stuart says. “By normalising te reo

“My concern is that when children are exposed to multiple relievers in a year or when schools are forced to double up classes to cope, learning is negatively affected.

Round up

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Gifted students need more support in school

Sound learning and teaching is based on the development of strong, healthy, trusting relationships between the student and the teacher. That can’t happen when the teacher keeps changing or there are too many children in a single class.

Auckland is not the only region scrambling to find teachers. “I am hearing from principals in cities like Queenstown, Tauranga and Wellington and other pockets across the country where there are teacher and reliever shortages too.”

“The only way to address this problem is to incentivise teachers into those difficult to staff areas because the main issues are affordable accommodation and cost of living including travel.

Beginning teachers are not attracted to Auckland and others are leaving all for the same reasons.”

Fund talent development, urges gifted education champion New Zealand is at risk of wasting creative and innovative talent because of a lack of government funding for educational support for gifted students, says a specialist in gifted education.

Associate professor Tracy Riley, from the Institute of Education, has just received giftEDnz’s Te Manu Kotuku – a prestigious award to recognise “exceptional involvement in the gifted and talented education field of Aotearoa New Zealand.” Dr Riley says she is baffled that the Ministry of Education has cut its $1 million in funding for gifted education support to zero for 2017.

“Given the urgent and serious issues facing New Zealand and the world right now – from environmental threats to security,

child poverty and housing – we need to ensure the best minds of the next generation are being nurtured to be able to come up with intelligent solutions,” she says.

Dr Riley, who has won numerous awards for her work and leadership in gifted education both in New Zealand and internationally, says there is an urban myth that gifted learners will make it on their own and don’t need special attention or support. But this attitude is incorrect as gifted learners can become disengaged and disillusioned with learning without the right kind of encouragement and guidance, she says.

For more than 15 years we have worked alongside many schools that acknowledge the importance of a strong professional image.

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“Many people don’t realise that gifted learners cut across all socioeconomic, geographic and ethnic backgrounds,” she says. While the focus on lifting the achievement of priority learners is important, Dr Riley says it is also essential to dedicate the appropriate resources to potential high achievers through pre- and in-service teacher professional learning and support. Dr Riley believes some potentially gifted learners may be among those in the tail of underachievement, but will “go unrecognised because of low teacher expectations, which result in lack of challenge for students and low ceilings for learning.”

The MoE requires schools to identify and provide for gifted learners, with some doing so through accelerated learning classes or specialist programmes.

Schools are able to determine what concept of ‘gifted’ means to fit the culture and context of their school based on core principles. A broader concept includes students gifted in cultural qualities, artistic creativity, sport, and leadership, and an estimated 15 to 20 per cent of the population could be defined as gifted in this broader sense, she says.

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Special Report

How Communities of Learning smooth the journey to success for all learners

Carolyn English CORE Education

Collaboration between teachers from ECE centres and primary teachers helps students make a strong start at school.

The education minister’s new school year release said, “This is an exciting year for education.

Schools. A key finding was that often teachers and learners were not aware that they were part of the change.

The key difference between that work and CoL is that CoL have been intentionally designed with:

“I’m particularly looking forward to announcing the formation of more Communities of Learning/Kāhui Ako as the year progresses. Already more than half a million kids are benefitting from their school being part of one of the 180 communities across the country”.

This means there are many leaders, teachers and board members working out shared achievement challenges, action plans and how they can collaborate across organisations.

Collaboration focused on the improvement of teaching and learning is one of the highestyielding strategies to boost student, school and system performance. The research on the power of collaborative cultures to get results has been accumulating for more than 40 years. It points to the power of social capital – the agency and

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impact of strong and effective groups – to improve student learning.

We all know the value of collaboration, we also know that aspects of it are very complex, complicated and sometimes feel chaotic - especially at the initial phase. Existing experiences and beliefs about collaboration and what to collaborate on are brought to the kaupapa (purpose) and mahi (work). As a result, issues emerge, or re-emerge.

Professional collaboration can

occur in any learning setting - between teachers within a school and between teachers across schools. The concept of teacher collaboration across schools is not new - it has been a key feature of schooling improvement in New Zealand.

Schooling improvement work focused on improving capability: instructional, organisational and evaluative, through inquiry.

What we learnt about ourselves in this work was summarised in Weaving Evidence, Inquiry and Standards to Build Better

• around learner pathways looking at collaboration based on the proportion of young people following particular institution pathways from early years, through primary schools into secondary and beyond is new.

• for networking teaching and learning, and as Tony McKay (deputy chair of the Education Council) pointed out to a group of CoL leads in Wellington, July 2016, this is far more significant than hoping people will collaborate. Instead, there are now roles and structures in our system to support teachers to develop solutions together using shared theory and research and spread what works well so more students experience success.

Special Report

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• teachers see whether the learning opportunities they provide are rich enough to enable all young people to experience success

What is the additional value of working as a Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako? If communities are to realise their potential for enhancing the performance of the education system, they will need to provide additional value to the work of the individual schools, kura and early year settings within their CoL. To stay strategic and purposeful steering groups need to continuously ask two questions: 1. What can our CoL do more effectively than a single school/ kura/ECE? 2. How can our CoL leverage the collaboration to extend and enhance children’s and young people’s learning?

Some initial ideas about networked collaboration came from workshops with principals in 2016. These ideas are now being designed up for the Ministry of Education’s Smart Tools for Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako. The ideas for strategic and purposeful collaboration were: • develop shared expectations at key transition points to enable students to move more seamlessly through their education • build and sustain strong and purposeful community relationships • use these profiles and relationships to design and orchestrate rich future focused learning opportunities for all children and young people • plan for systemic collaborative inquiry with a direct line of sight to the goals and ambitions of the community.

Shared learner profiles “Learner profiles are descriptions that provide aspirational markers of progress for learner cohorts at key transition points across a CoL. The profiles include learning dispositions, competencies, literacy and numeracy and the wider curriculum knowledge that a CoL considers to be critical and valuable at each phase of learning.”

Imagine early years’ teachers coming together to identify the learning dispositions, competencies, knowledge and skills they are responsible for nurturing in learners. These teachers talk with teachers of years one to three students from all the schools in the CoL who have undertaken a similar exercise. Imagine the rich conversations they might have about the critical elements of these learning dispositions, competencies, knowledge and skills at the transition point.

And imagine if, before these conversations had started, these same teachers had talked with iwi, family and whānau about their expectations of their tamariki at this transition time, how much richer the teacher conversations would be. There would be a sharing of curriculum, discussion of learning opportunities, and debates about what really is important. And of course there would be curriculum documents that they would use to guide these discussions. These conversations would involve a lot of reflecting on and responding to questions such as: • How good are our learning experiences? What evidence would we use to know?

• How ambitious are our teaching practices?

• How can we work better with each other across transitions at each phase of learning?

Imagine if similar conversations were happening between teachers of years one to three students and teachers of years four to six students; teachers of years four to six students and teachers of years seven to eight students; teachers of years seven to eight students and teachers of years nine to ten students; teachers of years nine to ten students and teachers of years 11-13 students; teachers of years 11 - 13 students and representatives of tertiary training and education, local business and industry. At each transition the conversation would be guided by earlier conversations with iwi, family and whānau.

The learner profiles developed from these conversations would help students and all who support their learning – teachers, parents, whānau, the CoL and the wider community - to have a clear shared view of important markers of progress.

These profiles can be the indicators of success. They would help: • students see where they have come from, where they are going to and some of the learning they can look forward to

• leaders see whether the support they provide teachers is extensive enough to build collective capability: instructional, organisational and evaluative, through inquiry so that more young people experience success.

In the past some of these conversations have happened in pockets. There has not been a systematic way of developing learner profiles for all transition points through a local education pathway. CoL provide the structures to do this. The CoL Smart Tool will help summarise these conversations, but nothing will enrich relationships more than kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) conversations about what is considered to be critical and valuable at each phase of learning. Through the process of learner profile development teachers, iwi, family, whānau and the wider community can become deeply involved in developing a rich future focused local curriculum that is based on relationships. By ensuring critical conversations with all stakeholders are integral to the overall strategic approach CoL leaders can deliberately design for the power of social capital.

1 Fullan. M., Rincon-Gallardo, S., &; Hargreaves, A. (2015). Professional capital as accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23 (15), 1–22.

2 Timperley H. & Parr J. (2010).

Weaving Evidence, Inquiry and Standards to Build Better Schools.

NZCER Press Wellington.

3 Baker R. & Chamberlain M. (Unpublished) Background paper for the Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako smart tools.

Carolyn English is CORE Education’s professional learning services manager, and is regularly asked to consult with education policy makers and government agencies regarding the future directions of New Zealand educational policy and practice. Carolyn’s background is national evaluation and assessment, leadership of national professional learning and school improvement, and curriculum.

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Ellerslie School

Photo: Rachel Buer from T&R Interior Systems

Full makeover for fast-growing Ellerslie School For the first time in many years, Ellerslie School started the year with enough room for all students.

As is the case for so many schools in central Auckland, roll growth has been rapid during the past few years, and Ellerslie had long outgrown its buildings. Playing fields had been lost to relocatable classrooms, and the old, single cell-style units were inhibiting the school’s move to flexible learning space pedagogy.

After a complete rebuild – lasting 11 months and costing $10.4 million – the school has a new lease of life with 24 new teaching spaces, and playing fields restored to their intended use.

Principal Lisa Harland joined Ellerslie School the same day that the new buildings were opened in term four, 2016.

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“There has been much excitement and anticipation about moving in,” says long-serving deputy principal Jillian Mitchell. “Students and staff are really enjoying the new classroom learning system.

Ellerslie School

| PROFILES

It is a spacious, calm, welcoming space and is light years ahead of being accommodated in a prefab. There is much excitement, enthusiasm and passion for teaching and learning amongst our students and staff.�

The new-look school opened for term four last year, the same day as its new principal took the helm. Lisa Harland is a teaching professional of 20 years, most recently as principal of Reremoana School in South Auckland.

She says the school has a very strong sense of community and pride, and is “the hub of its community�. “Ellerslie School’s roots lie deep with 139 years of education and contribution to the wider community. This is something I value deeply.�

Ellerslie School was founded

Photo: Rachel Buer from T&R Interior Systems

in 1877, making it one of the country’s oldest schools.

Today, the suburb bears little resemblance to the Ellerslie of old, and change has been especially rapid during the past 20 years when village shops were revitalised. Construction of new office blocks brought an influx of 5,000 workers, local shops became trendy, and a cafĂŠ and

restaurant culture was born.

The shift in demographic has been dramatic. As elderly residents moved into rest homes, the houses they vacated were snapped up by socially mobile young families, many of whom were born outside of New Zealand. At the same time, housing intensification has been

rapid, heaping pressure onto local schools.

By 2010, Ellerslie School was working with the Ministry of Education to draw up plans to accommodate its fast-growing population. The planning stage was intense, and the board met fortnightly for four years to toil over details.

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Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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PROFILES |

Ellerslie School

training with consultants from CORE Education, and more professional development around MLE-style teaching is scheduled for this year.

Going up rather than out means the school has been able to reclaim its playing fields.

Initially the ministry agreed to a 12-classroom block, but it was soon apparent that this would not suffice and plans were re-drawn.

In 2012, the area’s popularity was boosted further by the restoration of the local rail service giving Ellerslie residents access to fast and reliable transport to the city. The school’s roll continued

to swell. By 2015, the socio economic shift in the area had been reflected in the school’s decile which was moved from seven to nine, meaning the school’s government funding was reduced. Construction finally began on the new buildings.

In October, 2016, with the roll at a record 750, the new build was

complete - two, double-storey blocks, each containing 12 flexible learning spaces.

Going up, rather than out, means the school has been able to maximise its outdoor spaces on what is a relatively small site.

Staff had long been preparing for the shift to innovative learning style by workshopping and

Along with new teaching spaces and MLE pedagogy, Ellerslie School is also celebrating the move to being a BYOD school.

After a six-month trial, the BYOD programme has started in earnest this term, involving all students in years five to eight. The school continues to supply devices to be shared amongst students who do not have their own.

Culturally, the school is also on trend with 40 per cent of its population made up of different ethnicities, a microcosm of Auckland city. Māori, Chinese and Indian students make up the bulk of “other” ethnicities, with the

Revenue up at Ellerslie School with Kindo Ellerslie School began using online school payments portal Kindo in January 2016, enabling parents to handle all their financial transactions and permission slips with the school through a single log in. Within one year, the office staff’s workload is down, and donations are up.

“We’re seeing a huge saving of time and manpower in the office,” says finance manager Dawn Findlay. “Integration with eTAP is fantastic and has boosted our donations payments way beyond the level we usually expect.” The school recorded a 20 per cent increase in the number of school donations paid during 2016, with 50 per cent of payments made online. Ms Findlay attributes this increase to the fact that Kindo is “just an easier way to pay”.

It’s not only office staff who

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

Integration with eTAP is fantastic and has boosted our donations payments way beyond the level we usually expect.”

– Finance manager, Dawn Findlay.

benefit, teachers are finding the system helpful too. “They’re no longer caretakers of money and permission slips,” says Ms Findlay. “When that’s taken care of online, there’s more time to focus on teaching.”

Ellerslie School also generated an additional $10,000 through fundraising last year which Ms Findlay attributes to using Kindo. “We’ve run a couple of movie fundraisers with Kindo as the only payment option. I was a little concerned before we ran them but they both sold out –

and they created so much less work than a conventionally-run fundraiser.”

in to pick it up on a certain day, just before school goes back for term one.”

Ms Findlay says that most parents love using Kindo and have no complaints about the usability of the system. It’s been particularly good for things like uniform sales. “Our uniform shop is only open one hour a week, so parents love the fact that they can buy online and get orders sent home with their child. Parents also like to have the flexibility to order uniform during the holidays and just run

The charges for using Kindo have been insignificant, she says as “we are creating so much more revenue for the school. I know that some schools may be concerned about charges but we are going through a period of growth and would have had to employ more staff in the office this year without Kindo – it more than pays for itself.”

Ellerslie School

| PROFILES

New cleaning challenges in MLE builds remaining 16 per cent identifying as Tongan, Filipino, Samoan, Middle Eastern, Sri Lankan, African, Australian, British, Fijian, Japanese, Korean, or “other”.

This sets it apart somewhat from the other four primary schools in its community of learning (CoL); most students are Pasifika (31 per cent) or Asian (25 per cent).

Although Pakeha students make up a total of 21 per cent of the CoL, this falls to ten per cent at the destination high school, One Tree Hill College.

Academic standards at Ellerslie are high with 87 per cent of students achieving at or above national standard in reading, writing and mathematics, and Ellerslie is determined to keep pushing, aiming to hit 97 per cent by the end of 2018. It is also

joining forces with its fellow CoL schools to boost achievement rates for priority learners, identified as Māori and Pasifika students. Interestingly, Māori learners at Ellerslie achieve on a par with other children at the school, bucking the nationwide trend of being 10 points behind.

The school is especially proud of its music programme which is led by the remarkable Maria Winder. Ms Winder, among many other things, conducts massed choirs for the APPA and directs the Kiwileles, a massed ukulele orchestra of 3,000 students.

Under Maria’s direction, the school has three orchestras, two choirs and a band.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

It’s not only children, staff and parents who are excited by the Ellerslie rebuild, the school’s cleaners, Perform Cleaning, are thrilled, too.

“The new buildings are lovely to clean, however they do come with their own specific challenges, for example, a lot more glass,” says Mike Spencer for Perform.

“We have employed a person specifically to clean the windows to keep them at a high standard. And some of the new surfaces, the vinyl floors, require particular treatment.”

Perform Cleaning has been

contracted to Ellerslie School for the past 13 years and start work every weekday at 3pm.

The company has focused on school cleaning as their target market since setting up in 20013.

“We understand that schools’ needs are distinctly different to other commercial contracts, and we have empathy for school events, parents and children.

“We focus on building a sturdy working relationship with both management and teaching staff. And our managing director is on all school sites at least once a week.”

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PROFILES |

Pegasus Bay School

First zero net energy school reflects on lessons learned

Staff and students moved to new build Pegasus Bay School after growing out of Waikuku School

Pegasus Bay School, a full primary 25 km north of Christchurch, is a thoroughly modern institution. The first Canterbury school to be built post-earthquake, it is a slick-looking collection of airy teaching spaces where students choose between collaborative or quiet areas, and use equipment powered by solar energy.

This is New Zealand’s first net zero energy school with design features that include solar panels for hot water, photovoltaric panels that produce the school’s electricity, lights that automatically turn down in case of sufficient natural light, temperature sensors for areas with heating, thicker insulation, better glazing, and natural ventilation strategies.

The school, which opened in May,

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

Another big challenge was managing the school’s rapid growth. Originally a small country school in Waikuku, the roll began to swell soon after construction started on a new town at nearby Pegasus Bay. “When I joined Waikuku in 2007, our roll was 70. We started here with 250 and we expect to grow to well over 500 this year,” says Mr Hornblow.

Principal Roger Hornblow managed the transition from Waikuku to Pegasus Bay

2014, to much fanfare from the Ministry of Education, is the result of seven years’ planning and a budget of $15.6 million. However, the excitement of moving into a purpose-built modern learning environment with eco-friendly features brought with it some huge challenges for the school community.

Outside interest in the school was such that the administration team was overwhelmed by requests for tours and information. “It was unbelievable,” recalls principal

Roger Hornblow. “The ministry helped with some extra staffing, but the time and energy put into the tours was huge. I kept saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’ and so felt compelled to honour each tour.

Being one of the first to make the shift to modern learning environments (MLE), there was very little guidance or assistance available to us in the early stages of our journey and so we made a conscious decision to offer help to schools.”

“Going from a staff of four teachers to nearly 40 staff in total, has been huge, let alone the pedagogical journey to maximising the potential of MLE and developing our vision and systems for collaborative teaching. We were building the plane while flying it.

“The shock of the new, coupled with the romance of the past, are two things you need to educate parents and staff through, so they can knowledgeably embrace the challenges and successes of MLE.” The physical move from a

Pegasus Bay School

little country school to brand new premises required further adjustments.

“Waikuku School was 140 years old when we left and it had an old hedge to climb in, a swimming pool and a good playground.

When we arrived at Pegasus Bay, we had stunning buildings but we came to blank grounds (apart from the netball courts) and had to start from scratch because there was no ministry funding for any playground equipment.

We got a grant from Mazda Foundation for a community garden then the rest was over to the Board of Trustees (BOT) and our Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

“Three years later we are still fundraising and setting up our grounds. As well as the community garden we have a big spider web, a large tyre and rope playground, and a scooter track.

The junior playground is about to be installed. The expense and time spent has been huge despite trying to source so much cheaply - another hidden cost with a new school.”

Staff are also still dealing with many property issues. “There were 80 items still on our defects list after our first 12 months. The roll continued to grow so we have been working on stage two, and have just opened two stunning learning communities (LC) for new entrants and year ones. It’s meant that we could really focus on the needs of juniors, and lessons learnt from the first stage.

We know we are very lucky but staff, BOT and PTA have worked incredibly hard getting us to where we are now.”

Away from the new learning

| PROFILES

spaces, children run barefoot, and take frequent excursions to coastal parks, beaches and wetlands. There are optional academies including golf at nearby Pegasus Golf Course, surf lessons at the local club, and science in which children can choose to take part in a biota node project at Tūhaitara Coastal Park.

Wherever they are, whatever they are doing, students are reminded to be kaitiaki, guardians. “People say that we need to leave a better planet for our children - we say that we need to leave better and more informed children for our planet,” says principal Roger Hornblow. “As our children progress through our school they will have hands on experiences with our community and area that ensure they have a kaitiaki mindset.”

Reflecting on the school’s journey so far, Mr Hornblow cites prototyping as a critical stage in moving to MLE pedagogy.

“The prototyping phase was so important and many schools leave this out. Prototyping spaces and equipment gave pupils, staff

and parents time to question, adapt and have positive seeds sown. Principals and teachers need to remember that MLE is not a franchise that you just buy and install - it takes time and the right mindset. The MLE journey is as important as the destination.

“In our pedagogical journey we have been deliberate about giving staff the professional freedom and inspiration to develop systems they feel are responsive to the needs of their students.

At the end of last year, we talked about the end of ‘sandpit time’ and building/playing/ modifying systems for planning, collaboration and assessment.

Now we are at the stage of

unifying the practices through lessons learnt and successes experienced. This organic way rather than top down has set us up with systems that are already showing increased levels of engagement and achievement for pupils. In saying that, MLE is not the silver bullet that education has been looking for to change the world. There are some children who struggle in MLE just as there are some children who struggle in the single cell set up. What has changed is the collaborative approach to planning, assessing and teaching, and the robustness, options and passion that this offers to students and teachers.

There is so much research around the effectiveness of this approach that when schools unpack this and apply it to what is taught, how it is taught, as well as the learning environment, the results begin to happen.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter Pegasus Bay School is a decile 10, state primary school for students in years 0 to 8. It is located in the Waimakariri district of Canterbury and currently has a roll of 430.

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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y d n a d l o o c l e approved v r a m n e e k t u o t s u j d n a m g u groovy inde o s t n e c e r r a l u p o p y h c a e a f neat nifty p l o o c e t u n i m e h t o t p u y super trenTdTRENDING EDUCATION INDUSTRY PRODUCTS

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Numicon strives to support teachers’ subject knowledge and practice by providing teaching materials that are in-built PD daily, as well as professional learning courses that will help develop a better understanding of how to encourage learners in the maths journey.

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

VISION LASER ETCHED PLANNER A great addition to a busy school, a made to order term planner. You select the layout and content that suits your team. Potter’s VISION laser etched planners are made from the usual high quality magnetic porcelain you are used too. With the addition of permanent laser etching you will have a tidy board that looks good and gives structure to this important informative staff tool. No more messy vinyl strips or ruled lines. No need to cram it all in to a small off the shelf board. Laser etching is an inexpensive quality addition to the best porcelain board available.

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JARI ACTIVSTOOL With a rotating convex base Jari forms one leg of a stable tripod, your own legs provide the other two parts. That means you are constantly flexing, adjusting and moving; the ideal way to stay focused and concentrate. But the coolest thing about the Jari Activstool is that it is height adjustable. That means it fits a huge range of students and just about any application. Features include: 305mm wide x 400-490mm high, Durable, fabric covered convex seat pad, Pneumatic cylinder button, Light weight and durable polypropylene seat frame and base with under-seat grip handles for easy transport and Slip-resistant TPE base pad that provides stability during dynamic sitting.

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FLAMMABLE AND CORROSIVE CABINETS Flammable and Corrosive Cabinets have been designed manufactured and sold by Jagbe Industrial Supplies Ltd for 15 years. The quality has evolved over that time, to create the most robust cost effective cabinets on the market. Even their freight service is second to none and they now offer free freight door-to-door. See www. safetycabinets.co.nz to order. Remember to state your delivery address. Or talk to Bruce on 021344362.

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3D printing offers a rich way to enhance and reinforce science, technology, engineering, art, math, and design skills already being taught in the classroom. Presenting real-world challenges to students engages them with a hands-on approach to problem solving and allows people to create new things, limited only by imagination. MakerBot pioneered desktop 3D printing in 2009. They are the industry leader with over 100,000 machines in use around the world. They are a popular choice with educators because of their superior print quality, speed, reliability and ease of use. MakerBot for the Classroom is also available free of charge to schools purchasing a MakerBot 3D printer. This provides educators with a starting point to help them integrate 3D printing into their schools curriculum. It teaches students the basics of 3D printing and designing so they can start creating amazing things that you never thought possible.

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LICEGONE AND LICEGUARD With this hot humid weather come Head Lice. Help to eliminate them from your school by selling LICEGONE and LICEGUARD packs. LICEGONE is a special combination formula designed for head lice infestations of adults and eggs. Once they have been eliminated, then LICEGUARD is used to prevent the lice from coming back. Both formulations have a pleasant fragrance, are water resistant, non-greasy and made in New Zealand. Each pack contains a 240 mL LICEGONE, 240 mL LICEGUARD and a Lice Comb. You buy a pack for $30 and sell it for $40 giving the school $10 profit. A WIN WIN for all.

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EDUCATION |

Principal Speaks

Many children do not have a safe and healthy living environment

Dunedin principal urges all to speak up for vulnerable children Dunedin principal Heidi Hayward made headlines in December with her open letter to MPs imploring them to rethink social funding.

Last year the government announced new funding for “at risk” students ($92 per student, per year) which Ms Hayward compares with the cost of keeping an inmate in prison, $100,000 per person, per year. Ms Hayward says that many students recognised as “at risk” throughout school end up in prison and the money would be better spent “at the top of the cliff than at the bottom”.

In 1999, I began my teaching career at Macandrew

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

at the theatre as blissful. No duty, no bells, no difficult students (or parents) and meetings at café’s that I was paid to attend!

However, as the year rolled on, so did the monotony and I found I truly missed the energy that young people bring to life. By July, I was quite certain that I would go back to teaching come the end of the year.

Following this sojourn, I enjoyed another eight years at Macandrew Intermediate and taught.

Heidi Hayward is principal at Dunedin North Intermediate School

Intermediate in Dunedin. Initially I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be a teacher and while I enjoyed my first two years, I leapt at the chance to take up a seemingly more glamorous marketing position at Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre.

I remember the first few weeks

One of the eternal frustrations we experienced was the limited resources and support available to families and children in need, which at times lead to my handing children my home phone number in case they found themselves in unsafe circumstances over the weekend.

In 2010, I won my first principalship and moved to Waitati School, a small semi-rural school just north of Dunedin. This

was an amazing experience and I loved my time at Waitati. My two younger children came to school with me and for five years we enjoyed the stunning setting and close and supportive community that Waitati offered. Having been out of the loop, I naively believed that things might have improved but my first week at Dunedin North Intermediate in July, 2015, was a stark reminder of the reality I had been able to forget while at Waitati School. I spent the next 18 months trying to navigate the ‘”system” and access appropriate support for our many children in need.

I need to define children in need here. As a school our goal is largely centred around providing for educational need, albeit that often there are some social needs that we must address in order for children to make educational gain. I have separated the two as follows:

Educational need In most schools in New Zealand, teachers and principals will tell you there is not enough funding to meet the educational needs of many of the children we teach. I would not disagree with this, but this is not the group of children I am advocating for in this instance - that is another story, and a very different story.

Principal Speaks

| EDUCATION

Vulnerable children need us to speak up for them

Social need The children I am advocating for here are the children for whom a safe and healthy living environment is not a certainty.

For these children education is often a luxury that they could perhaps attend to if some of their basic needs for safety and comfort were met. These children have often experienced trauma, and consequently have not been lucky enough to form normal brain development that allows for ease of learning. While schools necessarily attend to less complex social needs, we are neither equipped nor appropriately trained to deal with the more complex needs.

It was my growing frustration at the complexity and the limitations of these systems that lead to my SENCO and I calling a professionals’ meeting late last

year to try to develop a clear and coherent plan for our local area.

And it was at this meeting, that was attended by more than 20 agencies, that the enormity of the problem, and the lack of clarity around the way forward, hit me like an oncoming train.

I believe we have lost our way. We have become so politically correct that we have become paralysed.

I don’t presume to have all of the answers, but if those in the know are not raising the issues, then those with the power can’t begin to assess or address the needs.

This issue is bigger than schools, it’s bigger than CYF, it’s bigger than any single term government or political party in isolation. I believe this is an issue for all New Zealanders. We have to decide what the bottom line looks like and we have to be willing to fund services properly, for long

enough to see change, to ensure that nobody falls below the bottom line. The families I know of are trying their best, but many simply don’t have the capacity to parent without support. Their children want to live at home and want to be with their own family. These parents don’t need to be blamed, they need ongoing and intensive support to ensure that their children have the opportunities they might have had if only they were born to different circumstances.

I have been in the profession long enough now to see my

sad predictions come true for too many children. I feel that to be silent is to be complicit and defeatist. These kids need us to speak up. They need us to refuse that this is the best they can hope for. They need to hear from us, as adults they trust, that we don’t think this is OK. They need us to agitate on their behalf. If we don’t, who will?

Heidi Hayward is the principal of Dunedin North Intermediate, a decile seven school with a roll of 260

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Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

19

EDUCATION |

Dyslexia

Literacy teaching - one size does not fit all New Zealand education rightly has a good reputation for quality.

We score well overall for literacy achievement and our high achievers are among the best in the world.

which teach the building blocks of literacy. Spelling lists tend to be chosen from high frequency lists with no attempt to teach phonic patterns or develop analogical transfer.

• Same materials for every learner in the class – as the study above clearly shows, one list will be ridiculously easy for some learners, but totally impossible for others.

However, we do less well with children who struggle with literacy and the Ministry of Education (MoE) itself has expressed the view that we are failing to cater suff iciently well for one in five learners.

• No continuity throughout the school, leaving each teacher to ‘reinvent the wheel’.

From a class teacher’s perspective, it can be puzzling – and sometimes demoralising – when the same literacy approach is successful with some learners, but fails with others. Why do some fall through the gaps when others succeed?

One factor is the huge differences in reading readiness when children first start school. As every new entrant teacher knows, some children start school already reading and with good vocabularies and others have barely been exposed to books.

It is well recognised that preschool language exposure plays a vital role in the development of phonological awareness, which research shows is the most significant predictor of literacy success (Bradley & Bryant, 1978).

Another factor is the huge difference between the amount of reinforcement a ‘normal’ reader

needs, compared with the amount needed by dyslexic learners.

Some research suggests that a non-struggling reader needs only four to ten exposures to a word, whereas a dyslexic or similarly struggling learner may need more than 1,000 exposures to the same word (Bateman, 1991).

These are just some of the factors which lead to the situation where, in an average classroom, there is a dauntingly large spread of literacy levels. A recent research study carried out in a North Canterbury primary school measured literacy levels for every child in year two. Despite the fact

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

that this was a small rural school with only 52 children in that age-group, the literacy spread was from two years behind chronological age to four-and-ahalf years above. A six-and-a-half year spread of literacy level in a relatively small group of seven and eight-year-olds! Makes a nonsense of ‘Here’s your spelling list – I’ll test you on Friday’, which is, depressingly, the spelling approach adopted by many schools.

The reality in most New Zealand classrooms is that there is not suff icient structure to cater for learners who need a far more explicit approach – one which actively develops the underlying phonological skills, but also develops phonic knowledge and skills.

Key issues in many NZ schools include: • Spelling completely detached from other aspects of literacy – often a list of spelling words is given, without even ensuring that learners know what the words mean, let alone that the words can be read – and written – in context.

• No emphasis on the word family and phonics approaches,

Luckily, it’s relatively easy to ensure that the school employs a research-based approach to literacy – one which emphasises phonic patterns and word families, as well as high frequency words. However, up until now, it has not been so easy to enable learners to progress at their own individual levels. However, new technologies can provide a solution.

Although many teachers rightly have reservations about using technology to replace teaching, well-designed programmes can support teaching and, crucially, enable every learner to progress at their own individual rate. A well-designed programme ought to enable every learner to work at his/her own level, and provide continuity throughout the school. Ideally, it should only aim to provide the core reading and spelling skills, freeing up the teacher to provide the exposure to real texts, reading and discussion activities, free writing and other aspects of the literacy curriculum.

However, it will enable each child to develop those core skills and knowledge at his/her own level and speed, and technology is now capable of analysing each child’s errors and providing individualised reinforcement.

Thirty children in a class – at 30 different levels! Not a pipe dream any more – but certainly a recipe for success for many learners who are currently struggling.

By Ros Lugg, The Learning Staircase

Dyslexia

| EDUCATION

Supplier Profile | SPELD NZ

A boy transformed Ingrid Norgrove used to fear that her son, Tadhg, would end up in prison, but now she has total confidence that he will succeed in life. In fact, Tadhg is currently working on his master’s degree in psychology and plans to work with children who flounder, as he once did.

“Tadhg got into SPELD and suddenly realised he could be taught the techniques to read and write, and he actually started believing in himself,” recalls Ingrid.

“It was a turning point in his life, and the change in him has been unbelievable!

“I’d been heartbroken over this child, tearing my hair out. He was so desperate for acceptance and so easily led because of his ADHD. If there was trouble, he would be in it.”

Tadhg recalls his world falling apart when he was around six years old.

“Kindergarten is about creativity and imagination whereas school is more about structure and logic,” he says. “Teachers always thought I was a lovely kid but they didn’t know how to deal with me. I struggled immensely with words.

I tried so hard and put in huge effort but there was still a very big gap and I became ostracised.”

Extra curricula group tutoring proved “a waste of time”, says Ingrid, but getting a SPELD NZ diagnostic assessment of Tadhg provided the breakthrough.

“I remember thinking, ‘Ah ha!

Somebody can see what I see!

Hallelujah!’ Before that I was very frustrated because it seemed nobody could help.”

Tadhg did weekly lessons with his SPELD tutor, Mary, for three years, and the consistent, one-to-one help made a huge difference, not only with reading but also problem solving. Mary gave Tadhg strategies to deal with his frustration.

SPELD NZ was the springboard to his success.

“Mary put me on the track I’m on now. The real thing that drove me forward was her positive reinforcement. I have learned now through studying psychology that it’s the most important thing when you are trying to teach someone.

Hope is vital. I didn’t have hope.

Mary was amazing, and I’m forever grateful to her.”

SPELD NZ is a not-for-profit organisation which has been transforming lives for more than 40 years. It provides nationwide help to many thousands of vulnerable children and adults with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia through:

Tadhg and Ingrid Norgrove “She also gave me tools to use at home to reinforce what he had learned. I don’t think Tadhg would have even begun to cope with high school without SPELD. I think I would have had to home school him but I didn’t have the patience, time or ability to do that.”

Tadhg says he found it very hard to admit when he didn’t know something.

“I used to get very mad and upset when I couldn’t understand concepts. Mary helped me find coping strategies to go into the problems with a calm, open mind. After studying psychology and learning about the brain, I know those strategies are very beneficial because I can apply them to real life situations.

Mary was super patient. If I didn’t get something the first time, she would come at it in a different way.

That never happened at school; most teachers found it very hard to cope with me being so far behind. The system we have at the moment is not designed to support people with learning disabilities.”

Tadhg didn’t get any special exam accommodations during high school but managed to pass NCEA with enough credits to start a degree at Waikato University.

didn’t do too great. In my second year, I got extra time for exams, my own room and I was able to eat and drink. All the distractions went away. My grades started to improve, and I got my first A which was huge.”

By his third year, Tadhg was achieving mostly As. He’s so excited by psychology, he aims to do a PhD eventually.

“I would love to be a lecturer.

That would be my dream job – to be able to impart wisdom and research ways to better help kids with the learning system.”

Tadhg also credits his turnaround to the support he’s had from friends, family and a psychologist but he believes help through

SPELD NZ is a not-for-profit organisation providing specialised help for those with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities: SPELD NZ Training: • • •

• • • •

• Detailed diagnostic assessment • Specialised one-on-one tuition with a qualified teacher with specialised SPELD NZ training • Training for families, teachers, teacher aides, assessors and other interested professionals • Support, information and advice for families and whānau • Compelling research shows that SPELD NZ’s specialised intervention greatly enhances learning outcomes. The University of Auckland’s associate professor of psychology, Karen Waldie, noted “vast improvements in thinking ability, cognitive fluency and processing speed.”

Diagnostic Woodcock-Johnson assessments by qualified assessors with specialised SPELD NZ training One-to-one evidence based tuition by qualified teachers with specialised SPELD NZ training Support for families and whanau NZQA approved courses for parents, teachers, teacher aides and other interested professionals

Certificate Course in Specific Learning Disabilities (NZQA Level 5) – 400 hours delivered online or face-to-face Introductory Course in Specific Learning Disabilities (NZQA Level 3) – 2 days SPELD NZ Assessor Course (not NZQA approved)

For more information on services and training, see www.speld.org.nz or call 0800 773 536

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EDUCATION |

Discovery Through Play

Why play time is so important Viv Shearsby CORE Education

Play isn’t some sort of soft approach before the ‘real’ learning begins.

Play is learning, children are the experts – and all teachers should provide play time every day. Early childhood education expert Viv Shearsby explains…

We know young children are expert learners. They are hardwired to do this, and recent advances in brain development research now showcases the importance of this. It is particularly vigorous in the first three to five years. Creative or divergent thinking sits at 98 per cent for those under five, but evidence clearly shows the decline of this consistently throughout childhood with a massive reduction in creative thinking processes by exit of

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the school context. In Western society, the broad dialogue in relation to learning for very young child is that ‘children learn through play’ but very few people can articulate what this looks like and how it takes place. Deeper insight into how learning takes place through play could be at the heart of progressing the education system and engaging learners with motivation and enthusiasm. So, what does learning through play mean and look like?

Through infancy learning begins with the experience of relationships, usually first relationships take place within the family context and ideally nurture the infant’s well-being, physically and emotionally, therefore supporting the development of mana or a self-concept of their worth and value in the world. The consistency of the relationships

around infants, and the responsiveness of the adults and world in which they participate creates a platform for a sense of belonging to develop. This is coupled with exploration through the senses; looking, touching, tasting, listening and smelling, allow them to investigate the properties of objects in the world.

Moving into toddlerhood, learning and development progressively extends to more deliberate and sophisticated movement and mastering the body. Toddlers also begin to increase their engagement in the world through enhanced communication and the development of language.

During toddlerhood, identity formation moves to learning about their personal agency and the contribution they can make to the world around them. This is often discussed as developing autonomy and is evident in the

increasing desire to do things for themselves, have things to themselves and express their emotions.

Maturing into early childhood brings further learning and development making visible more consolidated physical control, progressively developing emotional control and through increasingly rational thinking. This development allows for the further complexity of children’s working theories i.e. ideas about how stuff works. Through their play, young children explore materials, resources and equipment.

They experiment with varying approaches to the world in the cultural practices, values and behaviours that surround them. Throughout each of the developmental phases (infancy, toddlerhood and early childhood) play is the tool for learning

Discovery Through Play

| EDUCATION

dilemmas about how to motivate enthusiastic participation in education. Maybe play is the tool that allows learners the freedom to explore and recognise their developing capability? Perhaps play is the tool that enables learners to move from a mindset that says ‘I can’t do that’ to ‘I can’t do that yet’.

Play is learning, children are the experts – and all teachers should provide play time every day.

and provides the context for trial and error. It enables us to practice and master physical skill, consolidate language, confirm intellectual understandings and to increasingly manage the complexity of social and emotional ‘humanness’. As the very young engage in the experience of play they learn what gets approval thus coming to grips with the cultural values of their context and grounding a sense of themselves and part of a wider cultural context and the world.

When children have opportunities to play at length, and be involved with others in investigating possibilities and developing hypotheses, they try things out.

They have little fear of failure, and through ongoing and recurring experiences they secure brain synapses that form the framework of their learned knowledge. Over time their competence increases, and with this they develop confidence in their capability.

Play allows children to be relaxed and work creatively, revisit experiences, solve problems, engage with others and discover an endlessly new world.

It is interesting to note some of the contemporary approaches to teaching pedagogy; the maker movement, intentional teaching, design thinking and the like.

Many of these approaches look suspiciously like play in action, and it is easy to feel excited by the prospect of play being the next big learning trend in education. Perhaps the tricky bit sits in the expectation that teachers make teaching and learning look systematic, linear, tidy and therefore measurable.

The challenge may be in moving away from the traditional view of the teacher as the holder of knowledge. Part of what makes play such a successful tool for learning is that it requires a freedom. Play is an activity that is full of purpose - and yet purposeless. Play is often seen

as something you do when you are having fun or don’t have something ‘better’ to do, and yet at the same time it brings about the most rapid and profound development visible in our lifetimes. Play might be the answer to our educational

Viv Shearsby has been working in early childhood education (ECE) for almost 30 years. She has significant experience as an educator (of children and adults) and as a leader in ECE. Much of her work during the past 15 years has been in early childhood teacher education and facilitating professional learning and development with professional leaders and teachers across Aotearoa.

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ADMINISTRATION |

E-commerce

Review your e-commerce system to save time and money If your school office often has a long line of students and parents waiting to sort out fees, trips, and stationery orders, it’s probably time to review the school’s e-commerce options.

In this digital age, most financial transactions and communications can be completed online – saving administration staff a great deal of time. This of course translates to more money in the school coffers - a win win for everyone.

Whether it’s fees, donations or stationery, payments for trips and camps, or even orders for uniforms and lunches, there are e-commerce systems available to take the weight from the school office.

Sandra Finlay, founder of e-commerce system Kindo, and online lunch service ezlunch, says cashless payments take the work out of processing parent payments and permission slips.

“Kindo integrates with some Student Management Systems (SMS) to provide a completely hands-off process, updating account information on the fly. This saves hours of administration, as do the online permission slips and volunteer requests that accompany sports, trips and other payments.

If forms are needed with a payment, we gather that as part of the transaction, which saves a huge effort in collation and reconciliation.”

The system enables parents to view and pay for all their school expenses in one place whether they’re SMS-managed, sports payments with permission slips, lunches, uniform or fundraisers.

Kindo is now being integrated into app-style interface for smartphones, the device most commonly used by parents of school-age children.

Ms Finlay says parent feedback is very positive. “Parents can pay at any time, from anywhere, and they love not having to fill in names

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and room numbers over and over again.”

bigger costs such as camps and donations.

Schools can easily add or remove items themselves or invite suppliers in with their lists to take orders directly. The SMS integration automatically displays the latest account information to parents and posts payments into the SMS. For other things, administrators can click to print out labels, lists or download spreadsheets with all the details they need to efficiently run a uniform, lunch, stationery, fundraiser or show ticket ‘shop’.

The charge to school is the lowest of 2.5 per cent + gst or $5 per item. There are no set up, monthly or additional fees, but some additional functions such as SMS integration carry a small monthly charge.

“It takes a minute to set up and invoice an item on eTAP. After that, payments are automatically updated into etap the moment a parent pays for them. If you look at the volume of work compared with old-style invoicing, it doesn’t even compare.”

Kindo, currently in more than 130 New Zealand primary, intermediate and secondary schools, also handles merchant accounts so there are no additional costs or delays, and offer parents all ways to pay.

Some use the system as a savings account making regular deposits throughout the year to manage

Some schools report that using Kindo is actually saving them money. Administration time is down 60-70 per cent at Auckland’s Campbells Bay School, according to executive officer Karen McNair. “And it has completely eliminated incorrect and poorly-coded bank payments, lost coins, detached notes and human error.”

Ellerslie School noted it “more than pays for itself” with not only a 20 per cent increase in donations, but $10,000 more fundraising income and reduced use of teacher aides to cover busy office periods.

For SMS payments, no training is required. Administrators raise invoices in the SMS as usual and everything else happens through Kindo, including updating the payment back into SMS records.

“Training for listings such as sports registrations and forms or other payments that are not raised via the SMS is covered in weekly, hour-long sessions online with ongoing free helpdesk support,” says Ms Finlay. “Our implementation programme also includes customised templates for parent communications, posters, detailed website recommendations and more.

These things are often critical to the success of a new system at school.”

The optimal time to transition to an e-commerce system is before busy patches, traditionally the start of the school year (school fees, donations and stationery), change in seasons (school uniform), change in term (term clubs and sports), and the lead up to school productions and fundraisers.

“Get it in place before these busy times and you’ll see foot traffic to the office reduced, and you won’t have long bank statements to reconcile, or huge paperwork piles, any more. Kindo really simplifies it all.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

ADMINISTRATION |

Furniture

Photo: Lundia

Setting up your flexible learning spaces Modern learning environments (MLE), flexible learning environments, innovative learning spaces: these are not buzz terms but top-ics of considerable research and movement across Australasia, and the world, with MLE a uniquely New Zealand label.

Learning and place What does a learning place look like? In many cases, it looks as it did 70 years ago, and innovators in education are calling foul.

What does a room full of desks in rows prepare students for? A 1950s-factory scene, or a typing pool, perhaps. Key features of MLE include spaces with greater flexibility, more openness, and access to resources, especially digital technology focussing on collaboration, more active student

involvement and inquiry-based learning.

Picture this: In one zone, there is a small group of three students, shoes off, faces relaxed – one student who dreams of architecture is teaching the other students how to design a house in a drafting app. A bookshelf separates this cluster of beanbags from the reading nook, where soft seats with a rotating base cradle high-energy readers wearing headphones. They are listening

to a classmate read a story, as they follow along with the book in their hands, spinning occasionally.

Soon they will record their own reading for the next group, in one of the soft furnishing ‘quiet pods’.

Two students have elevated their own desks so they can stand; it’s Friday, and sitting down feels hard today. They are deep into their creative writing, one of them repetitively taps her stockinged foot on the soft floor coverings, while the other shuffles from foot to foot.

2 \^QRa] M__a^MPV c^ bPV^^Z _V^c^UaM_Vh A@6 bWccW]U͜ \dZcW_ZR _a^QdPc ^_cW^]b ͈Ua^d_ M]Q W]QWeWQdMZ͉ Less shoot-day stress Safer shoot environment (no tiered seating) Greater flexibility, fewer absentees Opportunity for higher fundraising returns Great customer service Friendly photographers Online o ordering 6\MWZ _V^c^f^]QRa]j̓_WPb^b͙P^\ c^ R]`dWaR c^QMh

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Additional fundraising options

Furniture

Everywhere you look, students are engaged. Thoughtfully designed furniture can turn spaces into successful learning zones. The world has changed, technology is more immediate and not a single one of today’s students will enter the workforce of the previous generation. It no longer exists. If we resist, we risk preparing them for obsolescence.

Qualities that are valued in today’s teaching spaces are those of student agency - interpersonal proficiency, critical thinking and creativity. Existing curriculum in New Zealand covers soft skills in HPE - socio-ecological perspective - and includes critical and creative thinking; empathy, intercultural awareness, and ethics. So how can schools best set up the physical environments for best teaching practice?

Versatility is key In a 2009 OECD report titled, ‘Optimal Learning Spaces: Design Implications for Primary Schools’, authors Professor Peter Barrett and Dr Yufan Zhang indicated: “Well-planned pathways, open access to equipment and supplies, ease of moving furniture and creating interesting and engaging spaces are all ergonomic considerations.” They also advised that each “individual learning space should be an architecturally well-designed ‘activity pocket’ with all the furniture, equipment, storage and resources necessary for that learning activity contained

within”. Researcher Wesley Imms emphasised in Melbourne University’s Pursuit magazine that students need flexibility to occupy spaces as “private cubby holes” for independent research, or groupwork spaces for collaboration.

Students need places to be autonomous learners, they need spaces to comfortable interact with educational content, and as lower primary teachers will be aware, they need to move.

Let the children bounce For some children, sitting still requires monumental effort, energy that could be better spent learning and doing. Research shows that the opportunity for movement enhances concentration, improves student wellbeing, consequently producing better learning outcomes. In a 2003 American Journal of Occupational Therapy article titled ‘Stability Balls and Students With Attention and Hyperactivity Concerns: Implications for On-Task and In-Seat Behavior’, researchers concluded: “Such an intervention could be one effective means of improving the attention and behavior of children who are formally diagnosed with ADHD or who are perhaps exhibiting ADHD symptomatology.”

Industry Views What’s in a space?

To determine the type and style of furniture that best supports ILEs, School News accessed

| ADMINISTRATION

Photo: Lundia

expert input from the industry. The con-sensus? Comfort, practical elements (like storage), versatility and aesthetics.

discussion,” Richard Jenkins informed School News.

Mr Higgins of CAP Furniture, Australia says that bright colours and a natural look such as timber will promote mental stimulation.

Richard Jenkins of Woods Furniture NZ agreed, noting that the importance of colour, light and acoustics can sometimes be underesti-mated. “There is a lot of research available to suggest colour has a direct effect on learning behaviours,” he said.

Acoustics also play a major role: “We recommend using sound absorbing fabric on ottomans rather than vinyl for this reason.”

FA soft place to fall

To stand or to sit?

Mark Higgins said: “Furniture for an ILE should have sit-stand functionality, to encourage good posture and allow for activity.”

He explained that traditional seating can result in lethargy and distraction from inaction and discomfort. “There is also research that suggests students are less territorial when standing, which can promote more creative

Smart Design + Smarter Thinking

A soft place to fall For students on the autism spectrum, or with anxiety disorders, considerations might include the availability of bean bags or crash mats for deep pressure calming.

Shane Tricarico, manager of KloudSac said, “the deep pressure sensory input a child receives when they sink into our foam filling helps relax students, which in turn, helps them focus and learn”.

He says that students with special needs find soft furnishings good for relieving anxiety.

Flexible furnishings with soft fillings are also becoming popular.

Mr Tricarico told School News that schools often select foam bags that are long in shape and suitable for use by several children at once.

“We love to see them full of students collaborating with others, reading by themselves, or having some computer or iPad time.

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ADMINISTRATION |

Furniture

“They prefer products that can be used both indoors and outdoors with an option of water resistant canvas covers,” he added.

“One space – many possibilities” “One space – many possibilities,” noted Richard Jenkins. “Flexibility means having a choice of learning area possibilities.” It’s also important to be able to convert the space with minimum fuss. “The space should be capable of ad hoc configuration.”

Mark Higgins concured: “Our school clients require furniture

solutions with flexible designs.

They need them to be easy to reconfigure, to allow for different activity formats, but also for resource sharing. They want simple classic design, with versatility.”

Karen Hansen of New Zealand supplier Lundia said shelving is especially important for a library.

“It’s become more popular to have the resource material like books and picture books on easy display fixtures, which will encourage children to read and study.

“Shelving island units are now better suited (with castors) to create learning spaces on demand.

Innovative furniture for the developing child

Mobile shelving systems provide flexibility, and are easily adaptable to the changing environments essential,” she continued. Other popular features she noted include “exterior panels fitted with magnetic and writable surfaces as a tidy way to finish the units off, while providing teaching aids” as well as “useable floor areas”.

The MLE movement in New Zealand continues to mature in its approach to design and implementation. These days, Richard Jenkins said schools “first establish a vision of what teaching and learning should look like, and then apply technology and

“The ILE promotes student agency and allows students to ‘learn how to learn’ - better equipping them for an evolving world,” he clarified.

Woods Furniture is passionate about providing furniture items that not only support these aims, but also developing bodies. “Our Hokki stool is an ergo-dynamic stool designed to improve the motor and musculo-skeletal development of growing children.” The Woods Furniture Pantoflex chair keeps things moving. “Pantoflex provides the appropriate amount

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

of movement to maximise blood-flow, while also ensuring correct posture is maintained.”

With such a shift away from the traditional “30 desks and chairs”, schools are requesting bespoke learning environments with enlivening results. “This has challenged us to create a consultative process so schools attain their objectives and optimize learning,” Mr Jenkins explained. “This often involves design workshops with executive teams, teachers and sometimes students.

We feel this is crucial as no two learning spaces are the same, and these environments represent each school’s unique values and vision.”

One thing is for certain, students don’t need to learn in old lecturestyle classrooms: ’The times they are a’ changing’…

By Suzy Barry, Industry Reporter

Facilitating modern learning The company designs, sources and manufactures standard and bespoke products to keep classrooms and schools practical and efficient.

Richard Jenkins of Woods Furniture is unsurprised that Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) have taken hold in New Zealand.

furnishing around this to further support this pedagogy”. Students are the worker bees of the future whose hives will resemble a maze of shifting job roles, innovation and progress. If the current trajectory continues, future citizens will not only engage in several careers, but careers may continually morph as new technologies generate new jobs.

Lundia sales manager Karen Hansen explained why storage is of particular importance with a flexible learning approach.

“Having shelving systems that provide flexibility and are easily adaptable is vital for innovative learning objectives where spaces must accommodate a multiplicity of learning activities.”

Lundia is concerned with making these transitions simple for educators, with materials on hand to keep

learning dynamic and engaging. “Our shelving island units on castors are now better-suited to ILEs, allowing for teachers to create learning spaces on demand and facilitate topic meetings with pupils,” she described.

Innovation can add value to these units, taking them beyond the simple function of storage: “exterior panels fitted with magnetic or writable surfaces are a tidy way to finish the units off, and also provide teaching aids.”

“We recognise the importance of education for the future of our children and the future of this world,” Ms Hansen told School News.

Fundraising

Fresh ideas for school fundraisers Cake stalls, sausage sizzles, the classic lemonade stand: while the old faithful fundraising approaches endure, there is plenty on offer for schools who want to shake it up a bit.

A Saturday morning car wash can impress your local community with its sustainability plan.

Granny’s sugar-laden lemonade recipes might be replaced with a pop-up lemonade stands, and why not use coconut sugar and cold pressed organic lemon juice, poured over a biodegradable cup with ice cubes? Entertaining extremes aside, the trend is positive, and the choices endless.

Multimedia has also marched onto the fundraising stage with all the aplomb of any master of entertainment, and with an educational benefit to boot.

Contemporary fundraising could include students making promotional videos presenting their cause or event; older students engaging in social media marketing, and setting up crowd-funding campaigns have become commonplace. Students not only collect required funds, but also gain real world marketing and fundraising experience, not to mention accolades for their initiative. Incorporation of merchandise such as the iconic glow-ware products, or a high use consumable can add a fundraising opportunity to any school event.

Arts and crafts ideas can range from a students’ photography

exhibition to paintings and drawings to be made into covers for calendars and diaries.

As sustainability is front and centre in many school communities, ideas involving gardening and food production gain traction. A mini farm production selling eggs out of the agricultural department has boundless potential.

While the primary purpose of a fundraiser is to ‘raise funds’, educational outcomes are varied and extensive. Aside from the obvious mathematical applications of dealing with money, there are business applications. Financial projections and budgets; advertising and marketing campaigns; public relations and publicity; and operations decisions all feature in school fundraising when students are involved at the foundation stage. There is learning about forming committees as well as allocating and fulfilling roles.

For a generation that will need all the innovation they can muster, and whose lives are more ‘managed’ than any other generation, another benefit exists - an opportunity for autonomous industry, with the backstop of adult guidance. Fundraising can bring a school community together across generational lines, all the while fostering skills and attitudes in planning, creativity, and that critical ingredient for success… followthrough.

| ADMINISTRATION

Skinwise fundraiser Interworld Fundraising NZ Limited has released a fundraising solution perfect for any ‘skinwise’ school.

Skinwise solutions offer good profit margins, and include SPF50+ sunscreens from bulk size right down to travel sizes, as well as soothing products sun burn and insect bites, and insect repellents perfect for school camp.

Interworld general manager Sharleen Mischefski affirmed: “schools want fundraising products that are designed for kids, are educational, made in New Zealand, certificated, consumable and of course profitable; Pharmexa products fit these features.”

Tested by Dermatest, Pharmexa products represent a safe and logical solution to many requirements. “The bulk sunscreen can be used at school, and parents can purchase the fundraising packs for use at home,” Ms Mischefski recommended.

The range also includes lipbalm, head-lice treatment; all formulated to be gentle on young skin.

With schools already providing sun safety messages, fundraising with Pharmexa products creates synergy between skinwise programmes and fundraising. “Parents need to purchase these products anyway, so why not provide the profit to the school rather than supermarket chains?” Ms Mischefski reasoned.

SKINWISE FUNDRAISERS TRY OUR RANGE OF SPF 50+ SUNSCREENS AND INSECT REPELLANTS AND CARE.

By Suzy Barry, Industry Reporter

AVAILABLE IN A RANGE OF SIZES FROM TRAVEL TO BULK.

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ADMINISTRATION |

Fundraising

Lighting up school fundraisers

Glowsticks Ltd is a family business that has been lighting up school fundraising in New Zealand for a decade.

The father and son Glowsticks team explained to School News that schools can achieve substantial fundraising

targets with the well-loved glow products. “We’ve been supplying primary and secondary schools with glow sticks, LED products and other fun flashing things for the last 10 years,” Bernard Fletcher informed.

There really is something

for every budget, and the range makes a tidy profit with minimum outlay: “We sell glow bracelets for as little as 10c each, then the schools sell them at their discos for $1 each. It’s an easy way for them to raise $300-$500, while only spending $30 to $50.”

The Fletchers like things to be straightforward for busy schools: “We provide sample packs to schools, and with an easy return policy for unsold items and free shipping on orders over $100, it’s an accessible, simple and low-risk fundraising solution.”

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Interworld Fundraising NZ Limited has helped raise over $100million for New Zealand schools since 1974.

“We are proud to partner with 80 percent of primary schools and 90 percent of intermediate schools throughout New Zealand,” general manager, Sharleen Mischefski told School News.

Of all the products Interworld Fundraising has offered over time, Cadbury chocolate bars “remain New Zealand’s number one fundraiser,” Ms Mischefski reported. “They raise millions of dollars for schools, and they make fundraising fun, easy and

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profitable.” Little fundraisers love being chocolate-bearers, and consumers are usually happy to eat chocolate for a good cause. “They virtually sell themselves,” Ms Mischefski added.

“Our $2.50 Range of 24 mixed blocks with Dairy Milk, Caramello and Marvellous Creations yields a profit of $24 per box. “We also offer $2 units with the same profit margin, as well as $1 units”. With a broad range in unit price, and “up to 40 percent profit per bar sold”, fundraising with Interworld Cadbury chocolate can suit any setting.

Book Reviews

| TEACHING RESOURCES

New to the bookshelf and cannot remember anything day-to-day, the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is. Then she kisses a boy – her first kiss – and the next day she remembers it.

The first time she’s remembered anything since she was ten. But the boy is gone.

A is for Aotearoa

By Diane Newcombe and Melissa Anderson Scott This is a fun, lift-the-flap treasure hunt for every young New Zealander. Join Girl and Bird on an adventure around New Zealand, and help them follow the clues to where they’ll go next.

disabled sister Maddie to keep the peace until his mum reveals her secret project . . . and why it was worth the wait.

Young Arrow Penguin Random House For readers 8 to 10 years

Desperate to hold onto the memory and feelings of love, she sets off to the Arctic to find him.

Why can she remember Drake?

Could he be the key to everything else she’s forgotten?

Witch’s Cat Wanted

Puffin Penguin Random House For readers 11 plus

By Joy H Davidson

From city to shore, north to south and east to west, readers will visit some familiar places, and make discoveries about others.

A picture book that engages the reader in geographical discovery, and celebrates New Zealand’s history, culture and beauty.

The Severed Land

By Maurice Gee

Picture Puffin Penguin Random House For readers 3 to 8

House of Robots: Robot Revolution

By James Patterson Sammy’s under-appreciated mechanical helpers are causing chaos in book three of this bestselling series, House of Robots.

By Emily Barr I look at my hands. One of them says “Flora be brave”. I am Flora.

Flora has anterograde amnesia

As he is about to be shot, Fliss reaches through the wall and pulls him to safety. But Fliss is dismayed to find she has saved an overfed rich boy.

This delightful story is Davidson’s first picture book and won the Joy Cowley Award for an unpublished author.

Scholastic For readers 3 to 7

Word of Mouse

By James Patterson Isaiah is unique – his mouse fur is as blue as the sky and he can read and write. He can also talk to humans . . . if any of them are willing to listen!

In fact, E is such a valued member of the family that the other electronic members of the House of Robots are feeling sorely unappreciated.

She is even more dismayed to learn that she must accompany him back through the wall on a special mission to rescue the Nightingale. Will Fliss and the despised drummer boy learn to trust each other? Who is the Nightingale? And will they all make it back alive?

And when Sammy’s inventor mum becomes distracted by a topsecret project, the robots soon begin to fall into disrepair.

A gripping, page-turning fantasy adventure which follows a dangerous quest through a divided world.

But in a world of cruel cats, hungry owls and terrified people, it’s hard for a young, lone mouse to make it alone, until he meets an equally unusual and lonely human girl named Hailey.

Cue a robot revolt, with the droids wreaking harmless havoc in the house! It’s up to Sammy and his

Puffin Penguin Random House For young adult readers

Young Arrow Penguin Random House For readers 9 plus

After a few early glitches in their relationship, Sammy and his ‘brobot’ E are now best friends.

The One Memory of Flora Banks

From the high reaches of a tree, Fliss watches the soldiers attempting yet again to break through the invisible wall. Amid the explosions, a drummer boy tries to escape.

Once there was a very pleasant witch. She looked exactly as a witch should look, except for one small, furry detail…No cat!

And without a cat, her spells are useless! She needs a cat who can ride on a broom, stir her cauldron, memorise her spells, but most of all she wants her cat to be her friend. Will she ever find such a cat?

After a dramatic escape from a mysterious laboratory, Isaiah is separated from his family and has to use his special skills to survive in the dangerous outdoors, and hopefully find his missing family.

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Music

Tuning in to the value of music in schools As you walk into St Mary’s College on a Thursday morning, you can hear music wafting across the historic grounds.

This is the sound of a school where music holds great importance; for three hours each week, other lessons are set aside and students gather in choirs and ensembles to practice, and to uphold the school’s long tradition of musical excellence.

At St Mary’s, a Catholic college for girls in central Auckland, it is believed that learning music enriches the mind. Every student in years seven to nine takes weekly music lessons and participates in an an ensemble.

They follow a tradition of music at the school which counts acclaimed opera singers amongst its graduates, most notably Kiri Te Kanawa, Malvina Major and Isabella Moore. The school employs an astonishing 17 music teachers, and most students - 650 of the total 1,000 - participate in St Mary’s orchestras, bands, choirs and chamber groups.

There is much scientific evidence to show that learning an instrument aids academic learning, and certainly the school’s academic record bears out this research, with NCEA results consistently amongst the top in New Zealand. The school’s head of instrumental music, Rachel Snelling, says there are many

other benefits too. “Personally I think it’s a combination of reading music and playing an instrument that supports brain stimulation, and playing in an ensemble helps students to develop skills of concentration and cooperation. These cooperative skills developed within the music groups assist in providing a feeling of belonging and support the sense of community within the school, as well as a love of music that we hope stays with them forever”.

The social benefits are huge, too, with young musicians developing the practice of discipline, patience, team skills, as well as a sense of responsibility both for their instruments and for their ensemble. For evidence, look no further than El Sistema, a programme in 55 countries which seeks to effect social change through the pursuit of musical excellence. El Sistema reached New Zealand six years ago, starting in a cluster of decile one schools in South Auckland, and a recent evaluation revealed that students engaged in Sistema Aotearoa had “a significantly higher educational achievement in both reading and mathematics” than those who were not in the programme.

“Feedback from the seven Otara schools involved demonstrates that participation in Sistema enriches students’ involvement in the school curriculum and reinforces positive school culture

All St Mary’s College students in years seven, eight and nine learn a musical instrument.

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St Mary’s College in Ponsonby has a long tradition of musical excellence.

and participation has improved attendance and behaviour at school,” says Robyn Trinick, senior music lecturer at Auckland University. “Teachers report Sistema Aotearoa students show more perseverance, i.e. sticking to a task even if they can’t immediately do it, and increased self-discipline, that is, children are able to self-manage their jobs and responsibilities and be organised. Children show improved achievements in literacy, numeracy and other curriculum objectives including key competencies: thinking, language use, self-management, relating to others, participating and contributing.”

Furthermore, the students’ families

were shown to have greater involvement with their child’s school and to be more ‘enabled’ in approaching the school. “Families demonstrate cohesiveness and work together to support their child/ren to succeed in Sistema Aotearoa. The programme was found to reinforce family values and raise aspirations in the families of participating students.”

The South Auckland programme is the largest of its kind in New Zealand, impacting more than 1,000 children each year, and new Sistema clusters have sprouted in Whangarei, Waikato and Hutt Valley. Professionally trained musicians work with students in their local communities, at no charge to participants. Lessons

Playing in an ensemble helps students to develop skills of concentration and cooperation, says Rachel Snelling from St Mary’s College.

Music

| TEACHING RESOURCES

More than 1,500 children take part in El Sistema programmes each year in New Zealand.

are at least twice weekly, in groups, with older children taking responsibility for helping the younger ones.

El Sistema was started in 1975

by Venezuelan educator, Jose Abreu, who said, “Music has to be recognised as an agent of social development, in the highest sense because it transmits the highest values – solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. It has the ability to unite an entire community, and to express sublime feelings.”

Internationally, the programme has been credited with changing the life trajectory of hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged children. Renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel, born into poverty, had his musical beginnings in El Sistema and said that it saved his life. “Like food, like health care, like education, music has to be a right for every citizen.”

Another charitable venture starts next term in the Hutt Valley, where high school students donate time and musical expertise to children from low decile schools. This programme is the brainchild of Jonny Wilson of the Goodtime Music Academy, with support from local charities and Hutt City Council.

Mr Wilson says he hopes that the programme will deliver the hope

and support he received during his own musical training at school.

“When I was at high school I failed almost everything, but I had a drum teacher who was the most amazing mentor to me. I became a great musician, and that turned my life around. I gained confidence and I wanted to do for other kids what my mentor had done for me.”

Since school, Mr Wilson has gained a music degree, set up his music school and is now pursuing a master’s degree in theology.

He also developed Rad Rhythm, a low cost digital tool designed specifically for teachers to use in classrooms, in response to requests from local schools.

Broadly speaking, the Ministry of Education (MoE) supports schools to provide students with a musical education. “The emphasis is very much on making music come alive for young people, and sparking their enthusiasm and passion for music,” says Karl Le Quesne for the MoE. “The curriculum isn’t prescriptive so teachers have a great deal of freedom on what they teach and how they teach. The critical point is young people have the opportunity to learn about music and to make music and we are committed to continuing to support schools to encourage participation in all kinds of music.”

In real terms, this means that the money has to come from the school operations grant, along with almost all other costs involved in running a school.

At St Mary’s, the board of trustees supplements student contributions ($75 per year for tuition and ensemble), added to which students can hire instruments from a trust aligned to the school. Schools which do not have this option may wish to explore other avenues such as these MoE-supported grants and programmes: Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) comprises a contestable funding pool that supports communitybased organisations to provide students with learning experiences that complement and enhance student learning, in alignment with the national curriculum.

Teachers’ Refresher Course Committee (TRCC) runs a variety of music courses to support teachers.

Out-of-hours Music and Arts provides additional professional tuition not normally available within the staffing ratio allocations of primary schools.

The New Zealand Music Commission (NZMC) programme provides face-to-face mentoring

sessions with renowned musicians for students in years seven to 13.

They share their music, recording and composition skills, as well as their knowledge of the music industry and of performance experience.

Secondary Vacation Music Grant supports recognised national music education events and courses to provide secondary school students with opportunities to participate at a national level.

Stage Challenge and J Rock is a high-energy dance, drama and music extravaganza that aims to motivate and inspire students to lead positive pro-active lives by giving them a ‘natural high’ without the use of drugs, tobacco or alcohol.

The National Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Competition supports development of Māori language skills, provides leadership opportunities and promotes tikanga Māori, history and more.

Pūoro is an integral part of learning in Māori medium kura and wharekura. Some kura and wharekura provide integrated and comprehensive musical education, with music as both a dedicated learning area and an essential part of life within the kura.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Te Reo

Supporting Māori language revitalisation in English medium schools Alice Patrick

He uri nō Koterana e mihi nei. Ko Benechie te maunga. Ko Dee te awa. Ko North te moana.

Engari, he Māori āku tamariki, nō Ngāti Awa. Aku taura here ki te kaupapa o te reo Māori me te mātauranga Māori ko rātou ko āku mokopuna.

I write this article as a non-Māori mother of two Māori sons – and Kui to three precious mokopuna.

My vision is that my mokos will be far more exposed to te reo Māori in the English medium education system than my sons were, to reinforce their sense of identity.

My lifelong learning of te reo Māori has been a real bonus.

I’ve been able to see the world through a different lens, a different

Bilingual resources – user-friendly for teachers, engaging for students

info@arahiabooks.co.nz www.arahiabooks.co.nz www.alicepatrick.co.nz

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

window. And that’s what I want for all our tamariki and mokopuna – with schools supporting whānau to achieve this.

Having arrived in New Zealand from Scotland in the early 1960s, at the age of ten, and living next door to a large Māori whānau, I started to learn about the importance of Māori language and culture – by watching, listening and ‘feeling’. I became acculturated. Later, as a beginning teacher (having had no Māori language tuition during my teacher training), I taught myself the grammar of te reo Māori using Te Rangatahi textbooks. I then went on to learn the language formally at university in the early 1970s – a time when very few people (especially Pākehā) were interested in learning Māori. Since then, I’ve never stopped learning – and it’s been a real privilege to do so.

For nearly four decades, I have taught in primary, secondary and tertiary settings. From my

experience working in English medium schools, I believe there is goodwill among most teachers to integrate te reo Māori. But they need support to do so. They can feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or anxious at ‘having a go’. They are aware of their ‘less than perfect’ pronunciation. And they are concerned that their efforts will be misconstrued as token – or criticised by Māori. Their main plea is for Māori language resources that are suitable for English medium classrooms, so that they can improve their ability in te reo and implement an effective Māori language programme for tamariki.

I strongly believe that English medium teachers have an important role to play in the revitalisation of te reo Māori – to support the aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi. We need to take collective responsibility for this taonga. This is why I wholeheartedly encourage nonMāori teachers like myself to

Te Reo

respond to the challenge. There are so many benefits that will ensue – for teachers and students alike.

My work as a reo Māori advisor in schools is in response to an expectation from the Ministry of Education (MoE) that primary teachers will integrate Māori language into the curriculum – to demonstrably affirm te reo Māori as a taonga (as in the Treaty of Waitangi) and to help address differential achievement. This expectation is apparent during visits by the Education Review Office (ERO) – and is specifically articulated in: • the practising teacher criterion PTC 10 (re teaching in a bicultural context – by incorporating te reo and tikanga, using appropriate resources) • the ministry’s Māori education strategy Ka Hikitia, where Māori language education is a critical area of focus • the ministry’s Māori language strategy Tau Mai Te Reo, which includes a focus area on

It is... the system failing Māori students, not... Māori students... failing the system”

– Human Rights Commission

Māori language in the English medium sector • the cultural competencies in Tātaiako, where the use of Māori language in the classroom is particularly reflected under ‘manaakitanga’ (showing respect for Māori beliefs, language and culture) and ‘tangata whenuatanga’ (providing contexts for learning that affirm the language, identity and culture of Māori learners and their whānau).

Māori student achievement in English medium schools As acknowledged by education minister Hekia Parata , most

Māori students are being educated in English medium settings. (According to the minister, students in the Māori medium sector make up only 2 per cent of the education system).

So, with the overwhelming majority of Māori students being in English medium schools, it is vital for us to validate their heritage language, affirm their identity and strengthen their feelings of hauora/well-being.

Although the reality is that most English medium teachers are non-Māori, with little or no knowledge of Māori language, I believe they can play their part in schools, to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of te reo Māori in the wider

| TEACHING RESOURCES

community – if supported with appropriate resources (and professional development). They can be catalysts for change in the education system. Nō reira kia kaha.

I am convinced that the learning of Māori language can serve as a vehicle to success for our priority learners, too many of whom are Māori. Historically, these students have not enjoyed educational success as Māori . In the words of our Human Rights Commission , it is “ … the system failing Māori students, not … Māori students … failing the system”.

1 In Te Ao Marama, Issue 13, Volume 79:25, 2016 2 Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris; and Treasury’s Advice on Lifting Student Achievement in New Zealand: Evidence Brief. NZ Treasury (2012).

3 A Fair Go for All? Rite Tahi Tātou Katoa? Addressing Structural Discrimination in Public Services.

Human Right Commission (2012).

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Classroom Projectors

Using interactive projectors to boost student engagement For schools to succeed, delivering a technologyenabled curriculum is no longer a luxury, but a requirement - and critical to the success of students throughout their education and in the global economy.

The ultra fast broadband roll-out is complete, and schools’ access to laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboards and projectors have transformed classrooms into hightech hubs unrecognisable from even five years ago.

This widespread introduction of sophisticated electronic equipment into our schools opens up all sorts of possibilities for new and engaging learning experiences.

It also goes hand-in-hand with the trend towards collaborative learning. Educators and students are working closely together and sharing content, just as schools are sharing goals and expertise within their communities of learning.

Greater access to technology also means that students living in rural locations are able to find and share content just as they they would in a classroom in the city.

Perhaps no tool aids collaborative pedagogy more effectively than the interactive projector.

The projector - in one form or other - has been used to boost engagement in classrooms since the 1800s, and today’s designs

take teaching possibilities to giddy new heights.

which offer zoom and high definition imagery.

Back then, “magic lanterns” were used to project images printed on glass slides, with oil lamps and candles serving as light sources. In the 1920s, the lanterns gave way to film-strip projectors which continued to be used until video cassette recorders were introduced in the 1980s. However, the trusted tool of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s was the overhead projector, and although these have not disappeared, they have been sidelined by document cameras

By 2010, 3D-ready projectors had become more affordable and began to be used in schools. And now, just seven years on, we have classroom projectors with quite breathtaking functionality; multi user, touch-enabled, PC-less annotation, wireless projection and interactivity, and multi-device connectivity.

These allow teachers to unleash the full power of multimedia in their classrooms. Where previously most digital learning material was left to individual students to unearth, today it can easily be shared with the whole class. For example, a teacher can reveal an image bit by bit and thus generate interest in a topic.

Students can come to the front of the room to write or draw on the interactive whiteboard, and share ideas with the class.

The wireless connectivity means teachers are not restricted by issues with cables, and both staff and students can move about

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more freely. Some projectors can connect with as many as 50 devices.

Increased engagement The beauty of using interactive technology is the extent to which it ramps up student engagement.

Students pay much better attention when doing rather than observing and today’s projectors provide for up to ten students to be drawing on screen at once.

This is ideal for group work and presentations, and the focus on collaboration.

Whole class participation Even if your students stay seated, you can use the projector to extend group discussion.Take a student’s question and pop it into Google. Let the class see the results, and discuss the research.

The class can also watch clips and films together, take online quizzes, and discuss images relevant to the topic. With zoom and rotate functions, you can have students come to the front to explore images up close.

Future Proof Technology Designed for the Future Generation

EPSON’S NEW FINGER-TOUCH INTERACTIVE PROJECTORS MAKES EDUCATING CHILD’S PLAY A new era in collaborative learning, Epson ultra-short-throw interactive projectors take kinaesthetic learning to new heights. Touch- and pen-based interactivity make it easy to draw and collaborate using any wall and familiar, intuitive gestures. With brilliant high definition resolution, plus advanced network connectivity performance, these projectors make it easy to share larger-than-life lessons and control the projector remotely.

Learn more at epson.co.nz/interactive

Now Includes SMART Notebook ® Software

TEACHING RESOURCES |

Classroom Projectors

Your notes can also be stored online for retrieval in the instance of lost notes, for example.

Time-saving devices Using an interactive projector eliminates the need for teachers to get to class early to write up notes, or to continually erase and rewrite notes on the board.

Mixing it up Younger children typically have short attention spans and need help to stay on task. Interactive projectors are perfect teacher tools for keeping lessons varied by allowing the user to switch between tasks. Just click between tabs on your browser or open

up a slideshow. No need to dish out worksheets anymore, you can engage students with presentations, interactive games and group activities all within one session.

Just pre-load your presentation onto a USB and insert into the projector.

Efficient note-taking Showing presentations and information via an interactive projector allows you to share notes digitally at the end of the lesson, leaving students to focus on listening throughout the lesson rather than worry about taking notes throughout.

Exercises and presentations can be loaded onto USB drives before class, and can easily be shared with colleagues and amongst groups. The interactive projector won’t do the work for you, but it can certainly reduce the amount of administration required, and there is no doubting its value as a classroom tool to boost student engagement, participation and collaboration.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Supplier Profile | Projector Bulbs

Projector Lamp Superstore Projector Bulbs is New Zealand’s largest dedicated supplier of projector lamps with a variety of 5,000+ projector lamps on offer.

Projector Bulbs is proudly New Zealand owned and operated, with its head off ice in Mangawhai and warehouse at the Auckland Airport. “As a New Zealand company, we are pleased to support education providers across the country”, says Beatrix Brosius for Projector Bulbs. That is why they offer a 4% discount on all lamp orders to all education institutions! In addition to that, lamp shipping within New Zealand is always free and schools can also buy on account.

Projector Bulbs have over 5,000 projector lamps on offer. They are all 100% original projector bulbs and come with a full manufacturer’s warranty.

Products are ordered weekly from overseas suppliers and more frequently from local suppliers. Cutting out middle men makes the purchasing process easier, quicker and more transparent

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and allows Projector Bulbs to offer lower prices to you.

Projector Bulbs also supply projectors (with special prices on Epson and Panasonic projectors) and projector accessories, such as filters, colour wheels and universal remote controls.

If you are looking for projector mounts or screens and flat screen television mounts, Projector Bulbs is also the right address for you!

The Projector Bulbs team prides itself on friendly and prompt customer service and assisting you with all your projector needs in a timely and courteous manner. Any questions you might have, they are always happy to help. www.projectorbulbs.co.nz

| TEACHING RESOURCES

Literacy

SN36-DD-Teaching Resources - literacy programmes-The L

Literacy for every learner

Supporting readers with online literacy tools As every teacher knows, there is a huge spread of literacy level and ability in every class; the challenge is to cater effectively to every student.

Using a sophisticated online literacy resource can ease this task considerably, and allow your valuable teaching time to stretch much further.

Online literacy programmes continue to be improved, and most supply diagnostic information. The comprehensive programmes analyse learners’ progress and provide automatic reinforcement, and alert the teacher to any diff iculties.

Last April, the Ministry of Education (MoE) launched a free online literacy tool for secondary students, Pathways Awarua, an interactive online resource which students can access from school and home. Teachers, parents and families can also view the students’ progress.

When teachers register with Pathways Awarua there are online modules available to help make the most use of the resource.

Once these are completed they have full access to the site and can begin registering their students.

The reading and writing pathways are linked to three collections, with the lowest collection providing support to learners with the most significant literacy needs.

The Reading Plus programme has multi-platform access. Image: ITECNZ

Industry viewpoints School News spoke with three specialists catering to New Zealand schools for their opinions on choosing digital literacy resources.

Ros Lugg is a remedial literacy specialist and the managing director of educational resource company, The Learning Staircase, which developed Steps, a digital literacy programme and the new StepsWeb, which is online. “All good resources need to be flexible enough to cater for individuals, pairs/groups or whole-class use.

They should be used as a teacher tool – not to replace teaching, but to support it.

“A key feature of a good programme is that a teacher can easily manage students working at their own level – even if all 30 of your learners are on different levels! “Programmes are now starting to provide more diagnostic information and the best programmes analyse learners’ progress and provide automatic reinforcement, as well as alerting the teacher to any difficulties.

•

The only NZ-developed literacy software/online programme

•

Used in over 800 NZ schools

•

Structured, multi-sensory and research-based

•

Caters for English and Māori

Enable every learner to work at their own level – remedial or advanced Use our structured courses, or create your own materials – English or Māori Set homework – any location, any device The programme even analyses your learner’s errors and creates individualized revision

are thrilled with “ We the Steps programme

From less than

$10

at Maungawhau school.

per learner Free Trial Available

Some students have moved over a year in less than two months.

”

The Learning Staircase Ltd info@learningstaircase.co.nz 0800 701 107 | www.stepsweb.com StepWeb can be used on any device

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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TEACHING RESOURCES |

Literacy

“There needs to be more structure and continuity within schools. Schools need a literacy progression which goes right the way through the school, so learners are following a structured course, which includes core reading/spelling knowledge, basic grammar, vocabulary and some aspects of language development.

This needs to run alongside reading programmes and all the other aspects of the literacy curriculum, but can support those aspects as needed. Teachers need to be able to customise a programmes to support teaching areas, or to address individual needs.”

Janine Trembath is the business manager for the I.T. Education Company (ITECNZ) which distributes software to support literacy learning.

“During the past two years,

school software has moved from being predominantly on CD to being internet-based which means programmes can now provide for multi-platform use e.g touch screens, iPads and tablets. Technological advances make it possible to find literacy programmes that can be used in almost any school or home setting, making it much easier for schools to implement in a BYOD environment.

“Online software enables students to benefit from programmes with frequent content updates. It is easier than ever for schools to meet the needs of all students at the same time and enhance student learning and engagement by using online software with features such as modern graphics, instant feedback, and up-to-date student dashboards for students to self-monitor their progress.

“Teachers should choose programmes that scaffold to provide practice and instruction based on each student’s answers.

This provides personalised learning paths while saving teachers’ time as they don’t need to assign specific lessons to each student.

“Students need to be given adequate time if they are to benefit from any online programme. For best results, teachers should regularly monitor the live on-line student data, and respond to any additional support resources or instruction recommended.”

Liam Kerr speaks for 3P Learning New Zealand, distributors of Reading Eggs and also the team behind Mathletics.

“When a school is choosing

an online literacy programme, consider what it can do for the student’s learning other than what it can get from a library book.

Does it truly offer something unique that can engage students with their reading? Does it provide a good balance of student agency and teacher-driven learning? And look at whether the programme provides enough extra resources so that savings are made in other areas of the school.

“Look also into whether the programme is based on solid scientific research. Online literacy programmes should contain essential keys to reading success with focus on a core curriculum of phonics and phonemic awareness, sight words, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading for meaning.”

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

An online platform to strengthen readers’ skills ITECNZ specialises in the literacy programmes Lexia Reading and Reading Plus, used by RTLB and more than 400 New Zealand schools.

“Lexia Reading is a ‘learning to read’ programme that ensures students develop a solid platform for reading by focusing on year one to six skills. Reading Plus is

COGNITIVE

The texts are crafted to build vocabulary and comprehension.

EMOTIONAL

The choices match interest, and increase motivation and performance.

PHYSICAL

The pace makes reading comfortable, and builds rate and stamina.

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a ‘reading to learn’ programme, picking up where Lexia finishes, enhancing reading and comprehension skills to meet demands of high school and beyond,” says Janine Trembath for ITECNZ. “Lexia Reading builds on more than 30 years of research and development to help teachers meet individual student needs with automatically scaffolding student instruction,

engaging activities, and skill specific offline resources.

“Reading Plus students choose from a variety of interesting texts to read at their own skill level.

Each text selection is followed by ten questions that are designed to teach comprehension skills.

Built in assessments provide valuable baseline and progress data throughout the year.

Reading Plus motivates and

engages students in reading, while providing an environment that addresses the emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of reading.”

Silent Reading Comprehension READING PLUS is a program that simultaneously develops the cognitive, emotional and physical domains of reading.

Students get what they need, when they need it, at the pace and level that works best for their development and success.

“Nobody’s been doing much about silent reading efficiency and expertise, but that’s exactly the problem Reading Plus is tackling, and I’m happy they’re tackling it. It’s not only about becoming faster and more efficient in silent reading - it's doing it with comprehension and in the service of enhancing a student's personal interests and acquiring knowledge”.

Dr. P. David Pearson, Chairman of ILA Literacy Research Panel

APPLY NOW FOR A FREE ONE TERM SCHOOL TRIAL

www.itecnz.co.nz

Literacy

Digital tools to help you track each reader’s progress More than 500 schools in New Zealand supplement their literacy teaching with online programme Reading Eggs.

Lessons are aligned to the New Zealand curriculum with commonly taught decoding and comprehension strategies found throughout. Reading Eggs lessons are also matched to New Zealand reading levels and the colour wheel. Lessons are designed to be interactive, highly engaging and visually appealing. The teacher console provides educators with access to live data that covers a range of different areas from comprehension and spelling progress, completed assessments, books read and trophies earned. This is all stored within the school’s Reading Eggs account,

| TEACHING RESOURCES

Free online literacy event

REGGSpedition

2 0 1 7

accessible at any time, exportable and with the option to change date range of the results.

The Reading Eggspress portion of the programme (for readers seven and up) provides teachers with the ability to track an individual student’s progress in relation to the comprehension strategies – literal, inferential, vocabulary and usage, and text analysis and critical literacy.

Reading Eggs is free to trial, and all schools can experience Reading Eggs free of charge during the upcoming REGGSpedition starting February 27. Register online at 3P Learning.

Personalised learning journey Free 4 week literacy event For students aged 4 to 13 Starts 27th of February Full access to Reading Eggs

A multi-sensory approach for learners at all levels StepsWeb provides a multi-sensory, research-based approach for all learners, including dyslexics and others with difficulties.

StepsWeb is now being used as a remedial or whole-school resource in more than 800 New Zealand schools.

StepsWeb provides structured courses, however it can also be easily customised to reinforce subject materials or cater to individual needs, in English or Māori. Workbooks and supporting materials are available for remedial learners.

“Using StepsWeb as a wholeschool resource enables every learner to work at their own level and speed,” says

programme developer Ros Lugg. “StepsWeb analyses each learner’s errors and provides individualised reinforcement, as well as alerting the teacher to learners struggling with reading/spelling accuracy, comprehension/ language awareness or phonic knowledge/skills.”

StepsWeb can be used on any device, including laptop, Chromebook and iPad meaning access is available anywhere with an internet connection. A software option is also available for those with limited internet access.

Register here www.3plearning.com/nz/reggspedition2017/

220 Core Comprehension Lessons 2,000+ eBooks with Quizzes 200 Spelling Lessons 120 Reading Lessons 45* Vocab and Phonics Tests Jenny Eather’s Writing Fun Real-time Competition Arena Proudly Powered by

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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EOTC |

Virtual Field Trips

LEARNZ began as a way of sharing the wonders of Antarctica with young New Zealanders

Getting outta class on a virtual field trip While there is nothing like being there, sometimes travel simply isn’t possible. But in the absence of the real thing, a virtual adventure is a pretty good option.

geography, sciences and arts of New Zealand. A sample of trips available include geohazards (earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis), waka voyaging and the staging of a classical concert.

Virtual field trips allow your students to explore and experience many places and events that they couldn’t otherwise access. Whether your class is studying Māori culture, Antarctica, or the life of a ballerina, there is a virtual trip to get your students up close to the action.

Schools can register for virtual field trips with LEARNZ (Linking Education and Antarctic Research in New Zealand), an education programme set up in 1995 to share the stories of the Antarctic with young New Zealanders.

Students could join learning adventures to the Dry Valleys, the Antarctic coast and the Ross

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Virtual adventures include investigating geothermal wonders

Sea in the depths of an Antarctic winter on-board a research ice breaker. The focal person in each of these expeditions was the LEARNZ teacher: meeting researchers in their workplace, interpreting and meeting objectives in science, social

studies and technology curricula.

Today, LEARNZ trips - all free - are diverse, and strongly integrated with the New Zealand Curriculum. Students can still “travel” to Antarctica, and can also explore the history,

Trips are designed and led by teachers, for teachers, and provide for live interaction between students and remote experts. The interaction is a powerful learning tool, say teachers. “It is very effective, especially for those students who had the ability to engage in the audio conferences and ask their own questions,” says Joanne Phillips from Te Mata School, Havelock North. “It was a great way to immerse my class in lots of information and to initiate lots of discussion.”

Objectives stated by LEARNZ include using technology to collaborate and communicate with people beyond their immediate environment and to provide a unique learning model

Virtual Field Trips

| EOTC

Trips on the horizon February – Marine mammals • Take your class sailing on a catamaran to see dolphins, seals - maybe even orca - and watch dolphin scientists out on the ocean. The trip will explore the Māori and European cultural history of New Zealand’s marine mammals, and investigate why only one in four terehu (bottlenose dolphins) calves make it to adulthood.

March – Wetland biodiversity • Schools can send their students to travel with experts from the Department of Conservation (DoC) as they helicopter, 4-wheel-drive, mountain bike and tramp into the wetlands and braided rivers of Ō Tū Wharekai. Get up close to its fauna and flora to discover how its birds, insects, reptiles and plants are uniquely-adapted to surviving in such a tough place. With local iwi, find out about interventions for native and endemic species to enable their populations to be sustainable.

Field trip participants will • ride a helicopter down the Rangitata River • see how rivers connect places and people: how the surrounding land affects the river and how the river affects fish, birds and people • meet iwi and find out how to help sustain the local bird population • discover the plants and animals that threaten our wetlands • trap pests using a motion-sensor camera • catch skinks and geckos in a fall trap June – join the opera!

Students can explore New Zealand wildlife

that allows students to overcome barriers of distance and time.

Trips are designed to support achievement for the diverse cultures of New Zealand students, particularly to reflect te ao Māori.

Southland teacher Jennifer Coyle hooked up her class for a virtual waka voyage with LEARNZ. “It was very relevant to our inquiry about Māoritanga and how it is shared and celebrated in New Zealand,” she said. At Whakatane Intermediate, teacher Tania Raynes’ class identified with students on the waka. “Anything to do with culture is well received by our Māori students!”

Louise Parker from Twyford School says her students were hooked in by the videos, and by seeing “real people doing the jobs on the waka”. “It also fitted in with the key competencies and values, showing perseverance in the face of adversity, working together as a team, and looking after our environment.”

Another recent LEARNZ trip to Auckland, home of at least 50 active volcanoes, allowed

students to find out what to do in the event of a civil emergency.

The lesson, “What’s the plan, Stan?” walked children through the basics of being prepared for an earthquake, landslide or tsunami whether they were at home, at school or on holiday.

“Most children went home and planned emergency supplies and procedures,” says Anne Rodgers from Hanmer Springs School.

“We integrated reading, mapping, videos, discussing, writing, maths, presenting ideas, as well as health and safety procedures. We had a lot of fun.”

For students who had not experienced disaster, particularly primary children, the hook-up provided context. “At year two level, fire drills and earthquake drills need more context, and this field trip provided that. They now have a better understanding of how good citizens understand and prepare for disasters,” says primary teacher John Brunton from Marshall Laing School.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Upcoming trips with LEARNZ include a trip to the opera

This LEARNZ trip takes students through the build up to a performance of an opera. Students are able to explore the world of opera through the eyes of those planning, designing and rehearsing for a production of Carmen, and will be able to: • Go to the opening night performance and experience selected parts of this opera • Gain a sense of anticipation from people in the foyer on opening night • Go backstage • Go to an early rehearsal • Meet the costuming and makeup experts • Watch and listen as professional opera singers warm up and perform • Attempt an exercise an opera performer gives you

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

Tuck Shops & Canteens

Fresh ideas for the school canteen Most schools are already aware of the important links between food, health and learning and are taking steps to improve their food and nutrition.

Using a pre-planned menu will make it easier for staff to evaluate and improve choices, according to feedback from students and staff.

To help make menu planning easier, Fuelled4life has developed a School Canteen Catering Guide which offers ideas for menu planning, modifying recipes, healthy preparation methods, budgeting, safe food practices, and tips for reducing waste.

Making healthy food and drinks readily available at school encourages students to make healthy choices and raise their nutritional intake. Consumption of healthy food and drinks not only benefits students’ overall health, but can also improve their learning and behaviour.

In the canteen The school canteen allows students to act on the messages about healthy eating that they learned in the classroom.

Providing affordable choices that look and taste good is a great way to encourage healthy eating habits. The canteen is one of the best places to model these choices.

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

Set your students up for a brighter day at school with these healthy meal choices.

Breakfast Planning your recipe for success One way to ensure a top-notch canteen menu is to plan ahead.

By considering factors such as who your customers are, what resources you have, and what foods are available in each season, you’ll end up with a menu that ‘ticks all the boxes’.

Many school canteens work to tight budgets with small margins.

Planning a menu can help you stick to budget by scheduling specials and ordering ingredients early, reducing costly and unexpected top-up purchases throughout the week. Planning can also help you make best use of your staff.

A good breakfast gives children and young people a great start to the day. If healthy breakfasts are offered at school, children who may not have eaten at home will be able to choose a nutritious meal before school begins.

Keep the menu simple, with hot food in winter and cool choices in summer.

Tuck Shops & Canteens

• Wholegrain cereals, such as wheat biscuits or non-toasted muesli, served with reduced-fat milk or yoghurt and fruit • Wholegrain bread with tasty toppings such as peanut butter, sliced banana, egg, creamed corn or chopped tomato • A fruit smoothie made with seasonal produce, milk and yoghurt

Sandwiches, rolls and wraps Limit the menu to a realistic number of sandwich choices, depending on the staff and equipment required. Some larger canteens may be able to offer up to ten fillings, while smaller canteens may need to stick to three. Use fresh bread and prepare sandwich fillings each day.

• Wholemeal sandwich filled with lean meat, chicken or egg and fresh seasonal produce

• Reduced-fat cheese slices and crackers

• Vegetarian roll with hummus, tomato, lettuce and cucumber

• Muffins – fruit, or bran and fruit

• Pita pockets with falafel, couscous, lettuce, chutney and grated carrot • Wraps with guacamole or hummus, lettuce leaves, cooked shredded chicken, sliced tomato and mung bean sprouts

What about snacks?

Children and young people need snacks to top up their energy and nutrient levels between meals.

Keep snacks to a size appropriate for the students’ ages.

| FOOD & BEVERAGE

• Vegetable pizza (using a muffin split or pita bread)

help change that. If you are a teacher, principal, canteen manager, caterer or cook and want your school to offer healthier food and beverages, here’s what to do:

How can Fuelled4life help?

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

Fuelled4life is based on the Ministry of Health’s Food and Beverage Classification System (FBCS). It’s a free, practical tool which helps schools and early learning services 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.

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

• Plain, unsalted popcorn or nuts

• Fruit (fresh or canned) with yoghurt

Sign up to Fuelled4life

• Vegetable sticks with hummus or yoghurt dip

One in three Kiwi kids is overweight or obese – you can

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

AffOrDabLe HeaLthy Food in Your SchOoL. Here’s how.

Fuelled4life is a practical tool that can be used to identify and offer healthier food choices to children.

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

wWw.FuellEd4liFe.oRg.nZ Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

Tuck Shops & Canteens

Lunch choices to benefit students and the school We may know a lot more about food and nutrition than we did 50 years ago, but this does not appear to be helping our eating habits.

New Zealanders are fatter than ever before with rate of obesity ranking only slightly better than that of the USA and Mexico.

While there is no single fix to our health crisis, schools can play an important role in educating children about healthy eating, and by promoting better choices in canteens and tuck shops.

The Ministries of Health and Education and the New Zealand Dental Association all encourage schools to be “water-only zones” to combat the curse of sugary drinks, one of the most significant contributors to obesity and poor oral health. But schools cannot declare themselves sugar-free zones so children need guidance in making good choices for snacks and lunch.

Lunchonline founder David Chapman, who sets up online food ordering systems for schools, says the element of choice is important to retain. “Our programme is still very much around choice and ease of access to parents but we are wanting to steer people towards the right choices. Children need to learn which foods are healthy and have the opportunity to choose them from amongst other foods because when they walk away

from the school, they need to be able to manage the choices out there.”

Marina Hirst-Tristram, executive director of Tasman Bay Food Group which makes and sells a range of food products to more than 650 schools through its network of Futurefoods distributors, agrees. “The more students are engaged in what healthy eating means, the more likely they are to make better choices both inside and outside of school. There are some great opportunities for students to learn about healthy food, food hygiene and operating a small business if the school canteen is run by

the students with support of teachers.”

Tasman Bay Food Group works to develop quality, affordable and nutritious food and beverages that are healthier choices than the traditional options, such as a “no pastry” pie filled with lean mince, a toasty pie stuffed with vegetables and ice blocks made from real fruit.

Lunchonline has many food providers on its books including Pita Pit, Subway, sushi shops, bakeries and school canteen/tuck shops. Schools are free to choose an independent provider (or their own tuck shop), Lunchonline does the food licensing checks, then menus are uploaded to the ordering website. Parents order online and lunches are delivered to students at school.

EZlunch, a similar ordering system used in more than 100 schools across New Zealand, is also aligned with Pita Pit and Subway, and offers an additional service of nutritious hot meals prepared by independent caterers. EZlunch founder Sandra Finlay says schools have been very enthusiastic about finding an easy way to offer good food. One of their clients is Windy Ridge

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

School on Auckland’s North Shore. “There is no admin time [with EZlunch],” says principal Brenda McPherson. “We regularly receive a high quality, hygienic, reliable service that offers huge benefits to our school.”

This term, EZlunch is introducing a new app-style interface for smartphones, the device most commonly used by parents of school-age children.

Schools with canteens can boost the nutritional value of lunches on offer by working with the Heart Foundation NZ. The foundation manages Fuelled4life, a collaboration between the education, health and food industry sectors to make it easier to have healthier food in schools and early learning services.

Fuelled4life is the brand name for the Food and Beverage Classification System (FBCS) in education settings, and was designed specifically for foods and drinks that are commonly consumed by children at school and early learning services. Foods and beverages are classified according to their nutrient profile and categorised into either “everyday” or “sometimes” choices.

Tuck Shops & Canteens

Everyday foods and drinks are the healthiest choices for your students and include for example, an egg and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread, fresh fruit and plain water. Sometimes options are still good choices but are a bit higher in energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt so should be eaten in moderation. These foods and drinks should not dominate the choices available to your students.

Programme manager Sarah Goonan says the system has been designed to inspire schools to

provide tasty, nutritious products and to encourage the food industry to produce and supply healthier foods and beverages that young people will want to consume. This in turn would help children get a good start in life through access to healthier food and drinks.

are advised on how to exchange ingredients and cooking methods for optimum nutrition.

Schools can contact the Heart Foundation to arrange a visit from a local advisor, and are provided with regularly updated menus and recipes, and information about food safety and equipment. Cooks

As well as providing support to school canteens, tuck shops or school food services, Fuelled4life offers individualised nutritional advice to food suppliers and school canteens that provide

“Our sample summer menu has also been popular, offering simple ideas for lunch and snacks along with practical tips on how to plan a nutritious menu.”

| FOOD & BEVERAGE

freshly-made lunch services (Fuelled4life Fresh Made).

Using food suppliers can also be a way to boost school funds.

Tasman Bay Food Group offers schools a fundraising option with multi-packs which can be used to sell at school events.

And lunch ordering services Lunchonline and Ezlunch both pay a percentage of profits back to schools.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Make lunches hassle-free!

Sometimes the simple things are the best.

Since 1990, Original Juicies have been a favourite in New Zealand schools. Today, Original Juicies have a fresh new look but we’ve kept to the same great recipe – freshly pressed Nelson apples blended with fruits, berries (and very little else).

Lunchonline is a proven reliable internetbased lunch ordering system for students.

Benefits to your school: No administration work required by school staff (all done by parents and food providers).

No cash coming to school, so no lost or missing lunch money.

School controls the menu options allowing healthy and some treat options.

School receives a direct financial benefit from the lunch programme.

All good stuff

We can also put your school canteen online!

“We are extremely happy with the Lunchonline service because it is efficient, streamlined, very well organised, offers a fantastic menu and most importantly the children love it.”

100% natural.

No added sugar*

David O’Neill, Principal, St Mary’s School

www.futurefoods.co.nz 0800 148 276 *except Lemonade

For more information and to apply to register, phone 0800 565 565 or email info@lunchonline.co.nz

www.lunchonline.co.nz

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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FOOD & BEVERAGE |

Tuck Shops & Canteens

Sugar-free choices for the school canteen We know that being well nourished helps students show up for school ready to learn and we know that most parents try to provide nutritious food for their children.

But given the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, families have an increasingly diff icult task and it is not unusual for children to consume large amounts of food containing little nutritional value.

What used to be the simplest meal of the day, breakfast, has become a sugar-fest in alot homes, with many children consuming more than their recommended sugar allowance before they even arrive at school.

A conservative estimate of the sugar contained in a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice is 24g; this exceeds the recommended daily intake of 19g for children aged six and younger, equates to the maximum daily limit for children aged seven to ten and is not far short of the maximum daily intake recommended for children over ten (30g). Extra sweet cereals such as those containing chocolate can send these sugar levels into orbit.

Moving on to morning tea and out come the flavoured yoghurts, biscuits and cereal bars, all of which are laden with added sugar.

Little wonder then that levels of obesity and diabetes in New Zealand are at record levels.

Dental health is taking a battering, too, with sugary drinks decried as the biggest offender.

Despite off icial advice from the government and the NZ Dental Association for schools to declare themselves water-only zones, only one in ten has taken the challenge.

Chocolate brownie

Nutritionist Kate Cowley says teaching is also a lot easier when students are not in the grip of sugar highs or lows. Emotional outbursts and temper tantrums are less likely to occur if blood sugar levels remain steady, she says.

The solution is surprisingly simple.

In order for a child’s blood sugar level to be stable, they need to consume a small amount of protein at every meal. The protein acts like an anchor on the meal and ensures that the energy from the meal is released slowly and steadily.

Here are some easy-to-make and protein-rich recipes for canteen foods.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter and Kate Cowley, Nutritionist

• 1 Tbs vanilla extract • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 3 extra-large eggs or four normal eggs

Method • Preheat oven to 180 C. Generously grease a 20cm x 20cm pan.

• In a food processor, place dates, 2 cups of beans and oil or butter, and puree until smooth.

Looks and tastes like brownie, but contains kidney beans, dates and eggs in it…wonderful nutrients, lots of protein and no sugar highs or succeeding lows.

Ingredients • 2 cups cooked kidney beans, tinned beans work too.

schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

• Add baking soda, vanilla, and cocoa powder and puree until completely smooth. Allow food processor to blend for 3 to 5 minutes without stopping.

• Add eggs and blend well.

• Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake until slightly firm on top and edges pull away from the sides of the pan for 30 – 40 minutes.

Spinach, feta and brown rice slice Great either hot or cold, and ticks many nutrition boxes.

• 1 heaped cup of diced feta

Ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 400g of frozen spinach – thawed - or 2 bunches of English spinach, stalks cut off, washed and placed in a strainer. (Pour boiling water over to wilt, squeeze out most of excess water when cooled to touch and then chop finely) • 1 scant (a couple of Tbs

48

• 3 Tbs coconut oil or melted butter • 1/2 ts baking soda

It is therefore more important than ever that school canteens offer healthy choices to students.

According to the Ministry of Health, recommendations to decrease sugar intake refer specifically to ‘free sugars’ which include all sugar added to foods and drinks as well as sugars that are naturally present in fruit juice, syrups and honey. It does not apply to the sugar that is found naturally in the cell structure of foods such as fresh fruit, grains, vegetables and milk, known as ‘intrinsic sugar’.

• 20 medjool dates, pitted

under a cup) cup of cooked medium grain brown rice

• ¼ tsp of nutmeg • black pepper

Method Combine all ingredients. Put into a greased ceramic baking dish. Cook at 190C for 25 minutes or until golden on top.sides of the pan for 30 – 40 minutes.

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HEALTH & SAFETY |

SunSmart

Schools asked to help with SunSmart research As the academic year gets underway, the Cancer Society is preparing for a nationwide school survey to evaluate the SunSmart Schools’ Accreditation Programme (SSAP).

The SSAP is recommended as the “Gold Standard” schools’ sun-protection programme by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for students in years one to eight that have a sun protection policy in place that meets the Cancer Society’s minimum criteria.

The research will be conducted by the society’s social and behavioural research unit at Otago University, and researcher Bronwen McNoe is calling on as many schools as possible to participate.

“We need to know if this programme is working well for schools,” says Ms McNoe. “Collecting accurate information

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

Collecting accurate information will mean the findings and the subsequent resources will give us a better understanding of what areas need work.”

will mean the findings and the subsequent resources will give us a better understanding of what areas need work. For this to happen, we need to have a really good representation of all schools.”

Sun protection is needed during terms one and four, especially between 10am and 4pm. Too much sun exposure during childhood increases the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

The survey began in 2005 prior to the SSAP being launched as a

national programme. A follow-up survey was carried out in 2009.

The March 2017 survey will collect information around sun protection policies and practices in New Zealand schools and will reflect where the SSAP is most effective. Results will be available by summer 2017/2018.

In the meantime, the Cancer Society continues to drive the SunSmart message through its 881 accredited schools.

Slip into some sun-protective clothing (a collared shirt and

sleeves) and slip into some shade, slop on some sunscreen SPF 30 or above, slap on a broadbrimmed or bucket hat, and wrap on some sunglasses are the wellknown messages.

The Ultraviolet Index (UVI) provides an indication of the level of protection required to protect our skin from too much of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR).

During terms one and four, the UVI is highly likely to be three or above which means we need to be SunSmart, even on cloudy or cooler days. (UVI can also reach three or above at the start of term two, and near the end of term three).

You can check out the current UVI in the following ways: ■ uv2Day free smartphone app (www.niwa.co.nz/node/111461) ■ Sun Protection Alert (www. sunsmart.org.nz) ■ NIWA website UVI forecast for specific sites (http://www.niwa. co.nz/UV-forecasts)

SunSmart

| HEALTH & SAFETY

Curriculum resources The Cancer Society has free SunSmart curriculum resources available online at www. sunsmartschools.org.nz. These resources teach students about the sun and sun protection.

They are written by educational experts and are cross-curricular: numeracy, literacy, health, te reo and science. They are inquirybased and can be used to assess national standards.

There are four PDFs available, covering levels one to four of the New Zealand curriculum. For schools using these resources, it’s learning by doing – there are hands-on lessons about the sun’s energy and how animals and humans adapt to it.

SunSmart Schools’ programme providing accreditation to New Zealand schools with students in years one to eight.

SunSmart schools

During the accreditation process, schools develop and implement a comprehensive sun protection policy and put SunSmart behaviours and education into practice.

The Cancer Society runs the

New Zealand has one of the

highest rates of melanoma in the world, and the number of people dying of melanoma each year is greater than the road toll.

Too much sun exposure during childhood increases the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

As students are in school when UVR levels are at their peak, schools are uniquely placed to provide a sun-safe environment

and educate students about sun protection behaviour that will reduce their future risk of skin cancer. Information about becoming a SunSmart accredited school can be viewed online at: www. sunsmartschools.org.nz, or by contacting local Cancer Society off ice.

By the Cancer Society of New Zealand

BECOME A SUNSMART SCHOOL Apply online at www.sunsmartschools.org.nz

Our health promoters are available to work with schools to help them become SunSmart

Being a SunSmart School shows that your school:

• Is committed to protecting students, staff and parents from the risks of UV radiation • Wants to raise awareness about the importance of skin protection among parents and students • Promotes the school within the community as one that is committed to the health of its students • Has a sun protection policy that follows Cancer Society recommendations in schools . such as hat wearing • Promotes and supports positive sun protection behaviours • Is developing and maintaining a ‘sun safe’ environment

For more information and to apply online visit www.sunsmartschools.org.nz Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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SPORTS & RECREATION |

Sports Flooring

Choosing the right floor for your school gym Sport is a huge part of school life, and it is widely accepted that participation in school sport contributes to students’ physical and emotional well-being as well as their academic success.

Who will be using the floor? There is a big difference in requirements for a primary school hall floor than for a high school gymnasium, says Mr Clark. “The best way to start is for school staff to talk with flooring experts about how the floor will be used. This works much better than installation being arranged by an accountant or an outsider who is not in tune with the end user.”

Having indoor spaces available for sport is therefore a big bonus to schools as physical education (PE) programmes can continue whatever the weather.

The choice of flooring used in sports spaces will further impact the success of the school’s PE programme, and a variety of factors need to be considered here before a call is made. The most important question schools should be asking is whether the floor is fit for purpose, advises

Image: Jacobsen

Glenn Richardson from sports floor manufacturer, Polyflor. “Is it durable, can it be cleaned easily and what is the shock absorption, ball rebound, sliding coefficient of friction (slippery or not) and static charge,” he says.

Consider also whether the

floor can be painted (for court lines), is easy to clean and is environmentally sustainable, advises Shaun Clark from Hardwood Technology. “Many schools are requesting that installation meets Green Star (environmental best practice) standards.”

Remember too the community groups who hire the facility after hours. Some schools hire out their gyms to sports groups and the income from this can be used to offset the cost of installing a high quality floor.

Safety While thought needs to be given to the safety standard of the flooring types, the right fit for your school will depend on its

Supplier Profile | Jacobsens

High performance sports floors Looking for a sports floor that will offer high performance, excellent underfoot comfort, is easy to maintain and incredibly durable?

Omnisports provides an innovative flooring option, designed to cater for players of all ages and levels. Resilient underfoot, it is a unique cushioned vinyl product available in varying thicknesses depending on the level of shock absorption required.

Play safe with Omnisports – the flooring provides a safe underfoot surface to reduce slips, and if falls do happen the cushioning acts as protection against injury. Performance play – Omnisports floors are designed for optimal and consistent ball bounce for handball and basketball and they are superior to hard floors for providing acoustic reduction as well as improved player comfort.

Vinyl floors are incredibly hardwearing and scratch resistant and maintenance is straightforward, giving you an excellent long term return on investment.

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

There are a wide range of colours and wood patterns available visit – www.jacobsens.co.nz/sports-floors, download the Omnisports brochure, if this sounds like the ideal solution, get in touch – we’d love to discuss your project. www.jacobsens.co.nz

Sports Flooring

proposed use and the age of students. At Hardwood, suppliers of sports floors in New Zealand and Australia, Mr Clark says a rubberised type floor works well for younger children as the elastic nature of the floor helps to protect their joints. “Elite athletes (netball and basketball) will demand an A4 area elastic sports floor system as it gives enhanced performance, greater shock absorption and therefore reduces injury to the athlete.”

Another option is cushioned vinyl, the benefits of which include a resilient surface to reduce injury from falls, comfort for running and noise reduction, says John Tolhurst from flooring specialists Jacobsen. “The cushion is effectively an acoustic layer – less noise rebounding around the room and drumming underfoot.

The cushion layer is of a specific

| SPORTS & RECREATION

density to create optimal ball bounce for basketball.”

There are varying thicknesses to suit different requirements – a high school might want a thicker vinyl because their players are heavier and need a highperformance surface, whereas a primary school might need just a small amount of cushioning to provide some protection when kids fall over. “The minimum thickness is 3.45mm, up to 8.3mm - so we’re not talking about a pillow of flooring!” says Mr Tolhurst.

Point elastic floors are also effective shock absorbers, says Max Tombleson from Sika, makers of the Pulastic brand point elastic sports floors. “In a traditional timber gym floor, shock absorption is achieved when a large area of the floor deflects, which reduces the jarring impact.

Supplier Profile | Herculan Sports

Image: Polyflor

DURABLE & COST EFFECTIVE

Herculan Sports Floor Herculan MF Blue sports surfaces are eco-friendly, seamless and cushioned multi functional floors with point elastic properties. The Herculan MF Blue system is setting the standards for sustainability in sports.

Herculan MF Blue sports surfaces meet all the latest European standards for multi purpose indoor sports surfaces.

Herculan MF Blue system advantages are: •

Made of environmentally safe raw materials.

•

Offers the highest level of comfort, performance and safety to users.

•

Durable and cost effective.

•

Available in a wide range of colours.

Eco-Friendly Sports Floors •

Includes a lightweight and eco friendly mat which offers convenience and ease of installation and superior shock absorption.

All Herculan Sports Surfaces are easy to maintain and can be resurfaced quickly and economically when required.

In association with Sport & Venues we can also supply top quality sports equipment through Grand Slam.

With over 20 years of experience in laying synthetic sports floors in New Zealand you can be confident in us delivering to you a top class sports floor.

HERCULAN MF BLUE SPORTS FLOORS Seamless, Sustainable & cushioned multi functional floors with point elastic properties. Offers the highest level of comfort, performance & safety to users.

With over 20 years experience in laying synthetic sports floors in NZ, you can be confident in us to deliver a top class sports floor.

For a no obligation quote, contact: North Island - SALES & INSTALLER: Action Floors | chris@actionfloors.co.nz South Island - SALES: Sport + Venues | alan@sportandvenues.com - INSTALLER: John Cooper Flooring | john@johncooperflooring.co.nz

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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SPORTS & RECREATION |

Sports Flooring

Pulastic floor by Sika

Image: Hardwood Technology

While most adults are heavy enough to cause this deflection, many school children are simply too light. Pulastic sports floors instantly absorb the shock of sudden impacts, reducing sports injuries – especially amongst younger children.

Durability How long the floor lasts will depend not only on the product you choose but of course how the floor is used. Mr Clark says a wellmaintained timber sports floor can last longer than 50 years.

“Our Junckers Sports systems have all been life-cycle tested to 25 years and can be hard-sanded five to six times meaning the floor will probably last longer than 50 years.”

At Jacobsen, Mr Tolhurst says vinyl flooring is extremely durable – resistant to scratches

Pakuranga College has a timber floor. Photo: Hardwood Technology

and indentation. “It is a smooth, non-porous surface so it’s easy to maintain and doesn’t require periodic polishing or buff ing.”

Installation costs It is diff icult to provide a ballpark figure for the cost of installing a gym floor. Rubber and polyurethane-type floors, commonly used in primary schools, can be inexpensive options, and the cost of timber floors vary widely depending on the type selected.

“What is suitable for a primary school hall is quite different to the type advised for a high school gym,” says Mr Clark.

“Timber floors allow the most cost effective solutions for unlevel substrates.”

And costs will also vary depending on the amount of

Image: Hardwood Technology

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schoolnews Term 1 - 2017

preparation required, says Mr Tombleson from Sika. “For vinyl installation it needs to be very level, so depending on whether it’s a new build or refurbishment the preparation cost can vary considerably,” says Jacobsen.

Some floors, for example point elastic, can be laid directly over existing wood or concrete. No need to remove the old floor.

Important points to consider for a gym floor ■ Is it purely for the school or is it for the community?

■ What other events may be on it – school assembly chairs, portable stages etc ■ Court line priorities ■ Need for international certification or not. Inter school or national competitions ■ Budget versus performance

■ Timber colour for lighting. lighter colours reflect light, darker colours absorb light ■ Line colour choices for sport ■ Maintenance requirements ■ Critical radiant flux required for fire code ■ Consideration of future seating, will the floor require strengthening

Common mistakes to avoid ■ Too many games lines – lack of codes sharing lines in junior schools ■ Using masking tape on courts damages the surface ■ Open vents on walls at ground level ■ No maintenance plan

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

Pulastic floor by Sika

Sports Flooring

| SPORTS & RECREATION

Supplier Profile | Polyflor

Seeing is believing Polyflor have been manufacturing suitably graded flooring for all applications within the education industry for over 100 years.

From reception and waiting areas, classrooms, back of house areas through to sports and wet areas.

Polyflor has you covered.

•

Guaranteed levels of slip resistance

•

Independently proven to be easier to clean

•

Available in a wide range of attractive colours and decoration options

•

Peace of mind with ‘Polysafe’ products for a ‘safe environment’.

•

Reduce impact sound with Polyflor’s ‘Acoustic’ ranges

•

100% recyclable For more information please contact on 0800 765 935 or sales@polyflor.co.nz

Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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SPORTS & RECREATION |

Sports Flooring

Supplier Profile | Hardwood Technology

Setting the Standard in Sports Floors When existing floors in school gyms are simply no longer fit for purpose or a school is unsure of what type of floor will best suit their new gymnasium, it can often be a difficult process to know where to get the best advice.

With expertise in all types of indoor sports surfaces, Hardwood Technology offers advice on what product is likely to work best based on each schools requirements matched to a budget.

“Schools know when they need to upgrade, but they don’t always know the best way to go about it,” says Hardwood Technology owner Shaun Clark.

“Whether they’re designing a new facility or needing to upgrade an existing one, we encourage people to talk to us early on in the project and get some preliminary advice about points to consider. This helps schools

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with their forward planning, rather than them getting part way down the track and wishing they had done something differently.”

With over a decade in the industry, Clark says he finds out what priorities a school has and tailors a system accordingly.

“For instance, they may require a robust high-level gymnasium floor, but also want it to be suitable for hosting a social event where a spilt drink won’t ruin the floor.”

Hardwood Technology offers a wide range of internationally certified timber sprung floor options as well as systems that the company has developed itself.

Combined with point elastic rubber floors and tiles, schools have a choice of products that range from good quality budget systems, to top end brands that are supplied to Olympic stadiums and approved to FIBA standards.

“Recently we have starting work closely with the Ministry of Education on specific projects to help upgrade floors which have simply not been up to standard”.

ensuring their students have the right

“With almost 300 gymnasium floors throughout NZ we have the expertise to advise schools what will work best,

requirements, contact Shaun Clark at

springboard to perform at their peak” To discuss your school’s indoor or outdoor sports court surfacing Hardwood Technology, Phone 0508 765 537, or Email shaun@hardwood.co.nz

Acoustics

Using acoustic planning to reduce background noise

Careful attention was paid to acoustic planning during the build of Wolfreton School in Yorkshire, England.

Photo: Gavin Stewart Photography

Background noise, also known as ambient or residual noise, comes from a range of internal and external sources such as chatter, noise in adjacent rooms, and nearby traffic.

While low levels of background noise are tolerable, high levels can be significantly disruptive to audience concentration.

Research indicates that background noise levels in unoccupied New Zealand classrooms range from 28 - 60 dB (The Oticon Foundation in New Zealand). This exceeds the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) current requirement that ambient noise levels in a flexible learning space or cellular classroom should not exceed 35 – 45 dB. The combination of excessive background noise and high reverberation levels impact audience attention, particularly younger students who are not yet able to differentiate between speaker and background noise.

Distribution and amplification of desired sound is greatly impacted by the architectural design of the auditorium. As previously discussed, a room’s dimensions and finish materials have a big influence on acoustic quality.

Now that we have a basic understanding of how acoustics in an auditorium work, what can

we do to resolve the acoustic battle? A combination of acoustic absorbers and reflectors are ideal to help achieve acoustic balance. Absorptive acoustic treatment such as direct-fixed or suspended panels, tiles or baff les should be applied to the ceiling space. These are beneficial to absorb sound waves as they are produced and reduce acoustic reflection to an acceptable standard. Walls facing the speaker should be lined with acoustic material, panel or tile, while the wall behind the speaker should be left as a hard surface to help reflect sound towards to audience. Like the advised ceiling treatment, applying a sound absorbing lining to the facing walls is beneficial to reduce excessive sound reflection.

There are many acoustic assessors and products for acoustic treatment available.

If you believe your auditorium suffers from acoustic chaos, seek assistance from an acoustic specialist who can provide an in-depth analysis using acoustic testing equipment. Seek out advice from a consultant who has experience and knowledge in treating acoustics in an educational environment.

For more information about acoustics in education, refer to the MoE guide, Designing Quality Learning Spaces: Acoustics.

By Caroline Page, Autex

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www.odysseysport.co.nz Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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PROPERTY |

Outdoor Digital Signage

Using outdoor digital signs to boost community engagement When your school needs to communicate effectively with its wider community, how can it do so effectively and affordably?

Posters, memos and handmade signs, previously standard for school noticeboards, will no longer suffice. Communicating in this style is not only out-dated, it’s also impractical and time-consuming.

Posters and signs get ripped or forgotten, busy teachers can forget to hand out notices, and office staff may find themselves dealing with parents upset to have missed out on a vital message.

Today we have digital technology to speed up communication, and schools are turning to large-scale, digital signs to deliver messages quickly and effectively - to students and the wider community.

These signs are user-friendly, weather-proof - and secure from hackers, says Tony Mitton from sign manufacturers Proto Electronics Ltd. “Outdoor digital signs are made in the same way as those used by outdoor advertising companies and are designed to be weatherproof.

Hacking is not an issue since we supply our own dedicated wireless control system or hard wired system. The signs are not connected to the internet or WiFi or Bluetooth. And they are usually installed at a height exceeding 2.4m so they are not easy to touch.”

Benefits of using digital signage Speed The key advantage of using largescale digital signage is speed. The signs can be easily updated via the school network - simply type in the message and press go.

With features including multi-user roles, comprehensive scheduling and playlist management, most of the work is done by the digital signage control software. Users can simply “set and forget” the content, reducing the manual labour required.

Community engagement Community engagement is one of the eight principles in the New Zealand curriculum that provide a foundation for schools’ decision making. “The principle of community engagement calls for schools and teachers to deliver a curriculum that is meaningful, relevant, and connected to students’ lives,” states the Ministry of Education (MoE). “Community engagement is also about establishing strong home-school partnerships where parents, whānau, and communities are involved and supported in students’ learning. Effective community engagement is imperative in this process.”

A digital sign outside your school can keep the community in touch with what is happening on campus in only a few words. Exam time shh, School starts Monday May 1st

or Welcome to visitors from Tokyo are straight to the point, and easy to read even for passing drivers.

Safety Keeping students safe is a top priority for all schools. When integrated with an emergency alert system, digital signage that is positioned at the front gate or at the entrance to the assembly hall, for example, can help to alert students, staff and visitors to any emergency i.e. flooding, landslip or lockdown. Signage can also explain what action should be taken e.g. Hall flooded, meet in library or School closed for emergency repairs. Check website for updates.

Publicity Whether the fundraiser is the junior school disco, the term three stage production, or a school-wide gala, your school can get the message out loud and clear and at minimal expense. Your outdoor sign can spread the news to all passers-by, serving as a low cost, high visibility alert to the school community and thus boost ticket sales and attendance to key events.

School spirit Large-scale signs can also be used to drive emotional support for the school and boost school spirit. A

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simple message – Kowhai v Rimu: 4pm can help to create an exciting atmosphere during competitions between teams, houses and syndicates.

Proto Electronics Ltd in Christchurch manufactures electronic scoreboards and digital signage for indoor and outdoor use. The scoreboards, which are user configurable including electronic team names, can also display to show school logos, messages, pictures, sponsors and advertisers.

At St Thomas of Canterbury College, the gym scoreboard has been a hit. “The scoreboard has full LED display and our school logo was pre-loaded which was a fantastic surprise to us when we turned it on,” says teacher Brad Milne.

In addition, the responsibility for updating scoreboards can be shared with students. “Anyone can operate them using the instructions provided and they are completely secure,” says Proto Electronics director Tony Mitton.

Scoreboard costs vary according to size and the features required, but a general guide would be $9,000 for a gymnasium, $13,000 - $20,000 for a full basketball court and $12,000 for a rugby/

Outdoor Digital Signage

| PROPERTY

Scoreboards & Digital Signage Full colour LED, simple to use designed and built in New Zealand Sports - indoor and outdoor Information boards Roadside or entrance boards Graphics, text or slide show boards hockey scoreboard, says Mr Mitton. Single-sided entrance signs costs start around $9,000 and double-sided signs costs from around $16,000. (Prices exclude installation and power supply).

Using your digital signage for success Campaigns Campaigns are much more effective than one-off messages.

When you’re planning for events or school-wide initiatives, drive interest and moment with a series of reminders and a countdownstyle format. For example: Talent contest: entries by Friday followed

03 365 3366 enquiries@proto.co.nz

by Talent contest: tickets on sale Wednesday and so on.

Start advertising early, and use different message styles to convey information in new and engaging ways. This will spread the word and create anticipation.

Keep it simple Short and sweet is the golden rule.

Students are busy and distracted, parents are focused on drop off and pick up, and drivers are watching the road; keep text to a minimum and add images or logos when possible.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

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Key benefits: 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.

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Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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PROPERTY |

Solar Power

The roof of Lyttelton Primary School is lined with solar panels

Harnessing solar power to wipe out electricity bills All schools are on the look out for ways to make the funding stretch and one way that is becoming increasingly viable is a switch to solar power.

While electricity costs continue to rise, the price of installing solar panels has fallen dramatically during the past few years making it a worthwhile consideration for most schools.

The price for grid connect solar power system is now less than a quarter of what it was seven years ago, says Kristy Hoare of My Solar Quotes. “Because of the drop in solar power prices, systems are more affordable for New Zealanders and it can be thought of as a really good investment. A standard 3kW system size seven years ago cost $40,000, now it averages at around $10,000 to $13,000, completely installed.

What this means for schools is

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that they can install bigger arrays of 4kW and upwards rather than the 2kW of the past to which most were limited.

Solar panels are being installed in most new builds with some sporting huge arrays of 15kW and 20kW, such as Rāwhiti and West Rolleston Schools in Christchurch.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) says it is working with a number of schools on energy-saving programmes to explore new ways of reducing energy use. “The results of these programmes will help to indicate what the best ways are to help schools to save money on their energy bills,” says Kim Shannon for the ministry.

He cites Pegasus Bay School in Canterbury as a model school, built in 2014 with its own solarpower energy system. “We will be monitoring its energy usage to see whether any ideas can be applied elsewhere.”

For schools wanting to

install solar panels, the MoE recommends obtaining expert advice on whether solar panels are the best option for them to increase their energy efficiency.

“We also recommend that they ensure that installation and inspections are undertaken by qualified specialists. Energy auditors can analyse energy use throughout a school and recommend improvements and offer advice on their costeffectiveness and likely payback period.”

Maungaraki School, a full primary in Lower Hutt, made the switch to solar panels in 2015 and principal Lisa Cavanagh says the school is now saving $5,000 each year. “[The saving] goes right back into children and their learning,” she says. “For us, that means putting the money toward digital devices and creating innovative learning environments.”

The panels originally cost around $25,000, and have a life expectancy of at least 30 years.

The MoE provides funding to help boards of trustees with power, fuel and water costs, as well as advice on energy efficiency to help keep costs down. If the school uses less energy than it is funded for, it can keep the difference for use elsewhere in the school.

For Maungaraki School, this means that in winter, the panels save the school up to a third of its power bill, and in summer it can be up to half.

Ms Cavanagh says another advantage of having the solar panels is that the students are learning from it, and they tell their families about it.

“It’s contributing to discussion amongst families and communities,” she says. “At the very least it’s raising awareness of alternative forms of energy.”

Solar Power

| PROPERTY

How does solar power work?

Sunlight or solar radiation changes direct current into alternating current and that is the power that we use – we call it electricity.

Photovoltaic panels are typically guaranteed to generate power for 25 years although in general they last 30 to 40 years.

After that they can be recycled.

There is a gradual decline in the panel output over time but most are guaranteed not to decline by more than 20 per cent of their original value after 25 years.

Most installations are grid-tied and do not have battery storage.

This will change in the future as the cost of batteries is falling rapidly.

How to sell power back to energy companies If your solar power system is generating more than you are using, it goes back down the power lines through the “import/ export” meter that your power supplier has installed and this is registered by your meter as an

Supplier Profile | CPS Solar

BE EMPOWERED WHEN THE SUN AND THE GRID GO DOWN

export of power. If you need more power than you are generating at the time, the reduced amount that you need comes down the lines from the power company and is registered by your meter as an import of power. Your power company will credit you for exported power and debit you for imported power.

At night, when the solar panels are not producing electricity, the electricity comes to you from the grid. If you export enough power during the day, it could balance or exceed the amount you draw from the grid at night.

By Anna Clements, Industry Reporter

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The price and eff iciency of solar battery systems have never been greater.

Traditional lead-acid batteries have

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You can consume stored energy when the sun goes down, or keep generating and storing energy during a grid outage, continuing to run appliances and other electrical systems.

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Term 1 - 2017 schoolnews

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PROPERTY |

Audio

Four reasons to upgrade your school’s audio system Is the public address (PA) system in your school older than dirt?

Older school paging systems are starting to fail after being installed 30 or so years ago. They are also hard to expand and integrate with modern technology because running cables underground to new school blocks is not always a viable option.

In this day and age it is also very important to be able to rely on a system in case of an emergency. If a system is intermittent, crackly or doesn’t reach all rooms or connect with any outdoor areas, chances are that it is something that the board of trustees and principal will want to address in the near future.

Enter internet protocol (IP) audio.

Modern technology provides the network and it’s looked after by the Ministry of Education – it is everywhere and reliable after the school network upgrade project and you can take advantage of it for a new paging and emergency sound system.

building is commissioned in a school, the intercom or paging system is left off the list. This leaves the new area uncovered by any announcements through the old system. Audio over IP allows for the connection of the new system and the old system via the existing fibre link between each building, or the commissioning of a new school wide system.

Special boxes and horns cover outdoor areas and more traditional looking speakers are designed for indoor spaces. One of the main benefits of IP audio in a school is the way that the speakers connect. Because the system uses the network and each school has network all over the campus, you can add to your system at any time, roll out a solution block by block or add new speakers when you build a new block or remodel an existing one.

There are lots of options too, from one way systems, to two way talkback options with speakers and microphones in each room. phone system in your school, any of the phones can become a paging station.

Installation is quick and easy and expansion can sometimes even be taken care of by the school IT teacher or caretaker.

Send pre-recorded content like wet lunch or lunch order reminders, change your old bell to the school song, or start a school radio station.

4. Two-way talk back 2. Integration with existing technology

Both one-way and two-way systems are available.

Two-way systems can operate a bit like an intercom.

A lot of existing technology will natively connect with your new IP audio system. One of the most useful connections is your VoIP phone system.

1. Cover the whole campus Audio over IP allows us to connect all areas in a school together over your network. Often when a new

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As the two names suggest, VoIP speaks the same language as IP audio - through your IP network.

This means each IP speaker in the school can have its own extension on the phone system – 301 calls classroom one, 310 calls classroom ten, and so forth.

If you have rolled out a VoIP

When the speaker is called from the off ice, the teacher can talk back from anywhere in the room.

3. Not just emergency An IP audio intercom does far more than just allow you to communicate in an emergency; everyday communication from reception to individual rooms, groups of rooms or the whole school.

This is particularly useful after an emergency lockdown has taken place; one person can centrally manage a roll call of each room from the safety of their off ice or reception.

By Jamie Cashmore, Edwards Sound Systems

School Wide Intercom and Emergency Paging Systems We’ll design you an intercom and emergency announcement system for free - with no obligation.

Sunnyhills Primary School

Flexible options for lease or purchase!

Quick installation Traditional paging systems use 100v cable that must be run from the office to each classroom. With 2N IP Audio, everything is connected by simply plugging in to an existing LAN port.

All speakers are controlled by a computer in the server room.

Edwards can log in to make any adjustments or changes over the Internet, if required.

Easy operation No more cumbersome heavy boxes that have to stay in one place. A 2N IP microphone and a VoIP phone can be located anywhere in the school and remote control is easy from any computer on the network. Easily schedule the school bell or pre-recorded audio, adjust the volume and monitor speaker operation. Play ‘wet lunch’, lockdown messages or the school bell at the push of a button.

Separate Zones Page classrooms individually or in groups. One-way and two-way systems available.

Call us today for a free consultation!

(09) 571 0551 - ext 2 Distributed in NZ by Edwards Sound Systems Ltd., PO Box 12 834, Penrose, Auckland 1642, New Zealand +64 9 571 0551 (ext 2) sales@edwardsnz.co.nz www.edwardsnz.co.nz

At Woods, we believe that education is of the utmost importance – not just for the children of today but for our world tomorrow.

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It’s this philosophy that inspired our ergo-dynamic PantoFlex chair. Designed by one of the world’s greatest furniture designers, Verner Panton, the PantoFlex chair promotes correct posture, improves blood and oxygen circulation, assists the developing musculo-skeletal system and most importantly contributes to an increased attention span. And that’s only half the story.

To find out more about our innovative range of educational furniture visit woodsfurnitureO[.co O[ or call .

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