School News - NZ - Term 4 - 2018

SchoolNews The essential industry guide

Issue 43 | Term 4, 2018 | NZD $12 incl GST | schoolnews.co.nz

D NEW N A R B

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School News is distributed to primary, secondary and intermediate schools throughout New Zealand by Multimedia Publishing Limited.

The views and images expressed in School News do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The information contained in School News is intended to act as a guide only, the publisher, authors and editors expressly disclaim all liability for the results of action taken or not taken on the basis of information contained herein. We recommend professional advice is sought before making important business decisions.

Inside the term four issue Front Desk Making up their minds............................................. 05

News News Round-Up.......................................................... 06

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EDITOR Rosie Clarke, editor@schoolnews.co.nz STAFF WRITERS Mandy Clarke DESIGN & PRODUCTION Richard McGill, production@schoolnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Dee Dawson, advertising@schoolnews.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Kim Shannon, Natalie Todd, Sarah White and Ben Christie.

Op-Ed: How to enjoy failure and why it’s important in school............................................. 10 Wilson School leading the way in special education....................................................................... 14

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Commercially funded supplier profile or supplier case study 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 commercially funded advertorial but may be included as relevant opinion. Happy reading!

04

Profiles 20 Mahi and aroha rebuilds self-belief for kids, whanau and community

What's Hot

22

Administration A word from the Ministry on school transport........................................................................ 24 The benefits of outsourced accounting........... 26

Teacher's Desk uLearn18: Self-belief & cultural self-belief are essential to the learning journey.................. 27 Upcoming Events Calendar................................... 28 Spreydon School: An accredited SharpReading School............................................... 29 Upskilling and professional development for teachers in 2019................................................... 30

29

Teaching Resources Students designing the future with lasers and CNC routers......................................................... 36 Book Reviews............................................................... 41

Food & Beverage Healthier nachos in four steps.............................. 44

Health & Safety Managing mental health in primary vs. secondary students............................................ 46

36

The future of aquatic education........................... 48

Sports & Recreation Games and hilarious antics at NZTGs 2018..... 49 Floor your competitors with quality sports gym design...................................................... 50 Watch the clock! Stellar scoreboards motivate teams........................................................... 52

Property Not on your watch: security over the school holidays.................................................... 54

KEY Supplier information or content

What makes a teacher great & data cannot recreate........................................................... 18

49

FRONT DESK

Pump the heat with max efficiency.................... 56 Choosing the right shade structures to meet needs.............................................................. 58 Outdoor furniture in learning environments............................................................... 62 Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Making up their minds Kia ora and welcome!

New Zealand may have the biggest hat in the ring, with the highest rate of youth suicide in the OECD. Dr Prudence Stone, from Unicef New Zealand, told the BBC that this sky-high rate correlates with high incidence of child poverty, family violence and bullying.

Psychiatrists generally agree that mental illness and poor sleep habits - often not mutually exclusive - create deficits in executive function. Why is this important to note?

Executive function, according to Harvard University’s Centre on the Developing Child (HUCDC), refers to the brain’s aptitude for memory, focus and discipline.

Developing sound executive function skills enables children to make balanced decisions, cope better with stress and manage their time.

There are a variety of factors that can impair executive function, including adversity in young childhood, extreme stress and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

However, executive function can be improved and developed over time. Harvard calls for teachers to be trained in developing executive function skills.

“Teachers are often the first to recognise serious problems with a child’s ability to control impulses, focus attention, stay organised,

The wider problems that face young people may be hard for us to mitigate on a day-to-day basis or in a school environment. Unless a child is in crisis, it may seem like there is not much a teacher can do to help them in a meaningful way.

Rosie Clarke, Editor, SchoolNews editor@schoolnews.co.nz

and follow instructions. The consequences of mislabelling these problems as ‘bad behaviour’ can lead to a highly disrupted classroom, preventable expulsions, or the inappropriate use of psychotropic medications.”

It’s a controversial subject, and one with many hats in the ring: everybody has been impacted by mental health issues in some way. Whether they’ve experienced mental illness themselves or supported someone who has, this is an emotional topic.

Yet teaching children how to cope with stress provides tools they can use to overcome wider problems. HUCDC advocates that no-one is born with executive function skills, they are developed over time by building connections between the prefrontal cortex and other areas of the brain.

Teaching young people how to respond to their environment “with intention, not impulse” is how we can help them improve their executive function skills and with practice, those skills strengthen.

Perhaps this is why we are starting to see mindfulness come to the forefront of the education conversation: educators and academics are getting serious about making minds stronger, so that students develop the executive function they need to decision-make and cope with stress.

In other news…

From controversy over new school bus contracts to the 2018 New Zealand Teachers’ Games, we’ve got you covered this issue.

If you are planning events or initiatives for next year; if you are refurbishing your school; if you are working with your students on something unique, or fighting the good fight to boost student/ teacher wellbeing; let us know!

We want to share your stories so that we can make sure our collective education pathway is being publicised, and so that schools can inspire each other around the country.

Noho ora mai

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FRONT DESK

05

What’s going on?

NZ ULearn rnNZ @ U Le a

land first a e Z w e N Wow! A live hologram! interactive ewalsh With @mik Z18 #ulearn18

Tidbits from the Twitterverse

#CEN

Hann a @Ha h C hoat n nah _ Cho at N Z

New E at #NZEducators stan struggl IConf and sh ding up being n es and trium aring the ph ew in e #newe ducatio s of d #NewE ucatorsnetwo n.. ducato rk #n rs

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A nah e @ an r a M c G r ah e r am c e g o r g re g or

o te are ho aroa there a r r be com rified that te e so many th r p u ls or y. In eo Māori w at s ch o o H l il in 5 lan graduates a elsinki, high l r e g u le a avin ge nation ! E ara s. Awaken o g fluent h mokow eri mā Dinosaur !

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06

Schools lacking Vulnerable Children Act 2014 compliance A new report released by Regan Cunliffe shows that almost four years after the Vulnerable Children Act was enacted, up to 62 percent of schools do not have a Child Protection Policy, with a known 267 schools not being in compliance.

This amounts to up to a possible 484,000 children affected.

Additionally, of those schools that were known to not have a Child Protection Policy in this report, ERO did not identify any related policy issues in 94 percent of cases and misled parents and caregivers by providing explicit assurance in their reports that they had checked compliance or policies relating to the Act for 68 percent of cases.

This report uncovers a systemic nationwide failure involving school boards, principals, NZSTA, ERO and the Ministry of Education in relation to the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

In May 2018, Regan Cunliffe discovered that the school at which three of his children attended, Helensville Primary, did not have a Child Protection Policy. Additionally, the ERO’s report for the school in 2016 provided assurance that they had checked legal compliance and stated no issues.

He hypothesised that the situation at his children’s school was not an isolated case. No literature or data on the adoption and contents of Child Protection Policies by New Zealand

schools and when they were implemented could be found.

This research addresses that gap and is extremely important in providing transparency and knowledge to all parents and state agencies for the first time.

Regan Cunliffe says, “Parents and caregivers entrust their children to the care of their schools and expect them to be in safe hands.

They expect that schools have carefully thought through and planned for future scenarios so that if, and when they occur the school is prepared to handle it and how it will be handled is clearly explained to all involved.

“The results of this investigation are sobering. Despite all the efforts made by lawmakers to do what they can to protect children, too many schools have not taken their duty of care obligations seriously. This reinforces the notion that along with our disgraceful record of child abuse in New Zealand, as a country we also do not take child abuse, including emotional abuse and emotional safety and their implications for later in life, seriously.”

“It is of grave concern that the requirements to have a Child Protection Policy has not been taken seriously by many schools in New Zealand.

Boards of Trustees’ primary responsibility is to ensure that every student is able to attain his or her highest possible educational achievement and that the school is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff. All parents and caregivers should be asking questions of their schools.”

Checklist: What should your school’s Child Protection Policy look like?

According to the MoE, there are four requirements: 1.

It needs to be written down and in use.

2.

It needs to describe how suspected neglect and abuse will be identified and reported.

3.

It needs to be reviewed every three years.

4.

It needs to be available on school websites or upon request.

NEWS ROUND-UP

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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Primary school leaders displaying symptoms of PTSD

“Our tamariki need all the protection they require to function safely, grow to the best of their ability and become emotionally well-balanced, contributing members of our society,” he says.

Many educators disagree with Cunliffe’s take. One Aucklandbased principal told School News: “There is an incorrect assumption that because a school does not have a piece of

paper labelled Child Protection Policy the school is not taking good care of the students. Most schools had sound practices in place to safeguard students long before the Vulnerable Children’s Act came to be.

“Where is the evidence that schools without a policy are responsible for more harm to children than those with a policy?”

Tom Haig @ThomasHaig

A few thoughts on the part of the #teachershortage announcement from yesterday about giving $ to schools to employ beginning teachers.

Yes, putting people through teacher education & them never going into teaching is a pity, & a waste of resources.

“But, there are a number of good reasons why people who have completed their initial teacher ed (ITE) may not go into teaching.

1. the course may have shown them that teaching isn’t for them. I know a number of ppl in this situation - liked the idea of it but the reality of classroom life didn’t suit them at all. Nevertheless, they persisted to finish the course 2. ITE providers may have let people in who simply aren’t up for teaching. Entry to ITE is often haphazard, & there are certainly ppl in it who won’t cope with the classroom appointments into schools is an important point of quality control for the profession. Incentivising principals $10,000 to drop their standards is worrying 3. I’d be interested to see whether 80% is very different from the entry rate following other vocational qualifications? E.g. law degrees or nursing? Surely there are always ppl who finish the qual & decide to go down another path?”

Primary school leaders are struggling, and it’s getting worse, with some showing symptoms of PostTraumatic Stress Disorder, according to the results of a survey conducted

by NZEI Te Riu Roa and the Australian Catholic University.

Researcher Associate Professor Phil Riley says initial results from the annual Health and Wellbeing Survey have shown so far that 37 percent (of 321 principals and senior school leaders) were displaying significant degrees of distress through raising a “redflag” in answering questions in the survey. This group is in need of urgent attention, says Dr Riley.

In the red-flag system, a participant is sent an automatic email urging them to seek help and sending links about where to do so. Red flags are generated in three ways - either the participant has indicated they are thinking of self-harming, they have a high combined score across categories or a series of quality of life indicators that are concerning.

Dr Riley says that senior leaders in schools need help, and the education system needs a whole re-design and to come up with creative solutions such as job-sharing.

The problem is getting worse - in 2016, the final red flag percentage was 20 percent. The survey is also being done in Australia and Ireland which were showing similar results, indicating that there is something wrong with the role, not the person, and that it is a systemic problem, says Dr Riley.

The survey was still open with 321 fully complete surveys returns.

Of those, 120 were red flags.

08

NEWS ROUND-UP

There were a further 174 partially completed surveys, so numbers were not yet final, he said.

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart said she was deeply concerned about principals, senior leaders and their wellbeing and it needed to be acted on immediately as part of the current collective agreement negotiations.

“We have made long lists of recommendations, but so far nothing has changed much, in fact it has become worse as this shows. Some are not even filling out the survey. I have principals say to me they are waiting to be less busy, or feeling better, before they fill it out so that it looks less negative.”

The survey is in its third year and is important for highlighting trends and also giving individual feedback on health and wellbeing.

This year’s report is also being supported by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF), NZ Maori Principals - Te Akatea, and NZ School Trustees’ Association. The PPTA are running a concurrent survey with secondary principals.

NZPF President Whetu Cormick said the trends highlighted in the survey were a “grave concern” to the Federation, and the teacher shortage was adding to stress and workload for principals.

“Teacher supply issues are directly impacting principals’ ability to lead learning and manage the day-to-day operation of their schools.

“The challenges are everywhere.

I’ve recently heard from four Invercargill principals who have been teaching fulltime in the classroom for the past eight weeks. You can’t lead the teaching and learning when you’re in the classroom fulltime.”

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Do you want a superhero in your life?

Craig Fortune, founder of My After School Headquarters, believes that all caregivers are superheroes.

“Everyone needs a superhero in their life and the best superheroes are mums, dads and caregivers but when these superheroes can’t be there, our superheroes at MASH can take over,” he enthused.

In 2012, experienced teacher Craig began MASH. A parent to five children, he recognised the need for good quality out-ofschool care and realised how much easier it would be to entrust your kids into the care of a fellow superhero.

Adding a dash of creativity and planning to his 10 years of teaching experience, Craig put together an exciting, actionpacked, before/after school and holiday care programme for children that is both age and ability-appropriate.

“Our team at MASH are passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of the children in their care. They are great role models, encourage respect and the use of manners, enjoy providing new experiences and above all they love having a whole heap of FUN! With or without a cape and mask,” he joked.

Stuart Cameron is the principal of Sumner School, Christchurch where MASH has provided the before and after-school care for the last four years.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

He said: “Previously, our afterschool care was parent-run but funding became a tricky issue.

MASH now provides a very professional programme that has been smoothly integrated into our school. The team at MASH are very easy to work with and the staff are good communicators who understand our school and, most importantly, our parents and kids are happy.

We know this because we get great feedback.”

MASH provides affordable semistructured programmes based on

around 4pm everyone gathers together and staff introduce the planned activity, which usually runs until around 5pm.

highly successful programme that we can run as a separate entity to the school but also keep it very integrated.”

During holiday time, the programme is designed to give kids a break away from the routines of school, and a great time for them to be exposed to new and exciting experiences.

MASH has a Level 3 MSD Approval and parents are able to apply to WINZ for the OSCAR Subsidy.

All MASH holiday programmes offer three structured activities per day (morning, afternoon and 3-6pm), so there is plenty to keep child/ren busy, stimulated and smiling.

“Mash is fun and there are lots of kids to play with. We do cool activities,” says Lilly Ennis.

Finally, these MASH kids said...

“I like playing with my friends.

I like to colour in,” says Archer Ennis.

“I like going outside to play. I like doing the activities,” says Isaac Mclachlin.

“I like when we do homework. My favourite thing to do is play with the toys,” says Leila Elliott.

“I like that it has a lot of fun stuff to do,” says Wilde.

international research, to ensure they offer the best possible care in a safe and stimulating environment while giving kids the opportunity to enhance academic, artistic and physical skills.

What’s a typical day like at MASH? During term-time, children arrive just after 3pm for afternoon tea.

This is a time for interaction with their friends and to refresh.

Then they are offered homework assistance.

For kids who don’t have homework, there is actively supervised ‘free play’ time. At

Scot Kinley, principal of Bromley School, Christchurch said: “Recently, we were able to take over the franchise of MASH, after several years of MASH independently providing after school care for us. This has allowed us flexibility to employ teachers and teacher aids who know the children and are very familiar with our school culture, providing a calm, consistent vibe in-between school hours and the programme. For instance, the language used in circle time is in harmony with our school and creates a cohesive learning environment.

“I like trips in the holidays,” says William.

“We can make new friends at MASH,” says Ted. “I like the activities - especially the art and the sports,” says Ed. “We have lots of fun,” says Nathan.

“I like how we teach kids to respect each other and to be kind,” says Finn.

Contact Craig for more info on (03) 366 9408 or craig@mashkids.co.nz

“We have found MASH to be a

NEWS ROUND-UP

09

Op-Ed:

How to enjoy failure

and why it’s important in school

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

a mammoth paradigm to shift .

Later in this issue, you can read Sir Ken Robinson’s thoughts on revolution in education.

Having freedom to fail is a big theme.

As a remedy, perhaps we need to hear more stories about failure - without the happy ending.

Sir Ken is quite positive about it; in fact, positively enthused by the idea that teachers (just like students) should be allowed to fail and feel empowered by failure.

In, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, he writes: “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” There’s a bravery in putting yourself out there, he suggests, knowing that you might be off the mark and being open to accept valid criticism.

We all fail, but so few people share their failures We’ve all heard the rags to riches narrative: J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishing houses before Harry Potter

10

It’s easy to glorify failure when you are now successful but that doesn’t motivate people with a crippling fear of failure became a whirlwind success.

Oprah was fired as a news reporter before she became the unofficial Queen of media.

Steve Jobs was kicked out of his own company long before the iPhone came along. But the problem with this narrative is hindsight.

Of course it is easy to see the benefit of failure when you are now successful. That doesn’t necessarily motivate those for whom the fear of failure is crippling. Wouldn’t a more valuable insight be how to deal with failure when it happens, without the promise

of later success? How to perceive it as something positive. How to enjoy it.

Fear of failure pervades school Taking a sick day to avoid an exam or sports event that could lead to failure; failing to hand in homework rather than have it graded; turning down work experience to avoid embarrassment; every day there might be 10 things that trigger a student’s fear of failure.

Trying sometimes doesn’t seem worth failing, and that’s

EDUCATION

Yes, J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before Harry Potter became a whirlwind success but I wonder how many other manuscripts have disintegrated in a drawer because their author was too scared of rejection to hit send. How many books haven’t even been written because their writers are paralysed by fear of critique?

Maybe hearing from people who’ve hit send, not become the next J.K. Rowling, and happily lived to tell the tale, will help ease that fear?

What it feels like to enjoy failure In trying to come up with an example of my own experienced failure, to walk the talk (so to speak), I remembered my high school English teachers’ encouragement… they propelled me to aim Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

incredibly high, fall incredibly far and maintain selfconfidence. For me, applying to Cambridge University was a lesson in failing well that I hope today’s students can experience for themselves.

and confused. I remember a moment of panic when I didn’t recognise a poem: my mind devolved into white noise and before I had time to read the first verse they asked what I thought.

So, I will now share my brutal, fair and extremely useful rejection feedback.

Criticism is something we rarely want in lieu of praise.

Even if it’s valid criticism.

Even when it’s the criticism that provides momentum.

Once upon a time… I was an eager grade 12 student and zealous literary nerd I challenged Cambridge to hold me in its prestigious, academic bosom and carry me through hallowed halls to greatness, like a knight in shiny collegiate armour.

Cambridge said: “Nah.” Academic rejection speaks directly to your ego. It’s a stone thrown at you from the tree of knowledge.

Then again, a brutal paragraph of negative feedback might just give you a new perspective, trigger a new idea, push you in a new direction or simply give you a new experience (as it did for me). Even if that experience amounts to nothing more than your first encounter with harsh criticism.

I accept this criticism. It felt brutal at the time in spite of its courteous wording.

One of the interview questions was: ‘If I was a publisher and one of my authors had written something, then rewritten it – which version should I publish and why?’

How would you have answered that? It’s a great question.

The interviewers asked me to read things aloud and discuss the meaning. I’d present an argument and they’d ask me to provide examples that would oppose my original statement.

It was challenging, engaging and exciting. I asked questions about pieces of theory I’d read.

At times, I was rigid in my thinking. At times, I wanted to prove I was right rather than contemplate being wrong.

At times, I was unresponsive Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Dear Rosie Thank you for your request for feedback on our decision not to offer you a place to study English Literature. I fully understand that our decision will be a disappointment, and that you are entitled to ask for an explanation.

I learned that it was more motivating to be your own prestige, than to chase it After sending in my initial application to study English Literature at Cambridge, the response from most people was, ‘but it’s so competitive!’, ‘isn’t it really hard to get in?’, ‘don’t you have to be, like, really smart?’, or my personal favourite, ‘it’s impossible to get in though, so what’s the point in applying?’. I can still hear the voices that made these comments, eight years later.

Why were they so widespread?

Perhaps it’s the fog of prestige that makes people delirious.

They gasp and go all gooey and sometimes their faces wash with envy if they think you might get there first. But what comments like these make you reflect on, after you’ve been rejected, is whether the people making them were correct. You think, was I not competitive enough? Not smart enough? Was I deluded not to realise this was out of my reach? Finally, you think, what was the point in applying?

Well, it turns out there was a huge point (and it wasn’t part of any hindsight-based success story). In the process of creating my application, I had to write a personal statement, I had to communicate with my teachers and family about what I wanted to study and how I needed to structure my assessment to achieve that goal.

My teachers encouraged me to apply to multiple places and focus on making the most out of each step in the application process rather than pin all my hopes on getting in. I used my personal statement as an opportunity to propose research. I used the interview as an opportunity to learn more about the industry I was interested in.

EDUCATION

Cambridge applications are extremely competitive and I hope it will be possible to keep that point well in mind when considering this feedback.

Every year we are sorry to find ourselves unable to offer places to excellent candidates. This year particularly we had an exceptional number of very strong applicants.

Your academic record and predicted grades were very strong, particularly as your teachers rated your performance as strongest in the subjects which are most relevant. Your personal statement clearly communicated your enthusiasm for the subject, but there was relatively little evidence of additional reading.

Your submitted essays were thought to be impressive in its ambition and grappled with some very interesting concepts, but were rather confused and illogical in the approach taken, and many ideas were lacking in nuance. Our interviewers were impressed with your enthusiasm and clear interest in literature. Your answers were articulate, particularly when discussing literary study on a conceptual level. However, you struggled with the poetry readings and failed to engage critically with the material. When given new information or presented with new arguments, you sometimes failed to make appropriate adjustments to your own views, instead continuing to assert that your initial impressions were correct; you were rather rigid in your thinking and were often neither responsive nor reflective.

I hope this information is helpful and will reassure you that we do not take these decisions lightly. We are required to consider all applicants together as a gathered field. I would like to thank you for expressing interest in Cambridge, and to wish you every success with applications to other institutions and with your future studies and career.

Yours sincerely

11

Preparing to fail well actually made me a better student.

I knew I’d have to send two examples of my work as part of my Cambridge application, so I made sure that I wrote at least two complex assignments in grade twelve that were in a relevant subject to my proposed degree and completed to a standard I thought was high enough for Cambridge professors to appreciate.

Thankfully, my school gave me the opportunity to delve into complex theory and literary analysis.

Gratefully, my English teachers had more than a little faith in my ability and supported my ambition.

I worked harder because I had long-term academic goals.

I was motivated to scale the high heavenly gates of a prestigious university, so I created work to help me scale those prestigious gates. I was persistent: I revised more drafts and asked more questions about assessment criteria.

My assignments suddenly felt more important to me and more relevant to my life. I felt

as though I had to put in ten times more effort. When, after all this effort, I didn’t get into Cambridge, I realised that I didn’t mind. I’d still done all that work and it still felt worthwhile.

I was still just as motivated and my essays were just as good as before. I hadn’t lost anything.

In fact, I’d gained a whole lotta work ethic. Chasing prestige can

have a motivating influence, as it did for me back in high school.

But once I turned that prestige inwards, focussed on reaching a level of productivity I could be proud of rather than ‘the high heavenly gates of a prestigious university’, I realised that was much more motivating.

Rejection letters are proof of progress.

Oprah Winfrey has spoken prolifically about failure when asked about success. In the Harvard Gazette, she insisted: “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”

So I repeat what my favourite teachers used to say to me: apply, try your very best, get rejected if you must, and keep going.

Trying sometimes doesn’t seem worth failing, and that’s a mammoth paradigm to shift

12

EDUCATION

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

A positive

‘whanau vibe’

with out of school care

There is “a great ‘whanau vibe’ with sKids,” says Manurewa South School principal Tone Kolose, and this is due to their positive philosophy “around supporting families, and providing students with life skills and different experiences through the programmes they run”. sKids – Safe Kids in Daily Supervision – has been providing structured out of school care for Manurewa South School since 2012.

We chose sKids because “they were an established before/after school programme” says Mr Kolose. “Multi Site Owners Rose and Luke are awesome to work with and are a very special part of our school community.

They are very accommodating, for example, when the school has had to close early for parent conferences they supervise students whose parents are unable to get them earlier,” he explains. “sKids also go above and beyond what you would expect from an Out of School Care Provider.

Not only do they provide our students with before, after school care and holiday programmes. but our kids also get opportunities to develop new skills through their specialty cooking programme ‘FoodStorm’ and music programme ‘Jellybeans’ and we ALL love these programmes – the kids because they have so much fun, and the school, because sKids come in and deliver the programmes so we don’t need to worry about finding extra staff.”

In addition, sKids “give back in many ways to our community through their Charity Kiwi Kids Education foundation,” Mr Kolose says.

“Through supporting students who

require care (before or after school), and making costs affordable for our families to attend, they always find ways to make things work financially, supporting the school with activities that relate to current learning programmes.” Feedback from parents and teachers is always positive, Mr Kolose says. And if there are any issues they are dealt with immediately and in a way where there is a win-win outcome.” Of particular importance is health and

Hol Pro iday gra m

The quality of the programmes sKids offer are obviously working because their roll is booming.”

If you’re interested in learning more please contact sKids on 0800 274 172 or visit www.skids.co.nz

d an

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A

e are r fo ool C e B ch

me s

S

In S Sp chool pr eci og al ram ty m es

rowe g We soms! e kid w A iwi k

Free Phone: 0800 274 172

www.skids.co.nz

Release - Year - XX Term 4, 2018- Issue | schoolnews.co.nz

safety, where once again sKids gets a big thumbs up. “The adult ratios are always what they need to be, whether they are based at school or on a trip during the holiday programme.

EDUCATION SECTION

school-news.com.au

XX 13

Wilson School

leading the way in special education

By Natalie Todd, Tumuaki/ Principal, Wilson School

Since the beginning of this 2018 school year, I have been the proud principal of Takapuna’s Wilson School.

It has been a year spent getting to know the students, families, whánau and staff that together create our school’s nurturing, positive and friendly atmosphere.

The teacher that makes a difference…

I had a very inspiring teacher who made a difference in a number of young people’s lives.

She instilled a sense of self belief in us and made learning relevant, meaningful and fun, but most of all she connected with us on a personal level.

From watching her teach with such passion, wanting to make a difference in young people’s

lives, I became inspired to want to become a teacher.

percent of the time I am taking care of all the other jobs.

As a principal, in turn, I believe that my role is leading teaching and learning.

The core business of any school is improving student achievement. Having said that, my biggest challenge as principal is to not get bogged down in all the ‘administration stuff ’. I try to make sure that 80 percent of the time I am focusing on teaching and learning while the other 20

I suppose in the last year, I have really learnt to prioritise.

I’ve learnt how to better balance the admin side of principal-hood with my passion for teaching.

As a school we have continued to value and encourage improvement in learning, and as a principal I have thought about what kind of environment gives students an opportunity to grow and achieve.

Some of our students have high and complex needs, including high medical needs.

I believe that we fit the curriculum into the student, not the student into the curriculum. I have introduced a Learner of the Week and visit classes every week to personally deliver the certificate to the recipient.

It is exciting to see teachers, teacher aides and students celebrate the achievements and seeing every student as a learner.

Wilson School has students with a range of abilities as well as disabilities. We believe there is no student who cannot learn.

Our students are supported to maximise every learning opportunity through play, sensory, music, art, drama and movement. We have a multi-disciplinary approach with teachers, occupational therapists, speech language therapists and a physiotherapist all supporting the student to access their curriculum. Every student has an individualised programme.

Our school environment is designed for learners aged five to twenty-one who have additional learning needs across a range of settings, so we have specialist learning environments that make sure each young person has access to a personal, relevant, meaningful and individualised learning opportunity within the New Zealand Curriculum.

14

There is no student who cannot learn…

EDUCATION

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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My goal as principal is for Wilson School to be a school of excellence and a school of choice; a forerunner in special education

Satellite classes and specialist services…

Another point of difference for our school is that we operate over multiple sites. We have a base school and 10 satellite classes at five mainstream schools.

Our satellite classes offer specialised programmes, smaller classes as well as mainstream opportunities, a bit of a win-win situation or as someone once said “a boutique education”.

We also engage in specialist outreach service work alongside mainstream teachers supporting ORS funded students enrolled in local schools. I believe it’s absolutely essential that we recognise achievement for all, so our school focuses on enriching learning opportunities across all curriculum areas based on multi-professional assessment of each individual student’s needs. We hold the learning of our young people and their well-being at the centre of everything we do, celebrating success at all levels and believe that working in partnership with families enhances the learning outcomes of our students.

I am supremely passionate about the New Zealand Curriculum and our autonomy to meet the needs of our community.

It excites me to work alongside such committed and passionate staff who teach equally passionate young people.

Our students have huge

16

challenges, yet they turn up with smiles on their faces every day, always willing to give 100 percent. New Zealand is the only country where every student can access an education irrespective of their ability.

What’s terrific as well, is that – as principal - you are absolutely not on your own.

For those new to the profession: you are not expected to know everything or do everything.

There is so much support available for first-time principals and colleagues are genuinely keen to support you.

Natalie Todd

Everyone is supporting you to succeed. We recently had ERO and it was the most positive experience and probably best professional development I have undertaken yet.

When Wilson School’s previous principal, Jan Kennington retired, Pam King (principal of WVSS) encouraged me to apply.

I was the deputy principal at Wairau Valley Special School at the time, and the move may have seemed daunting at first but led to the most wonderful experience.

For anyone contemplating a principal role, I say go for it! No two days will ever be the same, and it is challenging. But it’s the most rewarding job you could imaging.

Visions for the future…

As for my goal as principal, I want Wilson School to be a school of excellence and a school of choice; a forerunner in special education.

EDUCATION

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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What makes a teacher great & data cannot recreate climate control. If you set different boundaries in schools and give people permission to try new things, they will. Obviously you have to evaluate them and see if they work well against the wider things you’re trying to achieve but there’s a huge amount of creative talent among parents, teachers and students that we’re not tapping into and that’s what this shift is all about.

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

In conversation with education innovator Sir Ken Robinson, School News deliberated over misconceptions about great teaching.

“It’s assumed, I think, that to be a good teacher essentially all you need is to have a good degree in whatever it is you’re being paid to teach,” Sir Ken noted. “It’s simply not true, it was never true.”

What does it mean to be a skilful teacher?

For students: “A great teacher obviously knows their material but the real skill is engaging them in the material, getting them excited and curious and firing up their imaginations. That’s a whole other set of skills.”

The place for pedagogy “If you doubt there’s a separation between subject knowledge and pedagogy, then all you have to do is pop into most universities and you’ll see a clear division. A lot of people there are brilliantly talented and knowledgeable about their own discipline but may not have any particular feel for engaging other people in it.”

Making judgement calls “Great teachers are like great doctors or lawyers, they have a whole repertory of skills, techniques, approaches and a lot of experience but the real skill is knowing what to apply here or there and how to adapt to it to the people in front of you.”

use their judgement and figure out what’s relevant here and there. “That’s what great teachers do. It’s a profession that requires artistry, skill and judgement and yes, along the way you also need to be able to gather relevant information, be objective and gather together relevant data.”

Sir Ken’s problem with data “The problem is, I think, that education’s becoming far too data driven and the teacher’s judgements are being set too often to one side. It’s like in a medical examination you can have wonderful data being generated and the patient dying on the table.

“What you need is a way of making sense of the data so you can apply it to the situation you’re confronted with, here and there.” Data can’t replicate human judgement; it can’t factor in personal experience or a teacher’s history.” When it comes

to great teaching: “It’s always a mixture of all of skill, judgement, knowledge and information.”

Dear principals, adopt an ‘ask forgiveness not permission model’ “There’s an awful lot that principals can do by looking at the balance of education and getting teachers to collaborate across disciplines,” Sir Ken urged.

“Culture is really about permission; what’s okay and what isn’t. I visit schools and see fantastic schools where wonderful things are going on despite the prevailing political climate that’s happening, because the leadership at the school has given people permission to try things differently, be prepared to make mistakes, and try projects out on a basis of trial and error, which is how innovation works.

“Leadership is not about commanding control, it’s about

Lessons from a sommelier “It’s skilful in the sense that it’s a process that requires judgement and connoisseurship. If you go into a restaurant and a sommelier comes over to advise you on the wine, you don’t want them to tell you everything about every bottle of wine they’ve ever encountered; you want them to

“Great leaders in schools and, in fact, great teachers know that there’s a huge amount to gain from encouraging people to participate in the decisions that affect their own lives and to tap into that broader pool of genius that’s in every community.”

Does this mean schools and principals adopt an ‘ask forgiveness not permission’ model so they can move faster and just try things out? “Absolutely.”

Education as rebellion On this point, Sir Ken is very clear: “Schools don’t have to be the way we think they are.”

They’ve simply developed in an institutionalised way and remained the same out of habit.

On the ‘education revolution’, he stresses: “It’s very important not to try and replace one orthodoxy with another. You have to have a theory of change in all this, and part of it is to try and persuade the policymakers who often are setting the tone from above, that a lot of the measures that they are so fond of – standardised testing and posing more conformity – are actually counter-productive.

“That’s part of the discourse, to influence the political conversation but at the same time, change always happens from the ground up. It happens in real places with real people.

“A lot of what goes on in schools isn’t mandated, it’s just habit.

If we start to reimagine how schools work, then we tend to see bigger improvements than otherwise in the quality of teaching and learning.”

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Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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and aroha rebuilds self-belief for kids, whanau and community

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Now a leading, awardwinning school of modern and innovative learning, Patea Area School offers its students a wide range of opportunities in a safe and caring environment with a strong sense of whanau, community and belonging.

Patea Area School’s previous principal, Nicola Ngarewa proudly stated: “We have

been committed to delivering a modern and engaging curriculum that encourages our young people to be independent and critical thinkers, well able to cope with the challenges of modern society beyond our school gates. We have a deliberate emphasis on tailoring the learning of each individual student to ensure our young people achieve excellence at their level.”

This remarkable decile 1a coeducational school in South Taranaki has a 70 percent Maori roll with approximately 180 students. It has a strong sporting and cultural

background, scores well-above average in NCEA result, with L2 at 100 percent for the past two years.

After a falling roll, it became Patea Area School in 2005 when the local primary school closed and was combined with the high school. In the last three years the roll has almost doubled and in that same time the school has been through significant change.

Success, recognition and awards did not come easy for this school, it faced many challenges...

School News caught up with Jason Wright, the school’s acting principal and he told us: “Previously under statutory management our school had a falling roll, results of varying standards, the property was in disrepair, and the systems, structures and curriculum needed an overhaul.

Community links had also deteriorated, and morale was very low because students didn’t know they were valued we had to change this mindset.”

Jason, tell our readers how it turned around?

“We began by reviewing and renewing the curriculum and its delivery, we invested in property and resources and engaged the community and students in everything we did.

“Professional learning programmes helped our staff grow and develop as leaders, teachers and support staff. We were able to communicate how much we valued all our students and began to develop a culture of success and transparency.

We promoted ourselves and attempted to give our students

20

PROFILES

every support they needed to succeed.

“But we are not resting on our laurels: we continually review and renew, to ensure that we are delivering for every one of our students. Since August 2016, we have developed our learning environments, with a lot of investment in digital hardware, furniture, sports equipment and uniforms.”

But, winning the UNESCO’s inaugural Award in Global Citizenship Education in recognition for their work to encourage responsible and active global citizenship, signified the greatest shift in how they viewed themselves at Patea Area School.

“This recognition by UNESCO means more than winning an award to us, it has given us the self-belief and motivation we were looking for. The fact that our small school (a Decile 1a one at that) can win such a prestigious award is a testament to all our school community’s hard work. I can’t explain just how excited everyone was to win this award and a number of our students and teachers travelled to Parliament to accept it. One of our teachers also had the opportunity to present our story in Samoa in October at a UNESCO symposium.”

What are you most proud of, Jason?

“Of course, I am proud of the UNESCO award, of our results and our increasing roll but the most important thing to me, is to celebrate our student success in big and bold ways because this is what they deserve.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Seeing our students develop their self-belief, their selfworth and take ownership of their education has been an incredible personal experience.”

What next?

“We will continue to build and develop our capacity in all areas (curriculum, teaching and learning, culture, sport, student support, digital fluency, etc.,) so that we can better serve our community and continue to ‘grow good people for a changing world’.”

Meanwhile, modernisation of the property is ongoing with a new playground for YR1-6 students in October, planned sports facilities (turf courts) for early 2019, and the purchase of more digital devices, including robotics.

Finally, Jason adds: “We want our students to take further ownership of their education, with greater independence, to become life-long learners and to have greater capacity for leadership.”

About Global Citizenship Education The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO’s definition of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is ‘empowering learners to engage and assume active roles, both locally and globally, to face and resolve global challenges and ultimately to become proactive contributors to a more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable world’.

Each term Patea Area School

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Success, recognition and awards did not come easy for this school, it faced many challenges... introduces an across school inquiry topic with a local/ global challenge focus. Every student in the school chooses an aspect of the inquiry topic based on their area of interest, passion and need. This inquiry work becomes the basis of each students’ personalised learning pathway. Twice a year, we showcase these inquiries in big and bold ways. In 2018, this

included a variety performance show and a feast or famine event that highlighted the needs of people in our own community as well as the world.

Specifically, we were focusing on the disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’, and the educational impact on those who have access to digital technology and those that do not.

PROFILES

Patea Area School worked to find a learning model that truly embedded global citizenship in the whole school’s curriculum delivery, instead of being a oneoff project.

This is reflected in the school’s vision statement of ‘Growing good people for a changing world’.

The school’s approach is closely aligned with international goals for global citizenship education and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The judges were impressed at how the learning model turned the school around and engaged the whole community.

“The model ensures that everything they do as a learning community is experiential, authentic and connected to the wider world around them.”

21

WORKING ON A HOLIDAY TRANSFORMATION?

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Give your teachers the best tools to create an enhanced and reinvigorated environment. A Vision whiteboard cabinet will help re-organise the room with style. Featuring quality magnetic porcelain whiteboards, with the added benefit of shelving and storage. You can configure the lower half of the unit to suit the room using cubes, totes, shelving or lockable doors. There are so many options in design and colour – contact us today for a free quote on this simple room changer.

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THE SPEEDY 360 LASER ENGRAVING MACHINE Laser technology welcomes endless advantages and learning opportunities for teachers and students alike.

An educational laser cutter, such as the Speedy 360, allows students to discover and try out new processing, create interesting prototypes, test and learn CAD/CAM programs, create models and slowly develop their imagination and creativity – turning bright ideas into reality! The skills that these students will learn whilst using the Speedy 360 can then be carried out beyond the classroom and into their future career paths. The Speedy 360 laser engraving machine will make learning feel fun at your school, attracting and resonating with the minds of tomorrow.

PARK BENCHES – SIGNS Show the way into your school by having a beautiful sign at the entrance to show strength, power, support and durability.

This sign has all of those qualities and if you put the name of your school and your school motto on it, what better way to start each day as you educate our children, who are our future. – You can design your own sign, or we will design one for you.

Trotec Laser, 0800 876 832, info@troteclaser.co.nz, www.troteclaser.co.nz

22

WHAT’S HOT

Park Benches and Street Smart Furniture, 0272 704 608 gordon@parkbenches.co.nz www.parkbenches.co.nz Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

MOGOO STOOL The Mogoo stool is a favourite in the active seating range.

Exclusive to Scholar Furniture, it has a great bunch of features that are loved by both students and teachers.

Designed to fit fun and interactive spaces such as classrooms, labs, studios and creative areas, Mogoo allows users to tilt and swivel in all directions with its rounded base and optimal support surface. Studies have shown that active seating allows children to exert extra energy, which in turn helps improve concentration and focus. This style of seating is great for children of all ages and can be assembled at a range of heights to accommodate - 310, 385, 460 or 535mm high. The Mogoo is very easy to move around due to its light weight and handling groove under the seat. It can also be hung from a desktop to keep off the ground when not in use. Great for tidying the classroom at the end of the day before the cleaner arrives! Comes in 4 fun colours. 10 year warranty. Visit the Scholar Furniture website for more information Scholar Furniture, 0800 453 730, sales@scholarfurniture.co.nz www.scholarfurniture.co.nz/collaboration-furniture/mogoo-1

GYMLEADER ROCK CLIMBING WALL SYSTEM Gymleader is installing the largest rock climbing wall system in a New Zealand school this summer. .

If you’re looking for a certified climbing wall manufacturer to be installed by experts, you have found your solution. We supply a range of climbing products from mobile climbing towers, school climbing walls to rock wall modular panels. Modular Panels are the ideal climbing solution for areas where a traditional climbing tower may not fit or where floor space is extremely limited. Modular panels allow for ultimate flexibility in design resulting in a climbing surface that exactly meets your space requirements.

Possibilities range from low height traverse walls to soaring vertical walls.

Gymleader are offering a free consultation for your school now to maximise your gymnasium space and to develop a plan that will deliver benefits to your pupils and your community.

Gymleader New Zealand, 0800 GYMLEADER, info@gymleader.co.nz www.gymleader.co.nz

HIGH ACHIEVER MEDALLIONS The ultimate form of recognition whether it be Academic or Sporting, nothing beats a Medal.

CHENBRO PORTABLE CHARGING UNIT Chenbro is well renowned for their high quality portable charging units and they are super popular in New Zealand.

This unit has 24 bays for mobile devices up to 15.6” laptops or tablets and allows you to charge the devices while securing them safely. It is super portable and only needs one standard port to charge all the devices. Use the coupon code “PBISBEST” in-store or online to save on this trolley till 20th December 2018. Search TOLCSITN224VS to find the Chenbro 24 bay storage trolley. This is the perfect one stop shop for storage, charging and portability for mobile devices.

Best known for their use at the Olympic Games, medals become lifelong treasured memories. The team at Emblems NZ know that a sculptured medallion is more than just a work of art; it is the mark of distinction bestowed on those who have strived for ultimate success and achieved their goals. Be it Dux Medals, Sportsman Medals, Sportswoman Medals, Proxime Accessit to the dux Medals, they are the ultimate reward. These are the four main achievement medals are used Nationwide. Alternatively, we can custom make your School’s own unique Medallion. Medals are the affordable form of recognition and can come with presentation boxes.

Emblems NZ, 07 847 8126, www.emblems.co.nz

PB Tech, education@pbtech.co.nz, PBTech.co.nz Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

WHAT’S HOT

23

A word from the Ministry on school transport

By Kim Shannon, Head of Education Infrastructure Service, Ministry of Education

School Transport has a proud history of helping Kiwi kids get to school.

We have been doing this for over 130 years.

The Ministry of Education’s school transport team understands the trust caregivers place in us every time they put their child in our care. Some of us have fond memories of catching the school bus ourselves.

We are committed to ensuring the safety of students on school transport and take any concerns raised about our services seriously.

Our 33 staff in national office and around the country provide around 7000 vehicle trips for about 100,000 students each day at a cost of around $190 million a year.

This includes two ferry operators bringing students to school – including one Ministrycontracted school bus travelling by ferry for part of the journey.

The Ministry offers transport assistance where, under certain circumstances, we can help bridge the barrier of distance to education.

We bulk some fund schools individually or in groups to provide bus services for their students who meet the distance

24

We are currently at the early stage of planning for new bus contracts criteria. Some schools operate their own buses and some contract commercial providers.

We provide Specialised School Transport Assistance (SESTA) where a student’s safety or mobility needs mean they require additional assistance to

access education. That could be a place on a Ministry-contracted vehicle; whether a standard vehicle or a total mobility vehicle; or by payment of an allowance to caregivers to assist with the costs of transport.

Kura are provided with separate transport funding in recognition of the philosophy of Māori immersion. Funding is provided on a ‘per student’ basis for all students enrolled that meet the distance criteria.

caregivers which is a daily rate calculated on the distance travelled for each day the child attends school.

Transporting school students rightly brings with it a high level of public scrutiny. Travel by bus is inherently safe, due to the size and construction of buses and the way they absorb crash forces to protect their occupants in comparison to small passenger vehicles.

We are currently at the early stage of planning for new bus contracts. Our Ministry bus contracts all expire at the end of 2020, and it is important that we get the right services that provide best value for taxpayers.

Year 7 and 8 students who have to travel to other schools to access specialised educational facilities for subjects such as woodwork, sewing, cooking and metalwork are also eligible for transport assistance.

We are also looking into a range of technical improvements for the school transport system.

Our contracted services can now be tracked in real time, and in the future, we hope to be able to open viewing of the system to caregivers.

Where we cannot provide a vehicle service for eligible students, the Ministry provides conveyance assistance to

It’s an exciting time for school transport as we work towards making our good transport system even better.

ADMINISTRATION

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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The benefits of outsourced accounting

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Finance isn’t everyone’s forte and with something as important as money, it’s critical that schools have the right system in place.

There are many internal systems that work incredibly well but the problem is that upgrading from one to another or switching system entirely can be a massive headache. The initial benefit of outsourcing is that your new accounting provider will deal with the changeover for you, and as school leaders you can be as involved (or uninvolved) in the process as you like.

At the very least, outsourcing will minimise your internal administration tasks, freeing up school staff to focus on other things. School News spoke with Education Services Limited managing director Peter McBreen about this and he said: “The problem is that differing systems don’t ‘talk’ to each other, so when switching internal systems it is often a matter of re-inputting all the data into the new system every time.

Financial Reporting Education Services provides a Financial Reporting Service to over 660 schools

“However, the transition to an outsourced provider is minimal: often the provider will come to the school, download the data they need, collect supporting materials and that’s the job done from a school’s point of view.”

Edcloud – Realtime dashboard/reporting and enquiry functions. Software made specifically for New Zealand Schools Let us take all the worry out of your Financial Management For a no-obligation quote please contact Pete on 06 757 5489 or email to pete@educationservices.co.nz

Property Service We provide long term maintenance plans and project supervision in the Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu regions For more information contact Mel on 06 349 0902

www.educationservices.co.nz 26

He also clarified some of the other benefits to outsourcing and what it really entails for school principals. First, outsourcing “lessens costs and reduces the risk of fraud and misappropriation”, according to Mr McBreen. “Don’t be fooled by thinking you are saving money by doing it in-house as the extra hours you have to pay staff let alone software costs on top of the added risk make it far more expensive to run an in-house system than outsource,” he also said.

ADMINISTRATION

Peter McBreen

All software has its pros and cons but, he added, “often software has been developed for small-tomedium businesses”. This means that “while the functionality works well, the reporting does not suit schools and fails to meet the requirements of FISH or kiwipark”.

While there’s no major difference in data types between state and private schools, the amount of transactions that take place at your school will play a role in the level of data management required. As Mr McBreen told us: “Secondary schools require a far more complex reporting suite, with head of department independent reports, etc., needed.”

As a principal, it’s often too easy to take on too much and when it comes to the administration side of running a school, anything that will reduce the number of tasks you’re required to do is helpful. As a school leader you should be encouraged to focus on education and creating a culture within your school. This is the appeal of outsourcing.

School News highly recommends carrying out an audit to open a discussion with your school board or other decision-makers within your school about the efficiency of your system.

Making sure you have a system that provides clear, easyto-understand reports and transparent budget management is critical.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

uLearn18:

Self-belief & cultural self-belief are essential to the learning journey

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

More than 1500 educators from New Zealand and abroad came together over the epic three-day Aotearoa event, held at SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland.

This year CORE was proud to host over 300 presenters at uLearn18.

With presentations in English and Te Reo Māori, the jam packed schedule is certain to captivate the crowds.

Each year, teachers look forward to coming together to network, inspire, change mindsets, and pioneer new ways of doing things in education on a global scale.

Event manager, Becky Hare said: “The uLearn programme is a true co-creation between CORE Education and those we serve.”

The three keynote speakers who headlined, were highly regarded experts in their fields; Professor Pasi Sahlberg, Dr Hana O’Regan and Mike Walsh. They spoke to this year’s conference strands, reflecting current areas of challenge and change in our education system.

We can reclaim our story and help our people understand it In her Keynote talk, Hana O’Regan spoke about how “our children are

often confronted with the effect of our history, but not enlightened as to the cause”.

She said: “A fundamental pre-requisite for capability development, is the cultural narrative that our children have about themselves as Māori. This is significantly influenced by the perceptions held about them, their heritage, their language and culture – by those around them.

“To create an environment that supports the growth and development of our children’s capabilities, we must start with ourselves and the messages and stories we share. Self-belief, and cultural self-belief are essential elements to a successful learning journey.

“As a country, to do this, we need to be brave enough to hear things we might not like to hear, things that may make us sad and angry but give understanding to our reality. With self-belief and collective cultural self-belief, a fertile ground for creative growth, innovation, personal and academic development is created.

“We can be the generation that made the change. We can reclaim our story and help our people understand it.”

New teaching tech and learning games Spotlight Sessions and the Breakout programme featured

interactive workshops and targeted presentations from educators at all levels. This part of the conference provided guests with insight into research, innovation and the practical application of how educators can implement these on the ground.

There was also a pop-up Makerspace Playground, and a ‘Passion to Play’ games evening with drones and robots, new Māori medium games, plus new online games.

To rush educational reform is to ruin it In his speech, Pasi Sahlberg discussed data with attendees: “If you don’t lead with small data, you’ll be led by Big Data.

“Improving our schools requires shift from evidence-based to value-based education. To rush educational reform is to ruin it.

Learning from one another is the greatest opportunity we have to create great schools for all children.

“Don’t just ask “How good is your school?”, but explore “How is our school good?”

The future belongs to eight-year-olds Mike Walsh, in his Keynote address, stressed the importance of looking beyond ‘millenials’.

“Forget Millennials, the future Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

TEACHER'S DESK

belongs to eight-year-olds. Think big, think new, think quick.

“More important than learning a new skillset, is developing the right mindset. Kids need to handle ambiguity and understand ethical decision-making in the algorithmic age.”

Collaboration is the key to coping with exponential change Core-Ed principal consultant Derek Wenmoth spoke at the Culture Of Change Pre-Conference about how “education is the powerhouse of modern societies”.

He said: “We need people with increasingly sophisticated skills and digital competencies.

Understanding what drives you and others in your organisation will help you understand the culture that exists.

“Collaboration is the key to coping with exponential change - there must be an emphasis on ‘we’, not ‘me’. Hindsight plus insight equals foresight - plus strategy equals innovation.”

The uLearn18 team said: “It was about getting comfortable with fun teaching tech, enjoying the learning process from different angles, and being able to share these with our tamariki to stimulate new ways to learn.”

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NOVEMBER 9 Innovative Learning Environments with Mark Osborne LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

NOVEMBER 14 Management to Leadership in Secondary Schools

Henderson +64 (0)98350912 http://www.learningnetwork.ac.nz

ABOUT: A hands-on workshop with Mark Osborne that aims to guide people through a research-led process to build their own to-scale effective learning environments. This workshop will use inclusive design and evidence-based principles to guide teachers and school leaders through the process of designing a learning environment that is effective for all learners. Regardless of whether you’re in a purpose-built space, a modified one or a single cell classroom, you’ll be able to take these principles and use them.

LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

Auckland kohia@auckland.ac.nz tinyurl.com/ybbovu9n

ABOUT: An introduction to effective instructional middle leadership in secondary schools: participant s will be introduced to a framework to evaluate key aspects of practice and support middle leader inquiry. The framework was developed from Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders (2012) and other key policy documents such as Ka Hikitia, the Pasifika Education Plan and the School Leadership Best Evidence Synthesis.

DECEMBER 11 Keeping up with the Curriculum LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

Wellington kelsey.firmin@vuw.ac.nz sms.victoria.ac.nz/Events/TeacherSymposium2018

ABOUT: This free event is the 5th Annual Symposium for Secondary Mathematics and Statistics Teachers hosted by the School of Mathematics and Statistics. The 2018 programme is designed to facilitate discussion around changes occurring in our field and dedicated ways to enrich the student learning experience.

JANUARY 19 Children in Nature Weekend Workshop LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

Canterbury Celia, littlekiwisnatureplay@gmail.com www.facebook.com/events/321594971978186/

ABOUT: This two-day workshop aims to give confidence to people who want to educate children through nature in single-day or multi-day programmes. It has been designed specifically with the New Zealand educator in mind.

JANUARY 24 Management to Leadership in Secondary Schools LOCATION: Rotorua CONTACT: karen@spectrumeducation.com WEBSITE: www.spectrumeducation.com/teachers-matter-conference-2 ABOUT: Spectrum Education has been hosting a Teachers Matter Conference two-three times per year (throughout Australasia) since 2006, attended by 10,000+ teachers. Topics will include: eight areas of teacher wellness, creating and finding joy in the classroom, practical pedagogy, developing independent thinkers in the classroom, creating full dialogue in the classroom, and more.

JANUARY 30 Complex behaviour: simple interventions – for the classroom LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

Auckland +64 (0)98350912 http://www.learningnetwork.ac.nz

ABOUT: Facilitated by Kathryn Berkett, this one-day workshop will begin by unpacking the neuroscience of trauma. Kathryn will talk about how environmental factors activate the brain and how this can affect the operation of the stress response and other systems in the body.

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JANUARY 25 Improving Wellbeing for Teachers and Students LOCATION: CONTACT: WEBSITE:

Christchurch +64 (0)98350912 http://www.learningnetwork.ac.nz

ABOUT: This one-day workshop addresses mindfulness techniques that help to quiet the mind and improve focus. Using research based strategies, participants will learn how to better manage their emotions, how to overcome emotional flooding, how to calm the mind to relax and sleep, how to choose attitudes and create a positive, optimistic school. These mindfulness techniques can be used with adults and students in school.

TEACHER'S DESK

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Spreydon School:

An accredited SharpReading School

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Students at Spreydon School are confident readers who show finelytuned comprehension skills and their teachers are convinced this is because of the SharpReading approach.

Spreydon School recognised the need to have a more consistent teaching practice for guided reading lessons and commenced their SharpReading journey in 2014. It began with training sessions and over time every team member was proficient in the SharpReading programme.

At first, according to Janine Greer (Spreydon Junior School’s

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

SharpReading trainer) some teachers did question the need for the programme because they had already been doing a great job. But their efforts were in isolation, meaning there was little consistency across the school and the decision was made to expand the programme school wide, offering a non-negotiable and coherent approach to reading.

Janine explained: “We implemented SharpReading with a whole school approach. Our management team was right behind us, supporting us through the training and we had in-class modelling from Hilton Ayrey and Brian Parker (from SharpReading team) who ensured the delivery of the programme was pure.

“We all speak the same language

and by the end of 2017 we met the criteria to become a SharpReading accredited school with two accredited trainers (Andrea Barr senior school SharpReading trainer and I were chosen to do this) to support teachers and maintain the programme’s standards.”

Furthermore, the consequence of successfully implementing the SharpReading programme has not just been about producing confident readers. Students are also more engaged in the whole learning experience, parents more involved and teachers couldn’t be prouder...

TEACHER'S DESK

Janine admitted: “We are proud of the reading levels of the children in our school, we are proud that our reading programme is so transparent that our children happily talk about SharpReading, what they are working on and their next steps. The teaching team know where all the students sit on the SharpReading developmental progression, they know what they have covered and where they should go next.”

Spreydon School is committed to the SharpReading programme and its future is assured because it meets students’ needs to be “confident readers who read for purpose and passion”.

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Upskilling and professional development

for teachers in 2019

You must have heard that the approach to professional learning and development (PLD) has changed.

The Ministry of Education introduced a new system that focuses on delivering the right support at the right time to the schools, kura and communities of learning/Kāhui Ako that “need it most”.

Let’s be clear: centrally funded PLD is a limited resource that focusses on a small number of national priority outcomes. The changes aim to make “centrally funded PLD more effective, making a difference to student achievement in priority areas, supporting school leadership and strengthening professional networks as a complementary source of PLD”.

Government states that the priorities from 2015 for the next three-to-five years are, pāngarau, pūtaiao, te reo matatini (pānui, tuhituhi, kōrero), maths, science, reading and writing, and digital fluency.

However, this does not mean that funds for PLD will only be available in the areas of priority

30

Let’s be clear: centrally funded PLD is a limited resource that focusses on a small number of national priority outcomes you are encouraged to use an “inquiry approach” to work on all changes and improvements that will lift student achievement.

You may decide that PLD in culturally responsive practices, evaluative capability, or ways of involving with parents, families and whānau more effectively, will improve outcomes. The new system enables kura and CoL to tailor centrally funded PLD to tailor their particular requirements.

Note: The following programmes continue to be managed centrally: Programme for Students (PfS) and Mauri Tū Mauri Ora, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L).

How does the PLD system work?

There are two ways to approach PLD: your local education advisor may contact you to advise that you are eligible for PLD support, or you can apply yourself once you have identified an achievement challenge that matches criteria.

Schools, kura and communities of learning | Kāhui Ako (CoL) will choose their own facilitator for centrally funded professional learning and development (PLD).

Only accredited facilitators will be used and selected.

Their qualifications and areas of specialist expertise will be checked and endorsed

TEACHER'S DESK

by the Ministry and national accreditation panels.

The new system also recognises the importance of support for leaders in schools, kura and CoL and one-off learning opportunities, with support for school leadership and professional education networks.

What else is new?

As part of PLD work has begun to re-design the PLD Journal. It is anticipated that the new Journal system will be implemented in the first half of 2019 – stay tuned.

Returning to teaching Areas of need include secondary teachers of the sciences, technology and mathematics in certain locations and a shortage of highly qualified secondary teachers of Te Reo Māori, and teachers in Māori-medium settings.

If you are a primary or secondary teacher and have been out of the classroom for some time, you may need retraining to bring yourself up-to-date. A Teacher Supply package has been announced to support more teachers into the classrooms for 2018 and 2019.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Uniquely placed in the capital city, Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Education offers exceptional research-led teaching and learning to make your own impact professionally.

The Faculty has a range of postgraduate study options designed for experienced professionals in diverse educational roles, including teaching. Develop and practise your skills under the expert guidance of world-class researchers and practitioners and build valuable relationships and networks with peers and future colleagues.

Our programmes are available both full- and part-time to fit your needs.

Lealofi Kupa My experiences have not only allowed me to refine my passion as a Pacific early childhood educator, but to reclaim my voice and speak my truth as a Tokelau within the context of Aotearoa-New Zealand today.

I work full-time, am mother of two young adults, and an active member of our local community.

Such commitments have meant studying part-time has been the best choice for me and my whānau.

Martin Emo I changed the music rehearsal room for the virtual classroom and learnt more in the first four weeks of my summer semester than in over 10 years of teaching.

Working as a distance student, combined with face-to-face and video contact has allowed me to continue to be active in my own community in Nelson, whilst connecting and building a supportive educational community in Wellington.

Anna Young What drew me to the programme was the vast range of papers covering numerous theories and approaches to educational psychology practice. This has provided a comprehensive understanding of the relevant knowledge to adopt in working as an educational psychologist. The bicultural focus of the programme was also an important factor, as this is particularly relevant to New Zealand.

Lealofi Kupa

Doctor of Education

Martin Emo

Master of Education

Anna Young

Master of Educational Psychology

Build on your own knowledge and practice as an experienced teacher Benefit from the research and teaching strengths of Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Education to take your career to the next level.

VICTORIA.AC.NZ/EDUCATION

EDUCATION@VICTORIA.AC.NZ

Postgraduate study at Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Education Te Whānau O Ako Pai

There are a wide variety of postgraduate options to help boost your skills in specific learning areas.

Go to the Ministry of Education website for further information or visit the Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) – The Online Learning Centre. TKI is a bilingual portal and web community providing educational material. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Education.

This month, the government made available an extra $10.5 million in funding, on top of the $29.5 million already allocated since late last year to increase teacher supply.

The Ministry’s deputy secretary of early learning and student achievement, Ellen MacGregorReid, says: “We’re expanding our marketing and recruitment drive, and introducing new initiatives – such as a $10,000 grant for schools to help with mentoring and training costs for new graduate teachers.”

A three-year marketing campaign was launched telling real stories from teachers - to highlight that teaching is a truly worthwhile and meaningful career. It targets new recruits and career-changers.

Ministry of Education Leadership programmes The Ministry of Education offers leadership support programmes for beginning

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Everyone benefits from collaboration across education disciplines and the industry principals; emerging leaders; and expert partners. Support can be accessed by beginning principals/ngā tumuaki across the 10 Ministry of Education regions of New Zealand.

How does this work? “Each beginning principal/tumuaki is supported in their own learning journey so they are able to act strategically to achieve the aspirations of their school community and make a positive difference for learners”. This support is provided locally, regionally and nationally.

Emerging leaders – pilot programmes are underway in 12 selected Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako. They finish in April 2019.

Expert partners – leaders can choose an expert partner from a list on the ministry’s PLD website.

you are eligible.

Check out which awards are suitable for you to apply for, including application dates and eligibility requirements because the criteria and selection factors differ for each award and are subject to change each year.

The Incredible Years Helping Children with Autism (for teachers) is also offered by the Ministry of Education. It is a six-session, group-based programme for teachers and early childhood educators of children aged 2–5 on the autism spectrum. The programme covers language development, social interactions and school readiness, emotional literacy and self-regulation.

The 2019 dates and location for this programme are yet to be announced.

Professional development

Post Graduate Certificate, Diploma, Master or PHD

TeachNZ offers study awards, grants and sabbaticals to teacher and principals every year. You may be able to do parttime or full-time study in a range of subjects to build your skills, if

Postgraduate study in education develops skills in research, writing, critical thinking and problem solving.

If you complete an academic qualification you might find work

TEACHER'S DESK

as a researcher or policy analyst in a government organisation, or work in counselling, social services or human resources.

There are many postgraduate courses relevant to your career and aspirations, designed for teachers, education administrators, researchers and industry educators. You can focus on youth development, Māori or Pacific education, English as a Second Language, or sustainability in education.

You could also study education policy or leadership.

Study while you work by attending late afternoon classes, block courses on weekends, online or a combination of learning that fits around your work commitments.

This is the digital age and it’s never been easier to find a blended/collaborative learning programme to suit you.

Research High quality research is essential for education, it enhances educational policy and practice from early childhood to higher education.

Everyone benefits from collaboration across education disciplines and the industry.

Returning to study Even teachers may need a bit of help when returning to study.

If it has been a while since you studied, get advice from the course liaison officer to help get you back into student life.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Systems

Leadership Can you describe the way you typically behave in meetings?

Like most people, you probably have a pattern of behaviour that everyone is used to. You may not have realised, but the people you work with can probably describe it with remarkable accuracy. Just as you can describe the patterns of other people.

Patterns of interaction are easy to get into and hard to break.

I had a colleague whose pattern was to give inspiring speeches, complaining about poor quality work and urging excellence. It was so predictable no one paid attention. Even though it involved energy and high levels of volume, it was always the same and made little impact.

Comfortable patterns put people to sleep. Systems leadership

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

is when someone wakes everyone up to what’s happening and allows for a new pattern of thinking and action. The challenge of systems leadership is realising that each of us contributes to unhealthy patterns.

It wasn’t just my colleague who was the problem, the way I responded enabled him to continue. Either of us could have provided system leadership by acting in a way that other people were not used to and which called on everyone to approach the work with greater awareness.

One way to think about patterns is to frame what you do in terms of ‘love’ and ‘power’. Love can unite, heal and smooth over differences.

Love can also be taken too far: it can be expressed in a powerless way that comes across as insipid and needy. Power is the drive to express yourself fully, standing up for what is important to you

personally. Taken too far it can become abusive and repellent.

The challenge is to keep power and love in balance. Even though they seem to be opposites, both can be pursued with vigour. We can strive for unity of purpose, with each person contributing what is important to them, while doing what is going to be good for everyone in the system.

Unhealthy interaction patterns thrive when power and love are out of balance. Perhaps you’ve been giving one most of your attention and neglecting the

TEACHER'S DESK

other. This can happen because of the context: naturally warm and loving people may find themselves in roles that are all about power. Vigorously pursuing both power and love can change the way you and others think and act, creating new possibilities for the community as a whole.

Written by Dr Phil Ramsey, InterLEAD.

Would you like to know more about InterLEAD and Appraisal Connector™?

Email acs@interlead.co.nz, visit www.interlead.co.nz or phone 03 420 2800 ext. 1

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THE MIND LAB

Specialist education provider The Mind Lab has introduced two new scholarships for the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning.

The ADVANCE Education scholarships mean public school educators will pay no more than $1,250 + GST for the full, NZQA-accredited Postgraduate Certificate. Low decile schools may be eligible for an additional ADVANCE Plus scholarship, covering all but $300 + GST of the total cost.

technologies and teaching practices, the integration of a digital curriculum by 2020 announced by the Ministry of Education last year has led to a growing need for teachers and schools to not only improve digital fluency in the classroom, but also to upskill themselves.

The Mind Lab is working to support those teachers that need upskilling to help bridge the gap.

Frances Valintine, founder and chair of The Mind Lab, says, ‘We’re really focusing on the teachers now, to make sure that

they feel confident teaching the new digital technology curriculum, as well as integrating technology into any subject that they teach. The world has changed significantly over the past few years and we’re looking at the way work is structured.

We’re still in the period before the digital technology curriculum becomes compulsory, but we’re seeing a shift happening faster and faster, and getting in early and understanding these new ways of thinking, working, studying and teaching will give educators a great start.’

Without the scholarship, the programme costs $2,750.00 + GST and all registered educators, from Early Childhood to Tertiary, are welcome to apply. While private schools aren’t eligible for the scholarships, The Mind Lab is offering a 4 for 2 deal to help support independent teachers as well.

If you are interested in applying for the Postgraduate Certificate, head over to themindlab.com or contact postgrad@themindlab.com for more information.

Kicking off from various locations all over New Zealand from the week of 12th November, the 32-week, part-time Postgraduate Certificate is for teachers of all levels, and is the first third of The Mind Lab’s Master of Contemporary Education. The Mind Lab’s aim is to enhance digital fluency across New Zealand, with the Postgrad described as a future-focused programme designed for all educators who want to adopt contemporary, research-informed practice for the benefit of 21st century learners. On the course, educators learn practical, handson tools and new approaches to better engage their students through the appropriate use of technology.

While many teachers have already embraced new

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TEACHER'S DESK

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Postgraduate Certificate

in Digital & Collaborative Learning

A future-focused, NZQA-accredited postgraduate qualification for all in-service educators looking to reignite their practice to stay ahead in the 21st century.

NEW

32 weeks Part-time Level 8 60 credits

Scholarships for November 2018!

ADVANCE Education Scholarship • Public school educators • $1,500 + GST off the course fees • Leaving $1,250 + GST to pay

ADVANCE Plus Scholarship • Decile 1-3 educators • Additional scholarship of $950 + GST • Leaving just $300 + GST to pay

Apply Now themindlab.com

Students ning the future

desig

rs te u ro C N C d n a rs e s la with

Those of us who grew up watching James Bond films might remember the scene in Goldfinger where a young Sean Connery is rather perilously faced with a laser beam.

Fortunately, the machines now used in schools to help students create artful design masterpieces are quite different from that particular tool envisioned in the villainous 1964 spy thriller... And considerably safer.

Laser cutters and CNC routers are at the cutting edge of education technology, teaching students (and teachers!) how to create all manner of astonishing works with tact, planning and

precision. It’s a heck of a lot of fun, too.

What is a CNC router?

Quite simply, it’s a machine that cuts hard materials like wood, stone and metal, though it can also be used on softer materials like plastic and foam. CNC stands for ‘computer numerical control’, so the machine is controlled by a computer: users can input their design into some soft ware and watch the router carry out those specific functions to cut into material.

CNC routers do not utilise a laser beam and instead cut directly through the material.

They tend to be more affordable than laser cutters, more energy efficient and can slice through much higher thickness but they also tend to be slower and

designs may lack the precision of a laser.

What is a laser cutter?

Laser cutters can carry out precise cuts and engravings on a wide variety of materials from textiles and plastics, rubber and even small objects like apples and book covers. The laser beams also etch into metals and wood. There are different laser sources that are used for different reasons: the main two

are CO beams, which are widely used on non-metal matter, and fibre lasers, which are higher intensity and work well on metal.

Designs are created in a graphics program and sent to the laser cutter. These machines tend to carry out designs much faster than CNC routers with incredible intricacy and accuracy; at the same time, they are generally more expensive and consume more electricity.

Out of the classroom and into future careers Reece Moore, Managing Director of Trotec Australia, introduced School News to Trotec Laser’s latest product, Speedy 360.

benefits, such as sonar autofocus and safety interlocks, makes it perfect for any classroom environment.

“Laser technology can offer so many advantages and learning opportunities.”

“The skills that can be gained while using innovative technologies like laser machines can then be taken out of the classroom and into future career paths.”

Reece revealed: “The Speedy 360 is the most popular mid-sized laser machine across the entire educational and commercial market.

The innovative features and

For those wondering, Reece added: “The Speedy 360 truly offers endless classroom applications and opportunities for both students and teachers.”

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TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

The preferred laser and consumables supplier for schools

• Industrial and Technical Design • Information Technology • Home Economics • Sports • Admin • Arts

Ideal for STEAM curriculum www.troteclaser.co.nz

0800 876 832

Image: Kendell Engraving Supplies

What can they each create?

The amazing thing about these devices is that they can help students design and create a huge array of things. From furniture, sculptures, models and awards to art projects, toys, signage and even jewellery; schools can make use of these machines in infinite ways.

They can be used as part of many different projects across different subjects, which is one of the reasons why they

have become so popular in the education sector. Imagine using a laser cutter to design and create a menu for a food technology assessment or a programme for a drama class theatre production!

Imagine using a CNC router to make school awards out of local materials. You could use these machines to design a game as part of a mathematics assignment or a diorama as part of a geography or science project. These units are one of the new ways technology is able

Image: Kendell Engraving Supplies

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Image: Makerspace New Zealand

to promote cross-collaboration between learning areas, which has been a huge driving force for the flexible learning movement.

What are the safety requirements?

There are a variety of safety measures and training support available to enable teachers and students to use these machines.

Laser cutters, specifically, are separated into four classes: ‘class 1’ is the safest while ‘class 4’ can emit radiation. Class 4 lasers require safety goggles and other protective gear.

Class 1 laser cutters will either emit harmless radiation, even with prolonged exposure, or the machine is modelled in a way that blocks the user from any radiation exposure. Proper extraction and ventilation should be prioritised to ensure any fumes can escape and that the machine doesn’t overheat.

Suppliers will be able to tell you which class their machines fit into, explain why each machine

TEACHING RESOURCES

has been designed that way and what protective gear is required, if any. Most also offer training sessions and varying levels of support for clients so that their machines are used and maintained correctly for maximum efficiency.

Optimally, laser cutters should be kept out of direct sunlight and in a relatively temperature controlled environment for best outcome. Industry suppliers recommend an optimum temperature of between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. Frost guards or insulators are also recommended during colder months to avoid internal laser damage.

Similarly, with CNC routers it’s important to receive training and, where possible, ongoing support to make sure you know how to safely work both the machine and the software.

Worksafe NZ recommends ear, eye and dust protection when working with CNC routers on wood, for example, to avoid hearing damage if in close proximity to woodworking.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

MAKING CNC MACHINING EASY & AFFORDABLE

3,800

5,000

$

$

M1

Image: Trotec Laser

Proper ventilation and dust extraction is also important to prevent respiratory issues or eye irritation.

For any of these machines, regular inspections should be carried out and this is something that suppliers can usually help you organise or advise on. If a machine glitches or something is flagged during an inspection, students should be aware that they must wait until the machine has been repaired before continuing to use it.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

The popularity of laser cutters and CNC routers is undeniable, and the creations schools around the country have shared are simply incredible. Enjoy these photos of some of those creations and send us yours so we can show-off the talents of your students. Get creative!

Working Area: 600mm x 600mm Ideal Uses: Engraving, Carving, V-carving, Full 3D carving Materials: Soft wood, Plastics, Foam, Aluminium (engraving only)

5

We would especially love to showcase projects that integrate students with their wider communities. Contact School News about your project by emailing the editor: editorial@schoolnews.co.nz.

TEACHING RESOURCES

MX2

Working Area: 1200mm x 600mm Ideal Uses: Short runs of larger parts, e.g. signmaking.

Materials: Wood, Plastics, Foam, Aluminium

education discount on all machines with the promo code (SCHOOLNEWS18)

Vertigo Technologies

4 Nelson Street, Westport 7825 (03) 668-0262 www.vertigocnc.com

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NZ-made and with learning in mind

Exploring the limits of the technology

“At Vertigo Tech, we recognise the importance of teaching trade skills to today’s kids,” revealed company CTO David Alexander.

“There’s a whole new world of industrial machinery out there that they’ll benefit from knowing how to use.

CNC is one of the core manufacturing technologies of the future, and there’s already a nationwide shortage of people qualified in it.

“That’s why we’ve developed the first ever range of NZmade CNC routers, designed with learning in mind. Our machines are easy to set up,

easy-to-use, and constantly being improved. “They’re affordable, durable and maintainable enough that even a novice machinist can experiment without worrying about costly breakages. And because we’re local, we’ll always be there to support your students on their journey to CNC machining excellence!”

Kerry Williams, Technology Teacher at Southwell School says: “Lasercutter going superb. Best thing ever. Don’t know how I taught without it.”

The team at MakerspaceNZ are passionate about creating future innovators.

General manager MarieClaire Andrews calls it, “switching on inspiration in the classroom”. She says: “We make sure our products, from lasercutters and CNC machines to 3D printers are affordable, reliable and futureproof. “Because we want them to be used dayin-day-out in ways we haven’t even thought of yet!”

Marie-Claire explained to School News that “using

lasers and CNCs enables kids to realise their designs quickly, moving from software to product during one lesson, motivating them to explore the boundaries of the software and the hardware.

“We’ve seen our lasers and CNCs being used as a key school resource - not only in hard materials/food tech lessons but making school signs, chocolate moulds, sponsored fence palings and more.”

Make learning interactive, fun and relevant!

Kendall Engraving Supplies Managing Director Steve Sutton told School News: “With Universal Laser Technology, student ideas progress from a CAD drawing to a professional product in seconds. Students make products that make them proud, Steve explains: “It’s like something you’d buy in a store.”

students to the same machines and technology they would use as they progress to university and on to a chosen career, but they fit perfectly into a Makerspace environment (STEM) that is shared across a huge

range of departments. They are also compatible with virtually any software application and easily accept file formats like .DXF and .PDF. There are a large range of machine options all built in the US with

stringent safety features and an advanced flexible user interface, which makes using the laser as simple as using a printer. “This means teachers and students alike can use the technology.”

The systems not only expose

40

TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow For age 8+

By Jessica Townsend Hachette

New to the bookshelf this term At the End of Holyrood Lane For age 4+

By Dimity Powell Exisle Publishing Flick is just like any other youngster. She loves to chase butterflies and jump in autumn leaves. But life at the end of Holyrood Lane is often violent and unpredictable.

Visually arresting, emotionally incisive, and ultimately uplifting, this beautifully crafted picture book provides a sensitive glimpse into one aspect of domestic violence and how it can affect young lives.

Oh Boy: A storybook of epic NZ men For ages 7+

By Stuart Lipshaw Penguin Random House Heroes can wear rugby boots or ballet shoes. They can go on adventures, build rockets, or save lives. They can change the world with a shovel, a microscope or an idea.

A striking collection of true stories about amazing New Zealand men who busted stereotypes and broke through obstacles to follow their passion, this is a companion volume to the numberone bestseller Go Girl, Oh Boy is inspirational reading for New Zealanders of all ages. And that includes you too, grown-ups!

Wide Big World For age 5+

By Maxine Beneba Clarke Hachette Difference is everywhere, just look and see. This whole-widebig-world is wondrous-unique.

A beautiful children’s picture book about diversity from award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Isobel Knowles.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

TEACHING RESOURCES

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Return to the magical world of Nevermoor! Morrigan Crow’s perilous adventures continue in the most anticipated sequel of the year, a treat for all fans of magic and Wunder.

The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic For ages 8+

By Cressida Cowell Hachette This was once the story of a young boy Wizard and a young girl Warrior who had been taught since birth to hate each other like poison.

From the bestselling author of How to Train Your Dragon comes an exciting highadventure series - set in an ancient, magical time, full of Wizards, Warriors, Giants and Sprites.

Muse of Nightmares For YA readers

By Laini Taylor Hachette Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old. She believed she knew every horror, and was beyond surprise. She was wrong.

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

41

Code Avengers:

A complete solution for teachers to learn, plan, teach and assess Digital Technologies.

As 2020 looms, many of us have questions about the change to curriculum that will see all schools be expected to implement Digital Technologies as a subject.

At present, thousands of teachers are without the knowledge and training they’ll need to deliver the new Digital Technologies curriculum effectively. Many teachers have not ever taught the subject, and many resources are in their infancy or designed for other countries’ curricula.

At the same time, students and teachers are expecting effective and comprehensive delivery, knowing that digital literacy is an essential ability for 21st century learners. Across New Zealand, students from year one onwards will start to learn how computers work, and how to use them - as well as Digital Technologies teachers at high school level, all primary and intermediate teachers need to be able to teach the new curriculum.

So what exactly is Digital Technologies?

Digital Technologies involves teaching students to be creators of digital outcomes, rather than just consumers of it.

Computational thinking, which includes the ability to break down problems into smaller parts and methodically solve them using skills such as coding (computer programming), design, and development, is at the core of Digital Technologies. Coding involves giving a computer stepby-step commands to tell it what

42

to do. This can include making websites, games, and apps.

there is, therefore, a need for digitally capable teachers.

Increasingly, New Zealanders will need some degree of digital skills, not just to get the jobs they want, but also so they can participate fully in society.

And how is the transition going to work? What can we as educators, managers and decision makers do to get ready?

The new school curriculum content will give students an understanding of key principles that drive Digital Technologies including algorithms, programming, data representation, digital media, electronics, and more.

The answer may just lie in a kiwi EdTech startup called Code Avengers.

Code Avengers is an online education company founded

by Dr Michael Walmsley, a 33-year-old kiwi with a PhD in Computer-Assisted Learning.

years 1-13 which are fully aligned to the New Zealand curriculum.

Five to eight-year-olds start with learning such fundamentals as sorting data, giving and following instructions, and writing simple programs in visual languages.

Learners then progress through to advanced courses at senior levels covering programming and web development in languages such as HTML, JavaScript, and Python.

In addition, Code Avengers courses provide teachers with a suite of resources to support the delivery and monitoring of student learning including live student tracking and analytics, lesson plans, quizzes, and more.

Hamish Day, CEO of Code Avengers, says his company holds the key to a smooth transition, and is already helping millions of users around the world.

“Our goal is to prepare teachers and students for the jobs of tomorrow” he says.

Dr Michael Walmsley

Hamish Day

All industries are disrupted by soft ware, and while not every student will become a soft ware engineer, every student will be interacting with technology, and the problem-solving skills developed through the learning are increasingly essential for all types of pathways learners may travel. In the near future, digital technology will become more and more integrated into traditional subjects such as Maths and English. Modern education is about developing digitally capable thinkers;

The Code Avengers platform has been used in 15,000 schools in 14 different countries, from Saudi Arabia to Singapore and the USA, including hundreds of schools in New Zealand. Code Avengers courses are delivered via subscription and cater to three key markets: junior (for young learners), school (for teachers and students) and the adult learner category.

Code Avengers is the first company in the world to offer digital technology courses for

TEACHING RESOURCES

“We offer digital technology courses for years 1-13 which are fully aligned to the New Zealand curriculum and other curricular around the world, and use gamified learning, which means that learning these new concepts is fun and engaging for students.”

Even the most inexperienced teachers can become experts in the new curriculum, according to Day. “We have designed our platform codeavengers.com for the absolute beginner, so it’s a very gentle start – any teacher can become an expert. We are accredited PLD (professional learning development) providers with the Ministry of Education, specializing in digital technology.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

And the resources, such as customizable lesson plans, auto marking and data tracking, mean a massively reduced workload, allowing teachers more quality time with their students.

Code Avengers has educators on staff who have helped create the marking tools and other teaching resources available – they are literally providing a service by teachers, for teachers.

“We’re providing a complete solution for teachers to learn, plan, teach and assess Digital Technologies” says Day. One of those educators is Lana Signal, who was working as a teacher of ESOL (English as a Second Language) and Classics before joining Code Avengers.

She was not trained in Digital Technologies and came into the role “knowing nothing” about what was in store.

She is now a key member of the tight knit Code Avengers team and helps design the material taught, as well as advising on how it’s delivered.

Signal is keenly aware that teachers everywhere are feeling immense pressure.

“There aren’t enough teachers in New Zealand – let alone specialist Digital Technologies (DT) teachers,” she says.

“The ones who are teaching DT are overwhelmed by the idea of such massive change. We have heard the question more than once;

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

how am I supposed to know what a student mark of excellence looks like, if I can’t even reach “achieved” in the same subject?”

Code Avengers has developed a game-changing offering that is bringing hope and new knowledge to literally millions of users, including teachers here in New Zealand. “In my own teaching I have found the resources transformative; my admin time has been significantly cut back. We have an easy-to-use tracking tool that allows teachers to follow students’ progress in real time and help them exactly when the need help. We also have a simple, time-saving marking tool and custom-designed material like quizzes, to make learning as engaging as possible.” All of these resources are cloud-based, so can be used from any location.

Outside of Digital Technologies, teachers of more traditional subjects will also soon need to increase their knowledge of technology. Signal gives a recent example of a DT teacher who was working with a French class and their teacher, building a translation app that the students could use. “Technology is being integrated into every facet of our lives” she says. “Even the most traditional learning environments will soon have a DT component.

We are already living in a future that our teachers were not able to prepare us for. To compete globally, and to be the best New Zealanders they can be, the students of today will need to hold computational thinking

skills and digital fluency, no matter what they end up doing.”

Elizabeth van den Berg, who teaches Digital Technologies at Otamatea High School in Northland, has been using Code Avengers since 2017.

“I can start a whole class at one point, and allow the more advanced students to move ahead, and I can see the ones who are struggling.

The kids who don’t do well at reading instructions can choose to hear them audibly through headphones, which is great. Management of the class is much easier.”

Van den Berg explains the relevance of Code Avengers to the new curriculum by saying: “It is explained so clearly: I can look at any part of the DT curriculum and Code Avengers explains what it’s all about and how to

TEACHING RESOURCES

teach it, step-by-step. I can see how the material we teach is covering the curriculum, rather than just teaching a program and hoping that the learning will meet criteria. I have used many different programmes, pulling out of them what I think is helpful, but Code Avengers is much better. It’s a complete tool - and it’s being updated and refreshed all the time. We are all learning.”

Code Avengers continues to work with rural and disadvantaged schools and is excited to engage as many students – and teachers - as possible, before the 2020 change.

Code Avengers offer a free, 30-day trial.

Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable consultants about your next project on www.codeavengers.com

43

Healthier nachos in four steps

By Sarah White, Fuelled4life Programme Manager, Heart Foundation

Here are four tips:

Nachos are a popular dish to serve in school tuckshops, canteens and at home.

Instead of store-bought corn chips, try one of the following ideas:

Children love building their own nacho bowl and eating it with their fingers. With ingredients like corn chips, cheese and sour cream, traditional nachos can be high in energy (kilojoules), saturated fat and salt.

By making simple swaps, you can easily put a healthy twist on this Mexican favourite.

1. Start with a healthy base

•

*Baked pita crisps: Wholemeal pita pockets, wraps or tortillas. Cut into pieces and grill until crisp.

•

*Crispy potato rounds: Thinly sliced potato or kumara rounds or wedges, bake until golden.

•

Whole grains like brown rice or quinoa.

Children love building their own nacho bowl and eating it with their fingers

ingredient list and nutrition

2. Give your nacho sauce a nutrition boost

information panel of corn chips.

•

Pack-out your *nacho sauce with lots of veggies (like grated carrot, courgette, corn or canned tomatoes).

•

Add legumes (like kidney beans, black beans or chickpeas) to increase fibre content. This is an affordable way to make your sauce go further.

•

When using meat, choose lean mince or drain the fat when cooking to cut back on saturated fat.

available, compare the

Choose plain corn chips with the least number of ingredients and less saturated

If cooking facilities are not

fat and sodium (salt).

The beauty of nacho sauce is that it can be made in bulk and used in a number of ways.

Try savoury mince on toast or a wholemeal burrito.

44

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

How can Fuelled4life help?

Fuelled4life is based on the Ministry of Health’s Food and Beverage Classification System (FBCS).

3. Add colour and flavour with healthier toppings

4. Add a side of greens

Swap standard sour cream and cheese with a selection of healthier toppings like:

your nachos for even more

•

Chopped capsicum, tomato or *homemade tomato salsa.

• •

•

Serve a crisp salad alongside nutritional goodness. *Full recipes available

and beverages, here’s what to do: Sign up to Fuelled4life for many free resources to help you choose healthier options

It’s a free practical tool which helps schools provide healthier options. It aims to increase access for young people to healthier food and beverages. It inspires food services to provide tasty, nutritious products.

at fuelled4life.org.nz

Sign up to Fuelled4life

Herbs, lemon/lime wedges.

Sarah White works for the Heart

Reduced-fat cheese (e.g. Edam, Noble or reduced fat Tasty).

Foundation as the Fuelled4life

One-in-three Kiwi kids is overweight or obese but you can help change that.

Natural yoghurt, *guacamole or reduced-fat sour cream.

cooking and enjoys helping others

Programme Manager. She is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian and is passionate about food, make healthier lifestyle choices.

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

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

If you are a teacher, principal, canteen manager, caterer or cook and would like to see your school offering healthier food

HeaLtHier ChoIces Made Easy.

Fuelled4life is a practical tool which makes it easier to provide healthier food at your school. Sign up today at fuelled4life.org.nz for our free resources.

FuellEd4liFe.oRg.nZ

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

FOOD & BEVERAGE

45

Managing

mental health in primary vs. secondary students

Final school exams, transition to high school, end of year burnout: all stress can be managed with simple techniques to promote life-long strategies for children

With the spotlight on mental health in October around the world, finding ways to cope with times of stress is a vital life skill for children of all ages.

But many parents and teachers worry about how to help the children in their care manage their mental health.

Across the pond, not-for-profit mental health service Interrelate shared some different suggestions for managing stress in children and teenagers that could prove handy in any school setting…

PRIMARY: 6 ways to manage stress in younger children: 1.

2.

3.

Play a ‘my favourite place’ game and get everyone to close their eyes and imagine they’re in their favourite place. Make sure everyone is hearing and seeing and feeling everything around them. Just five minutes is enough!

Create a free-play art session where the children get to express exactly what they’re feeling right now – no judgements (options 1 -3 make a great combined exercise!)

4.

Use music as a stress reliever, either to calm combined with quiet closed-eyes time, or to create an upbeat, happy, dancing around the room exercise

5.

Embrace the therapeutic effect of blowing bubbles (this works for kids of any age – including the grown-ups!). The deep breath exercise of blowing the bubbles combined with the distraction of the bubbles is an instant stress reducer

6.

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Breathing exercises – deep inhale followed by a deep exhale. This gets rid of the body’s build-up of cortisol (the stress hormone) and is an instant calm. Make it into a regular game and watch kids start to self-manage this exercise when they feel stressed!

Get outside in the fresh air – rain, hail or shine! Movement and activity outside provide an instant stress relief. Combined with a discovery or learning exercise allows the brain to forget about stressful thoughts

HEALTH & SAFETY

SECONDARY: Prompts for managing stress and self-care in teenagers: •

How’s your food and sleep?

Sounds simple but, some healthy nourishment and a good night’s sleep will always make you feel better

•

Take a deep breath, breathe it out and repeat. This simple exercise that you can do anywhere, anytime, reduces the cortisol in your body and helps replace it with the happy hormones (especially good right before an exam!)

•

What’s your favourite place in the world? The beach, your friend’s back yard pool? Close your eyes for five minutes and take yourself there and imagine all the sights and sounds that make it the best place to be.

Feel better?!

•

Be prepared. Obvious right? But, we often spend time worrying instead of preparing. No matter the situation, an exam, an assessment, an interview, a new job, block out some time to prepare and you’ll instantly stop worrying because you’ve filled your brain with knowledge

•

Hang out with your family, no seriously! Get together at dinner, talk about the day, have some banter and remind yourself that these guys have your back

•

Get into your flow. Whether you’re the sporty, arty, crafty or musical type. What’s that thing that takes you somewhere else? The mental distraction and physical distraction helps clear your mind and promotes a better night’s sleep

•

If you’re struggling with something please talk to a trusted adult, whether that’s a parent, teacher, family member or friend. Even if you think it’s not their area of expertise they’ll know how to help

One of the best ways for adults to help children navigate through change is to be present and available. By using simple techniques that can be implemented anywhere and at any time, teachers can help to set up life-long coping mechanisms in children that can help them through stressful situations and retain a healthy outlook on life.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

We must teach mindfulness to all kids Nigel Latta’s latest series, The Curious Mind explores new neuroscience to help us understand our brains and show us how to live better.

This four-part series delved into the miracles of the human mind with Nigel exploring recent discoveries that have rocked the world of science and why we think, act and feel the way we do.

“With The Curious Mind, when we sat down to try and develop a show about the brain we realised there would be much we couldn’t cover.

So we tried to look at the really big things which are central to everyone’s lives: how we are wired to connect with other people, how we learn and remember,” says Nigel Latta.

The team at Mindfulness Education Group and some wonderful kiwi primary school students introduced Nigel and his team to the Pause, Breathe, Smile programme now running in over 250 New Zealand schools.

The benefits the children talked about the programme is backed by several New Zealand studies published in peer reviewed academic journals demonstrating its beneficial effects on mental wellbeing.

•

Increased calmness

•

Improved focus and attention

•

Enhanced self-awareness

•

Improved conflict resolution skills and positive relationships

•

Reduced stress for teachers

•

Statistically significant increase in wellbeing

Sir Peter Gluckman, the Prime Minister’s chief science advisor, produced a report last year on youth suicide. One of the key outtakes from this report was that youth suicide prevention starts with building resilience young.

Nigel Latta said: “Over the last several decades the evidence for Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

the effectiveness of mindfulnessbased training for young people (and adults) has continued to grow. Studies all over the world show that mindfulness training is effective. It helps children and young people develop increased calm and resilience, increased focus and attention, enhanced selfawareness and conflict-resolution skills, increased kindness, empathy, connection and prosocial behaviour, and statistically significant increases in emotional and general wellbeing.”

Pause, Breathe, Smile (PBS) is a locally developed, researched, and curriculum-aligned mindfulness in schools programme. PBS was incubated and developed at the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand led by Grant Rix. The PBS programme is operated by the Mindfulness Education Group, who provide high quality mindfulness training to teachers and other health and education professionals, training them to deliver PBS in their schools.

The skills the children learn through the mindfulness training help them in a wide variety of situations.

Dr Brigid O’Brien, public health physician, supports the Pause, Breathe, Smile programme as it draws on a robust evidence base combining cutting edge science with practical experiential learning and aligns beautifully with the New Zealand curriculum.

It also incorporates the Māori holistic wellbeing model Te Whare Tapa Whā making it relevant from a bicultural and health perspective.

Nigel says: “I have seen kids using the Pause, Breathe, Smile programme first hand, and it was amazing. It gave me hope that maybe we can really do something to turn the tide.”

Book Pause, Breathe, Smile educator training for yourself or your team or read more about the programme and the evidence supporting it online: www. mindfulnesseducation.nz.

Integrate mindfulness with professional learning and development in New Zealand’s only curriculumaligned, evidence-based mindfulness in schools programme.

info@mindfulnesseducation.nz Ph 021 891 910

www.mindfulnesseducation.nz

HEALTH & SAFETY

Pause, Breathe, Smile

47

The future of aquatic education

By Ben Christie, Water Safety New Zealand

New Zealand has a drowning problem. There were 92 preventable* drownings in 2017.

This is an increase of 10, or 12 percent, compared to 2016 (82). The five-year average (2012 – 2016) is 79. While male drownings continue to dominate, eight more females fatally drowned in 2017.

New Zealand’s drowning rate per 100,000 of population is twice that of Australia and four times that of the UK. We have a diverse and rapidly growing population, an expansive network of unpatrolled waterways, beaches, lakes and rivers and high participation rates across a broad range of water based activities.

Meanwhile, levels of aquatic education in our primary schools are declining. A Water Safety New Zealand commissioned survey found that only around a quarter provided a barely acceptable

combination of eight or more lessons of 26-30 minutes duration per year. Based on sector knowledge, WSNZ believes that the minimum should in fact be ten lessons of at least 30 minutes per term.

WSNZ has developed a program to address this issue. It is called Water Skills for Life and is designed to be the basic national standard for aquatics in this country.

WSNZ developed the program off the back of international research, best practice and water safety sector expertise and is now in the implementation phase (phase 2) with the goal of getting it into every primary school.

Water Skills For Life is made up of seven skill sets that contain 27 core skills, it establishes broad fundamental competencies for life-long water safety. It is easier to teach than technical swimming and fun for the students to learn.

Children are taught Water Skills for Life at school, either by their

school teacher in the school or community pool or by a swim teacher at a community pool.

Schools can decide how they teach their students Water Skills For Life. It also has a classroom element on the risks presented by our different aquatic environments and how to assess and manage that risk.

To get Water Skills for Life into every primary school WSNZ is working in partnership with Swimming New Zealand, whose educators provide professional development to schools and swim teachers. Also WSNZ works with funded partners including regional sports trusts, councils and swim schools to deliver Water Skills for Life.

Currently there are 1.7 million student records of progress in the Water Skills for Life database and WSNZ has achieved around 35 percent penetration across the country.

WSNZ is also working with Otago University to test student retention of the skills to ensure the programme is as effective as possible. WSNZ believes

education through Water Skills for Life will bring about a fundamental culture change around water safety in New Zealand.

WSNZ is now approaching phase 3 of its Water Skills for Life roll out and hopes to work with providers and teachers to help them deliver authentic learning experiences for students across a wide and diverse range of abilities, ages and cultures.

To learn more about Water Skills for Life go to www.watersafety. org.nz/forlife *Preventable drowning fatalities are those where water safety sector intervention could have had an influence (for example where the victim was boating, swimming, diving) while nonpreventable include events such as suicides, homicides and vehicle accidents (where water safety education and activity would not have prevented the death).

Kids have fun and learn water safety For children in years 1-8 at school Ask about it

watersafety.org.nz/forlife

48

HEALTH & SAFETY

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Games and hilarious antics at NZTGs 2018 The 2018 New Zealand Teachers’ Games (NZTGs) kicked off in Mount Maunganui on Sunday September 30 and ran through until October 2, where over 600 teachers from all over NZ competed in 19 different sports and events. đ&#x;Ž‰

fun, and good competition we will be back.�

These days were filled with a huge array of events, with something for everyone; however, it was reported that far too much fun was had! There was an incident on the final day, at mixed netball, where both teachers and principals were caught on camera raucously throwing some wild shapes, proving they can also dance – or not! đ&#x;’ƒ

Garry Carnachan, CEO of New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council, said: “The NZ Teachers’ Games for 2018 ended on a high and we thank everyone for their participation, we hope you had fun and spent some valuable time with your colleagues. We will be back in 2019 and look forward to doing it all over again!

Participants were more than eager to join in all the fun, competitions and antics, plus they partook in some action-packed evenings and of course there was the crazy trivia quiz! đ&#x;Ž“ After the success of the inaugural New Zealand Teachers’ Games, expectations were high for the 2nd edition of the games and once again, no one came away disappointed.

Club Mount Maunganui was the HQ for the games and managed to put together a special lunch and dinner menu with much apricated refreshments available to all participants throughout the games.đ&#x;?ş Throughout the whole event, the NZTGs website and Facebook page was constantly updated with news, sports draw and information as it is happened. Many teachers

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Joey Vainikolo: “Thanks team. The Berkley Spartans will be back next year!�

Joey Vainikolo: “What an awesome team! Congratulations Legends.

Next year we go back to back!

NZTG2019.�

Sport Bay of Plenty: “Naaaw � So great to see so many teachers getting involved.�

also shared their photos, support, laughter and thoughts. đ&#x;‘?

NZTGs event manager, Mike Summerell said: “Everyone entered into the spirit of the Games and thoroughly enjoyed the 2018 NZTGs experience. Of course, there was an air of serious competition, but participants also embraced the opportunity to mingle and enjoy each other’s company in a nonschool setting. “I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all our sponsors and sport providers for making this event happen.�

The aim of the games is to reengage teachers in the joy and value of sport because sport in schools reaps so many physical benefits for students. Absolutely, it was about work nevertheless there were also many opportunities for participants to let their hair down – after all what teacher doesn’t want to have fun with their colleagues?

In the end, whether competing seriously, catching up socially or just having a great laugh it was a huge morale-booster. đ&#x;’Ş

Events included: NZ’s Fastest Teacher, the Mount challenge, NZs Fastest Rower đ&#x;šŁâ€?♂ď¸?, Ambrose Golf⛳, Golf Stableford, futsal, badminton, beach volley ball, bowls, netball, hockey and of course The Great Race.

Feedback from 2018 participants on Facebook‌ Sharlene Beard recommends New Zealand Teachers’ Games: “Awesome way of building rapport with colleagues outside of school.

Many, many, many moments of hilarious antics. Great way to end the third term.�

Ali Butcher Foster recommends New Zealand Teachers’ Games: “Just the experience to play and have fun.�

Emma Talbot: “Thank you New Zealand Teachers’ Games What an awesome event! We have had a great couple of days, and so well run! Home now with sore bodies and lots of great memories.

Aquinas College Tauranga will definitely be back next year!�

Attila Kiss: “Great organising, good

SPORTS & RECREATION

“Thanks also to our many supporters who make this event possible; including The Lion Foundation, Sport Bay of Plenty and all the sporting organisations who help to deliver events.�

For more information and plans for the 2019 games go to www. sporty. co.nz/nztg or go to the New Zealand Teachers’ Games page on Facebook.

Competition results: Ambrose Golf Winners - Greenpark School Golf Stableford⛳: Women’s Gold Wendy Bowden Men’s Gold Paul Guthrie (45points) Silver Robert Eketone (42 points) Netball 2018: Womens: 1st Mixyblob, 2nd RHS, 3rd TKKM O Mangere Mixed: 1st #IDK Mixed, 2nd Berkley Mixed, 3rd TDubz

49

Floor your competitors with quality sports gym design

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

From ball response to shock absorption, maintenance demand, price-point and visual design, there’s a lot to think about with gymnasium flooring and therefore a lot that can go wrong.

Cost and quality Rubber and polyurethane are relatively common materials used in primary school flooring and can be inexpensive options but depending on the material, it may wear. Repairing a rubber floor usually involves cutting the damaged part out and refilling that section. The cost of timber varies widely depending on the type selected and can be more expensive but incredibly longlasting if well-maintained. If a floor needs to be pulled up, or replaced, the installation may be more laborious and increase cost regardless of floor choice. There are also some types of flooring, like point elastic floors, for example, that can be laid over the top of existing wood or concrete.

reduction. For high schools, where professional-standard sports training is undertaken it is vital to seek recommendations from international sports bodies.

Wood is a versatile option that can be used for different needs.

For example, where a wooden basketball court would benefit from closer battens, a dancefloor can benefit from a springy underlay. There are also multipurpose materials that seek to balance the needs of most commonly played sports.

It is so important to talk about usage with your supplier to make sure your gym floor is fit-forpurpose. Ask about different options for different sports as well as age groups!

Aesthetic and usage Vinyl and rubber-type point elastic flooring can come in all colours and designs, customised for the need and preference of each school while wooden floors vary in type and finish but offer a classic feel. Court lines are usually painted over wood and poured into the construction of rubber or polyurethane floor designs.

A bright, fun floor design might encourage students to get out there and have a go; while a traditional, classic vibe might inspire professionalism among teammates. Think about what style of flooring promotes your school ethos and let that be a guide.

One thing to consider is seating to avoid scratching or damaging your brand-new floors unnecessarily.

While all these floor types come with various guarantees and warranties, it makes sense to consider how often (and how much) seating will be required in the gym. Rubber-type flooring might be better at reducing noise from shuffling chairs in and out while wood might provide more stability for permanent courtside seating.

Questions to ask •

Who will be using the gym floor? Is it a multi-purpose hall or just for sports?

•

Will you need to prepare for school assembly chair set ups, or portable stages?

•

Which sports will be played?

Shock absorption Timber provides better shock absorption than hard concrete, and works more effectively for heavier bodies. Primary school children may not find timber the bounciest choice. Point elastic flooring may be better at breaking falls for smaller sports players but cushioned vinyl is another option that provides resilience against injury and promotes noise

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Know what court lines you’ll need.

•

Will you need international certification? Competitive sports have regulations that could limit your design.

•

What is your budget?

•

What lighting is in your gym?

This should influence colour choice. Do you need to absorb or reflect light?

•

What materials do you think you want? It’s good to approach suppliers with an idea of what you like.

•

What level of maintenance are you prepared to carry out? Think about this in terms of a daily, weekly, quarterly and yearly schedule.

•

Does the proposed flooring consider the critical radiant flux required for fire code?

•

How long will this flooring last? What will future upgrades look like and how much will they cost?

Mistakes to avoid •

Too many games lines are confusing for younger teammates. Make sure lines are colour-coded in junior schools

•

Tape will damage court surfaces and many floortypes. Think ahead to avoid the necessity.

•

Failing to establish a maintenance plan is a big no-no.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

“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 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.

“We have worked closely with the Ministry of Education on specific

SPORTS & RECREATION

projects to help upgrade floors which have simply not been up to standard”.

“With over 300 gymnasium floors throughout NZ we have the expertise to advise schools what will work best, ensuring their students have the right springboard to perform at their peak”.

To discuss your school’s indoor or outdoor sports court surfacing requirements, contact Shaun Clark at Hardwood Technology, Phone 0508 765 537 or Email shaun@hardwood.co.nz

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Watch the clock!

Stellar scoreboards motivate teams

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Buying a scoreboard for your school will certainly thrill students and the wider school community but it’s a notable expense.

So, getting the best value for money, perusing every option and considering what the scoreboard will be used for (and in what setting!) is absolutely critical.

These flashy units now come with an array of bells and whistles, from LED to SMART functionality, video and multimedia capabilities, wireless controls and even wifi.

Schools can factor in price, space and frequency of use to choose between boards with a basic scoring function to full-blown video scoreboards that display live-action replays and animation to enhance the excitement of any sporting experience (and integrate other school subjects to boot).

Industry insights from the field Perennial spokesperson Geoff Boorer told School News about how apps can integrate with SMART scoreboards to maximise function and usability.

He described scoreboards that can be controlled through a specially designed app and

!

EW

N

make use of multi-sport or multi-functional screens. “Apps enable the scoreboard to easily convert into a screen that can be used as an outdoor cinema to display coaching replays as well as for events, outdoor lessons, presentations, fetes and festivals, and much more,” he revealed.

SMART scoreboards that integrate with a media player app are able to cast video and images from mobile devices, connect to YouTube and many also have a USB port

for file uploads. Other boards have HDMI capabilities like a SMART TV would have, and many can connect to AirPlay or Chromecast devices. It’s quite a step up from the boards of old.

Gymleader representative, Troy Hardy told us about the benefits of wireless remote use. “The new technology in scoreboards is the introduction of wireless remotes, which can be operated from anywhere inside the gym.

They have complete control of the scoreboards and shot clocks remotely,” he said.

These wireless controls assume that the screen is functional and visible from every angle of the room, gym, hall, or wherever else the scoreboard is located. As Troy added: “Wireless integration is important as well as the size of the digital display (character height on the board). This is critical for audience members viewing from a greater distance as well as the players on court.

Some scoreboards in the past have been challenged with displays both numbers sizes and brightness.”

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Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

So, how can you figure out what size scoreboard you will need?

The best idea is to call up a supplier and have them assess the space and need. Chantal Catlin, the spokeswoman from Proto, confirmed: “Schools and clubs should have a good idea about the application they desire from their scoreboards to ensure they get a solution that will work for them. This includes supplying relevant information about the proposed site, whether it’s indoor, outdoor, in the direct sun or temperature controlled, etc.”

A lot can change depending on what sport you want scored, or how versatile the scoring/screen needs to be. Troy gave basketball as an example: “There’s nothing better for the players to have a shot clock 300mm above the backboard for them to make decisive decisions during game play; however, more important than that is for the referees to have good visibility as they control the game.”

Geoff spoke about the versatility element, explaining that when “scoreboards are currently integrated with uses for cricket rugby, football, field hockey and athletics, a well-designed app can also be used on SMART scoreboards to cater to other sports, such as netball and lacrosse”.

Long-term maintenance is a question that crops up on the topic of scoreboards: who wouldn’t want to maintain that glossy, newly installed appeal?

Chantal even revealed that she’s Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

known schools to build “cages or screens to protect scoreboards that might be susceptible to damage caused by ball impact”.

Which could be a great idea, especially if your scoreboard has a video-capable screen. Troy also noted that protective units can give “fantastic security to repel all ball invasion and stop damage”.

“Indoor and outdoor systems should be cleaned and maintained as one would any piece of electronic equipment do not drench in water, just try to minimise dust and cobwebs in the scoreboard environment and handle portable units with care,” Chantal added.

Geoff clarified that many scoreboards can be used and left outside in any weather conditions. He said: “If the scoreboards get dirty they can be sprayed with water or wiped with a damp cloth.”

For those schools who are looking to upgrade, rather than purchase from scratch, there are also a bounty of options.

Some scoreboard suppliers offer exchanges, for instance, if a school needs to upgrade to a larger stand. Soft ware and hardware upgrades are also available to futureproof a new purchase or make the most out of an older investment.

It is highly recommended that if you get curious about scoreboards you visit with a team or a local installation to get an idea of what appeals. Bring those observations with you when you talk to a supplier and it will speed up the process.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

53

security Not on your watch:

over the school holidays

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

In the most recent school holidays alone, three Taupō primary schools were hit up by vandals.

Tauhara Primary School principal, Anne Cameron told Stuff that slats were broken on a painted bench that has been lovingly donated to the school, and those slats were used to smash windows.

Not only did the vandalism mean the school would have to pay for repairs, but it also frightened the students and staff.

Otorohanga South School staff returned from the holidays to find 20 destroyed windows and another nearby school reported injury to its doors, windows and junior sand pit.

Keeping a school secure over the holidays can be a tricky feat; police often suspect teenagers but it’s rare that anyone comes forward or spots the vandals in action. The best thing schools can do is try to prepare and prevent as much damage as possible.

The first step is risk assessment: the Ministry can even provide a security assessment that is tailored to your school if

54

your school is in vandalism risk category E, or has applied for vandalism top-up funding for three consecutive years.

Alternatively, if your school has suffered property damage in the past, the Ministry may pay for a formal security audit.

For schools that don’t meet those criteria, you can undertake your own audit by following the Risk Management Planning Tool provided by the Ministry online or use a licensed

security consultant who is a member of a professional body, such as the New Zealand Institute of Architects or the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand.

Once risk areas have been identified, there are a multitude of ways to strengthen security: clearly signposting alarm systems, CCTV and security patrols is a great way to help deter vandals and thieves. The Ministry suggests placing your

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signs behind a see-through fence, or somewhere clearly visible but difficult to deface or hide behind.

Security lighting is also important as it will prevent blind spots or dark shadows in CCTV footage and strong visibility will act at a deterrent if would-be vandals know they could easily be seen. Security lighting and infra-red lights have the added benefit of surprising trespassers, discouraging them

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

from entering. The sudden bright lights may also trigger neighbours to keep an eye out or call police. Professionals should be brought in to install the lights in places that will be most impactful and most difficult to deface or disarm.

One of the most effective ways to secure a school after-hours is to establish a strong boundary.

With a solid boundary fence, onlookers will note that the school is secure and students, parents and teachers can feel safe during term time. Fencing is popular, as trees or landscaping can be scaled and walls feel too imposing.

School News spoke with Urban Group’s Fergus Stewart about his thoughts and views on creating a safe boundary for schools over the holidays. He suggested: “Selecting a fence that is an open tubular design (such as a tubular aluminium panel) makes it difficult to tag compared to timber fencing.

Specifying the correct sized posts is also important, as a minimum, 65x65 posts are

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

recommended. Galvanised steel posts are the best option.”

Interestingly, Fergus revealed that while steel was traditionally used in school fencing applications, there is now a trend towards robust, aluminium fencing due to inherent rusting issues and health and safety concerns. He insisted that it is essential for a school fence to have square

vertical bars, at least 25x25mm in size to ensure adequate robustness and that “fencing with spikes, while might seem a good idea to keep intruders out, are now illegal to install around school grounds”.

On funding and Ministry regulations, he said: “Current MOE specifications call for a fence of at least 1.5m high, but I would recommend going 1.8m to

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futureproof the school as this is a lot more difficult to climb.

“Funding for school fences is usually easy to obtain through the Ministry of Education if, for example, there is a significant health and safety issue prevalent, such as a busy main road (100 km/ph) or a special needs application where a student is inclined to leave school grounds.”

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Pumpwith the heat max efficiency

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

We have firmly entered the age of environmental concern, yet we know that temperature control in classrooms is vital to creating a quality learning environment.

According to the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, 10 degrees Celsius is the lowest acceptable temperature for a teaching classroom.

Experts have also pointed out the importance of room temperature to learning with anywhere higher than

bad for cognition and learning and as such new studies aren’t warranted,” he noted.

10 degrees Celsius is the lowest acceptable temperature for a teaching classroom 28 degrees often cited as detrimental to concentration.

University of the Sunshine Coast School of Education Associate Professor, Michael Nagel has said that studies dating as far back as the 1930s indicate a link between classroom

School News journalist Kat Donaghey compiled a few relevant findings from various studies from over the years, and found that:

temperature and learning ability.

Nagel claims the human brain is extremely heat sensitive, which directly impacts cognition: “It is significant to note that there is not a great deal of new research in this field as it is widely accepted that heat is

• Heat stress dramatically lowers scores in intellectual and physical tasks (Taylor, H.L. and Orlansky, J., 1993).

• Reading comprehension declines when the ambient temperature of a room reaches 23 degrees celsius. Math skills decline above 25 degrees celsius (Lackney, J., 1994).

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• Classrooms kept between 20 and 23 degrees celsius are the most comfortable for students (Harner, D.P., 1974).

low outdoor temperature performance and room occupancy sensors.”

SchoolNews spoke with a couple of leaders in this sector to find out what’s available for schools in 2018.

Jarrad, from HVAC-I told us that custom plans can often be put together based on a school’s needs. “Heat pumps can cater for the tiniest of offices to the largest of halls and there is an option to connect multiple indoor units to one outdoor unit. There are also cassettes installed flush to the ceiling that blow out in four directions, or a floor or underceiling console unit that does not take up much wall space.”

Industry insights on what’s available

Guidance on energy efficiency

Derek Miles from Temperzone explained that there are different types of heat pumps, including wall mounts, floor mounts, cassettes, underceiling, in-ceiling ducted, rooftop, single or multi-zone types. “These different types of heat pumps suit different applications, e.g. small/ large room, high/low ceiling, and other features worthy of consideration include quietness, air filtration levels, outdoor coil protection,

Most people are familiar with there being energy rating labels supplied on refrigerators, and heat pumps in showrooms are also required to display energy efficiency information so schools can compare performance between models.

Derek added: “Some units include additional energy saving functionality, for example, motion detector to check room occupancy so that when the room is empty, the set temperature drops back to

Still, in a nation such as ours, temperature control is no easy feat. Outdoor temperature, seasonal change and the impact of global warming has made it necessary for schools to purchase and maintain quality heat pumps and air conditioning units.

use less energy.” In terms of optimum temperature guides, Jarrad offered that “21 degrees is a good temperature to use all year round, in summer and winter” as schools can have timers set up to ensure that heat pumps come on and off at the right times. “Another option is installing a wired all controller to operate the heat pump instead of a remote control. This can be set up with restricted access meaning that only a certain range of temperatures can be selected so that it can’t be misused and will operate at the best efficiency.”

Power usage data is often now included on controls but Derek warned that this “requires some analysis to be useful”. If the heat pump is to operate at low outdoor temperatures (less than -10°C) for long periods, then he advises to check out the ‘H2 performance’ before purchase.

The need to refurbish or replace Derek explained: “Older air conditioning units eventually need replacing. A lot of older units used R22 refrigerant

which is no longer freely available and is expensive. New air conditioners use R410A or R32 refrigerant, the later of which has a lower global warming potential. Both types are more efficient than their R22 predecessors therefore reducing running costs. Some brands still have spare parts available which can extend the life of your air conditioning system.”

Jarrad agreed that “the latest range of heat pumps use a newer type of refrigerant called R32 which is more energy efficient and better for the environment”.

He added that training and maintenance is a vital way to keep your units working well.

Schools should aim to have “a regular service plan that suits the school, which might include existing systems and/ or ventilation systems”. He stressed that the on-site facilities manager should be shown how to do basic maintenance: “It can be a simple case of educating the staff on the basics of how best to operate them.”

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Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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Choosing the right shade structures to meet needs

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

placed to shade the users as the sun-path moves across the sky”. Basically, the view of the open sky should be restricted, which “can be done by keeping the edges low”. Adjacent landscape, buildings, fences, trees and planting can be used to further reduce this ‘sky view’.

Making sure students have areas to relax, play and even work on school grounds that are shaded and comfortable is no easy feat.

That’s because blocking out UV rays in New Zealand can mean blocking out the warm sun and making the environment too cold for students to use comfortably. For this reason, schools should carefully consider what areas they would like students to be able to use, and what shade structure would create the optimum solution.

An ideal solution to shade provision requirements that also provides dry areas year-round, the Archgola™ system frame is made from strong NZsourced galvanised steel tubes, locked and screwed together with a unique series of fittings and high tensile steel screws ensuring maximum strength.

The Suntuf™ polycarbonate roofing blocks 99.9% of harmful UV rays.

– Sandra Grocott, Archgola

Schools should also note that darker fabrics absorb more UVR than lighter ones and factor that into their decision.

Ministry rules and regulations The Ministry specifies that school boards must provide their own funding for shade structures. Shade sails are a recognised as a 5 Year Agreement (5YA) funding priority four project, meaning schools can pay to install shade sails with board funding, such as fundraising or a community grant and if they do, they must also use board funding to pay for any required maintenance and insurance.

Verandas are recognised as a 5YA priority three project if they are part of creating an outdoor learning area and if the veranda is part of a roof replacement project, this will be priority two.

How much shade should schools provide?

While most schools include hats in their uniform policy and parents know that sunscreen is always recommended, students tend to be reluctant to wear either on a regular basis.

Particularly during lunchtime or if working outside on a project, children are likely to remove their hats at some stage.

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Dark tone high-mass paving is recommended to help create ‘warm shade’. Shade materials like polycarbonate are good at transmitting light and heat while blocking UVR, whereas solid metal structures create an opaque separation from the sun but also radiate heat.

Types of shade structures Shade sails offer a colourful solution to the problem of harmful UV rays.

Most frequently used in recreational areas, these are open-sided structures with a top cover that is usually made from a canvas or plastic-type material to provide shade.

Proper shading has the added bonus of creating shelter, reducing glare and also providing relief from the heat of the sun during summer Teenagers can be particularly reluctant to wear sunscreen on a daily basis.

Specifying the amount of shade schools should aim to provide, the Cancer Society of NZ publication, recommends a minimum of 2.5m2 per student.

Proper shading has the added bonus of creating shelter, reducing glare and also

providing relief from the heat of the sun during summer.

Depending on the type of shade structure, it can also help protect from rain or snow during winter.

According to Sunsmart Schools, an initiative of the Cancer Society of NZ, high protective shade used outdoors “must use an excellent UVR barrier shading material and be

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The Ministry advises that schools carefully consider whether an open-sided structure will serve your school’s requirements.

Depending on your location, sails can be damaged in harsh weather conditions.

Canopies, permanent awnings, walkways and veranda-style structures focus on building fixed, durable shelter from various weather types.

Some suppliers offer a lifetime warranty on these structures, which have a roof rather than an umbrella-style shade.

Some of these attach to a school’s main building while others are built as standalone structures.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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They are more frequently used as external learning spaces, where students would not necessarily be expected to wear hats or sunscreen before entering for a classroom activity.

Open-sided structures used in more recreational areas, on the other hand, focus on providing additional sun protection for students during playtime activities where students would be asked to wear hats and sunscreen as well.

Umbrellas are a great solution for portability, where shade or shelter might be required as part of a school trip, or brought onto a sports field as a ‘cool down zone’ for students.

Smaller shade structures can also be used to provide outdoor lunch areas for students to sit.

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Another benefit of temporary umbrella structures, is that they can be moved out of direct sunlight when not in use, which will help prevent fabric deterioration.

Canvas-style shade sails or umbrellas are also available

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

for use indoors during summer months; for instance, in a lobby or hallway with large windows where there’s lots of foot traffic.

Installing verandas and permanent structures The Ministry advises schools that decide to build a permanent shade structure, such as a veranda, attach it to the main building structure, cover it with permanent material or translucent plastic sheeting and, if possible, “use it to help to reduce glare to classrooms and create indooroutdoor flow”.

Most of these structures will be custom-built to suit a particular campus need or requirement, so it’s worth asking for a supplier to come and visit before giving you a quote.

Particularly if the space will be used as an extended learning area, it would be useful for the supplier to know what type of classroom requirements there

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might be. An enviro-learning, or gardening space may have slightly different needs to an art room or STEM space.

For example, if power outlets are required that should be factored in, not to mention whether the structure will

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Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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61

Outdoor furniture

in learning environments

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Have you noticed that the theme of outdoor learning environments shines brightly in this issue of School News?

Many studies expound the amazing benefits to children’s mental and physical health when they spend time learning and playing away from their usual classroom environment.

When they are immersed in nature, embracing exciting adventures, experiences and communities they grow and develop creativity, imaginatively and intelligently.

In Ken Robinson’s 2006 talk, Do Schools Kill Creativity? he states: “We know three things about intelligence: One, it’s diverse… We think about the world in all the ways that we experience it. We think visually, we think in sound, we think kinaesthetically. We think in abstract terms, we think in movement.”

There are many reasons to create wonderful learning spaces within your school’s outdoor environment, so it makes so much sense. An inspired outdoor classroom area should be a consideration not just because children get so much from them, but because these spaces are

62

Park Benches Limited picnic table

Creativity flourishes in creative spaces: dare to be different also very practical. An ideal solution when schools need to expand their classroom space when class sizes increase, they can also reduce noise and maximise the use of school grounds.

SchoolNews looks at both creative and more traditional outdoor furniture ideas to help you create stimulating, relaxing and creative learning spaces in and around your school. Furthermore, a

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dedicated outdoor area with the addition of protection from the elements provides an ideal learning environment for hands-on lessons, especially conducive to messy art projects.

Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

Park Benches Limited tree surround seating

Park Benches Limited picnic table

Top tips

for learning, playing or relaxing.

Think carefully about the design and layout of your outdoor spaces and get advice from specialised suppliers and why not include your students.

Consider furniture that has a dual purpose. Ask, can it be also used for outdoor dining or to encourage social engagement?

Or choose specialised seating arrangements that include items such as bike racks.

Create some comfy meeting points to encourage your students to communicate and form relationships, use a variety benches, seating and equipment to construct gathering places

Tree Surrounds: Sized to suit the tree

Remember to provide a variety shapes and sizes of outdoor seating around the library, outdoor cafeterias, galleries,

amphitheatres and any other spaces that students use.

Creativity flourishes in creative spaces: dare to be different.

Safety must also be a priority.

Your furniture choices must be sturdy and durable, consider the amount of use, the weather conditions and make sure your supplier offers quality options that are built to last.

Maintenance is important.

Find out how to care for your furniture and take that into account.

Installation: does your furniture need to be cemented into the ground or bracketed to a wall?

Graffiti: can it be easily removed from your chosen furniture?

We think that perfect outdoor furniture for educational premises is only limited by budget and lack of creativity.

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Picnic Tables: Options: 2 metres, 2.4, 3.6, 4.8 Term 4, 2018 | schoolnews.co.nz

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