School News - NZ - Term 1, 2019

SchoolNews The essential industry guide

Issue 44 | Term 1, 2019 | NZD $12 incl GST | schoolnews.co.nz

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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 one issue Front Desk Should we be encouraging high school students to go to university?................................. 05

News Round-Up Why we are quitting: teachers reveal all............ 06

Advertising Conditions The publisher reserves the right to refuse to publish or to republish without any explanation for such action. The publisher, it’s employees and agents will endeavour to place and reproduce advertisements as requested but takes no responsibility for omission, delay, error in transmission, production deficiency, alteration of misplacement. The advertiser must notify the publisher of any errors as soon as they appear, otherwise the publisher accepts no responsibility for republishing such advertisements. If advertising copy does not arrive by the copy deadline the publisher reserves the right to repeat existing material.

Disclaimer Any mention of a product, service or supplier in editorial is not indicative of any endorsement by the author, editor or publisher. Although the publisher, editor and authors do all they can to ensure accuracy in all editorial content, readers are advised to fact check for themselves, any opinion or statement made by a reporter, editor, columnist, contributor, interviewee, supplier or any other entity involved before making judgements or decisions based on the materials contained herein.

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PO Box 5104, Papanui, Christchurch, 8542, NZ Phone: (03) 365 5575 Fax: (03) 365 1655 mail@schoolnews.co.nz www.schoolnews.co.nz ISSN: 2624-2389 (Print) ISSN: 2624-2397 (Digital)

What's going on? – Tidbits from the Twitterverse................................................................... 08

Education What do I say? “Dead, dying, death.”................... 10 The reality of working in a Christ-centred school.............................................................................. 14 Because learning differences exist..................... 16

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DESIGN & PRODUCTION Richard McGill, production@schoolnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Dee Dawson, advertising@schoolnews.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Stephen Walters, Carla McNeil, Julie Connor, Branko Cvjetan, Dr Cathy Buntting and Dr Mohammod Lutful Kabir.

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

Exploring ideas for a sustainable school.......... 21 School gardening and children’s agency: a case study.................................................................. 24

Profiles

What's Hot 28 Administration How to win the fundraising game........................ 30 Replicating the red carpet: school balls to impress........................................................................... 36 Meet the innovators: A flexible learning lookbook........................................................................ 38 ILE furniture boosts staff wellbeing at Auckland primary school................................... 40

Teacher's Desk

14

Upcoming Events....................................................... 41

Teaching Resources Book Reviews............................................................... 41 The STEAM era has dawned for our schools.. 42 How to create your own STEAM programme.................................................................... 46 What’s so hot about STEAM?................................ 47 Meet the schoolboys spearheading flipped learning........................................................................... 48 More Book Reviews................................................... 49

E.O.T.C.

26

Hōpara Wellington..................................................... 50 Boosting mental health and skyrocketing resilience........................................................................ 52

Food & Beverage Spruce up your menu for summer...................... 54

Sports & Recreation Sports Day is everyone’s chance to shine........ 56

Property Solar power: Sun, STEM & stimulating cost savings.................................................................. 59

KEY Supplier information or content

Course gives valuable dyslexia insights............ 20

The future of education in a tiny fruit sticker.................................................................... 26

EDITOR Rosie Clarke, editor@schoolnews.co.nz STAFF WRITERS Mandy Clarke

Understanding different learning styles............ 18

36 FRONT DESK

School-gen powers STEM learning..................... 60 Success within New Zealand Solar Schools... 62 Get a grip on versatile floor options................... 64 Planning a playground or upgrade?.................... 68 Deciphering intent: suicidal ideation in school.............................................................................. 71 Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Should we be encouraging high school students to go to university?

Kia ora and welcome!

The problem is that university 'ain't what it used to be'. Student loans were brought into effect in 1992, with 317,000 New Zealanders owing between $10,000 and $50,000 in 2018 alone. Prior to signing up for a 'mind mortgage', before 1992 tertiary students received bursaries from the government.

Ninety percent of all kids who move into tertiary education now will have student debt.

It feels wrong to tell kids not to go to university but are we giving them the full story?

For decades, higher education has been a marker of success and better jobs but times have changed.

In New Zealand, Baby Boomers (age 49-65) were far less likely to have undertaken a bachelor's degree than Millennials (born after 1990).

In the census, less than 20 percent of Boomers graduated university while 33 percent of Millennials have at least one bachelor's degree. In fact, Boomers were almost twice as likely as Millennials not to have secondary school qualifications.

Instead, Boomers benefitted from on-the-job training and apprenticeships.

Perhaps because they weren’t at

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

university, they had children in their early 20s, didn’t travel and bought houses. There is certainly a sense that what Boomers didn't do, they encouraged their children to do. So we see subsequent generations travelling more, having children later in life and, yep, going to university.

According to Ministry of Education statistics, recent graduates make good money in New Zealand.

Young, domestic graduates who complete higher-level qualifications certainly earn more on average than those who complete lower ones, with the biggest jump in earnings between young people with qualifications below degree level and those with degrees.

That sounds pretty good and might be what is encouraging parents and teachers to motivate teenagers towards university.

Still, paying back student loans is a downside for recent graduates with weekly loan repayments sitting at 12 percent of every dollar earned over $374pw. While travel is popular among young New Zealanders, if they leave the country for more than 183 days they will be charged interest on their student loans and if they miss repayments they can be arrested at the border.

Meanwhile, ignoring student loans, by the age of 30 a plumber will have earned $21,000 more than a medical graduate, according to a study by consultancy firm Scarlatti.

I’m not saying university is a waste of time: quite the contrary, based on statistics, it is the best chance young New Zealanders have at earning the most money.

But I do think we should hesitate before normalising university as the only option for teenagers who want to be successful.

Noho ora mai

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

FRONT DESK

05

Why we are quitting: teachers reveal all

NZEI surveys of teachers and principals who quit the profession last year show they left mainly due to a lack of work/ life balance and burnout from high workload.

The survey respondents included 169 primary and 201 secondary teachers and principals. Sadly for the profession, fewer than 10 percent intended to return to teaching.

Former Bunnythorpe primary school principal Margie Sutherland said: "It is definitely the workload. I heard from a group of secondary teachers at a wedding on the weekend and they were saying the same thing.

It is not all about the money.

For older teachers like me, it’s about making the job realistic.”

NZEI Te Riu Roa president Lynda Stuart said: “This survey shows why teachers and principals have been so resolute in rejecting the Ministry's collective agreement offers so far.”

PPTA President Jack Boyle said: “Nearly half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years. Watching the spark go out in an awesome young teacher’s eyes is heart-breaking.”

06

Reason for leaving

Workload or Burnout Primary Secondary

(more than one reason could be given)

Work/Life Balance

76% 62%

Primary Secondary

81% 51%

What secondary teachers leaving the profession said:

enough to leave (and maybe return one day), I'm going to take the chance while I still can."

"At the end of my first two years in teaching, I have come to the decision that the expectations on me as a teacher are simply too high for what I get in return. The workload is far too large and the hours given to complete it too few, which has led to increasing stress in all areas of my life."

"Far too much teaching for assessment rather than for learning and critical thinking.

Endless administration, pointless meetings and increasingly unreasonable expectations of extracurricular cover."

"If I was older I would stay and build a career but as I'm young

"I have never seen teacherburnout as rife as it is today and the current teacher shortage is a major problem that is in

NEWS ROUND-UP

Pay no longer attractive Primary Secondary

47% 35%

part caused by great teachers leaving the profession simply so they can have time out to recover the burn out. This is just not acceptable and something must be done immediately to ensure that great teachers do not leave the profession."

"Part-time is not financially attractive due to only being paid for your contact hours and a percent loading, which doesn't cover the many hours spent in a mentoring capacity."

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

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"As a part-time teacher, I found the expectations for attendance at meetings and additional duties, coupled with perceptions of my workload (i.e. if I wasn’t seen to be working on school premises, then I was ‘not pulling my weight’) were not fair or reasonable. In addition, poor communication, lack of consultation and lack of genuine appreciation from the senior leaders at my school made a demanding job even harder. I feel my goodwill has been abused and taken for granted, time and time again. I’m sad to leave my students. Working with them was the best part of my day, every day."

A maximum of one hour a week meetings in my own time. Here, one hour non-contact, six hours of meetings in my own time. I would rather be poor than put up with these conditions."

"I am supportive of changes to the way we teach and new initiatives but the quantity of these and time pressure put on staff in which to change within was crippling.

This combined with a lack of backing from SLT and a disconnect between the people making the decisions and the people actually implementing them was too much to manage. A job is not worth this."

4 things the Ministry’s doing about the #TeacherShortage:

"I work on average 65-70 hours a week during term time and at least 50 percent of every school holidays too. The work load combined with daily behaviour management issues in the classroom make stress levels too high and staying in my job unattractive. In fact, my teaching job is making me very unwell both physically and mentally."

1.

Allocating 230 National Beginning Teacher Grants and 60 Auckland Beginning Teacher places, to help increase the recruitment of new teachers.

2.

Expanding the Voluntary Bonding Scheme to Decile 1 - 3 state and state-integrated schools in Auckland, and to new teachers in shortage subjects e.g. sciences, maths, which targets graduates entering the teaching workforce.

What primary teachers leaving the profession said: "I taught for 15 years in Melbourne.

Returning to NZ, I was appalled by the lack of funding, class sizes, workload, troublesome parents, number of meetings, etc. I don't miss teaching at all. I love my new job and am making less money but my lifestyle and work experience is so much more rewarding and less stressful. Teaching in NZ is not something I would encourage anyone to undertake."

"Love the kids, hate the structure of the profession.

The stress and workload was taxing on my wellbeing."

"My husband and I are both teachers. We want to start a family but there is no way we could comfortably raise a family on our wages... we had friends in similar positions who also had to give up teaching. We have headed overseas to earn more income and teach with better work conditions.

So far it has been amazing!"

"I love teaching, I love my students. I think I am very good at it. But it’s just too much. It has to be your entire life, and I am no longer prepared to give that much while sacrificing my, and my family’s wellbeing."

"I am still employed in Australia, but have returned to NZ for family reasons. My pay there as a senior experienced teacher is 101k. Here I got 59k. There I had minimum of two hours no contact per week.

08

3.

Helping more than 1200 teachers enrol in the Teacher Education Refresh programme to either return or remain in the profession.

4.

Increasing the opportunities for people to apply for TeachNZ scholarships to three times a year, which encourages more people into teaching in the areas where there is the greatest need e.g. science, technology, maths, te reo Māori and Māori medium.

What’s going on?

Tidbits from the Twitterverse

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nd? Good ’ to what e ns rk o w o d "’Actually dent citize es or confi g that d ra g m a x e y thin dapt to an ht a girl who ready to a ug ta I ? ir way - did A nah comes the lf-harmed e s d e n a s e d atNZ ra h @ ana r a M c G r e g C d p e to # t o g go h ? " e ram rk o c g re g r tion "w “Creativ or her educa it y is foun subjec d a c ts is high . Mathematic ross all ly crea tive. Th s, for example mathem e , using p atics is to so purpose of lve pro revious blems, knowle formula dg solutio e to find new s and ns. Tha t is cre innovative ativity. #edcha tNZ orge S t Ge e M a r y S t G e o rg ry @Ma

their as s e s s onde r to ly e k li Iw ls e more er s do . ring gir Girls ar s their teach r was compa rably. a a o work er the auth ved comp ievers wheth ys who achiehat high ach edchat and bo eady know t Thoughts? # We alr sess bet ter. self-as

M ela n @me ie D. lulate r

I won't that do be voting to pay bo es not give u accept an off recruit ost, address s a significa er n m w & does ent & reten orkload & t t n io 't n p ut of specia l need in place rea teachers, s kids l & their suppor t for t e ach e rs .

Why aren't we teaching NZ history?

The New Zealand History Teachers' Association claims we lag behind most other countries in failing to coherently teach our own past to our children.

A petition has been launched and the NZHTA said: “There is no requirement in the NZ Curriculum (NZC) document; there is only one Achievement Objective in the entire NZC that specifically focuses on our shared past – at Level 5 in the Social Sciences Learning Area: ‘Understand how the Treaty of Waitangi is responded to differently by people in different times and places.’

Even this is not compulsory.”

Jef f O’S h @joshie eilds ldsWH S

Awesome da using wo y of creativit y - W rds from riting sign sphero, V R, magaz s on our road, ine poetr of course y an the day s tar ted wit d reflection ha using LEG O! #

NEWS ROUND-UP

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

New school signage stands out...

Northcote Intermediate School engaged WiPath, a leader in electronic school LED signage to provide an electronic signage solution for their student-centred learning environment.

Now proudly displayed at the front of the school is an impressive plinth style digital LED sign.

WiPath was chosen for this project, due to the its extensive experience of installing electronic school LED sign solutions in schools, with over 300 school installations to date.

Their solutions incorporate both static and dynamic signage, on a wide variety of customised structures to suit individual school environments and allows for any special community requirements.

School principal, Ben Kelsey told us: “We believe in promoting a love of learning and an interest in the local and global environment through our curriculum.

We wanted our signage to reflect our values, look great, promote our school, and make communication with the wider

school signs in New Zealand since 2007 WiPath was trusted

by Northcote Intermediate School to provide the highquality solution they sought. One that would meet their unique requirements.

Ben said: “Not only does our new digital signage look fantastic it is also very easy to use. It is quick and simple to upload messages, this suits our needs because we like to share information often, this digital signage solution saves us time.”

community easier. However, our biggest demand was for us to be able to effectively share our student’s outstanding success stories in: sport, culture, and performing arts.

After a consultation with WiPath a huge double-sided sign was chosen and mounted perpendicular to the road to ensure the best visibility for

passing traffic in both directions.

Unlike traditional signage that requires skills in graphic design and signwriting, this electronic signage required skills in electronics, IT and communications and this is where WiPath’s expertise came in.

He added: “We are very happy with our new sign, we believe that it perfectly reflects our student-centred school ethos.

WiPath supplied and installed the sign and we were satisfied with the total cost of the project.

I was particularly impressed with how well they communicated with us before, during and after the installation, the attention to detail, follow up and after care service was superb. I would highly recommend WiPath.”

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Release Year -| schoolnews.co.nz Issue - XX Term 1,-2019

SECTION NEWS ROUND-UP

schoolnews.co.nz

XX 09

What

do I say?

“Dead, dying, death.”

Grief is part of life but for teachers, it’s also part of the job that rarely gets talked about.

What do you say to students after a death in their family, or in your school community?

This is the question that School News has received from multiple teachers in the last six months, so it’s a question we took to relevant bodies on a quest to find some answers.

Death, trauma and even suicide can, and likely will, invade the culture of every school in some way at some point and while the Ministry of Education provides plenty of resources for schools, these often centre around school management.

For classroom teachers who are interacting with children on a daily basis, grief has many faces.

At any given time, teachers can experience feelings of pressure to identify at-risk kids, confusion around language and not knowing what to say to grieving students.

Teachers have also expressed reluctance to engage in conversations about grief and mental health with students in fear of ‘saying the wrong thing’ or getting in trouble with school authorities. Above all, teachers have told us they struggle to strategise around suicide and suicidal ideation.

Out of respect for privacy, School News has not named or identified any of the teachers or schools included in this article.

10

When something traumatic happens The Ministry of Education’s advice for schools regarding grief is more broad and focusses on principals, school leaders and pastoral care. First, they do not employ grief counsellors or provide counselling. They can refer schools to relevant specialists that individuals can access through CAFS/ CAHMS but funding for whole school counselling by a visiting psychologist or qualified grief counsellor, particularly after a suicide has taken place, is not common.

As Skylight resource centre coordinator Raewyn Hewitt explains: “In New Zealand, school counsellors often deal with issues that arise for the students within their schools. Where necessary, students are referred for external counselling. There is very little public funding available for counselling for those impacted by suicide. Often regional funding is accessed, or a GP may be able to access funding by making a referral to local mental health providers (CAHMS).”

Schools are encouraged to designate a ‘support room’ where upset students and teachers can attend when overwhelmed.

Self-care for grieving teachers School staff often grieve the same losses as the students they support. Dr Dianne McKissock gave School News some tools for teachers to help themselves through grief at school: 1.

2.

3.

Find a trusted ‘other’ who will provide compassionate understanding when you expresses your own reactions.

Most people tend to hold their breath (or take shallow breaths) when shocked or grieving.

4.

5.

Rehearse with the trusted person what you are thinking of doing to support a student or students.

Do some form of physical exercise to reduce adrenaline and restore normal breathing.

EDUCATION

Remember that it is normal for eating and sleep patterns to be disrupted initially. If disruption continues, consult a competent bereavement counsellor.

Read literature provided by grief counsellors especially pamphlets because they are brief and provide a concise understanding of children’s and young people’s reactions and needs.

Correct information is empowering for teachers and students.

Secondary school guidance counsellors are encouraged to be proactive in supporting vulnerable or at-risk individuals.

Primary schools do not have their own guidance counsellors, so they are encouraged to see if guidance counsellors from nearby secondary schools can be released to support vulnerable students. It should be noted though, that school guidance counsellors are not always qualified in the specific area of grief and loss, although training does exist.

When asked about funding for grief counselling, the Ministry confirmed that it doesn’t employ grief counsellors. Deputy secretary of sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey spoke more broadly: “Schools are in a unique position where they can work with the community to help improve and support young people’s wellbeing.

They can be places of safety, stability and security where young people can experience connection and belonging that supports their development.”

Practically, when a traumatic incident occurs within a school community, principals should reach out to a traumatic incident team. There is a team located at each of MoE’s 10 regional offices.

These teams are comprised of trained professionals who are able to “provide advice and support to schools that experience traumatic events to ensure that they receive the support they need for as long as it is needed”.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

According to Katrina: “The team frequently consists of psychologists and special education advisors.

Depending on the nature of the incident, the team may also include education advisors like kaitakawaenga (Māori Liaison Advisors) or other Ministry and/ or external agency staff.”

While ‘traumatic incidents’ incorporate a wide range of things, the type of traumatic incident that School News has received the most questions and concerns about from teachers, is suicide. So let’s talk about student suicide: how to respond, how to prevent and how to better identify at-risk young people.

Why you can’t say ‘suicide’ “Legally,” explained Ms Hewitt, schools “can only refer to a ‘suspected suicide’ until the coroner has made a ruling”.

Schools are also “prohibited from discussing the method a person may have taken their own life.

“It is helpful to be very matter of fact about the fact that the person has died, and how very sad that is; especially for their family and people close to them. Answer children’s questions honestly but provide a safe framework that doesn’t focus on the how it happened, but how we can respond.”

Educational psychologist Michele Blick noted: “The term used in the school setting is ‘unexpected sudden death’ and it is advised to discourage speculation about the cause or details of the death.” It is especially difficult for teachers to mitigate rumours about cause of death in situations where social media is involved, or students have prior knowledge of the incident before the school responds.

One teacher informed School News that they found rumours difficult when students had been communicating with a student immediately prior to their death.

In this situation, the students felt they knew a lot more about the situation than teachers did.

To contain rumour and emotional response, the Traumatic Incidents team advised schools to avoid telling large groups of students at once in an assembly setting.

Organising smaller groups will mitigate rumours and limit any “emotional ripple effect”. Staff should speak with small groups of the most affected students first.

The team also specifies that teachers should “tell close friends of the victim in private, allowing them time to be together to support each other away from the public eye”, then “have familiar teachers/deans inform students in their class or home room rather than all together at an assembly”.

“An exception to this might be a

rural school with a small roll and only one or two teachers, or a Māori immersion school where all are considered whānau.”

Teachers, guidance counsellors and all staff members should be on the lookout for students who appear more deeply impacted by the news, and record all communications and concerns.

Any students identified as at-risk should be logged on a ‘careregister’. The register should show the date and time the student’s name was entered, any perceived risks, when and what was done about the risks, what the outcome was, as well as when and why the student’s name was removed from the register.

dos and don'’ts

1. Allow yourself to express emotion in front of students.

It helps model healthy coping strategies.

2. Invite another teacher to join your class to support you if you feel overwhelmed.

3. Accept that you may be triggered into reliving past trauma or grief.

4. Talk to friends, colleagues, family, and anyone else you trust.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

1. Feel you’re not allowed to grieve when something traumatic happens at school or to a student.

2. Blame yourself. Especially if you had negative interactions with the person involved.

3. Postpone therapy if you feel you need it.

4. Ignore ‘compassion fatigue’, which can happen after prolonged exposure to trauma through your grieving students.

EDUCATION

11

Never say ‘passed away’ Specialist bereavement counsellor Dr Dianne McKissock explains: “We use explicit language always, not euphemisms.” She clarified that “avoiding words like ‘death, dying and dead’ tend to convey that death is so scary that we can’t even give it a specific name”. In primary school, she noted: “Young children have no idea what we are talking about when we say things like ‘passed away’ or, even worse, ‘passed’.” She also told us that she frequently reads speech drafts by email for teachers in New Zealand and Australia to suggest changes as necessary and this is the type of support that schools can also access through the Ministry of Education’s Traumatic Incident team.

Write a script but prepare for impromptu questions A script can provide an outline for school staff about what they are allowed to say. However, a scripted speech alone will not be enough for all students, so questions should be expected. Aucklandbased educational psychologist Michele Blick advised that while a script is recommended for schools to plan a consistent response, it’s important to remember that senior management will usually be the ones to read from this script. For class teachers, a script alone probably won’t be enough.

“If a student has ended his/her life, in consultation with whanau, the school will plan a consistent response. Next steps and the information shared is often a result of working closely with whanau. It is recommended that a script is prepared so all staff are aware of the information that will

12

be delivered. This message may be delivered at a whole school assembly, with one class, a small group or key individuals. Senior management will often deliver this information. If a teacher is asked direct questions by a student, the teacher can repeat the agreed script or refer these questions to management for a response.

“After a traumatic event, it is important to support resilience and minimise risk of contagion.

Provide opportunities for students to express their emotions and support them to identify healthy ways to manage their feelings.

Teachers need to monitor at-risk students in their class and notify designated staff of any concerns.”

In its guidelines for traumatic incident response, the Ministry of Education has advised: “The script provided to teachers should include the facts about what has happened, what the school is doing to support the family, what students can do to support each other and that if they have questions or are concerned about anyone they need to talk to their teacher. Information given to students should normalise responses to trauma and offer techniques for basic coping

and stress management. For younger children the concept and understanding of death may not be fully developed – be prepared for tricky questions that will need to be answered truthfully.”

‘How did they die, Miss?’

This, and other uncomfortable questions could be raised suddenly during class time, particularly if students are not given the appropriate space and time to ask questions, so teachers should be prepared to respond calmly, letting students know that knowing the ‘how’ doesn’t change the fact of their death. Ideally, schools will organise structured sessions for small groups of students who are likely to be most affected so that they can receive honest but appropriate answers. This may help prevent class teachers from receiving uncomfortable questions during lessons, and stem the spread of rumours.

Getting into more depth about how to navigate these tricky questions, Dr McKissock elaborates: “Truth and inclusion help young people to integrate painful events in their lives. But first I should clarify that truth means ‘access to truth’ and awareness of being in a truthful

Children have no idea what we are talking about when we say things like ‘passed away’ or, even worse, ‘passed’ EDUCATION

environment. Access to truth means that students know that all questions are permissible, and that they will be given truthful answers in appropriate language.

This doesn’t mean being given facts in a way that is unnecessarily confronting. “Rumours are best addressed and better contained in a structured setting. For example, a group of students most affected by the death, and facilitated by two teachers, or a teacher and the school counsellor, could stop the spread of gossip.

“The facilitator could begin by stating what they all know, for example, ‘we are all here because X has died and we are affected by his death. Many of you know the manner of his death, but for those who don’t, you can ask questions and we will give explanations as simply as possible. Once questions have been answered, we will all share our thoughts and feelings and talk about ways of managing our distress. After this time together we hope that you will all contribute to stopping the spread of gossip. Each time a story does the rounds it tends to gather details that are often incorrect and can cause alarm to the listener, and unimaginable distress to the family of the person who died.

Who has the first question?’”

In the classroom, Ms Hewitt continues: “A teacher can set the tone for the conversations without going into the detail. For example, ‘As many of you may have heard X died last week. You may have heard people talking about how that happened.

I can understand that you might be curious about that.

But knowing that won’t change the fact that they died. Or change how incredibly sad we Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

“It is worth remembering that there may be other children in the group that may have been having suicidal feelings, or may have been impacted by suicide, so it is important to stress the need for everyone to be really sensitive to feelings.

“For this reason if a child asks directly what suicide is, ask them to talk to an adult, or come and speak privately with you afterwards. It is important that the adults feel comfortable fielding these questions.”

Student suicide: teachers should not blame themselves We all know the statistics by now: In the most recent OECD data, New Zealand showed the highest increase in number of suicides by people aged 15-19 years old per 100,000 between 1990 and 2015.

While population should be kept in mind with these OECD statistics as there are fewer people aged 1519 in New Zealand than the United States, and other OECD countries, it is obviously still an alarming result that has put pressure on educators and policymakers to increase support for teenagers.

A Christchurch-based school came under fire last year for neglecting to inform parents about reports their child had expressed suicidal thoughts. The story was covered by mainstream media outlets such as Stuff, and the coroner’s report took the school’s pastoral care to task: “My inquiry has identified sub-optimal implementation of pastoral care at StAC prior to [the student’s] death. It is at least possible, but by no means certain, that [the student’s] outcome could have been improved had pastoral care been optimised and effective communication achieved.” The school claimed that a teacher did inform the student’s mother but that it would work on improving pastoral care.

When a student ends their life, it’s a natural response for people to wonder what they could have done to prevent it.

Teachers feel responsible for all their students and might feel responsible if one of their students ends their life. But the Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

truth is that we don’t know exactly why suicide rates are so high among young New Zealanders.

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What we do know about suicide is that it’s most often correlated with issues far beyond the scope of one teacher. “Research suggests that the following factors increase the risk of suicide: depression, addictions, conduct disorders, social disadvantage, and family history of suicide,” said Ms Blick.

Dr McKissock added: “Knowledge of these pre-existing difficulties is important because they increase vulnerability and often indicate the need for additional care, but they are not a prediction for a reaction such as suicide.”

Although suicide prevention and protective support for young people should be a priority in schools, ultimately teachers need to remember that they are not to blame if a student ends their life.

Knowing how to identify at-risk students and engage them in the support they need from pastoral care, school guidance counsellors or, in some cases, an external specialist is what teachers should strive for in feeling confident they are doing the best they can.

If you are looking for ageappropriate systems to introduce into your classroom that will flag concerning ideation or behaviour, Ms Hewitt suggests “things like having a class policy about how a student can ask for help, such as a coloured stone that could be handed to the teacher or a teacher aide, a hand signal, a post-it box, or even a way to see a school counsellor; certainty about how the teacher will handle it (i.e. that a time will be made to talk privately), or maybe access to a place to decompress, such as a quiet place in the classroom or the ability to go to a prearranged quiet place.”

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Putting classroom systems like this in place will also aid communication around grief and loss that will provide insight into your students’ wellbeing. As it’s the day-to-day communication with students that can be difficult following a traumatic incident or death in the school community, these small additions to a classroom environment can make all the difference.

This topic is continued in our Health and Safety section: turn to page 71 for information on warning signs of suicidal ideation in the classroom.

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feel about it’, This could be the opening for a discussion about grief, how it feels, and how we can support ourselves and other people when we are grieving.

EDUCATION

13

The reality of working in a Christ-centred school

By Stephen Walters, Principal, Rangiora New Life School

While I was working overseas, after graduating University, I found that the most enjoyable part of my work was training staff.

I am concerned about the sustainability of good quality teacher supply. The national roll of students is increasing, the overall age of the teaching workforce is increasing, and the numbers of teachers being trained nationally is dropping – so as a consequence we have a perfect storm brewing, that is starting to show in regions around New Zealand, but will affect all of our communities in time. The staff that I have employed in the last 3 years, have nearly all been from other schools. Inexorably as we move teachers between schools, we end up with some schools being left with vacancies that they can’t fill in a reasonable time, or have to look overseas with the lag that often occurs with overseas appointments.

Teaching is a very demanding, but rewarding profession. I think we need to make sure it is well remunerated too, along with managing the workload that occurs from the MOE and our own school expectations.

Thirty years ago now, I applied to teach science at Auckland College of Education and was accepted. This was the beginning of my career as a teacher and to this day I have always taught in classrooms.

For young teachers working today who want to become principals, my advice would be to first become well established as a classroom teacher, and then work with a mentor to plan, seek opportunities, and build experience in all aspects of education, allied with postgraduate study that hones their skills and knowledge to

make sense of the experiences they are gathering.

I’ve worked across four different schools, two in Auckland and two in Canterbury, three secondary schools teaching Y9-13, one area school that educates Y1 to 13, and in all that time I am pleased to say that I have always been a classroom teacher. Even as a principal, I still teach Years 7 and 8.

I accepted the principal role at Rangiora New Life School four years ago. We are a state integrated Christian School that educates 470 North Canterbury

children from Year 1 to Year 13. The school was started 39 years ago by parishioners of the Rangiora New Life Church to educate their children as a private Christian school. The school became a state integrated School in 1994 and has grown from that initial roll of 16 to a current maximum roll of 470.

Teaching through earthquakes We are a Christ-centred school that sits in a large green space approximately 30km north of Christchurch in the urban town of Rangiora and we have faced some serious challenges.

The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake hit early on in my principalship and our community was certainly affected. The quake was centred in Kaikoura but because of its magnitude we had to make sure the buildings were safe, liaise with others in our community and make sure that we had a safe space for our students to sit their external NCEA exams the next day!

Fortunately, because of previous experiences with earthquakes in Canterbury, we had communication systems and clear procedures to follow that allowed us to act swiftly to keep in contact with our community and teachers.

14

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Christianity and pedagogy The reality of working in a Christ-centred school, that educates children from Y1-13 in a family atmosphere with great community support far exceeded any expectations I might have had.

I see our school providing a Christian education to educate children in their faith in support of the parents. I believe that we provide an excellent all-round academic education too. For me, a decision to send children to our school by parents is one that assures them of a Christian education but also one that provides an academic education at least equalling the other state options in our area. I am very happy that our achievement statistics exceed our state neighbours. Choosing Christian education in our community should not be a compromise for the child’s academic education.

Each day, I look forward to prayer and fellowship with the students and teachers (along with my morning coffee!) . The school is very fortunate to have a group of dedicated teachers that work very hard for the students inside

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

and outside the classroom to provide a rich set of experiences in the curriculum that they teach.

Our major point of difference is in the way that Christ is embedded in all that we do inside and outside the classroom.

Going against the ‘modern learning environment’ trend Our school is Christ-centred, so the Christian character of our school is at the centre of what we do. We are a multidenominational Christian school, so welcome all Christian denominations.

We are a smaller school, that provides education for children from Year 1-13 following the New Zealand Curriculum from a Christian world-view.

Most of our children get the benefit of a seamless education from Year 1-13, with no transition points that occur for example from primary/ intermediate/secondary.

We believe in a “one classroomone teacher” learning relationship, so we deliver education in a cellular classroom model and won’t be implementing modern learning environments in the foreseeable future. That

is our philosophy, and our parent-community desire.

We are a connected school, applying BYOD across the campus with our students using Microsoft OneNote and Classroom as software that connects learning with the teachers and each other. We make sure that all of our secondary students are able to do the courses they desire, not limited by our school-size or subject clashes.

We utilise Net NZ as the major way we deliver courses electronically by teachers based in other small South Island secondary utilising regular Google hangouts of the virtual class of students scattered around the South Island.

I feel that we need to prepare the children for the world of work by making sure we grow their ICT skills in a supportive Christian values-based environment. I look at our connected Year 1s on their iPads coding and sharing their work with their parents and can only speculate on what they will be doing in Y13.

We have a very strong mission aspect in our school, with students taking opportunities to serve in our wider community,

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raise funds for charities, and go on regular Mission Trips to Cambodia (as we are doing this year with a group of 24).

My principal philosophy I am principal of a beautiful school. It stretches across five hectares with a stream flowing through campus and a cohort of 470 students, made up of 240 primary and 230 secondary students. We are a community-minded school and one third of our children travel by bus each day.

It is a huge privilege to be chosen to lead a school, let alone such a beautiful and community-minded one. I am a great believer in strategic planning, gathering the views of the whole community and crafting a plan that meets the community’s expectations of the school and allows the school to meet its mission.

My philosophy in leading a school can be best summarised by a quote from the futurist, Alvin Toffler: “You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.”

I think that this is, in essence, what a principal does every day.

15

Because learning differences exist

We are a nation of teachers and parents with a tendency to adopt a ‘she’ll be right mate’ attitude. As Kiwis, we are very proud of our education system and rightly so. The reality is, there is room for improvement.

While at kindy, a fouryear-old drew a freehand diagram of how he wished the playground be organised.

The diagram was specific. It appeared to the naked eye to be drawn to scale and also displayed the talent he possessed. This little man was able to explore his interests, to show his ability to learn and to interact with the world around him. His kindy teachers suitably impressed with his ability, were very excited for his pending entry through the school gate.

Armed with a giant smile, supportive family and a persistent speech impediment in tow, his school days began. Year one ended and (not for the lack of trying) he hadn’t learnt to read, year two ended and (not for the lack of trying) he hadn’t learnt to read, year four ended and (not for the lack of trying) he hadn’t learnt to read, and so it goes. At ten years of age he was diagnosed as a bright dyslexic.

Finally, he and his family had some insight and understanding as to why he had such great difficulty learning to read, write and spell.

16

There is great need for a giant tidal wave in the form of increased awareness, understanding, acceptance, empathy and evidence-based actions in the area of successfully educating children with learning differences.

Carla McNeil, Founder, Learning Matters

But…. ten years old is too late.

Five whole years of schooling had conditioned him to believe he was dumb, unable to learn and that he would never learn to read.

As a leader in education, I find myself investigating: why haven’t we learnt from these endless experiences and stories? What haven’t we taken notice of from the mountain of international research and evidence? How

might we go about improving our system for these children who were in fact born dyslexic, (identifiable on school entry if not before)? Why in New Zealand do we continue to ignore what the science of learning to read tells us?

Why do we hold so dearly and continue to fund reading recovery when the research was founded on has been superseded with many findings indicating the programmes inappropriateness for dyslexic students?

New Zealand teachers are committed to say the least. Our students and teachers require more though. The following would be a fine start or progression for those on this journey:

This story is not unique by any means. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard this, or similar, I would be a wealthy lady. This little man didn’t ‘not learn’ for lack of trying nor commitment on behalf of his teachers, parents and others. It was certainly not a case of…. “he wasn’t ready”. To this day, he would be illiterate if they had taken the ‘wait to fail’ approach any longer. There were an increasing number of chinks in his education chain. So many so that he will never catch his peers.

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

•

•

Early identification philosophy in place - not waiting until seven for an official diagnosis School entry assessments which inform teaching and learning steps and relate to early signs of dyslexia

based approaches and programmes •

Training for school sencos

•

Training for teacher assistants

•

A connected and collaborative approach towards the extra (external) support between teachers (gps) and specialists in this area

•

Professional learning - structured multisensory literacy

•

Implementation of funded evidence based teaching approaches

•

Elimination of funding for non-evidence

As a nation of incredible people, teachers and school leaders

•

Compulsory quality pre and in service courses in the area of learning differences

it is time for us to be (more) receptive to the fact that our beliefs, perspectives and knowledge around Dyslexia must be expanded. Our literacy, social justice and mental health rates rely on this.

with not only the easiest to

During my time as a classroom teacher, advisor, school leader and now consultant in the area of learning differences I have long held the belief that we are one (very important and influential) link of many in a student’s education chain. It is up to us to ensure our link is strong but not rigid, upright but not arrogant, standing at the ready to connect

be vulnerable, to learn and

reach or expected link but those which may take the student on a turn or link for the best.

Their world depends on our ability as educators to to realise we may have got it wrong in the past.

Now is the time because learning differences exist.

Always have, always will.

How strong and connected are your dyslexic students links?

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Waikato, Tauranga, Christchurch, Queenstown Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

EDUCATION

17

Understanding

different learning styles

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Brains are fascinating, mysterious things but perhaps the most interesting feature of the human brain is ‘neurodiversity’.

The term was invented in 1988 by an Australian academic called Judy Singer but ‘neurodiversity’ as cultural notion has only crept into the mainstream this decade.

Essentially, it predicates the idea that in any human population there will be a natural variation in neurological difference. In other words, people think in different

ways so why would everyone learn the same way?

Teachers know that children have different learning styles but, according to estimations provided by the Dyslexia Foundation, one-in-ten New Zealanders have dyslexia, including 70,000 school children. For those children with dyslexia, and others with equally specific learning disabilities like dysgraphia, dyspraxia, ADHD, and the less commonly known Irlen Syndrome, there are commonly held misconceptions to debunk and a heap of resources and support for schools to utilise in 2019.

Solutions begin with certified Irlen experts.

IRLEN SYNDROME

Do any of these happen to your students?

Light Sensitivity - Words moving on the page - Inefficient Reading White pages are too bright - Slow Reading Rate - Poor Depth Perception Strain or Fatigue when reading - Attention Deficit in class Maybe it’s Irlen Syndrome Contact Irlen NZ for further information on your local Irlen clinic and find out how we can help your students who are struggling with reading and eye strain. If you would like to train as an Irlen Screener to help identify students with Irlen Syndrome in your school send us an email.

t: 021 386 903 e: sarah@irlen.nz

18

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Dyslexia is, first and foremost, a different way of thinking. With that comes a variety of different abilities and challenges but it is by no means an intellectual disability. Dyslexia has no impact on intelligence whatsoever, it simply changes an individual’s learning preference. Students who have not been empowered to learn in the way they need to learn will struggle in the classroom and, eventually, feelings of low self esteem can set in. Reports show that it is unfortunately quite common for children with dyslexia to believe that they are less intelligent than their peers but research proves that this not the case.

Dyslexia makes decoding words on a page more difficult. It makes processing certain things tricky and this makes activities like reading and spelling very challenging for students with a language-based learning disability. A child with dyslexia may also struggle to learn how to tell time, follow directions, read or spell but they can often be gifted in other areas like conceptual thinking, creative problem solving and spotting patterns. In fact, there are plenty of gifted and well known individuals with dyslexia who have earned their success in a

EDUCATION

wide range of industries. Some examples to share with students include: Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, Kiera Knightley, Cher, and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe has a different learning disability called dyspraxia, which affects motor skills.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, 85 percent of children diagnosed with a learning disability have one that primarily impacts reading and language processing. For many of these children, the first year of school will be the first time their language processing difficulties are obvious as it’s the first time they are learning to read amongst same-age peers.

So it’s vital that schools are quick to identify, screen, assess and support these children. Yet, the Ministry of Education has been relatively vague about how schools can do this, until more recently. In fact, it wasn’t until 2007 that the New Zealand Government officially recognised dyslexia at all.

Now, the MoE has an online ‘Guide to Dyslexia and learning’, which has simulation videos, pages of information for teachers and PDF downloads for schools.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

These can all be found at: www. inclusive.tki.org.nz. The MoE insists: “Once identified, it is important that dyslexia is not regarded as a label, but rather as a call for action. Modifying the learning environment will benefit all students.”

This presents two asks for teachers, then: first, how to identify these students and second, how to modify the learning environment.

Identifying students with signs of dyslexia (and what to do next) The MoE has a detailed list of assessment guidelines for schools and teachers so that they can identify children with signs of a learning disability at the youngest possible age, five in most cases.

They should then put programmes in place to support any children presenting with specific needs, then monitor and reassess later on to determine whether they still show signs of dyslexia or another learning difficulty.

One example of such assessment is an extended version of the Six Year Net, or observation

survey, which should be used to assess students between ages five and seven, the MoE advises.

Here, “some of the most useful information can be obtained from a careful analysis of the student’s strengths and needs. In most cases, this should lead to well-informed teaching decisions designed to make learning of new information as easy as possible.”

While the Ministry encourages teachers and principals to be trained in and research dyslexia, it should be noted that these in-school assessments are not diagnostic. They operate more like a screening process so that by the time a child is six or seven they can be referred to a specialist for an accurate cognitive and educational diagnostic assessment.

One reason it is critical that students who have persistent learning difficulties in certain areas are referred to a specialist, is that there are multiple and lesser known learning disabilities that the student could have. Even a school that has an inclusive learning environment and teachers that are well-versed in dyslexia support may not be

aware of alternative diagnoses like Irlen Syndrome. A child who is assumed to have dyslexia, for instance, without a proper diagnosis may face further challenges in their learning and behaviour as they grow up.

Irlen Syndrome is a visual processing issue that affects about one-tenth of the population.

Incidence studies indicate that 46 percent of people who have been identified with reading problems, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, or learning difficulties suffer from Irlen Syndrome. For these people, words on the page can look like they are shaking, waving, blurry, shuffling, or like there is a ripple effect over the page. Students may suffer from headaches or eye strain while reading and tend to have trouble following lines of text.

Modifying the learning environment for students with language processing difficulties There are specific classroom techniques that can be used to help students with Irlen Syndrome, such as dimming

computer and whiteboard screens, turning off lights, providing more frequent reading breaks or increasing font size on worksheets. However, the best solution is for the student to meet with an Irlen diagnostician who can supply them with glasses that have specially tinted lenses to filter out the particular wavelengths of light that cause their symptoms.

One of the major things schools can do to support students with dyslexia, is to retest written assessment orally so that students are able to display their knowledge most effectively.

Flipped learning and various visual online programs are also recommended as people with dyslexia are visual learners and the online component allows them to do so independently.

It’s vital that schools take the time to upskill their teachers as much as possible about learning disabilities like dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome because, as the Ministry notes: “Approaches that are useful for students with dyslexia are often valuable for everyone.”

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Available in three options: For more information visit fififififififivfifififififififiofinz or a call 0800 864-382 Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

EDUCATION

19

Course gives valuable dyslexia

insights

SPELD NZ Course Director, Eleanor Boyce, gives guidance on how to help the dyslexic learner at home and in the classroom.

By Julie Connor, SPELD NZ

Most teachers and teacher aides can relate to times of real frustration when obviously bright and creative children just cannot seem to progress.

They watch as failure sends the child’s confidence and behaviour downhill. Meanwhile there’s pressure from parents to provide more help. They feel anxious and overwhelmed, struggling to understand and support their child.

Do you have a passion for helping those with specific learning disabilities (SLD) such as dyslexia? SPELD NZ offers a wide variety of training opportunities.

Introduction to Specific Learning Disabilities

Two day course ideal for families, whānau, teacher aides and teachers with little knowledge of SLD. Great insights into SLD and strategies to help at home and in the classroom. Held throughout New Zealand, subject to demand. Scholarships may be available in some regions.

SPELD NZ Conference - 28 & 29 September 2019 LIFTING LITERACY - Empowering neurodiverse learners

Speakers will include leading experts on specific learning disabilities.

For more details see the Events page of www.speld.org.nz To register interest as a participant or exhibitor, contact nationaloffice@speld.org.nz

Assessor Training - 2019 Training in the use of the Woodcock-Johnson IV test batteries and assessment of those with specific learning disabilities. Scholarships may be available in some regions.

NZ Certificate in Teaching Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities - 2020

Mainly online NZQA-approved course. For those who wish to extend their knowledge and expertise in teaching, or learning about people with SLD. Also the pathway for those interested in becoming a SPELD NZ Teacher.

Scholarships for teachers may be available in some regions.

Help is at hand with SPELD NZ’s two-day introductory courses – pitched at people who have little knowledge of dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities (SLD).

SPELD NZ has been supporting children and adults struggling with SLD for nearly 50 years, through diagnostic assessment, specialised one-on-one tuition and training. A vital part of that training is helping educate families, caregivers, teacher aides and teachers.

For those new to the world of dyslexia/SLD, the ideal place to start is SPELD NZ’s Introduction to Specific Learning Disabilities.

The two-day introductory course covers why dyslexia/ SLD occurs, how to recognise the signs and symptoms and gives great insights into what it’s like to have an SLD. It also offers constructive, practical strategies to help these learners in the classroom and home.

This NZQA-approved training is run at locations throughout the country, according to demand.

And demand has never been greater than in recent years, thanks to the growing awareness of dyslexia and other SLD. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the need for our services,” says SPELD NZ Executive Officer Jeremy Drummond.

For more information on services and training, see

www.speld.org.nz or call 0800 773 536 or email nationaloffice@speld.org.nz

20

“Growing numbers of parents come to us distressed and confused. Their children may have suffered years of failure and

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despondency. It’s an uphill battle daily, as their brains are wired differently. Often they have been labelled ‘stupid, lazy or dumb’ when they are bright, creative and intelligent individuals who just need to be guided to manage their disability and be taught the best way they learn.”

Getting an assessment underway is the first step. That enables SPELD NZ Teachers to do individually targeted tuition, greatly enhancing a child’s capacity to learn and building their self-confidence. Backing all this up with knowledge and nurturing at home and in the classroom is also extremely beneficial.

“It’s important to us to see families and teachers boost their skills and build their confidence,” says Jeremy. “Our libraries have a wealth of specialised SLD/ dyslexia resources, we publish our own magazine, and anyone is welcome to attend our Introduction course. People come away buzzing and inspired.

Not only do they feel more equipped to cope, they become even more empathetic, seeing things from the perspective of the person with a specific learning disability.

“Teachers who come to our introductory courses are often fired up with enthusiasm to learn more and make a real difference in the lives of the dyslexic students. They can take it a step further with our more in-depth NZQA-approved Level 5 online training. This is the pathway to becoming a SPELD NZ Teacher and enjoying the enormous rewards of nurturing students one-on-one to success.

Course graduates also find their learning has a dramatic impact on the schools they work in.

They become the school’s ‘go-to’ person for dyslexia and other SLD. “Their wisdom and knowledge can have such far-reaching effects.”

SPELD NZ has some scholarships to help teachers cover the cost of attending its courses. To find out more, see the Training page of SPELD NZ’s website www.speld. org.nz/our-services/training or call 0800 773 536.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Exploring ideas for a sustainable school

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

If anyone has a vested interest in environmental sustainability, it’s today’s youth.

Unfortunately, they are growing up in a society that has largely failed to safeguard the Earth for their future. Their generation may be the first to live through dramatic climate change and they will be tasked with switching global economies over from fossil fuels to renewable energy. According to National Geographic, by the end of this century there will be less freshwater due to the loss of glaciers and vast increase in ‘megadroughts’.

engineering and creativity.

The tide is certainly turning, with more sophisticated sustainability programmes available now than ever before.

So it makes sense that schools should be engaging students not only in environmental sustainability, but in skills like problem solving, adaptability,

Urban Living Wall Volunteers Christchurch. Photo by Elizabeth Guthrey

From on-campus chicken farms and gardens, to solar data analysis and school trips to markets and wind farms, the sky’s the limit for a curriculumintegrated school programme.

Sustainability features in the national curriculum, first in The New Zealand Curriculum's vision for young people in New Zealand to be "confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners" and second for a graduate of Māori-medium education, “to enable them to effectively participate in the Māori world, advocating a Māori world view and understanding their role within whānau, hapū, iwi, community, and wider society,” according to Te Kete Ipurangi.

The importance of segregating

waste at source in schools One of the simplest ways to separate your waste is to have colour-coded bins for different types of waste produced.

This makes it easy to keep various types of waste apart and ensures it’s properly collated for the correct collector.

Food waste is the largest culprit for creating cross contamination with waste. Making sure your dry recyclable waste is kept

separate from wet waste means that it and other waste will be disposed of more sustainably and economically, however, using different coloured bins isn’t always enough. If you have a black bin bag, it makes identification almost impossible once that bag leaves the colour-coded bin.

Our unique Longopac waste bagging system offers a simple solution. To allow visual management of your waste by stream or department, we provide six different variations of bag colour.

t: 0800 342 3177 e: info@easirecycling.co.nz www.easirecycling.co.nz Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

What’s more, our endless bag technology means that you only ever throw the part of the bin liner that you’ve filled – saving upto 70% plastic compared to a traditional waste bag.

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In addition to making waste segregation easier, our Longopac solution also means: •

Every bag is 100% full regardless of how much waste is inside

•

You can reduce your bagged waste volume by 50%, reducing waste collection costs

•

Strong 3 ply liners which mean there’s no need for double bagging and reduced spillage.

To learn how Easi Recycling can help your school or college with segregating waste or to find out more about our unique bagging system, contact us today on 0800 342 3177

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Ahi Pepe MothNet portable Health Moth Trap. Photo: Gregory Neslon

Action competence takes centre stage in education for sustainability where students are encouraged to take up issues that they are passionate about and impact them directly.

All the key competencies can be used in sustainability programmes and can combine with any learning area to enrich student life.

The subject areas that specifically discuss sustainability in the NZ Curriculum include health and physical education, science, social sciences and technology. In

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Matawai Seaweek Photo: Trudi Ngawhare (DOC)

Te Marautanga O Aotearoa, Hauora, Putaiao, Hangarau, Pangarau, and Tiakanga-a-iwi specify sustainability-centric achievement objectives.

In order to integrate a sustainability project or programme into the curriculum, teachers need to make sure that students have enough opportunities to plan, put in place, and enact what they have learned about the need for sustainability and potential for innovation.

For instance, in a schoolbased recycling initiative

students should be tasked with hypothesising, developing and trialling multiple systems or changes to the current school recycling system and they should examine the cause for inefficiency in the current system.

It would not be enough to meet curriculum criteria for a student project just to pitch a suggestion.

What schools are getting up to this term This term, Te Anu-based high school, Fiordland College of New Zealand was named a global high school finalist for the Pacific and East Asia region in a prestigious

global sustainability award called the Zayed Sustainability Prize.

The school had proposed to build a student-run energy park integrating solar, water, wind and energy, while combining functionality with art via energy-generating culturally-inspired sculptures.

The plan was to reduce their ecological footprint in an engaging way by enhancing environmental knowledge and awareness among its local community, as well as the one million visitors who pass through the school annually.

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Coastal biodiversity detectives at Long Bay. Photo: Auckland City Council

Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve Photo: Darryl Torckler

Urenui School exploring Tapuae Marine Reserve Photo: Mike Tapp

Bush kindergarten exploring soil inhabintants.

Photo: Kids Greening Taupo

Edgewater School at Goat Island.

Photo: Lorna Doogan EMR

Taupo Primary School restoration site. Photo: Kids Green Taupo

EDUCATION

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Learning in Nature Nature encompasses the very things we identify as being ‘Kiwi’.

It’s about our unique plants, birds and other creatures that live in our backyards and school grounds.

by enhancing the cognitive and emotional processes important for learning.

•

Conservation education provides teachers and students with opportunities to learn in and develop an understanding of nature. Our young people develop nature knowledge, values and skills, which empower them to take-action and look after Aotearoa now, and into the future.

The natural world provides authentic opportunities for learning as well as giving schools an opportunity to connect with their local community in a meaningful way.

Benefits and outcomes

•

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Research demonstrates that:

Spending time in nature provides children with a wide range of physical and mental health benefits.

Spending time in nature enhances education outcomes by improving

children’s academic performance, focus, behaviour and love of learning.

•

Students actively take on leadership roles within real life local conservation issues after learning about and in nature.

The Department of Conservation has a range of free New Zealand curriculum linked, classroom ready resources available online. These support teachers to incorporate conservation education into the school curriculum and are designed for teachers to use in a way that suits the needs of the learners.

Based on an integrated inquiry learning cycle, resources include activities which incorporate literacy, numeracy, Te Ao Māori (a Māori worldview) and other core curriculum objectives.

Green school grounds promote academic achievement through handson, experiential learning and

To find education resources from the Department of Conservation visit www.doc.govt.nz/education or to get copies of education posters mailed to your school, email conserved@doc.govt.nz.

Bryde’s whale Conservation status: Nationally critical

Find FREE conservation education resources online

Illustration: Rebecca Terborg

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ryde’s whales can grow to 15.5 metres and weigh up to 25 tonnes. They feed mainly on schools of small fish, and sometimes on plankton and crustaceans. They engulf great quantities of water into their mouths and then sieve the food through their baleen plates, which are like large bristles.

Bryde’s whales are agile swimmers, able to reach depths up to 300 metres and change direction very suddenly. Bryde’s whales help control the levels of medium to large plankton, ensuring small plankton is readily available for coastal fish, particularly their juveniles, to feed on.

Our native species help keep our environment healthy.

Get involved with conservation – visit www.doc.govt.nz

www.doc.govt.nz/education ZZ Engaging, New Zealand Curriculum-linked

resources that provide current and real-life contexts for learning

resources to use inside and outside the classroom – inquiry units, factsheets, videos, outdoor investigation activities and more!

ZZ Conservation

ZZ Easy to find – search for resources by topic or by

curriculum learning area

ZZ DOC-supported programmes for you and your

students to get involved in

Blue-eyed gecko Conservation status: Nationally endangered

Illustration: Rebecca Terborg

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lue-eyed geckos are one of our rarest lizards, restricted to the forests of the Catlins. They spend much of their time in the forest canopy, coming out at night to feast on insects and occasionally berries. Their mottled skin is covered in very small scales, which, along with their markings, help hide them from predators such as moreporks/ruru. However, rodents, stoats and possums are their greatest threat. Blue-eyed geckos are part of the forest community that helps protect the land from being washed away as sediment during severe storms, ensuring clean water flows into the rivers and streams below.

Our native species help keep our environment healthy.

Get involved with conservation – visit www.doc.govt.nz

Term 1,-2019 Release Year -| schoolnews.co.nz Issue - XX

EDUCATION SECTION

schoolnews.co.nz

23 XX

Year 12 Biology students earning NCES credits. Photo by Janszoon.org

In Hawke’s Bay, English language school, New Horizon College has combined international studies with sustainability, inviting exchange students to take part in the school’s treeplanting initiative where they plant a tree and name it after themselves, then obtain details of its coordinates so they can track their tree’s progress and growth throughout its life.

Back in October, supermarket chain Countdown announced its Growing for Good competition for 20 schools to receive $1000 in funding to bring their sustainable initiatives to life. In February, the winning projects included Waitoki Primary

School’s working chicken coop, which was budgeted and researched by two Year 8 boys.

Other remarkable sustainable school projects included a medicinal, traditional Māori garden and a functional beehive.

National conservation programmes and comps From the Enviroschools Programme to the Outlook for Someday Challenge, there are a huge range of sustainability themed projects and initiatives for schools to engage in.

The Outlook for Someday Challenge asks students to create five-minute short films; Marine Metre Squared

Rocky shore school field trip. Photo by Department of Conservation

invites citizen science into the classroom as students analyse the plants and animals residing on their local shore; Habitat Heroes offers prizes for schools groups that figure out a way to make a difference in their local environment. Previous winners of Habitat Heroes include Haumoana School in Hastings where students developed a 'taking action' plan to bring back native birds to their school through tracking, trapping and planting, and Koraunui School in Lower Hutt, where students investigated their local stream and took action by planting along its banks. Koraunui students created their own paper mulch protectors for

the native trees they planted and ran a hugely successful bioblitz for their community.

Schools can be flexible in how they approach sustainability: you might take a wholeschool approach and integrate sustainable practice into your teaching pedagogy, encourage students to pursue qualifications via the NCEA Achievement Standards in Education for Sustainability, or work on establishing a menagerie of student sustainability projects.

Whatever you decide to do (or have already been doing!) let us know! We love to feature sustainable schools doing interesting things.

School gardening and children’s agency: a case study

By Dr Mohammod Lutful Kabir, Development Economist, Children's Geographer, University of Auckland

Against the backdrop of academic debate on children as human ‘beings’ vs ‘becomings’, a new study has been conducted by Dr Kabir in collaboration with his supervisor from the School of Environment, University of Auckland.

This research adhered to the view that children are human ‘beings’ who have their own unique worldview and agency.

This study observed children at four Auckland schools during

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gardening sessions as part of a school gardening programme.

Applying Sen’s theory of agency as a theoretical framework from which to observe demonstrations of children’s agency in terms of ‘autonomy’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘decision-making’ while participating in school garden activities. For triangulation of observational data, questionnaires were distributed to children, parents, teachers, and G2T organizer to understand their view on children’s agency through school gardening. As New Zealand is becoming a multicultural society, another corollary objective was to understand whether familial intergenerational knowledge acquired in different

cultural contexts may have any significant impact on children’s demonstrated agency.

The key findings of this exploratory research highlighted that a decorative and colourful view of school gardens, practice of diverse means of participation.

E.g. painting garden murals and playing with pets in addition to mere planting). An ‘explicit’ agenda to facilitate children’s freedom of participation in school gardening may promote children’s agency even further.

Although no significant impact of familial intergenerational cultural knowledge on children’s agency during school gardening was visible in the limited extent of this research, further research may

EDUCATION

confirm this issue. Therefore, to enhance children’s agency through school gardening, firstly, children’s agency needs to be promoted as an ‘explicit’ agenda in our school gardening programs. Further, an aesthetic view of school gardens may also promote children’s agency through participation.

Finally, besides planting trees, other ‘Means of Freedom’ (of Participation) at school gardens need to be promoted for better agency and participation. The outcome of this research has the potential to identify further research niches and inform public policy initiatives designed to promote children’s agency through school gardening.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Out of the classroom and into the environment Imagine living in an environment where temperatures soar between extremes, you’re underwater one minute and in air the next, exposed to predators on both sides!

Then throw in some manmade marine pollution to complicate matter s further. Now you are beginning to picture what life is like on a rocky shore…

The National Aquarium of New Zealand offers an amazing learning experience outside the classroom for students to investigate life on the rocky shore with Aquarium educators in Napier, Hawke’s Bay. You

Term 1,-2019 Release Year -| schoolnews.co.nz Issue - XX

don’t get more hands on than breathing in the salty air while you’re perched over a rock pool peering in to see what life you can find.

Our Rocky Shore Study session focuses on biodiversity on the rocky shore, the adaptations animals have to this extreme environment, the role tides play and the issues that can arise from rubbish and water pollution. Students are given explicit support for health & safety expectations in this environment before exploring the rock pools and shore to see what they can find. Species are identified with the help of the Aquarium educators and specific adaptations to this environment are uncovered.

The learning outcomes for this exploratory session can be adapted from lower primary up

to secondary school levels.

Lower primary students are encouraged to use a lot of descriptive language to help identify what an animal might be to begin to conceptualise how many different kinds of plants and animals live on the rocky shore (biodiversity).

Upper primary students will be challenged to identify the kinds of features that could be adaptations to this harsh environment. They’ll also begin to explore the early concepts of variation, just by noticing similarities and differences within animals of the same kind (or species).

EDUCATION SECTION

Secondary students utilise higher level methodology such as transects to explore biodiversity, percentage cover and other scientific concepts.

For anyone visiting from outside of Hawke’s Bay, this fantastic experience can be supplemented with an Aquarium sleepover, where you actually get to sleep next to the 1.5 million litre Oceanarium! Imagine waking up face to face with a shark, stingray or blue cod! Hopefully they will sleep after all that fresh air and excitement.

For more information call a member of our education team on 06 834 1404 or visit our website: www.nationalaquarium.co.nz

schoolnews.co.nz

25 XX

The future of education in a tiny fruit sticker Woodford House Principal Julie Peterson, with a group of year 13 students.

However, what has remained throughout the school’s 125 years is a strong connection to its heritage and the Hawke’s Bay region, and, most importantly, keeping the ‘Woodford House Girl’ at the centre. As a special character school, steeped in tradition, Woodford House remains steadfast in its commitment to offer a stimulating, girl-centric environment that provides every girl with the opportunity to thrive and excel in her learning.

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

The collective task of preparing our young people for an unknown future is a constantly moving target. This task demands a strong culture of learning – a greater need for students to know how to learn, rather than reiterate knowledge; and for staff to instill and role model the importance of learning. Woodford House has embraced this challenge as ‘a home to a love of learning’, and is leading the way in educating students for the future world.

– Julie Peterson, Principal, Woodford House

The programme that encouraged the ‘Bayuble Team’ The Bayuble Team: a group of Year 13 girls from Woodford House who made waves last term with their sustainable invention, soluble fruit stickers.

Now the young women have entered their first year of university and School News has spoken with principal Julie Peterson to find out more about the revolutionary project.

All four students, Maggie Peacock, Zoe Rookes, Sarah Wixon and Rylie Bensemann are committed to continuing on with their innovative product and have recently been in contact with IP lawyers to try and secure copyright protection for their Uble sticker product.

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Woodford House embraced innovation in its curriculum last year with the development of a Level 3 Business Studies course aligned with the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES). Participating in this initiative is what enabled the Bayuble Team to pitch their business idea at the Young Enterprise National Awards 2018.

The school behind the stickers Proudly celebrating 125 years of educating young women, much has changed since Annie Mabel Hodge first opened the doors to Woodford House school in February 1894 with four boarders and 18 day pupils.

PROFILES

The YES programme challenges students to create their own product or service and bring it to market. Incorporated into the Level 3 Business Studies course at Woodford House, the programme takes students through a series of entrepreneurial experiences to help develop 21st century skills in real-world situations.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

TVNZ coverage quickly followed suit as the group celebrated their success and turned their focus to representing Hawke’s Bay at the National Awards 2018 in Wellington.”

Students at the Woodford House Awards ceremony

As such, it plays a key role in what the school says is its mission to prepare students for an evolving career environment.

Principal Julie Peterson said: “In 2018 we had five groups embark on the challenge of forming an innovative, sustainable startup.

Each team has done incredibly well, and in particular Bayuble, who secured a number of seed funding prizes throughout the year and were also selected as one of the top six teams (out of 65 total teams) in the Hawke’s Bay region. At the recent YES Regional Finals, the team won the Farmers Market Award and was named the YES Company of the Year, in turn becoming Hawke’s Bay Regional Champions. Newspaper and

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Bayuble worked all year on their product idea to upend industries that use small plastic stickers, such as found on apples. Their plastic-free, allnatural, biodegradable sticker – called an Uble, is water soluble and has gained tremendous recognition and awards in the YES programme to date.

Woodford House assured us that it will certainly continue its participation the YES programme to strengthen its business studies curriculum.

Julie added: “We have developed a strong relationship with the YES organisation and look forward to continuing this into the future. Their support and partnership have certainly been valuable to our Year 13 Business Studies class, and helped to inspire them to discover their potential in business.

“We have received some great public support and attention from the Hawke’s Bay community for each of our five groups throughout the year as they have promoted and road-tested their products in the market. The girls have been

thrilled with the accolades they are receiving, and it is a real credit to all of the hard work they have put in over the year. “As a result, the group have certainly had lots of practice with their public speaking and interview skills! They have also been given a great overview of journalism and the media, which is another valuable skillset to learn in their business education.”

Getting started: teaching entrepreneurship Toni Dunstan, the school’s head of business studies and director of innovation, explained how the students started their entrepreneurial journey and what was involved from day one.

“We started the course with the Kickstarter Day at EIT, where a number business experts and mentors volunteered their time to come and participated in a business speed-dating session with the different YES groups.

This is actually where Bayuble met their current mentor - Dean Prebble of the Hawkes Bay Angel Investment Group.

“Over the course of the year, my involvement in this programme has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in education to date.

The students are completely engaged, committed to their

PROFILES

Toni Dunstan

area of interest and accountable to not just themselves, but each other in their groups.

“I sometimes feel that I am an interruption to their real learning when I need to gain their attention to speak!

“Bayuble spent just as much time in the science lab, food technology room and design suite as they did in the business studies classroom. This course has been a wonderful example of how entrepreneurship can provide an appropriate umbrella for future skills to flourish.

The experiential learning and interdisciplinary nature of the YES programme breaks down traditional subject silos and allow our students to understand that learning is about crossing boundaries and embracing innovation – that is the future of education.”

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THE CONNECT CHAIR The Connect Chair is the easiest linking chair on the market and an ideal choice as a mass public seating option.

Exclusive to Scholar Furniture, it’s lightweight design is perfect for schools, universities, function rooms, community halls, training rooms, reception centres, and all manner of multi-purpose seating. The improved design, style and elegance set it apart, but it's the high-impact, fully moulded polypropylene fabrication that delivers all the benefits. The comfortable and sleek seat is moulded as a one-piece design making it safe, durable and easy to clean. Stacks almost vertical to 14 chairs high. Extremely low maintenance. Built-in linking at no extra cost. Hot stamping on chair available. Black frame and seat pad in a range of colours. 5-year warranty. Visit the Scholar Furniture website for more information.

Scholar Furniture, 0800 453 730, sales@scholarfurniture.co.nz, www.scholarfurniture.co.nz

MAKE YOUR SCHOOL LOGO A FEATURE STANDOUT Make the most of installing acoustic wall coverings by including your school logo.

This can be done simply and cost effectively, with maximum impact to your school identity in a busy area like reception areas and gymnasiums/halls. We can organise your school logo to be cut from the fabric and incorporated in the space of work. With years of experience Potter Interior Systems know just how to add impact to your investment. This acoustic fabric can be more than just a wall lining, use this space to add your own artwork. Potter Interior Systems, your acoustic specialists.

Potter Interior Systems, 0800 POTTERS, www.potters.co.nz

LOOKING FOR THAT WOW FEATURE IN YOUR PLAYGROUND! The NZ made Orex Mega Spinner is an awesome dynamic play activity that encourages children to climb, spin and learn about inertia.

Kids find it thrilling to test reaction strength against centrifugal forces which make for an ideal upper and lower body physical challenge for enhancing strength, balance and coordination.

With a huge 40 user capacity, the Orex provides maximum play value in a rather small footprint (area required 6.5m x 6.5m).

The Orex comes in your choice of colours and we can provide a surfacing package with installation – contact us today for a free quote.

Park Supplies Playgrounds Ltd, 0800 752 947, sales@parksupplies.co.nz, parksupplies.co.nz/product/orex-spinner/

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WHAT’S HOT

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

ELECTRONIC SCHOOL SIGNAGE Great communication with your school community and the wider local community is important for every school and increasingly schools are turning to electronic signage to make this easy and efficient.

Whether it is to advise on upcoming events, promote the school or celebrate student success, school's all over the country are using electronic signage as the best way to achieve these goals. As the market leader in electronic school signage WiPath Communications, with over 250 schools having trusted us with their LED display requirements, is pleased to be able to offer an upgrade on any custom built sign ordered before the end of the first term to the value of 10% of the sign value. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

WiPath Communications Ltd, 09 302 1142, schools@wipath.co.nz, www.ledsigns.co.nz

POLYFLOR SPORT 67 Polyflor Sport 67 is recommended for use in school and local authority sports halls, gymnasiums and leisure centres where a degree of resilience underfoot and long life under heavy traffic are needed.

Suitable for basketball, netball, volleyball, gymnastics, badminton, handball, indoor football and martial arts. The total thickness of Polyflor Sport 67 is made up of a surface wear layer, which is homogeneous and monolayer in construction, with a glass fibre reinforcement and closed cell foam layer. Available in a choice of 2 colours and a maple wood effect finish with a 6.7mm gauge.

Polyflor, 0800 765 935, sales@polyflor.co.nz, www.polyflor.co.nz

FAMILY PORTRAIT MINI SESSION FUNDRAISING PACKAGE

AKEAKE STEEL STRAWS - THE SUSTAINABLE FUNDRAISING OPTION FOR 2019!

Raising an extra $1,000 through fundraising for your school or ECE couldn’t be easier when you book a Family Portrait Mini Session Fundraising package with Inspire Photography.

Our stainless steel straws are made from premium 18/8 food grade stainless steel, are 100% BPA free, lead free, PVCfree & phthalate-free AND dishwasher safe.

We will donate up to 10% of the sales to your school while providing your families with beautiful family portraits at our very special mini session price. We know how to get the best out of your children, take the kind of photos that parents love to buy and our online ordering system removes all the hassle of ordering on the day. Contact us to find out more about our fundraising pack.

Bonus, they’re also resistant to bacteria, rust and oxidation. As one of Sustainable Fundraising’s newest products this is a great way to raise money for your school. They can be sold in a variety of pack sizes and include a washable carry bag and a handy straw cleaner. All fundraisers are risk free and easy to run, returning good profits to the school.

Inspire Photography, 04 3848 009, info@inspirephotography.co.nz, www.inspirefundraisers.nz

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

WHAT’S HOT

Sustainable Fundraising, 03 968 4328, hello@sustainablefundraising.nz, www.sustainablefundraising.nz

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How to win the fundraising game Raising money is often the only way that schools can afford to offer the extra facilities and accessories that students want, need and maybe even take for granted.

Yet, coming up with new ideas can be challenging and relying on tried-andtested ideas might seem like the best way to go but are they the most profitable?

School News has skimmed through some of the best fundraising ideas, and explored some of the more profitable ventures.

a win-win is teaming up with a company to sell baked goods on school grounds.

How these arrangements work is the school chooses a date and time for the sale, then students (and staff, if they like!) make their orders in advance. The company, bakery or other vendor will then make all your treats to order and your school will get a percentage of all sales.

1. Bake sales

But in 2019, a bake sale might be far more complicated than simply offering some rice crispy treats…

Cakes, pies and savories come on you can’t beat a good old-fashioned bake sale!

For one thing, parents are busier than ever. One suggestion that could prove

Top fundraising festivities:

Financially, this usually works out at around $2 per item sold. Pretty good money for a day’s order and you can try the same schtick with different types of food or items on different days, or maybe make it a regular event. How about a maths tie in for Pi Day?

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INTERACTIVE GAMES ADMINISTRATION

with this advert Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

students on a sustainabilityrelated school trip because it aligns with your school’s goal. Not to mention you also get to supply homes with functional items.

5.Practical products

3. Mufti day 2. Bottled water This ranks amoung the healthy fundraising options available and works similarly to the order-in bake sale idea. Have you tried selling bottled water for profit in your school?

Outsourcing tuckshop items like this to vendors that will profit share with you could be a great way to fundraise without much planning.

This idea offers obvious health and hydration advantages but is also a very simple ongoing fundraiser.

Our fun and popular Family Portrait Mini Sessions are the easiest fundraising option provided here at Inspire Photography, adding up to an extra $1000 to your yearly fundraising.

Each family pays a small fee for their time slot (usually $20) and you receive 10% of the order sales.

4. Sustainability rules

A fantastic way to encourage this behaviour and support your school fundraising endeavour is to partner up with local businesses and bigger vendors that specifically offer sustainable items for schools and other groups to sell. Many of the products available include first aid kits and reusable coffee cups, seed bombs, beeswax food wraps, produce bags, steel straws and a variety of others.

Kiwi families are doing their very best to create a sustainable future for themselves and their children.

This is a very cool way to help fund a specific project like installing solar panels, buying sports equipment or taking

Keep fundraising supersimple with a dress down day at school. Add some fun or learning opportunities with character dress up. Pick a curriculum inspired theme, or maybe an historical era, and double up the fundraising potential by hosting it on the same day as a bake sale, fun fair or market stall.

In a similar fashion, schools can everyday products for a percentage of a vendor’s cost.

Household items that families use every day like sun screen products and lunchboxes, toothbrushes, kitchen supplies and bin bags will always sell so use your imagination when hunting for products.

Offering your school a unique opportunity to have beautiful family portraits that the parents will love, while raising valuable funds for your school.

We provide booking sheets, price lists and FAQs to families and with our Saturday sessions, there is zero disruption to your school schedule.

We also prefer photographing outside and by bringing our large gazebo, we guarantee beautifully relaxed portraits. Stepping away from those awkward studio style images.

If these sessions interest you then please ask your fundraiser co ordinator to contact us on 04 384 8009, email us on info@inspirephotography.co.nz or go here for more information: www.inspirefundraisers.nz/mini-sessions.html

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

ADMINISTRATION

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Have you tried tasking a business studies class to market some fundraising products?

National vendors can also help you create a fundraising website with an online ordering system, product stock list and rolling calendar of events.

Think about whether you’d prefer to invite parents and students to order in advance or whether a stall set-up would work better.

When ordering online, it helps to get buyers onboard

Collect sponsorships and donations from people in your community, and then get out and clean up your town or help your community in some way.

if they are familiar with the products already.

6.Sponsored something?

Whip up enthusiasm for any sponsored event that you and your students love or hate.

Add a twist to the traditional sponsored walk and host a ‘serve-a-thon’, this fundraising trick is great because while your school is raising money, you’re also serving your community.

Effortless

fundraising online

When parents can pay for fundraisers online, schools are seeing a rise in community participation and dollars earnt.

PTA committees and office administrators also report a reduction in workloads, leading some schools to run more fundraisers, according to Sandra Finlay, CEO of New Zealand’s leading online school payments system, Kindo.

“Fundraising through voluntary donations, fundraising events and affiliates is key to increasing the income needed in our schools,” said Sandra. “We developed Kindo specifically to serve New Zealand schools. We regularly get feedback telling us that Kindo takes the work out of fundraising – and that more donations come in when parents can see outstanding payments as they pay for lunches, sports subs, trips and other

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7. Keepsakes and novelties Make novelty items available at school fun days, discos, fetes and free dress days. You can team up with a company that supplies novelty items or design your own school memorabilia. There are a huge

Victoria Sharp, office manager at Clifton Terrace School in Nelson has seen an immediate response from their parent community: “The uptake on school fees has noticeably increased due to a greater awareness by parents of what is loaded on their child’s account. When a parent makes a payment, it is automatically credited to their ETAP account and matched up with the appropriate invoice, meaning less work all round.”

Effortless fundraising Angela Cosford was a member of the PTA at Stonefields School when they started using Kindo: “I think that being able to pay online immediately made a huge difference to our sales.”

8. Fun fair spectacular Face paints are always popular and can be purchased and applied by an artistic volunteer or a group of arty students.

Perhaps the drama club can practice their make-up skills?

Don’t forget to organise inflatables, a pirate ship, dunk machines or a rock climbing

Fundraising a hassle?

Talk to kindo.

things… Displaying these things onscreen together acts as a gentle reminder. Kindo offers a fantastic, low effort way for schools and PTA to increase funds.”

More donations, less work

variety of knick-knacks you can sell that kids go gaga for, such as glowsticks, tumblers, sunglasses, and packs of cards.

No cash. No forms.

A simple system to take all your fundraisers online.

You can do it yourself, with little cost and a lot less time.

Tickets, class reports, stickers, spreadsheets – everything you might need.

Kindo is #1 in school payments. Proudly NZ made. Let us help you too.

www.kindo.co.nz/save-time Most schools run fundraisers, ticketed events, mufti and food days and these can all be streamlined through Kindo. “If schools want to set up a new fundraising product or service, it only takes the school admin a few minutes to create the item for parents to purchase – and there’s no cash or tallying to do,” said Sandra. “We also offer pre-made fundraisers with several companies already onboard working with schools, including Jesters Pies, Munch Eco Shop, Cool Designs labels, Roxdale fruit, New World and more.”

With administration taken care of,

ADMINISTRATION

there’s no time burden attached to generating funds. Sally Thompson works as office administrator at Campbells Bay School and she’s been impressed by the functionality Kindo offers: “We often give parents opportunities offered by third parties that will help raise funds. Kindo funnels payments directly through to the supplier so we have very little input except to spend the profit.”

Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable consultants about your next project on 0508 454 636 (toll free) or email to sandra@tgcl.co.nz

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

wall for a share of their income on fete days or free dress days.

These activities will take your fundraising to the next level and attract more bodies than just your students and their families.

Invite local church groups, aged care residents and widen the net to as many members of your community as you can.

9. Photography Team up with a good school photographer who will do a great job for you and simplify your fundraising attempt.

Organise family photo days, photos at sports events and on special occasions. Use this year’s photos to promote next year’s fundraiser!

Let’s hope that 2019 brings forth an abundance of enthusiasm from your school community.

Even if you only have a straggle of volunteers and a dire lack of gusto from your people, you can host simple marketplace events offering easy transactions, selling products that people want to buy, and with you as the seller in an arrangement where you only need to pay for what you

can sell and just return the rest.

Here is a secret... parents really do want to help but you need make it easy on their busy, frazzled souls. Many companies have come to the party with ideas that take the headache out of fundraising and allow parents to be involved without spending hours doing so.

Communicate well! Send reminders to let parents know the plan ahead of time and filter a steady stream of photos and updates through your newsletter, text, Facebook, assemblies and signage.

If you choose a fundraising provider, make sure that they align labour requirements to your specific school community and don’t forget to involve the kids. If you set clear goals and offer prizes and incentives, they will have a great attitude.

Note: However your school decides to raise funds there are strict rules set out by the Ministry of Education that must be adhered to and you are strongly advised to consult them first before planning an event.

Fundraise With Us and Do Your Little Bit To Save The Planet Munch Cupboard is an award winning New Zealand self-sustaining social enterprise. Our drive is to assist in social change to make the world a better place for the next generation through considering the environment and what we feed our children.

Our ethical fundraising is child lead, local, community focused, environmentally focused and educationally fun. Munch believes that if we educate our children, they will in turn educate the world. We believe in a world with no plastic and waste free products.

20% to you: Choose the Munch Eco Shop on your Kindo back end and our products will be automatically loaded to your Kindo platform.

Parent orders go directly through Kindo to us and we will ship your orders to school every two weeks.

go waste free with munch www.munchcupboard.com Ph: 0800 686 222 E: info@munchcupboard.com

JESTERS

PIE DAY

Let Jesters help raise funds for your school.

Fundraising that is as easy as pie. Jesters have been supporting 25 schools in New Zealand to help them reach their fundraising goals.

Our pies are made of an ultrathin pastry filled with delicious locally sourced ingredients. We have a wide range of flavours from traditional favourites to gourmet delights. We also offer Gluten Free Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

MAKE YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

Easy as pie!

FRESHLY BAKED

LESS FAT AND SALT

options and our new Vegan pie.

All you need to do is set up your school on Kindo and allow Parents to place orders. The pies will be baked fresh and delivered to you on your nominated day individually labelled and separated by classroom. The school will receive $2 for every pie sold – what could be easier!

Time for Pie Day Friday!

For more information please contact us on 021 2742 772 or mike@number8rg.co.nz or visit our website at www.jesters-pies.co.nz

$2

FREE PIE WARMER SIMPLE TO RUN

GF+VEGIE OPTIONS

TO YOUR SCHOOL FROM EVERY PIE PURCHASED FOR $5.30!

RAISE MUCH NEEDED FUNDS FOR YOUR SCHOOL! EMAIL ENQUIRY@KINDO.CO.NZ OR FREEPHONE 0508 4KINDO.

ADMINISTRATION

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How to get the most out of your next fundraising drive Fundraise Plus introduces a new way of fundraising to make it easy to plan a fundraising drive for a school, not-forprofit organisation or charity.

Many of us out there want to help fundraise, but quickly get put off by the time and effort involved. Planning, gathering volunteers, budgeting and committing to a successful outcome can quickly become overwhelming. Traditional ways of fundraising such as chocolate drives, trivia nights and social events can be labour intensive, time-consuming and often end up with little revenue after expenses. Fundraise Plus taps into the natural human desire to help, but takes away the pain of setting up and running a campaign.

Fundraise Plus provides a platform for schools, charities, sports clubs and churches to raise funds in a safe, controlled, easy to manage space. Using Fundraise Plus’s digital platform gives organisers’ the opportunity to sell products short-term or alternatively over a longer period of time.

With a few easy steps, schools can be well on their way to raising funds for a specific project that requires additional funds. Parents, family and friends can access a platform that is

easily shared, trusted, fast and simple to donate.

So let’s breakdown how Fundraise Plus works.

We offer a “done for you” fundraising campaign that takes the hard work out of putting together a fundraiser.

The first step is to choose a plan that suits your fundraising goals, with a variety of different plans depending on what type of project is being organised.

It could be a new piece of playground equipment, books for the library, musical instruments or a school camp.

Fundraisers simply provide their logo, branding, access to their stakeholder database and the reason for raising money.

Fundraise Plus quickly turns this it into a professional website landing page ready for sharing.

It’s then time to spread the word!

Fundraise Plus takes care of promoting to stakeholders by emailing the contacts provided, which can then be amplified through the school’s social media or other engagement platforms. The systems are interlinked, right from the back of the school’s bespoke Fundraise Plus website.

The products available are items regularly used in the home, such as baking paper, food wrap and kitchen foil. These popular household items attract people to buy as opposed to unwanted or unused goods.

It’s a great feeling watching sales come in and the fundraising

amount build up through the school’s fundraising page. Once the specified funds are raised an invoice is sent to the school for the products sold. The profit is then kept for the school to use on their fundraising project.

The purchased goods are sent to the location of collection, often the school. Parents, family and friends can simply collect the items from reception or are specified area within the school.

The “done for you” system takes the headache out of organising a time consuming, but important project.

Example of how Fundraise Plus works: The local primary school had an opportunity to host a music program by a local musician. The program was funded, however the school needed to purchase the drums that were required for the class. The class needed 12 small drums and only had a three weeks to raise the funds.

The school contacted Fundraise Plus to see if they could help.

Fundraise Plus quickly set up the school’s fundraising website.

The school supplied their logo, branding for the landing page.

They also provided images of the drums they were raising funds for and an introduction to the local music teacher they were hoping to host. The content and the school database was supplied to Fundraise Plus (third party permission was granted) to inform parents of the fundraiser and how they can support the drive.

Parents shared the school’s fundraising website with friends and family, encouraging more people to support the music project. Everyone that logged on to the website could see the total rising which gave even more incentive to reach their target.

After two weeks the local primary school were successful is reaching their fundraising target.

The purchased household items were delivered to the school to be picked up by those who contributed. The profit of the sold items was used to purchase 12 small drums so that the local musician was able to run the program at the school. The initiative was quick, effective and opened the door to a new exciting opportunity for the school.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be as we’ve always known it. Fundraise Plus takes the hassle out of running a campaign and the fundraisers receive the benefits.

There is no limit to how many times you utilise Fundraise Plus, whatever the project, we have a solution to meet your fundraising needs.

For more information on how Fundraise Plus can help you reach your fundraising goals, visit www.fundraiseplus.co.nz

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Release - Year - Issue - XX

ADMINISTRATION SECTION

XX

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz schoolnews.co.nz

Sustainable Fundraising exists to provide schools, teams, clubs and groups with easy access to great ecofriendly fundraising ideas and tools to help their fundraisers succeed.

round, paid quarterly, for every item purchased at our ‘Shop & Donate’ store.

Sustainable Stalls Sustainable Fundraising products make wonderful stall items - they are cheerfully attractive and easy to take and use. Our background in event-based fundraising taught us to easy products and a simple process. This is as simple as it gets - set up a sustainable fundraising stand at your next school event, sell what you can, and return what you don’t.

We offer friendly service and top quality, useful products that make you a great profit, give organisers an enjoyable fundraising experience, and propel humanity towards a healthier future.

Our sustainability goals are to actively reduce common waste, promote the reuse of common single use items, and source products to recycle. The product range promotes a connection and respect for the planet we inhabit.

The great thing about this is at that your school can benefit too from families making eco-friendly choices. Some of the fundraising options are: Paper Campaign Participants take home info and collect orders and money. The coordinator collates all the orders at the end of the campaign and lets us know the quantities. You pay for products and keep the fundraising profit, then we deliver your sustainable orders for distribution.

The range is ever growing and in

Online Campaign The most sustainable and popular method, this campaign can be run on its own or alongside the Paper Campaign. Register with us so your families can purchase directly from our

‘shop and donate’ store and direct the fundraising profit to you. We send the orders to you for distribution and pay the profit to your nominated bank account. The fundraising profit payments continue all year

2019 includes: • Beeswax Wraps • Reusable Straws • Produce Bags • Reusable Coffee Cups • Bamboo Toothbrushes • Seed Bombs For more information visit www.sustainablefundraising.nz or contact on 03 968 4328 hello@sustainablefundraising.nz

03 968 4328 hello@sustainablefundraising.nz sustainablefundraising.nz Term 1,-2019 Release Year -| schoolnews.co.nz Issue - XX

ADMINISTRATION SECTION

schoolnews.co.nz

35 XX

Replicating the red carpet: school balls to impress

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Another year, another school ball season! It starts this term and will finish some time between August and September, which is when most school balls bounce onto the scene.

For students, it’s the first big milestone they actually care about! The prospect of living out a red carpet fantasy and bringing the Prom Night trope to life is an exciting whirlwind for high schoolers, if an expensive one. It is reported that many girls are spending around $600 to emulate their favourite celebrity fashion looks.

Quirky themes have their place but high glam, Met Gala style extravaganzas - with a bucket-full of selfie-worthy fun - are what the kids really want. Whether they’re taking pointers from Gucci-obsessed YouTubers, flexing Instagram influencers

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Park, Photographer Kieran Bell (NZDJ)

or the many sparkling prom examples in American TV shows and films, teenagers have high standards for what they consider to be a formal or ball.

some newer technologies, such as the “GIF Booth’, Photo Booth Fun owner David Roberts shares some 2019 insights.

Insiders tell all their industry secrets, tips and trends:

First, he reveals that while “historically, to cater to different school ball and graduation event themes, photo booth companies would customise photo strip overlay designs, supply theme specific props and provide custom-themed backdrops. Totally acceptable and fit-for-purpose but with new technologies emerging, this brings potential for much more innovation”.

Introducing School News to the ‘gen Z’ memory maker and

“Technological improvements (and reliability) have meant

So how can schools do their best to put on an affair worthy of the Academy Awards without breaking the bank? School News reached out to the folks that make the magic happen for schools around the country, to find out.

School Balls, Leavers Dinners & Awards Night Packages include:

• • • •

8 function spaces • Central location Mix-and-match menus Free parking • Security Experienced team who can look after theming, lighting, organising your DJ PLUS more!

that professional ‘photo booth experience’ suppliers can meet schools’ ever-evolving desire for something new that goes beyond ‘a different theme to last year’ with elements like chromakey, greenscreen and animation.

“Chromakey, or greenscreen, enables any conceivable background image to be digitally inserted into an image, with or without physical props. It can essentially turn the guests into the props! Extreme fun!

“This year, I also expect to see GIF Booths (or similar) to be in demand. These are booths or kiosks that record a series of images to create a short video in

PHOTO CREDIT KIERAN BELL (NZDJ)

For schools, pulling off a seamless (drama-free) and above all, safe school ball is one of the year’s biggest pressures. It’s also something that has to adapt and evolve every year! Whether a venue no longer works, contracts have run out, or the times have simply changed and this year’s crop of Year 11s are demanding a different theme for next year, there’s nothing truly predictable about an annual school ball.

CONTACT US TODAY 09 631 1171 functions@alexandrapark.co.nz

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ADMINISTRATION

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Photo courtesy of Photo Booth Fun

a GIF file format, ideal for sharing on social media or by SMS/email.

There’s also been an exciting new innovation within this technology in the last few months, which is the digital prop experience.

This applies using face and body recognition technology to create just about any prop conceivable!

Imagine moustaches, hats, hair, animal eyes, bow-ties, speech bubbles (all potentially themed) and more appearing and being applied seemingly by magic to guests in the booth - and on the shared output or printed result! Also lots of fun!”

And when it comes to physical props, David advises schools to factor in not only appropriateness for the event in question but to consider quality and breakability in terms of how many excited students are using them.

“I think anything goes in a photo booth as long as it is quality and appropriate for the event. A professional photo booth company will ensure these are supplied with quality, ease-of-use and are strong enough to handle the event. Sadly, there are cheaper paper/card prop kits marketed as DIY photo booth props that simply fall apart within minutes or after a few uses. This is of course recorded in the images.”

As for music? David resolutely recommends a DJ or band over a party playlist. “Both a DJ and band can engage with the atmosphere and respond to students in a manner a Spotify playlist simply can’t.”

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Alexandra Park representative Kim Walsh talks about school ball planning.

“A good event coordinator can assist with catering, décor, venue layout, music and planning leading up to the day. While the school makes the final call on all details, the event coordinator can guide committees on what’s going to work best for their special night.

“When choosing a location, venues should be offering a central location with parking, various room sizes, and security awareness. Keeping students safe at their chosen venue is paramount, and event coordinators will work with teachers to ensure all needs are met. An amazing buffet or menu is as important, considering the dietary requirements of the students, especially at this has become more common in recent years.

“Schools are doing much more glamourous themed events, as most kids want to Instagram their experience at the event with friends. A must nowadays is an interactive photo booth or and a beautifully themed photo backdrop. Considerations like lighting are more important now, as they take the theme from beautiful to epic with some carefully placed lights.

doesn’t mean you have to forego beautiful room décor either, be creative, three large arrangements have more of an impact than 10 small ones dotted around.

“If choosing between a DJ and a

band, I find a DJ more relatable as they are able to play all genres of music. Plus, if a great DJ is chosen they are more interactive with crowd and can really make the party one to remember.”

Photo Booth / GIFBooth Special With a decade of professional experience, Photo Booth Fun know how to deliver the best fun at School Balls and Graduations!

Unlimited double photo strips, trained staff to engage with guests, an optional box of fun props, a totally customised photo strip overlay design and a full digital set of original and strip images afterwards! And of course we can totally theme the experience with you if required.

BONUS: Book this years’ Ball or Graduation before 31st April (regardless of date) and we will include one of our fun GIFBooths for sharing (value $750) at no additional cost!

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“The entrance to the room creates the initial expectation for the evening, so it’s important to ensure your budget allows for a grand entranceway. This ADMINISTRATION

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By Rosie Clarke, Editor

School News collected insights from influencers in the innovative learning space for you to check out ahead of 2019.

FLEs are all about experimentation: Come up with a hypothetical blueprint you believe will suit your students' needs and run it by experts who have installed flexible classroom designs before so they can advise you on what works.

Give it a go. Take note of how students use the end-result.

Make adjustments. There’s a reason we all call it a ‘flexible’ learning environment. You might even be surprised by how children engage with furniture; what was purchased as a table may quickly become a stool.

And there’s another aspect to all this: collaboration.

Meet the innovators:

A flexible learning lookbook

In his talk, ‘The future of work’, Mark Stevenson said: “The future of work, (and millennials understand this), is much more about networks of collaboration, where you don’t lead by having power over people, you lead by giving power to people to co-create something, rather than being told to create something by someone else.”

So, let the kids collaborate rather than look over each other’s elbows, sat in rows for exam prep.

There’s a new style of classroom in town! Distinction’s Business Manager Kath Rawson and Account Manager Anna Croft take us through their vision for ILEs. “Consider what the different spaces will be used for and create the space so it says there is a certain way of operating here. Identify what areas and how many need to be able to be open and then closed off to create break out spaces for specific group or quiet learning. Think about sight lines, movement of students around an area, visibility for the teacher so unobserved spaces are minimised.

Photos: Scholar Furniture

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“The trends that are coming through are to have a spacious uncluttered use of furniture, opening up spaces more with simpler furniture, larger tables, a chair for each student.”

ADMINISTRATION

“School colours are still important when choosing furnishings and can be a great starting point , but with schools tending to move away from strong colours, and trending to modern versions of wood finishes, silvers, neutral colours, saving the colours for the walls and children’s artworks to make the impact.

Think: What will create the best environment for the teachers and support them in their teaching?

“Now there is more considered awareness around how to use a space, with some schools planning up to two years to get their Pedagogy right, before they move into their new spaces.

“Furniture selection has been moving towards the beginning phase of a project so it is also considered at the start and specific zones created for differing activities to support children’s learning and teacher collaboration.”

Think about “layers of learning” “Kneeling, sitting and standing are the heights to consider for student learning so choose furniture that can support this. Furniture to support collaborative learning, including diverse styles of soft furnishings, mobile tables which can be individual or connected– the emphasis is on flexible furniture for easy reconfiguration.

“Comfortable furniture helps to increase students reflection and increase their learning, put this type of furniture in an area students can access at any time. How should the spaces feel? They require a strong connection to the outdoors, for particular activities and allowing natural light and fresh air into learning spaces.

“Storage is becoming more and more important, not only to keep spaces uncluttered, but to use as screening, to create quiet spaces for children to study and read, having books easily available in a calm quiet spaces is essential.

“It is important to have calm spaces for study and in some cases for particular students to have their environment controlled and quiet.”

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Rebecca Burke, from Scholar Furniture, tells us what she thinks will be trending in the sector this year as educators continue to clip at technology’s heels.

“With classroom sizes expanding and layouts changing with the development of ILE, we need to be aware of what impacts these open-plan spaces have on learning and student well-being.

“When looking to update your space, you need to ensure that students will be comfortable and that the classroom design addresses issues such as excess noise. A trend we think will be coming through, will be a focus on furniture design that can acoustically support these open-plan, larger classrooms.

There will also be a need to form intimate and enclosed spaces within the open-plan design, for students who require quiet spaces to learn or focus. The design needs to be flexible to adapt to different personality types and learning styles.

looking at further development of tools that help students learn such as the popular whiteboard tables, which allow students to be more creative and collaborative in group activities.

“With technology being a big part of modern learning, we believe we will see more of this being incorporated into educational furniture. Alongside this, we are

“We also think there is a need to be more aware of colour and the impact this has on learning and how it makes students feel.

The use of colour helps define

Photo: Distinction Furniture

a room’s purpose whether it is for quiet study, collaboration or relaxation. Take a reading area, for example, they are intended to be calming and relaxing allowing learners to reflect. In this instance, calming colours like greens and blues should be used in the wall colours and furniture.

In contrast, if an area is used for lounging and conversing, colour can provide excitement.

“Consider experimenting with furniture colour by using vibrant accents in reds, yellows or oranges. At Scholar Furniture we can help you through the selection process of both colour and design layouts for different areas of your school to create a functional and well thought-out innovative learning environment.”

innovative furniture for education

Creating inspiring & innovative learning spaces Introducing a new range of innovative and exciting educational furniture.

Encourage creativity, collaboration and motivation in the classroom with our range of ILE group tables, active seating, ergonomically designed chairs, soft seating, storage and staffroom furniture.

Scholar Furniture | 0800 453 730 | sales@scholarfurniture.co.nz

www.scholarfurniture.co.nz Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

@scholarfurniture.co.nz @scholarfurniture.co.nz

ADMINISTRATION

39

ILE furniture boosts staff wellbeing at Auckland primary school Stephen King, principal at Remuera Primary School, spoke exclusively with School News about his ILE journey.

Envied by parents, relished by teachers, staff and students, the new furniture has significantly enhanced wellbeing at Remuera Primary, according to the principal. He liaised with Distinction Furniture’s Suzanne to design and create the new-look-and-feel space.

“The building was new and it was our school’s first genuine exposure to innovative learning spaces.

So, getting the furniture right was very important. Important in terms of meeting the needs of the learners, and equally important for our teachers.

“Distinction Furniture were involved in the design process right from the start. Suzanne, was incredibly helpful in working with our staff and assisting

40

them in understanding the specific nuances of the furniture.

Suzanne’s attention to detail and ability to assist our staff in seeing the big picture, has significantly enhanced the overall look and feel of our new space.”

We asked Steve what his staff likes best about the new ILE furnishings.

He said: “In terms of the ILE, it is difficult to identify one piece, as it is the overall space that impresses most. However, in the staffroom, the nooks that have been created with the use of sofas and also high tables, has added greatly to the ambiance of the Staffroom. Staff love the variety of furniture and the options they have. “Parents have responded positively to the new furniture in the ILE. They love the variety, bright colours and choices that their children have. Many have said, they would have loved to have learned in this kind of space.

“The staffroom refurb has significantly enhanced the wellbeing of our staff.”

ADMINISTRATION

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

06

MARCH 2019 Building Physical Literacy in the Early Childhood Years, Auckland

New to the bookshelf this term

CONTACT: pauline.butt@sportwaitakere.nz WEBSITE: http://www.sportwaitakere.co.nz/ ABOUT: Participants will learn what physical literacy is and how an understanding of basic movements can benefit children in the early years of learning.

22

Global Competencies for Deep Learning, Wellington

CONTACT: elizabeth.craker@core-ed.org WEBSITE: http://www.core-ed.org/events/breakfast/ global-competencies-for-deep-learning/ ABOUT: Participants will explore how a focus on the measurement of deep learning competencies enables powerful shifts in school system conditions, pedagogical practices, and student outcomes. This seminar is tailored towards teachers aiming for a holistic, student-centric approach to teaching.

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For ages 6+

By Kelly Wilson Penguin Random House With Cameo sold to upgrade their family horse truck, 11-yearold Kelly has to find a new pony for just a fraction of the cost. Her troubled search ends when she meets Koolio. She is convinced the gorgeous grey is a champion in the making.

Learning Through Play Matters, Christchurch

CONTACT: 021 242 2170 WEBSITE: http://www.core-ed.org/events/breakfast/learningthrough-play-matters/ ABOUT: This seminar focuses on how learning through play can be achieved across different year levels. It is ideal for teachers and school leaders working at junior and middle school levels.

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Inspired by its popular junior fiction author’s own childhood, this is a charming book to keep young horse-lovers engaged while reading.

Implementing Mentoring and Coaching: why and how?, Dunedin

CONTACT: desire.morris@core-ed.ac.nz WEBSITE: http://www.core-ed.org/events/breakfast/implementingmentoring-and-coaching-why-and-how/ ABOUT: A seminar about creating a ‘culture of coaching’ at your school. This is geared towards school leaders, lead principals of Kāhui Ako, across school leads, within school leads, HODs/team leaders and teachers.

04

APRIL 2019

Data Champions Conference, Wellington

CONTACT: data.team@education.govt.nz WEBSITE: https://www.datachampions.nz/ ABOUT: The Data Champions Conference is an opportunity for teachers and data champions in our schools to share what we’re doing and learn from each other. The Ministry of Education is supporting this conference and it is free to attend.

14

ABSNZ Conference for Teachers in Boys' Schools, Auckland

CONTACT: Andrew McBride WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/2GIn9Ef ABOUT: Focussed on strategies for teaching in boys’ schools, the Association of Boys’ Schools of New Zealand has designed this conference to equip practitioners with insight on student wellbeing, character development, classroom management, working in senior leadership, and more.

15

NZ Primary Teachers Conference, Wellington

CONTACT: 07 543 9279 WEBSITE: https://nzptc.com/ ABOUT: The first year of a new conference for all primary and intermediate teachers, organised by the New Zealand Primary School Teachers’ Conference Committee. The theme will be: “Integrated learning and collaborative teaching in the 21st Century.” Keynote speakers include National President of the NZ Principals’ Federation, Whetu Cormick and Education Minister Chris Hipkins, as well as Dr Ann Milne and William Pike.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Showtym Adventures 5: Koolio, The Problem Pony

Charlie Changes Into A Chicken For age 8+

By Sam Copeland Penguin Random House Charlie is an optimist, but things are conspiring against him. His brother SmoothMove is in hospital waiting for an operation, his parents are trying to hide how worried they are, and the school bully is upping the ante in Charlie's direction.

This comedic new series about a boy who morphs into animals is a fresh literary turn for any reluctant young reader.

Fated For ages 14+

By Teri Terry Hachette Sam's cosy life as daughter of the Deputy Prime Minister is about to end. These are turbulent times.

Borders have closed and protests are turning violent. The government blames the country's youth, and is cracking down hard. Mobile phones are blocked, gatherings are banned and dissent is brutally crushed.

This thriller prequel will no doubt be seen on plenty of high school desks next term.

MORE REVIEWS ON PAGE 49 >> TEACHER'S DESK

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The STEAM era has dawned for our schools

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Thinking solutions for community problems: that’s the undercurrent promise of STEAM.

Photos courtesy of MOTAT

It’s being described as a ‘synergy of discovery’, and the ‘exploration of design innovation’, combining skillsets across subjects like science, art, mathematics and engineering. Out of context, this seems quite vague but the purpose of STEAM is to contextualise learning. The programmes and projects that schools are using and touting as STEAM enable students to apply their knowledge in different learning areas to a real-world issue or problem within their community. The results have been astonishing across the country, propelling

made to create At BERNINA, we strive to provide the best value machines for schools.

We understand that reliability is crucial in the classroom, and BERNINA is regarded as the leader in in this area. With this in mind, we have released a new range of machines in the last two years which will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding students. Whether it’s an introduction to sewing in

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a new generation of inventors and establishing the STEAM movement as one to watch!

Integrated into the Year 10 STEAM programme at Westlake Girls High School, in Auckland, are two six-month courses. Kinetic Sculpture incorporates aspects of creativity, design, art, physics and technology to make a movable piece of sculpture, incorporating film-making into the process as well. FutureTech Design provides students with the opportunity to create an interactive product using emerging technology like 3D printing, augmented reality, virtual reality and game design.

The school’s Year 10 students work collaboratively in community projects and develop an innovative technological solution to a real issue they have identified in their community.

NEW BERNINA 3 SERIES  POWER TO SEW THROUGH

Year 7, or a Year 13 pupil wishing to embark on a fashion career, we have the machine to suit. But even more important than the machine itself, is the back up and support of your local BERNINA store. They are experts in their field, offer a fast and reliable service and repair facility, and are the first place to call about your sewing technology needs.

HEAVY FABRICS  EASY TO USE AND THREAD  SMALL, STRONG AND QUIET  PERFECTLY PRECISE STITCHES  COMPREHENSIVE STITCH RANGE For our exclusive schools only price list, call 0800 237 646 or email schools@bernina.co.nz

To get information on our new range and school only pricing, call your local BERNINA store, or call us on 0800 237 646.

TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

These projects benefit from a mentoring program and supportive experts within the community.

technology, arts and physical education fields also bring their insight to the programme.”

Blooming job opportunities, building careers

Susana said: “We had our first ever Innovation Expo here at Westlake Girls, in November, where our STEAM students will be displayed their innovative prototype solutions to their identified community issue. Five groups where then selected to face a Dragon's Den. We have been privileged to have some amazing industry female role models as our judges.

“GirlBoss CEO, Alexia Hilbertidou, recently ran a coaching session with our students to show them how to set up their display area, engage with the audience and deliver an effective Dragon's Den pitch. Students were challenged to use ‘design thinking’ to identify an issue within their community and develop a solution prototype.

“Two students, Lily Winchester and Tara Vaughan decided to write and illustrate books for children in their first few years at primary school. The books explore issues from our local area - the North Shore - and have

Photo: OMGTech!

augmented reality embedded in them to enhance the reader’s interaction with the story.”

At Howick College, Year 9 and 10 students take four courses that blend two traditional subject areas like English and science and highlight two of the school’s six “capabilities”, which include: citizenship, character, creative thinking, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

In Year 10, the students can enact their own ‘Edge’ project, which they present to their peers at the end of the year.

Howick College’s director of innovation stream and HoLA social sciences, Angela McCamish revealed: “The collaboration between teachers and the highlighting of competencies pushes staff to design learning that is deeper and more holistic at the same time. For example, instead of studying a film and writing an essay, the students create settings, characters and scripts before constructing their own film scenes that are then viewed by parents and critiqued by their peers. Teachers from

The future is a bit unknown for students, and rightly so: 65 percent of our primary school children will enter into job types that don’t even exist yet. STEAM, as a movement, teaches young people to adapt to changing environments, create their own opportunities, combine their skills and problem solve.

These are solid abilities that will prepare the next generation for a workforce that will demand innovation in whatever field or industry they enter.

However, conversing with some industry experts on what schools should channel when creating STEAM programmes, School News uncovered some fascinating perspectives.

Accredited facilitator for Digital Technologies PLD, Vivian Chandra challenged the very idea that schools should overtly consider their students’ career prospects.

at your School

This year the spotlight is likely to remain firmly trained on digital technologies.

As many schools look for effective ways to address the requirements of the Digital Technology curriculum without causing teaching staff undue stress or breaking the already-stretched resources budget.

To support schools with this, the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland has established a mobile STEAM Cell education service to bring STEM education experiences to students within their normal school environment. The Museum

sees this as a cost-effective way to share their resources and expertise without schools having the usual hassle and expense of organising a EOTC experience.

A STEAM Cell is a trailer loaded with resources, driven to schools by one of MOTAT’s expert educators to provide a unique learning experience for students.

The MOTAT Education team have deliberately adopted a flexible approach to designing the STEAM Cell service, rather than dictate constraints around maximum numbers of students and duration of visits, they consult with teachers to design an experience that is going to work best for their enquiry topics, time constraints and budget.

For more information about the learning possibilities offered by MOTAT STEAM Cells please visit www.motat.org.nz/learn/steam-cells/ or call (09) 815 5808 Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

STEM EDUCATION ON THE MOVE

Organising out-of-school visits for students can be hard work; but now MOTAT brings STEM education to you!

A MOTAT STEAM Cell is a trailer packed full of equipment, teaching resources and collection items designed to offer a hands-on education programme at your school grounds.

A STEAM Cell can provide a ‘taster’ education experience for larger groups or deliver a more in-depth experience for smaller groups of students.

With a STEAM Cell there’s no need to pay for buses or organise parent helpers – suddenly EOTC just got so much easier!

For more information go to www.motat.org.nz/steamcell

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Photos courtesy of MOTAT

“When educators think of technology, inevitably, the phrase ‘future of work’ appears,” she said.

“It makes sense, for a long time now, education has been about ‘how do I get a good job’.

I challenge this line of thinking.

Technology is so pervasive and ubiquitous that it will affect every single aspect of what it means to be human. You will need to understand technology to access voting systems, healthcare, education, even retail.

“At the same time, there has been a fundamental shift in the way that humans interact

with technology. Where we were once creators and makers, we are all becoming passive consumers; using the tools blindly because a nameless corporation made it easy to do so.

“The new Digital Technology and Hangarau Matihiko curriculum is a game-changer. It is the first time, in a long time, that the official New Zealand curriculum has had such a significant change and through it, there will be a new generation of tamariki that are armed to be creators of this brave new world.”

Education manager at the

Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland, Julie Baker explained that STEAM and STEM thinking has been around for a very long time and offered some historical insight into the movement’s ideology.

“Anyone currently engaged in the field of education would easily identify STEM/STEAM as an area of contemporary educational focus. However, STEM is by no means a new concept, with human endeavour in these areas predating recorded history.

“What is new is our perception that the development of STEM capability in our students is an

integral part of preparing them for their future. Remember when computers were the new thing in schools? We determined that students needed to learn how to use the new technology, we collected shopping receipts and cashed them in for computing hardware, we housed our new hardware in specialised computer rooms and timetabled our students to learn about desktop publishing and Excel spreadsheets.

“It took us a while to get our heads around the difference between Technology in Education (learning about the computer)

Photos courtesy of OMGtech!

P & Fx: 03 7411 211 • M: 027 298 7777 • E: mike@itsnzltd.com • W: www.thunderlaser.co.nz

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TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Photos courtesy of Thunderlaser

and Educational Technology (using the computer for learning), but when we eventually did we dis-established computer rooms and relegated computers to being just another a tool for learning.

We changed the focus from learning about the computer to learning with the computer.

“This progression wasn’t a wasted journey for us, the process was necessary for us to gain knowledge of the computer itself whilst developing an understanding of its potential to revolutionise education

and learning. Making the journey was as important as arriving at the destination.

So, when I look at what we’re currently doing with digital technologies I think we’re in a similar situation. At this early stage we’re a bit dazzled by the novelty – what code needs to be written to navigate our robot around the maze, to make it turn at precisely the right point, to turn on the lights and sound effects?

“But this is just the start of our journey, we’re still figuring out the nuts and bolts, making our first

stuttering attempts at speaking the language, mastering the rules and conventions. As we did with the computer, we need to spend a bit of time playing with the hardware, as it’s a necessary part of gaining knowledge and developing our understanding.

know how to code, and have mastered the discipline of computational thinking?

What will they achieve when they put their new knowledge to work in authentic, real situations?

“But what’s exciting is the next stage in the journey, when the novel becomes commonplace and students come to our classes already digitally literate.

“What is possible when we change the focus from learning about computational thinking to learning with computational thinking?”

What will we do when we don’t have to teach coding because our students already

A powerful question that will produce even more powerful answers.

Are you ready for the new Digital Technologies Curriculum?

OMGTech! is well-known Aotearoa-wide for our award-winning workshops for tamariki, but did you know we’ve worked with leading educators to create an effective digital technologies pedagogy?

Here is a quick snapshot, to find out more, give us a call.

• An ethic of care - creating a caring classroom community where students are able to think, reason, communicate, reflect upon and critique the digital technologies that they encounter.

• Arranging for learning - creating opportunities for your students to work independently, cooperatively in pairs or groups, or in whole-class discussions.

• Building on thinking - making decisions based on the student’s current knowledge and interests.

• Worthwhile tasks - open-ended and worthwhile tasks, foster creative thinking and experimentation.

• Making connections - support your

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

students to create connections between everyday experiences and their digital technologies.

• Assessment for learning - use a range of assessment practices that enable the students’ thinking to be visible and allow for self-evaluation.

• Digital tech Comms - using a variety of methods to communicate the solution.

• Digital tech Language - endorse and foster learning the new words and terminology associated with digital technologies.

• Tools & Showcasing - make informed decisions about what and when to use technology to support learning.

• Teacher knowledge - have a sound grasp of the relevant content and how to teach it. Become a life-long learner.

To learn more about our pedagogy and to start on your digital technologies journey, contact us now on omgtech.co.nz/kaiako

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How to create your own STEAM programme “At Year 10, students also have the opportunity to carry out their own open ‘Edge’ project and present their learning to their peers at the end of the year.

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Auckland school Howick College has built on the vision of its former associate principal, Louise Addison, to create a future-focussed, STEAM integrated learning environment that is working wonders for its teachers (let alone students!).

School News wanted to find out how hard it was to get their STEAM programme up and running and what the transition phase has been like since courses launched in 2017. So, we spoke to the director of Howick College’s ‘Innovation Stream’, which is the name of its STEAM initiative.

Why Howick College decided to shift towards STEAM “The team of nine teachers that came together in 2017 wanted to focus on connected learning, evidenced by student development and eventually mastery. As a large school, teachers are often disconnected and students don’t always understand how to transfer skills, knowledge or capabilities between subjects. We wanted a model where teachers could genuinely collaborate and work across subject silos, sharing their expertise and designing wellintegrated programmes together.

“This vision is encapsulated in our TLIF inquiry goals: teacher collaboration, capability development, curriculum integration, investigating the use of exponential technologies, and highlighting the NZC principles of future focus and coherence.”

“We are constantly encouraging students to take ownership of their learning and set their next steps. The collaboration between teachers and the highlighting of competencies pushes staff to design learning that is deeper and more holistic at the same time.”

students, from a cohort of 430.

We had a really good structure, course ideas and capability descriptions and the team basically jumped in and got started using an inquiry model to work things out as we went. Teachers committed to team meetings once a fortnight and working with their course partner once a week. “The collaboration between teachers and the highlighting of competencies pushes staff to design learning that is deeper and more holistic at the same time.”

Evolving the programme as students grow with it In 2019 we are excited to continue the stream into Year 11 and NCEA. Our 31 students have continued in the programme since Year 9 and as a group are becoming really curious and confident learners. The teachers will design the base courses and support students to be discerning about assessment, aiming for Excellence and depth for their 80 credits as

well as continuing to build on their capabilities.” The programme itself, what teachers can design and what students can elect.“ In Years 9 and 10 the students take four courses - Future Studies (English and science) Community Action (social studies and statistics), Creative Design (English and social studies) and Problem Solving (maths and science) which replace their traditional subjects of English, science, maths and social studies.

“Teachers are relatively free to design inspirational units that meet the TLIF brief. They collaborate to design the units with one formal assessment piece per term which demonstrates the subject areas as well as reviewing their work based on capability development. Student choice can come in the form of context, assessment mode, materials used or learning partnerships, but there is always a balance between exposure to new things and students working in their strength areas.

Teacher workload and what was required to launch the programme

Angela cited positive feedback from staff, whanau and students.

The programme started in 2017 with 30 Year 9 students and a teaching team of eight. Now, they are into their third year with 140 students across Years 9, 10 and 11, with 22 members of staff involved.

She noted: “Teachers have enjoyed collaborating and working with new staff. They are learning more about other areas and deepening their insights in their own subject area such as the use of statistics in data interpretation and methodology in social studies.

A consequence of the new learning approach, that many might not have expected, has been a change in pastoral care.

“Eight teachers working with the same group of 60 students have been able examine their academic progress and pastoral needs is more close-knit way.

Students are also excited to take up opportunities for authentic and community projects. “More teacher responsiveness to student needs and choice for students within units and projects has created a feeling of flexibility and being ‘released’ from some of the traditional prescriptive and/ or assessment pressure.”

Is your school working on a new STEAM programme?

“Ms Addison proposed the idea of an Innovation Stream to our Board, we then promoted it at our open evenings and took applications to gauge interest.

We had over 100 applicants and started with a class of 30 Year 9

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Learning and teaching outcomes, two-year into a STEAM programme

Here at School News, we want to feature all your hard work so contact our editor and let us know what you’ve been up to!

TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

What’s so hot about STEAM?

By Dr Cathy Buntting, Director, Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao

STEM and, more recently, STEAM are being heralded as a way to invigorate a broad curriculum in primary and intermediate education, and an integrated curriculum in secondary education.

With schools across New Zealand establishing STEM and STEAM academies, spaces, and programmes, it’s clear that the trend is catching on. As a relatively new educational construct, one of the challenges facing the STEAM movement is the many different conceptions of what STEAM learning might look like.

At one end of the continuum, it’s the catch-all fad phrase for anything that’s not numeracy, literacy or physical education – the ‘other stuff’ that happens in the curriculum. It’s where STEAM is actually just science, or technology, or art. Or it’s where STEM and/or STEAM are equated with coding – getting out the spheros, arduinos, VEX robotics, Minecraft or even Rubik’s cubes.

At the other end of the continuum, true integration

occurs. Here, the result is more than just the sum of the parts – learning outcomes include cross-curricular conceptual and skill development, as well as dispositional development such as creativity, critical thinking and innovation. Often, the learning emerges out of a real-life problem and there are opportunities for student-driven, authentic experimentation and inquiry.

At Taupō’s Waipāhiīhī-a-Tia Primary School, two Year 2/3 collaborative classes were using vast amounts of water in the sandpit. Fabulous construction of rivers, lakes and bridges occurred each play time, but the school’s water bill became unsustainable. Photos of the water disappearing from the sand pit were used to frame the problem: What is happening to all our water?

Science learning about the water cycle took on a whole new level of relevance: Where is our sandpit water going to, and how can we get more? Model water cycles were constructed, experiments were done, and a new line of enquiry emerged: How are other people capturing water that is free? Models of water reservoirs were constructed and tested (cardboard and wood were shown not to be suitable materials), and a large reservoir unused on the school property was located.

Mathematics learning focused on volume as a measure, and how much water different containers store. Maths learning also came to the fore when the children helped to arrange a cake sale to raise funds for some plumbing expertise. Finally, after an extensive programme of learning, a new system was installed that collected water off the classroom roofs and stored it for water play in the sandpit.

Teacher Jeff Diack reflected: “There was rich learning around solving a real-life problem that was relevant to the students’ needs and interests. We used a Design Thinking model (Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test) to help us work through the technology process for constructing solutions to our problem. There was great excitement by all students when it finally came to testing their models and comparing the relative strengths and weaknesses of different solutions."

At more senior levels, Science & Technology Fairs, CREST, the Young Enterprise Scheme and other national competitions showcase projects that exemplify the best that STEAM learning has to offer: real-life, authentic, student-driven inquiry that integrates a wide range of conceptual and skill

development for a meaningful purpose. Here, the projects often involve engagement with an external stakeholder and/ or expert, and teachers act as learning facilitators rather than as content experts. The outcomes also tend not to be known from the outset – indeed, the need for creativity and genuine experimentation is a strength of these learning opportunities.

STEAM programmes that involve larger numbers of students and that are more pre-planned have developed around contexts such as rockets, pest trapping, and the construction of small moving vehicles. Other examples include constructing buildings designed to withstand earthquake damage, and exploring how to sustain life on Mars or create biodomes for here on Earth.

Across STEAM projects like these, the relative balance of the science-technology-engineeringart-mathematics learning varies.

This is perhaps particularly the case for engineering, which is not defined by The New Zealand Curriculum - instead a very broad notion of technology is used in our curriculum, placing emphasis on the development of technological literacy.

For teachers wanting to explore the diverse conceptual, skill and dispositional learning that can arise from an integrated STEAM project, the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao has an extensive suite of resources on rockets that provide an easy starting point.

Dr Cathy Buntting is Senior Research Fellow with the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educaitonal Research at the Univeristy of Waikato and a Director of the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao, a Government initiative funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

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Meet the schoolboys spearheading flipped learning

bicycles, but what's so cool about this is that they can learn and explore with a friend someone that’s exciting and fun to be with,” Simon explained.

The following year, in 2016, Simon teamed up with his younger brother Aidan to build their website. This project turned into a fantastic journey, fully supported by their schools.

As the boys learned new skills themselves, they shared those skills with whoever tuned in to watch their videos.

The kids watching can see themselves in Simon and Aidan and feel confident that they will be able to learn whatever the boys are teaching!

Aidan has become every teacher’s classroom assistant

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Three years ago, two young brothers built a website. Today, 14-yearold Simon and 12-year-old Aidan are running that website as the home of a fully-fledged learning resource they call ‘TubeTorials’.

Designed to mimic YouTube tutorials, an extremely comfortable learning environment for most children, TubeTorials turn Simon and Aidan into digital technology classroom assistants where they teach other kids how to code and master STEM skills like animation, stop motion, web design and engineering.

Sure, two young people might be able to make YouTube videos but creating content that will integrate well into the NZ curriculum is another matter altogether, right? Well that’s where their dad comes in. Kevin is a STEM teacher here in New Zealand with experience teaching five to 15-year-olds. He helps them with “the teacher stuff”.

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School News recently had the chance to interview Simon and Aidan about their passion for all things digital tech, and the awesome learning resource they’ve created for schools around the country.

Back in 2015, Simon sparked the idea for TubeTorials when he came up with a simple way to teach a group of children 3D Printing. After teaching himself to use TinkerCad (a free online

3D design and 3D printing app), he decided to record a series of videos that would teach others how to make and print different characters they could customise. Teaching by video, Simon was following the learning path that most kids look for when they go online.

TubeTorials aim to solve the problem teachers face when trying to effectively support a whole STEM classroom of children at the same time.

For teachers, encouraging students to work independently can feel virtually impossible, but with a flipped learning programme like this, the virtual element makes it happen.

“Many children all over the world go online and watch another person explore worlds, fight dragons and build jet-powered

Meeting the needs of the classroom as they progress their learning in a fun, challengebased environment, Simon

Simon sparked the idea for TubeTorials

TEACHING RESOURCES

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MORE

Aidan presenting at Ulearn18

and Aidan have become every teacher’s classroom assistant.

Watch-Learn-Create has been their teaching mantra and they tell us they want to give every child in the classroom skills to achieve.

The topics chosen are from the boys themselves, based on the areas of digital learning they’re most interested in and what their friends want to learn.

They both started coding early but wanted to progress to help others to learn the same skills and build knowledge in other areas like the exciting world of robotics. That’s the beauty of the ‘kids teaching kids’ concept: the skills and resources are always growing as the boys find new areas to explore.

Each programme starts with an outline and ‘one step at a time’ instruction. Simon and Aidan always want to include challenges to let everyone test their skills but they also know that having handy walkthroughs are part of what their friends expect from online experiences to help them when they are stuck.

“It’s like reaching that part in a video game you’ve been stuck on for ages: you will end up looking online for the solution!” said Aidan, estimating that each of their video courses average three hours from concept to finished product.

Their site currently has 1000+ videos either uploaded or ready to upload and the boys have even presented at uLearn18 to showcase their learning programme. Some of the teachers in attendance have started to use TubeTorials in their classroom.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

The resource has been trialled across Auckland in libraries and several schools, with teachers feeding back that both gifted and struggling children have been flourishing with the visual learning style. The videos encourage children to work at their own pace and continue their progress at home.

Aidan said he was bewildered earlier this year when he attended an inter-school rugby competition and was greeted by complete strangers! They knew him as the Aidan that had been teaching them TinkerCad on TubeTorials all year.

Simon added: “TubeTorials is free and will remain free for all non-profit applications. We want to share our passion for digital technology across New Zealand and are keen to develop new challenges and programmes.”

While it would be great to have sponsorship and see their efforts rewarded, the boys say their driver is seeing others learning and enjoying the STEM journey.

What will 2019 bring for Simon, Aidan and TubeTorials?

Big things. TubeTorials2 is currently under development and expected to launch late2019. This next evolution will concentrate on SCRATCH 3.0, 3D Printing and a new, exciting direction to be announced around Ulearn19. The boys’ will not only focus on supporting children, but teachers too, by linking the Digital Curriculum PD being rolled out with practical applications and systems to manage progression for grading.

They also revealed their motto for 2019: “Keep It Simple Silly.”

The Promise Of Puanga, Helper To The Whanau Matariki: Ko Te Kī Taurangi A Puanga, He Ururoa Ki Te Whānau Matariki For age 4+

By Kirsty Wadsworth Scholastic There is a bright new star in the winter sky—Puanga, cousin to the Matariki sisters. Each year, she appears to the people of Aotearoa, a special sign for those unable to see Matariki, that winter and the Māori New Year are coming. A new addition to Scholastic’s popular Matariki range.

This book has a terrific te reo Māori edition and is brought to life with bold illustrations by Munro Te Whata that will appeal to lovers of Disney’s Māui.

The Very Impatient Caterpillar For age 5+

By Ross Burach Scholastic HEY! What are you guys doing?

We’re going to metamorphosise.

Meta-WHATnow? Transform into butterflies. Right. Right. I knew that... WAIT?! You’re telling me I can become a BUTTERFLY? Yes. With wings? Yes. Wait for ME!!

STEM-based curriculum topic will appeal to teachers & librarians as a go-to book on metamorphosis.

The Midnight Hour For ages 9+

By Benjamin Read & Laura Trinder Scholastic Emily longs to be ordinary. But when her parents disappear, she stumbles into the secret world of the Midnight Hour. A Victorian London frozen in time, the Midnight Hour is a haven for all things spooky… including monsters determined to end the world. What secrets have her parents been hiding?

Ideal book for middle grade fantasy reader’s. Young students who are already reading comic books or graphic novels might enjoy the vividness of this one.

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Hōpara Wellington.

Have you been searching for a school trip destination that will provide oodles of educational adventures?

Well, Wellington might be the perfect spot for you and your class or group.

Combine as many learning areas as you can, with sporting sights and physical challenges, natural beauty and feats of engineering, theatre and fine arts, not to mention culture, history and politics.

This extraordinary, hip little capital makes an excellent classroom for the day, or week, because it offers so much learning variety. Wellington is also very easy to navigate by bus, train, ferry or the thrilling (and extremely charming) Wellington Cable Car. The best way to explore the compact downtown area is

initial enquiry to make sure the layout and spread of rooms will work for your group. How many students will be bunking in together? You’ll save on costs but don’t want to be awake all night switching off lights.

If it’s for more than a week, you may want to consider multiple locations or make sure the rooms will be comfortable enough for an extended stay.

Photo courtesy of wellingtonNZ.com

to walk. To visit Space Place at Carter Observatory or the Botanic Garden, it's just a quick (and fun!) ride up the Cable Car. But if you're going further afield - like to the Zoo, or Zealandia, chartering a coach is probably your best option. To explore the wider region trains are a great option and kids always love a train ride. If Matiu/Somes

Island or Eastbourne are on your itinerary, you’ll need to use the Dominion Post Ferry.

Epic overnighters and accom Don’t forget to think about the accommodation options (for teachers and chaperones too!); ask the accommodation manager about this during your

There are a plethora of amazing accommodation providers that cater to school groups; from inner city backpacker style accommodation and hostels to the great outdoors with cabins and plenty of open space.

Price up your options but try not to skimp on chaperone rooms!

One way to incentivise form returns or any other housekeeping required from parents or students is ‘first dibs’ on rooms, so early bookings may help your cause!

Looking to plan your next school trip?

Ensure your students get the best Wellington experience possible by booking with The Setup.

With two locations, and a large number of room sizes, we’re equipped to handle anything from the smallest club to the largest team, we’re the most cost-effective accommodation solution in Wellington.

The Setup is equipped with both personal and communal cooking facilities and spaces available for gatherings and meetings. Located

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right in the centre of Wellington CBD, there’s a large number of attractions within walking distance and easy access to public transport.

On-site security ensures our guests stay safe in the city and offers peace of mind in ensuring your students are where they’re meant to be, letting you get a quiets night rest during an otherwise busy period.

Give our friendly reservations team a call today and they’ll help you find the best solution for your needs, helping you to give your students an experience they’ll never forget.

Contact us on 04 830 0992 or email to kai.tang@wmgnz.co.nz

E.O.T.C.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Join the matihiko education revolution!

OnTV

Suits years 4 –13

MediaLab Photo courtesy of wellingtonNZ.com

Let’s get to it… Check out the variety of activities on offer with these itinerary suggestions.

Politics and history come to life Wellington City belongs to all of us and we must make the most of the more than 10 national institutions that shape, define and support our culture and society within 3km of each other. They all welcome pre-booked school visits.

Tour Parliament. We have one of the world's most progressive democracies, so why not start with a tour of Parliament? The iconic Beehive building is a must for curious eyes and ears who want to uncover all of the country’s inner workings.

Don’t forget to visit Government House: with a purposebuilt visitor centre, there is plenty to look at and read.

Tour the Supreme Court and the historic Old High Court. Students can learn about how our justice system works today and how it’s evolved. What is the role of the Supreme Court? Pupils will Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

be fascinated to learn what the justice system was like in the late 1800s when the Old High Court building was first used.

Visit Te Papa. Explore the national museum where stories of New Zealand heritage and culture are engagingly explored.

Check out Wellington Museum, after all it is one of the best in the world.

Take in the WWI exhibition at Te Papa's moving Gallipoli: “The scale of our war exhibition. With creative direction from Sir Richard Taylor and amazing craftsmanship

by Weta Workshop, the exhibition combines movie-making with museum storytelling in a powerful tribute to New Zealand's past.”

Cityscape nature play

Book your class into a creative cooperative learning experience in our professional OnTV studio or try out our MediaLab future-focused digital programmes with VR, app making, 3D movies and more! capitalebookings@experiencewellington.org.nz

$7.50 per student for Wellington Schools $10.00 for schools outside of Wellington

PART OF

Space Place teaches students about the wonders of the southern skies, while Zealandia (a protected island and home to precious native wildlife) offers school groups the breathtaking The Karori Sanctuary Experience just minutes from downtown Wellington.

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PRINCIPAL FUNDER

04 913 3742 | capitale.org.nz 51

Boosting mental health and skyrocketing resilience

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Vigorous outdoor and community service based education programmes are notorious for attracting prestige.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award (The Award), for example, is world-famous and wellestablished in New Zealand as a life changing programme for disadvantaged youth. In 2016, more than 1.3 million 14-to-24year-olds took part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, which has been credited with improved educational attainment, reduced recidivism, reduced violence within communities and improved personal wellbeing.

This truly unparalleled restoration project conserves some of the rarest and most astonishing wildlife in New Zealand.

The Botanic Garden is home to some of the oldest exotic trees in New Zealand and tours of the ancient forests and colourful flower beds are available by request! Meanwhile, Mount Victoria Lookout provides magical views of the capital.

Take a ride on the Wellington Cable Car and point out geographical landmarks or have students label a topographical map. Maybe give the kids a break at one of Wellington's fun waterfront playgrounds.

Provide positive ways to develop young people by increasing their resilience and decreasing negative outcomes There are three levels and awards increasing in intensity: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Young people must be 14 or older to enter the Bronze Award, 15 or older to enter the Silver Award and at least 16 to enter the Gold Award.

Last year, a group of five students from Whanganui High School won the most demanding level of

Wellington Zoo’s a given. Kids leave here with a sense of wonder and respect for nature, learning more about the need for a sustainable coexistence between wildlife and people.

Arts and filmic bliss Definitely check out Weta Cave, a mini-museum with the shop front of Oscar-winning, Weta Workshop. From Middle-earth to Tracy Island you can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the most spectacular movies.

Explore the many art galleries in Wellington: The City Gallery in Civic Square, Kura Gallery,

achievement for young people aged 16+, the Gold Award, where students must commit to and thrive in five activities over the course of 18 months.

Those activities must cover service, physical recreation, skills, adventurous journey and a residential project.

Local organisations and companies frequently pitch in to facilitate various activities

Page Blackie Gallery and New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.

Capital E’s ONTV studio is the place for young people to unleash their creativity and ignite their imagination.

Book an immersive team experience in the professional and purpose-built TV studio where “hands-on, curriculumlinked programmes will see your class work together to create their own television broadcast”.

Capitol E’s National Theatre for Children engages young people as creative producers for theatre performances that tour Aotearoa.

“The theatre team work with artists to create touring shows,

Photo courtesy of Jeff McEwan

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and the residential project in particular, which must be a shared activity or specific course (with people that the award recipient doesn’t know).

The residential project must involve helping others, building on a talent they’ve developed or learning something completely new on an intensive course.

Organisations that currently meet the criteria for residential projects include the Department of Conservation, Hillary Outdoor Education Centres, YMCA, and R Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust.

Regarding the latter, a study published in the Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences spoke about the mental health benefits of adventure education.

the biennial National Arts Festival, and they provide logistical support for other performing arts organisations who create highquality performances for children”.

Need help or inspiration?

Use the ChangeAgents free online resource for teachers to “plan school trips to Wellington while deepening student learning before and after visits to two or more of Wellington’s unique places”. Use Trail Sheets if you’re looking for walking bus suggestions with its 2km walking trail routes around the city’s institutions. Symbols on the maps explain Wellington’s rich landmarks and history.

Photo courtesy of Pivot Photography

E.O.T.C.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

The study detailed observations of a seven-day R. Tucker Thompson youth voyage. The lead author of the study and PhD student at Otago’s Department of Psaychology was Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle, who said: “We wanted to investigate how and why programs like the R. Tucker Thompson are often viewed as positive ways to build resilience in our young people. Our view is that youth today are not less resilient than previous generations, but they face a rapidly changing world and we need to ensure that they are well equipped to face life’s challenges.”

The findings demonstrated increases in psychological resilience for the youth

Peak Performance Solutions has been a leader in Outdoor Education since 2004.

It was born out of a need to formalise a delivery structure for students undertaking The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme, Adventurous Journey Section. In 2007 PPS developed the National Training Manuals for the Award Adventurous Journey Section.

Over the years the Award participant numbers have continued to increase with popularity putting pressure on coordinators managing Award students, so in 2012 PPS launched an online training medium for students undertaking the Bronze and Silver Adventurous training and hopes to launch a Gold level programme in 2019.

who undertook the voyage.

Importantly, these increases in resilience seemed to be driven by the social/collective identity the adolescents formed with their group over the course of the voyage.

“The group aspect is particularly interesting. The positive changes in the youth on board were linked to working as a group in order to overcome the new and often demanding situations on the voyage rather than tackling them as an individual.

in the context of values such as whanaungatanga, a sense of belonging to and holding a collective identity with others.

This understanding and use of Kaupapa Māori is something that the Tucker Thompson is actively incorporating within their voyage,” Mr ArahangaDoyle said.

Study supervisor, Dr Damian Scarf, a Senior Lecturer at Otago’s Department of Psychology, added that the results of the study point towards viewing adventure education as a useful tool in combating concerning statistics in the area of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

This ethos of relationships and the importance of others maps well onto Kaupapa Māori views of health and identity, where personal development and resilience are always viewed

“Rather than dwelling on

The Bronze Online Training programme is an interactive and informative online training medium for participants to complete the theory elements of the Adventurous Journey Section training for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme, Bronze and Silver levels.

“A key finding is that resilience is not simply a property of the individual, resilience is built through social support and being accepted by important others.”

For The Award in particular, schools can become Award Units and mentor their students to complete different Award journeys. Funding is available to schools who want to become Award Units through grants or online fundraising.

Are you as a coordinator struggling to find time to manage your students and deliver the required training material prior to them going on their Adventurous journey adventures?

Are you looking for a low-cost alternative?

Do you want to get some of your own time back? After all we all struggle to manage workloads.

Participants complete 20 hours of training covering all topics within the Award, through slideshows, quizzes, video and online interactions and networking.

Upon successful completion an Achievement certificate is issued.

Do you find it hard to get your students together at the same time for training?

Do you find it hard to keep students engaged in face to face training?

Students work at their own pace over a maximum of a six-month period to learn the basic skills needed prior to embarking on bush Journeys.

Whether students are working towards completing the Award, Unit standards or outdoor programmes, this programme assists your students complete the programme at a convenient time to them.

Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable consultants about your next project on 027 577 7583 or email mark@ppsnz.co.nz

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

the negative, what we’ve demonstrated is that through providing positive ways to develop our young people we can increase their resilience, and in doing so we hope to decrease negative outcomes.

Would you like your students to train in their own time, at a time convenient to them?

Well, have your students complete their training online for Bronze and Silver training.

email: mark@ppsnz.co.nz www.bronzetraining.com E.O.T.C.

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Spruce up your menu for summer As we say goodbye to winter and embrace the warmer weather, now is a perfect time to review your school canteen or tuck shop menu.

Providing foods and drinks that not only look and taste good but are affordable and seasonal will encourage students to make healthier choices.

Embracing a seasonal menu is a great way for your canteen or tuck shop to add variety, keep up with food trends and generate excitement. There are many ways your business can benefit from seasonal food and drink offerings, for example:

Marketing and new business opportunities: Changing the menu with the seasons can be an easy way to attract new customers. Marketing campaigns (e.g. posters or social media posts) can help inspire customers to try new options.

Maximum quality, reduced food costs: Fruit and vegetables are cheapest and taste the best when they are in season.

Opportunity to source locally: You may be able to use seasonal food and produce as an opportunity to increase your use of local suppliers.

Staff engagement: Switching your menu on a seasonal basis can not only keep students interested, but also kitchen staff. This gives them an opportunity to try new recipes and use different ingredients.

Refreshing recipe ideas for warmer days: •

Vegetable and fruit smoothies

Smoothies are easy to throw together in a blender. Mix up the flavours depending on seasonal availability, for example, green

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

spinach smoothie or banana cauliflower smoothie. Made with vegetables and/or fruit, milk and yoghurt, they’re packed with health-promoting nutrients like protein, calcium and vitamins. Be creative and consider adding oats, nuts/seeds or spices.

•

Salads

There’s nothing more refreshing than a seasonal salad, check out our recipes for beetroot and feta summer salad, pesto pasta chicken salad and bean and rice salad.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

•

Sandwiches and rolls

•

Sushi

Be sure to offer a selection of fresh sandwiches, rolls, wraps or bagels available on your menu. Healthy fillings include vegetables and lean protein like shredded chicken, roast beef, egg or hummus.

Fuelled4life has recently released a poster which compares two sandwich items, encouraging student to choose the best fuel for their bodies.

Sushi is a popular choice among children – it’s light, affordable and easy to pick up and eat. If you’re making your own, include nutritious fillings like avocado and chicken, egg and vegetable or tuna and cucumber. Serve sushi with a side salad or coleslaw for an extra health boost.

•

It’s even more important for students to keep hydrated as the warmer weather approaches. Remember, water and plain milk are the best drink choices for students, so be sure to keep your fridge well stocked and have these options visible at eye-level.

Yoghurt

A very versatile ingredient and cooling, sweet treat.

Offer pottles of yoghurt, frozen yoghurt ice blocks* or layer fresh seasonal fruit and yoghurt in cups.

•

Water and plain milk

Branko Cvjetan works for the Heart Foundation as a Manager for Nutrition Advisors in the North Island. His team support schools and early learning services to encourage healthy eating and physical activity.

He is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian and father of two who is passionate about helping children to eat well.

How can Fuelled4life help?

Fuelled4life has a collection of recipes and resources to help with menu planning.

Our sample menus for school canteens are available to download for free from fuelled4life.org.nz/ resources.

Fuelled4life is based on the Ministry of Health’s Food and Beverage Classification System (FBCS). It’s a free practical tool which helps schools provide healthier options.

It aims to increase access for young people to healthier food and beverages. It inspires food services to provide tasty, nutritious products.

Sign up to Fuelled4life One-in-three Kiwi kids is overweight or obese but you can help change that.

If you are a teacher, principal, canteen manager, caterer or cook and would like to see your school offering healthier food and beverages, here’s what to do: •

Sign up to Fuelled4life for many free resources to help you choose healthier options

•

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

*Full recipes available at fuelled4life.org.nz

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

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

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

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

wWw.FuellEd4liFe.oRg.nZ Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

FOOD & BEVERAGE

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Sports Day is everyone’s chance to shine

Here are a few ideas: Love it or hate it, bring the eggs and spoons, rally up the rounders team and oil up the wheelbarrows.

•

An obstacle course

•

Who can hold a funny balance for the longest?

•

Tug of war

Get ready to embrace all the fun for your school’s 2019 sports day because it must be just around the corner!

•

A giant puzzle, chess or giant Jenga game.

•

Get creative with space hoppers and hula hoops.

•

A game of ‘who can bounce a tennis ball the most times in a row on a racket?’

With sport such a huge part of our society and culture, the inaugural sports day is one of the most popular days of the school year and even those students who are less than sporty can be tempted to let their hair down and participate in a game for their team.

With so many sports, activities and games to choose from annual sport days can have a vast reach, achieve unparalleled popularity and can motivate kids to take up a long-term sport, as well as provide a foundation of positive values.

Ready?

According to new research from Sport New Zealand, Kiwis who meet the global physical activity recommendations of at least 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity a week are 51 percent more likely to have healthy mental wellbeing.

A review of international literature submitted to the New Zealand Government Inquiry into Mental Health showed that physical activity reduces the chance of experiencing depression by 10 percent in children (5-18 years), 22 percent in adults (18-64 years) and 21 percent in older adults (65+ years).

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Any event that encourages students to be more active and helps with their physical development and general health is a winner and this is certainly the most important contribution sport has for children. However, it is also a very powerful tool that not only breaks down barriers, improves self-esteem but also many studies have shown that it improves both mental health and academic achievement.

Education increasingly recognises the role of sport in school and its values not only within the school community but nationally and even globally. UNESCO (United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has developed several tools presenting the benefits of sport values in all world regions to combat challenges, such as inactivity, obesity, unemployment, and conflict.

Indeed, the true beauty of sport is the improvement of physical and mental development of children but some of the tactics and strategies learnt in childhood sport can be very useful to adults and help them cope with the struggles endured throughout many aspects of life, for many years to come.

UNESCO even states that “sport can teach values such as fairness, teambuilding, equality, discipline, inclusion, perseverance and respect” and “has the power to provide a universal framework for learning values, contributing to the development of soft skills needed for responsible citizenship”.

The international agency has developed several tools presenting the benefits of sport values in all world regions that you can check out and download online.

Sports day seating Retractable seating is a great option for schools that put on regular event days: these seats can be fixed or mobile, have wall mounts, foldaway storage options, and can even be motorised and controlled from an external panel.

“Wheelable, demountable and customisable grandstands ready for any sports day - large and small, indoors and out. Proudly New Zealand made.” - Chris Hudd, Stronglite Staging SPORTS & RECREATION

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Paging & Sound Systems I Portable PA Systems I Wireless Microphones

School Paging Systems vide We pro pport u s remote tance is and ass ing! ain r t h wit

Desk Mic & Speakers

Our speakers are ideal for school paging systems as they use your network to connect to the microphone instead of installing new speaker cable.

Using the network also means automatic scheduling for bells, announcements and streaming music, while you can also broadcast live messages from the microphone or VoIP phone system.

With the mic, make a live announcement to any zone or trigger lock-down or any other prerecordered message. With the SIP speakers easily cover a classroom, staffroom or admin area. Horn speakers cover large outdoor areas and fields.

We will coordinate the installation with your preferred or inhouse IT company so it is easy and hassle free for you.

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The Micker Pro (MIC + speaKER) is a complete portable PA suitable for classroom use, meetings, small lecture rooms and tour guides.

Our PA systems can be taken anywhere and used with or without mains power. They have a built in trolley and are suitable for indoor and outdoor use assembly, sports events, courts and fields.

Features - Covers hundreds of people - Powerful built in rechargeable batteries - Bluetooth music receiver and digital recorder - Can run up to 4 wireless microphones - Top quality and easy to use The system is fully configured and ready to go straight from the box. Complete packages start from $1995+gst.

Take the strain off your voice - everyone will hear you without raising your voice.

Headset available for hands-free operation.

Comes with Lanyard, charger and carry-bag. $347ea, 5+ $329.60 ea, 10+ $299 ea.

Prices exclude gst. Freight included.

Music & Performance Speakers D.A.S. Audio The Vantec series is perfect for school music rooms, studios, halls and performances.

You can connect microphones and instruments directly or use an audio mixer, making them very versatile. As well as sounding fantastic, the Vantec Series is easy to use and very tolerant of accidental misuse. They can be the main speakers for the hall and assembly, or used on stages indoors or outside and will cover the audience beautifully.

Vantec series speakers have a nice feature that is sure to prove handy: a built-in Bluetooth wireless system allowing you to play music into the speaker and/or link speaker to speaker to save cabling.

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Tiered seating is also an ideal way to aid visibility, particularly if your school has a multipurpose oval, court or hall.

Depending on the space available, a custom tiered option might be the best way to fill your space and cause least disruption. In echoing auditoriums, well-lit aisles built from noise dampening materials can be a huge time and voice-saver for teachers and keep rowdy crowds at bay during sports events.

Set? We are spoilt for choice when it comes to the variety and frequency of our national sporting events and these occasions can be a great inspiration for students to get involved and can provide some great sports day ideas. Why not think about how you can incorporate national or international sporting events into your next sports day?

Lead up to your sporting event by setting up a Facebook group because social media and online influencers are a great way to motivate and inspire your kids, this works especially well with older students. For younger children, you

could find books where the main character does a sport or a short film with a relatable fit and healthy lead character. For instance: If you have any Peppa Pig fans in your class, there's a whole compilation of sports day episodes on their YouTube channel that can you give you some great sports day ideas!

Share a whole host of different sports/exercises showing different types of people participating in them (i.e. footage of special Olympic events) is a great way of confirming that sport is for everyone. Reaffirm to your students that they don’t have to be a ‘sporty’ type to enjoy their sports day.

In addition to the usual sports day classics, remember to incorporate ‘silly’ games and team activities that don’t require high levels of skill and stamina, after all some non-competitive fun and laughter is the perfect motivator. Include activities that require balance, strength and or problem solving.

Most of all, have fun and provide quality sport experiences because these are essential elements when trying to get your students excited and involved. Furthermore,

“These excellent quality portable sound systems will last you for years. Battery and mains power - use them anywhere indoor or outdoor in large or small areas.” - Jonathan Neil, Edwards Sound Systems remember that quality experiences must also include having a safe social and physical environment to play in, so play safe and provide shade, water and sun block.

Finally, ensure that all your staff and volunteers are enthusiastic and remain consistent with delivery and communication.

Rallying the troops Schools report stolen horns, strained voices and stressful

whistle-blowing but there are a variety of PA system solutions that can give staff and students a seamless outdoor experience.

Survey your options and decide whether battery or main operated equipment will work better for your school and question suppliers about portable options as well as compatibility with other devices and software.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Solar power:

Sun, STEM & stimulating cost savings

The dream of a completely self-sufficient solar powered school has not been realised quite yet but the savings can be electrifying.

While solar solutions are increasingly providing schools with reduced energy costs and, in some cases, revenue streams, most schools can’t afford the upfront cost to install enough solar to power an entire campus.

However, the price of a solar panel has decreased over time as the technology has become more popular and more efficient.

Pricing options are also available so that schools no longer have to buy panels upfront but can enter into a ‘rent to buy’ style agreement, called a Power Purchase Agreement where

schools pay slightly higher operational costs so that after a contracted period of time they can assume ownership instead. Maintenance and repairs are the responsibility of the system owner. A PPA generally means low or zero upfront costs, but higher operational costs for a school.

There have also been a few notable examples of extensive solar in schools grabbing headlines. In 2017, Bangalore’s Canadian International School became the first school in India to operate 100 percent on solar power.

A little closer to home, in October last year, new-build Perth primary and secondary school, Atlantis Beach Baptist College became Australia’s first fully solar powered school. The

Using the solar data to teach kids about maths, analysis, renewables and energy efficiency college runs on 20kW of rooftop PV and 30kWh of battery storage, with solar heat pumps servicing hot water across campus.

New Zealand is also making a conscious effort to increase solar power in schools. Last year, Pukeatua School in Wainuiomata made headlines when it saved $1400 in 12 months thanks to new solar panels.

Principal Jenni Adam told Stuff that the savings were used to invest in filament for donated 3D printers. The savings came from a reduced need to purchase power from the grid. Any extra power that’s generated by the solar panels, for instance over the school holidays or on weekends, is also sold back to the power grid.

All photos are courtesy of School-gen, with thanks to Milford School

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

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produced from a renewable source right where the students can see it, use it and learn about it.”

This is one of the key incentives for solar energy: generating savings for schools to put to much-needed use. Still, upfront costs (or running costs in the case of schools in a PPA) are still a concern for many.

For Pukeatua School in particular, solar panels were donated thanks to Hutt City Council's Solar in Schools project, which targeted low decile primary schools. It is worth enquiring about local grants that may be available to your school and enquiring with local businesses as you explore other fundraising avenues. The benefit of fundraising for a solar installation at your school is that it will provide financial return on investment, which schools can use to fund other projects.

School News spoke with a couple of leaders in the solar sector to find out what’s new and available for schools in 2019.

Industry insights and strategies Jessica Rodger from Genesis School-gen explains how the

Where to start? Jessica and Maggie both agree that most schools go for a solar array that helps with their energy use but these are unlikely to generate enough energy to get them completely off-grid.

Photos courtesy of Power Technology

data created by an in-house solar setup can be used by teachers and students in STEM education.

“There is a great deal that can be learned from the solar data – and about solar as a renewable energy source – that is extremely useful for STEM education. We encourage all schools who install solar to track and monitor their solar data online (this is currently accessed by the 93 schools that are part of our programme) and to access the range of solar-related teacher resources we have, which are all curriculum aligned. Using the solar data to teach kids about

maths, analysis, renewables energy and energy efficiency, is a great way of making STEM really hands on and practical.”

Maggie Twaddle, NZ Solar Schools programme manager at Power Technology reiterates the importance of solar data in STEM education: “Our graph of live solar data and ongoing development of education programmes for students about solar energy and energy efficiency is a key bonus of having a solar array on the roof of the school. It is also a great visual example of a percentage of the school’s electricity being

Maggie explains: “Schools are now installing larger solar arrays with five of the most recent schools installing more than 20 kW solar arrays. The percentage of the school’s electricity details are provided to the school in the initial proposal.

“The solar array will supply the first ‘chunk’ of electricity to the school when there is sunlight, wherever this is being used across the school. This offsets energy that would otherwise be imported from the national grid. The solar power system can be modular and can be increased at any time in future to meet growing needs or offset a greater proportion of the cost of retail energy.

School-gen powers STEM learning Pupils at Ohope Beach School have brought STEM learning to life by comparing their school’s solar energy generation to 92 other schools through the Genesis School-gen website.

School-gen is Genesis Energy’s community programme that provides free science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) resources and activities free to teachers from the School-gen website.

For School-gen schools with solar panels, Genesis also provides a device called a ‘Watt Watcher’ that allows students to monitor power generated from the school’s solar panels in real time.

placed to get the most out of solar, given they use most of their energy during the day.

Students and teachers can also track the school’s solar power over time, and access free resources about energy generation through the School-gen website.

students have a keen interest in how energy is produced and used.

“Using the Watt Watcher, pupils can now see in real time how much solar energy is being generated from their

panels, what the ultra-violet and weather readings are like, and what time the sun will rise and set,” said Tony Horsfall.

Schools, especially in sunny places like Ohope, are perfectly

Principal Tony Horsfall says that students at Ohope Beach School love to compare their solar generation to other schools, from Russell to Timaru, through the School-gen website.

Schools that do not have solar panels can still use the resources on the School-gen website.

Principals and Boards of Trustees can also use the website to see how other schools are benefiting when considering if they want to invest in a solar array.

Genesis created the School-gen programme to inspire young people to engage in and enjoy STEM subjects. As they grow into adults, the students’ interest and expertise in STEM will be key to the success and innovation of New Zealand companies and utilities in the future.

“I’m sure the students will also gain a greater appreciation for our sunny climate as they learn,” says Tony.

Tony says he was eager to join the School-gen programme as his

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Ohope Beach School joins local schools James Street School and Whakatane Intermediate as School-gen solar schools, which Tony Horsfall says will mean students will be familiar with solar energy as they progress from primary through intermediate school level.

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Free STEM

resources & activities !

Genesis School-gen is about getting kids excited by STEM! We’re providing free and fun resources and activities.

Hands on learning with the Human Energy Curriculum Generator. aligned Borrow it resources for free!

Check out the School-gen website www.schoolgen.co.nz

Online STEM games for kids

Maker projects & cool classroom activities

Like our Facebook page (@schoolgennz) for the lastest games, competitions & resources.

energy consumption figure for the past year, which will help determine what system size would ideally be required.

“Schools can go for a smaller system (anything less than a 5kw array is not recommended) as this will let the school monitor and learn from solar without making a massive dent in the budget. The other option is to get a larger array that will meet the majority of energy needs.

New technology on the rise Photos courtesy of Power Technology

“Batteries may be installed at a later date, as they become more economically viable. If schools want more electricity generated on the roof they can simply add another solar array.”

According to Jessica, “Schools are ideal users of solar power, since the majority of their energy use is during sunshine hours.

“There are a number of practical

considerations that a school needs to take into account when thinking about installing solar, such as whether the building they want to put solar on is permanent, whether it has a north facing roof, and whether it is clean and in good condition.

“From there, they can request that their electricity retailer provide them with the school’s

“Technology changes have focused on improving efficiencies of solar panels and inverters,” Jessica reveals. “As an example, in 2010 we were installing 150W panels now we install 300W+ panels. Costs of solar have also dropped significantly, making it more affordable for schools.”

Future-proofing schools for solar “Solar panels do not emit anything,” Maggie says. “They are

attached to the school roof and silently create electricity for the school with amazing guarantees.

The best school buildings often have a north facing roof and every new school building should be future-proofed for solar.”

Solar seeks to future-proof students in other ways too, as Jessica elaborates: “Often we see schools who have installed solar using it as a way to drive energy efficiency initiatives – they can then see the impact of not only the lowering of their power bills from solar, but also greater awareness of energy use and genius reduction ideas coming from the kids, which all helps to drive lower power bills.

“It also helps broaden the understanding of sustainability as a whole, sparking ideas about other ‘green’ things the school could do – like planting their own veggies or fruit and improving their recycling habits.”

Success within New Zealand Solar Schools Solar for schools is a smart choice for so many reasons.

A solar power system allows schools to generate, consume and trade their own locally generated energy. This reduces the cost of electrical energy for the schools, and it does so over the long term, for a fixed price.

With the emergence of new platforms, such as Lemonade developed by Our Energy, which is a digital marketplace, schools can buy, sell and gift clean, local energy within their communities.

Lemonade is applied within schools in partnership with Power Technology on their proprietary New Zealand Solar Schools programme, which empowers schools to more actively engage with their parent and student communities.

Two schools who have recently engaged with the programme are now generating their own solar energy and moving towards long term cost savings.

In January 2019, Henderson School implemented 68 solar panels to get 20.4 kWp of solar power that’s forecast to generate 27,023 kWh per annum or approximately 24 percent of the school’s overall energy consumption.

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Henderson’s principal, Anthony Biddick said: “At Henderson Primary School our tamariki investigated how we can create a more sustainable learning environment. With assistance from Maggie at Power Technology Henderson Primary School students came up with a proposal that solar be installed at our kura.

Their presentation to our board of trustees was very persuasive and we decided to accept the proposal. The team at Power Technology were efficient and professional and the installation process was hassle free for us. We look forward to many

years of continuing to enhance tamariki learning by providing a sustainable learning environment.”

Commissioned in October 2018, Flanshaw Road School are now the proud owners of a 24.36kWp solar power generator. The system is installed on a single roof and generates an estimated 34,679 kWh per annum of renewable energy, for Flanshaw Road School that will deliver approximately 21.8 percent of the school’s overall energy consumption.

These schools can now expect a fixed price for all the energy delivered by their own solar

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power systems, so should energy costs increase in future, as is expected, these schools will increase their savings and reduce their operating costs.

That frees up money for schools to pay for resources, not power.

In addition to the cost-savings and local, renewable and reliable energy from the sun, school students get the benefit of interactive learning about tomorrow's energy sources today. By engaging our future leaders with resources, and their teachers with teaching aid support we ensure learning outcomes that shape their future.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Get a grip on versatile floor options

By Rosie Clarke, Editor Photo Credit: Polyflor

materials best meet the specific demands of your particular space and how involved the installation process will be.

It also pays to visit other nearby schools, particularly those that have undergone floor renovations in the last couple of years. Find out what is and isn’t working for them.

Agreed: the school environment actively shapes a student’s educational experience.

But are you flummoxed by your flooring choices?

Agree on your budget: in terms of both time, cost and quality. Repairing some flooring might involve cutting out the damaged part and replacing the whole section - perhaps a costly and laborious task.

Whereas timber can be more expensive but incredibly longlasting if well-maintained.

A well-done flooring installation can be both functional and beautiful and with carefully chosen options you can achieve striking aesthetics, utmost safety and prime performance possibilities. On the other hand, a floor failure at best can be an annoying distraction, or at worst a pending accident...

Determine the relative temperature and humidity of the space. This is important for both the flooring and adhesive choice because changes in moisture can lead to expansions and contractions of a floor and lead to trip and slip hazards.

Make sure your flooring and adhesive is approved for use in educational areas: suppliers will be able to confirm this for you when you ask for quotes.

It’s essential to consider all your environmental conditions and the intended use when selecting your new flooring so it’s best to seek professional advice and risk assess to make sure you make the best possible under-foot investment.

School News’ most important considerations...

Question the function of the space. Some areas, such as a cafeteria or kitchen may be subject to heavy loads and you should really have a hard wearing, non-slip, easy clean and resilient floor, whereas an area such as a library will need a floor covering that promotes quiet, calm and comfort. Think

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about what furniture will be used in the space and how often it will be moved so that you can pre-empt damage from scraping chairs and tables.

Remember, in areas where professional-standard sports training is undertaken, it is required for schools to

seek recommendations from the relevant international sport body.

Anticipate foot traffic. This is important during construction and after installation, so it should influence your flooring and adhesive decisions. Ask your supplier and installer what

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Aesthetics. Carpets, vinyl and rubber flooring come in all colours and designs that can be customised to your needs and preferences while wooden floors vary in type and finish but offer a warm, neutral and classic feel. Each material has different acoustics and depending on use, you may want something soft

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

noise from shuffling chairs.

enough for students to sit on or tough enough to withstand heavy musical instruments.

Carpet, along with sound absorption is also superior when it comes to thermal resistance and can improve the energy efficiency of your whole building. This varies by geographic region and climate and how the flooring is used with other materials in the building, but some savings can offset any initial cost of purchase and installation.

Modern learning environments carry very individualised needs for school flooring. In one large space you might have several different needs in terms of colour, sound absorption and traffic. The best plan of attack in this case is to have a floor plan drawn up that you can take to a supplier and run through each use or classroom scenario.

Adhesive carpet tiles are simple to fit, remove and replace.

If there is a stain or tear in one area you won’t have to replace the whole space, just the affected tile. Innovations in today’s carpet tiles makes them more durable, lighter with improved adhesives than carpet tiles of the past.

Determine if your flooring contributes to the sustainability of a space. Does the product and adhesive set the highest standards for indoor air quality and designate the lowest emitting products on the market?

Work out the level of noise absorption you require. Schools need some quiet spaces to enhance student comfort and concentration, and noise levels can be improved by installing softer surfaces like carpet.

Sound absorption studies have shown that when comparing carpet to hard flooring, carpet is up to ten times more effective at absorbing sound.

Try to choose flooring materials that are easy to clean and maintain. Dark coloured carpet won’t be too forgiving on dust or paper debris but paler carpets will stain faster.

Typically, schools use a variety of materials with the most Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

popular including carpet, ceramic or porcelain and vinyl composition tile. Schools want flooring products that are easy to maintain, safe and functional, look good and provide flexibility

Types of flooring...

Vinyl provides a visually warm and welcoming environment, plus it can withstand heavy wheel and foot traffic. Vinyl tiles are flexible, easy to fit and cost effective to replace and can be used all over your school because many brands offer non-slip, non-scuff qualities

and they can be designed for use in gymnasiums. For many installations, they provide a good balance between affordability and durability, they are also available in a wide range of colours and styles (including wood look) allowing you to create custom school floors for each space.

Rubber tiles are a resilient choice for schools and if they are composed of recycled tires it can help fulfil some of your building’s sustainability goals.

This flooring might also be better at reducing the horrible

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Wood is a versatile option that can be used for lots of different needs. Timber provides good shock absorption and works effectively for heavier bodies in gymnasiums and on dance floors, providing some resilience against injury and promoting noise reduction.

All floor types come with various guarantees and warranties so study the long-term consequences that come with your product choice and how cost effective it will be in the long term.

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Twenty-first century learning is about the provision of inspirational education facilities that put both pupils and staff at the heart of the school.

Safe and pleasing surrounds can inspire children. Design and layout, along with facilities and resources all play a vital role in the creation of a dynamic space conducive to learning.

Integral to the flexible design scheme, the choice of floorcoverings will have a major impact on the overall “feel” of an education building. Floors

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that are bright and colourful, classic or contemporary, can add character to a lively modern building as well as meeting the functional performance standards of many different spaces.

For many decades Polyflor has been recognised as a leading global manufacturer of high quality, high performance floorcoverings. As one of our core markets, the needs and requirements of the education sector are at the heart of our vinyl product portfolio through the availability of multifunctional products. Due to its hardwearing, water-resistant nature and ease of cleaning, vinyl is often the product of choice for many of today’s modern

education facilities.

We have you covered!

School floors have to be hardwearing and tough. The required performance of flooring throughout any educational environment can differ by area, depend upon the function of the space, the age of the pupils, expected activity levels and the intensity of footfall.

•

Guaranteed levels of slip resistance

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Independently proven to be easier to clean

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Available in a wide range of attractive colours and decoration options

All Polyflor ranges meet relevant independent flooring standards for general performance, slip resistance, acoustics and durability, demonstrating a high resistance to abrasive wear throughout their life.

With regards to cleaning and maintenance, all Polyflor commercial sheet vinyl ranges provide a continuous, impervious and hygienic flooring solution.

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

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Reduce impact sound with Polyflor’s Acoustic’ ranges

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100% recyclable

PROPERTY SECTION SECTION

For more information please contact us on 0800 765 935 or sales@polyflor.co.nz or visit our website at www.polyflor.co.nz

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Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz schoolnews.co.nz

Experts in Education Flooring For many decades Polyflor has been recognised as a leading global manufacturer of high quality, high performance floorcoverings. As one of our core markets, the needs and requirements of the education sector are at the heart of our vinyl product portfolio through the availability of multi-functional products.

Education premises are varied and often complex sites and floor finishes are required to meet both the functional and aesthetic standards of many different spaces.

Polyflor vinyl flooring is available in an extensive range of looks, textures and performance properties.

Due to its hardwearing, water-resistant nature and ease of cleaning, vinyl is often the product of choice for many of today’s modern educational facilities, with options to suit budgets for both new build and refurbishment schemes.

0800 765 935 | www.polyflor.co.nz | sales@polyflor.co.nz

Planning a playground or upgrade?

Don’t underestimate the impact it will have on children, or the opportunity you have to stimulate their development.

Don’t want to start from scratch?

Decide on one need you’d like to fill, or one element of playground use that you’d like to introduce or boost, such as fitness benefits for students, and approach suppliers with that in mind.

Twisty, challenging climbers, rock walls and other obstacle-type apparatus will require nimble limbs to use fine motor skills, strength and they’ll have to plan ahead. Social development can be nurtured with cubby houses, towers, tunnels and crawl spaces where small groups can build forts and the new kid can stumble into a friendship.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has outlined that that board of trustees is ultimately responsible for designing, building and upgrading playgrounds and providing playground equipment.

Regular maintenance is key to keeping on top of the situation.

Older children, too, will jump at the chance to explore an obstacle course-style playground designed and reinforced for use by bigger people: these fitness trails can be utilised during lunch or as part of an engaging physical education lesson.

Schools must also use board funding to build a playground.

This funding may come from fundraising, grants from trusts and community groups, or bequests.

“The OREX Mega Spinner’s a dynamic play activity that encourages children to climb, spin and learn about inertia, centrifugal force and reaction physics!” – Jenny Mullins, Park Supplies Playgrounds

Schools will still need to obtain Ministry consent to use board funding for property projects like playgrounds.

The MoE specifies: “You or your project manager should contact the local council to find out whether your planned playground needs building consent. Even if it does not require building consent, you must still get this advice in writing from the council and keep it in the project file for future reference.”

to government standards.

Building or upgrading a playground…

Style and safety

In many ways, this is the fun part: choosing and designing a funfilled, engaging playground that is conducive to impactful learning and positive stress relief for students is an exciting prospect.

Many schoolchildren would envy the task: designing a playground?

Surely that’s the dream job.

“Compass Playgrounds create natural spaces emphasising social and play based learning. Consultation with clients is integral to the design process.” – Tim Anderson, Compass Playgrounds

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Of course, designing a playground is more complex than a child might imagine. A property manager or specialist supplier/ manufacturer will be eager to discuss available options with you, and aid in the process but the main focus must be adhering

PROPERTY

In New Zealand, what you need to look for is called the New Zealand Standard 5828:2015: Playground equipment and surfacing.

Standards NZ has a comprehensive website explaining compliance and there is also a handbook that can be purchased.

The two concepts might not ordinarily be associated with one another, but playgrounds bridge the gap. In this realm, generally, the safer the playground the more stylish it looks.

If you imagine an ‘unsafe’ playground, it’ll be one that’s not properly maintained or cleaned, is broken and filthy, with something like a hard concrete floor or trip hazard weeds.

Not so prett y and certainly not safe. You could also place more dangerous playground equipment in this category – dirt tracks for bikes, or skate ramps. 70 Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

SCHOOL PLAYGROUND SAFETY Playground injuries are the leading cause of injury to children ages 5 to 14 in schools.

Lack of supervision is associated with 40 percent of playground injuries. A recent study found that children play without adult supervision more often on school playgrounds (32 percent of the time) than playgrounds in parks (22 percent). Approximately 58% of playground injuries requiring medical attention occur in Schools and are most common among children between 5-9 yrs girls and 10-14 yrs boys. Most common injury times occur between 12pm -4pm.

The most common causes of medical attention from playgrounds is injury suffered from falling – Approximately 70 percent of playground equipment-related injuries involve falls to the surface, and 10 percent involve falls onto equipment. Either to inadequate surfacing or onto hard objects.

The most common injury is long-bone fractures (arms & legs) which are most common from

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upperbody overhead activities such as monkey bars, monorails etc. This is generally due to the height of the bars and the quality of the surface below.

Protective surfacing under and around playground equipment can reduce the severity of and even prevent playground fall-related injuries. The risk of injury in a fall onto a nonimpact absorbing surface such as asphalt or concrete is more than twice that of falling onto an impact-absorbing surface.

Much emphasis and effort is being placed on increasing physical activity among children as it promotes good health and prevents obesity. Play is also important in the development of social behaviour, enabling children to interact with their peers. However, with this increase in physical activity and play, there is also an increase in the risk of injury. It is therefore necessary to ensure that safety measures are taken to prevent these injuries.

The following are 8 very effective injury reduction prevention measures for your school.

8 Effective Playground Injury Prevention Measures: 1.

Equipment - Purchase age & demographic appropriate play equipment

2.

Fall Height - Ensuring correct play equipment heights (fall height of max 3.0mtr for climbers and 2.2mtr max handle height for upperbody overhead activities)

3.

Surfacing - Use an impact absorbing (attenuating) safety surfacing such as certified loose fill (bark or woodchip) or synthetic surfaces (rubber matting)

4.

Supervision – Establish and maintain daily supervision procedure

5.

Daily Inspection – Daily/ weekly inspection by school property manager (checklist template example can be found on our website)

Playsafe’s aim is to ensure children enjoy themselves, grow and develop through safe play.

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6.

Yearly Inspection - Annual comprehensive safety inspection / compliance audit by RPII Level 3 Play Inspector

7.

Surface Test - Head Impact Surface (HIC) test every 2 years for synthetic surfaces (rubber matting only) not required for loosefill

8.

Maintenance – Regular preventative maintenance, usually following comprehensive yearly inspection.

Playsafe Consulting Ltd is a professional services provider that specialises in providing playground safety inspections, design consultation and standards training throughout New Zealand. Our inspectors are internationally accredited to the Register of Playground Inspectors International (RPII).

Contact us for a safety & compliance audit of your playground at www.playsafe.co.nz

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"Reharvest Cushionfall, safety trusted playground surfacing that’s non-toxic, has no sharp edges and is self-stabilising." – Ted Edwards, Reharvest

Fitness trails can be utilised during lunch or as part of an engaging physical education lesson

The MoE refers to items like trampolines and skate tracks as “high risk” and notes: “When deciding what type of equipment to install, consider whether it will affect your ability to provide a safe environment for your students.”

Fully compliant playgrounds have to be properly maintained, neat and tidy. Surfacing is vital and there are a variety of options to consider, with different pros and cons, from wood-chip or bark mulch to artificial grass, sand and soft fall. The latter is a type of brightly coloured rubber, usually recycled, that can be

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installed in different patterns or designs but may pose risk when very wet or in high temperatures. Wood-chip or bark mulch has its own pleasingly natural aesthetic and is easy to install but is easily moved during play and can hide trip hazards like stones or toys.

It is also possible to employ a combination of surfaces in the construction of a playground. Depending on the design, this could be an ideal solution. However, care must be taken that the surfaces don’t interact in a way that poses more danger.

Term 1, 2019 | schoolnews.co.nz

Deciphering intent: suicidal ideation in school First, always record and report your concerns up the totem pole. “If a teacher has concerns about the safety of a student, the student needs to be assessed and closely monitored by the appropriate person in the school until support from a mental health professional/agency and/ or whanau is available,” Education psychologist Michele Blick qualifies.

“If there is the threat of a person causing danger to him/herself or others, this information cannot remain confidential. The management team or person in charge of pastoral care at the school will work closely with parents/caregivers/whanau.”

Language can be tricky, and phrases like ‘I’d rather die’ and ‘I’ll kill myself if I have to do that’ are relatively common among teenagers. But if phrases like this are being used by a student who has been identified as ‘at-risk’, is listed on your school careregister and/or present with other warning signs, teachers should express their concern.

Specialist bereavement counsellor Dr Dianne McKissock provides some context: “The majority of people say things like ‘I wish I was dead’ or ‘if it wasn’t for X, I’d kill myself’. It is rare for people to act on those words. If anyone sounds or appears suicidal it’s important to listen empathically, then clarify intent. Ask questions like,

‘Are you telling me you feel so bad at the moment that you wish you didn’t have to wake up in the morning, or are you telling me that you really intend to kill yourself?’

“If they answer yes to the first part of the question, ask something like, ‘What do you really need me to understand?’ If yes to the second part, ask if they have a plan to kill themselves, and how and when they might act on that plan. If the plan sounds serious and achievable, let the student know that by law you have to act on what they have told you, that you have a responsibility to ensure their safety. Ask, ‘Who would you prefer me to tell? Your parent’s, a bereavement counsellor, your GP, or all of the above?’ Never carry responsibility for another person’s life alone. Teamwork is essential.”

Classroom warning signs for suicide and self-harm Research, such as the systematic review carried out by Judit Balazs and Agnes Kereszteny in World J Psychiatry, infer a positive association between ADHD and suicidality in both sexes and in all age groups. However, a direct link between ADHD and suicide is hard to ascertain because of comorbid disorders like depression and anxiety. A US study of 1706 children between the ages of six and 18 found that all children with suicide attempts had a comorbid psychiatric disorder, meaning more than one, as did all but two children with suicide ideation. Aside from risk factors like diagnosed mental health issues and complex family issues that the school may be aware of, there are more subtle things that teachers can look out for to pinpoint vulnerable students.

“These include behavioural change in the following areas: academic performance or attendance, mood, withdrawal from social events and relationships, physical symptoms such as headaches or fatigue, risk-taking and selfdestructive acts, oral or written communication suggesting hopelessness or a preoccupation with death,” Ms Blick listed.

What to do when a student expresses suicidal thoughts?

Students are often encouraged to speak to a school pastor or guidance counsellor but class teachers spend far more time with students and may be their first port of call. Particularly for students who are non-religious or don’t feel comfortable visiting the office of a guidance counsellor.

For other students, a favourite teacher might be the only adult they trust. So it’s important to be considerate of this if you are in a scenario where a student has confided suicidal thoughts or other concerning ideation.

Students may also not be aware that teachers have a duty of care to report what they have said.

“Responding to mental distress and suicidal thoughts is done by professionals who have had extensive training in mental health,” says Ms Blick. “However, teachers need some training to know how to initially respond to a student who reaches out for help.

“If a student approaches a teacher with concerning behaviour, the teacher needs to remain calm and attentive, acknowledge and validate the student’s feelings of distress and express empathy, listen without judgement, thank the student for trusting her/him to share this information, and

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HEALTH & SAFETY

inform the student that s/he will need to get someone else to assist. The teacher can continue to show support for the student by checking in with the student and reminding the student of the support that is available.”

Skylight resource centre coordinator Raewyn Hewitt suggests a similar response from classroom teachers: “Young people need to know that it is safe to reach out for help. That things won’t get worse than they already are. They need to know that asking for help is a sign of strength and shows that they really want things to get better for themselves.

“The only way they will truly know this is if safe adults are able to receive the information and handle it in a way that will make things better. This means listening. Allowing them to finish what they want to say.

Praising them for sharing and asking for help. Coming up with a (safety) plan – preferably with the child’s consent and buy-in.”

Finally, if you’re reading this unsure of who you would escalate concerns to amongst your colleagues, or several students of concern have popped into your head while reading, speak with your school management about putting systemic protocols in place today.

“Schools need to ensure there are school-wide programmes in place that promote student wellbeing,” reiterates Ms Blick.

“This includes supporting cultural engagement and connectedness.

“With suicide rates for Maori youth higher than for non-Maori, schools need to be actively supporting the identity, culture and language of Maori youth.”

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