Sylvia Park School: Lighting up learning in urban life

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joins Sylvia Park School students to launch the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum in Term 1. All images courtesy of Sylvia Park School

By Heather Barker Vermeer

Industry Reporter The chance to work in a highly urban, largely Māori and Pacifi c community att racted Barbara Alaalatoa to Sylvia Park School. That was in 2004.

“The opportunity to buck all the trends too oft en associated with communities like ours was all too tempting!” she told me: “For the past 17 wonderful, wonderful years I have been lucky enough to have been the Principal at Sylvia Park School. It is the absolute joy of my life!” Now with the title Barbara Alaalatoa ONZM, this principal ensures that joy runs deep at this co-ed school for Years 1 to 8. And this joy was particularly evident last term when the school was chosen by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as the launch venue for the new Aotearoa New Zealand History Curriculum. In fact, “It was an all-out party,” says Alaalatoa. “It was an absolute honour and privilege to host the Prime Minister for such a momentous policy launch. Our students always love any opportunity to talk about the things they love and have learned about. The bigger the audience the bett er! “The opportunity to share what they know about the arrival of Kupe, 500 years of a thriving Māori community and the fi rst encounter between Māori and Pakeha, amongst other things, with the Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand was one they absolutely relished. They shared their stories with pizazz and humour, and in a way that is relevant to them in the here and now.”

Balloons, waiata, banners, fl ag waving and an enormous cake were part of the celebration event, says Alaalatoa, who is all in favour of marking life’s wins. “We need to remember how to celebrate in unashamedly, celebratory ways. We have so much to be grateful for right here in Aotearoa New Zealand!”

For over 40 years, Alaalatoa has worked in education. This has included teaching, lecturing at pre-service teacher education and working at the Ministry of Education. She also had the honour of chairing the inaugural Education Council and is currently the Chair of Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu - the Correspondence School, which she describes as “an amazing school”. At her Sylvia Park School, there have been many “prett y amazing initiatives” over the past two decades. “I think the thing I am most proud of is our absolute commitment to being research informed and evidenced-based in every aspect of our practice. “We have never searched for silver bullets in the form of the latest professional development off ering, rather we have always leaned into that which we know constitutes excellent teaching and learning practice. The results of this practice have been evident in the rich achievement of our students.

“Most recently, we were one of the schools selected for the PIRLS study. It was deeply satisfying to see our students achieving well in all aspects of the study. The fact that they also exceeded the average on almost all the questions that related to their reading effi cacy is an absolute tribute to the collective eff ort of the teaching and support staff that are committ ed to quality teaching practice every single day. It doesn’t get much bett er than that!” In regards to the new history curriculum launched at her school, Alaalatoa is impressed: “The Aotearoa New Zealand History Curriculum provides us with a real opportunity to create a sense of our individual and collective belonging right here in our own backyard.

Principal Barbara Alaalatoa, second from left .

“The best thing about the Aotearoa New Zealand History curriculum is that it is much more than just learning facts about the past events and actions. It’s also about the big ideas that are meaningful to us all in the here and now.

“Making connections to ideas of fairness, conflict, participation to name but a few will ensure that our students will see the relevance of knowing the stories of our past, warts, and all. The best thing about the new curriculum is that there is a guarantee that all students will get to learn all about the stories that make us, us!”

Topical this term, too, is the announcement of the overhaul of literacy and maths learning in this country: “The time for a literacy and maths strategy is well overdue,” says Alaalatoa. “The recent report on the demise of literacy outcomes is a wake-up call for us all. The inequitable outcomes for Maori and Pacific students that have persisted are unacceptable. There are no excuses for poor outcomes for our people.” “We know so much about what constitutes effective teaching and learning practice in maths and literacy practice. We have excellent tools that help us know what we are teaching well and what we need to improve on. We know about professional teacher inquiry and its contribution to improving outcomes for our kids. “We need to end the search for silver bullets in the form of professional learning and development offerings and instead commit to a commonality of practice that is research led and evidenced based. We need to remember that teaching is powerful and that it can and does make a material difference to our children and whanau - when we get it right.” Art is a very visible and intrinsic aspect of Sylvia Park School, which sits within a suburb characterised by major highways, retail, and industrial development. The ‘SPS village’ includes tuatara, kiwi, solar systems, dinosaurs, as well as living works of art; hens, cats, dogs, bees and two kunekune pigs. The school’s colourful exterior reflects the joy that exudes from within: “Our school is literally a work of art with our students' work evident all through our school. The environment tells stories about our students' learning, and we think that adds to the reciprocity of love for our school and our community. “The idea that all schools could provide their communities with a space where whanau can play, picnic and learn is one that we should all aspire to,” Alaalatoa believes.

The challenges faced by the schools all over the motu and the world, at Sylvia Park, appear to have been subjected to a process of educational alchemy, with the principal keen to seize the opportunities of our ‘new normal’ to dream bigger for her school, its students and community. “We have learned that if you deeply believe in those lofty big strategic goals then they should continue to shape your teaching and learning, whether we are all on-site or online. We kept these front and centre in the online space and ensured that as we pivoted to our online learning platform that these were fundamental to our practice,” says Alaalatoa. “We were proud of our ability to be both agile and equitable in the provision of online learning for our whanau. Most of all, over the past two years, I learned that our SPS village will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure every single one of our students gets everything they need to engage fully in their learning. Miharo katoa!” And she doesn’t intend for the school to sit back and cruise in the years ahead. What Alaalatoa has in mind doesn’t involve playing small. “Bigger, more audacious questions and inquiries for students to undertake and create amazing outcomes are always on the horizon for us and hopefully will always be. We just want to continue to evolve our curriculum and pedagogy to the extent that our kids wake up in the morning and just can’t wait to get to school! “We need to make sure we provide a space where people can take time to think about all the positive things that happen when kids take charge of their learning. “And also,” Alaalatoa adds, “we seriously need to be part of the Auckland Art Trail!”

Key to success

The smarter, electronic way to run key-based access control

eCLIQ is a wireless access control system which enables schools to regain and maintain control of their locking system. For those who need to monitor and control access to their school, the reality of navigating streams of diff erent people at any given time and ensuring that those who are authorised to have access to premises can easily do so, and those who don’t are prevented from entering, can be a huge challenge. Fortunately, with eCLIQ this challenge is easily overcome. It features a key that combines the benefits of digital technology, including passwords, authentication, audit trails, flexible access control and so much more, with the security of robust mechanical locks.

The Smart Key

It may be surprising that one of the most sophisticated, up-to-date access and security devices looks, at fi rst glance, like one of the oldest. Based on the traditional lock and key, eCLIQ retrofi ts seamlessly into existing locking systems; cylinders are made to the same dimensions, and all electronics are self-contained - powered by a batt ery within the key. Without the need for wiring, eCLIQ electronic keys off er features like programmable access rights, time scheduling, audit trails and blocking of lost keys. Simply put, if one of these is mislaid or taken away (either inadvertently or intentionally) the school facility manager isn’t landed with the onerous task of rekeying the entire school. The individual key can simply be blocked at the cylinder, therefore removing the keys access rights, and blocking the operation of the key. The school facility manger can also see who opened what door and when, easily change a person’s access rights by sending information to their key and control the time periods when keys are operational.

Ease of installation and use

Installation is simple and straightforward, both for new school construction or retrofi tt ing to existing doors at established schools.

For operation, it’s possible to use CLIQ Web Manager available in either cloud-based or serverbased soft ware, depending on the school’s preference. For those looking for the very highest level of security, the latt er option is oft en selected.

For retrofi tt ing an existing door, all that is required is the fi tt ing of a key and cylinder into the standard mortice lock.

A simple procedure and one that is a much more cost-eff ective solution than monitoring people by installing expensive card readers, and the associated cost and complexity of running cabling across the school.

Benefi ts

• Lost keys – Block or eliminate any lost or stolen keys to maintain the integrity of your system without having to replace the locks • No rekeying costs – all access rights are granted electronically to the keys • No wiring – Gain the functionality of access control without the hassle and expense • Audit trails – Maintain control of the system as every lock and key can be tracked • Change access – Easily change a person’s access rights by sending information to their key • Schedule access – Control the time periods when keys are operational. Ideal for third party maintenance contractors or if you rent out spaces - with knowledge that access can only be gained when specifi ed.

For more information visit www.assaabloy.com/nz or email nzeducation@assaabloy.com