School News NZ, December 2008

MAKES WET FLOORS SAFE

Safety

in the

Wet

Foyers, paths, ramps, pool areas, changing rooms, toilets, kitchens, cafeterias… OUTSIDE OR INDOORS - wherever rain or spills cause a safety hazard Grip Guard can dramatically improve slip resistance.

Safety with Style

Tiles, terracotta, terrazzo, marble, granite, polished concrete, aggregates… Grip Guard makes the most attractive flooring surfaces safer - permanently.

Safety Standards

On-site testing and Grip Guard’s Warranty of Slip Resistance document that floor safety improvements have been made and standards have been exceeded.

No Special Maintenance

Just clean as normal – and its easier without mats or rough textured coatings.

No Disruption

There is no mess, no fumes, and your floor is safe to walk on immediately after treatment.

No Visible Change

GripGuard is invisible to the naked eye and does not wear off. It is a not a coating, but a PERMANENT TREATMENT.

No Compromise

Grip Guard’s specialist applicators take safety and the environment very seriously. Processes ensure no risk to flora, fauna or property.

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES

$78 for 12 Months

$128 for 24 Months

Phone (03) 365 5575 subscriptions@schoolnews.co.nz www.schoolnews.co.nz

PUBLISHER

Vanessa Puddy publisher@schoolnews.co.nz

ADVERTISING

Don Parlane

Vicky Hunwick

Phone (03) 365 5575 advertising@schoolnews.co.nz

EDITORIAL

Jacqui Taylor editorial@schoolnews.co.nz

PRODUCTION

Natasha Woods studio@schoolnews.co.nz

CONTRIBUTORS

Philippa Bennetts, Helen Buckley, Vanessa Casey, Doug Cole, CORE Education, Larry Davison, Ned Glover, Darrel Goosen, Ferg Harding, NZICA, Andrew Palmer, Nicola Potts, Skylight, Bronwyn Smith, Brett Sullivan, Jacqui Taylor

School News is distributed to all primary, intermediate and secondary schools nationwide and selected tertiary education providers by Multimedia Publishing, publishers of leading industry and consumer titles.

Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or Multimedia Publishing Limited. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information in School News, however 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.

© 2008. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

School News is proudly published by

Multimedia Publishing Ltd

Office address: Level One, 573-575 Colombo Street, Christchurch, 8011, New Zealand

Postal: PO Box 130075, Armagh Street, Christchurch, 8141

Phone: (03) 365 5575

Fax: (03) 365 1655

Email: mail@schoolnews.co.nz www.multimediapublishing.co.nz

With the last issue for the year of School News arriving just as you are winding down for 2008 and planning 2009, we hope we can offer some food for thought, new ideas and keep you up to date with what others in education are doing.

From the role of today’s school nurse and an explanation of dyscalculia to how play is more than just equipment, there’s a lot to read in this month’s issue.

School News aims to bring the issues that matter to school

decision makers and is the essential guide for anyone in education today.

Don’t miss out on your school’s chance to win a KnowledgeNET Learning Management System and Activate Student Response System prize package valued at up to $10,000. Simply visit www.schoolnews.co.nz, fill out the survey and you’re in the draw.

Enjoy the summer and see you next year!

School NewS welcomeS editorial coNtributioNS aNd imageS oN relevaNt topicS for featureS, New product profileS aNd NewS itemS. please email copy to editorial@schoolnews.co.nz. images should be in high resolution (300dpi) Jpeg or tiff format. editorial queries should be directed to the editorial department on (03) 365 5575.

high standards from competition winners

The winners of the 2008 Humanities Award Secondary School Writing Competition have been announced.

They are Maria English, Year 12 from Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, Wellington, and Lucy Power, Year 13 from Rangitoto College, Auckland. They will each receive a prize of $1500. The topic was, “Why does it matter that Aotearoa New Zealand is a democracy?” The judges, Brian Opie and writers Jo Randerson and Lynda ChanwaiEarle, were extremely impressed with the high standard of thinking and writing exhibited and were particularly pleased that all entries showed a sharp, underlying, ethical social conscience.

The Humanities Award is the result of collaboration between the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, the Royal Society of New Zealand, and Te Whainga Aronui The Council for the Humanities.

to read the winning and highly commended entries, go to www.royalsociety.org.nz.

award-winning science educator gets ‘a real buzz’

Interactive and memorable science presentations to many Waikato community groups have earned Dr Elizabeth Carpenter of AgResearch this year’s Science Teacher / Educator/ Communicator Kudos Award, sponsored by Wintec.

The award is one of eight awards that make up the Kudos Awards.

The Kudos Awards are New Zealand’s only regional science excellence awards. They are held annually to celebrate and honour scientists and science educators in Hamilton City and the Waikato region.

The Kudos Award for Science Teacher/Educator/ Communicator and $4000 is awarded for a major, recent contribution towards encouraging an understanding and appreciation of science to Waikato young people and the wider community.

Carpenter says that she gets “a real buzz” out of sharing her knowledge with her audiences and encouraging interests in science. www.thekudos.org.nz

helping kids with amazing talents

A new national association, ‘giftEDnz’, has been set up to support professionals working with gifted and talented students. A first for New Zealand, the Professional Association for Gifted Education (giftEDnz) also aims to raise awareness and advocate for gifted and talented students. Steering committee member, Louise Tapper, a teacher and doctoral student at the University of Canterbury, says the term “gifted and talented” is used to describe students who have exceptional abilities in a wide range of fields, for example, in science or technology, art, writing, drama, music, sport or social leadership.

“It’s so important to recognise and nurture gifted and talented students,” she says. “There are children like this in all schools and early childhood services in New Zealand. They are young people who may go on to change the world – perhaps find a cure for cancer, break all previous sporting records, or bring us art and music that enrich all of society.”

However, some gifted and talented students may get into conflict at school because of their tendency to challenge the rules. In some cases, they may also be at risk of underachievement, due to boredom or frustration with the slow pace of their learning.

Tapper says the association aims to assist gifted education professionals to network, advocate for the diverse needs of gifted and talented children, make links with international and national organisations, and offer a shared voice to government and other groups. Goals include raising awareness and understanding about gifted and talented students, and advocating for equitable educational opportunities.

The association is expected to be particularly valuable for teachers, principals, counsellors, RTLBs (Resource Teachers for Learning and Behaviour), educational psychologists, teacher educators, professional development providers, researchers, postgraduate students and others with a professional interest in gifted and talented education.

“It’s all about working together to nurture talented young people to help them grow strong and achieve fulfilling and amazing lives,” Tapper says.

Treemendous School makeover winners announced

Four New Zealand schools have been selected for the second annual Treemendous School Makeovers, a joint initiative between Mazda Foundation and Project Crimson.

Glenavon School (West Auckland), Papatoetoe North School (South Auckland), Malfroy School (Rotorua) and Hedgehope Primary School (Invercargill) were chosen from 158 applications to have their grounds enhanced with native trees.

Mazda Foundation chairman, Andrew Clearwater says the response from schools has been excellent. “Every application we received was unique with a lot of creativity and effort put in by both teachers and pupils at the schools, which made the judging process tough. It was also very encouraging to see that many of the schools intended to include the makeover area as an ongoing part of the curriculum.”

The four school communities, along with the Treemendous team, will complete the makeovers in the New Year.

heart health in schools

The Heart Foundation is upping the ante on children’s health, saying New Zealand schools must take a proactive role in heart health to avoid a crisis.

And the foundation wants all schools and early childhood centres to implement healthy food and activity programmes to combat a potentially worsening overweight, obesity and inactivity problem in our children.

To promote a healthy lifestyle and school environment, and to boost uptake for their education programmes in schools and

early childhood centres, the Heart Foundation has launched DigiVillage, an interactive website which makes it easy for schools, and children, to improve heart health.

Complete with a healthy tuck shop, a school hall, classrooms, whare, a playground and DigiTV, DigiVillage is a platform for schools and early childhood centres to access free Heart Foundation programme resources and share heart healthy information and learning stories.

The Heart Foundation hopes to have 4000 early childhood centres and schools involved in the programmes by 2010 and believes DigiVillage will play a key role in that process. check out www.digivillage.org.nz

we would love to offer a platform for you to let others know what is happening in your school.

have you had a successful event, building project or fundraiser? would you like to tell others how proud you are of a student or staff member who has gone above and beyond? or how you solved that tricky funding problem?

then drop us a line, no more than 200 words, and we’ll include it in our news section.

photographs are welcome too. they need to be high resolution, 500kb – 1mb.

Notices of key new appointments will also be accepted.

email to: editorial@schoolnews.co.nz

Principal Speaks

Taking risks, improving learning

Arecentnews item indicating that legal action was to be taken against a trust that provides outdoor education experiences for our young people made me pause to think long and hard. Outdoor education underpins some essential aspects of the culture of Menzies College, and has done for some time. The announcement caused me to wonder what it must be like to be told that seven of your school family have been lost in tragic circumstances while taking part in a school outdoor education activity. I asked myself the question, “is it worth it? Is it worth providing opportunities for our students when there is the risk of serious injury or even worse, as was the result in this situation?”

The answer to that question for us is a very simple: “yes”. The

Software licensing arrangements under review

The Ministry of Education is reviewing its current approach to purchasing and managing software licensing arrangements for schools.

This review follows the ICT Resourcing Framework, which was publicly released in October, 2007.

The ministry is expecting to present a range of options and supporting information to schools in early 2009. Any changes to be implemented will begin in January 2010, allowing schools time to consider their options, plan any transition requirements and implement their choice. for more information about the review, please refer to the education gazette.

more teacher-only days

Extra teacher-only days will be offered to all state schools to support them as they work to give effect to The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. One extra day will be provided for all schools. A further day will be provided for schools with secondary students to recognise the additional focus for these schools on building on the curriculum and the aligned standards to engage all students and keep them in education. These days are in addition to the day that was

“

is it worth providing opportunities for our students when there is the risk of serious injury?

application of adventure based learning within our school has a great many flow on benefits which impact many more aspects of our school life than the obvious superficial results such as providing exciting learning opportunities for our students. An essential part of adventure based learning is managing risk, a skill that we seem, as a society to have placed in the too hard basket, preferring instead to regulate safety and to wrap our students in cotton wool to prevent injury. Risk, is after all, a fact of life. Our students deserve training in

announced at the launch of the NZC. partnership provides support Home School Partnership is a School Support Services programme that aims to help schools improve the educational achievements of students by encouraging the schools to engage with parents and communities. It particularly targets parents who, for a range of reasons, are less involved in their children’s schooling. The ministry is creating a website with information and tools to help schools analyse the level and nature of their engagement with parents and communities.

The website is expected to be live before the end of 2009. Contact your nearest School Support Services for more information.

awards for outstanding teachers

High-achieving teachers have been named as national recipients in the NEiTA Foundation’s 2008 National Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards.

Crystal apples and professional development grants totalling $35,000 were given to five leaders and five teachers selected from 271 teachers initially nominated by parents and students.

Leadership Award recipients are: Karen Ramsey, Roskill South Kindergarten, Auckland; Ramila Sadikeen, Brooklands Kindergarten

how to manage it.

With skilled facilitators our adventure based learning programmes challenge our students to evaluate themselves within the safety of a carefully developed environment of trust. This in turn develops personal skills in students that manifest in improved attitudes to their own and others learning. These students become the role models for many of our junior students as they undertake leadership roles in vertical form groupings, in junior outdoor education experiences and

New Plymouth; Geraldine Travers, Hastings Girls’ High School; Judy Dixon, Frankton Primary School, Hamilton; Wendy Kofoed, Newmarket Primary School, Auckland.

Teaching Award recipients are: Fenella Colyer, Manurewa High School, Auckland; Bastienne Kruger, Oruaiti Primary School, Northland; Moeke Paaka, Motueka High School; Tessa Dunleavy, Devonport Community Creche, Auckland; Scott Haines, Ashburton College.

NEiTA Foundation selection panel convener, Brother Pat Lynch says the recipients plan to use their grants to observe or develop educational programmes to benefit students at their schools.

books in homes

Books in Homes is a literacy programme for children in decile one to three primary schools. Children choose and keep their own books five times a year. Today, 500 schools and 90,000 children are involved in the programme. A longitudinal research study this year is looking at the programme’s impact on improving literacy outcomes for students.

For more information on the programme, go to: www.booksinhomes.org.nz

Ferg Harding Principal Menzies college

in mentoring through our peersupport programme. They become the visual endorsement of our school motto: integrity.

It was inevitable that after such a tragedy there will be calls for accountability. Let’s hope that the accountability is targeted at ensuring the immense value in outdoor education programmes is supported through recognition of the positive, practical risk management processes already in use. Retribution will not bring these young lives back, nor will it ensure that others are not lost. It would only ensure that even less was done to equip our youth with the skills to recognise and minimize risk in their own lives. That also would be a tragedy.

e-fellows and the future of literacy

The Ministry of Education has recently announced 10 fellowships for teachers to use e-learning to explore ways of delivering literacy to a techsavvy generation of students.

The 2009 e-fellowships have been awarded to 10 teachers, from Whangarei to Dunedin, each with their own inquiry project designed to deliver new ways of engaging students for whom the latest technology is simply a way of life.

Ministry curriculum implementation manager, Colin McGregor said the standard of entries was high, and the successful recipients would be making an exciting contribution to the teaching profession.

“This year, each teacher will create a professional e-portfolio demonstrating the shifts in their thinking and practice as a result of their e-learning innovation. They will also contribute to research into common themes across their projects.

“By bringing together teachers who are demonstrating leadership in e-learning, and providing them with the opportunity to explore what engages and works for our young people, I believe this years’ e-fellows can make a big difference to the way literacy is delivered in the classroom in future,” McGregor said.

Bringing a passion for science into the classroom

LenDoe L h A s been at the front line of research into some of the country’s important environmental issues. This teacher from Papatoetoe East Primary School is able to be out in the field and on the ocean, studying, and enriching his knowledge, because of the New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellowship (NZSMTTF), which is funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Royal Society.

The Teacher Fellowship scheme now offers three avenues for teachers of science, mathematics and technology to pursue an area of professional interest, on full pay, with the right to return to their job at the end of the Fellowship. There is a Targeted Fellowship for those who have been teaching for three to seven years and have shown leadership in the areas of science, mathematics or technology. Teachers may apply or nominate someone else for a Targeted Fellowship, which may last one to two terms.

Teachers from decile one to decile four schools may apply for an Appointed Fellowship, which may last for one to two terms. Teachers seeking Targeted or Appointed Fellowships do not need a topic to study. The topic may be provided by RSNZ and host organisations. Doel designed his own programme according to NZSMTTF guidelines and won an Awarded Fellowship, which gave him a year to complete his programme of work. This award is open to all fully registered New Zealand teachers.

His topic of interest for the Teacher Fellowship is “the technology that scientists use to collect data in extreme conditions and environments”, and he has been hosted by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA).

Doel, together with Julie Hall, his NIWA supervisor, decided to divide his year into four parts. The first part of his work revolved around the flooding of rivers and coastlines, so Doel looked at the maintenance of hydrology equipment in an alpine region of the North Island and the tsunami warning system being developed for New Zealand.

He then accompanied NIWA scientists aboard the research vessel, RV Tangaroa, on two winter voyages to sample the open and deep ocean of the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand’s South Island. Doel then released a weather balloon and ozone-sampling package from Lauder, Central Otago.

For the fourth quarter 2008, he was invited to help on two research projects in Antarctica, one run by Landcare Research at Cape Bird looking at Adelie penguins and their chicks. In January 2009, he will be part of a group from Waikato University collecting soil samples from the Dry Valleys area.

“The work, so far, has made me more aware of the fragility of our environment and how little we know about it, especially the ocean. I realise now that equipment to collect data in extreme events must be operating reliably in normal conditions. It is no use trying to deploy flood-gauging instruments in a raging river or just before the first tsunami wave hits a coastline.”

He says he also now has a greater appreciation of the effort that goes into scientific data acquisition.

“Data-gathering systems often have multiple backups, power supplies and transmission methods,

depending on how critical they are to life and property. Data is archived in perpetuity on computer systems and field note books are now being stored where they can be referred to in the future. Data archiving is an issue that requires planning and capital expenditure in hardware and secure, air-conditioned storage units.”

When Doel returns to the Year five and six classes he teaches, he says he will be placing greater emphasis on integrating science and technology with language and mathematics. Oral and written presentations will have higher priority, as will pencil sketching and handwriting.

“I’ll be encouraging students to be observant and curious about the world around them.”

As lead teacher of science, he will also be introducing students to NIWA-sponsored Science Fairs, Bright Sparks, Future in Tech Ambassadors and the CREST programme administered by RSNZ.

Doel says he would recommend a Teacher Fellowship to anyone, without hesitation. For his programme, he says it has been a privilege to work beside and observe NIWA scientists acquiring data in extreme environments and adds that it has given him a greater appreciation for the work these dedicated people do and the conditions they operate in.

“The Teacher Fellowship opportunity has given me ideas for development in a classroom situation, such as streaming live video on to a school intranet of a starling nest box when chicks are being raised. Another idea is to make a device to measure the rainfall coming off a building roof and proving its accuracy.”

For a private project, he plans to look at animal movement in lifestyle blocks using remote camera triggers.

“On a personal note, can I add that without my strong support network of family and friends, this year outside of the classroom would not have been possible.”

-

Jacqui Taylor

info for more information: www.rsnz.org

Shared experiences bring a powerful message

Drugs, ALcoho L, suici D e and substance abuse are huge issues facing teenagers all around our nation. It’s one of the most pressing issues of our time, and the research is staggering.

Research from the Adolescent Substance Abuse Centre has shown that approximately 80 per cent of students are experimenting in some way with alcohol, and approximately 40 per cent of students have tried marijuana at some stage.

There are many organisations out there doing their bit in schools throughout New Zealand to bring the message home about the impact drugs and alcohol can have on young lives, and one team that comprises just two guys is making a huge difference and reaching up to 40,000-plus kids every year.

Amped4Life Trust was established in 2002 by founding members, Pat and Karen Buckley, and the latest additions to the team are Ryan and Shawna Schwaninger. Fresh from the United States and with over 10 years’ experience in working with teenagers, they have had a huge impact in Auckland and have already gained the support of

well- respected founding principal of Macleans College, member of the ACG board and chairman of the Education Committee, Colin Prentice.

Amped4Life assembly presentations are not your typical “don’t do drugs” message from a straight-laced person who has only book knowledge and no “street cred”. Neither is it an organisation that goes through the ins and outs, make up and medical history behind drugs or just talks about the dangers of drugs.

“Kids already know all that stuff. Our job is to go deeper and really look at the reasons behind why people get into drugs and alcohol in the first place,” says Ryan Schwaninger. Ryan and Pat share their life-changing stories and open up teenagers’ minds to the backgrounds that the people sitting next to them might come from.

Their assembly presentations encourage all the kids in the room to take a stand and to not slap a label on others, keep the dreams in their heart alive, and seek help for any problems they are facing.

Ryan’s presentation is full of gutsy humour, blog stories,

personal insights and testimonies, multimedia resources, and the music he’s into as a closet DJ.

As for Pat, his story of being addicted to narcotics and prescription drugs for 20 years, pronounced clinically dead, flat lining three times and attending the funerals of 43 friends definitely persuades thousands of teenagers to listen as he talks about his struggles with drug abuse and addiction.

They are not just about a onceover-lightly service, and after almost every assembly, they get emails from students in the audience that were impacted by the presentation. Most importantly, the team returns for a follow-up presentation to reinforce the issues covered.

As a student from Tamaki College said: “Most people who come into schools talk about how ‘drugs are bad, stay away from them, don’t bully’…but you didn’t. You told your stories and let us make up our own minds, which is crucial to teens, because NONE of us like being told what to do. You involved us, asked questions and made us think.”

Another student commented;

“Your talk today helped me to remember what my dreams are. I reflected afterwards and was able to realise what my aims in life are. I also realised that I do place people in a box, or label them. It’s a horrible thing about myself which I am now trying to change.”

With a mission to “Support schools in their need to offer real and relevant solutions to substance abuse and self- destructive behaviours in their student community”, it’s refreshing to see students make comments like this. Now six years on, Amped has grown at an incredible rate with offices now in Tauranga and Auckland, and is still as fervent as ever in its mission to be a proactive part in communities’ fight against drug and alcohol abuse.

With a heartfelt message that “every life counts”, Amped4Life is committed to confronting teenagers about the dangers of substance abuse and the importance of making good choices.

- Helen Buckley

info

www.amped4life.net.nz

Making sense of numbers

often, we ten D to think of understanding numbers and having a sense of numeracy as something we are taught by parents and teachers, but Brian Butterworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the University College in London, believes otherwise.

“Number sense is having a sense of the manyness, or numerosity, of a collection of things. We believe that babies are born with a kind of start-up kit for learning about numbers that is coded in the genome. Even in the first week of life, babies are sensitive to changes in the number of things that they’re looking at, and at six months they can do very simple addition and subtraction. Then, with this start-up kit, they build all the cultural tools – the number words, the counting practices, and the arithmetical procedures and facts that they learn from parents and from school.” how do children develop their ability or inability to be good at mathematics?

“Not being good at mathematics can have two, main causes and the first is genetic,” says Butterworth. “A minority of people may be born with a condition that makes it difficult for them to learn mathematics; that is, they are born with dyscalculia or are born with dyslexia, which also can have a consequence for mathematics learning. A far more likely cause is that they were taught badly.

“That means being taught in a way that left them failing to understand what they were doing. Thus, everything else that they learned that was based upon what they didn’t understand was going to be very fragile. So, they avoid mathematics.

“The parts of the brain that process words are different from the parts of the brain that process numbers. No part of the brain is specialised at birth for reading because reading is a very recent skill for which the brain adapts the language areas. The brain, however, does seem to have evolved special circuits for numbers. There’s an important difference between those two types of learning.

“

the fundamental principle that must guide the teaching of mathematics is that the work has to be meaningful for them

Mathematics is built on a specific, innate basis, and reading is not. It’s quite important for teachers to remember that when children are learning mathematics, they are using distinctly different brain areas than they use when learning to read.”

what is dyscalculia?

“Dyscalculia is a condition a child is born with that affects the ability to acquire the usual arithmetical skills. We believe it may affect three to six per cent of children. Dyscalculic students may show difficulty understanding even simple number concepts, and as a consequence, will have problems learning the standard number facts and procedures. “Even when dyscalculic students can produce the correct answer or the correct method, they may do so mechanically and without confidence because they lack an intuitive grasp of numbers that the rest of us possess. Dyscalculia is rather like a dyslexia for numbers –but unlike dyslexia, little is currently known about its prevalence, causes or treatment. Dyscalculia often appears in conjunction with other learning difficulties –including dyslexia, dyspraxia, and attention deficit disorders – but most dyscalculic students will have cognitive and language abilities in

the normal range and may indeed excel in non-mathematical subjects.

“Dyscalculia is diagnosed using discrepancies between mathematics learning and other cognitive functions, such as reading or I.Q.

“Teachers may notice that dyscalculic students seem to have an impaired sense of number size. This may affect tasks involving estimating numbers in a collection and comparing numbers. “Dyscalculic students can usually learn the sequence of counting words but may have difficulty navigating back and forth, especially in twos, threes, or more. They may also find it especially difficult to translate between number words whose powers of 10 are expressed by new names, such as ‘ten’, ‘hundred’, or ‘thousand’ and numerals whose powers of 10 are expressed by the same numerals but in terms of place value, such as 10, 100, and 1000. These students may be competent at reading and writing numbers, though some dyscalculic students have problems with numbers over 1000, even through to intermediate school.”

how can teachers help their students understand and enjoy mathematics?

“The fundamental principle that must guide the teaching of

mathematics is that children have to understand what they’re doing. The work has to be meaningful for them. Children come to school from different backgrounds and with different information about numbers. It is important for teachers to adjust the way that they teach to fit the skills that students already have. Otherwise, students are going to start getting left behind, even in the first year of school. Learning mathematics is a cumulative process, and if you fail to understand one stage, then anything that is built upon that stage is going to be rather fragile.

“The nature of mathematics is that you can come to the right answer in many different ways. Encouraging different approaches to the same problem helps students grasp this idea. Using a range of examples is also important because numbers are abstract. They don’t apply to particular things. Anything can be counted. You can count eggs. You can count jumps. You can count things you can’t even see, like wishes. Using numbers in a variety of contexts helps students understand the abstract nature of the number concept.

“You can make mathematics meaningful by actively engaging students with numbers in different ways.

“Because mathematics is a cumulative subject, it is also essential for teachers and students to identify and correct misconceptions as soon as possible. This means spending quite a lot of time with each child, and this is asking rather a lot of the teacher, but it is absolutely vital to know what each child does and does not understand.

“When understanding breaks down in mathematics, students do feel as though they’re swimming in a sea of incomprehension. Because this drowning sensation is so anxiety-provoking, they avoid situations that give rise to it. This leads to more anxiety, and they get worse and worse. You have to make sure that they understand what they’re doing at each stage.”

- Jacqui Taylor

The annual report, flagship of success

Likeother org A nis Ations, schools depend on good financial systems as an essential foundation for sound decisionmaking. At their simplest, financial systems comprise a way to record information, and a way to report it and it is the reporting that is the heart: reporting that includes monthly reports, complete and up-to-date budgets and cashflow forecasts. These need to be accurate, comprehensive, cohesive and timely to allow a school’s managers and board of trustees to keep an eye on the day-to-day financial health of their organisation.

Good financial reports allow managers to find discrepancies, pick up warning signs, and work out strategies for improving the way they run the school. As chartered accountant, John Gill said in a recent CA Talk article, “It’s not just the financial report that is important, it’s the discussion, getting focus on the right thing, and being able to provide practical help.” (www.nzica.com/catalk)

The “flagship” of financial reporting is, of course, the annual report, which has a slightly different purpose: to provide information for stakeholders about how well the school is performing against its strategic goals.

The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and Ministry of Education, through their Annual School Report Awards, seek to encourage quality, excellence, integrity and communication with stakeholders and parents and

“

caregivers through the provision and presentation of information in annual reports.

The awards are presented in three categories recognising the

different sizes and communities of the school. Items that attract the attention of the judging panel are: • attention to detail and bright, easily read financial information

and contact details to jointheteam@multimediapublishing.co.nz

in the financial report

• strong analysis of variance reporting and measurability of the objectives reported in a clear and easily read format, background information about the school and evidence of a three to five-year strategic plan that includes strategic goals (especially on student achievement)

• evidence that the school used indicators to monitor its progress towards achieving targets during the year, made adjustments as necessary, was prepared to review the barriers to learning and worked to help students achieve and overcome those barriers

Annual reports can create a history of the school’s activities, act as a marketing tool and even involve the student at a secondary school level as part of the team producing the report. The report of St Thomas of Canterbury College, which won the Secondary School category for 2008, was compiled by the principal, board and students, and the judges were delighted to see the involvement of students in the report preparation.

This year’s Supreme Award winner was Richmond Primary School in Nelson. The judging panel were unanimous in their confirmation that the high technical quality of the financial reporting and the supporting information on school development plans, student achievement, self review and school life with the excellent summary

Let the experts take care of your school’s Financial Management & Reporting, so you can spend more time on education.

We would

9

of highlights for the year, created a highly readable, technically correct and holistic report to the community and stakeholders interested in the life and activities of Richmond Primary School. The report won the school a Hewlett Packard Tablet PC worth $3500, a trophy and a certificate.

Some of the weaker points and issues that schools should address in presenting annual reports include:

• Secondary schools tend to report their NCEA results, but those need to be within a target framework. Winning

high school and secondary school reports did not use targets like “to achieve national average or better NCEA results” but were more specific about how they were addressing areas of student achievement that needed to improve.

• Some schools included student achievement information without targets so that the reader did not know if the results were as expected, better or worse.

• Some schools provided information from each school department. While this enhanced an overall holistic approach and strong community reporting, a careful balance needs to be considered to reduce the volume and ensure that the departmental reports also provide measurable achievements and information.

• Careful proof reading is an essential tool in any report. Attention to detail cannot be emphasised enough in creating an annual report.

- Supplied by NZICA

Distance learning broadens horizons

LIVING IN A rural area 40 minutes from Kaikoura, Gillian Horton gives a big thumbs up to the flexible style of study in the Open Polytechnic’s Teacher Aide Certificate.

Secretary at Woodbank School in the Clarence Valley in Kaikoura district, Horton was keen to work more closely with children by training as a teacher aide. Short on time, distance study worked well for her.

“I like being able to study in my own time. I try to do a day or two a week. It hasn’t really affected the day-to-day running of our family at all because I do most of it when the children are in bed at night.

“Woodbank School has six children up to Year 6. We have a school principal who is also the teacher, and I work as the secretary alongside gaining my practical hours as a teacher aide. Julia, our school principal, has been really supportive and is always willing to answer any questions.”

‘I help the children with things like word rings and story writing. Usually, I model a story based on a picture I have drawn, and then the children write a story of their own, and then we go through and correct it with them’

- Gillian Horton

the end of this year, Horton says the unexpected result of her studies is that it has made her more confident, and this extends to her own children as well.

“I have a better knowledge of how to put things across. It’s great that I can put what I am learning into practice with my own children.”

Once she has finished her qualification, Horton says she is keen to get permanent work as a teacher aide.

So would she recommend study to others?

The practical component of her studies sees Horton taking children for reading and writing exercises in the classroom.

“I help the children with things like word rings and story writing. Usually, I model a story based on a picture I have drawn, and then the

children write a story of their own, and then we go through and correct it with them.”

She says one of the benefits of working in a small school is being able to develop a closer relationship with the children. Due to finish the certificate at

“Definitely. It broadens your horizons, and it’s been good for me with the children heading off to school to get my brain ticking over again.”

The Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning.

For further information, Freephone 0508 650 200 or check out www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz

is for people who work or want to work in New Zealand primary schools as a teacher aide or volunteer. It gives you a solid grounding in how schools work, child development and learning, and how to work with children with special needs.

Because Open Polytechnic is all about flexibility, you can study when and where you want to – so you don’t have to stop your life to start a new one.

To find out more visit www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz or freephone 0508 650 200. Because everything’s open. Ogilvy/OPP0421/SN

A school of fitness champions

kAr A k A s choo L is still abuzz, and rightly so.

They have just been crowned national champions at the 2008 Jump Jam challenge, a competition that blends aerobics, fitness and dance.

Karaka Primary is a semi-rural school south of Auckland with 213 students from Years 0 to 8. Kristie Thomas, the sole Year 7-8 teacher, assistant principal, recent recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award, and driving force behind the Jump Jam programme at the school, says it is a school that takes personal health and fitness seriously.

“Our community and our board take the fitness and health of our students very seriously, many of our students play sport outside school, and we add to that with a range of activities and health- based programmes,” she says.

Every day, the students take part in an organised fitness programme, which is linked to seasonal sport

‘our community and our board take the fitness and health of our students very seriously, many of our students play sport outside school’ - Kristie thomas “

and the curriculum. It could be cross-country training, skipping, jump jam or a fitness circuit.

Physical Education (PE) happens twice a week, and that, too, is dependant on both time of year and curriculum. It includes gymnastics, swimming, track and field athletics, cross-country and large and small ball games.

“We divide the school into three teams, junior, middle and senior. This helps us plan suitable programmes,” says Thomas.

“Kidz Aerobix was started by

Brett Fairweather, a multi-awardwinning aerobics champion. He takes songs children know, adds a simple set of aerobics moves and creates a simple and fun way for students to increase their fitness. It is available to all primary and intermediate schools nationwide.

Schools participating in Kidz Aerobix began competing with each other and it was from there that the Jump Jam competitions arose.

“It has progressed to regional Jump Jam competitions and then, in 2006, they started a national

championship.

We won the first challenge, came third in 2007 and were so excited to win again this year.

“It’s wonderful to think that out of the total Year 7-8 class of 34, 10 are in the team, only one has had dance training, yet all 10 can say they are national champions.”

The team members start work in term two and practise every lunchtime as well as putting in a lot of hours after school in the build-up to the competition.

“Around one third of the routine is re-choreographed. When making the costumes I chose to stick with the theme of the song which was, You Can’t Stop the Beat, from the movie, Hairspray. I come from a dance and drama background, so we worked on facial gestures, characterisation, levels and pathways, then added these dance and drama elements to the aerobic moves.”

Aerobics and regular sport and

‘the students love being on stage, and when they get such positive feedback from the large audience, they come off stage buzzing’ “

fitness regimes are just part of the school’s focus on wellness, however.

“We also have a strong commitment to outdoor education and school camps, starting with sleepovers in Years 3-4, then two different week- long camps for Years 5-6. Another two camps are chosen for the Year7-8 students, they go to Rotorua and the Tongariro National Park.”

Thomas says the camps cover a wide range of activities from white-water rafting, hiking, abseiling and rock climbing to swimming, high ropes work and camping in the forest.

“The camps offer challenges that are not only physical, but mental as well, and they are also working on team building, cooperation, problem-solving skills and personal relationships.

“We fundraise for camps and the students do this themselves, writing to companies to ask for sponsorship and organising fundraising activities, which itself is a great way of developing their organisational skills.”

The trip to the Jump Jam finals in Christchurch in November was funded by the students’ fundraising efforts, and this is part of the importance the school also places

on leadership roles.

“All of our senior students have an extra task each that they are responsible for and they take this very seriously. We also have senior peer mediators, lunch monitors and wet-day monitors, librarians, sports captains, house captains a student committee and head students. They know that the roles they undertake are necessary and appreciated in a small school community.”

Thomas says that by expecting students to take on responsibilities such as these, they do rise to the challenge and she says they are a very respectful, mature, caring group.

“We are all so proud of the Jump Jam team. Some teams we competed against came from schools with a much larger pool to select their team from.

“The students love being on stage, and when they get such positive feedback from the large audience, they come off stage buzzing. It is an amazing experience for them, which increases their selfconfidence, giving every student a chance to shine.”

- Jacqui Taylor

external learning

Rising to the challenge

ino ctober, our entire school, consisting of 732 students, teachers, senior management, all support and administration staff and parents – a total of 862 people – had the good fortune to climb to the crater rim of Rangitoto Island.

Due to number restrictions on the ferry, we could only take half the school on one day with the other half going two days later.

In a time when many schools are scaling back on EOTC excursions, we decided that the opportunity to provide such an authentic learning experience for our children far outweighed the potential challenges. At Cockle Bay School, we infuse our curriculum

the school. The entire school is learning about the same Big Picture, with each year-level

New Zealand’s Premier Theme Park has been serving up all day fun and entertainment for 25 years now. An ideal destination for school trips as their one price-all day-unlimited ride concept offers great value They even have theme park physics and math study modules that teachers can use to explain ride dynamics.

Special school rates are available for advance bookings only – Call 09 262 2030

tackling the issues and concepts in age-appropriate ways. This infusion learning period was looking at the concept of “What challenges does nature set us and how do we cope?”

This also meshed nicely with our last Big Picture of, “If it isn’t hard, it isn’t worth doing” – Sir Peter Blake. Nature certainly sets challenges during natural disasters. It was a real eye-opener for the children to see the lava flows and vegetation on Rangitoto. For many children, it was their first time there and for most, it was the first time that they had walked the entire way from Yankee Wharf to the summit.

We are delighted to report that every single child – yes, even the Year 0 children, some of whom had only started school two days earlier,

and our children with special needs, all managed the climb to the top. It proves that often, children are limited only by the expectations we place on them. Children at Cockle Bay School are always striving for great heights in their learning. We have provided our students with an experience that will stay with them for many years and they have rewarded us by proving that we were right to set this challenge for them.

- Vanessa Casey, Team Leader and Darrel Goosen, Deputy Principal All Photos by Darrel Goosen and Grant

Auckland - city of opportunities

fro M “the country’s largest city” and “City of Sails” to “the world’s largest Polynesian population”, the stock phrases are familiar to us all. But Auckland is also a huge educational resource, an almost bottomless kete of activities and knowledge that schools can access for learning outside the classroom.

From all the features of a vibrant city, to beaches, rainforests and volcanoes, Auckland offers a wealth of hands-on activities as well as a wide variety of historic and cultural experiences and sites.

There are learning experiences for both Auckland city kids and those living further afield that wish to experience big-city thrills and the chance to access museums, art galleries and other amenities unavailable in the smaller centres.

Here is a selection of places you may wish to check out for school groups to visit next year:

butterfly creek

With over 700 free-flying, exotic butterflies in a specially designed, walk-through house, the centre also offers a farmyard, aquarium and wetlands.

North head tunnels

A small, strategic headland at the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour, this area has been of strategic importance as a lookout and defence site for centuries, for both Maori and European settlers.

A complex of tunnels, guns, searchlights and other fortifications make it a fascinating place to visit.

muriwai beach gannets

Forty minutes from the city, Muriwai Beach is a great place to incorporate several different aspects of study of the natural world. The gannet colony at the south end of the beach is particularly interesting to view from October to February, when the gannets are nesting. The

Quarry Track leads you through nikau groves and past large gnarled puriri trees and a short walk to Maori Bay will offer a chance to study unusual Pillow Lava, which was formed under the sea, but is now in the cliffs above the bay.

the auckland museum

This is a stalwart for many a school outing, but currently, there is an amazing exhibit that should be added into every school calendar: Sue the T-Rex. The largest T-Rex ever discovered travelled from her home in Chicago to be put on display at the Auckland Museum from mid-November through to March 2009. The full-size cast of Sue’s 12.8-metre-long and 3.6-metre-high skeleton forms the centrepiece of an exhibit that also includes interactive displays.

ambury park

Located on the shore of the Manukau Harbour, Ambury

Regional Park is a working farm, educational centre and birdwatchers’ paradise, 15 kilometres from central Auckland. The farm animals are all the ones you would expect to find and you can get up close to them safely. The area also has a rich volcanic past, sitting on ash-covered lava flows.

howick historic village

The aim of the Historic Village’s education department is to depict life in 19th-century New Zealand through a hands- on and interactive programme showing the 1840 to 1880 period. The Howick Historical Village in Pakuranga offers a unique programme away from the classroom, which is very relevant to the national Social Studies and Technology curriculum.

- Jacqui Taylor

Ritchies Coachlines Ltd

all your travel requirements Nationwide Branches throughout New Zealand

Helping students through transitions

heLP is At hand for schools to assist students with the transition from primary or intermediate school to secondary school.

This major move is one of two, significant, educational phases typically experienced by young people. Along with the anxiety sometimes felt when starting school at age five, beginning secondary school can also bring stress and worry, as students move from being at the “top of the school” to being at the “bottom of the school”, all the while coming to grips with a new learning environment.

The Travellers programme was established by Skylight to help Year 9 students who have identified themselves as facing tough times, for example having low self-esteem or frequently changing schools.

The programme provides a framework in which students can communicate with their peers while learning the skills they need to cope with various situations.

Travellers is about building resilience and enhancing connections, with the aim of helping young people learn to deal with challenging events and circumstances – in the short term while at school, and for the rest of their life journey.

The programme was developed, researched and piloted by Skylight, a national charitable organisation that provides unique support and services to children, young people and their families/ whanau, and has been operating in schools since 2001.

“Travellers is being rolled out nationwide and has been very well received,” says Phil Smith, the national manager of the Travellers programme.

“However, if more schools were aware of the programme and how it can benefit students, we know it could have an even bigger impact. Students gain so much from Travellers. They learn new skills and confidence to help them cope in tough times, and the programme improves their ability to communicate with their peers and further engage with those who are teaching them in the classroom.”

Travellers is run by school

if more schools were aware of the programme and how it can benefit students, we know it could have an even bigger impact – phil Smith “

staff, with additional support from Skylight if required.

Students with support needs are identified through a confidential, computer-based survey of Year 9 students. Interestingly, as part of an ongoing feedback loop, schools have often reported that the initial survey alerted them to the needs of the young people they otherwise would not have recognised were at risk unless they’d specifically come forward.

The students then take part in 90-minute weekly sessions, in small groups, over eight weeks. They talk through major events, daily issues and develop resilience skills and life maps with the support of one

another. The groups are run by two facilitators from the school that are specifically trained by Skylight. Having staff with the Travellers training benefits the whole school.

Many schools that have run the programme have reported on its positive impact.

Travellers is currently being implemented in 58 New Zealand schools, with more than 7100 students taking the baseline survey. About 15 per cent of Year 9 students have participated in Travellers programmes to date.

“If a young person is experiencing a tricky situation and has learnt skills to help them cope, or has the confidence to ask for

help, then that will have a positive effect on their ability to learn,” says Smith. “Travellers is about providing students with the skills to cope with life changes. By equipping students with these skills and the knowledge that they have the support of their peers, the chances of them slipping through the cracks in our education system are greatly reduced. ”

When schools make a commitment to implement Travellers they select a minimum of two staff to attend facilitator training workshops.

Phil Smith national Manager, skylight

travellers programme

Phi L sM ith has extensive experience in the education sector. he has held various positions, specifically in the secondary sector, including that of teacher, head of department, dean and director. he became the national manager of skylight’s travellers programme in early 2008.

New books on the block

By Robyn Belton

Published by Craig PottonPublishing

RRP $17.99

Ages: 4-8

For its first children’s book, Craig Potton Publishing has chosen a true, uniquely New Zealand story of a brave little dog called Herbert and his owner, Tim. Herbert sets off with Tim’s father and some friends on what was to be a simple trip from Nelson to the Marlborough Sounds in a small boat. When the weather turns rough, the day turns bleak, and Herbert is tossed into the sea. He survives more than 30 hours at sea and becomes a nationwide hero. A charming book filled with beautifully evocative illustrations by Robyn Belton.

creepers

By Joanne Dahme

Published by Running Press

Distributed by Bookwise International

RRP $29.99

Ages: 10-14

Thrills, chills and all the makings of a great ghost story can be found in Creepers. Courtney’s home in Massachusetts has, according to some strangers she talks to on a hot summer afternoon, dark secrets and a 300-year-old curse. At first skeptical, the young girl then uncovers a secret lurking in her basement, which will change her life.

By Dylan Owen

Published by Gecko Press

RRP $18.99

Age: Preschool

This book combines photographs of icons of New Zealand art and often weird members of the animal kingdom with words crafted by author, Dylan Owen, using children’s responses to the art works.

really fast Stuff and really big Stuff

By Alan Trussell-Cullen

Published by Penguin

RRP $19.95

Ages: 6-10

These books are two in a series of books, All you need to know about stuff. From how swift is a speeding bullet to speed talking, giant world records and the largest man-made structure, these books are designed for the child who loves

facts, figures and incredible feats. There are several facts and figures from New Zealand, so they have a local twist.

pepetuna

By Denise Whitmore

Published by Penguin

RRP $29.95

Ages: 4-8

Three threads woven together create the multi-layered story of Pepetuna, a Puriri tree moth. Not only is the little moth’s five- year life cycle explored, but also the lives of the other animals in the forest and those of a young family, which also change during that five-year time frame. The illustrations combine textured layering of a wide variety of paints, fabrics, beads and buttons and are visually stunning. This is a gentle tale of growth and nature. the maketu whitebait

By Werohia (Candice Reading)

Illustrated by Vonnie

Sterritt

Published by Taramea Publishing

RRP: $17.00

Ages: 5-8

This fishy tale of a trio of whitebait and their adventures in the Maketu estuary explores not only survival against the odds, family and bravery, but also tells the story of the lifecycle of this New Zealand icon. It has also been translated into Maori – Ngati Inanga noMaketu – and is part of a developing series with an educational theme for children.

By Margaret Mahy

RRP $39.99

Age: Young Adult

A new novel from New Zealand’s master storyteller is always an exciting event, but when it has spent more than 10 years evolving, and follows themes close to the writer’s heart, it is worth plenty of fanfare. This epic tale of love and treachery follows the adventures and coming-of -age of a young farm boy, Herriott, who has special powers. When these come to the attention of the king, Herriott must struggle both with understanding his gifts and what others expect of him. The pre-Renaissance setting has been extensively researched and vividly recreated and the story powers along to a violent and chilling climax. girlie

By Gillian Ramstead

Published by Penguin

RRP $28.00

Ages: Young Adult

From New Zealand hill country in the 1950’s, to 1960’s America, together with several centuries of Scottish Highland history, Girlie links the stories of people separated by time and place but connected through ancestry.

Mara, called Girlie by the extended family she lives with, struggles to make sense of the world around her as the family disperses and disintegrates. Lost, troubled but tenacious, she slowly finds connections between memory, history, ancestors and dreams.

Planting the seeds of a forestry career

ten

ye A rs Ago, Gary

Ytsma, teacher and Head of Department, Land Science at Marlborough Boys College in Blenheim, had an inspiring idea for his senior students. What if he could develop a course that would keep them at school and retain their interest by teaching them something practical?

“So, I started a course based around my prior knowledge and forestry experience with the Forest Research Institute,” says Ytsma. “I knew it also had the potential to benefit local industry as they were short on staff.”

The course first ran in 1999 and Ytsma estimates he’s since taken around 200 to 250, Year 12 and 13 boys through the Level 2 and 3 FITEC forestry units.

“The students learn the general requirements of forestry, personal hydration and nutrition, codes of practice, OSH standards

and (always very popular with the boys), chainsaw operation.”

Ytsma says that, as part of the course, the students participate in a lot of field trips.

“It’s these experiences that really bring the industry alive for them.”

He says they’ve been extremely fortunate to have full support from FITEC and the support of around 25 local businesses in Marlborough and Nelson.

“We visit Nelson Pine Industries, Nelson Forests

Ltd, Carter Holt Harvey’s sawmill in Eves Valley, Mike Fraser’s operation, and many others.

“We ensure the students are exposed to the breadth of work the industry has to offer, from silviculture and logging through to milling and wood-processing –safety requirements are a huge part of what they learn as well.”

It seems to be paying off. Ytsma

says that many of the students find work in the forestry and wood industries after they leave school, some straight away and others a few years later, after a bit of “oddjobbing”.

“It’s fantastic to see boys getting jobs and becoming great operators, rather than leaving school not knowing what to do. I bump into them several years later and they’ve found jobs in the industry and are starting families.

“Two of the boys, Simon Hammond and Reindard Hoek, started up and are still running their own silviculture business. They have about six to eight staff working with them,” says Ytsma, who keeps track of where some of his students end up.

“James McKenzie did a Bachelor of Forestry Science at the University of Canterbury and is graduating this year. And James Smith left school in June 2003 and is now working as a

fully qualified saw doctor at Flight Timber’s sawmill.”

The local forest and wood industry have been particularly interested in the course and keen to employ the students after they leave school.

Mark Forward, forestry manager for Nelson Forests Ltd, says the course is a great initiative and Nelson Forests Ltd really supports it.

“We help Gary put some of the components of the course together and host forestry tours for the students when they come through on their Nelson regional field trips.”

For Ytsma, knowing that he’s teaching his students a course that leaves them well-prepared for employment is important.

“I really believe in educating our students for real life. I think it’s the way that education should go, especially for those who will not go on to tertiary education. It makes them useful and work- ready.”

Supplier Profile | Waiariki Forestry

Diplomas in Forestry at Waiariki Institute of Technology

NEW TO WAIARIKI Institute of Technology is the Diploma in Manufacturing. This qualification focuses on the core ingredients of leadership in the manufacturing sector.

The one-year course will focus on:

• How to be a capable leader in a fi rst line management role

• How to work on the business – not just in the business

• How to optimise resource, process and product fl ows

• Enabling you to contribute to the technical development of manufacturing companies

• Allowing you to become a tactical resource for production staff and leaders

The diploma is taught by a team of experts from New Zealand and overseas. The largest component of this qualification is the optimisation project where students are required to identify areas in a workplace that need improvement, and to seek out ways to

improve the process.

The National Diploma in Forestry (Forest Management), is another key qualification taught in the School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology. This diploma combines both classroom theory and practical fieldwork. Waiariki is the only institute that offers the full national diploma.

Both the Diploma in Manufacturing and the National Diploma in Forestry have exciting job opportunities and possibilities for successful graduates.

Graduates of the Diploma in Forestry are currently working as supervisors, consultants, and contractors in the forest industry.

These diplomas are taught at the National Centre of Excellence for the Forest and Wood Industry.

The National Centre is a partnership between Waiariki, Forest Industry Training and Education Consortium (FITEC) and University of Auckland.

Telescope giveaway

School News has 50 portable, folding telescopes to give away. We will give 10 telescopes each to five lucky schools.

The telescope is an entry-level, fun model more suited to New Entrant to Year 3 classes; it comes with a carry case and a folding tripod.

If you wish to enter your school in the draw, email win@schoolnews.co.nz with Telescope in the subject line.

Or write to School news Telescope Draw, Multimedia Publishing, PO Box 130075, Armagh Street, Christchurch 8141.

To be eligible for the draw, please include your school’s name, address and telephone number, and contact person. Entries close Monday, February 9, 2009 and winners will be announced in Issue 5.

Waiariki School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology

NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN FORESTRY

(Forest Management)

Become part of one of New Zealand's fastest growing industries! Students will gain knowledge, skills and practical experience in the planning and management of commercial plantation forests. Students will learn all aspects of forestry needed to be an effective technician or leader in a competitive business.

Job Opportunities: Technical position within a forest company. Management position within a forest company. Forestry Consultant. Self-employed Forestry Contractors. Research Technician.

Subjects: Technical Forestry, Forest Ecology, Forest Health and Protection, Nutrient Management, Forest Inventory, Seeds and Nurseries, Harvesting Operations and Planning, Performance Targets etc.

ENROL NOW: Call 0800 924 274 or txt FORESTRY to 515!

FREE TUITION FEES* FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF STUDY FOR ALL 2008 SCHOOL LEAVERS ENROLLING IN 2009.

Congratulations to the winning schools!

The following schools have won books for their school library in the School News Library Draw:

Taihape Area School Oxford Area School Vardon School Peria School

If your school has not entered the draw yet, email: editorial@schoolnews.co.nz with the details of the location and age range of your school, phone number and contact person.

Congratulations to the following school that has won the Oregon Scientific Globe valued at $279: Mt Maunganui College

Congratulations to the following schools, which each won a set of conservation books valued at $215.00:

Stanmore Bay School Flag Swamp School

Cooking skills fundamental to students’ development

ho M e econo M ics h A s always made an enormous contribution to the lives of New Zealanders. Students working in this subject area can gain expertise that helps them to manage their resources, select and prepare nutritious food and be discerning consumers.

The focus of home economics teaching is guided by the philosophy and principles outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Home economics is one of three subjects contributing to the learning area of health and physical education, which states:

In home economics, students develop an understanding of the factors that influence the wellbeing of individuals and families within the home and community and of the actions people take to enhance and sustain those environments. In the context of food and nutrition, students evaluate current issues and theories of nutrition, identify and reflect on factors that influence people’s choices and behaviours, and use this knowledge to make informed decisions. Through the processes of selecting, preparing, cooking and serving food, students develop their creativity and experience a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, they develop personal and interpersonal understandings and skills that contribute to well-beingNZC Ministry of Education 2007.

The “underlying concept” of hauora, a Maori philosophy of well-being, which includes the physical, mental, spiritual and social dimensions of health, has created the changes in approach that provide the basis for realistic and relevant contexts for teaching and learning in home economics. This also means that holistic approaches to food and nutrition are used. Food choices, for example, may be shaped or influenced by factors such as advertising, ethnic or cultural traditions, food costs and the availability of food choices.

The approaches indicated by the underlying concept of “health promotion” create opportunities for students to take action; for example, the Ministry of Education Mission On Fuelled for Schools initiative

instead of being told what to make or do, students get involved in real-life situations that involve them in applying learning about food and nutrition “

encourages schools to “come up with a plan to improve the eating habits and general health of everyone at their school”. So, instead of being told what to make or do, students get involved in reallife situations that involve them in applying learning about food and nutrition, making decisions about food and preparing and serving food to meet specific needs.

Gaining food-preparation and cooking skills is still an important part of learning about food and nutrition and making informed decisions about what to eat. The ability to cook is seen as important in

retaining choice and independence from multinationals that dominate food marketing and could limit food choices. People who cook can choose to prepare food that is free of additives. Rather than being a burden, cooking can provide opportunities for creativity and also recognition of the social value of preparing food and eating together.

In some countries, such as the UK, there are huge initiatives designed to help students learn to cook and to be more discerning about their food choices. These initiatives are somewhat handicapped by the lack of food

and nutrition subjects in the national curriculum.

In New Zealand, home economics is part of the curriculum for all students from Year 1 one to Year 10. At senior levels, achievement and unit standards provide a foundation for students who may pursue food and nutrition-related careers or work in the hospitality industry.

Home economics can help students make informed choices and gain skills that will help to sustain them in their adult lives. Unfortunately, these opportunities are limited by the shortage of suitably trained teachers. We need to be encouraging more people with suitable degrees to train as teachers. The Ministry of Education’s TeachNZ scholarships are a good start, but more are needed.

Food technology is part of the learning area of technology. Teaching and learning in this area is often carried out by teachers of food and nutrition. The focus here is developing or adapting food product to meet specific needs or purposes using a design-brief approach.

Many in the wider community do not realise that home economics is an accepted discipline worldwide. While several attempts have been made to change the name, it is now recognised that home economics education is a field of study and a profession, situated in the human sciences that draws from a range of disciplines to achieve optimal and sustainable living for individuals, families and communities. Teachers of the subject in the curriculum area of health and physical education seek to facilitate students’ discovery and further development of their own resources and the development of capabilities that they can use in their personal life, now and in the future.

- Primrose Appleby and Nicola Potts

n ico LA Potts teaches home science at st Patrick’s college silverstream in upper hutt, after six years at Porirua college where she was head of home economics and technology. she is currently on the hettAnZ executive as the communications officer.

The business of canteens

finA nci AL MA n Age M ent is not about turning the school canteen into a ruthless, moneymaking venture that puts profit before children’s health. It’s about managing the canteen’s financial resources effectively to meet the goals set out in the canteen policy.

in practice this means:

1. Knowing what the canteen spends and earns

2. Planning for the canteen’s financial obligations

3. Accounting for all the canteen’s money and stock

4. Setting profit goals for the canteen and setting prices to meet these goals

what is profit?

Profit is the amount of money the canteen has left over at the end of an accounting period. You can calculate your profit monthly, each term or each year. There are two kinds of profit: gross profit and net profit.

If you received more money from selling goods during a term than you spent buying the goods sold, then you have made a gross profit that term. You need to make

a gross profit so you can cover the canteen’s overheads.

Overheads are running costs

such as:

• staff wages

• maintenance

• equipment purchases

• depreciation

• any money that you put aside for a future payment, e.g. donation to the school

After paying the overheads, any money the canteen has left is called net profit.

Net profit can be returned to the school community or re-invested in the canteen.

How much profit to aim for, and what to do with it, should be set out in the canteen policy.

how to maximise your profits

You need to look at:

1. How you control your stock

2. How you control your food portions

3. The number of paid staff in your canteen and the cost of overheads

4. Your stock range: do you have too many items with a small profit margin?

5. The variety of food

6. The availability of food

7. The balance between the food you prepare in the canteen and the food the canteen buys preprepared

8. Getting the best deal from your suppliers

9. The competition, e.g. local shops food prices

When setting prices at which to sell the food, the canteen’s main objective is to reach and maintain a set, expected, average markup.

Before you can make a decision on how much you are going to charge for an item, you need to look at the big picture of how your canteen is currently operating. By calculating the mark-ups of all the products you sell, you will be able to work out your average mark-up.

If you work out the canteen’s overheads for a certain period, you will be able to see if the canteen’s average mark-up is enough to cover them and make a net profit.

If the net profit was sufficient, then you would not need to adjust your prices unless the cost of goods or overheads altered. If the net profit was too low, then you would need to carefully look at

the canteen’s whole operation and decide where the problem lies. You may need to re-adjust prices until you reach the average mark-up that suits your canteen.

minimise canteen costs

If a canteen is employing staff and having difficulty with viability, it should examine all other areas before reducing the canteen manager’s hours of work.

Areas to be considered:

Wastage:

• Are you preparing and/or heating too much food?

• Are you making use of leftover ingredients?

• Are you told in advance of student excursions, etc?

• Do you have clear instructions for standard serve sizes?

• Do you avoid unnecessary packaging and wrapping?

pilfering of foods:

• The occasional snack, leftover, “free” lunch can reduce your profits.

• Free lunch for volunteers should consist of sandwiches or rolls, not ready-made foods.

food & beverage

Chef’s innovation makes school canteen a winner

AcoM bin Ation of her professional training as a chef and her passion to see kids eat healthily and enjoy their food has seen Jo Musson win the 2008 School Canteen of the Year Award for Southbrook School in North Canterbury. Sponsored by Future Foods, this award celebrates hard work and dedication in school canteens. Musson impressed the judges with her “…clean, bright, colourful and well-run canteen”, and her “innovative ways to educate the children about healthy choices”.

“My own children go to the school, and we started the canteen in July of 2006 after the student council thought putting in a school canteen would be a good idea. Initially, I ran it with a friend, but the work is really only enough for one, so now I spend around 20 hours a week running it, 15 of those at the school.”

Musson has worked hard to introduce a variety of types of foods and the canteen doesn’t sell pies or chips or other traditionally standard canteen fare.

“We offer things such as tortilla wraps, panini, sushi, salads, glutenfree and lactose- free choices, and in the winter, the children can come in the morning and have a hot drink. I guess, being a chef, I’m big on presentation, and I find the children are very receptive to trying things. It’s often the parents asking where the cakes and cookies and pies have gone.”

Musson has offered prizes for

21

• Have a policy on providing lunches to students who have forgotten to bring their own, e.g. a lunch voucher from the office or principal, which is more likely to be repaid. Deduct items from short-of-money lunch orders –never operate on credit.

financial management for your canteen

how to turn your canteen around

1. Involve students and parents in developing a food and nutrition policy – it’s a bit like strength in numbers. Schools that have

i guess, being a chef, i’m big on presentation, and i find the children are very receptive to trying things – Jo musson “

had involvement from all sectors of the school community have had long-term success and sustainability. Make sure your committee consists of students, teachers, parents, volunteers, canteen staff and the principal.

2. Gain as much support from organisations such as the Heart Foundation’s School Food Programme.

3. Teach healthy eating skills in the classroom.

4. Serve a variety of nutritious foods that are recommended, or that carry the Heart Foundation’s Tick.

5. Promote healthy foods by

serving them attractively, having meal deals or special promotions, or sampling sessions.

6. If vending machines are available to students, be sure that they contain healthy foods and beverages.

7. Allow adequate time and a suitable environment for children to enjoy their lunch.

8. Provide sufficient serving areas to reduce the time students must wait to buy from the canteen.

9. Teach by example – adults and peers are role models.

10. Ensure that school drinking facilities are clean and in

assignments on healthy eating, encouraging children to notice healthy foods in the supermarket, or make a list of fruits and vegetables they eat to reach their 5+ a day target.

“I’ve created displays of the types of foods that fit the new food guidelines, showing foods that fit the ‘everyday’, ‘sometimes’ and ‘occasional’ food groups, with the traffic- light colours of red, orange and green.”

These and other displays no doubt won her the additional award of Best Display, together with her themes for the canteen, along with using lights and music.

“I don’t force food on children, but believe in giving them healthy choices while educating them so they can make sensible decisions themselves.”

She is now using the $1000 prize money to upgrade the canteen, which is open three days a week, and she is slowly introducing more recycled and biodegradable products, such as wooden knives and forks and recycled paper serviettes, together with working on ways to simplify the ordering system.

The menu is always being tweaked and refined, with new options tried out to see what the students like and don’t like and to widen their exposure to different types of food.

- Jacqui Taylor

working order to promote the drinking of water.

11. Eliminate use of unhealthy food as a reward in the classroom.

12. Ensure financial decisions do not undermine nutritional goals, e.g. by having healthy fundraisers.

13. Make sure your canteen runs like a small business, which is well-managed on both a practical daily level and financially. There is nothing worse than seeing all the volunteers’ work go to waste because of poor management.

- Information courtesy of futurefoods

The role of the 21st-century school registered nurse

our young P eo PL e are faced with many challenges as they navigate life through to their adult years. Research shows that students have the best academic outcomes when they are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually well. To achieve this, we need a wholeschool approach with teachers, counsellors and, where possible, registered nurses and social workers collaborating as a multidisciplinary team. The role of a registered nurse in a school today is to focus on youth health and well-being by providing evidence-based information so young people can make the choices that will ensure a healthy future.

School nursing historically

In 1917, the Education Department introduced an important development in social service in New Zealand, with the establishment of nursing services in schools. The purpose was to assess the physical health of students, liaise with parents about their care, work collaboratively with doctors to ensure students were complying with medical advice and provide education through lectures and demonstrations. Rural areas, where access to health services was difficult, were identified as requiring extra nursing services to support healthcare delivery. By 1920, the Health Department undertook to manage the school nursing service instead of the education ministry (Nursing in NZ History and Reminiscences).

This concept of the role of a registered nurse in schools was somehow lost or altered in the ensuing 80 or 90 years as we saw the role change to one of reactive care to injury – the first- aid provider with quick-fix treatments of aches and pains. Thus was born our “Bandaid and Panadol School Nurse”, who at times was not, in fact, a registered nurse but a caring female staff member, who acquired the title and provided healthcare at school. School staff members were often supported by Public Health Nurses, who visited as required to work with individual students and in some areas provide health promotion. It has never been mandatory to employ a registered

nurse at a school; therefore, across New Zealand, huge discrepancies evolved, with fragmented nursing services ranging from a very professional proactive service to the “Bandaid and Panadol” model.

current trends and philosophy

As we move into the 21st century it is tremendously exciting to see the role of the school nurse come full circle, as the nurse has become a respected member of the school and wider community, whose role is to enhance the health and well-being of students.

As it was nearly 100 years ago, this recent move to improve the health of young people was initiated by education. The 2002 AIMHI project in decile 1 schools in Auckland and Porirua was an initiative developed when teachers, parents and students identified a need to improve student health and so the Healthy Community Schools project began. Most of these schools chose to build schoolbased health centres and create multidisciplinary teams of registered nurses, social workers, counsellors, community liaison officers, GPs and physiotherapists to work with other community services to meet student requirements. Different models evolved and the AIMHI project identified that no, one framework of professionals fits all communities. School and health professionals must work together to provide what best suits their students. Relationships can be developed with local primary healthcare organisations or directly with district health boards, so long as services are, preferably free, easily

accessible and youth appropriate. The Youth 2000 Survey (Adolescent Health Research Group, University of Auckland 2003) identified that, for young people, barriers to accessing healthcare were often because young people • did not want to make a fuss • couldn’t be bothered

• thought it cost too much

• felt uncomfortable with their regular health person

• were concerned about whether information had been kept private and confidential

Registered nurses in schoolbased health centres can be the catalyst for improving the health and well-being of young people. Research shows that most young people are healthy; however, it is the choices they make in these formative years that lay the foundations for their future health and well-being.

As young people, we have all taken risks. In fact, as educators, you challenge your students to take risks and step out of their comfort zone, as the students that do so are often the brightest leaders and highest achievers to enter the working world. The lifestyle risks of adolescence that impact on health are choices made about eating – too much or too little – exercise, smoking, alcohol and drug use, unsafe sexual relationships and dangerous speed associated with motor vehicles, the biggest cause of death for young people in New Zealand.

Rather than focusing on the negative outcomes of these adolescent choices, registered nurses in schools can work with

teachers to build resilience and selfesteem in students to reduce harm and enable these young people to navigate the challenges of their teenage years.

Registered nurses are able to provide for schools’ healthcare planning and assistance, and work with whanau to develop independence for the everincreasing number of students with chronic health and congenital conditions. In conjunction with whanau, healthcare plans can be developed, to ensure both safety and optimum health for learning, aiming for minimal absenteeism and disruption to classes.

Health promotion is a large part of both the Primary Healthcare Strategy and the recently revised New Zealand Curriculum.

Registered nurses, in partnership with teachers, can provide a wholeschool approach to deliver relevant, evidence-based information to young people from which they can make healthy choices for the future.

The 21st-century school nurse is no longer just a reactive practitioner who responds to daily events within the school, but is now a proactive health practitioner who, through early intervention and health promotion, can ensure students are physically and mentally healthy, to gain the best-possible education to become lifelong learners. They can support parents and whanau with the many challenges that teenage choices bring. Working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team, registered nurses can build resilience and maintain hauora with its four, vital elements of well-being for students. Your 21st-century nurse will be well-skilled in youth health through completing post-graduate education in this specialised field and will enhance and develop services and bridge the gaps in healthcare that young people are facing today.

Keeping school surfaces safe

sAfety h A s beco M e a major focus in the industrial and commercial workplace, and it is not surprising that this has flowed on into schools. With falls accounting for around half of hospitalised injuries between the ages of 0-14 years, schools increasingly have to address new safety issues to ensure that students, teachers and parents are kept safe whilst on school property.

It is important, therefore, to know what the building regulations and codes are when considering current and future safety requirements, particularly relating to the access routes and walking surfaces in public places, such as the school environment.

Under the Building Regulations 1992, Clause D1.3.3, access routes are required to “have adequate slip-resistant walking surfaces under all conditions of normal use”. These Access Routes, as

defined in the Building Code, cover anywhere “people or goods move” around, “between” and “within building(s)”, including ramps, stairs, decks, paths and floors. The Building Code further clarifies this compliance by indicating slip-

resistant performance must have a “coefficient of friction (µ) of no less than: µ = 0.4 + 0.0125 S (S is the slope of the walking surface)”, in accordance with AS/NZS 3661.1.

When considering, then, how a school will meet the above

compliance issues it is important to not only look at the type of products available but also the short and long-term costs. Slipresistant products need to not only achieve the standards but also maintain them over a period of time.

While some options on the market appear inexpensive in the short term, they may not end up being so in the long. Generally, is unlikely that one product will be suitable for all surfaces, so it’s important to choose the correct one for the surface to be treated.

Surfaces such as external wooden decks, steps and ramps, require a product that is flexible, will retain its non-slip qualities even when wet, is easily cleaned and ideally, environmentally friendly, such as a water-based polyurethane. A more rigid product, in a contrasting colour, is better for stair nosings on concrete or metal

steps. Products that adhere directly on to the edge of the stairs’/steps’ actual surface will reduce ongoing maintenance costs, whereas a tape or screwed-on product may lift at the edges or become loose, creating a new trip hazard.

When making decisions about slip-resistant products it is also important to ask the following questions of any prospective slipresistant treatment provider. How will they assist you in making costeffective choices? For example, can they provide you with a range of options that help you stay within

budget whilst still providing a suitable long-term slip-resistant solution? Are they able to provide you with information on what is the right type of product for your particular walking surface and why? Can they produce documentation that shows that their product meets the required building standard?

Lastly, it is important to ask what type of ongoing service arrangements and warranties the provider can offer.

-

Ned Glover BBS, Globalsafe Technologies New Zealand

profile Your School iN School NewS

we would love to offer a platform for you to let others know what is happening at your school.

Has your school recently;

 had success with a new initiative?

 won an award?

 undertaken a major upgrade or project?

 have a successful event or fundraiser?

if so we want to share it with our readers so other schools learn and benefit from your school’s experiences.

to find out how your school can be profiled in an upcoming issue call Jacqui taylor on 03 365 5575 or email editorial@schoolnews.co.nz

Key elements for safer school surfaces

• Understand the legal requirements and safety codes that affect your school and situation.

• Take an regular inventory of the entire school and make note of potential hazardous surfaces that may become slippery when wet or need special attention.

• Analyse your budget restraints – how can you fix immediate problems and plan for regular and on-going maintenance of surfaces.

• Take note of any worn, loose materials that may cause trips, slips and falls and have them repaired.

• Ensure the surface solutions you choose combine nonslip qualities with long-life properties but also looks good and match with the

school’s overall design and other types of surfaces –unless of course you wish to use contrast for a specific reason

• Think about the use of colour to denote changes in surfaces – colours or different surface textures can also be used to direct people around the school

• Consult with other schools –how have they solved their problems?

• Get expert advice from manufacturers and suppliers of products so the best product is used in each situation.

• Make sure anyone advising you understands your unique requirements, both from a student safety and budget point of view, and has the expertise to find the best solution for you.

sports & recreation

Play spaces – places of possibility

MAny of the strongest memories that adults have of their childhood relate to play.

Today, however, there is a growing trend whereby many children are deprived of the opportunity to play and they are deprived of the pleasure and stimulation that play offers. There are pressures on their free time that are inhibiting their instinctive drive to play. Even when there’s time, the spaces available to them lack challenge and imagination.

Play experiences within schools can offer children an oasis of positive play in their lives.

Good-quality play experiences within the school day can enhance the learning. By developing a better understanding of the value of the play environment, and associated experiences, perhaps that oasis can be improved.

As a starting point, it is worth trying to define what is meant when play is referred to.

Play theorists, sociologists, anthropologists, biologists, social scientists, and philosophers have all tried to define play. However there are underlying, core elements that are consistent, namely the play process is an instinctive drive and a fundamental building block in the development of human beings. benefits of play

Through engaging in the process of play, children and young people benefit in many ways: • Play provides opportunities to enjoy freedom, and exercise choice and control over their actions.

• Play provides opportunities for testing boundaries and exploring risk.

• Play offers a very wide range of physical, social and intellectual experiences for children.

• Play fosters independence and self-esteem.

• Play develops children’s respect for others and offers opportunities for social interaction.

• Play supports the wellbeing, healthy growth and development of children.

• Play promotes children’s creativity and capacity to learn.

barriers to play

While the benefits speak for themselves, there are a growing number of barriers to play that have the potential to have a lasting impact on children’s lives.

The almost total domination of the car within the built environment, condoned by inadequate urban design, is producing environments that are detrimental to children, preventing them from being outdoors, getting enough exercise and accessing facilities and services independently.

Society is becoming more risk averse. It is both impossible and unwise to try and manufacture a society in which children and young people are prevented from being exposed to situations that require them to use their own judgment and understand that actions may well have consequences.

Too often, in determining that they should be protected from perceived harm, there is a failure to recognise the distinct benefits that the individual gains, physically, socially and emotionally.

the traditional fixed- equipment playground. That is not to say that such equipment isn’t a potentially valuable element of a quality play space, but it need not be the sole focus.

When looking at the quality of play space some key questions need to be asked; Within the overall space available:

• Are there adequate opportunities for children to actively move around, experience risk and challenge including climbing high, swinging and jumping? Are there places to hide?

• Are there adequate opportunities for children to actively engage with natural elements such as trees and shrubs, long grass, earth, sand, rocks and water?

• Are there adequate opportunities for children to engage in wheeled play (bikes, scooters, skateboards, and skates)?

• Are there adequate opportunities for children to play ball games?

• Are there adequate opportunities for children to actively manipulate and change the play environment? Are there loose parts available?

• A good-quality playable space does not necessarily have to have vast quantities of expensive play equipment, it does not have to conform to rigid standards, and it need not cost a fortune.

 Strong, sturdy, superior quality timber playgrounds

 Junior Playgrounds – Senior Challenge Courses

 NZSS 5828: 2004 Compliant

 Flexible design service to match your needs

 ‘No-obligation’ site visit, design & quote and installation

This “risk – benefit” analysis in the context of play invariably focuses on the risk aspect without any consideration of the benefits. Yes, children will fall over while playing, they will get cuts and bruises, they may well even break bones, but to deny them the opportunity to engage in challenge, is to deny their basic human instincts.

play space

What needs to be considered when trying to design or develop a good-quality play space?

It is worth considering the play space in its wider context, not just

A good-quality playable space becomes a place where the instinctive drive to play that children and young people have can be met, a place that encourages a wide range of play types, a place that children and young people can adapt. Above all, it should be a place of possibility.

Teaching safe swimming

our coA st L ine continues to be enjoyed by an increasing number of people, be it through coastal development or increased access to water-related opportunities. Social commentators suggest there is an increase in family-orientated leisure pursuits, and a day at the beach is accessible, offers a range of activities and can be enjoyed by all.

As a not-for-profit community service, the most significant aspect of our work is that Surf Life Saving continues to deliver more and more. It is imperative that these increased efforts pinpoint areas where we can really make a difference to preventing drowning and injury in New Zealand.

To help guide and achieve this, Surf Life Saving has identified four causal factors that could lead to a drowning. These are:

1. Ignorance or misunderstanding of coastal hazards

2. Uninformed or unrestricted access to coastal hazards

3. Lack of supervision or surveillance

4. An inability to cope once in difficulty

Therefore, in response, we have identified strategies to address all four factors. These strategies guide the work we do and include:

1. Education and awareness

2. Environmental management

3. Supervision and provision of lifeguard services, and

4. Increasing core aquatic survival skills

education - how can we get the message across?

As an organisation, we have been providing education initiatives to New Zealanders for almost 100 years and have recently reviewed our education and awareness strategy. It has highlighted a real need to increase the reach of messaging to primary and intermediate schools. While an analysis of drowning statistics show that it is not primary and intermediate children who are most at risk of drowning on the coast, it is vital to provide aquatic education at an early age so they don’t become a statistic later in life.

It is our intention to increase reach

by giving teachers more options. This includes providing opportunities for schools to take their students to the beach and, importantly, allows for teachers to bring the beach into the classroom. This two-pronged approach needs to be taken across a number of curriculum areas and will build on the strong foundations already in place.

beached: taking students to the beach

BeachEd is a unique, practical and theoretical-based approach to

teaching children how to enjoy the beach environment safely and to introduce them to Surf Life Saving. Students learn from trained and experienced Surf Lifeguards who also role- model safe practice. The programme is designed specifically for students up to Year 8 with the primary objective to deliver, “A safe, fun and educational day at the beach”. On average, each year 50,000 students, their parents and teachers attend BeachEd and it operates with comprehensive riskmanagement practices in place.

Surf to Schools: taking the beach to the students

Surf to Schools is all that can be delivered to primary and intermediate schools away from the beach, predominantly in a classroom or pool environment. It enables Surf Life Saving to target specific at-risk areas and allows access to programmes and resources for schools that may be geographically or financially unable to attend BeachEd.

Surf to Schools - teacher led

The resource contains both classroom and pool components. These components are designed to enable teachers to create an aquatics unit that is integrated across multiple learning areas. These components may be taught separately, for example alternating odd and even years, if it best meets the needs of the school community. The resources are easily accessible online via the Surf Life Saving New Zealand website and are currently being expanded.

Surf to Schools - Surf lifeguard led

Students learn about beach and surf safety by trained and experienced Surf Lifeguards visiting their school with an interactive trailer full of resources. The programme currently includes classroom components, but will soon expand to include pool activities. It also provides teachers with the option of teaching some material themselves and bringing Surf Lifeguards in to introduce or conclude a unit of work. This programme is currently being piloted and will be made more widely available throughout 2009.

In summary, increasing the aquatic knowledge and skill levels of our youngsters through quality programmes and initiatives will lead to a population of New Zealanders participating wisely and safely in our environment.

- Brett Sullivan, lifesaving manager, Surf Life Saving New Zealand

Minimising waste to reduce our eco-footprint

newZe ALA n D h A s recently been named as having the sixth- largest eco-footprint in the world.

WasteWise Schools is an Education for Sustainability programme that assists schools to reduce their waste and in turn, their ecological footprint.

The Auckland regional, local and district councils have joined together to offer this programme to schools throughout the region.

Our 10-year vision is that all school communities in the Auckland region will actively model best waste minimisation practices in order to:

• reduce waste

• foster sustainable behaviour

• conserve natural resources

• divert materials from landfill

In June 2008, 11 schools signed up to the WasteWise School programme and by Term 1, 2009 we hope to have another 20 to 30 schools begin their journey to become more sustainable.

what does the programme hope to achieve?

The WasteWise Schools programme aims to engage students in best waste reduction practices that can be transferred into home and everyday life. It encourages students to make informed decisions and educate others to act sustainably.

The programme supports the vision, principles and values statements of the New Zealand curriculum. It provides many opportunities for students

to practise and develop key competencies and can be integrated into all curriculum areas.

This programme has been designed to complement the Enviroschools programme.

how does the programme work?

The WasteWise Schools programme consists of seven essential elements that schools need to complete within two years. A local council facilitator is assigned

to each school to provide guidance and assistance to complete the essential elements. These are:

1. Plan and teach relevant experiences to reduce waste and ecological footprint

2. Annual audits (waste and recycling systems)

3. Student action plans to divert waste from landfill by using the

Smith wastewise schools regional co-ordinator

4. Establish sustainable systems to reduce reuse and recycle resources throughout the school

5. Implement plans, policies, procedures and/or care codes to reduce, reuse and recycle school resources

6. Whole school participation

7. Document the process to inform and celebrate being a WasteWise School

what does this programme offer your school?

This programme offers schools an opportunity to decrease operational costs, as well as encourage student-driven solutions to reduce waste; technical advice and support to develop sustainable waste minimisation systems; practical and technical workshops for key teachers and support staff. Financial assistance for teachers to attend workshops is provided, as well as free educational resources to support classroom practice.

could your school be a future wastewise School?

Currently, the programme is only offered to schools in the Auckland region. We are in the process of signing schools to start Term 1, 2009.

- Bronwyn Smith, WasteWise Schools regional co-ordinator

Pellet conversion – a cost- effective alternative

theco M fort of both students and staff at school during the colder months relies on a reliable and efficient heating system. Most New Zealand schools have a coal-fired boiler and radiator system, but with more importance being placed on lessening the environmental impact and increasing energy efficiency, a growing number of schools are converting their coal-fired systems to operate on wood pellets. Christchurch company, Powell Fenwick Consultants is leading the way, having converted eight schools to wood-pellet operation in the last two years.

“Our role is to work with a school to understand where they are now in terms of heating and the state of their equipment,” says Brian Anderson, of Powell Fenwick. “We then work with them to find out where they think their school will be in the future and make recommendations for heating

that will meet both present and future needs, in the most cost and energy- efficient manner. We are also looking at the environmental impact, plant life and ease of use.

“With the conversions done, so far, from coal to wood pellets, the work is proving to be relatively easy, with most conversions carried out in two or three days. This can easily be done over a holiday period,” says Anderson.

“We have worked with a variety of schools, each with unique situations and solutions.

“At Central New Brighton School, the first school we helped with a conversion to wood pellets, they were faced with an increase in costs after Environment Canterbury indicated that continuing to burn coal was not an acceptable, longterm solution. As their system was relatively new, we determined that a change to pellets was the best option. It is working very well.”

At Mairehau High School, the whole system was old, with underground pipes having been subjected to a high water table and rotting away. One of the boilers was very old and getting near the end of its life.

“With their system, we went back to square one and looked at all the options. The cost of heat pumps and a new boiler system was pretty similar, but heat pumps would need to be replaced after 10-15 years, whereas a boiler will have a life of at least 30 years. The new boiler, control and distribution system is so efficient

that now only one boiler is required to support the whole school.”

Anderson says that schools are finding heat pumps are being used in the summer for cooling, too, and this is adding markedly to power costs.

With a pellet conversion there are other benefits as well, such as the ability to fit electric starters, so the system can be shut down overnight and at weekends, and restarted on the Monday morning, which adds to the energy savings and the life of the system.

The wood pellets are a renewable resource and there are also plans to supply wood chip, which, with minimal conversion, can also be used in school boilers, offering further savings.

“With consultation, thought, and clever engineering, these conversions can make a big difference to both the school’s budget and the environment,” says Anderson.

- Jacqui Taylor

ALthoughg LA ss P resents many potential problems for schools, it plays a vital role in supplying a building with natural light, which can benefit student performance and well-being. Student safety is a primary concern, but budgetary constraints can make it prohibitive to replace existing windows in high-risk areas with tempered glass.

Safety glass film is a costeffective solution, protecting glass from damage caused by flying objects, scratching, graffiti, criminal attack and accidental damage. The application of an invisible window film upgrades glass to meet recognised Health & Safety standards by increasing its tensile strength while also providing 99 per cent UV protection.

These films are tried and tested – again and again. In Israel and the United States, the airports, malls, countless buses, schools and hospitals are secured by this film. It

PROVIDING THE RIGHT mix between functionality, appearance and budget for a school fence can often be an exercise in compromise. Tackling this challenge effectively not only requires careful analysis of the variables affecting your choice, but also requires you having access to a product and service that meets your requirements.

Bulldog Fencing is a quality brand of fencing that is manufactured and wholesaled by Advanced Steel Products (ASPL), to approved fencing companies and contractors throughout New Zealand. They have a product line up that caters for all situations with fence heights ranging from

is being used in many of the world’s most recognised commercial and government buildings.

The film was brought into New Zealand to protect windscreens of vehicles; applications include interior and exterior windows of new passenger trains, train shelters and lifts, bus shelters, retail stores and a variety of machinery and heavy transport vehicles.

Retrofitted on existing windows, it improves glass safety significantly by binding shattered glass together should a window break as a result of an accident or attack.

Etching is an ever- increasing problem that affects our communities. By using optically clear protection film you will protect the glass at a fraction of the cost of glass replacement. It may also be possible to lower glass and insurance costs when using glass films.

- Andrew Palmer, Canterbury district franchise owner, Glasspro

under 1metre to over 2.1metres, and fence types from fully welded, hot dip galvanized to modular raking systems.

The Bulldog Fencing range is constantly evolving to either improve fence performance or to provide a more complete solution to the dynamic demands of customers. In order to keep customers up to date with the latest offering of Bulldog products, they have developed a userfriendly website that shows the various fence options, installation instructions and relevant technical data (www.bulldogfencing.co.nz). Alternatively, they would welcome a call from you, where they can either discuss your requirements or to send you an information pack.

Call 0800 Fence NZ (0800 – 33623 69)

ASPL also manufacture and wholesale MasterKlamp cast clamps and Lynx fence and gate hardware products.

Keep ’em out or keep ’em in

Peri

M eter D efence is the ability to efficiently defend a defined boundary from unauthorised entry or exit. Probably the simplest way of describing the purpose of defending a perimeter is to “keep ’em out”, or “keep ’em in”. We will assume that, for the purposes of this exercise, we are keeping ’em out.

Fencing is available in a variety of materials. Timber, steel tubing or rod, chain-link mesh, aluminium, concrete block, precast concrete, glass or timber lattice are the more common choices.

Obviously, all of them will provide a physical barrier; however, some will also provide a visual barrier. It is preferable to install a fence that can be seen through to prevent intruders from carrying out their dastardly deeds unseen.

The height of the fence should be at least 1500mm and preferably 1800mm or higher, with some form of anti-climb device on top. Internal fencing can vary in height dependent upon the individual requirements for tennis courts, playgrounds, grass or garden protection, for example.

There are several manufacturers in New Zealand who produce very attractive fencing of varying heights and styles that are suitable for protecting educational facilities. These are predominately fabricated from galvanised steel and can be powdercoated in a myriad of colours.

Steel provides strength not generally available from the other materials.

There have been some

manufacturers who have sold panels which, while they are relatively inexpensive because of their lightweight fabrication, do not provide a long-term solution and within a short time will become damaged and will require constant expensive maintenance to retain their original look. Obviously, any observable damage lowers the community’s regard for the school.

Any school fence must be fabricated from materials strong enough to withstand the misuse that is common in this environment. It must protect the school grounds, but must also provide a safe environment for

the pupils and staff, and to do this inevitably requires the materials to be sturdy, which also usually means that the initial cost will be higher. However, this initial cost will be offset by the minimal ongoing maintenance costs.

Once you have defended the perimeter, the next decision is to regulate or control access into the area and this is dependent upon who, or what, is going to be allowed in.

This is commonly achieved by gates – hinged swing type, tracked, or cantilever sliding type, all of which will control both pedestrian and vehicle access and can be

constructed to match the fence; they can also be automated, with swipe cards, keypads, cellphone or other means of access being utilised. There are also several methods of electronically recording who has entered or departed and when.

Vehicle access can also be effectively controlled by a barrier arm, either swinging horizontally or vertically raised, or a chain between two posts.

When deciding upon the fencing and gates for your school you should look for several very important characteristics;

• Is the proposed fence going to enhance the look of your school?

• Will the proposed fence provide a long- term solution to your needs with minimal upkeep?

• Should the fence become damaged, are materials for repair readily available in New Zealand?

Your local fencing companies will be a tremendous source of information and most will be more than happy to provide information and quotations at no cost. Most will already have fenced some local educational sites so a quick call to these schools will give you pointers as to the most suitable fencing to consider.

- Larry Davison, managing director of Fencerite Industries Ltd

events & appointments

ULearn08 – more than just a conference –collaborate, innovate, educate

coreeDucAtion weLcoMeD

2000 participants to Christchurch for the ULearn08 conference, which took place on October 8-10. The conference provided these outstanding teachers from New Zealand and other countries, with the best learning and networking opportunities of their professional careers.

ULearn brings together teaching professionals to discuss leadership, learning and teaching in the context of the transformative change that ICT enables in education.

The three, main themes of collaborate, innovate, educate, formed the basis of the three, full days of activity for the national and international attendees, Ministry of Education staff, key sponsors and educational partners, teachers from throughout New Zealand, student supporters and this year, again, a significant group of teachers from the early childhood sector, who are part of the Ministry of Education’s ECE ICT PL pilot programme.

ULearn08 provided delegates with the opportunity to engage with four keynote speakers, eight spotlight sessions, almost 400 workshops and breakouts, zones, trades, networking, socialising, blogging and much more.

“The ingredients were definitely put in place for successful professional development,” said Nick Billowes, CORE conference convenor. “It was then up to everyone attending to take their own best advantage and from the evaluations, which are overwhelmingly positive, it is clear that they did just that.”

While this conference is firmly focused on teacher development, it is the outcomes for students, the 21st-century learners, on which its success will be judged.

“So many of the presentations were focused on the teachers and school leaders’ views of what is happening for them in their schools,” says Bellowes.

“Teachers presenting to teachers and leaders to leaders makes this a unique event. I want to thank all them for unstintingly giving their time to quality presentations at ULearn08. They all give their time so willingly.”

while this conference is firmly focused on teacher development, it is the outcomes for students, the 21st- century learners, on which its success will be judged “

ULearn provided a unique opportunity for providers, CCNL, Allied Telyson and Connector Systems, as well as the Christ’s College technical team, to integrate the Advanced Network, KAREN and cutting- edge Trapeze wireless solutions to create seamless and ubiquitous super high-speed network access for delegates. Dave Merton, technical director for the conference had this to say.

“This is the first, large-scale deployment of such a high-speed network at any conference in New Zealand. Delegates were provided with super-fast internet with no restrictions across all venues and throughout the conference.”

More than just a conference, ULearn08 is a platform to support

teachers’ ongoing action, as they seek ways to review educational practice in their schools, challenging leadership, learning and teaching to meet the needs of their community and students.

Keynote speakers to this conference included some new faces as well as old friends who have supported the ULearn network for many years with their challenging and evolving ideas. Will Richardson, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Rob McIntyre, Steve Carden, Karen Sewell, Prof John Hattie, Rob Orams, Derek Wenmoth, Linda Tame, Tanya Coutts, Beverley Kaye and Carolyn Stewart joined delegates to help focus their discussions and challenge their thinking.

Conference sponsors, HP New

Zealand, and their education manager, Melissa Fincham, Renaissance Education Division (RED) and their general manager , Graham Prentice, and Patrick Kendrick from Scholastic Autodesk were all delighted with the response of delegates to their significant support, not just to this conference but also across education in general. ULearn could not be as successful without the ongoing and high- value support of these educational partners.

Memorably, the conference dinner, which is traditionally a celebration and acknowledgement of the outstanding work of the teachers at the conference, broke the previous record for a sit-down dinner at the Westpac Stadium with 1975 attendees. Overall, this event reflected the incredibly positive mood of the conference. As one attendee put it, “After attending conferences and workshops for 25 years, this event has not only made the most professional impact on my staff, but it has also been quite the most outstanding event I have ever attended.”

- Report supplied by CORE Education

get

ahead of

the class

– with the definitive guide for the education industry professional.

School News is the magazine that delivers. providing informed and relevant editorial, School News covers a wide range of topics and is invaluable to anyone involved in education.

Subscription contact details

Name Position Company Address

Suburb Town ______________________________ PCode _________ Phone Fax

Email

1. Please tick your role and institution type.

Role Institution Type Teacher / Professor Early Childhood Teacher aid Primary Administration / Support staff Intermediate Management Secondary Principal Composite Purchasing officer Tertiary Grounds manager ITO Canteen manager Other: __________________ Other: ________________

2. Please list any specific areas of interest you would like to see covered in School News:

3. Please list your top three school supply products (those you would be prepared to recommend to other readers), the reason you feel that way and how you initially found out about them.

1. Product Name: _________________________________________ Manufacturer: ______________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

2. Product Name: _________________________________________ Manufacturer: ______________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

3. Product Name: _________________________________________ Manufacturer: ______________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

Make sure you have access to the latest information on a wide range of topics from management and administration issues, social and behavioural issues, special education, health and safety, teaching resources, profiles and much more.

You’ll be safe in the knowledge that the vital information you need is at your fingertips with your own copy of School News delivered direct to you every month.

Share the knowledge with your staff, colleagues and associates with our special subscription rates.

4. Please list your top three school suppliers (those you would be prepared to recommend to other readers), the reason you feel that way and how you initially found out about them.

1. Company: _____________________________________________ Contact: ____________________________________________

Ph/Mob: ____________________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

2. Company: _____________________________________________ Contact: ____________________________________________

Ph/Mob: ____________________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

3. Company: _____________________________________________ Contact: ____________________________________________ Ph/Mob: ____________________________________________ Reason: ______________________________________________

Source: Advertising Referral/WOM Retail

Subscription payment details

Please indicate the quantity and term for your subscription(s) _____ x 1 year (6) @ $78 Inc GST each = $_______________ _____ x 2 year (12) @ $128 Inc GST each = $_______________ TOTAL = $_______________ I enclose a cheque in payment, or Please charge this to my credit card

Please freephone 0800 685 846 or fax directly to (03) 365 1655 or mail with payment to:

8141,

sn reader guide

School

sn events diary...

The Dyslexia Conference 2009

Australasian Computer Science Week 2009

Learning@school 09

Reaching Forward National Conference on Gifted Education

Chinese Education 2009

Short courses in Steiner Education

2009 EIAANZ Conference

(Early Intervention Association of Aotearoa New Zealand)

ANZAAE (Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Art Educators) Conference 2009

Music Education Conference 2009

Making Inclusive Education Happen Conference 2009 Ideas for sustainable change

January 12-13, 2009 Massey University, Wellington www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz

January 19-23, 2009 Te Papa, Wellington www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz

February 25-27, 2009 Rotorua Convention Centre http://centre4.interact.ac.nz

March 13-15, 2009 Distinction Hotel, Rotorua www.giftededucation2009.org

March 13-15, 2009 San Francisco, California www.caisinstitute.org

The Young Child: March 16-27, 2009 Visual Arts: March 30 to April 3, April 6-9 Taruna College http://taruna.ac.nz

March 30 to April 1, 2009

Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland www.earlyintervention.org.nz

April 20-24, 2009 Dunedin www.anzaae2009.org.nz

July 6-10, 2009 Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch www.music09.org.nz

September 28-30, 2009

Te Papa, Wellington www.imaginebetter.co.nz

New appointment

Dr g regory Lee has been appointed to the position of Head of School, Educational Studies and Human Development at the college of Education, University of Canterbury.

Dr Lee is currently associate professor of History of Education and Education Studies at the School of Education, University of Waikato; he will be taking up his new position on January 20, 2009.

His research interests include curriculum studies, rural education, comparative education and church and state relations in education.

KnowledgeNET Learning Management System

KnowledgeNET and Smart Ask Parent Portal set up and initials days training.

Includes:

Set up of the KnowledgeNET & Parent Portal (Smart Ask)

Initial Days Implementation Training

Excludes:

Trainers travel related expenses

Monthly service fees which range from $100 to $500 per month depending on school roll size

Set up & Monthly costs can be found at http://knowledge.net.nz/kn_pricing.php

The Smart Ask Parent Portal (which shares data from your SMS) is available with the following Student Management Systems: MUSAC, KAMAR, other systems are coming onboard soon. More information can be gained at www.knowledge.net.nz

Activote Student Response System

Consists of a lockable carry case containing 32 “Activote” wire-free hand held voting devices used by students to responds to questions set by the teacher on any interactive whiteboard.

Activote – a world-class interactive tool for learning

It’s a fast, effective way to get opinions from the entire class, motivating even the most reluctant pupils. What’s more, teachers gain instant insight and can record each child’s progress during lessons. More information can be gained at www.activboardnz.com/Products/voting.html

To enter the prize draw simply go to www.schoolnews.co.nz fill out our online survey, and go in the draw to win this fantastic prize package.