Friday 16 December 2011

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Friday 09 December 2011

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Thank you to everyone who attended the kapa haka performances this morning. Special guests in the audience were the kids from Waimahaka School – all nine (or so) of them – who had come to see their first kapa haka performance. We may well see them come back and take part in a few of our Friday sessions next year.

Our big group Kotahitanga (when we say “big”, we mean 170+) led-off a programme that included their first public performances of poi and haka. Then Tuinga Tahi demonstrated their polished routine from Putangitangi earlier this term. We are very proud of both groups.

The kids love performing for you – it really boosts them. Their self-esteem rises; they feel your support; and your own kids feel and see the pride that you have in them: it’s a win-win all-round. Clearly, the future for both groups looks strong. 

Thank you whanau…

The whanau runanga met on Wednesday night and Raiha led the hui through a process focussed on what we do well; what we could do better; and ideas for future development. The feedback provided is valued and will be used in our school’s plans for the future; thanks for giving your time at a time of year when there’s lots happening.

First and foremost, we want Waverley Park to continue to reflect what our community wants and what our kids need. In the main, that will mean we keep working to improve and develop all the good stuff we do; and to do better with the stuff we need to do better. 

Meanwhile…

When the last government came to power, National Standards were passed through parliament under urgency in late December – bypassing even the pretence of consultation or any form of community input – at a time when schools had just closed for the summer break. Expect more of the same this time too. The New Zealand Principals Federation sent a flyer to members this week. It included the following advice and guidance:

“If you look back in history, New Zealand is listed as the first country to initiate Charter Schools, before the US. New Zealand’s 1980’s education policy reforms,  ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’ dismantled the regional education boards to devolve power to local communities by establishing self-managing schools governed by their own boards of trustees.  Each school has its own charter which is submitted to the Ministry annually.

Our public schools are charter schools. So why would we want some other model which has failed overseas?

It’s not about achievement.  It’s really about the funding of our public education system. The Charter Schools under discussion now are to be funded partly by the government and partly by the private sector. They would be based on a business competitive model. They would be exempt from the rules and regulations that apply to our current public schools and would have targets of accountability to meet and be judged by.  The possibility of performance pay for successfully meeting the targets is a common feature of such Charter schools in the US and in the UK (where they are commonly called ‘academy schools’). 

2009 reports of US charter schools show that only 17% of children performed better than their public school counterparts with 46% performing the same and 37% performing worse.

         The best example of Charter Schools is what we have now in NZ: publicly funded self-managed schools governed by local boards of trustees.  This system should be protected.

         In NZ there are some excellent and successful intervention programmes aimed at low decile schools with high proportions of Maori and Pasifika. Government should get behind these programmes which are showing they lift children’s achievement.

         A foundation group to develop Charter Schools in NZ will be established.  This group does not include practitioners, which is like establishing a new medical clinic without asking the doctors. Here we have another example of the sector views being ignored and professionals being dealt to by non-educators.

         It is suggested that Charter Schools be trialled in South Auckland, where it is believed students are failing and are of low socio-economic status and Christchurch, since some of the schools there have been displaced by the earthquake.  This is the last thing Christchurch needs after having such a traumatic year.

         Targeting Charter Schools for poor areas will result in the winner and loser schools in the same community.

         Charter Schools will undermine the world-class public education system we have now because so called ‘failing’ public schools will be closed and replaced with public/private funded Charter Schools. This will leave parents no choice but to send their children to the Charter School.

         There will no longer be equal access to quality publicly funded education.

         The privatisation model of Charter Schools will create competition in the sector and a break down in the collaborative culture that has made New Zealand’s education system one of the best in the world.”

Class presentations timetable…

Where to find your child next Wednesday evening:

TIME	ROOM/S	VENUE
3.00 – 3.30	9	Covered way
5.30 – 6.00	4	Rm 4
5.30 – 6.15	5 & 6	Rms 5 & 6
5.30 – 6.30	9	Covered way
6.00 – 7.00	3 & 11	Rms 3 & 11
7.00 – 8.00	1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10	Hall

Friday 02 December 2011

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December 1 is officially the first day of summer. Many older cultures regarded the summer solstice (the shortest night) as the start of summer. Whichever you prefer; at last we’ve finally seen a few hours of sunshine. The kids have even had a second game of touch!

 Staffing changes for 2012…

As you often do in a school, we will be starting 2012 with some changes to our personnel line up. At the end of this year, we will be saying farewell to Whaea Paula Kamo and au revoir to Lucy McColm. Paula will head north to be with family for a few months - prior to heading overseas; while Lucy is taking a year’s leave to head overseas too.

Consequently, we welcome to the staff Carolyn Williams who will be looking after room 6 in Lucy’s absence.

School organization for 2012…

NZ schools are staffed with teachers according to roll-numbers-based formula. While our roll hasn’t dropped over the past twelve months; neither has it grown to the calculated level. We have enrolled more than the numbers we predicted; but they have been off-set by the higher than predicted number of families who moved away – out of town in the main. Consequently, we will be starting 2012 with ten (rather than the current eleven) classrooms in operation. The larger number of pupils is at the junior school’s end of the spectrum so we have had to make some changes to our organization to make things work and class sizes even.

We will start 2012 with …

-  one new entrant class: Shona Hoffman (R5)

-  one year 1 class: (Dale Black (R4)

-  two year 1&2 classes: Wiki Burdon & Justine Hewer-Marley (R8); and Cynthia Bell (R10)

-  one year 2&3 class: Elizabeth Gerrard (R1)

-  two year 3&4 classes: Carolyn Williams (R6); and Sharyon Ralph (R9)

-  one year 4&5 class: Brenda Devery (R3)

-  two year 5&6 classes: Janelle Shaw (R7); and Helen Kennedy & Sharon Witheford (R11)

A good number of known enrolments coming in during the year means room 2 will eventually be needed  as long as they are not matched by a similar number of withdrawals.

So you think you can dance…

This week, room 3 used their knowledge of dance to organise a “So you Think You Can Dance” competition. The winners of each section were announced at assembly this morning:

1^st Solo:                       Bree 

1^st Pairs:                       Kate and Tayla (room 3)

1^st Group:                     Maison, Harrison, Jacob, Liam  (room 2)

1^st Overall:                    Bree 

Miss Devery said, “Well done to all those who took part as the results were very close. Everyone should be very proud of themselves.”

 Overallwinner Bree struts her stuff

One parent e-mailed the class: “Congratulations to you all on a splendid dance competition today. All your hard work paid off. The event was very well organised and it ran very smoothly. Everyone knew exactly what their role/job was and they did their job superbly.” She also commended the quality of the performances.

One performance that nobody was expecting was the closing act: a group of talented but barely recognizable members of staff…

… yes really!

Friday 25 November 2011

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On Wednesday, the Southland Times published the letter below. I wrote it for obvious reasons; it is included here for our community because these are worrying times for the future of our kids and their education.

“In February last year, I put the newly launched New Zealand Curriculum up for sale on Trade Me. The intention was to stimulate informed public discussion. The advert’s wording included that the then three-year-old New Zealand Curriculum was “well researched; tested and proven to be effective”; and that it was being replaced with (untested) national standards.”

Monday’s education press release from Mr Key referred to the National Curriculum: “Our National Standards and the National Curriculum are helping teachers focus on the education outcomes children will need in the 21st Century,” it stated.

“Surely he meant the New Zealand Curriculum?” I thought. Sadly, no. A quick search revealed that National’s policy statement quite clearly states “The National Curriculum and our new National Standards are helping teachers focus on the education outcomes that children will need in the 21^st Century.” Indeed, the wording of the press release reverses the order of the policy statement; promoting “our new National Standards” to the start of that sentence.

It appears that the prophesy of February 2010, has become November 2011’s reality. Even the pretending has stopped. The internationally recognized New Zealand Curriculum is in the throes of receiving the last rites… and nobody really notices.” 

Michael Fullan is Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Recognized as a worldwide authority on educational reform, he said: “The more complex a society gets, the more sophisticated leadership must become.”

Renowned thinker and writer Eric Hoffer wrote, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

 World-wide, standards-based education systems focussing intensely on reading, writing, and mathematics (even when paying lip-service to the rest of the curriculum) have proven both men right.

 These are times of change; and New Zealand is rapidly engaging the educational equivalent of reverse gear.

Waverley Park School Board of Trustees Election

Declaration of Parent Election Results

Parent Representative votes:

Harper, Craig                       19

Smith, Melanie                     23

Tou, Lisa                              75

White, Joanne                      58

Invalid votes                          5

I hereby declare the following duly elected.

Lisa Tou

Joanne White

Signed:

Denise Findlater

Returning Officer

Friday 18 November 2011

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With school swimming well underway, I occasionally get to be a “minder” in the boys’ changing rooms; making sure that our kids are safe from members of the public and vice versa. Generally depending on their age and stage (but not always!): the boys show varying degrees of haste, self-management, independence, persistence, logic, and occasionally style; in completing the relatively simple task of getting changed for (and after) swimming.

 Pre-swimming gems…  

• Towel and togs safely in a tied-shut supermarket bag. Rip the bag to get the gear out. Togs on – ready to go: “Um, I don’t have a bag to put my clothes in.”  

• “Can you undress me – I don’t know how to do it?”

• Lay out togs, towel, goggles. Undress, methodically fold each item and pack neatly in bag; one at a time. Togs on; goggles on – adjust several times – perfection. Can’t really see; goggles off, towel neatly refolded and carefully stowed in bag. Goggles back on – adjust several times - perfection. Pre-swim shower; goggles fog up; remove goggles; walk to pool - carefully stow bag and shoes in locker en route – goggles on – adjust several times … ”I’m ready!”

• Into changing room – whip off school shirt: togs already on – ready to go in under three seconds. (But check out the last point in the next section.)

• “I can’t get my foot out of my pants.” “Why not?” “My shoe’s still in it.” 

After swimming – pure gold…

 • “Can you dry me – I don’t know how?” 

• “I can’t do up my shoes! Oh…I didn’t bring any.”

• “I lost my top. It’s brown and white.” “Did it have your name in it?” “No.” “Isn’t     this school uniform top what you were wearing?” (clearly named and neither brown nor white). It’s got your name and address on it.”  “Oh…all right …I s’pose…” 

• “Why did you put your socks and shoes on first?!” “I don’t like the feel of the rubber mat”

• “I haven’t got any pants!” “Why not?” “I left them at school…with my shoes and socks…and undies…towel…”

There are some lads for whom a career in the fire service is definitely not going to be an option.  

Maori whanau hui…

Raiha Johnson is leading a meeting for our Maori families at 5.30pm on Wednesday 7 December. Details are in a separate notice from Raiha - given to whanau kids to bring home today.

Values programme…

Remind your kids about their “Pay it Forward” card. The card has instructions on how to use it; tips; and a challenge to kids to post their Random Acts of Kindness (ARKs) on the Waverley Park School website.

Congratulations Taylor Clive: Waverley Park’s representative after being presented with his certificate at the dinner that concluded last week-end’s “Storytellers Workshop”