Waverley Park School

Term 2

The weeks just been.....

Further to the Auckland Primary Principals Association recommending that their members boycott the training for the implementation of national standards because “the government's National Standards policy is irreconcilably flawed, confused and unworkable” I am very proud to support the Southland Primary Principals Association Executive Committee’s unanimous call for local principals to do the same.

Indeed, the SPPA press release quoted the same group of academics as did the APPA. These respected experts’ concerns are summarised:

From the BOT…

On behalf of the Waverley Park School BOT I would like to congratulate both staff and pupils, on what has been another successful term.

Once again it has been action packed with a wide range of opportunities available for students. These have included the Tuinga tahi noho marae, ukelele lessons through to Fun ferns and Hockey. Certainly a varied mix!

A highlight for the BOT this term was a presentation of work done by students in Rm 6 and 7. This was a culmination of their Inquiry work for term two, which had an ICT focus. These high quality presentations were informative, entertaining and highlighted the children's skills. A superb effort.

The BOT has plans next term for both inside and outside the school so - watch this space!
Finally thanks to all staff and pupils on their continued hard work this term. Thank you too, to the whanau, friends and community that support Waverley Park. Never under estimate the power of positive appreciation.

Have a great holiday, and enjoy your time with your children.

Lisa Tou
BOT Chairperson

Finally…

Before the kids disappear for their holiday break (and the staff don’t have to set their alarms for a couple of weeks): thanks for your commitment to; involvement with; and support of; your kids and our school.

We say it every term because we mean it every term – education is a team game; and the better the teamwork, the better the result. Thanks for being part of the Waverley Park team. Have fun with your kids over the break and send them back rested, oiled, polished and ready to go next term.

Until then, ka kite.
Kerry Hawkins & staff.

This was on Radio New Zealand’s website this morning – at last; a major grouping of NZ principals takes a stand:

“Primary school principals in Auckland are in open revolt against the Government's national standards in reading, writing and maths.

In a statement issued on Friday morning, the Auckland Primary Principals Association says the national standards policy is irreconcilably flawed, confused and unworkable.
It recommends that its members do not attend any training around the implementation of the standards.

The association says principals who have attended training have very serious concerns about the inability of the trainers to answer crucial questions about the standards.
It says it will take further action if its concerns are not addressed.

Though individual schools have declared they will not implement the standards, the association is the first major grouping of principals to oppose the standards. It represents primary school principals from Franklin to the Hibiscus Coast.

Radio New Zealand's education correspondent says the statement is a significant development in the debate and many will be watching to see how other associations react.” (Can’t wait)!

As is the case in every school; it’s “report season” = longer nights than usual for teachers. As part of meeting the new legal requirement to report twice a year to parents in writing (the “in writing” is the new bit); we have adapted our usual practice accordingly.

The pupil-parent-teacher interview component of the report is the vital bit. It’s the pupil who’s got to do the learning: a three-way conversation is still the best method of making sure everyone is up to date with what happens next. So…

Mid-year interviews…
Your children left their classrooms today carrying their mid-year reports. Please make sure you collect yours; read them, and bring any questions you may have about it to your mid-year pupil, parent, and teacher interviews next week: on either Wednesday 23 or Thursday 24 June.

If you haven’t already done so, please book your mid-year interview(s) today. Go to http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz – the access code is XH9XR. Thanks to everyone who has already done so

Interview bookings close 3.30pm Monday 21 June. If you don’t have access to a computer, come into the school office on Monday; or go to your child’s classroom and use the one available for you to use between 3.00 and 3.30pm.

PLEASE NOTE: all students will be released from school at 12.30 on both interview days: make sure that any necessary transport and / or child-care arrangements are in place.

Hats off to Raiha Johnson and her Tuinga Tahi Kapa Haka kids: at relatively short notice, they stepped up to replace a group that were to perform last night for the North Invercargill Rotary Club’s welcome to Ngai Tahu CEO Mark Solomon.

I think they surprised everyone with the quality of their performance – the feedback from the night has been 100% positive; for both their performance and their conduct.

Thanks to Raiha and Tuinga Tahi for representing the school so well: and thanks to all the parents who made sure they got to the venue in time to do so.

Some of the Tuinga Tahi support team watching from the sidelines at the
Invercargill North Rotary Club meeting at Elmwood Gardens last night.

Cross-country…
Aleisha, Hughan and Imogen returned from the provincial championships muddied but unbowed. A good effort team: that was a hard day at the office and you acquitted yourselves well. We’re proud of you.

Last day of teaching today for room two’s “J”. Raiha Johnson leaves with our blessings and best wishes as she heads off to the challenge of motherhood. As long as junior “J” plays the game, Raiha will be here for the mid-year reporting interviews in a couple of weeks.

Stars of the future…
Cameraman Jarrod filming the troops from room 1 on the bus to Stadium Southland last week: Sport Southland is making a short DVD to demonstrate to the ILT how their donation supports the Stadium Skills programme they have run for the city’s junior classes. And our juniors get to be the stars! How cool is that? (Very … especially when you’re five!).

Our thanks to volunteers Leah McNaughton, Dawn McLean, and Natalie White for their unstinting assistance in running our Stadium Skills programme; and to the Invercargill Licensing Trust for funding this highly beneficial initiative.

Mid-year reporting interviews…
It’s that time of the year already. The format for this year will see you receive a written report on Friday June 18; followed by an interview featuring you; the relevant learner; and the relevant teacher(s) on Wednesday 23 or Thursday 24 June.

To book your mid-year interview times, go to: http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz – the access code is XH9XR Interview bookings are open now and close 3.30pm Monday 21 June. If you don’t have access to a computer, each classroom will have one available for you to use between 3.00 and 3.30pm daily.

PLEASE NOTE: all students will be released at 12.30 on both interview days.

My opposition to National Standards is based upon the basic principle that unless something can be proven to be of benefit to our kids; our kids must be protected from it. I am proud to say that our Board of Trustees is united in our opposition. Indeed, Chair Lisa Tou has been quite active and public in stating her well-informed views on the deficiencies of national standards too: there is no proof at all that they benefit kids.

As a consequence of having expressed informed opinion, we have had the dubious honour of being on a list of no more than ten schools “interviewed” on the behalf of the Secretary Of Education by an (admittedly very pleasant) individual seeking to find out why we are opposed to National Standards; and to see what the Ministry “could do to ‘help’ us implement them”. (“Tell them to give up!”)

Below is the content of a (rather too long to be published, I’m afraid) letter I sent to the paper this week; written in response to the article reporting the Minister of Education.
“Education Minister Anne Tolley said no other country had National Standards like New Zealand's. “This is a world-leading initiative and many countries are watching with interest," she said.” (Southland Times 27/05/10)

The first point may well be valid. However - as is the case with the supposed effectiveness of the standards themselves: it maybe that there is no hard evidence to support that contention.

The second point may be accurate too. Human nature being what it is; morbid fascination is what keeps people watching a train wreck.

Mrs Tolley is also reported as saying that “the standards had been developed by experts, and allowed teachers to assess students and make a professional judgement about progress using a variety of tools.”

Aside from the fact that teachers have long been assessing students and making professional judgements about progress using a variety of tools; the implication that the standards have gone through a development process is somewhat misleading. The national standards have undergone none of the extensive researched and collaboratively development that has made the New Zealand Curriculum a real “world-leading initiative (that) many countries are watching with interest."

National standards have been determined by ‘backward mapping’ from NCEA Level 2 (equivalent to the old University Entrance); underpinning the admittedly admirable aspirational goal of having every student attain it.

Two realities: try ‘backward mapping’ your tax return from the size of the refund you want, and; qualifying times for the Commonwealth Games team are also aspirational goals. Is it realistic to expect every athlete in the country to meet them? If not – is it any more reasonable to expect every six-year-old in the country to reach national’s (arbitrarily determined qualifying) standards?

Many principals are opposed to the idea of labelling students as failures – there are very few other euphemisms for “well-below standard” – but very few would be opposed to the concepts of standards of achievement, or plain-language reporting. Despite the ‘spin’ to the contrary, New Zealand’s ongoing development of; and monitoring and reported against; expected levels of achievement relative to students’ age and stage have long been part of New Zealand’s educational fabric. To claim otherwise is simply disingenuous.

The first two bullet points in Section 1 of The New Zealand Teachers Code of Ethics read: “Teachers will strive to:
a) develop and maintain professional relationships with learners based upon the best interests of those learners, b) base their professional practice on continuous professional learning, the best knowledge available about curriculum content and pedagogy, together with their knowledge about those they teach,”

The implementation of national standards demands that teachers and principals overlook the meaning and intention of both statements because:
a) the “best knowledge available” verifies that wherever they have been tried, national standards regimes have failed students and their communities;
b) “the best interests of…learners” are not served by committing every single one of them to an untried and untested regime.

Sheer logic alone dictates that if “no other country (has) National Standards like New Zealand's”; then New Zealand has absolutely no way of knowing that New Zealand’s approach will work. Would the populace be as willing to commit all primary school-aged students to a national health initiative when there was no research to support it? The subsequent ramifications would be just as life-long.

Opposition to the National Standards is supported by the research data; the support for them is not.

Cross-country…
Congratulations to Aliesha, Imogen, and Hughan as they take part in the Southland Cross-country Championships being held in the wilds of Central Southland next week. Good luck with the weather too kids – take something warm and dry!

There is no longer any doubt – the warmer days are safely behind us and the shortest day is only thirty sleeps away. The organizers of the Phoenix zone cross-country made a brave call on Thursday (“it’s a winter sport”) and the event went ahead: the only major break in the rain clouds in the day coincided exactly with the running of the event – now that’s organization!

New hall features…
Although we have had our new hall for a year or three now, it was never completed according to the original plan due to a major cost overrun. This was caused by the Ministry of Education preventing all schools from doing any building during the eighteen months of the Invercargill Network Review. Once building could resume, our Board of Trustees was out of pocket by an extra $80,000. Consequently, finishing the project went onto the back-burner.

In the years since, we have been able to recoup most of that funding and this year (finally) sees the new seating installed; the kitchen installed; and the stage lighting installed: and the first two were installed last week! (The lighting arrives in early July). So, this morning, the seating got it’s first work out at assembly: indeed the Kia Maia team (rooms 5, 6, 7 & 8) managed to make the seating the centrepiece of assembly. Good effort!

Budget week – so you’re probably already depressed. However, if you are interested in what the government’s really doing with National Standards, I thoroughly recommend that you get along to the Invercargill Workingmen’s Club on Wednesday night.

A graduate of Dunedin Teachers College and the University of Otago Lester Flockton has extensive experience in New Zealand’s school system as a teacher, principal (5 schools), inspector of schools, Ministry of Education official, researcher, university teacher, educational thinker and leader. Throughout his career in education he has worked on many national curriculum and assessment committees and projects, including the revised New Zealand Curriculum (2007). He has led numerous professional development and learning programmes, made dozens of conference presentations, and held office in various professional organizations.

He and his colleague Terry Crooks were the prime developers and founding co-directors of New Zealand’s National Education Monitoring Project, which is widely recognised nationally and internationally. Lester is a Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Director of the National Education Monitoring Project at the Educational Assessment Research Unit, University of Otago. He has received a number of honours in recognition of his service to education in New Zealand. (source: www.lesterflockton.co.nz)

He is uniquely positioned to offer his critique of what’s being done to NZ kids – come and hear him for yourself.

The
Southland Primary Principals Association
Presents

Professor
Lester Flockton
on the
‘National Standards’

Wednesday 26th May 2010
7.30 - 9.00pm
Invercargill Workingman’s Club
Don Street
Invercargill

BOT meeting….
Monday 24 May in the staffroom from 7.00pm: for your invitation, please read on…

…because you’re invited!
Before the Board of Trustees’ regular meeting gets underway on Monday night, at 7.00pm our leadership team will present a curriculum report – data from last term’s health-based inquiry. (NB: This term’s inquiry is IT-based; term three’s will be based on the science curriculum).

These reports focus on student groups and their progress achievement. As always, all parents and caregivers are most welcome to attend.

If you are attending, please let Denise in the office know – just in case we’ll need to use the hall rather than the staff-room.

Kapai Tuinga Tahi!
Last weekend, our Tuinga Tahi kapa haka performance enjoyed another 24-hour noho marae at Te Tomoirangi Marae in Eye St. Our thanks to:

• - the marae whanau for hosting our kids;

• - the indomitable Raiha Johnson for her enthusiasm, skill and sheer energy – despite baby-bump

• - the heap of parents who cooked, served, supervised, visited, and in a million ways – supported.

New to Waverley Park…
We are pleased to welcome Paula Kamo and Dale Black to our staff. Paula will take over Raiha Johnson’s teaching responsibilities as Raiha Johnson leaves room two to prepare for the arrival of a brand new Johnson (boy or girl, a rugby-playing future is apparently inevitable).

An ex Waverley Park parent and former BOT member; Dale will be starting up our newest class of junior thinkers and scholars in room 4 with the next bunch of room 5 graduates.

Thanks, Elgrego!
Last week, the kids had a real blast with Elgrego (that’s him on the right). Both his show and his message are first class - excellent value for money. Using puppets, parrots, and this guy…

…Elgrego kept all ages engaged, educated, and entertained - all at the same time! He’s welcome back any time … the guy with the hat’s still here!

Who’s actually where??
It’s like this, see. Currently, our school has two hundred-and-thirty-three families on the roll. Seventy-four have confirmed their contact information with our office: one-hundred-and-fifty-nine to go. So….Denise is sending out one-hundred-and-fifty-nine contact information forms – and we’d really like to get one-hundred-and-fifty-nine of them back ASAP!

Please check that the information we have on your forms is accurate SIGN THEM AND RETURN THEM – as soon as possible. Thanks - if we need to contact you in an emergency, the forms hold the information we rely on.

Not a great week weather-wise: even worse if you’re a duck, I guess. Hmmm….not many ducks have ever annoyed to the point where I felt the need to harm them…. p’raps maybe just one….but that was a few years ago now……

At the close of nominations, as the number of valid nominations was equal to the number of vacancies required to be filled, I hereby declare the following duly elected:

Bailey, Sally
Clarke, Michelle
McDonald, Reece

Declaration of Staff Election Results
At the close of nominations, as there was only one valid nomination received I hereby declare
Devery, Brenda duly elected

Denise Findlater
Returning Office

Thanks WPPA!
As a result of the ongoing success of their various fund-raising schemes, the Waverley Park Parents Association this week generously supported the kids by donating:

WE WON!!
What a way to start the season for the Waverley Machines! We’re looking forward to more great stick and ball skills from a lovely bunch of enthusiastic yr 1-3 kids. See you on Tuesday lunchtime for practice. - Cheers Vanessa

Interesting, informative, ignored…
At a recent Auckland public meeting, internationally renowned and respected New Zealand Emeritus Professor Warwick Elley spoke. Here are his first twenty reasons not to introduce national standards.
1.  The National Standards policy assumes “One Size Fits All”. BUT – each child should work to his/her own standard. 
2. The Standards have been hastily prepared by committees, and untested for difficulty.
3. The wording of the Standards is vague and capable of many interpretations.
4. There is no research showing that NCEA Level 2 lines up with the progress levels indicated by the National Standards.
5. The sources that teachers make their judgements on will vary widely, making comparisons quite unfair.
 6. The advice on moderating teacher judgements is naive, and ignores the problems which have dogged such policies.
 7. When results are made public, league tables will follow, and many assessments will soon become “High Stakes”.
8. High Stakes testing for accountability in this way interferes with the formative value of assessment.
9. Teachers will feel pressured to waste time coaching their children on standardised tests, thus invalidating them.
10. Overseas experience shows that other key subjects in the curriculum will be downgraded.
11. Teaching will lose much of its spark and spontaneity, and children become bored. 
12. Bright children and slow learners will be ignored, as gains in their achievements won’t be reflected in schools’ results.
13. Schools will be judged unfairly, as the assessments largely reflect the school’s socio-economic status, not progress made.  
14.Overseas experience shows these policies do not reduce the size of the tail of under-achievement.
15.Many of the students who do not reach the standards will be judged and labelled as “failures”.
16. Dedicated teachers who work in low-decile schools will soon seek to move, rather than remain in a failing situation.
17. More teacher time will be spent on assessing, reporting and moderating, rather than teaching.
18. The “long tail” is dominated by ESOL pupils, Maori & Pasifika pupils, and others who are disabled or disturbed. Standards won’t change this.
19. This policy will require full cooperation of teachers. Most disapprove, so full cooperation is unlikely.
20. “Big Shake-Ups” always require a period of trial before implementation, as so many things can go wrong.

So: what then makes the prevailing politicians promoting the standards “right” and the experts in education “wrong”? Power … ‘cos it’s not really about education…

We are pleased to welcome to the school our partners in support - Calder Stewart Roofing Ltd. Willing to be involved in practical ways of getting behind kids, we look forward to their input and the occasional presentation at assemblies etc. Watch this space.

Welcome back to school! The kids got straight down to business … e-x-cellent (think Monty Burns). This week, we are grateful to have had the support of Paula Kamo in room seven while Janelle Shaw recovers from ill-health; and Wiki Burdon in room eight while Marie Watts is away for three weeks following surgery.

National Standards…
Quite simply, despite all the political rhetoric and spin; the New Zealand Curriculum and the Government’s National Standards do not align. Neither are the standards proven to be of any educational benefit to kids. The following statement is one educational consultant Kelvin Smythe recommends that schools use (because it is the truth; and in an understated way, it reflects the state of the ever-deepening quagmire that is the current reality):

“At this stage we have not reported your child¹s progress against the recently published national standards. Our teachers have not received any professional development with the standards and we need further time to carefully evaluate such fundamental changes to our assessment practice and to consult with you as to what your preferences are with regards to reporting.

As always we have reported achievement against New Zealand Curriculum level expectations and this is supported by nationally referenced assessments.”

We will continue to professionally do the very best we can for, with, and by your kids and their education.

Sadly, the current situation quite literally forces schools to make a choice to break either the law (thou shalt report against the standards); or the teaching profession’s code of ethics, which include:

“Teachers will strive to base their professional practice on continuous professional learning, the best knowledge available about curriculum content and pedagogy, together with their knowledge about those they teach “.

There is no research (pedagogy) to show that national standards benefit kids anywhere. There are tonnes of it to the contrary though. New Zealand’s government is charging blindly into the very mess that England’s principals are trying to haul their schools out of. Go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/apr/16/headteachers-boycott-national-tests-sats

One definition of stupidity: repeating an experience with the expectation of a different outcome. To quote Homer (Simpson – not The Iliad): “Doh!”

$$$...
Murphy’s Law applies in schools too – we have three excellent opportunities for kids coming up this term – all of them with some cost attached. We try to spread these opportunities out through the year, but we do have to fit in with the timetables of those concerned. If you need to arrange “drip-feed” payments to the office, please make the necessary arrangements with Denise – we would like your kids to be able to participate in everything they can:
- Elgregoe - $4.00/head;
- Life Education Mobile Classroom - $4.00/head
(two sessions per classroom); and
- Stadium Skills Programme - $3.00/head (an hour a week for six weeks); are all excellent value for money.

Our bank account number for any payments is:

ASB 12 3154 0103559 00