5 September 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principals supporting Principals… Principals supporting Principles!

Kia Ora

Please find this week’s Monday Mailing below.

You can access all Monday Mailings by clicking here or going to
http://www.wpa.ac.nz/1/newsletter_sets/1-monday-mailing/years/2016 in your web browser.

Kind regards
Pat

Help! Food Control Plan

I have just been talking to a gentleman from the Ministry for Primary Industries in regard to the sale of food at our school (which is more than 20 times a year) and he has informed me that we need a Food control plan etc from our council....

Just wondering if any of you have food sold at your schools and if so how you went about getting the plan done/approved etc. It seems like a lot of work for not a lot of gain at this point.

Hoping someone may have some insight that can help me out.

Thank you.

Responses to principal@deanwell.school.nz and I will pass them on.

Editor’s notes:

1. You can read more about Food Control Plans here.
2. At the above site, look at ‘Unsure where you fit?” section.
3. The main test appears to be “20 or more times a year”.
4. More red tape to make our job more complicated.
5. Food Control Plans!!! Does this relate to school lunches? What if the lunches are prepared off-site and then delivered to school?
6. Perhaps this issue needs to be addressed in your Health & Safety Policy and procedures.
7. I remember in the olden days (before 2005…) when citizens were expected to use common sense to establish and implement good practice to keep safe. Now we legislate!

Help!! PTA – Managing Incoming Money

We are looking for guidelines on how a PTA should manage money from fundraising events – who should count it, what happens once it is counted (banked, stored at school…). For example, the children recently paid in advance for a sausage sizzle; the money was received, and a PTA member then used the money to go and buy the sausages. This seems fraught with opportunities/accusations for theft; there is no proper paper tail.

Help please.
Responses to principal@deanwell.school.nz please.

Help!! Teacher Leave – 0.8 FTTE

A school has some teachers who wish to only work for 4 days each week. Do you have criteria for deciding whether or not a teacher should be granted this leave? A Policy, or guidelines?

Responses to principal@deanwell.school.nz please.

Help! Principal Performance Agreement

I would be interested to know if there are effective alternate models to the NZSTA PMA that are in use around schools that colleagues will share.

Given the enormity of the issues currently faced by school leaders and NZEI around the global funding model and other things, I would much rather see what we can currently muster up as models to pass on to NZEI to begin with and work from that place rather than just ask what is NZEI's view or model.

Responses to principal@deanwell.school.nz please.

An Opportunity!!!

I have resigned from my current position at Deanwell School as from the end of term 2 2017. Therefore the WPA is looking for someone to take over the writing of the Monday Mailings.

I have very good systems in place that make it quite an easy (and very interesting) task.

It would be great if I could work beside someone(s) over the next few months to ease them into the job.

If you are interested, please forward your application to our President, John Coulam, at principal@marian.school.nz.

If there is more than one applicant, an arduous selection process will be held (possibly involving a two-sided coin).

WPA Dates

Catch Up Day – This Week – Wednesday!

Dr Graham Stoop is our guest speaker for our next Catch Up Day to be held on Wednesday 7th September. He will be presenting 2 different sessions, one will be titled “Dr Graham Stoop, off the chain” - his take on the education system in New Zealand, for once he will be able to talk freely in regards to the direction of education and what we as leaders will need to be thinking/aware of; and his second session is around the changes at the Education Council, the active role they are playing in our profession.

Our afternoon session is not to be missed. We have the “Child Safety” wrap around services - New Zealand Police, Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections and Child, Youth and Family giving us an update of their combined services. They will also be covering the impact of Vulnerable Children's Act along with what happens in the background when we report things.

CORE Breakfast – September 8

The next CORE Breakfast is on 8 September with Manu Faaea-Semeatu presenting a seminar and workshop session on Engaging Pasifika parents, families and communities

The focus of this breakfast seminar will explore ways to enable schools to create environments that empower Pasifika parents, families and communities to be who and what they are with reference to the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017.

The workshop that follows will explore some of the avenues available to support schools improve the achievement and engagement of Pasifika students and look further at how e-learning is being used as a vehicle to raise engagement and achievement. The workshop will also discuss the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017 as a basis for enhancing the cultural competencies and responsive practices of school staff and discuss Ministry strategies and initiatives that support schools to meet the needs of Pasifika learners

Waikato AP / DP Conference – September 9

We would like as many AP/DPs as possible to attend as it will be a day full of professional learning and networking.

Kind regards
Sharon Quinn
AP/DP ASSOCIATION Secretary
E: sharon.quinn@tauwhare.school.nz
Ph/Fax: 07 8240 864

Rant – Needs or Policies?

What is the best way to cause learning, and to allow our young people to flourish?

Is it Communities of Learning? National Standards? Moderation? Global Funding? Food Control Plans (had to throw that one in)? Health & Safety Policies and plans? Police vetting of everyone on the school site, including the school cat (of course, we know that an abuser is most likely not to have a police record)?

None of the above matters a jot if the classroom and school do not provide each and every child with the basic needs espoused many years ago by William Glasser, to foster and blossom well-being:

Survival:

• Food
• Shelter
• Clothing
• Safety

Love and Belonging:

• Giving and receiving love
• Support and friendship
• Involvement and connectedness
• Acceptance and appreciation

Power and Importance:

• Skills and achievement
• Competence and success
• Influence and impact
• Recognition and respect by ourselves and others
• Continuous improvement

Freedom and Choice:

• Choice and independence
• Freedom to act and think without restriction
• Acting on one’s own without coercion
• Autonomy and liberty

Fun:

• Pleasure and enjoyment
• Learning and laughter
• Play and recreation

Suzanne from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Whakawatea summed it beautifully at a meeting last month:

Every child in a school needs to feel they belong.
Every child in a school needs to know that someone cares for them.

Hmmm…

Hauora… Health & Happiness

When was the last time you contacted your neighbouring Principal for a chat; or popped over for a cup of tea? A friendly face and a smile can make all the difference to a colleague’s day or week; it may help them get through a tough time (we all have them!!).

Leadership…

A Thought…

A Laugh

I went to the doctors the other day and I said, 'have you got anything for wind?' So he gave me a kite.

A man walked into the doctor's, he said 'I've hurt my arm in several places'. The doctor said 'well don't go there any more'

Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.

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