9 April 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principals supporting Principals… Principals supporting Principles!

Kia Ora

Please find this week’s Monday Mailing below.

The last Monday mailing for the term. Have a great break over the next two weeks. Enjoy some ‘me’ time and lots of family and friend time!

You can access all previous Monday Mailings by clicking here or going to http://www.wpa.ac.nz/1/newsletter_sets/1-monday-mailing/years/2017 in your web browser.

Kind regards
Tony Mangan
Glenview School

WPA Dates

Is this the future you want for education!!! Are these the people you want to decide it? The debate has started.

The thoughts of colleagues.

Not sure if people have seen the terms of reference for the upcoming Review of Tomorrow Schools. In this document, we have 5 people who have been chosen by the Minister to carry out extensive review of our education system. Interesting that again, we have had no input into who is on this task force and these are going to be extensive and wide sweeping changes to over education system. We need to be aware of what is coming and be ready to have our say in regards to the recommendation that come from this task force. Everyone needs to be on the front foot and watch to see how this plays out.

Regarding the education review, it looks to me that it is in the hands of what I call the "education elites", academics, consultants, appointments by the former Minister. No experience BoT members, students, scale A teachers, team leaders, deputy principals, rural & small town people, teacher aides. I am concerned the review will not really represent the day to day work done by us at at the chalk face as it were. That we will be left with massive changes directed/dominated by the "education elites" claiming to fix a system that is largely unbroken, but seriously underfunded. Long live self-managing schools. I wonder what the review will cost, how much additional support for special needs students could be provided with this money. Who will accountable to the children of Aotearoa New Zealand at the end of all this is also an interesting thought.

– Independent Taskforce members

Bali Haque, Chair, has provided leadership to principals and teachers as the President and Executive member of the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, and as an Executive member of the PPTA. He has been the Principal of four secondary schools and Deputy Chief Executive of NZQA. Author of Changing our Secondary Schoolspublished in 2014, Bali critiques the education reform process in New Zealand since 1989. He also authored New Zealand Secondary Schools and your Child a Guide for Parents, published in 2017. Bali has presented extensively to school leaders and teachers on change management, strategic planning and self-review, professional development and assessment practice.

Barbara Ala’alatoa is a New Zealand Samoan, born and raised in Auckland. Barbara is currently Principal at Sylvia Park Primary School, where she and her team have designed a unique home school partnership, Mutukaroa, which has resulted in significant shifts in student achievement and is currently being rolled out to other schools. Barbara has over 30 years’ experience in teaching and working across the education sector, including lecturing at Auckland College of Education and co-ordinating schooling improvement at the Ministry of Education. In 2014, she received the Honour, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education. In 2015 she was appointed as inaugural Chair of the Education Council of Aotearoa NZ. Her term expires on 1 July 2018.

Professor Mere Berryman, iwi: Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Whare, is a Professor at the University of Waikato and Director of Poutama pounamu. She aims to challenge the pervasive and historical discourses that perpetuate educational disparities for Māori students and disrupt these through school leadership and reform initiatives. In her research, she combines understandings from kaupapa Māori and critical theories and has published widely in this field. In 2016, she received the New Zealand Honour, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and to Māori in education.

Professor John O’Neill is Head of the Institute of Education at Massey University. For over 35 years he has been a teacher, teacher educator and educational leader in schools and universities in England and New Zealand. In 2012, he received the Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand career excellence award and a Massey University Research Excellence medal. He is an honorary member of the Normal and Model School Principals’ Association and an honorary life member of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education.

Dr Cathy Wylie is a Chief Researcher at New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). Her main research expertise is education policy and how it impacts on learning, teaching, school leadership and more equal learning opportunities. Cathy’s 2012 book, Vital Connections, makes a case for system change to strengthen all our schools and counter uneven educational opportunities. Her longitudinal study 'Competent Learners' provides important understanding about engagement and achievement in learning from early childhood education into early adulthood, and of the importance of the national curriculum’s key competencies. Cathy received the NZ Association of Educational Researchers McKenzie Award in 2010 and was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand for services to education in 2014.

NZEI RURAL AND TEACHING PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE

The Waikato NZEI Principal Council, Has 2 scholarships to cover the registration costs to attend the NZEI Rural and Teaching Principals conference in Hamilton this year.

Available to any U1 or U2 principal within the Waikato area and who is a member of NZEI and is planning on attending the conference held May 23-25.

Each scholarship will cover the cost of registration. Transport accommodation and Meals are the responsibility of the attendee.

please email your interest in the scholarship to Scott Wilson from Puahue School by April 20th 2018;

swilson@puahue.school.nz

subject line: NZEI Rrural and Teaching Principal Scholarship

Your Name
School Name
U size

Recipients will be notified once drawn and results of the successful recipients will be published in the WPA Monday mailing 30th April 2018.

Regards,

Scott Wilson
Principal Puahue School
www.puahue.school.nz
07 872 1838
021 2149336

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

Hmmmm!!!!

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