27 October 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principals supporting Principals… Principals supporting Principles!

Kia Ora

Welcome to this weeks Monday Mailing – on Tuesday. I hope that you all had a restful Labour weekend and enjoyed the sunshine.

Take a good read of the NZEI email that came out last week, as we navigate the Teacher Aide Pay Equity Settlement being informed is important. Remember to contact Ian Leckie our NZEI Principal Support Officer if you need any assistance or clarification on all matters TAPEC.

Learning Lab – something new I am introducing to the Monday Mailing. This week is a Ted Talk so chuck your headphones on and take a listen. If you have something you would like to share please send it through to me.

The weeks are speeding by already, enjoy week 3!

Kind regards
Chrissy Wakeman
Orini Combined School

WPA Dates

A message from Marcus

Kia ora Kotou

I hope term 2 is going well for you all.

The URF panel met on Thursday 22nd November. We have spent approximately $1.7 million of the $5.2 million allocated to our region. Applications close for 2020 on the 7th of December and will reopen on the 5th of January. The Ministry still require attendance data to help them plan for responses to COVID19 and lockdown. Only 65% of schools in our region are supplying data and this means the Ministry cannot plan with the accuracy they would like.

In the schooling sector 29% of applications have been declined. This is because they have not aligned with the intent of the fund. Applications need to target specific groups of learners and address attendance, engagement and hauora issues that have come about as a result of COVID19 and lockdown. If you want more detail check Collen Kiely’s (MoE) email from the 15th of October which has tabled providing detail around what makes a successful/unsuccessful application.

The Executive team is meeting next week to plan 2021s programme. We are hoping for an uninterrupted year which will include a New Zealand based road trip, our Rotorua retreat and 3 Connection days. When planning your budgets don’t forget to allow for these events.

I hope everyone has had their thinking caps on for dress ups for the WPA Schools Challenge Trots night in Cambridge. Attached to this mailout is the format for the evening. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Don’t forget to register for our last Connections day with Kevin Bigger. His Bio is linked in the Mailout. Spaces are filling fast so don’t leave it too late to register. A couple of other key dates to lock in are our WPA dinner on the 4th December and the NZEI Teacher Registration dinner on the 27th of November.

If you know of any Principal colleagues retiring at the end of this term please let me know. We would like to acknowledge them at Connections day.

Marcus Freke

Learning Lab

This week is a TED Talk by the late, great Sir Ken Robinson – no doubt many of you have listened to this before, but for those who haven’t take a listen to this phenomenal man. In this TED Talk Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational "death valley" we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility.

TROTS Night

Always an epic event – check out the following info.

Term 4 Connections Day - Kevin Biggar

Lock Thursday November 12th in your diaries for our final Connections Day for 2020. With this year being such an unpredictable one, it is a great opportunity to come together and engage in some exciting professional learning with your colleagues. Kevin Biggar has some great, inspirational stuff to share to get you through to the end of the year and set for 2021 – you don’t want to miss out! Please register by using the link below.

WPA Christmas Dinner

The other big event to finish the crazy year of 2020 is our End of Year Christmas function. This year it is being held on December 4th, 6pm, at St Kilda Cafe and Bistro. Always a good night out, principals free, partners $30.00. Registration link below. Numbers are limited so be sure to get in!

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