Summary of the 'staff only day' last weekLast Thursday the staff (all teachers, teacher aides and office staff) spent the day at school looking at the difference between the specific acts of every day 'teacher practice' and the 'professional practice' responsibility that underpins it for each individual. This discussion was led by Tony Burkin from Interlead Consultants who specialises in Human Resource Management to approach the challenges of getting the best out of other adults, leading change, developing organisational culture and transforming schools into Learning Organisations (Professional Learning Communities).  It involved all members of staff as no matter what the role someone has at our school we all have a part to play in the professional practice that contributes to the working climate and learning culture that is created every day at Waipahihi School.  Whether we are a classroom teacher, a support staff worker or a member of the management team we talked about the individual teaching practices that have the greatest impact on a chid's progress and achievement and the specific acts of our professional practice that support and underpin that.  Again, no matter what a persons role at our school there is a range of actions that either example professional practice or undermine it. Our job as a staff team is to be mutually accountable to each other with these practices and to be honest in our actions and our conversations.
We are committed as a staff to continuing to develop the core strength of our school and its staff team to be a strong and cohesive unit who work professionally together, enhancing our every day practices, to provide the best possible teaching and learning environment for each and every learner - both child and adult! Days like this pull a team together and give them a shared understanding of what we expect from each other. Days like this mirror the conversation that goes on every day in the learning context of a classroom. As adults in a learning community we want our staff interactions to example the practices we expect every day from our children. Thank you for your support and understanding of what this day enabled for all our staff. Be assured that any day taken in term time is seen as an investment into the staff culture that our school is working to enhance. It is not taken lightly. The next 'teacher only day' is on the last Friday of the term break (April 29) before school comes back for a First Aid refresher course.
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Features of a School for Learning...The most critical feature of a school for learning is that the staff (including management) are learning. There will never be a set of immutable ‘right’ practices. A learning teacher and a learning school will be able to identify their vision and purpose and what values and beliefs are the basis for their particular practices. They will be engaged in reflecting upon how particular practices help them achieve what they value and believe. In addition, their vision, values and beliefs will be continually revisited, at times challenged, and together refined. (adapted from Julia Atkin's paper From Values and Beliefs about Learning to Principles and Practice 1996) Below is an image which gives one example of this. Last Saturday a good number of our staff spent the day in a series of workshops that centred around the theme "Shifting Capacity for Innovation" and provoked thinking and reflection around the ideas "exploring innovative practices; re-thinking learning design; and making real impact on the learning". This was attended last year by staff as well and together demonstrate our schools intent to take our own learning further.  Change is underway in our school. We are on a journey to ensure schooling at Waipāhīhī is relevant, effective and powerful for the tamariki of today. The shift in the way we work together and in the educational understandings as to how children learn best underpin the significant changes ahead of us all. This is a challenge for all our teaching teams and some of the most visible examples of this can be found across each of teams. From the open, highly collaborative environment of our New Entrant area through to our senior school school there are a number of initiatives that are working towards this. In visiting these spaces you will see less closed doors, children moving fluidly across traditional classroom boundaries, teachers collaborating in their teaching, and students increasingly self regulating and managing their learning.
But what does 'Teacher Collaboration' look like? The traditional view of teaching is one teacher with the sole responsibility for a classroom of children. Teachers often feel that their classroom is their own private island and each classroom is different to the next (Little 1990). There are few jobs in society that require an individual to work entirely on their own. Most jobs require communication with other individuals to ensure best practice. Cooperation amongst educators is essential to ensure there is continuity and cohesiveness within schools. Collaboration involves a greater partnership between educators. Watkins (2009) distinguishes between cooperation and collaboration with the idea that cooperation implies individuals working together to achieve individual goals, while collaboration involves working together to achieve a group goal. This year one of our major school focus is about collaboration. We are examining and exploring the ways in which collaborating with each other improves our learning and the learning of others. It’s not just about having open rooms, large spaces, and access to computers. Collaboration is about working with others to use strengths to accomplish goals. It’s about being part of a team, doing your part, and demonstrating commitment and perseverance. This way of working together allows children and adults to build a stronger and deeper understanding of concepts, as they are challenged, supported, and affirmed in collaborative environments. Learners can more ably identify their strengths, express their ideas, and build empathy towards others. Our challenge as teachers in our school is to develop our abilities to set tasks and learning opportunities which teach and foster these skills. We are learning alongside the children in partnership with them. All done so that each of us can innovate and change what we do to meet the learning needs of each and every one of our children that we work with everyday. 'E' Learning initiative update...This week the Friends of the School group, at their first meeting of the year, committed to supporting the purchase of digital learning tools for our school. Their donation of $20,000, partnered with the IronKidz and the Board contributions set the scene for our classrooms having equitable access to these tools. The provision of these tools for use within our classrooms is important. They are part of the 'tool basket' that is representative of the learning and the wider world that our children are exposed to. Every profession and trade has its 'way of doing' and its own path of innovative change that it follows. Education is no different. The way we did school is not the same as how school should be in 2016 and beyond. Not only has the national curriculum framework (the guiding document for schools) changed but we know more about how kids learn, how the brain works and what effective teaching involves. Digital devices are an important learning tool for today. But they are not a panacea. Genuine teaching and learning needs a range of tools and approaches. School provides a social context for learning that helps our children develop those core skills in Managing themselves, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing and Using Language, Symbols and Text. These are the Key Competencies that our curriculum is based on and what the learning areas (English, Maths, The Arts, Social Sciences, Science, Technology and Health & PE) give context to. School Working Bee March 20...The council have kindly donated the cobblestones (from the revamped Lions Walk on the lakefront) to complete our project for extending the staff carpark into the front of the new office (old dental clinic - see pic below) and behind that for the Room 6 outside space. We just need to load 23 pallets with cobblestones so they can be transported to school for this work to be completed in the Term break. If you can spare some time on Sunday March 20 then we will be meeting behind the Fruit and Veg market on Spa Road (where the cobbles have been dumped). Start time 9am.
Our Board...The board is the employer of all staff in the school, is responsible for setting the school's strategic direction in consultation with parents, staff and students, and ensuring that its school provides a safe environment and quality education for all its students. Boards are also responsible for overseeing the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance and administration.
Our election date is set for Friday June 3. We have five parent representative places available. If you are interested in possibly standing for this role then please approach one of our existing board members. Their details and a parents guide to the role of the board is available on our website under the Board tab in the 'About us' tab. It is also linked on the button below. Our second board meeting for this year is on Tuesday, March 22 @ 7pm in the staffroom. Visitors welcome. Board Elections this yearAll of New Zealand's state and state-integrated schools have a board of trustees. The board of trustees is the Crown entity responsible for the governance and the control of the management of the school. The board is the employer of all staff in the school, is responsible for setting the school's strategic direction in consultation with parents, staff and students, and ensuring that its school provides a safe environment and quality education for all its students. Boards are also responsible for overseeing the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance and administration. The New Zealand School Trustees Association states: “The board is entrusted to work on behalf of all stakeholders and is accountable for the school’s performance. It emphasises strategic leadership, sets the vision for the school, and ensures that it complies with legal and policy requirements. Policies are at a governance level and outline clear delegations to the principal. The board and principal form the leadership team, with the role of each documented and understood. The principal reports to the board as a whole with committees used sparingly and only when a need is identified to contribute to board work. The board is proactive rather than reactive in its operations and decision-making and does not involve itself in the administrative details of the day-to-day running of the school. The board is encouraged to ask the right questions. Enhancing student achievement is its focus”. Our election date is set for Friday June 3. We have five parent representative places available. If you are interested in possibly standing for this role then please approach one of our existing board members. Their details and a parents guide to the role of the board is available on our website under the Board tab in the 'About us' tab. It is also linked on the button below. School Working Bee March 20The council have kindly donated the cobblestones (from the revamped Lions Walk on the lakefront) to complete our project for extending the staff carpark into the front of the new office (old dental clinic - see pic below). We just need to load 23 pallets with cobblestones so they can be transported to school for this work to be completed in the Term break. If you can spare some time on Sunday March 20 then we will be meeting behind the Fruit and Veg market on Spa Road (where the cobbles have been dumped).  Friends of the School (PTA) meeting next MondayOur parent group is having its first meeting of the year on Monday at 7pm in the staffroom. This is a great chance to meet some new people; be proactive in the wider life of our school and partner with the school in making some initiatives come to life around 'our place' - See you there! Escaping Educations 'Death Valley'Below is another link to the actual TED talk that I meant to link last week. This is the actual follow on to the video that was linked and provides further insight into the challenges facing our schooling system and our children within it for this 21st century.  |
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