National Standards data publication delayed.

There has been a delay in the publishing of school by school data on the Ministry of Education's website until the end of July. A significant number of school annual reports have not been received or processed yet and potentially a large amount of data will need to be removed from these reports in order to protect student privacy. Clearly the final published data will be incomplete and even less reliable and valid for use to make between-school comparisons. Which begs the question of why it is even published in this way in the first instance?

Thankfully with the assessment tools and processes we use, teachers know far more about your child’s achievement than National Standards can tell you. That is why we prefer to hold learning conferences where you can discuss with your child's teacher specific assessment results and what their next steps for learning are going to be to help them make further progress. Please make sure you book a time online by Thursday 4 July.

iPad Programme - Exciting News!

Following the successful introduction of iPads into classrooms, the Board of Trustees at their May meeting has moved to ensure that our children have greater access to these exciting technologies. They approved an iPad programme that over two years moves our technology emphasis away from desktop computers to ipads which are less expensive, more mobile, more flexible and give us the ability to give more children 1:1 access. I applaud the foresight of the Board as this will make sure we keep moving forward as an innovative school making the best use of new technologies to help our children develop as successful learners. This means we will now purchase further iPads in 2013 which will be gradually phased in over the rest of the year. 

Board Elections

It's great to see the number of parents who are standing for our Board of Trustees in the upcoming election. I think it is a healthy sign of our school community and we know whoever is voted on that the school will be well served in this area. Reminder that nominations close noon 16 May and please remember to vote.

Being A Positive Digital Citizen

In this movie clip Kevin Honeycutt shares the importance of talking with our children about the digital footprint they are making. Its a really good positive way of discussing with your child the issues of using the internet and digital devices  We shared this at our recent parent evening on digital learning and some parents asked to be able to access it again. On our school webpage you can also download our school guidelines on "Being a Positive Digital Citizen"

PTA - Needs a TEAM EFFORT from us all.

Our PTA do a fantastic job of fundraising, most of it organised by a small group of dedicated people. You can see the projects around the school which have been a result of their efforts e.g. the new playground, the solar heating of the pool and many more over the years. This year they run the Gala which, if it is like the one in 2011, will be a fun event for all our families to enjoy - as well as being a good fund raiser.
However I heard they are short of classroom co-ordinators. What they need are parents who will be the liaison people for each class. Its not a hard job, you won't be left in the lurch and you can do it with a friend etc. Please consider if you can do this small role for your child's class, we need a school team effort for this Gala to work!

Please contact Jo Stephens (jo.stephens@clear.net.nz) to find out more or to put your name forward.  There is plenty of time to go but its nice to know we will have enough people to run the Gala well ahead of the date!

OUR GALA COMMITTEE ARE:
Co-ordinators – Cherryl Cunningham and Mel Ruffell
Marketing - Cherryl Cunningham and Mel Ruffell
Entertainment – Helen Bond
Logistics – Brendon Stone
Finances & Sponsorship – Helen Derry, Michelle Licht and Sarah Urlich
Raffles & Prizes – Jo Dudson
Stall & Parent Liasion – Jo Stephens

Student Leadership Positions

Today the first of a number of senior student leadership positions are to announced. We have been blown away by the number of children applying, by what we have seen over the last 6 weeks of observation and by the standard of their responses in interviews. For these positions we are often looking for specific skills and dispositions to fulfil the tasks they will undertake.

Today I talked at the senior assembly around the idea of leadership. For what it is worth I believe leaders are people who are able to influence and bring about a change. Some of the best leaders don't have titles but are still effective leaders in whatever is their sphere of influence whether it be at work, with friends or at home. My challenge to them was how would they react to the disappointment if they were not selected.

In my development as a leader, I know I have not always been successful in what I have wanted to achieve. The best times for my growth and development have been in times of challenge and what I have learnt from disappointments and mistakes. I explained to the children that what defines us and shapes our character is not what we achieve so much but how we deal with the challenges and disappointments that come our way as they inevitably will.  They have a choice about how they are going to react. Will they throw their toys out of the cot? Look to blame someone else? Sulk?  I hope not. Those reactions would just demonstrate they weren’t ready for that next step. No one wants leaders who will seek to influence people in those ways. There may be disappointment but I hope they will be able to celebrate with others and then reset their sights on new goals.

 There are many opportunities for children to enjoy at our school. Get out there and enjoy them, show leadership wherever you can because you never know what might be around the corner! See every thing that happens to you as an opportunity to grow!  Tu Tanagata  - Stand Tall.

Dates announced for new schools

Kia ora
Finally some dates have been announced by the Education Minister today for the building of new schools in our northern suburbs. It will still be several years before the secondary school will be opened in 2016 which will also include Year 7&8 students. The primary school which will be built in Flagstaff couldn't come any sooner either with full rolls in northern suburb schools already. Lets hope nothing gets stalled before final decisions are made in June this year.