The dominant conversation in our schooling system this year is the response to the Schooling Futures – Stronger Together report. APIS supports the Government’s aspiration to raise acheivement and engagement. It is the detail of the administration and the way it would interface with state-integrated schools that gives us the greatest concern.

We have issued discussion documents for Boards to develop a response to the report. We note the tight timeframes and the complexity of the issues involved but it is critical that all Boards find time to make a response to the report.

The content of the report shows a limited understanding about the way state-integrated schools operate and the Proprietor’s relationship with the Crown. Any breach of that relationship would seriously compromise our ability to be schools of Special Character and that is why we urge you to allocate part of a meeting and develop a response to the report.

We are developing a more formal response around the tensions for state-integrated Schools which we will share in a few weeks, but it is more impressive when each school makes a considered comment.

Ngā mihi nui,

Paul Ferris, CEO

STUDENT PRIVACY

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has asked us to share their Back to school FAQs, which provides guidance around student information. Link here. Example questions are:

• Can a school give student information to a DHB dental service?
• Can a school publish a child’s information?
• Can a school put parent details in a school directory?
• How does a school respond to a request for a student’s information?

TOMORROW'S SCHOOLS REVIEW

Tomorrow’s Schools Review is open for consultation. We are encouraging schools, Principals, Boards and parents to have their say. Link here for further information.

Earlier this month we sent discussion guidelines to our schools and Proprietors in response to the Tomorrow Schools Review Report. If you would like a copy of the guidelines, please email nzceooffice@nzceo.org.nz. We welcome schools and Proprietors to share their feedback with our office as it will help inform our submission.

SCHOOL TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

NZSTA have released a quick guide on important dates for the school trustee elections this year:

01 May Select Returning Office

08 May Close Main Roll (noon)

10 May Call for Nominations

22 May Close Supplementary Roll (noon)

24 May Nominations Close (noon)

29 May Voting Papers Sent

7 June Election Day (voting closes noon)

13 June Count Votes

14 June Board take Office

For more information, visit their elections website.

A PARENTS GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM: NEW ZEALAND EDUCATION 2019

Keeping students safe on line is a challenge that teachers and parents face daily.

Instagram and Netsafe have recently released a guide for parents to keep young people safe as they share their life in pictures online. Share it with your community. Link here.

In addition, the Ministry shared Five tips for teachers to keep students safe on social media, which are useful for staff. Link here.

WHICH WAY NZ

This new driving app helps school-aged chldren improve their decision making skills. It has has recently been released nationwide. It is simple to download and offers opportunities for students to win free prizes. Download from a Google Play or Apple app store. Click here to read more.

2019 PRIME MINISTER'S EDUCATION EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Entries opened 25 February and close 5 April. There is a new category on Excellence in Health and Wellbeing and the 2019 Focus Prize in Excellence in Māori-medium Education.

De La Salle College, Mangere East was a finalist in 2018 in the Teaching and Learning section. Here is their awards video. John Paul College, Rotorua was a finalist in 2018 in the Education Focus Prize. Here is their awards video.

GENESIS SCHOOL - GEN STEM AND SOLAR TRUST

Genesis Energy has established a new trust to give away $50,000 worth of STEM and solar equipment. Applications close 12 April. Link here for more.

Congratulations to the following educators in state integrated schools on their nomination for the 2019 Teaching Council elections:

• Primary Teacher: Anna Frances MacKinnon, St Mary's Catholic School, Tauranga
• Secondary Principal: Patrick Walsh, John Paul College, Rotorua
• Secondary Teachers:
  • Khalil (Peter) Hijazeen, St John's College, Hastings
  • David Ivory, St John's College, Hastings
  • Sherna Matta, Baradene College, Auckland

For profile statements for all candidates and more information about the elections, visit the Teaching Council website. Voting happens in March.

Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ is an American research astronomer, Jesuit religious brother, and Director of the Vatican Observatory. He has appeared on television, completed TedTalks and is a regular speaker on the United States university circuit.

Brother Guy will be touring New Zealand between 26 April and 8 May 2019. His tour is split into two parts (1) South Island: Christchurch, Dunedin,  and (2) North Island: Auckland and Wellington.

The tour will involve a number of different events, including public presentations, school and workplace visits, engagements at universities and formal luncheons. The Catholic Enquiry Centre are the sponsors of the tour. Information will be available on the Enquiry Centre’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/catholicdiscovery.nz

A tour website which will include a full calendar of public events will be launched in March.

Brother Guy will be covering the following topics:

(1) Our God is too small.

(2) How religion (our faith) and science can work together.

(3) Specialist topics on astronomy (which is more for science audiences).

For more details on his visit, please contact Joe Serci, Catholic Enquiry Centre Engagement Manager via email joe@catholicenquiry.nz or phone (04) 385 8518.

Click here to read the full media release from the NZCBC.

Paulene Walsh, John Paul College, Rotorua was awarded an Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Award. She was nominated by the Rotorua Community.

She recognises all staff and community members who help support the learning support students. She also thanks Rotorua Energy Trust and John Paul College for sponsoring community education in Rotorua.

Paulene describes how their work seeks to break down barriers to learning including financial barriers - attendees only pay a gold coin donation while the community pays for the rest. They create a strong wrap around service which is important for everyone and knowing the educational thumbprint of every student is the key to every student’s success.

It really does ‘Take a village to educate a child.’ John Baptist De La Salle. More detail about Paulene's work and the award is available here.

Paulene Walsh pictured with Minister of Education Honorable Chris Hipkins and chairman of the Australian Scholarship group Mr Craig Dunstan, at Parliament House.

This is a global initative for school children aged 8 to 18 to strike and show politicians they want to see urgent action to address climate change.

Event information for locations throughout New Zealand is available on Facebook, click here.

More information about this intiative is available via their website: www.schoolstrike4climatenz.com

Through our partnership with the NZCEO & APIS, Actura are offering two unique opportunities for all member schools. For any student or school looking for the ultimate adventure outside the classroom. We have dates and places available for Space School at NASA in the USA in December 2019 and in 2020.

Actura are also looking to empower teachers and New Zealand students to learn critical 21^st Century skills through our comprehensive robotics solution. They will be offering a series of workshops in Auckland over the next few months for any teacher who would like to understand more about teaching robotics and implementing in the classroom. You can find out more about these opportunities in more detail by clicking here.

The CASE FlipRobot comprehensive solution has also recently partnered with Space Center Houston to bring an exciting new immersive curriculum to CASE students. It will be a five day hands-on education programme and a specialised FlipRobot curriculum developed for Space Center University.

New Zealand Space School students will also have the opportunity to take advantage of this new programme through CASE. For more information in relation to this innovative programme, click here.

More information Actura's offer for NZCEO & APIS schools is available at http://www.actura.co.nz/nzceo-principal/

Tegan Morrell | Business Development Manager, Actura
Office: 0800 118 911 | Mobile: +64 221 022 458
Tegan.morrell@actura.co.nz | www.actura.co.nz

On March 28 school media specialist Pete Burdon is holding a free one-off 2-hour seminar in central Auckland for school leaders.

He will show attendees how to master any media interview, put steps in place to be ready for negative media attention, and even how to use the media to grow their reputation and the schools!

The seminar is designed for all school leaders, including those who have had no interaction with media through to those wanting to refresh the skills they have already leanrt. Attendees may even discover that the media aren't out to get them!

For more details and to register, click here. Numbers are limited for this one-off event.

Early in 2017, Alsco joined with the exciting Million Metres Streams Project. It’s a three year partnership that will help transform New Zealand’s waterways. Million Metres is led by the Sustainable Business Network (SBN), in partnership with Alsco and DOC (Department of Conservation).

Million Metres aim is to support communities to replant one million metres of New Zealand waterways by 2026. Alsco is an SBN Member, joining more than 500 other businesses finding ways to change the way we work to put people and planet first.

Alsco is a large user of water and we want to do whatever we can to minimise our impact on the environment. Our support of the Million Metres initiative is a tangible and collective action by our teams nationwide that is creating a real social, environmental, and economic difference. We are really grateful for all the wonderful support and feedback from the wider Alsco family in relation to our contribution to Million Metres.

Each winter, Alsco staff will join Million Metres teams at planting days around the country. Last year more than 130 Alsco staff, family and friends from five branches got stuck in. Together they contributed more than 300 volunteer hours planting nearly 4000 native trees along 1500 metres of waterways.

For more information check out our website www.alsco.co.nz