Kōtui: School & Policy Updates - Term 2 Issue 1 2023 (NZCEO)

TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA: Editorial by Dr Kevin Shore, CEO

Kia ora koutou

APIS and the staff at NZCEO are excited to bring together our first edition of Kōtui which is the new, rebranded Lighting New Fires. It has taken a process of over twelve months to bring this all together and our staff are pleased to give birth to our first edition.  

Back in the 1990s Sir Brother Pat Lynch was responsible for initiating the publication Lighting New Fires which has been for almost thirty years one of the main communication channels for, initially NZCEO, and latterly APIS. It has proven to be an important communication vehicle in the history of state integrated education and one of the main mechanisms for ensuring stakeholders in state integrated education are informed about the issues of the day. There is always some sadness in losing a valued ‘friend’ and I want to acknowledge Sir Brother Pat Lynch as we move from the old to the new.  

In 2022, APIS instigated a process to look at ‘some new clothes’ and rebrand within a vision that fits with the current diversity and strong connections across all our unique special characters within state integrated education. The new name Kōtui denotes the lacing, stitching and weaving of different elements together for a common purpose. The term also sits within a well-known whakataukī where the tui bird calls for us to come together. This emphasises that our strength is in our connectivity and collective talents that we weave to the song of our work and our mission.  

Kōtui is a term unique to Aotearoa and fits beautifully within the spirit of APIS as we work together for the benefit of all. It matches the pervading APIS philosophy of being ‘stronger together’ and our team are grateful to Danny Karatea Goddard who gifted this beautiful name to APIS to use in this way. 

Kōtui will continue to use the same framework, spirit and content that was typical of Lighting New Fires with the change of name (and associated branding) to Kōtui a natural progression to ensure it reflects the diversity and unity of those associated with the current state integrated school sector.  

Political Advocacy 

APIS has another scheduled meeting with Minister Tinetti on 17 May. We remain grateful that the Minister is continuing to offer APIS the opportunity to raise issues with her and advocate for our needs. Issues that are top of mind include further discussions on the Equity Index, the increasing cost of insurance and the impact on attendance dues, and the inadequacy of current levels of funding allocated to the Policy Two budget. 

The Minister of Education recently announced a new set of priorities for change in education. The reprioritisation emphasising a focus on maths, literacy, te reo Māori and pāngarau learning while slowing down the implementation of other national curriculum and NCEA changes will be well received by the school sector. I am pleased that the Minister has acknowledged the need to reduce workload on a tired workforce while at the same time emphasising a focus on those aspects that matter most for students and their whānau. The volume of change in education on top of the challenges created by the pandemic and various weather events has been a concern in terms of the wellbeing of our staff and students. This decision will help, at least, to slow the rate of change and show school communities that the Minister of Education is listening to their concerns.  

Change to Teacher Student Class Ratios 

Minister Tinetti has also announced that the Government is reducing class sizes in the Years 4 to 8 to improve education outcomes for students as a response to the current concerns over falling achievement levels in literacy and numeracy. By the beginning of 2025, class ratios for years 4 to 8 will move from 1:29 to 1:28 – resulting in an extra 320 full time teachers in primary and intermediate schools around the country. Half of these teachers will be in classrooms from next year. 

How this decision will impact on the need for extra classrooms for state integrated schools is currently unknown. However, the agreement signed between APIS and the Secretary of Education in 2016 outlines the commitment of the government to fund to a minimum of 85% of the cost of additional property costs resulting from any future education policy changes. The reduction of the ratio by one student is unlikely to have a significant impact on state integrated schools but could necessitate some building of new classrooms and proprietors can feel assured that the government will be required to fund this to at least 85% of the cost.  

APIS will communicate with stakeholders as further information comes to hand. 

EPMP 

The ‘good news’ of EPMP continues in 2023 as our proprietor’s property managers continue to do a stellar job of ensuring that our state integrated schools receive the full benefits of this programme. The early part of 2023 has been a little quieter than the end of 2022 in terms of funds transferred to proprietors, but things should accelerate from this point onwards. The EPMP team is looking forward to celebrating the imminent milestone where $40M of EPMP funds will have been transferred to proprietors. Well done to you all! 

As a next step, APIS will follow up on those proprietors who are yet to apply for release of funds and to support them to initiate their project. Proprietors who are in this group can expect to hear from us sometime in May. 

Guidelines for the Development and Operation of Enrolment Schemes for State Integrated Schools 

Updated enrolment scheme guidelines for state integrated schools are now available online through the Ministry of Education website. There is one minor change that affects the State Integrated Guidelines for Enrolment Schemes, and this has come about due to a recent court case. Where a student who is ‘out of zone’ (which in a state integrated school could be a student outside of the geographical area of a zone but is more likely to mean offering a place to a student in error who is not preference or in a lower priority within the allocation of preference places) is offered a place in the school and has accepted the school may not rescind this offer. This is based on a recent Court of Appeal judgement. This issue highlights that our state integrated schools need to continue to ensure they follow good processes including checking that all decisions are as they should be before any offer of enrolment is made. This is not a common situation but highlights the need to be vigilant in each step of the enrolment process. 

Final Comment 

There has been a lot for the CEO to comment upon in our first edition of Kōtui. Education is a dynamic enterprise and in recent months there has been a significant review of policy by the current government. The education announcements identified in this editorial will be welcomed by most in the state integrated school sector and it is certainly looking like the run up to the election will an interesting time. 

Ngā manaakitanga 

Kevin Shore, Chief Executive Officer 

Changes to NZSTA & NZCEO Governance Framework

With the introduction of new rules and guidelines regarding the use of physical restraint in schools, which came into effect on 7 February 2023, school boards must ensure they have a policy reflecting these in place by 7 May 2023. The NZSTA website provides detailed information and Ministry of Education links for school boards.

In response NZCEO have used the Ministry of Education guidelines and NZSTA advice to replace the previous D8: Managing Challenging Behaviour and Physical Restraint Policy with, D8: Reducing Student Distress and Use of Physical Restraint Policy. This policy which includes wording that fits with the NZSTA’s own policy and reflects our Catholic special character can be found on our website. An amended overview of all Part D: Operational Policies can also be found there.

Save the Date! Catholic Education Convention 2024

Online Symposium Series 2023

NZCEO in association with Te Kupenga – Catholic Leadership Institute, are again in 2023 hosting an online symposium series. There will be three sessions each focusing on one of the theological Te Rama Aroha: The Light of Love Cross Themes  in the new Religious Education curriculum Tō Tātou Whakapono: Our Faith. These sessions will take the same format as the 2021 and 2022 symposium starting with prayer followed by 40 minutes of speaker input with the next 20-minutes in breakout rooms and concluding with a general Q & A session.

For full details of all sessions download the PDF flyer below:

Young Catholic ‘Influencers’ Online

This article is by Kelly Ross, Vicar for Education, Wellington Archdiocese. In February 2023 Kelly attended 2023 Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles. 

At the 2023 Los Angeles RE Congress in February, Catholic educator Paul Sanfrancesco presented a workshop on Faith Formation in a Blended/Virtual Catholic Environment. With over 27 years of experience in Catholic, private, and public education, he is widely recognised for his work in “Instructional Technology.” Faith formation is an essential aspect of education that educators must consider, especially in virtual and blended learning environments. He discussed the challenges and opportunities that virtual environments have for the faith formation of young Catholics. One of the key takeaways from the presentation was the influence that social media influencers have on young people and the importance of developing our young people into becoming Catholic influencers themselves.

In this article I wish to explore the need to develop our young people to become Catholic Influencers. I suggest that the young people sitting in our classes are our Catholic Influencers of the present and future. They have the ability and potential to impact positively online by applying positive Catholic beliefs and values.

Our young people are growing up in a world that enables them to have instant access to information, communication and entertainment through the internet and other digital technologies. Social media has made it easy for young people to access information and gain answers to questions they have about their faith. Within these social media platforms there are influencers, and they often have a large following online and can play a significant role in shaping young people’s beliefs and attitudes.

The popularity of these influencers is driven by the desire of young people to connect with others and to find answers immediately and not be limited to the classroom. This means that Influencers can be shaping our young people’s faith formation at times as well. Of course, much of the content on social media is not Catholic, making it crucial to develop our students to become young Catholic influencers themselves, who are confident in sharing their understanding and faith journey with others who are living in a similar context and sharing similar experiences but also be able to identify other authentic Catholic influencers on social media.

Furthermore, schools and teachers can play a pivotal role in developing Catholic influencers and by teaching their students how to find and identify Catholic influencers on social media.

A Catholic teacher's own continued faith formation is essential, as a person who is knowledgeable about their faith is better equipped when teaching and developing young Catholic influencers for several reasons:

• By providing accurate information Catholic teachers who have a strong faith formation are better equipped to provide accurate and comprehensive information to their students about Catholic teachings, traditions, and practices. They help their students understand the Church's teachings and how to apply them in their daily lives.
• By providing a Catholic lens teachers develop the capacity of their students to make moral and ethical decisions in their daily lives supported by the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• By serving as positive role models for their students, teachers demonstrate through their words and actions how to live out Catholic values, such as compassion, respect, and forgiveness.
• By fostering spiritual growth teachers with a strong faith formation help their students deepen their relationship with God. They offer guidance and support as their students explore their faith and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• By nurturing a sense of community teachers help students develop a sense of community within the Church. They encourage them to participate in parish activities and connect with other young people who share their faith.
• By encouraging students to connect with authentic Catholic websites, blogs, pod casts and social media platforms. Possibilities for older students include podcasts such as The Catholic Influencers Podcast, or material by Father Mike Schmitz. Younger students may enjoy media such as Catholic memes and of course Pope Francis on Instagram.
• Finally, by teaching the tools around navigating social media safely and being aware of the impact of what they share and comment about. Paul Sanfrancesco talked about students knowing the 4 F’s – Faith, Family, Friends and Future and that teachers should encourage students to ask themselves prior to commenting or posting anything online. What will be the effect on the 4 F’s if I post this online? This helps students make positive decisions both online and offline. Many schools already have well established cyber safety programmes but how many also focus on Faith?

Overall, a Catholic teacher's faith formation is essential when teaching and developing young Catholic influencers of the future. By providing accurate information, being a positive role model, fostering spiritual growth, and nurturing a sense of community, they help our young people grow in their faith and become effective witnesses of the Gospel.

By informing and guiding our students throughout their school life we will work to ensure that they are young Catholic influencers on social media who can have a powerful impact. It presents the opportunity for our students to connect beyond the classroom with others to share, clarify their understanding and explore their faith with other young Catholics. It empowers them as they are taking an active role in their faith and helps build a strong, vibrant, and connected online community where they share their same ‘Love of God.’

Overall, a Catholic teacher's faith formation is essential when teaching and developing young Catholic influencers. By providing accurate information, being a positive role model, fostering spiritual growth, and nurturing a sense of community, Catholic teachers can help create responsible and effective young Catholic influencers who positively impact the world around them.

In conclusion, faith formation is crucial for the development of our young people in order for them to become Catholic influencers online. With the prevalence of social media and its impact on young people’s beliefs and attitudes, it is essential to guide them towards authentic Catholic influencers on social media platforms, and to continue to empower them as they are and will be our Catholic influencers of the future.

Privacy Week 2023

This week (May 8 - 14) is Privacy Week 2023. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner marks Privacy Week each year to promote privacy awareness, inform people of their rights under the Privacy Act, and help educate agencies about their responsibilities. This year, the theme is Privacy rights in the digital age. A range of workshops and forums are being held during the week - all of them freely available, and online. 

Two topics of interest that might be useful in the educational context are:

Wednesday 10 May 1:30-2:30
Contemporary issues in Artificial Intelligence and Privacy
Beginner
Are you concerned about how the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we approach privacy? Join Andrew Chen and Allyn Robins as we dive into some of the modern AI privacy issues that may not arise in other contexts. We'll be exploring unique challenges, including the ethical collection of training data, new ways that AI can circumvent traditional privacy measures, the use of personalised models, and how synthetic media is changing the game. We will have two industry experts speaking, followed by a Q+A session.
Register now and be reminded via this Zoom link.

Friday 12 May 12:30-1:30
Key considerations round children's privacy
Beginner
Join speakers Leanne Ross and Michael des Tombe to hear about key considerations around children’s privacy in New Zealand with practical tips and advice for parents, teachers and children themselves. 
Register and be reminded via this Zoom link.

Association of Integrated Schools (AIS) Conference 2023

Save the date

The AIS Conference 2023 will be held on Monday 4 & Tuesday 5 September 2023 at the 
Brentwood Hotel, Kilbirnie, Wellington. The conference will start around 9am on Monday 4 September and finish at approximately 4.30pm on Tuesday 5 September.

BBI-TAITE Religious Education Symposium

From BBI-TAITE (https://www.bbi.catholic.edu.au/)

Thursday 12 & Friday 13 October 2023, Dubbo
Fifth National Religious Education Symposium
Rethinking RE: Context Diversity and Pedagogy

BBI-TAITE is pleased to announce that registrations for our National Religious Education Symposium to be held in Dubbo (New South Wales) are open.  
The symposium will address how religious education is shaped by contextual factors and features three keynote speakers. Bishop Eugene Hurley will examine how the regional context impacts on Catholic schools and Fr Rob Galea will address RE outside the classroom.  A feature of the symposium is how indigenous spirituality can be better understood and then integrated into religious education in Catholic schools.  The second day of the symposium will be devoted to this theme and our keynote speaker for that day, Sharon Cooke, will be opening up this theme for us.  An extensive range of workshops will be offered as well as structured sessions for reflection, dialogue and networking.  

A link to the PDF flyer and website can be found below:

Caritas Update

The Caritas Education team would like to thank everyone who has supported the work of Caritas so far this year. We are excited about the various upcoming events in term two and beyond.

YCC Day

On the last day of term two (30 June) all Catholic schools across Aotearoa can join in solidarity for YCC Day to support Oecusse School in Timor-Leste.

This year we can make a difference in the lives of their 800 plus students so that they can have access to working toilets. Let's show them we care by having fun on YCC Day and enjoying a non-uniform day in return for a gold coin donation.

Remember Your Coins Count and that You Can Change the lives of others by taking part in this special day.    

Resources are now available online and include an E-Poster, Information Slideshow, Student Activities, and Videos.

Just a reminder that schools can hold their YCC Day event any time that suits before the end of the year (not just on the last day of term 2).

Caritas Challenge

We've already seen some amazing efforts through the Caritas Challenge so far this year. Huge thanks to all the students and schools that have already participated. There is still plenty of time for students to get involved. Register online to get a school pack with posters, t-shirts and pens. This year all fundraising will support communities in Fiji and every $1 raised will become $4 throught matched funding by the New Zealand Aid Programme. 

Justice Competitions

KAITIAKI2SHARE Competition

The Caritas creative idea competition, Kaitiaki2Share, linking in to stewardship and caring for God's creation closes on June 13th. The theme for 2023 is 'Act today for a better tomorrow'. Students of all ages can participate. Entries can be sent to justine@caritas.org.nz and applications can be completed on the Caritas website. 

SINGout4JUSTICE Competition

The Caritas SINGout4JUSTICE musical competition closes on August 1st. There is still plenty of time for students to choose their favourite song with an inspiring message for justice. This year it is all about performance so students of all ages can have lots of fun creating their own recording. More information can be found on the website.

All the best for the rest of the term and we look forward to staying connected with Catholic schools around the country.

Ngā mihi,

Michael and Justine

Study opportunities with Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College

You can now credit your RE papers towards the Graduate Diploma in Theology (Level 7). Semester 2 starts July 3. Go to www.tekupenga.ac.nz/apply to enrol

National Excellence in Teaching Awards: nominations now open

News release from The NEiTA Foundation  (www.neita.com)

The NEiTA Foundation is encouraging whānau, students, schools and hapori whānui the wider community to nominate educators who have displayed exemplary dedication, passion and creativity for a National Excellence in Teaching Award.

For nearly 30 years, the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA), supported by Futurity Investment Group, has recognised New Zealand’s most inspirational and deserving kaiako.

This year, NEiTA will recognise educators who are teaching for tomorrow by shaping minds and ultimately futures.

NEiTA Foundation Chairperson, Catherine O’Sullivan said the 2023 awards will celebrate and recognise educators who are leading the way.

“NEiTA nominees are exceptional, committed and caring teachers who are dedicated to their students, schools and the community, Ms O’Sullivan said. This year, NEITA wants to celebrate educators who are preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s world.

“Recent research commissioned by Futurity found when exploring what contributes to satisfaction with their child's school, the number one response for parents was teacher quality.

“NEiTA is the perfect way for parents and students to celebrate teacher quality, and elevate inspirational educators, teachers and school principals. By acknowledging outstanding teachers, we elevate those who inspire a sense of achievement, hope and joy from learning.”

In total, The NEiTA Foundation in 2023 will award more than $100,000 in development grants to New Zealand and Australia’s most remarkable kaiako.

Teachers and school leaders nominated by parents, fellow educators, school trustees and other community members are eligible for one of these six Awards categories.

Nominations can be made until 21 July 2023 at www.neita.com

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Penny Hartill - Director Hartill PR 021 721 424 penny@hartillpr.co.nz

Congratulations to New Principals

Our warm congratulations to the following new principals:

Hamilton Diocese

Louise Graafhuis at St Anthony's Catholic School, Huntly

Palmerston North Diocese

Christine Cosgrove at St James School, Palmerston North

Dave Smith at St Joseph's School, Stratford

Building a Legacy: How Gallagher’s Security Solutions Helped Hastings Christian School Take Their Gym from Vision to Reality

Hastings Christian School (HCS), a non-denominational special character school serving years 1-13, has a problem many small schools dream of: they’re growing. They opened in 1987 with 16 children and just one teacher. In 2023, the roll sits at 340, and with that growth comes challenges for its facilities.

“Over the years we’ve expanded our buildings, but one sticking point has been the absence of a gymnasium,” says HCS Principal, Gavin Clark. Without a gym, HCS has been forced to rent an off-site facility for student sports and school events.

That’s why in recent years, HCS has been working toward a goal of building a gym to improve the student experience, serve as a community hub, and generate an additional source of income for their growing school.

But to achieve that goal, they needed a security solution that could help them safely share their gym with the community while still protecting the rest of their school.

Flexible controls for building a community space

“The whole process started with a conversation about security,” says Eric Meinsma, who sits on both the HCS Board of Proprietor and Board of Trustees and is the brains behind the gym’s construction. “We worked with a Gallagher Certified Channel Partner, HSM Group Limited, who gave us two proposals: one was the Gallagher system, and I can’t even recall the other brand as Gallagher quickly became the preferred option because the technology was more advanced.”

Gallagher’s variety of integrations gave HCS options for locks that came within their budget, and the Command Centre Mobile App enabled them to control access remotely, making it easier for staff to manage the gym at night and on weekends. It also meant the ability to specify which doors visitors could access, automation of day-to-day activities, and easier tracking of facility schedules.

And with that flexibility, opportunities to open their gym’s doors to the community grew and made the entire project more economical.

Increasing safety and creating peace of mind

As plans for the gym kicked off, Hastings Christian School quickly realised the potential Gallagher’s solutions had to benefit the school as a whole.

“Command Centre is very, very powerful, and in particular we saw its value for lockdown situations where there is a serious or active threat that requires a rapid, efficient response,” says Eric. Though they hope to never use it, having the ability to secure HCS quickly and easily gives both Eric and Gavin peace of mind.

“We want to protect our children and teachers,” Gavin explains, “and we realised a holistic security solution is the direction we need to take moving forward, especially in all our new builds as our school continues to expand.”

Looking forward

After 10 years in planning, Hastings Christian School’s gym is preparing to open its doors to the Hawke’s Bay community in the winter of 2023 with the confidence that managing access will be simple, smooth, and effective.

“We’ve had this dream for a long time,” says Gavin. “Now that it’s finally becoming a reality, we’re all very excited.” And as HCS continues to grow, the foundation for protecting what matters most is in place to grow along with them.

About Toshiba New Zealand

Toshiba New Zealand is a solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic, and electrical products and systems and is pleased to announce that we are in our eleventh year of sponsorship with the NZ Catholic Education Office.

Focussing on industry-specific business solutions, Toshiba is the go-to supplier for Document Management and Workflow Solutions, IT Service and Support, Cloud Technology, Multi-function Printers, Desktop Printers, Barcode Printers, and more.

In support of our relationship with the NZCEO, we would like to offer a 20% annual saving on your print-copy expenditure to all non-Toshiba customers.