Whakawhanaungatanga - Getting our community involved.

At Nga Iwi School we initiated a new whānau engagement programme to reengage parents with the school following the COVID pandemic. From 2020 our attendance and enrolments dropped and face to face engagement with whānau became nonexistent due to covid restrictions. Once these were lifted our focus was turned on engagement with both students and whānau.

In 2021 we introduced Tāma Toa and Wāhine Toa breakfasts where whānau shared breakfast with their eldest or only child in the school. We started with our mums/grandmas/aunties (wāhine), followed by our fathers/grandads/uncles (tāma toa). The breakfasts were a hit and we have held these events now in term 2 for the last 3 years.

At each event, we share kai (breakfast) with staff sitting with whanau growing relationships, getting to know each other. In terms of relationship-based learning, this adds to positive outcomes for our children. After we have finished eating, we invite the children to head out to the playground to play, opening our whānau to consultation. 

In our first year, we focused on the foundations for our student graduate profile. We received great feedback and excellent data to inform our profile which is now a living document and revisited and updated as our community grows and changes. 

Last year we sought feedback and input into the new strategic direction for our 2023-2025 strategic cycle. This data was invaluable in establishing the plan. The consultation was received with great appreciation from whānau who genuinely felt that they were contributing to our school's direction and were not shy in letting us know that they were pleased to be involved and felt heard. 

That process led us to this year's focus which was reporting back. Our most recent breakfast event has been an opportunity to give whānau the overview of what our school direction will look like for the next 3 years.  We covered vision, goals, initiatives and outcomes.  We invited a few guest speakers in our community to give information to whānau about programmes and initiatives that available to our school and then we finished with further consultation.  This consultation included our PE/Health biannual survey and feedback relating to our strategic plan for 2023.

The implementation of our whānau breakfasts has been a game changer in terms of establishing a stronger community through whakawhanaungatanga.  We constantly refer to our community as whānau and through a Pacific lens it takes a village to raise a child.  I encourage all who participate to get to know those who are at their table, look around because 'these are whanau of children that your tamariki count as their friends'.

One of the pillars of our strategic plan is 'whānau' and the goal is that Whānau will be connected and actively engaged in the learning of their tamariki.  The outcome will be whānau who have an interdependent learning relationship with tamariki and our kura.

Becoming part of a school community takes time, has to be planned and incorporated into the strategic direction of the school.  It's important to have the school board on board, attending school events, promoting them and connecting with whānau/parents across the school.

Nga Iwi School 50th Jubliee

 On Friday November 18, Nga Iwi School celebrated its 50th Jubilee.  We had a day of celebrations starting with a very moving powhiri, supported by our local iwi and proudly carried out by our students who were in fine voice.  There were a number of past students, teachers and principals who attended the event, as well as the Honorable Aupito William Su'a, Minister of Pacific People and associate Minister of Foreign Affairs.   

Speakers for the celebration were many and varied.  We started with my Principals welcome...welcoming the community and special guest to such an important occasion.  Followed by our Iwi representative, Matua Ngaati-Tahinga Wilson who gave our community the history and whakapapa of our school and the whenua we stand on.  The honorable  Minister Aupito William Su'a spoke of how well our school is going, the initiatives that are running and the aspirations he and the government have for our community.  Deanna Johnson spoke as the past Principal who introduced Kaiwhare as our new school logo.  Mrs Jocelyn Trembath is a teacher who has served the school for more than 40 years.  She spoke of the 'old days' and how much the school has changed over the years.  Mrs Lily Taplin was the final speaker.  Lily was a foundation student 50 years ago and is a current teacher at our school, she spoke of her love for the school and the community. 

In between all of the speeches were performances.  We had performances from our Samoan Group, Tongan Group, Niuean Group, Hiphop group and our KapaHaka Group.  And intermittently between speeches and performances, Mrs Taplin led singing...the whole school were in fine voice all morning.  At the conclusion of the assembly, guests were welcome to stay for shared kai, browse the photos which lined the hall walls and take a stroll around the school to see how it looks now.   

At 6pm, guests started to arrive for the evening programme of dinner and a DJ.  There were approximately 100 people in attendance including past students and teachers, present whanau, local iwi and staff.  Staff meals were fully subsidised by the board for the amazing work they did in the lead up to and on the day of the Jubilee.  Throughout the night people shared stories and reminisced about the time and their connection to Nga Iwi School.  There was an amazing atmosphere of whanau - once a Nga Iwi kid always a Nga Iwi kid!  Lots of laughter and photo taking, cheers to memories and a bit of dancing at the end of the night.  We had people as far afield as the Far North, the South Island and Australia come to the event.     In summary, the 50th Jubilee celebrations were a huge success. 

We learnt a lot about our schools past and gained a new appreciation for our uniqueness.  We have planned a 50th Jubilee whole school photo in the near future that will be mounted with the foundation school photo.  This will be a symbol of how far we've come and the shoulders on which we stand.

Assessment for Learning - Professional Development Teacher Only Day

 Working with Lizzie Bayliss - Education Group

What is Assessment for Learning:

Latin verb - 'assidere' meaning 'to sit with'.  Implies assessment is done with and for students, not done 'to' them.  Below is an assignment I wrote giving an explanation for what Assessmet

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is not an entirely new concept, in fact formative assessment is the precursor to the ideology that is now referred to as AfL (Wiliam, D. 2011). AfL is student driven and involves a collaborative approach to learning, allowing for a more fluid differentiated teaching and learning approach. Assessment for learning has been defined as a process where teachers and students work beside each other to ‘seek, reflect and respond to information gathered through dialogue, demonstration and observation’ to strengthen the learning process (Klenowski. p.264. 2009). AfL tends to learning as it is happening, in teachable moments not only between teacher and student but student to student. It allows teachers and learners to identify misconceptions and adjust and modify learning as it happens, melding learning, teaching and assessment as an ‘integrated entity’. It transforms classroom learning from traditional (teacher directed), to an open learning space that is student centered.

The purpose behind AfL is to develop autonomous, self regulated learners through enhanced student engagement, resulting in increased student achievement. Autonomy in learning develops ‘expertise’ for students to synthesise, adapt and use across the curriculum (Willis. p.2. 2011). AfL promotes a social, collaborative learning platform, where participants (students and teachers) learn ‘beside’ each other, developing communication and metacognitive skills while gaining a collective knowledge as a community of learners. It is reciprocal, student focused and facilitative in construct. Cowie & Bell (1999) termed assessment in an AfL classroom as ‘interactive’, it often doesn’t involve an assessment task, but real time learning situations.

In assessment for learning, students and teachers ‘seek’ aspects of learning requiring further exploration during learning. Teacher and student (or student and peer) ‘reflect’ on the significance of the requisite learning and together share feedback/feedforward regarding next steps. Students then ‘respond’ to the feedback, making adjustments and actioning new learning into the task. The focus is on the learning as opposed to performance (James et.al. 2011) - the process is task oriented and focuses on task proficiency and understanding.

The ‘seek’ element is neither formal, nor necessarily recorded. Information can be gained through discourse, observation or practical endeavour. It is not necessarily restricted to a single student, but can range across a group in how they are working together, whether discussion is on point and understanding of the concept or task is shared across the group. Upon noticing misconceptions, teachers and students set about ‘reflecting’ on what and how they can address it. Teachers rely on their pedagogical content knowledge to facilitate the learning, to guide students through new learning that can be embedded and synthesised as the learning progresses. Noticing and recognising misconceptions requires teachers to use their prior knowledge of students and their knowledge of the context they are teaching in, to ensure clarity in delivery and understanding. Explicit work expectations and feedback are most important in assisting students to set and evaluate goals during learning. The most effective feedback is cognitive, as opposed to outcome based, as it ‘provides students with information that links cues and achievement’ (Butler & Winne. p.251. 1995). It is an ongoing process which promotes motivation and purpose in the learning.

Students ‘respond’ to the information and feedback received, modifying their application, actioning advice and guidance given by the teacher or peer. Klenowski (2009) notes what works best in advice and guidance is not to provide complete solutions, but to give an indication of how to improve - thus encouraging students in mindful problem solving.

The process of AfL requires scaffolding by teachers and is best carried out through modelling ‘seeking, reflecting and responding’ in everyday practice, embedding it into the classroom culture.

Butler, D. L., & Winne, P. H. (1995). Feedback and self-regulated learning: A theoretical synthesis. Review of educational research, 65(3), 245-281.

Cowie, B., & Bell, B. (1999). A model of formative assessment in science education. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 6(1), 101-116.

James, M., McCormick, R., Black, P., Carmichael, P., Drummond, M. J., Fox, A., ... & Swaffield, S. (2007). Improving learning how to learn: Classrooms, schools and networks. Routledge.

Klenowski, V. (2009). Assessment for learning revisited: An Asia-Pacific perspective.

Wiliam, D. (2011). What is assessment for learning?. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3-14. University of London. England

Willis, J. (2010). Assessment for learning as a participative pedagogy.

Assessment Matters 2, 65-84.

Curriculum Voices Group Hui #2

 The Curriculum Voices Group is a diverse group of people from across Aotearoa to draw on a range of voices and perspectives.  The role of the group is to provide guidance and feedback on design, development and implementation of the refreshed curriculum.  Key words delivered at Hui #2 were - Bicultural/Inclusive, Clear and Easy to Use. 

Implementation of the curriculum is taking place over a 5 year period, all eight areas are to be delivered across that time starting with the new Aotearoa Histories Curriculum and Social Sciences.  There will be a refreshed vision, and key competencies, Mātauranga Māori, literacy and numeracy will be woven throughout.  Curriculum levels will be replaced by phases in a progression framework.  Achievement objectives will be replaced by progress statements.  There are number of groups involved in the curriculum refresh process.  There are the writers, the working group, the review & testers, the focus groups.  All of these groups feedback, ideas and suggestions are shared and discussed with the voices group.  Sessions during Hui #2 included the direction of the refresh, the draft bicultural and inclusive framework components, draft social sciences feedback, preparing for the change, feedback from the office of the children's commissioner, literacy and Math strategies and comms and engagement.

Being part of the Curriculum voices group has given me and our school the opportunity to add clarity to what's ahead.  In sharing my learning with staff I likened it to having a seat at the table as opposed to being on the menu.  We have an opportunity to be part of this curriculum refresh, being done 'with' instead of done 'to', which is often how educators feel when new key documents are released to schools.  

Trauma informed practice - Teacher Only Day

 Teachers often reflect on what the job entails.  There has been many conversations across the motu of the different roles teachers have in their day - educator, mum/dad, nurse, psychologist, friend, mediator, seamstress, athlete, artist, judge, jury, writer, policeman...the list is endless.

We know as educators, the ability of a child to learn is determined by a number of things but where it starts for the teacher is in the well being and relationships they develop with each student in front of them.  If students don't have these things sorted first, they probably wont meet their true potential.

Today our TOD focused on working with kids who have suffered trauma.  We worked with the MoE Learning Support team - Sara, Hannah and May.  To be honest I was a little nervous leading into the day as I know the content of trauma can be difficult to navigate. We all have stories to tell of our experiences of working with kids who have suffered trauma and some teachers themselves may have suffered trauma in the past which is not the knowledge of all, I was unsure how this would be managed.  I trusted the skills and expertise of the professionals facilitating the session.

The facilitators navigated through a range of content, beginning with culturally sustainable connection to us.  Staff were made to feel comfortable, working in an environment created by the facilitators that was both open and safe.  By opening themselves up, sharing their culture and heritage through pepeha and experience, we felt safe in being able to share our thoughts and ideas openly with each other.  Working in a predominantly Pacifica/Maori community, it was important that the content was culturally appropriate.  Our 3 facilitators navigated this exceptionally well, giving guidance and advice that connected to our community and more specifically to the teachers - much of this was done through whakatauki and activities with a cultural twist.

The content delivered specific to trauma is content that I believe every teacher should know and learn about.  The neurological impacts, what behaviours manifest through it, the impacts those behaviours have on the child, how we recognise them, what we can do to manage and in some cases negate behaviours.  The content was delivered with four objectives in mind - Awareness (Matauranga), Learn (Ako), Support (Tautoko) and Protect (Paruru).  We learned about; developmental trauma, culturally responsive practice within trauma informed practice, the adverse childhood experience (ACE) study, Protective and Compensatory Experiences study (PACES), how the brain is affected, fight/flight/freeze, Social and emotional learning through Whare Tapawha and Pacifica perspectives.

Our staff finished the day sharing some of their new learning, the things that impacted them most and their
biggest takeaways.  They learned to walk in the sunshine, not in the shadows - focus on the brightness each child brings, not the darkness they encounter.  This workshop was engaging, informative and hugely reflective.  It gave staff tools for their kite to use and reflect on.  What our students go through outside of school is for the most part unknown to us and out of our control.  We focus on what is in front of us and how we can grow our tamariki to be the best they can be.  This is one PLD that we all walked away from feeling reflective, enlightened and humbled.

What Principals need & What Principals need to be!

Tautai o le Moana - Staff Briefing

Following the Tautai o le Moana fono I attended and reported in my earlier post, I wanted to share my learning with our staff.  I was thinking, if anyone asked staff what changes had happened at our school since my participation in the initiative, they would say 'nothing' or 'I don't know'!  I felt that the Tauati journey started with me.  I spent the year coming to grips with where I sat with my knowledge and understanding of what Pacifica success looked like at our kura and what way finding looked like and felt like for me.  So while I spent the year on my own journey, it is now time to bring way finding to our staff.  This is the slide deck I created to share in our first Tautai staff PLG and hopefully will give some clarity to staff as to what way finding may look like for us and our community.  This is the first of many way finding/Tautai meetings we will have, wish us well on our journey together:-)