From the Principal's Desk- Another exceptional student

2019 Mairehau High Scholar (Dux): Jesse Jeffries

I wish to comment on another exceptional Mairehau High School student, Jesse Jeffries,  a person who has impressed us all with his quiet, focused purpose, and his natural, perceptive intelligence. He has demonstrated his all-round effort this year with hIs considerable commitment. He works hard and complements this with determination and exceptional self-discipline. Since I have known him; he strikes me as an incredibly organised and efficient person. His quiet, calm and dignified personality endears him to others. He is known for completing tasks and meeting incredible deadlines. 

Jesse exhibits all of the highest qualities which we strive for in our students. He is exceptionally well organised, conscientious, academically able, and persistent. His ability to engage with his learning and with others in multi-faceted ways has set him apart. He is a valued member of our school. 

HIs Dean, Mr Lee,  describes him as:

• Hard-working
• Extremely intelligent
• Mature with his decision making 
• Articulate 
• Perfectionist 
• Put's others before himself (Selfless)
• Passionate about following through with his ideas.
• He embodies the "reach full potential" ethos.
• He relates well to his peers. 
• As a leader, he is diplomatic and listens to all parties. 
• Instrumental in organising events at school.
• He has a desire to immerse himself into the school community and make a difference. 

We know he is a passionate and committed achiever. 

Jesse is a decent, worthwhile citizen of our school, community and country. He has a caring nature, respectful of self, others and the environment. This young man is quietly confident, connected, actively involved and a lifelong learner. He has been described as creative and innovative and is the type of person who will work to create a better New Zealand for all that he associates with. 

As an academic, he has been able to establish and achieve challenging goals. Jesse has demonstrated an astute understanding of enquiry and evaluation, synthesis and time management skills required in all of his curricula areas, the subtle nuances and communication skills in senior English, his creative abilities and talents flourish in Music and Art, and his analytical perception in Mathematics with Statistics. He has already gained his Level 3 NCEA qualification. He is indeed genuinely talented and has a balanced approach to his studies and life.

We are all extremely proud of his achievements and contributions, over his years of study at our school, and we wish him all the very best as he embarks on University study at Canterbury. 

Jesse  2019 academic profile: 

Academic Profile: 

1 st English

1 st Music

1 st Art

1 st = Maths with Statistics

I wish to congratulate our 2019 Mairehau Scholar (Dux), Jesse Jeffries.

From the Principal's Desk- An exceptional Mairehau High School student

2019 Mairehau Scholar  Runner-up: Caitlyn Barnett-Johnston 

I take this opportunity to acknowledge a fantastic young learner of Mairehau High School the school’s runner up to the Mairehau Scholar: Caitlyn Barnett- Johnston.

Her teachers describe her as considerate, friendly, conscientious, focused, and a self-manager. She is an achiever and has a natural aptitude for many subjects, particularly History and Geography, in which she has a deep understanding and exceptional talent. Our runner-up is a focused, insightful, and very competent academic who has always worked to her potential, achieving results at levels in advance of her cohort. This year she has already achieved her NCEA Level 3 qualification. Her Year Level Dean describes her as incredibly helpful and committed. Mr Lee also acknowledges her contribution to our school and describes her as:

• Hard-working
• Able to apply a perspective in an analysis that stretches far beyond that of others her age.
• Cas easily conceptualize, contextualise and grasp complex ideas. 
• Although quiet, always willing and ready to make positive, thoughtful and meaningful contributions to class and class discussions.
• However, she is confident enough to go against the grain and stand up for what she believes in 
• Her amazing level of empathy and care for others in her life.
• She is driven and motivated, and she has a bright future in front of her because of this determination.
• Always asks how your day/weekend was - has a genuine interest in a relationship with teachers/people.
• A lovely girl. The perfect student.

Her key strength is her quietly confident personality. Her teachers find her polite and respectful member of the class. She is always kind and courteous, a testament to her empathetic nature. Her diligence has seen her achieve impressive results so far this year; she displays a great amount of talent for the skills required in her courses. She is always engaged in class, willing to help others to understand and readily asking questions that benefit herself and her classmates. 

She has an excellent work effort and is prepared to put in extra time to strengthen new ideas, and she is will seek help when needed. She is a confident, connected learner of Mairehau High School who is actively involved with others. She mixes with students of many levels and is happy to talk to students about her ideas. She’s a listener and thinker with great plans, and she is a wonderful role model. 

Teachers have acknowledged her for her perceptional ability, her conceptual understanding, her problem-solving capability, and her reporting skills. They all confirm her maturity of purpose and diligence in managing her school-wide commitments in preparation for study at Tertiary in the future. 

She is a person who will utilise opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies to ensure a sustainable social, economic, cultural, and environmental future for all. 

We are all proud of her contributions to our school and her accomplishments, and we wish her well in her tertiary studies at ARA, next year, in Business Studies. 

Here is her 2019 academic profile: 

Academic Profile: 

1 st History

1 st Geography

1 st = Health

1 st = Maths with Statistics

I congratulate and acknowledge our runner-up to the 2019 Mairehau Scholar,  Caitlyn Barnett-Johnston 

From the Principal's Desk- A reflection of 2019 in Mairehau High School,

Introduction

I would like to acknowledge all readers of my Blog  in some of the many languages that reflect our school, in fact, some of the many cultures that reflect Christchurch and New Zealand:

In English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Samoan, Korean, Japanese, Chinese Indian, South African, French: Greetings, Kia ora, Kia Orana, Talofa lava, Mala lolei, Yeoboseyo (여보세요), Kon'nichiwa こんにちは, Nǐ hǎo んにちは, 你好, namaste नमस्ते, Sawubona, Bonjour

We are proud to have many different cultures represented on the Mairehau High School roll. 

Our Mission statement: “All students to value themselves and others, to know they can excel and to reach their full potential.” The founders and architects of our school sculptured these words to form the underlying principles of Mairehau High School. There are three elements of this vision statement, self and mutual respect, learning how to achieve, and doing your very best. 

I wish to provide a reflection: “What’s happened at Mairehau High School in 2019”

Term One: 15th March- Christchurch: Muslim Attack

We woke up to the dawn of a new school day, a different New Zealand, a stronger nation. Our students and staff returned to school after the tragic events of 15th March. We learned about the attacks on our Muslim community. Our staff had a special briefing outlining our support for students, staff and community. 

Our school focussed on compassion, respect and the acknowledgement of people: students, staff, parents, NZ Police, Ministry of Education, Ambulance and Medical service, and all who have helped over those days. 

On that day the odious apparatus of fear raised its ugly head.

The tragic Muslim attack, will not deter us as a school, community or nation. We all have a responsibility to model the values of compassion, respect and aroha for our fellow New Zealander. We can not let trepidation rule our communities. As a nation, we have grown stronger and better. We are known as a country for our Aroha and Manakitanga. 

I am proud to be the Principal of a Christchurch School working with caring, compassionate, and respectful students, staff and community.

Term Two: Enrolment Zone

The Board of Mairehau High School recently adopted an enrolment scheme that has been approved by the Secretary for Education. Under this scheme, students will be enrolled if they live within our home zone.

Mairehau High School has been collaborating with other Greater Christchurch State Secondary School Principals and Boards of Trustees to establish a cohesive schooling network across the city. 

There has been a collective desire to create a sustainable school network that will have a significant positive impact on the learning communities of Christchurch. Mairehau High School remains committed to ensuring that our approach to zoning change will meet the needs of schools in our community, while also supporting the effectiveness of improving a more sustainable school education network. 

We are confident that the new Mairehau High School zone will provide long term sustainable and equitable learning opportunities for the young citizens of our community.

Our new zone will take effect from 1 January 2020. 

Term Three: Property Design Rebuild

Our school roll is expected to grow to 500 pupils, and the master plan will allow for a roll build of up to 800. The new rebuild design is in its very early stages, it offers an opportunity to provide new 21st-century Hard Materials, Hospitality, Visual Arts and Supported Learning facility. (Money permitting) the Board is considering an upgrade to the gymnasium)

Each phase of the plan is aligned to the greater Christchurch Network of Schools and the Ministry of Education prediction of roll growth.

“The new building (phase one) caters for the future of teaching and learning practices,”  The school’s revised master-plan reflects the latest budget and MOE growth projection figures.

“The whole area will allow curriculum deliveries through specialist areas,” he said. The master plan also outlines the aspirations and fundamental learning needs of the school and the ministry.

“We are very excited about our master plan and future building project. We will continue to develop positive outcomes and learning experiences for our students.”

Term Four: Education Review Office

The school’s commitment to providing effective strategic leadership and 21st-century vision and facilities is evident in Mairehau High School’s Charter.

Earlier this term, our school was reviewed by the Education Review Office (ERO). This is an external government agency charged with the responsibility of determining the quality of teaching, the strength and quality of internal-review, and improvement processes in the school.

Mairehau High School provides genuine opportunities for its students to excel academically, in leadership, in community service, in a sporting activity or in the arts. The school has a caring and nurturing environment with outstanding staff. 

Leaders and teachers have a clear and shared focus on knowing the learner. Teachers use a wide range of information about students’ achievement, progress and wellbeing to:

• Identify students’ learning needs and track and monitor their progress
• Provide extra support for students who need more assistance
• Share information that promotes increased understanding of, and useful responses to, students’ learning and wellbeing needs
• Support improved attendance, retention and engagement in learning

Our (GATE) coordinator Angela Marshall has provided significant progress with the school’s well-considered Gifted and Talented education programme. Our Careers team led by Margaret Robertson providing pathways for students to vocational and tertiary opportunities.

A wide range of abilities is identified and fostered in gate planning and approaches. Identified students have ongoing opportunities to explore and extend their learning within their area of special ability.

We trust that ERO is able to capture in their report the true essence and capability of Mairehau High School. We wait in anticipation for their draft report.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to publically acknowledge my Board Chair, Mr Chris Caselton appointed this year, and all Board members for your continued support. 

I now wish to acknowledge some of the people that have supported students in their journey through Mairehau High School. The Mairehau High School staff.  We are fortunate to have an abundance of dedicated and conscientious staff who contribute to the education and well- being of our students. To the Mairehau High School staff,  thank you.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge members of my senior leadership team: Rebecca Swanson and Siobhan Murphy, for supporting me, and providing leadership, when it really mattered. I genuinely value your personal and professional commitment to me this year. We have had our good times, shared our challenging times, and we have had a lot of fun along the way. Thank you for putting up with me.

To the most important people who care, I commend parents, family, and friends and all who have supported students during these years of school.  Strive to succeed in whatever life holds for you.  Maintain high expectations, take opportunities and be innovative when faced with life’s challenges.

I close with the following Maori Whakatuaki:

Ko te manu e kai ana te miro, nona te ngahere

Otira, ko te manu e kai ana te matauranga nona te ao 

(The bird that takes sustenance from the fruit of the miro shall master the ways of the forest, and the bird that takes sustenance from the fruit of knowledge shall master the ways of the world.)  

From the Principal's Desk: Prime Ministers Vocational Excellence Award:

Prime Ministers Vocational Excellence Award:

The Prime Ministers Vocational Excellence award is aimed at raising the status of the vocational study and recognising the achievements of students excelling in vocational education. The award also aims to inspire students to plan more carefully how their subject choices lead on to careers that suit their skills and abilities.

Mairehau High School is pleased to be nominating a Year 13 recipient for the Prime Minister’s Vocational Excellence Award. In the inaugural year, the school is nominating an exceptional young man who has a clear pathway for his future.

He has shown a willingness to help in many school extracurricular activities and events in 2019; he is an exceptionally important member of our Outdoor Education team. He has contributed to a role in our Student Executive team.

This year he has been actively involved at ARA Institute of Canterbury, completing a dual enrolment programme in outdoor education and sustainability. He is on our Gateway pathways programme, which he successfully completed at Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. He has been offered an internship at the Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre in 2020.

His Year 13 Dean, Mr Lee describes him as:

• Always positive
• Through adversity, he still does his best.
• Selfless, always putting others before himself. 
• Confident leader
• Empathetic towards other students.
• He is patient, generous, adventurous, sincere in his manner and has an ability to build positive rapport with others.
• His passion for the outdoors has been developed at School and he will be an amazing Outdoor instructor.  

He is self-driven, knowledgeable, and capable in the area of outdoor pursuits. He has an outgoing and friendly personality and has been described by his OE teacher as “one who would give you the shirt off his back.”

Mairehau High School endorses him as a nominee of this award, and we have no doubt that he will make the most of this opportunity. The 2019 inaugural Prime Ministers Vocational Excellence Award is presented to Joshua Schuurman.

From the Principal's Desk

Kia ora All.

I wish to bring our community up to date with the next steps towards the Mairehau High School current building project.

Mairehau High School Property Design update:

The Mairehau High School Board of Trustees, Ministry of Education (MOE Property Division) and OPUS international consultants are working collaboratively to develop and implement our school property and masterplan.

The proposed new development for Mairehau High School offers an opportunity to provide a new 21st-century Technology and Supported Learning education facility.  Consideration has also been given to rebuilding our gymnasium changing rooms.  There are several distinct phases to the property plan. Each phase is aligned to Greater Christchurch Network of Schools, i.e. predicter MOE roll growth.

The new building (phase one) caters for the future of teaching and learning practices the school’s revised master-plan reflects the latest budget and MOE growth projection figures. The main structure of our gymnasium is sound; however, there is a real need to rebuild storage, changing room, and classroom facilities.

 It also outlines the aspirations and fundamental pedagogical needs of Mairehau High School and the Ministry. Our Technology, Hospitality, ICT, Support Learning, and PE and Health teachers are meeting and working together on the design of the building.

Project Timeline:

The proposed 500 build roll master-plan development is planned to start on site in December 2020 with a final completion date yet to be established.

Roll Projections:

The build roll has been confirmed as 500 pupils and the master plan roll as 800 pupils. The transition roll (i.e.the highest expected roll before the completion of the project) is expected to be able to be accommodated for within the existing buildings. 

The master-plan design considers both the build roll of 500 and the master-plan roll of 800, which allows for future growth.

Construction Budget:

The construction budget for the 500 pupil build roll has been confirmed as $14. 5 million dollars.

Conclusion:

We are very excited about our masterplan and future building project. We will continue to develop positive outcomes and learning experiences for our students.

The following graphic provides the masterplan initial future design of our buildings. We plan to keep you updated with master planning, design, and building.

Mairehau High School 

Becoming a Digitally Fluent Principal

Introductions

I am reminded of the Maori proverb Ka pu te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi in the context of the Digital Fluent Intensive (DFI) course moving from traditional pedagogy to modern digital strategies.

I feel a sense of sadness as the Christchurch cohort DFI course enters its last day. I take the opportunity to thank and acknowledge the presenters, facilitators, and DFI colleagues for providing me with a fabulous course. During the DFI programme, I have learnt, I have created, and I have shared my knowledge of the DFI programme. To all, I say, thank you.

I also acknowledge the people behind the Manaiakalani scenes. These people are the backbone to the practice of Learn, create, and share. I look forward to the national hui being held in Auckland in October.

I am hearing from my own staff, “after 8 weeks, I now get it”. John wrote the following.

“I understand the Learn Create Share kaupapa now.  I’d heard it being talked about in the staffroom, but I get it now.  Where was it 39 years ago at Auckland Training College when David Lange spoke to the assembled crowd of eager teacher trainees?  His lank, greasy hair and marmite jar glasses cut an impressive figure.”

What has worked for me since the last time we met? 
I am still consolidating my knowledge of Google tools, in particular, Google: Docs, calendar, keep, and drive. The devices are being embedded in my everyday practice. I am using Google Keep as a tool to research and collate information for school purposes.

What hasn’t worked or made sense?
I’m okay; most things have worked and starting to make sense. If anything, it is just having an in-depth knowledge of the functionality of each of the Google App settings and fine-tuning my knowledge the each of the tools. 

What do I need help with?
I would like support to develop an automated Google form: Context- personnel, to embed a code into NZ Gazette linked to an application Google form, to automatically generate a spreadsheet to compile information, to allow applicants to download their CV and covering letter, automatically send multiple responses to the applicant. E.g. application received, and later advice on next steps, i.e. shortlisting. The goal is to automate the recruitment processes and share the data with key staff.

Ubiquitous learning: (Hannah West )
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Learners have the opportunity to have a high-quality learning experience right now.

Hannah referenced an innovative literacy strategy called the Summer Learning Journey (SLJ), which was created to support student learning. The research found that students who blogged through the summer learning journey at least twice a week, on average, had better gains in reading and writing than students who posted less frequently. The inference is that blogging supports writing outcomes. Interestingly, no teachers were present, and there were no learning intentions about surface features.

Google for Education Certificate:
There was some degree of trepidation sitting the 3- hour Google Certified Educator examination. The memory of sitting university papers in bygones days comes flooding back to the mind. If I did not pass, then there are inferences and potential disparages that could potentially be cast on my skills and abilities as a leader. I was pleased to receive the email of congratulations from the Google for Education robot that marked my paper. 

All in all, if I had not passed, it wouldn’t have mattered. The learning from DFI over the last nine weeks will continue to support what I do as a Principal. I was also pleased for my other two Mairehau colleagues as we snatched the trifecta of success.  The key issue for all of us is the progress we have all made during DFI. The DFI cohort of teachers will return to their schools with knowledge, skills and capabilities to share with our students, staff, and communities.

Maniakalani opportunities: (Hannah West)
Hannah presented an overview of leadership opportunities in the Manaiakalani (link). The pipeline of leadership enables teachers to share and upskill their digital expertise to others. The innovative teacher and Google class on-air programme are available for teachers. 

Manaiakalani teachers have been evaluated by the Woolf Fisher Research Centre for a number of years now.  It is a wonderful opportunity for affirming things teachers are doing.

Works Cited
“DFI Ubiquitous.” Google Slides


Google for Education allows for progression by certification. It is an opportunity for teachers to gain recognition and qualification. The qualifications would be particularly useful for anyone applying for teaching positions in a New Zealand school. The following image provides an overview of the qualification progression.

The weeks attending DFI seem to have gone very quickly. I get Learn, Create, and Share better now than anytime before. My next step is to implement the practice successfully in a secondary school setting. My long term goal is to embed practice across the secondary school network of Christchurch.

Conclusion:
To all who enter the schoolhouse of learning and to those that take the chance to attend a DFI course. My karanga (call) to my fellow Principal colleagues; in my view, it is worthwhile prioritising the workload of leadership business for the opportunity of learning and creating in a digital environment. Let the day to day operations of dealing with students, staff, and parents be put aside for a moment of time to enter a programme which would help to transform your schools. I share with other lifelong learners my total acknowledgement of Learn, Create, and share and the fantastic course that we call DFI.

Becoming a Digtal Fluent Principal

Introductions: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We celebrate week 8 of our Digital Fluent Intensive (DFI) course with “Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.” English, New Zealand sign, and Māori are the official languages of New Zealand (Aotearoa). In 1987, Māori became an official language. New Zealand is the only country in the world where Māori is spoken. However, it was only in recent years that the Maori language gathered its widespread support. Te Reo Māori is an integral part of our national identity. Learning te Reo Māori provides great satisfaction, a greater connection with Aotearoa and an enhanced understanding of our culture and society. Māori Language Week has been celebrated since 1975. Māori Language Day is September 14 and commemorates the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to parliament.

What has worked for me since the last time we met? 

I am still consolidating my knowledge of Google tools, in particular, Google: Docs, calendar, keep, and drive. The tools are being embedded in my everyday practice. I am using Google Keep as a tool to research and collate information for school purposes.

What hasn’t worked or made sense?

I’m okay; most things have worked and starting to make sense. If anything, it is just having an in-depth knowledge of the functionality of each of the Google App settings.

What do I need help with?

I would like an opportunity to discuss with other Principal’s or leaders how they are using Google tools for strategic and operational school leadership purposes.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori:

New Zealand has been revitalising the Māori language, and a part of that is a celebration of our success and promoting te Reo Māori. Māori language week is an opportunity for celebration, promotion and encouragement. And every minute of every hour of every day is a Māori language minute – we can choose to use te Reo – every time we do, even just a ‘Kia ora!’ contributes to revitalisation.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is becoming a major fixture on the national calendar providing an opportunity for promotion, raising awareness and giving an opportunity for expert and advanced speakers to encourage others on their te Reo Māori journey. Teachers in Mairehau High School have been taking part in Te Reo tutorials each Wednesday, afterschool.

What can I do?

Mā tātou katoa te Reo Māori e whakarauora:

Whakatauhia te reo Māori ki te wāhi mahi me te hapori

Whakahau i ētahi atu ki te kōrero, ki te ako hoki i te reo Māori; whakauruamai hoki te reo Māori ki tōu ao

Kia tika tonu te whakahua i te kupu Māori i ngā wā e kōrero Pākehā ana

Ahakoa iti, akona, kōrerohia

Kia nui ake te ako ka kōrero ai

Whāia te ara poutama o te reo ka tohatoha ai.

Everyone can contribute to te Reo Māori revitalisation:

 Make te Reo welcome at work and in the community

Encourage others to use and learn te Reo Māori; welcome Māori language into your life

Pronounce Māori words correctly when speaking English

Learn a little, use a little

Learn more, and use what you know

Keep improving your language, and share what you know

Works Cited

“About.” Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, www.tewikiotereomaori.co.nz/about/.

Empowered: 

Empowerment is the practice of sharing information and knowledge with others so that they can take the initiative, make decisions, and solve problems to improve their skills and capabilities. Empowerment is based on the idea that giving people skills, opportunity, motivation, and holding them responsible and accountable for outcomes of their actions.

Korero from Dorothy:

This is the “Why” for ManaiaKalani- why have we gone to this model of teaching and learning. Dorothy serves a Decile One school located in the Tamaki basin in Auckland. She lives locally, and all her children have attended the local schools. 80% of the housing in Tamaki is owned by the NZ government. The word agency has been transitioned to the word empower, which has more meaning for her community.

“It’s not just a tool: with it transforms the way we learn, offers us new uncharted experiences and opportunities.”- (Dean Shareski 2011)

“The Manaiakalani kaupapa of empowerment is about at the advancing of Rangatiratanga taking back control of their lives.”- (Pat Sneddon)

When your house is owned by the government, you are disempowered. Where there was one house on a quarter-acre section there are now three (3). Families are living in one room to keep warm from the winters cold. Nearly 3000 statehouses are boarded up and not being used while the waiting list increases. Dorothy’s community is disempowered with high-interest rates, poor housing, substandard medical care.

The research indicates that students in their community arrive at school with academic and social deficits. In oral language space, there are huge deficits in the community. Blogging is a threaded conversation of reading and writing. We build up the conversation by ensuring it is part of the school’s reading programme.

If we want to empower our students, we need visibility, connected, and ubiquitous learning to be happening. Students and parents need to be enabled to use digital tools to support education and social needs.

Google Forms:

Dorothy provided our cohort with an overview of the tool Google Form. We are able to design a range of questions types, including multiple-choice, short answer, drop down, and linear. The Google form is able to collate, analyse, and provide evaluative information about the data in the form. Google forms would be useful for collating information from surveys, opinions, and assessments.

The following link takes you to a presentation on Google Forms: Link

There are three main ways to send a form:

Email - Allows you to directly send the form by adding the recipient's address, customise your message and hit send

Link - Share via a link by highlighting, copying and pasting the link in the desired location

Embed - Copy and paste the embed code to share via Google site or blog 

Exploring Google Maps:

Google My Maps is a way to keep track of the places that matter. It is possible to make custom maps, remember your favourite sites, explore new cities, or plan great vacations. The school maps that I have used the information on school demographics.

 Google Sheets:

The functionality of Google sheets, in my view, is similar to Microsoft Excel spreadsheet tool. I understand how powerful Excel is as a data tool and would probably continue to use it as my current spreadsheet tool of choice; until I become more familiar with Google Sheets. Google sheet is a handy tool for students and teachers to analyse and evaluate data.

Evaluation of Blogs:

Primary school students in the Manaikalani schools are regularly posting a blog each week. The student that I evaluated had been Blogging since 2014. His median number of Blogs per year is 74.5. This means that on average, he has been posting a blog nearly two times each week during the school year. If we are to model to our students, then teachers and leaders need to be posting a blog at least twice a week. Our why is about improving literacy skills at each year level. Woolf Fisher data supports that blogging improves the literacy skills of our learners.

Closure:

I am privileged today to part of our DFI programme, in many ways, I will be saddened completing the programme next week. I have shared my learning with my DFI colleagues, presenters and staff of Mairehau High School. The scaffold of Learn, Create and share supported by a framework of being: empowered, visible, connected, and ubiquitous is now becoming embedded in my everyday practice. I shared with my colleagues that I have moved from Microsoft Word to Google Docs. The connectivity and ability to transition from one Google tool to another supports my leadership role. The ease in moving from one platform to another and using a range of tools to explore, research and evaluate is appealing. I challenge other Principal’s to take the opportunity to attend a future DFI programme. I also take this opportunity to thank Dorothy, Mark, and Kelsey and the whole manaiakalani team for supporting my lifelong passion for learning. I feel that I am able to share my new found skills and abilities with students, board members, staff and parents of our school.

Becoming a Digitally Fluent Principal

Introduction:

Kia ora all, nau mai, haere mai.

Today is week seven (7) of our Digital fluent intensive course (DFI). In recent weeks, I have been introduced to a range of Google tools, sites, and information. I appreciate the connectedness, collaboration, and integration components of the Google environment. The various tools such as Google: Keep, gmail, calendar, drive and others have all helped to support my knowledge of learning in this environment. It is fair to say that I cast a leadership lens over DFI; I think about how the tools and information can support me in my role as a Principal. I have also enjoyed collaborating and working with my DFI colleagues; the other two Mairehau HS teachers (Lucy and John) have helped me to keep on track. We have been able to learn, create, and share together.

Last week the Mairehau HS DFI team shared with our school staff our Learning in DFI. When learning moves to create and create steps to share, it is interesting the impact of what new knowledge has on others. At our Staff only day (30th August 2019), the DFI team was able to share Google sites, Google Keep, and Blogging to all of our staff. My previous Blog references elements of our Staff Only day. Most staff commented positively on the functionality of each of the tools presented.

I am interested in attending a Google conference in 2020. The current move of the Google development team to build on three (3) dimensional imaging processes to allow students to have a feel of size and dimension into the classroom is exciting. I would also be interested in any new Google development progress to enhance teaching and learning, for example, the improved functionality of the Google lens tool. Google lens is a point and display platform, which allows for searching, text to voice capability, and integration within the Google tools environment. I used the Google lens tool to download image information from a business card straight to contacts.

Our presenter shared with us his knowledge of Live Streaming

Kent Somerville (Pt England school)

Live streaming can be used for Community-based activities- e.g. cross country a school fair. Students are able to connect with their whanau, for example, family in the Pasifika Islands. It is fantastic that families can share what is happening and what is unique about live streaming

A high definition camera is used for live streaming, the Terdaek: VdiUPro is used as the tool to create a live stream. This camera has full zoom, and HDMI cable is plugged in, it is filming straight to Youtube, and a copy of your streaming is automatically embedded in the Youtube environment.

By using Youtube, we are streaming to an event, and we can create an event for next year, now. We can set up an event to have the permissions that you require before the stream begins. There three ways that you can view through the VIdUPro (see image)

Using a Laptop camera

It is possible to use your webcam and use the laptop to film events

We can also use a drone; your phone can connect to the remote. The image can go straight from the device into Youtube. At the moment, the laws are minimised about the use of drones, and there is no enforceable law. However, there are guidelines in terms of drone use.

Refer to K Sommerville’s slides on Live streaming link.

What could we stream on a weekly or termly basis?

The drone has a gimbal device(camera stabiliser) on it, to aid filming performance.

What has worked for me since the last time we met? 

I am still consolidating my knowledge of Google tools, in particular, in particular, Google: Docs, calendar, keep, and drive. I am using the tools as part of my everyday practice. Our new staff only had a lens of Learn, Create, and Share. I have an interest in finding out more about the Google lens tool.  I enjoyed planning and building a useful Google site.

What hasn’t worked or made sense?

I’m okay; most things have worked and starting to make sense. If anything, it is just an in-depth knowledge of the functionality of each of the Google Apps.

What do I need help with?

Do you know of any Google conferences during Term 3, 2020? I have a sabbatical and wish to attend an overseas Google conference.

Connections a presentation by Dorothy and Kent:

Connectivity is a way of life for our students.

People see us as a robust network of schools (Manaiakalani); initially, the schools were the most disconnected group of schools regardless of the minimal distance between each school. Being a connected group of schools has been a long journey.

The Manaiakalani team has committed to a long term relationship with all the other clusters. The model of connectedness is long term and sustainable, and very different from the current MOE model of clustering schools. We are a robust network of schools. When is MOE going to support our schools financially? The ManaiaKalani team has a powerful set of data (Woolfe Fisher) to support the progress of the connectedness.

The one thing that connects us to the Learn, Create, and Share is the continuity of consistent language i.e. ubiquitous, connected, empowered, and visible. These set of principles form the underlying principles of connectedness through a diverse range of schools. The language that we use is essential in the progress of all of our schools.

We want to give students to bring their ideas together. Our students are able to share what they are actively participating by using their progress. This will help to accelerate student learning and to support students and teachers from other clusters. The connectedness helps us to achieve our goal of accelerating our students. The sharing is more powerful when we are able to connect to others. Commenting on a blog post is vital to engage our learners. We are able to share everything, the whole extreme of emotions, and the active sharing helps with connecting with others.

There is exciting stuff coming back from teachers and Principals. The digital environment helps to turbocharge the learning, make the impossible, possible. There is nothing more important than having cuddles from your whanau. However, digital connectedness helps you to be part of your whanau learning.

Connected Learners Share.

ManiaaKalani has evolved into a reciprocal relationship with the other outreach community of schools. We are able to use Blog for advertising the sharing of information by our students. We can use Google groups to help to spread news beyond our school domain.

• Connectedness is powerful:
• Teaching and learning is visible
• Learners and teachers have been empowered to have agency
• Ubiquity is supported.

To enable accelerated learning and growth, we need to use the power of Connect, Empower, Ubiquity, and Visible.

Chanel and Playlist:

Kent showed us how to set up and Chanel and playlist in the Youtube environment. He said that setting up may be relevant to the Level One examination. Take an opportunity to read his presentation at the following links: Connected and Playlist. The settings provide an opportunity to customise your settings on Youtube, e.g. privacy, sharing, and playlist.

Google Draw:

Google Draw has all the classic drawing tool, shapes, connectors, texts, and image capabilities. We are able to create a drawing and use as a png (portable graphic network) in this environment. We can use Google draw to create all of our Google site buttons.  We can customise the size of images and link the buttons to specific photos in Google Draw.

Google Slides:

Kent talked about the need to plan, and to use Google slide as a tool for planning. I couldn’t agree more. For me, planning is crucial to the Learn, Create and Share environment. Without proper planning, there is a potential of quickly getting lost in the maze of robust and diverse connectedness. It seemed that even with minimal preparation, a site, slide, or drawing could get out of control. 

How should we embed practices in our school?

I suppose that I am now asking the question about informed planning to support Learn, create, share for students.  When embedding Learn, Create and share across a school, planning on the “How” is crucial. Leadership needs to develop a sustainable coherent process to allow the practice to be implemented in the school environment.

It seems to me to a small identified group needs to pilot the tools and learning strategies of Learn, Create and Share. The group needs to be a reasonable size, for example, a cohort of a specific Year level. Leaders need to be assigned to implement and engage teachers and students in learning opportunities. An internal review of progress on a regular basis needs to be applied to ensure all is on track and to iron out any potential issues. The team leaders need to be able to meet regularly and report directly to the senior leadership team and Principal. Students, staff and whanau need to be provided with opportunities to comment on the progress and success of the Learning practices. Teachers and leaders need to be provided with ongoing professional learning to enhance their teaching practice. Our school leaders need to be able to reflect and share their knowledge by engaging in meaning conversations or sharing an inquiry.

Once again, I have enjoyed my DFI learning and share with you my first animation based on 'Ko wai au' or "Who I am?". My subject is my three (3) year old moko. His name is Bodhi.

Becoming a Digitally Fluent Principal

Mairehau High School Staff Only Day

Introduction:
Nau mai, haere mai, ki tatou hui matauranga.

On this day we enjoy the company and learning of all staff at Mairehau High School. We have framed our Staff only day around the lens of Learn, Create, and Share.

The following link takes you to our Staff Only Day timetable link.

NCEA changes:
Rebecca Swanson provided a great overview of changes to NCEA and what it means for secondary and primary schools.

Rebecca’s NCEA presentation can be found at the following NCEA  link. Her presentation came from the recently held CADAP meeting with Rob Miln (MOE NCEA leader). It is fair to say that we have many questions to ask MOE before the mandatory changes are implemented.

What is happening to NCEA?

What are the underlying principles of the review?

What are the timeframes to implement the review changes?

Share:
The team of DFI students share their learning with other members of staff. John focussed on Google sites development, Sobhan focussed on Blogging, and I focussed on three (3) key elements of the Google Keep programme.

Google Keep:
There were three (3) quick-fire taster sessions. From my perspective, I was keen to show teachers the “How I am using Google Keep”. The presentation of Google Keep included: voice to text, image to text, and gmail to Google Keep processes. All tools are useful in everyday note or meeting situations. The presentation notes emailed by the gmail scheduling tool included: What is Google Keep, How to use Google Keep, and Google Keep tips and tutorials.

What is Google Keep?
What is Google Keep Link?
How to use Google Keep: Getting started
Getting started with Google Keep Link
The following link takes you to relevant Google Keep (Tips and Tutorial sites) on youtube.
Google Keep Tips and Tutorials

Digitally Fluent Intensive (DFI):
At one of the recent DFI courses, I shared with Lucy my knowledge of the golden ratio. Lucy had never heard of the golden ratio, however, after my explanation.  Lucy is now using the golden ratio to format many of her DFI images.

Mark included a comment on my blog about sharing the golden ratio with others.

The Golden Ratio:
There is a ratio which appears to be aesthetically pleasing; the height and width of objects just seem to be in the right proportion to each other. This ratio occurs in nature, buildings, and objects. Often, we do not even think about the proportions. However, for some reason, we know that the relationship between the size and shape of the objects feels right. The following images provide examples of the ratio.

In Mathematics, the ratio that seems to appear recurrently in beautiful things in nature as well as in other objects that are seen as “pleasing to the senses” is called the “Golden Ratio” it is a mathematical ratio of 1.618:1.

Here is an example of calculating the width of a rectangle in proportion to the golden ratio.

Let’s say we have a rectangle of height 6 cm. What should the width of the rectangle to ensure that it is proportional to the golden ratio?

6  x 1.618 = 9.708. The rectangle should be 9.708 cm (try it)

By using the golden ratio proportions, the size and shape of your image will aesthetically please the eye.

Becoming a Digitally Fluent Principal

Ako, Hanga, Tohatoha

It’s hard to believe that we are in our sixth week of our Digital Fluent Intensive (DFI) programme. I have appreciated the new skills, opportunities and learning that DFI has provided for our team of Te Ara Tuhura teachers. In recent weeks I have deliberately changed how I am working in the Google environment. The learning leading to new capabilities is supporting my role of leadership.

Evaluation of sites:

Our first task this morning was to evaluate a Google site. I looked at the Te Ana Ako 2018 site (Link): The use of font style and size, student images, colour and text (vocab and number). Using a large image, whanau,  and student feedback buttons help to create a visually appealing site. There are clear and explicit links to site content. The home page header image, although appealing, takes a lot of real estate. It is important to plan and think about the design of a google site. Using only a few consistent thematic colours across the page sites will provide simplicity and continuity. It is fair to say that some of the above comments are subjective. The intended audience of your site will have an effect on the planning and design of your site.

What has worked for me since the last time we met?

I am still consolidating my knowledge of Google tools, in particular, in particular, Google: Docs, calendar, keep, and drive. I am using the tools as part of my everyday practice. I have a better understanding of the interconnectedness of each tool and how each Google platform relates to another.

What hasn’t worked or made sense?

I just need time to apply the skills and context of my learning to everyday actions. Most things have worked and I am starting to have a tutu in the coding environment. The delivery of DFI has been lucid and transparent.

What do I need help with?

I require in-depth content knowledge and practice with the Google site and draw tools to support leadership.

Visible Learning

We have kept so much of the learning journey hidden and not visible to our learners and parents. For many children who were raised with success, the ‘Cultural Capital’ was done in the home. Success and achievement criteria are today being explicitly displayed in our schools. This has clearly had an impact on student learning;  we have discovered that making learning visible has been a game-changer.

The learner is at the centre of learning. When we consider visible teaching and if our default is everything visible; what genuinely needs to be invisible or private? What needs to be shared with whanau: School’s retain profiling data on every student; therefore, what needs to be made available to whanau? We understand that perhaps health, disciplinary, and assessment data may need to be sensitised. Do we need to be precious about our assessment data? Do we need to have that assessment conversation a little more openly with our parents and teachers?

Let us encourage teachers to make visible learning the normality of what we do.

From the beginning of Manaikalani journey, Google site is being used to turbocharge our school assessment and planning. By having a Google site, every learner will have access to teacher information. How can we use Google site to enhance our teaching processes and delivery?

Visible teaching needs to be accessible, available, and in advance. We need to give our whanau time and opportunities for rewindable learning.

Hapara teacher dashboard was designed for ManaiKalani students by the Auckland team to enable learner and teacher visibility. Manaiakalani Google class On-air is a programme of teachers that have a webcam in their classrooms to enable everyday visibility in the classroom.

Blogger has been chosen to enable young people to go online to responsible and effective digital citizens. The giving and receiving of feedback and feedforward have normally been the domain of the teacher. Blogger allows others to provide a range of comments to support student learning.

As teachers' we need to default to visible learning practices.

It is the experience of the Manaiakalani team that our learners are all over the internet with positive learning contributions.

Share:

• Communicate with a real audience and purpose in mind
• Inform others about my learning
• Enlist others to my point of view
• Get others to think

More with Google site:

Clarelle is a third-year PT England Primary school teacher presenting a session on  DFI- Leading Learning using Google Sites: She focussed on the “Why we should use Google site as a classroom tool?” as an introduction to her presentation. She spoke about the learning journey being connected, a process of learning, and not just a time one thing. She talked about the development of the Google site in the classroom context. Clarelle explained that students find it easier to navigate a site if there are simple consistencies in the design and planning of the site.

Consider in the design and planning of the Google site the consistency of colour,  layout, and font.

She emphasised the three-click rule, i.e. only use a maximum of 3 clicks to get to your learning content.

Google site Planning:

There is real value in planning your Google site before committing to the input of information, in my view there seems to be a lot to take into account: The purpose?, Who is your target audience?, What is your theme? How will the site be accessed? How many pages? What will be the focus of your home page? What should be the layout of each page?

Spending time on Google site planning will help with being efficient and effective. I used the following framework as a scaffold for planning my Google site.

The following is my initial planning into the development of a Leadership Google site, which is useful for my leadership role.

Initial Planning

Teaching and Learning

• Numeracy and Literacy 
• Digital Technology
• Priority Learners
• Assessment information
• Student Progress and achievement in Numeracy and Literacy
• Depth of learning relating to needs ad capabilities
• Analysis of good quality assessment
• Treaty of Waitangi
• Career Education

Internal Review and Community

Personnel

Finance and Property

Health and Safety

Legal Compliance

I quickly realised that my Google site could become very large and cumbersome quickly. For the purpose of today’s exercise, I decided to focus on the Teaching and Learning section of the site only. It was important for me to use some of the tools that I have recently learnt in DFI such as linking, adding images, and using multiple modes. I have enjoyed the learning and creation of today's session. My goal is to learn, create, and share purposeful and meaningful leadership content in my role as Principal.