ERO Visit

We have had a review from the Education Review Office last week. They review our self review practices, our policies, implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, our provision and care for International Students and improving outcomes for our Maori children. The initial results from the ERO review is very positive with the team recognizing a wide variety of strengths across the school. The BOT will have a first "draft" report by the end of the year and the final report is likely to be available to the community early in 2011.

Earthquakes, Skis and Resilience!

Dear Families
This is undoubtedly a term we will never forget. Your children will have the badge of "I survived the Christchurch Quake!" and will have survived an event unequaled in the history of Christchurch and also in New Zealand in the last 50 years. What the Earthquake has shown us is the resilience of our people, the support, love and care of not only our community but the whole of New Zealand and the determination to overcome adversity. I am so thankful to the staff for their courage at a time of real challenge and fear as we returned to school while the aftershocks continued around us. To me an indication of your courage and determination to help your children to return to normal life was evidenced in two ways. the first was seeing 99% of our children back on the first day and also being the only school to continue with a ski trip to Porters after the earthquake. What a fantastic attitude when nerves were frayed, not having your children at your side created anxiety for many.
The timing of this holiday is fantastic. I know the staff need a good break from school as some have houses that are still unsafe and others like you just need some decent sleep. Our thoughts continue to be with the many families who are displaced and those who have homes that have either been condemned or are still in limbo.
We have a very exciting term 4 planned for your children. it starts with a hiss and a roar with the music festival in the first week and then athletics in the second. Our Integrated learning module (PAI Module) starts in the first week with a focus on "It's all about me!" This theme is the culmination of our studies of "Our World and beyond" and "Cultures of the World". I know the staff are excited about the term ahead.
Have a great holiday, take care, enjoy your children and I look forward to seeing you in the new term

Latest Update

We will back into it on Monday. We have an information pack for parents and an information sharing session in the hall at 9:10am. The school is in great condition and we are ready to go

Earthquake Update

Well we are still experiencing a significant number of aftershocks. These are causing a lot of stress for families especially given the size of the shocks and the advice that we may still have aftershocks of up to 6.2 coming!

Our school is structurally sound so at this stage we are waiting for information from the authorities about water purity and sewage systems. There will be a meeting at 4:00 pm with Ministry, Council and Health agencies. After this we will have some idea of what is happening tomorrow. In the meantime stay safe!

Neill

Earthquake Impact

I know that all of you in Canterbury will have been affected by the Earthquake. At the School we appear to have got of lightly with just superficial damage. The Ministry representatives are telling us that they will have assessed all schools by the end of Tuesday. We have two classrooms that may have structural damage so we are required to remain off site until our buildings have been cleared. Our staff have been affected with a number having homes that are seriously damaged and that are likely to be uninhabitable. They have been receiving much welcomed support from friends and family.

Our thoughts go out to all of those who have had property damaged and to our children, many of whom are quite traumatized. We are thankful that as a community we have had no loss of life.

We hope to be back in action on Wednesday.

21C Learning

Is it really different, are teachers teaching children in a different way than in 1999?

There is a challenge for us if we really believe in the Vision, Principles and Values of the New Zealand Curriculum, if we really want to develop the life long learning capacities and competencies in children.

I believe the proof is in the curriculum that each school develops and then in the learning experience for our children.

What a fantastic opportunity we have in 2010 to fully implement the New Zealand Curriculum.

Parent Consultation Night

We had a fantastic night this week with 65 parents meeting at school to discuss National Standards, writing and our new property developments. What a great night. The feedback was such that we will run another session later this term. We will video the next one so we can share it on the school website.

What was fantastic was seeing and hearing parents getting excited about how to meaningfully help their children to become better writers. A few days later at school children were talking about the neat things parents were doing with them with writing.

If we can get the message to parents (and teachers!) that great writers do more then just print neatly and spell well there is real hope of seeing our children empowered to write and wanting to write. Great writers record their ideas first- then when they are reading to publish/ share their writing they worry about neatness, punctuation and grammar.

Many thanks to the staff who presented, the parents who attended and the PTA for serving the cheese and wine!

Back into it!

We are back!

What a pleasure to stand at the front entrance to school and meet so many children excited about being back at school!

What a pleasure to hear from parents that they are excited about the partnership with Windsor and all that they see happening for their child (actually conversation day 1!)

What a pleasure to go into classes and see children learning, laughing and interacting and to see teachers laughing with their children and focussed on starting the term in a positive way

What a pleasure to have a first few staff meetings and seeing and hearing teachers talking about what it means to be a successful learner in 2010 and how to improve teaching in writing so our children can achieve more, are more engaged and want to write.

What a pleasure to be at Windsor as we finalise our 2010 Curriculum!

Have a great week!

Exciting times in New Zealand Education

In the last week of the term I had the pleasure of attending the New Zealand Principals Federation Conference in beautiful Queenstown with over 600 leaders from NZ and overseas. What I saw and heard confirmed some things for me:

- New Zealand is a stunning place- such beauty

- We have one of the most exciting education systems in the World

- Research confirms it- things have changed for our children, their world is so different to that of 20 years ago and schools need to be responsive to their needs

- Our children are resilient, innovative, creative, and intuitive learners all we need to do is open up the right learning pathways for them and they will fly!

- Our children want to lead their learning, they want to communicate their achievements and their mistakes (Facebook can attest to this!)

I head back to Windsor to put the finishing touches on our "Windsor Curriculum". It is so exciting to be involved in Education when we have the mandate from the Government to create a community based curriculum. The electronic document we produce will be the culmination of 4 years work with staff, children, the Board of Trustees, the PTA and our community. It will be a organic electronic document (if there is such a thing) in so much as it will be able to be updated in response to new developments , new research, new resources and our growing understanding of learning in the 21st Century.

I look forward to sharing the "Windsor Curriculum" very shortly.

Skate, scoot, rip stick!

Probably quite a few readers out there will be wondering what a "rip stick" is?

It is the latest skateboarding innovation. A flexible board that twists in the middle and has only one wheel at each end. The children propel them selves by wiggling.

Anyway the craze hit our school early this year rip sticks, skateboards and scooters were in- they literally arrived by the hundred at school.

they was the initial concern from some quarters, "Where is the padding, they will get hurt, they might crash..."

So we set up a zone, the children created rules and now each and every day the children of all ages (yes I have learnt to "rip"!) have been having a ball. Have there been crashes? No serious ones, have there been disagreements- yes is this a bad thing?

I spend 2 minutes last night talking with a teacher and we brainstormed the benefits and developments for 100-150 children aged from 5-11 all using wheels at school:

Their improved fitness (they go hard out for 1 hour a day at school, they wheel to and from school (another hour)

Their problem solving skills- rules around directions, zones, challenge areas

Their spacial and kinesthetic awayness- 100 kids on a court going full speed in all directions and rarely do they crash

Their co ordination skills- they race, jump, turn...

Their relationship skill development as they solve problems, disagreements, organise races, jumps...

The new focus on children and their learning from the caretaker he is now "re cycling every thing he can including slides, desks, steps so that children can jump and create obstacle courses.

The change in our playground as the other play areas are freed up while kids skate!

Downside? A bit of blood, a few bruises...

Fantastic learning, fun and fitness

The i pad

Check out this blog on the i pad

Kotahitanga

Here's a thought....

We often talk about children knowing what they are learning and why they are learning. I am also interested in children knowing where they learn best. It is a concept at Windsor we call "Kotahitanga"- The right place for everyone and for everyone a right place. It is a concept that challenges the notion that children need to fit school- rather school needs to fit children.

So we encourage children to discuss where they learn best- in a group, at a single desk, in pairs, at a high table (so they can see what is happening in the class) on the floor, kneeling around a small table...

We now furnish our classrooms to allow this to happen. With the help of the Furnware we have created learning spaces (Classrooms) that allow children to spend more time learning and less managing distractions. It is fantastic to see children (and teachers) developing understanding of "Where I learn best" as part of being lifelong learners.

Kids Congress 2010

I had the pleasure of spending two days with 300 stunning children and 30 dedicated teachers at Kids Congress 2010.

Kids Congress is a conference for kids by kids! That's right kids organise the conference. They

• Market the conference
• Find and book the venue
• Build the website
• Organise catering
• Mange the $30 000 budget down to the last cent
• Organise bookings
• Manage the media
• Liaise with schools, presenters, management, fellow students

They were an amazing success. See their report and read for yourself.

What I have no doubt about is that this event (The brain child of Mike Anderson and Faye LeCren) does so much to develop the key competencies of our children. It is the reason for reading, writing and maths.

Know this - a narrow focus on National Standards will not enhance the outcomes for our children.

Amazing authentic learning opportunities like Kids Congress will. They need reasons to write (letters, invites, websites, invoices) do maths (managing a $30 000 budget) and read (for meaning for clarification and for sorting, organising and placing students in their breakouts) rather than tests and standards!

Go Kids Congress- thanks Kids, thanks presenters and thanks Mike and Faye!

Creativity

I encourage you to watch this short clip as you ponder the future for our children. As we come to grips with National Standards.

I believe that the New Zealand Curriculum is in the spirit of this talk.

Key Competencies

So what is the difference between the old and new curriculum?

The new curriculum acknowledges that the "3 r's" are not enough to prepare our children for the future let alone sustain them in an every changing world.

The learning areas or mathematics, literacy, the arts, Health and PE, science, technology, social sciences are still essential- the key point of difference is that they assist in the development of the key competencies- Thinking, Relating to others, Using language symbols and texts, Managing Self, Participating and contributing.

Notice Using language symbols and texts (the 3 r's), is one of the competencies, it is not the end in itself.

So what?

So our education system has a mandate to move beyond numeracy and literacy and to create community based curriculum's that develop the key competencies- exciting times!

Our (Windsor) curriculum is a response to this innovative change.

I hope to have it online for you soon.

Neill

A Great Read!

I have just re read Guy Claxton's excellent book "What's the point of school?" This fantastic 2008 book out of the UK reinforces our notion of "CHILL Factor" at Windsor. That is, Children who Independently Lead their Learning.

Claxton argues for children to not only think for themselves, set goals and reflect on progress but more so to understand, expand and exercise learning muscles. It seems so simply yet at times I wonder if we miss the trees for the woods when we create our learning environments. In a country where our vision is to develop capable, confident, connected life long learners I think we may have overlooked what a life long learner is, in fact we may be overlooking what learning is so much so that we are setting ourselves up to continue the education system and philosophies of the last 100 years.

There is a point of difference with the New Zealand Curriculum, and that is an implicit acknowledgement that children are not vessels to be filled but rather they are flames to be lit.

How do we light the flames? We allow, encourage, model and explain the learning processes, the art of mistake making, the place of inquiry, the importance of curiosity, questioning and exploration and we provide learning environments that reinforce these beliefs.

This will mean that children progressively know more about what they are learning, why they are learning it, where best to learn, who they are learning with and how they will learn best. Children will be aware of if they should they be learning independently, collaboratively or with a teacher. They will be empowered to share their learning journey with teachers and families.

For our children and our schools to achieve the vision of the New Zealand Curriculum it will require some reframing about what is really important schools, it will also require brave teachers who are keen to be transparent and are willing to say (and model) I don't know it all. It will require teachers who make a mind shift away from schoolwork, homework and classwork to learning.

I highly recommend Guy's book to parents, teachers and leaders especially as we begin to grapple with the challenges of National Standards- a great read!

Numeracy, literacy- learning

There is a real urgency in classrooms to ensure that our children are all being challenged in their learning. How do we do this?

Not necessarily in this order but:

- accurate assessment data

- analysis of that data and "where to"

- learning conversations (15 minutes one on one with each child about their learning)

- teacher observations- ongoing (assessment) discussions regarding student learning

- meaningful learning contexts (it needs to hook the child)

- effective use of ICT, people and other resources

- time , time to plan, prepare, to set goals and to reflect

Relationships, relationships, relationships.

Relationships are the key to doing anything meaningful with the above. The teacher needs to connect with the child to challenge them, to know what is best for them and to effectively monitor progress. As we head to the end of this first term relationships should be well established and our learning humming along.

I will share some with you tomorrow!

Wonderful Learning- A day at Windsor

My visit's to classrooms today left me with the distinct impression that our children have a fantastic learning environment here.

In one class the children were using literacy (oral, written and reading) to present short skits/ plays showing our PRIDE values. the children had created and memorized authentic scenarios and presented them to the class for feedback and improvement.

In the next class the children were created hip hop dances and the dialogue that was going on was fantastic.

The next room ( Year 6) were writing ballads - what a challenge, certainly nat as easy as one would expect yet they were persevering with the guidance of their teacher and created some wonderful pieces- as an aside they were collaborating in groups of two or three.

In the next room they were singing Waltzing Matilda! Now that was strange until it was explained that here was another ballad- the learning in this was multilayered- the ballad, the setting, the song, the culturally specific language.

In another room a child told me she was "Sleeping in my clothes tonight!" she was so excited about a trip the next day she was dressing for it the night before!

My wanderings finished with a visit to a class engrossed in visual art. They were using their determination and excellence in developing skills for the portrait they were about to do.

My visits reinforced to me:

• Numeracy and literacy are skills, knowledge and tools to unlock the world- a means to an end not the end itself
• Our children are so creative and innovative
• Our children lear well alone , in pairs and in groups- they collaborate so well!
• They problem solve with ease to overcome obstacles
• Their oral skills are developing well
• Our belief of "Rich Tasks and meaningful learning contexts" is critical for positive and challenging learning to occur

I hope to have some pic's and updates for you in the next few days

Neill

Composite Classes- What are they?

I know that some parents are often puzzled as to why some schools have composite classes while others do not. In 2010 as with 2009 we will respond to needs and create classes that best meet the needs of the children - this will continue to include a mix of composite and single year group classes.

At the vast majority of New Zealand schools a decision has been made to have composites. This decision is based on research about what makes a difference to, and benefits, students. 
The research for composite classes supports what many experienced teachers know.
In one study by a researcher called Pavan in 1992 it was found that students in composite settings did as well as, or outperformed, students in single graded classrooms. While that is positive perhaps the most significant findings come from the research of people like Pratt (1993) that identified that composite classrooms are “socially and psychologically healthy places.”  Students from composite settings outperformed students in single age settings on more than 75% of the affective measures tested and had fewer discipline issues. 

The findings showed that composites provided a natural setting in which older students had the opportunity to tutor younger students. This had positive outcomes for both the younger students and those who were the tutors. Others researchers French, Waas, Stright and Baker (1986), found that students in composites had had more opportunities to be leaders including many who may not have shown leadership in other settings. In other studies evidence showed that where students are in composite classes and are then cross-grouped for one or two subjects e.g. reading, there is an increase in their achievement.
 

So for Windsor our decision to have composites is based on evidence about what makes a positive difference for students. Academic findings have been mostly positive, some neutral but certainly nothing negative for students in composites. However there is clear evidence that composites do make a significant difference in and provide affective advantages for students i.e. they enhance self esteem, decrease behavioural problems, reduce the impact of labeling, encourage the formation of positive communities and lead to social and academic growth. The school’s commitment to grouping students according to social as well as academic needs has positive outcomes for all.  It is what we all know as parents and teachers - when a student feels positive about school they have more chance to be academically and socially successful. And in the end that is what we all want for all our students

For another view you could read 

http://www.greenbay.school.nz/WebSpace/854/

I am more than happy to talk to parents further about composite classes at any time.

Neill

Welcome to 2010!!!

Welcome to a year of a new decade, the new curriculum, and the risk of National Standards!

We have had a fantastic start to the year, a year where we will explore "Identity" through three themes:

1. "What's out there?"

2. "Why don't we all speak English?"

3. "What about me?"

The teachers will be involved in intensive writing professional development as we strive to achieve our goal of "excellence in numeracy and literacy" through "positive and challenging learning environments" and by utilizing "rich tasks and meaningful learning contexts".  The three concepts in italics are the three teaching and learning beliefs of the Windsor School learning community.

The year started with a hiss and a roar for all teachers as they attended an action packed two day conference in Christchurch on Wednesday and Thursday (27 & 28 January) last week. The "Teachers Matters" conference was packed with practical ideas as well as keynote speakers who challenged us to have 21st Century learning environments for 21st Century children. We were also challenged to let our children be active, creative and to use the arts, music and movement to engage them.

Our first short week flew by but the highlight of the first five days at school was a visit by the Governor General of New Zealand and his wife Lady Susan. They were so friendly and encouraging to our children and honored us by launching our PRIDE Challenges for 2010.

It was an privilege to be able to name The Governor General and Lady Susan as Honorary Recipients of our treasured Pounamu Pride Pendant.

2010 is about six main goals for us:

1.          Implement the NZ Curriculum

2.          Improve outcomes in writing (school wide PD)

3.          Review, clarify and streamline systems to ensure coherence school wide.

4.          Maintain targeted support for staff to ensure quality teaching and learning practice

5.          Comply with national standards

6.          Use data to inform future focus and school wide professional development

It is a challenge to have one of the most exciting curriculums of all time (and one that is much respected internationally) all set to go in 2010 and to have learning environments that celebrate the individual learner as a whole child with creative, artistic, scientific, physical and social skills and values and then have it all side swiped by a series of national standards. 

It is critical that we prepare our children for tomorrow not yesterday Eleanor Roosevelt wisely said "It is today we must create the world of the future!". We cannot and will not empower our learners through tests and standards (the way of the 1940's-1960's) It has not worked anywhere in the world- in fact it has been a dismal failure to children and for teachers. We will not help our children to have a sense of self worth and achievement through national standards. Remember "Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts" (Albert Einstein). It is also fascinating that the move to National standards is at a time the economy is eliminating standardized jobs. If we want to improve outcomes for learners tests and standards will not do it.

We will have an amazing year regardless of this intrusion on self governing schools. We will comply with requirements should the Government not have a change of heart but we will comply without compromising all that our community have told us they believe in and want for their children over the last three years. We will enjoy the opportunity to show that through quality teaching practice and clarity of vision we can achieve excellent outcomes for our children. This has been the Windsor School tradition of the past and it will continue in 2010!

I am looking forward to a wonderful 2010 with highly motivated children dedicated and reflective staff, an engaged and supportive parent community and a visionary Board of Trustees.

Neill :)