The Principals Desk

Kia Ora tatou, nau mai haere mai

Where has this year gone?
We certainly live in times of r apid change ….. some of this change based on evidence is impacting positively on learners … ………and some of this change is not based on evidence ………..rather political ideology.
My staff has been working for three years in preparation to implement an innovative curriculum which is geared to the information age and then along comes a political imperative called National Standards.
I want to make it clear from the outset that we at Stratford Primary:
1. Have high expectations of our children and provide a raft of learning opportunities directed at developing the “whole child”
2. Work incredibly hard to build positive relationship with whanau so that the core focus, the child, knows clearly what their strengths and their weaknesses are .. the focus very much on next steps learning.
3. Assess children using nationally normed tests. A swallow does not a summer make but it does provide evidence to support Overall Teacher Judgment.
Our current Minister of Education, the Honourable Anne Tolley, is on record as saying that National Standards (NS) will improve student achievement. With due respect to our Minister they will not.

Quality teaching, quality parenting and strong home / school relationships will.

National Standards are aimed at those children who currently are not achieving; this group, equating to 20% of our youngsters are leaving school without even NCEA level 1 – this is a travesty. Things have to change!
Somehow our masters believe that repeatedly telling these kids that they are “well below the standard” will act as a motivator or catalyst to lift them out!
Deborah Fraser, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Counseling at the University of Waikato writes:
The NS system as proposed, threatens to be more punitive than educative. The same groups of low achieving children will be measured within an inch of their lives and found wanting. The same groups of children will be effectively punished by a system that is supposed to nuture every child.

Her views are supported by countless other experts.
At SPS we nurture every child. We nurture the “whole child.”
Our Year 8’s graduating today exemplify both the home and the school nurturing partnership. They are about to embark on the next exciting phase of their learning journey.
The minimum qualification for you to aim for is NCEA level 2.
The world has changed … is changing ……a good education is the key to your future and central to this is hard work.
Dan Carter and Irene Van Dyk did not become arguably the best rugby and netball players in the world without hard work and strong, well developed key competencies and values.
I would like now to introduce to you the Head Boy and 2009 dux of Stratford High Andrew Single.
Andrew is also on learning journey and is about to study medicine at Otago University. Andrew is a graduate of Stratford Primary. In 2003 he was the Wisnewki Cup for Form 1 Boy’s winner and in 2004 Senior speech winner.
Andrew your alma mater is very proud of your achievements.
ANDREW
The end of era for our Year 8’s brings with it excitement and sadness.
Excitement for our 52 Year 8 students who are about to continue on their exciting journey as they continue to cross the Bridge of Adolescence – destination adulthood …… and sadness that they are leaving a place which for the last 8 years has been a central, hopefully positive part of their lives. For some it has been the only constant in their life. Their refuge.

Stratford Primary has attempted to not only satisfy the needs of the head …. or academic progress … …but also the needs of your heart because “ It is with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The quality of their future will be dictated by the harmony between their head and heart.
You see we each have two minds, one that thinks, the rational mind, and one that feels, the emotional mind. For learning to be optimized, for potential to be realized, the two must be in balance. We must always strive to harmonise head and heart.

Family life is our first school for emotional learning. In this environment children learn how to feel about themselves and how to react to the feelings of others.

As adults it is not just what we say and do that impacts on our children but also the models we provide when handling our own feelings …. if we as adults win our discussions by raising the volume rather than the reason…. then what are we teaching our children?

Dr. Jonathan Sacks stresses how important it is that we honour our good teachers. He writes that the single most important social institution where we hand on our values to the next generation is the school which is the place where we must make our children partners in the long and open-ended task of making a more gracious world.

Of teachers he says this: “Teachers open our eyes to the world. They give us curiosity and confidence. They connect us to our future. We have lots of heroes today – sportsman, media personalities, super-models. They come, they have their 15 minutes of fame and they go. But the influence of a good teacher stays with us. They are the people who really shape our lives.”

Parents are the first and most important teachers!
So on behalf of this years Year 8 graduates I would like to acknowledge and thank all the teachers that have been a part of their life’s journey to date.
The teachers at Stratford Primary throughout 2009 have received wonderful support from
the Board of Trustees, Home & School , staff and school community. All have worked together to provide a quality education for all our children and this should be applauded.
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the excellence of the manaaki and tautoko of our staff :
• all my teaching staff – I applaud your willingness to work together to advocate for our children and to continually reflect on and further develop your teaching practice.
• My Senior Leadership team of Lee Coles, Vicki Caskey, Fiona Martin, Paul Elkerton, Lisa Hill, Aaron Moore, Ross Williams, Wendy Williams – your support, hard work, willingness to up skill, willingness to reflect and loyalty is very much appreciated.
• A special thank you too two members of the leadership team Kim Waite and Kerry Drought both of whom are outstanding educators and keep me on my toes.
• My Resource Teachers: Learning & Behaviour and Literacy and Learning Support Teachers; Fay Rinaldi, Helen Jenkins, Brenda Ward and Lyndsey Marment – who work across a cluster of schools in Central and South Taranaki.
• The many parents who give so freely of their time and expertise to support and enhance the many facets of school life.
• My caretaker Gordon Williams
• The Board of Trustees under the positive and calm leadership of Sally Rai
• Our very proactive Home and School under the Leadership of Jo Patterson. Your energy and inclusive approach is infectious
• All of the children who have assumed responsibilities and leadership this year.
• Our many support staff who work across the school making a difference in the lives of so many children – our school could not function as smoothly without you.
• My wonderful office staff, Joyce Hartley and Robin Hodge
• The TSB Community Trust and the Taranaki Electricity Trust for their vision and monetary support of teaching and learning. SPS as received collectively nearly $ 50 000 this year from the TET & TSB Community Trust
• the many Social Agencies that have assisted us throughout the year – central among which are:
Our local police
Group Special Education
Ngati Ruanui and Whakaahurangi
Open Homes, Barnados, Central Taranaki Youth Trust
The Department of Child, Youth & Family Services
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all in our school community a relaxing Christmas and safe and prosperous New Year – take care. Remember
People will forget what you said
People will forget what you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel.

Ahakoa iti noa te awhina
Ma te aroha
E Whakunui
No reira e hoa ma
Kia Ora ra

Although the help is small
Through love
It will be become great
And so friends
May all be well with you
Best wishes and arohanui

Kelvin Squire
December 2009

Last week the teaching staff at Stratford Primary received their National Standards packs. Given that we have four weeks of school left in the 2009 school year it does not leave a great deal of time to digest the implications.

In the covering document the Hon. Anne Tolley Minister of Education in her introductory statement says This government is ambitious for all our children and young people. We know that many of our students are among the most successful in the world, but we also know that too many are falling behind. Nearly one in five of our young people leave school without the skills and qualifications they need to succeed. This has to change.

We have no argument at all with this sentiment. We know that the nearly 20% of underachievers (the long tail) are disproportionately inclusive of maori and pasifika peoples. As a country / community we need to be positively supportive of not only lifting the achievement levels of those identified in the marginalized groups but also engaging and challenging those who on the “face of it” appear to be progressing well.

The Hon. Anne Tolley continues The National Standards will enable us to improve student achievement by providing sound information about how students are progressing. Early identification of students who are falling behind will allow schools, teachers, and parents to make informed decisions about how you improve the student’s achievement and to provide additional support where appropriate.

Minister, with the greatest of respect this is what we have been doing. The standards will not lift achievement levels. Quality teaching, quality parenting and positive Home School partnerships with the child at the centre will.

Professor John Hattie a leading world voice on the use of quality evidence to advance teaching and learning has cautioned the government signaling that the standards:
• Could be the most disastrous education policy ever formulated; and
• Will only barely raise student achievement; and
• Could “pervert the nature of teaching” by pitting schools and teachers against one another.

For those interested you can read Professor Hattie’s paper Horizons and Whirlpools: The well Travelled Pathway of National Standards at www. cognitioninstitute.org

Commencing on the 24 November will be commencing our inaugural end of year Learning Journey – He Haerenga Akoranga interviews. Following these interviews the draft Learning Journey – He Haerenga Akoranga will be confirmed by all parties concerned.

As prescribed in the National Standards document our teachers will use assessment information gathered from a variety of sources to form an overall teacher judgment about your child’s progress and achievement. We will however provide a much richer picture of progress than that prescribed by the standards which focus singularly on reading, Writing and Mathematics.

Teachers at SPS have always used a variety of assessment tools to moderate their assessment of student progress. Tools such as: School Entry Assessment, Progressive Achievement Tests, asTTLe, e-asTTle, Informal Prose, STAR (Supplementary Test of Achievement in Reading), GLOSS & IKANZ (Math strategy & Knowledge assessment tools) to name a few.
We have always targeted finite resources to address teaching and learning needs.

One area I think we can improve is in demystifying for parents what good assessment practice to engage and improve learners looks like; our Learning Journey – He Haerenga Akoranga is our attempt to do this.
In amongst this debate the fact remains that this country, this community cannot afford to have 20% of our youngsters opting out of education; our Mission Statement contained in our charter states “In a positive environment we aim to prepare individuals to have the self discipline, thinking, and communication skills to take responsibility for their own education and become lifelong learners.”

Says it all really!

Be a role model
You are your child’s most important teacher. Your child will learn attitudes and habits from you. If they see you learning and valuing learning, they are more likely to value it themselves.
Grow their love of reading
Remember there is a direct link between oral language (speaking & listening), reading and writing.
To encourage your child’s interest in oral language, reading and writing spend time:
• Talking with them about the things you and they enjoy; ask open ended questions – don’t dumb down the language you use because you think they will not understand. We have wonderful parks, our maunga (mountain), beaches, gardens to walk through and talk about – they are such a rich, living source of wonder and they are free!

Some ideas for encouraging your child to read include:
a. reading to and with them often, talk with them about the book, concentrate on the meaning of the text not just accurate word calling
b. sharing the reading – you read one page, they read the next one
c. letting them choose their own books if they want
d. Taking them to the library or the bookshop. Are your children members of the Stratford District library? If not why not join and go with your child to the library – make it a fun outing.
e. Encourage children to write for a variety of purposes e.g. Thank you cards, letters to families, lists, opinions
Children are more likely to enjoy reading if it’s about a topic that interests them. So encourage your child to think about the books they like and help them to find them.

Imagination and thinking skills
Even while your child is young, there are some activities you can do to encourage your child to develop their imagination and thinking skills.
Some ideas include:
• telling your child stories from your own childhood or made-up stories
• encouraging your child to make up their own stories
Playing games together that encourage them to think strategically, for example:
• card games and board games
• online educational games
• outdoor games / activities
Evidence shows that parents and children playing together and doing household activities together helps children develop practical problem-solving skills. So, encourage your child to be involved in household activities and make time to play together each day. For example, you could ask your child to help find particular grocery items at the supermarket or work out how much milk the family needs in a week based on what is used in one day.

Support them in what they are good at
Every child has their own unique talents, whether it’s constructing things, reading or playing sport.
Helping your child to find out what they are good at and encouraging them to do even better can motivate them to learn more. Being successful in any field, whether its sports, cultural or in a particular subject, develops confidence.

Provide a range of learning experiences – for example, visiting museums, libraries, looking for insects in the garden and kicking a ball around outside can help your child work out what they enjoy and are good at.

Develop strong social networks
A strong social network of friends and family offers chances for more learning for your children. Connections with your wider family, whānau and your community will help build your child’s sense of whanaungatanga, belonging and cultural identity.
These networks are especially helpful during times of family stress, or when your child is experiencing change such as moving from pre-school to school, or from one school to another.
Make ’screentime’ useful
Research shows that more than two hours of television watching or computer ’screentime’ each day can be detrimental to a child’s learning. So make good use of television to support your child’s learning and to provide relaxation. There are many programmes that can teach your child about the world, their environment, their society, human relationships. Sit down and watch programmes with your child that interests them – it can give you lots of things to talk about.
A home computer can be a great tool for learning. If you have a computer, help your child use it for publishing work, keeping in touch with friends and family, and for finding information.

Encourage independence
• Help your child manage themselves and develop a sense of independence and responsibility.
• Let them make some of their own decisions, such as what to wear and what movies to see – within reason.
• Give them appropriate responsibilities at home – ones they can manage and succeed at.
• Get them to find out things for you.
……… and have fun with your children!!! Laughter is a feel good activity. Source: http://www.teamup.co.nz

At Stratford Primary School we recognise that planning strategically not only underpins good management practice but also provides a way of determining and realising our school’s special character and charting how best to provide for the educational needs of present and future students.

“It’s not the biggest, the brightest, or the best that will survive,
but those who adapt the quickest.” Charles Darwin.

“If there is something we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.” Carl Jung

The essence of strategic planning is managing uncertainty instead of becoming the unwitting victim of uncertainty. We are living in times of change – we must be nimble enough to embrace the positive winds of change whilst resisting the negative.

It is an old saying, but true: if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

The purpose of the Strategic Plan / Thinking is that it must be an adaptable, functional document.

The key is to build an organisation with vision, not to be a single charismatic individual with vision. Individuals die; visionary organisations can live for centuries. Yet, without vision, organisations have no chance of creating their future, they can only react to it.
- J Collins and L Porras (1991).

“Insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Einstein

We have developed the following DRAFT KEY GOALS for 2010 – 2012. Each goal is broken down into strategies. The complete document can be viewed in the Administration area. This plan will then form the basis for the 2010 Annual Plan.

1. To further develop positive, tangata focused learning communities within and across schools.
2. To prepare individuals to have self discipline, thinking and communication skills.
3. To encourage children to accept responsibility for their own education.
4. To continually promote our shared School Values linked to the NZ Curriculum Values.
5. To build on and value Te Reo and Tikanga Maori in our school.
6. To be ready and willing to engage with appropriate technological advances that enhance teaching,
student engagement and are focused on improving student learning outcomes.
7. To monitor and report on student progress in the foundation skills and target resources and
professional development to address identified areas of need.
8. To continue to develop and upgrade school facilities
9. To develop commercial partnerships.
10. To encourage parents to actively support their child & teacher in active learning.
11. To identify and develop programmes to enrich students learning.

I would encourage you to view the complete draft Strategic Plan over the next fortnight (before 25 September) and provide feedback to me; please record your views in writing and where possible submit to me under the headings of where you see Stratford Primary’s Strengths, Weaknesses , Opportunities and Threats. Thanks in anticipation.

We are living in a period of significant change; schools now are at the forefront of that change. We must embrace, challenge and finally, as required, implement that change. In the foreword of the NZ Curriculum [NZC] Secretary for Education Karen Sewell states that the NZC is a clear statement of what is deemed important in education. “It takes as its starting point a vision of our young people as lifelong learners who are confident and creative, connected, and actively involved. It includes a clear set of principles on which to base curriculum decision making. It sets out values that are to be encouraged, modelled, and explored. It defines five key competencies that are critical to sustained learning and effective participation in society and that underline the emphasis on lifelong learning”

At SPS we have been trying to unpack the NZC and in so doing decide what does this mean for us; by us I mean, not just the school but the community – learning [in its widest sense] is an ongoing process, it does not just happen during the hours that the school is open for instruction.

There are 168 hours in a week. 25 of these are spent at school. This equates to about 15% of the time. If we assume the average person sleeps for 8 hours per day [56 hours per week or 33%] this means that there is a further 52% of time available for learning. Every experience we have in life is a learning experience, not all are positive experiences, however they are all opportunities to grow and develop as an individual. The choice is ours as to how we use this time.

What are the Key competencies [KC’s]?
For ease of management we have grouped them into two sets.

1. The Learning Competencies: Thinking and Using Language, Symbols and Texts; and
2. The Personal and Social Competencies: Managing Self, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing.

Our challenge is to make sense of these; what do they actually look like – they don’t just happen at school. We also have tried to take a quite complex set of behaviours & skills [the competencies] and make them explicit so that all in our community will have a shared understanding of what they mean! They need to be constantly reinforced. We realise that the work we have done with KC’s will see them evolve as we implement and review – you will be part of this process. We have taken each competency and developed key descriptors for each competency.

The Personal and Social Competencies:

KC: Relating to Others Key Descriptors: Actively listens, Shows empathy, Embraces diversity, Displays humour, Works co-operatively and constructively.

KC: Participating & Contributing Key Descriptors: Displays “I can” attitude, actively engages in their learning, actively seeks responsibility, Shares roles and responsibilities with others, Able to use knowledge & skills in every day contexts.

KC: Managing Self Key Descriptors: Displays initiative, Demonstrates Perseverance, Seeks appropriate assistance, Manages impulsivity, Takes responsibility for actions, Sets personal goals.

The Learning Competencies:
KC: Thinking Key Descriptors: Seeking, Using & Creating knowledge, Testing ideas & solutions, Thinking flexibly, Thinking about their thinking [metacognition], Making decisions based on evidence, Thinking critically, Challenging assumptions.

KC: Using Language Symbols & Texts Key Descriptors: To access and produce meaning and messages with communication technologies; to take meaning from words, numbers, and images in a range of contexts; to communicate information and ideas; to access and produce meaning in ways suited to each learning area.

We invite you to join with us as we all work to develop your children into skilled lifelong learners who are confident and creative, connected, and actively involved with their learning.
We are educating our children for their future, not our present.

The following story was written by Veroncia Hughes, a 6 year old in Room 14 at Stratford Primary; the context authentic, the imagery very real. The power of Student voice and a real audience.

I felt guilty. My nose was running and my eyes were watering. I had a headache….. I felt sad. ..….I felt very very ill. I was about to throw up!
I felt miserable.
My nose ran like a running river. I felt poorly. I felt like a rainbow that had lost its colours. I felt like my heart broke. I was so sad. I felt really sick, it’s lucky my heart didn’t break.

I’m sure you’ve heard the terms Digital Native, Digital Immigrants. They refer to the era that you were born into and your willingness (or otherwise) to engage with the technological age; a Digital Native, I’m told, was born after 1980 so that counts me out. Digital Natives were born into this exciting and at times paradoxical world of fast evolving technologies. Somehow their (the natives) brains seem to be wired differently; they think differently about the use and functionality of technologies, particularly information and communication technologies.

I am unashamedly a Digital Immigrant in terms of age but not in terms of engagement; modern technologies present us “baby boomers” with a wonderful opportunity to learn and lead; I say lead because not all technology is necessarily better, people are still very important, quality relationships still at the core of our being. We “baby boomers – digital immigrants” have a distinct advantage in that we are able to use our wisdom and experience to guide and shape this technological advance.

We can use this wisdom and experience to engage from a position of strength not a position of ignorance. My challenge to all in our community is to close the digital divide between the natives and the immigrants.

Just recently I decided to throw out my Encyclopaedia Britannica set; this was comparable to having a limb severed. The Britannica was once the font of all knowledge. When unsure we eagerly sought the desired answer contained within; nobody questioned the Britannica, they solved so many family arguments. Now we defer to the University of Google or Wikipedia.

In 2007 alone, 161 billion gigabytes of digital content was created, stored, and shared around the world.
This is equivalent to 12 stacks of books reaching from the earth to the sun, or 6 tonnes of books for every living person. (Gantz 2008)

The above probably explains why I threw out the Britannica however can I be assured that the 161 billion gigabytes of content is believable? I am now required to test, challenge and really think about what I read. Exciting but frightening. What you see is not necessarily what you get; our levels of thinking, inquiry and questioning needs to be developed to much higher levels. What does this mean for our children?

In this hi tech world we need to be technology savvy. Make sure you know as much as possible about any hardware and software that comes into your home. Your children will probably know more than you….. that’s fine…. it’s a great opportunity for some quality family interaction.

Today everyone is a learner, everyone a teacher. Exciting isn’t it!!

It is very difficult to argue against the notion of National Standards (NS); in the absence of NS previously most schools developed their own; in our case we called them Milestones rather than standards and I’m pleased to say that there is not a great deal of daylight between the draft Standards and our milestones.

I want to make it quite clear that I am not opposed to the balanced sharing of quality, formative data with parents and children; this is what the vast majority of schools are doing.

The problem and concerns that I have with NS is that they are but one piece of a quite complex picture. The standards themselves are not the problem; what can and will be done with them is.

• We still haven’t seen the changes to the NEG’s and the NAG’s;
• We still do not know what reporting of the NS will be required in the Annual Plan
process?
• How do the NS fit in with the ongoing development of Student and Learning
Management systems?

Make no mistake the political imperative behind this initiative is not based on sound teaching pedagogy rather its goal is somehow to lift the 20% of underachievers (the long tail). I agree that a social imperative is to address the underachievement of those represented in this long tail; where I part company with the current philosophy is that we will achieve this by telling them repeatedly that they are well below the standard.

We are all having to make sense of a ministerial decree with a fire, ready, aim aspect to it. The Honourable Anne Tolley is leading the charge to implement an idea that has been tried and has failed in other developed countries. Those in the front line (our principals and teachers) are once again being asked to take on board and implement dogma that they know will not affect the desired changes. What was it that happened to the Light Brigade again?

What really annoys me is that we are trying to complete a jigsaw without all the pieces; we have not seen changes to the NEG’s and NAG’s yet. They will govern what happens to the NS. If they are required to be reported on in schools’ Annual Plans then they can be aggregated and then league tabled. I know the Minister has stated that she does not want this to occur however it is inevitable. What started off as pedagogically sound has now been elevated to high stakes. No meaningful change will occur when the stakes are so high. “Hoist by our own petard”

I am passionate about kids and their learning; I am equally passionate about teachers because they, in the end will affect the desired changes however if we do not ensure that “heads and hearts” are aligned nothing will change.

We are constantly being bombarded with evidence, so much so that the intuitive teacher feels unable to capture the teachable moment. Lester Flockton quotes John Hattie in his recent NZPF Magazine (June 2009, Volume 24. NO.2) where he writes:

Internationally credible studies (including Hattie’s work) show that home background and the child’s individual make-up typically account for 70 – 80 percent of achievement; that socio-economic factors have been shown time and time and time again to be the most powerful correlate of achievement (of standards)

If this is so then schools can not, should not, be held singularly responsible for addressing the “long tail.” Hence my question to the current government is: What interagency NS are being developed and how are these being rolled out over the next period of time?

The Child Poverty Action Group in their publication Left Behind – How Social & Income Inequalities Damage New Zealand Children make the claim in their executive summary that despite the better economy and significant increase in paid employment, between 2000 and 2004 the proportion of all children in severe and significant hardship increased by a third to 26 percent. This further supports the international studies claim that schools should not be held singularly responsible for the “long tail.” The fact remains however that as the last bastion of compulsion we (schools) are a relatively easy target.

The money being spent on something that is not necessarily broken would be better targeted at the needs of those in the long tail.

I also believe that the Minister has sown seeds of distrust in our communities by implying through her “Plain English” proposal that somehow schools have, in the past, been hoodwinking parents as far as their children’s progress is concerned. I find this really offensive. The vast majority of schools have been working really hard with increasingly diverse communities to engage and empower both the learner and the parent; the notion of we are all learners we are all teachers is powerful.

I look forward to continuing to inspire my teachers, children, community and profession to greater heights…………… with head and heart connected.

Earlier this year the government rushed through under urgency changes to the Education Act to enable National Standards and “Plain English” reports to be implemented as from the beginning of the 2010 school year. Our children are at the centre of this initiative so I would strongly encourage all parties to get actively involved and have your say. Consultation by the MOE began with parents on May 18 with 42 school-hosted meetings being held around the country; sadly there are none scheduled for Central Taranaki however there are other ways for you to engage with the process.
The Ministry of Education wants to find out the most helpful ways to report to parents and how you think you can be supported to be involved in your child’s learning.
The aim of the National Standards is to lift achievement in reading, writing and maths by being clear about what students should achieve and by when, and by reporting to parents in plain language. Unashamedly the standards are designed to lift student achievement particularly for those groups identified in our nationally identified “long tail” i.e. maori and pasifika peoples. The standards are focused on lifting achievement in Reading, Writing and Mathematics – the 3 R’s. At SPS we have identified these as our Foundation Skills; they are hugely important however so are The Arts, Science, Social Sciences and Health and Physical Education.
Some years ago we at Stratford Primary developed our Milestones of Achievement in Reading, Writing and Mathematics and I am pleased to say that at first glance the standards mirror them. For us to provide learners and parents with a rich picture of their child / ren’s progress we have historically used a range of assessment tools; this we will continue to do.
In my view it will not be “a standard” that will lift levels of achievement. Quality teaching, effective feedback to the learner, adequate resourcing, emotional stability and parent engagement will. There are many examples of politically driven ideologies to raise standards that have simply not worked. At Stratford Primary we support:
1. Standards (our Milestones) that reflect “rich” assessment which allows teachers to use their professional judgment; and
2. Feedback which helps all in the learning triangle (parents, children, teachers) to clearly identify next steps learning goals; and
3. A reporting process to parents that clearly identifies where children are at in relation to their ability and year level; and
4. Being accountable to our learning community by ensuring they are up to date with our both our strengths and weaknesses.
We will strongly oppose:
1. “High stakes” testing where a child’s success or failure is judged by the test result; and
2. Tests that label children as young as 5 years as failures.
3. A process that ranks children rather than recognizing the individual progress they have made.
Have your say by visiting the Ministry of Education website – view the reporting examples and provide your feedback by completing the online feedback form or download a copy to complete and return by post.
All feedback will be due by 5pm, Friday 3 July 2009. National.standards@minedu.govt.nz

“When Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, he had 20000 words with which to work. When Lincoln scribbled the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope there were about 114000 words at his disposal. Today there are more than 600 000 words in Webster’s Dictionary.”

There is no doubt that language, as with life itself, has become more complicated for school leaders. The quid pro quo of this is that principals and teachers are spending more and more of their most precious commodity, time, trying to decipher the multitude of changes that seem to come daily, some of the Ministry’s making, some of our own making. Now it is important that we embrace change, but it is equally, if not more important, that we remain sane doing it. In an age of increasing complexity and diversity it is essential that we search for simplicity. Simplicity requires that we narrow our options and return to a single path. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. We can all learn from the words of Abraham Lincoln:

“ You must draw on language, logic and simple common sense to determine essential issues and establish a concrete course of action.”

It has been suggested that this generation will face more frequent lapses of memory due, not to age, but to information overload. It is essential therefore that we realise that it is impossible to absorb everything we need to know – there is a need to prioritise, delegate and simply disregard. Focus on the important stuff.

Jack Trout in his book “The Power of simplicity” gives some pointers that I have found useful:
1. Highlight or underline as you read so that you can refer to it later – no underlining or highlighting throw it out!
2. Keep a folder for interesting stuff – we can always come back to it later.
3. Challenge every bit of paper to show why you shouldn’t throw it in the circular file.
4. Base your decisions to actually open emails by what’s in the header. Treat email as you would for “snail mail” i.e. urgent, when I’ve got time, rubbish.

Trout provides us with sound advice as we search for simplicity.
• There is a difference between data and information.
• You can get addicted to your favourite communication device.
• Most requests are not as urgent as the sender believes.
• Always separate urgent messages from nonurgent ones.
• Always respond briefly and to the point. Don’t add more noise than signal.

Simplicity and time are inextricably linked. Those of us who are able to keep things simple seem to be able to access more time. It seems that our political masters have too much time because they seem hell bent on making the simple complicated. e.g. Health & Safety, Holidays Act, Code of Ethics, Making a Bigger Difference etc. Each important but collectively, self defeating.

The challenge for principals then is to ensure that time spent is focussed on the important. “A balance has to be found between going too fast, which can lead to resistance, and going too slow, which can lead to stagnation.”

Often the issue is not about the lack of time, rather the use of time. Stoll, Fink & Earl share some ideas that they have found useful.

1. Say No slowly – say no to low-priority activity
2. Enrich Support Staff’s Roles – build their personal efficacy
3. Schedule Unstructured Time – the “my door is always open” idea is wonderful in theory, but often impractical and inefficient use of your time.
4. Try standing and walking meetings – If no one sits business is dealt with quickly – the walk is also good for your health.
5. Do a Periodic Time Study of Your Own Work Week or Month. Covey (1989) suggests organising your activities into four groupings.
(a) Urgent and important
(b) Not urgent but important
(c) Urgent but not important
(d) Neither urgent nor important

Covey contends that (c) and (d) above are time wasters and should be eliminated. Spending too much time on the important and urgent would suggest that you are managing by crisis. Somehow you need to plan to spend more time on the not urgent but important to develop systems that ensure that the important things are done well.

“ The focussed, interactive, interdependent principal is a socially responsible being, working avidly on the improvement of the school. The effective principal is more public than private. Without question, however, what’s worth fighting for is saying “no” to tasks and activities that do not contribute, in a sustained way, to the betterment of the school.”

Time is our most precious resource, therefore it is essential that it be used on the important, not wasted on the trivial. Ensure that you lead a balanced existence. Learn to say “no”.. …….nicely!