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He aroha whakatō, he aroha ka puta mai.
If kindness is sown, then kindness is what you shall receive.
Kia ora e te whānau
Since my last Principal Matters newsletter, I have attended several events and meetings, which have involved you as members, as well as external advisories and sector groups.
NZPF Gold Business Partners Meeting
Each year NZPF holds a special meeting of our gold level business partners. Many have been partners with us for over twenty years. Our gold partners include Furnware, Scholastic, Photolife, ASB, OfficeMax, CrestClean, Mitre 10, and CSG or Konica Minolta (as some of you will know them). These partners will be well known to you as several of them also sponsor your associations in the regions, allowing you to provide PLD and networking opportunities for your principals.
We look to these partners as a consultation group to think about how we can mutually support each other. We all want the same outcome which is that the young people in our schools receive the best education we can offer through providing the best equipment and services options we can give them. We also want you as leaders to have the best PLD opportunities that we as an organization can offer you. Our business partners help us achieve both of these goals.
NZPF is proud to be associated with our very loyal and supportive gold partners.
Tautai o le Moana
I have reported to you before on the Pasifika plans for school cultural change, initiated by Minister Jenny Salesa, the New Zealand Pasifika Principals’ Association and the Ministry. We realise, from our experience with the Māori Achievement Collaboratives (MACs), that our Pasifika learners will have a much greater chance of succeeding in their learning if schools can demonstrate empathy with Pasifika cultures and languages. We want our Pasifika young people to feel pride in their culture and to know their culture is valued.
Work has been progressing through what is now the Tautai o le Moana. I am honored to have been a member of the Advisory team since its inception and proud of the progress being made. Next week this important project will be launched at a two-day residential fono in Wellington. I extend my best wishes to all those principals from Auckland and Wellington who will be involved.
Connecting with the Regions
This week I had the pleasure of attending the Rotorua Principals’ Association (RPA) and visiting several Rotorua schools. Meeting with colleagues and NZPF members is the most important part of my role as President of NZPF. I hear directly about the successes you are having and what obstacles are making it difficult for you to lead your schools. Hearing your experiences gives me the evidence I need to be a more effective advocate for you as I attend the many reference and advisory group meetings here in Wellington.
My thanks to RPA for hosting me and for warmly welcoming me back to my home town, where I began my teaching career working in the Te Reo Māori akomanga at Rotorua Intermediate School. Ngā mihi e te whānau, ngā tumuaki o Te Arawa.
Meeting with Opposition Party Education Spokesperson, Nikki Kaye
Earlier in the week I met with Nikki Kaye, the National Party education spokesperson. Nikki has invited me to the launch of the Party’s education discussion document which will be in Wellington next week. I look forward to hearing what direction the National Party has for the future of education in New Zealand.
Ngā manaakitanga
Whetu Cormick
whetu@nzpf.ac.nz
APPA-NZPF Trans-Tasman Conference 2020
Next year's conference will be held in Melbourne from 15 - 18 September 2020.
Registration for the Conference is now open!
Click here for more information.
NZ Principal Magazine also Online
You and/or your team members can easily access the NZ Principal Magazines online, as an e-magazine or as a PDF. Additionally you can search for a previous issue, an article by title or by the author of the article. All magazines back to Term 1 2012 are available in this format. To view or search click here.
Petition for Safer School Buses
First Union, representing bus drivers, has started a petition calling on the government to prioritise safety and the Living Wage for drivers when awarding school bus contracts.
Please sign the online petition, which calls for a Safe buses Charter.
New Zealand Primary School Teachers' Conference
The New Zealand Primary School Teachers’ Conference Committee warmly invite you to join them at their conference in Auckland at St Cuthbert’s College from April 16th-17th 2020.
They are excited to host two days of learning, collaboration, networking and inspiration. This conference will provide an array of professional development opportunities for all Primary and Intermediate Teachers. With at least 10 different Subject Associations and Industry Organisations contributing their knowledge, skills and expertise, it is set to be an incredible event.
They are welcoming all abstract submissions now! To find out more information and to register for the conference, click here or contact events@penz.org.nz with any queries.
VLN Primary School - Online Programmes 2020
Find out more and register your interest online or contact primary@vln.school.nz with queries.
All NZ children are welcome to learn with the VLN Primary - Nau Mai, Haere Mai!
Rachel Whalley, VLN Primary School
Super Smash Reading Challenge 2019
Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly NZ Book Council) has joined forces with New Zealand Cricket’s T20 summer tournament to get kids reading more books over the holidays.
The Super Smash Reading Challenge is a new interactive website. Primary and intermediate-aged children are invited to register for free and choose their local cricket team to ‘play’ for.
Players log the books they read over the summer, along with a star rating and short review. A leader board keeps track of the Super Smash teams as they move up and down the rankings accordingly.
Read NZ Te Pou Muramura chief executive Jo Cribb says the reading challenge is a fun new way to address the well-documented ‘summer slide’ in learning over the holidays.
Super Smash Reading Challenge will run until the final T20 cricket game on 19 January. Click here to sign up for the challenge or to find out more.
NZPF assures its business partners that, as members, you will contact them to have a conversation if you are purchasing products, services or solutions for your schools that a business partner supplies. Please support our partners as their assistance to NZPF means better membership services to you.
