Editor
Kia ora, Talofa Lava, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, Malo e Lelei, Kia Orana, Bula Vinaka, Namaste, Hao Ha, Greetings! Welcome to the richly diverse, multi-cultural, Otahuhu School community. Our Minister of Education, Hon Hekia Parata, repeatedly reminds us of her singular goal of raising the achievement of priority groups. She identifies these groups as Māori, Pacific Island, low socio-economic and special needs, including those for whom English is a second language. By this definition, Otahuhu Primary is packed with priority students. The Minister continually reminds us that one in five children in New Zealand is failing and the failing children mostly occupy these four identified groups. Does this mean then that Otahuhu Primary School is brimming with failing children? Absolutely not! A tour of the pristinely ordered school grounds quickly confirms that Otahuhu Primary is a place of deep pride, where cultural diversity is positively celebrated. You get the feeling that if failure walked in the school gate here it would be hard pressed to find a friend.
Multi-cultural artistry shouts loudly and colourfully from every corner. It is obvious that the 530 Otahuhu Primary School children take great pleasure in knowing who they are and where they are from. The art works, some professionally created and others generated by the children themselves, speak simultaneously of dignity and delight. A back-wall mural succinctly captures the essence of the school describing it as ‘A Meeting Place for the Children of the World’. Some have affectionately referred to the school as ‘a little United Nations’. It’s a noble concept engendering feelings of warmth, family cooperation, sharing and celebrating together. I want to know how this very welcoming and inclusive environment translates into children’s learning and how you bring these different ethnic groups together whilst respecting the individual differences. I seek out principal, Jason Swann to explain. Jason Swann is a poised, quietly spoken man, respectful and sincere. He bids you welcome a nanosecond before
The fabulous Mutukaroa, landmark learning partnership Team
Another little girl ever so proud of her beautiful work
Gardens like these create beauty and pride at Otahuhu
his smile ushers you in. Impeccably dressed, he presents as the consummate professional. You might assume he was expecting the Prime Minister to pop in at any moment. He settles down to tell his story. ‘As a new principal [at Otahuhu Primary School] I made the point that as leader I am a servant of the community,’ says Jason. ‘That means I open the school up to the community. It is their place,’ he says. Forging links with the community is critical to the success of Otahuhu School. There are martial arts classes, band practices, Church services and the Police next door use the school grounds for training. ‘There is hardly a night or weekend that there isn’t some community group using our school,’ says Jason, ‘and during the week we have a lot [of people] in and out too. Parents come and go at any times of the day – you don’t make appointments for family,’ he said, ‘We are ‘open-door’. I’m on duty every day because people are more important than the paper work!’ The purpose of opening the school doors to community activities, explains Jason, is to make the school a hub or centre of the community. It’s about building strong relationships which in the end means the children benefit. If school is a familiar place to parents, they will feel comfortable talking to teachers and other staff of the school. That is important at Otahuhu because for so many immigrant parents struggling with a new country, culture and language, school could become just another foreign entity to struggle with. By bringing the community inside the gates, parents soon learn that the school is an embracing place, filled with resources to help them as well as their children. It’s
a two-way street. Connecting with the community also means the community supports the school. The parents are very willing helpers on school trips and very generous with their time. There is no expectation of payment for many school activities because ‘We just want people to come along and be part of us,’ says Jason. ‘We are all part of a big team and as principal I have a lot of hats to wear,’ he says. ‘Making sure staff and children are physically, emotionally and spiritually happy is the most important of all. When people come to work happy they are more willing to ‘have a go’ especially if they know there is a culture of safety if things fail,’ he said. ‘When you walk through our gate, you walk into an island of excellence,’ says Jason. ‘Every day, the children ‘come home’ to this island of excellence’. If they have had a bad morning they know it will be okay because inside our school there are people who care about us.’ Care for each other is enshrined in the school values which are based on ‘having heart’. ‘Everyone knows what that is,’ says Jason. The school values spell out the word. They are honesty, excellence, attitude, respect and tolerance and are replicated in every classroom of the school. They are the glue connecting staff students and families. ‘At the centre of everything is the child,’ says Jason, ‘and we connect with different children through different experiences. Our job is to find those connections and our teachers do a fantastic job of that,’ he says proudly. Without doubt groups of Otahuhu children present with learning challenges that are different and according to Jason, need to be responded to in a way that fits their particular context.
This back-wall mural says it all
Buddies in the playground
It’s not like taking a solution off the shelf and applying it. At Otahuhu there are many different ways that the school addresses learning and cultural challenges. One of them is providing bilingual units. ‘Our two biggest ethnic groups are Samoan and Tongan,’ says Jason and in recognition of these cultures, and in celebration of their identity we have a bilingual unit for each and a Māori bilingual unit. These are regular classrooms delivering bilingual programmes alongside our mainstream programme. Our Māori bilingual unit is very popular with almost all of our Māori students taking advantage of the opportunity,’ he says. ‘We have strong support from our Samoan, Tongan and Māori communities to run these units,’ says Jason. Another response to children’s learning challenges is the ‘Multiple opportunities to learn programme’. This programme is built around literacy, numeracy and the New Zealand Curriculum but has different ways of delivering these subjects. For example each term children in this programme will have at least two ‘Education Outside The Classroom’ (EOTC) experiences. Being outside the classroom might be as close as the school grounds, somewhere in the local environment or further afield. The idea is to give the children new experiences to talk about, reflect on, be questioned about and eventually write about. Some of the children have few opportunities for new experiences or to have rich conversations about their surroundings so this programme hugely stimulates those children and their natural curiosity. It also provides teachers with an opportunity to build on connections with the children and for the children to make stronger connections with their teachers, a key to successful learning.
Every year four student receives a dictionary sponsored by the Rotary Club of Otahuhu
A second initiative is ‘The Horizons Group’. ‘We run a Horizons Group to expand the kids’ horizons,’ says Jason. These are activities that they are experiencing for the first time. ‘It might, for example, be rock climbing,’ he says. ‘There are set criteria to be accepted into the Horizons Group and the kids have to apply. They learn how to promote themselves and of course how to follow an application process. One of the criteria is making our place a better place so they are not just thinking about themselves but what they can give back through their new experience.’ Finding new learning channels through experience, helps these kids to engage and focus better. It provides context they can relate to which teachers can use across many curriculum subjects. continued pg.16
Showing off our excellent work book at Otahuhu
At Woods, we believe that education is of the utmost importance – not just for the children of today but for our world tomorrow. This belief has driven our team, for over half a century, to study how children learn – from a behavioral, ergonomic and cognitive perspective – to develop furniture that is flexible, adaptable and stimulating. It’s this philosophy that inspired our ergo-dynamic PantoFlex chair. Designed by one of the world’s greatest furniture designers, Verner Panton, the PantoFlex chair promotes correct posture, improves blood and oxygen circulation, assists the developing musculo-skeletal system and most importantly contributes to an increased attention span. And that’s only half the story. To find out more about our innovative range of educational furniture visit woodsfurniturenz.co.nz or call 0800 196 637. We’re for flexible learning
Decades of Class photos adorn the walls of the Administration block
Kids of many different nationalities learn a Māori action song
Other Horizons Group activities have included a cruise on Auckland harbour, under the Auckland harbour bridge, and on to the Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Museum, finishing up with a scavenger hunt. ‘We took sixty kids on this trip and fewer than ten had ever been on a ferry,’ said Jason. ‘If kids don’t have experiences, they have no language to fall back on,’ he said. Jason openly acknowledges that the school’s assessment data points to the fact that there are children whose learning challenges require more than just the experiences on offer through EOTC and the Horizons Group. ‘Some actually need an accelerated learning programme,’ he says, ‘and we have the parameters in place to make that happen.’ For these children, Jason is referring to a unique community learning partnership programme called ‘Mutukaroa’. This is about working with parents and whānau for the first three years of their child’s schooling to help them understand how their child is progressing and to learn how to help their child at home. It is hugely demanding on resources with three staff dedicated to making it succeed. The Mutukaroa Coordinator meets with the parents of this cohort of children on a regular basis. The parent chooses where that meeting will occur, when and at what time of day. It may be at school or at home or at a local café or the parent’s workplace. If necessary, a translator will accompany the coordinator to the meeting. It’s about using parent-friendly language whilst helping parents understand what assessment data means and extrapolating from that, what the child’s next learning steps will be. The coordinator
is likely to bring samples of the child’s work, running records and any other teacher assessment data to the meeting to illustrate how the child is progressing. An hour-long learning conversation ensues after which the parent sets two targets to work on at home. Notes from this meeting are shared with the classroom teacher who will be made aware of the home targets set. Ten weeks later a further meeting is arranged to review progress. The parent has an evaluation to complete before this meeting which is returned to the school. Parents are well supported during the ten-week period while working on learning targets at home. They are not left to their own devices. Noeleen Fox-Matamua, the Mutukaroa Coordinator ensures they remain connected with her team and can contact a school coordinator to talk about their child’s learning at any time. The whole programme is designed to support learning-focused relationships with parents. It is to give parents the confidence to talk on an equal basis with teachers about their child’s learning. Many parents do not have the resources in their homes to help their children meet the learning targets set, so Noeleen covers that too. Her energetic team make the resources including letter and word games, flash cards and reading books which are delivered to the families to keep. Leaving these resources in the home has a flow on effect for younger children in the household who are much more likely to arrive at school already prepared for learning. A well-documented ‘reading together’ programme is also available for parents. ‘There is an art to reading to children,’ says Jason, ‘and through completing the ‘reading together’ programme parents learn how to help their children in their reading. They learn how and when it is appropriate to give their children prompts and they learn strategies for reading, but most especially, they learn how to enjoy reading with their children. It is confidence building for parents and great for the children. Parents attend three sessions each week and they choose the times that are convenient to them either in the morning, midafternoon or in the evening. On completion of the course there is a graduation ceremony. ‘This is a big celebration,’ says Jason, ‘because for some of my parents it may be the first time they have ever graduated in anything!’ Alongside the ‘reading together’ programme is the ‘reading in schools’ programme. ‘We have boys from King’s College who arrive in taxi vans when they have a free period, to read one on one with our kids,’ says Jason. ‘It’s another wonderful community connection and we have had ex King’s College students who
The children who created a book with the help of Vasanti Unka, author in residence
A colourfully displayed mihi
Celebrating Samoan culture at Otahuhu
have gone on to train as teachers, ask to return to our school to toothbrush and toothpaste every term,’ says Jason, ‘And like complete their practicum work.’ clockwork, the next term, another 530 toothbrushes turn up.’ ‘From time to time, in the evenings, we also run curriculum The children keep these toothbrushes at school and brush their evenings for parents in reading, writing, and science,’ says Jason. teeth every day after lunch. ‘It is an opportunity for the children to share their learning with The Rotary Club’s help doesn’t stop at toothbrushes. They also their parents. It may be a science experiment, or talking about supply every year four child with a dictionary to take home. something they have found out. All parents take home a resource Further, they help sponsor the ‘Author in School’ programme, pack from these evenings,’ he says. where a resident author, chosen from a list provided by the There are a lot of extra-curricular National Library, the New Zealand activities to cover and a lot of Book Council and the Otahuhu Library, extra resources to prepare. Thanks helps the children to create books from to the outstanding dedication and stories that the children have written commitment of his staff Jason is able themselves. to maintain these programmes. ‘Vasanti Unka was our resident ‘My staff are a fantastic bunch who author,’ says Jason, ‘and the Rotary Club live our school motto ‘Outstanding and New Zealand Book Council funded Performance and Service’ in all we do, the sessions.’ all we say and all we are,’ says Jason. The children’s stories were based on ‘They work these long hours and the school values of honesty, respect and run these extra programmes because excellence. When it came to printing they know the children’s learning will the books more generous assistance benefit,’ he says. came from the school’s Konica Minolta At Otahuhu, Jason is battling a representative, Aletta Manuofetoa, who number of social issues too. Transience organised the printing and publishing is one issue affecting many of his of the books. families with housing and employment The book launch was held in the being the main issues. ‘In some cases Otahuhu Library with the Rotary Club we have multiple families living in one and Otahuhu Principals’ Association house and if a family is lucky to be hosting it. allocated a housing corporation house ‘The Library was packed with parents,’ they may have to move away from the said Jason, ‘and all of the kids involved in school area. These are factors we can’t the writing of the book were given a free control,’ he says, ‘We can only do our copy to take home. It was a tremendous Otahuhu the multi-cultural school best when the children are here.’ celebration for all of us,’ he said proudly. ‘The school provides breakfast and lunch for all children who There are many more celebrations and learning experiences need it, fruit in school, milk in school and KidsCan are wonderful for the children of Otahuhu Primary School including Language sponsoring shoes, rain jackets and pants,’ he says. ‘So that’s cold, Weeks, cultural festivals, music festivals, singing and dancing. hungry and thirsty solved.’ Jason believes that New Zealand Jason Swann indeed wears many hats, as principal of the schools are fantastic at solving issues. ‘If there is a problem for growing Otahuhu Primary School. He acknowledges that he our community, we will find a solution,’ he says. and his staff are constantly on the look out to improve their There is one more problem for Jason’s school community and practice and provide their children with even greater learning that’s oral hygiene. This time it’s the Rotary Club of Otahuhu opportunities. There is always room for improvement, he says, that helps out. but kids failing? Not at this school, Minister. ‘The Rotary Club supplies every one of our children with a
SOCKMAKERS NZ
MADE
Better socks for student feet
We are the sock makers and its not just for uniform, we supply schools with innovative products for teamsports, advanced sportswear and monogrammed design for schools and their alumni. high standard of product quality and continuity
smart fibers for high performance
great organisation and delivery
great customer service with real-time information
fast product development and customisation
innovators and problem solvers
on time product delivery
We wash and dry our products so there is zero to no shrinkage.
NEW 2016
STAY TE H
We have a huge product range for both girls or boys, 2 years olds to giant sizes
We have designed a school sock with several design features including built in garters to help them stay up. This design saves parents money and creates a sock with a garter that is never lost.
Tell your PTFA, Uniform Shop, Uniform Committee, Old boys society or Sports Director to look us up online or contact us for more information
www.sockmakers.com
0800 62 55 22
sales@sockmakers.com