School News NZ - Term 4 - 2013

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ISSN 1178-9964

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES $42 for 12 Months $72 for 24 Months Phone (03) 365 5575 subscriptions@schoolnews.co.nz www.schoolnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Pip Casey (03) 974 1037 p.casey@schoolnews.co.nz

sn inside How much screen time is too much?

With so many new educational programmes being designed for the screen, new research indicating that boys’ reading is much improved when multimedia platforms are used, and of course so much time spent in front of the TV. How do we know when enough is enough?

EDITORIAL Kim Armstrong-Fray editorial@schoolnews.co.nz PRODUCTION Richard McGill studio@schoolnews.co.nz

A team of researchers at the University of Western Australia have set out to discover how extended screen time is affecting our children’s long-term mental health.

More exciting research is being

undertaken at the University into attendance patterns and how early these patterns of ‘showing up’ are developed.

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The Essential Management Guide for Education Industry Professionals

This issue also covers the important topics of sourcing the best AV equipment for your school, modern learning environment furniture options, flooring and grounds maintenance.

The School News team wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas season and look forward to catching up with you all in 2014.

The science classroom Motivation through active learning

Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Property Managers • Professionals

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The School News team.

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• TEACHING RESOURCES • PROPERTY

Issue 23 | Term 4 - 2013

CONTRIBUTORS Maria D’Agostino, Professor Stephen Zubrick, Mandy Clarke, Brent Leslie and Baz Woodcock.

School News is distributed quarterly to all primary, intermediate and secondary schools nationwide and selected tertiary education providers by Multimedia Publishing, publishers of leading industry and consumer titles.

Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or Multimedia Publishing Limited.

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school news

education 10 Attendance

administration 12 Mental Health 14 MLE – Furniture 16 MLE – Furniture: Case Study

teaching resources 18 20 22 28

Science AV: Case Study – Dairy Flat School Audio Visual Equipment Book Reviews

29 Commercial Kitchens

external learning 30 Out of School Care 33 School Camps

health & safety 34 Project Energize 35 NZ Blood - Leukaemia

property 36 Maintaining School Grounds 38 Sports Field Maintenance 40 Flooring – Case Study: Finlayson Park School

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News in Brief

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One Laptop Per Child NZ launched at IT Professionals conference

The robust and low-cost ‘XO laptops’ are programmed in Maori and English

T

he One Laptop Per Child NZ Charitable Trust was officially launched in New Zealand at the national conference for the Institute of IT Professionals (IITP) in Tauranga.

The charitable trust, which aims to bring tech within the reach of thousands of kiwi children, is being headed in New Zealand Barry Vercoe who is Professor Emeritus of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT in Massachusetts, USA. The functional, robust and lowcost ‘XO laptops’ are programmed in Maori and English and Vercoe aims to bring 5000 units to New Zealand schools in the next year. He is also co-founder of One Laptop Per Child in Australia, where the programme has greatly improved outcomes in literacy and numeracy in remote communities, prompting the Australian government to invest $12 million in 50,000 more laptops for distribution this year.

In New Zealand, Vercoe is seeking commercial partnerships to help schools fund the open source laptops, which cost NZ $225 each.

In addition to his work with One Laptop Per Child, Vercoe has carved out an international academic career. He is widely credited with pioneering digital audio processing while at Princeton and Yale, before co-founding the MIT Media Lab in Massachusetts. Vercoe began his academic career at Auckland University, graduating with double degrees in music and maths in 1962.

“We’re delighted that Professor

Vercoe will be launching One Laptop Per Child New Zealand at the IITP Conference this week,” says IITP CEO Paul Matthews. “Barry is a talented Kiwi with a global reputation and his achievements provide inspiration for the entire New Zealand tech community.”

Final round of consultation

and establish a new state integrated school on the current Our Lady of Fatima School site. In this option all positions at both schools would be terminated and positions at the new school would be advertised nationally.

Option B: Cancel the integration agreement and close St Paul’s School and increase the maximum roll of Our Lady of Fatima School and manage the staffing of the larger (and re-named) Our Lady of Fatima School as a merger. In this option the staff from both schools would have the first option of equivalent positions in the ‘new schooling entity’ with the principal’s position being advertised nationally. This option could only apply in the event that both boards and all staff unanimously support this as the appropriate option.

This further round of consultation is limited to the affected parties - the boards (the employers) and the staff (the employees) of the two schools.

The full text of the community consultation report and the Bishop’s report to the Minister can be found

on the Catholic Education Office’s website www.chchceo.org.nz.

Ricoh’s ‘out-standing’ new environmental project Ricoh New Zealand has launched an innovative new recycling project that will deliver benefits to schools throughout New Zealand.

The company is spearheading a new initiative to create stands for children’s scooters made with plastic from recycled Ricoh toner cartridges.

With the popularity of scooters at an all-time high, Ricoh’s ‘Scooter Docks’ provide an affordable and practical solution to scooter parking problems at schools. The idea is the brainchild of Murray Clark, Marketing Manager for Ricoh New Zealand, who says the new initiative is a good fit with Ricoh’s business ethos of providing customers with solutions.

“We have a lot of schools who use Ricoh for their copiers, printers and IT solutions, so it’s great to be able to provide another type of solution, especially as scooter parking has become such an issue for many schools.  06

Following the earthquakes and the red-zoning of St Paul’s School, Dallington, the Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Barry Jones, undertook two rounds of community consultation on a proposal to combine St Paul’s School and Our Lady of Fatima School to form a new school entity on the current site of Our Lady of Fatima School in Mairehau. Education Minister Hekia Parata has previously agreed in principle to Bishop Barry Jones’ request for the provision of: • new state integrated full primary school entity, to be named St Francis of Assisi Catholic School • a maximum roll of 495 students • situated on the St Francis of Assisi Parish site at 370 Innes Road • commencing in term 1, 2016 The Bishop has sought and received permission from Minister Parata to undertake a third and final round of consultation on two options for developing this Catholic schooling provision: Option A: Cancel the integration agreements for both current schools

Ricoh’s ‘Scooter Docks’ provide an affordable and practical solution to scooter parking problems at schools.

Term 43 - 2013

school news

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News in Brief

news

Storypark’s online platform, www.storypark.com, is currently used by over 4,000 teachers, parents and families globally.

 05 “Not only does it solve a very real problem, it’s also an ideal way for us to have our plastic waste recycled and put to such good use here in New Zealand,” says Murray.

Ricoh has donated 2,000 Scooter Docks to schools across New Zealand already, and they can also be used as a fundraiser by selling them to parents for use at home.

“Based on our funding plan, for every Ricoh Scooter Dock a school sells they will be able to fund the purchase of another or they could use the scheme as a general fundraiser to help fund other projects”, says Murray.

Education NZ supports Storypark – Wellingtonbased eLearning software Local Wellington social enterprise Storypark is excited to be one of the few selected recipients of Education New Zealand’s International Growth Fund.

Storypark’s online platform, www.storypark.com, is currently used by over 4,000 teachers, parents and families globally.

Parents and families come together around a preschooler’s learning by recording and sharing photos, videos and comments via a private cloud-based network.

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Term 4 - 2013

“I think it’s been a mixture of the right philosophy and values, and that it’s super easy to use, so learning stories come to life in ways that were never possible before” says co-founder Peter Dixon when asked to explain the recent growth in New Zealand and international subscribers.

“Storypark also delivers a caring transition from teacher to teacher and can include specialists if required.”

Storypark is also working with some influential friends.

CORE Education’s Director of Development, Nick Billowes comments, “We’re proud to be working with Storypark and are exploring international opportunities with them at the moment.

Storypark is on the edge of global trends in eLearning that impact on early childhood centres and schools. ePortfolios are an important tool that assist in learning and development outcomes for children.”

Education New Zealand’s General Manager of Education Business Development Clive Jones, says they are delighted to assist international education providers and businesses to achieve their export growth objectives overseas

through the International Education Growth Fund.

“The fund invests in projects and providers that will benefit the New Zealand economy and Storypark is an organisation with a very clear focus on further developing its export markets.”

“We wish Storypark the very best in their venture and look forward to hearing of its success.”

Storypark will use the funding to focus on deepening their presence in the Northern Hemisphere.

For more information contact Co-founder Peter Dixon peter@storypark.com.

Battle of the Bridge - Let the Battle Begin School pride and serious bragging rights are at stake for Porirua’s secondary schools as the inaugural interschool sporting event – The Battle Of The Bridge.

The schools on one side of Porirua’s Mungavin Bridge – Samuel Marsden Whitby, Aotea College and Porirua College – will put up a combined girls team and a combined boys team to play two matches of rugby league against combined teams from Tawa, Bishop Viard and Mana colleges, that are located on the other side of the Bridge.

The prize for the winning

schools is the right to fly their schools’ flags on Mungavin Bridge for two weeks.

“The aim of the event is to encourage participation in healthy activity and celebrate achievement through sport and friendly rivalry between the secondary schools in the region,” says Porirua City Council Sports Development Officer Faalogo Talosaga Vaai.

“The Battle of The Bridge is starting small this year with one sport – rugby league.

However, the sports coordinators from each of the participating schools have plans to extend what we hope will become an annual event, to include a wide range of sporting pursuits on offer in our city,” Faalogo Vaai says.

Flagmakers, New Zealand’s largest flag printer and manufacturer, is the event sponsor and is making two types of street flags to fly on the banner poles on Mungavin Bridge.

The first is a series of twelve ‘Battle Of The Bridge’ event flags which will fly on its own from this week.

Then street flags featuring the crests of each of the winning schools will fly alongside the event flags for two weeks following November event.

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News in Brief

news

With 54,000 learners, French is the most learnt foreign language in New Zealand schools.

Arrangement of cooperation in the field of education signed in Paris The French and New Zealand Ministers of Education, Vincent Peillon and Hekia Parata, met in Paris on September 27th and signed an arrangement of cooperation between their ministries.

The text will help strengthen cooperation in the fields of education and language between the two countries, especially in the following fields: • exchanges between French and New Zealand schools • the language assistant exchange programme • French/English bilingual education • Collaboration for the training of teachers of French Minister of Education Vincent Peillon expressed his appreciation of the importance of the French language in the New Zealand education system. With 54,000 learners, French is the most learnt foreign language in New Zealand schools.

Minister Peillon expressed his thanks to Minister Hekia Parata for the encouragement given by the New Zealand Ministry of Education to the teaching of foreign languages in primary schools and

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school news

Term 4 - 2013

for its support to the French/English bilingual education programmes.

Ms Parata and Mr Peillon also discussed the potential for school to school relationships as part of the 100th anniversary of World War 1, from 2014-18.

Libraries are an essential service so let’s start treating them that way “Like roads, health care and education, libraries are an essential service. Libraries are not going anywhere and nor are librarians” said Laurinda Thomas, President of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) in an inspiring address at the annual library conference in Hamilton.

Ms Thomas delivered her uplifting speech to around 400 from libraries across the country who have come together to share, learn and shape the future of the New Zealand library and information profession.

Libraries contribute to New Zealand’s educational outcomes, economy, business growth, community well-being, technological innovation, ground breaking research, prisoner rehabilitation and public policy.

“Libraries are the backbone of New Zealand’s health, wealth and

well-being, so let’s stop being shy about that” “This conference allows us to share stories that connect us to why we are an essential service.

Libraries connect communities to the information, the people and the places, that can change their lives”.

Ms Thomas encouraged delegates to use the four days of conference to reflect on their roles as library and information professionals, to celebrate their accomplishments and to reconnect with the impact their work has on the community.

“Librarians are passionate, smart, dedicated and innovative. We connect, we explore, we challenge.

We are proud of what we do”.

“We don’t just want to be part of the future; we are the future”.

Christchurch secondary school announcement Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced that, following an extensive consultation process, all Christchurch secondary schools will remain open because the schools are well located and provide good access for students.

However, two schools that had significant land damage, Avonside Girls High School and Shirley Boys High School, will be relocated to a new shared site in eastern

Christchurch. Education officials are working to identify a site.

“During the extensive consultation process, all the Christchurch secondary principals worked together to develop a vision for secondary education in greater Christchurch. This process included feedback from 120 students who participated in a two day forum in March,” says Ms Parata.

“This Government welcomes this collaborative approach to the secondary school network in Christchurch which has seen extensive change due to the earthquakes.’’

The Government is investing around $400 million in Christchurch secondary schools to support this vision.

“In making these decisions, I am mindful families in greater Christchurch have already been through a lot and I expect that today’s announcement will provide some certainty for parents and their children.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank the principals, chairs and their communities at these secondary schools for their involvement in this process. They have put enormous work in to their feedback throughout the past 12 months of consultation.

News in Brief

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The Government remains committed to the rebuild of Christchurch and is investing $1 billion into renewing the education network in greater Christchurch over the next 10 years.

“We have a chance to build brighter, more modern schools in better locations, with great new facilities, and to ensure all children are getting access to good, quality education.”

Phillipstown School Considers Its Next Steps Phillipstown School Considers Its Next Steps Phillipstown School is ecstatic with a historic legal victory against the Government’s decision to merge it with neighbouring school, Woolston, and is now considering its next steps to keep the school open.

The Christchurch High Court declared that the Minister of Education’s decision to merge Phillipstown was unlawful and that the Minister had failed to consult with the school to the standard required by law.

Phillipstown School will be taking further advice from its lawyer Mai Chen and its legal team at Chen Palmer regarding its next steps and will be teleconferencing with them on Monday. The school is waiting to hear if the Minister will appeal the decision, or if she will consult again, and if so on what.

Phillipstown School also wishes to thank parents, students and legal team who supported them to achieve yesterday’s victory.

“We could not have achieved this amazing result without the fantastic support of so many people” said Phillipstown School Principal, Tony Simpson.

“I want to pay a special tribute to our lawyer Mai Chen, and the entire legal team at Chen Palmer.

They put in a tremendous amount of effort, skill and legal expertise into our successful case. I honestly believe we could not have done this without them. They believed in our case.”

Phillipstown School is looking forward to engaging constructively with the Ministry of Education,

to discuss ways to keep the school open for the benefit of its students, their parents and the local community.

Phillipstown School also wishes to thank the many parents, students, families and members of the local community who supported the school throughout its legal case.

“Yesterday was a big victory for a little school. But I always knew we had the backing of our parents, students and our local community.

The school appreciates every single thing you did for us, and we want you to share in our victory too.”

Primary school’s receive professional development windfall Four New Zealand primary schools will undertake rigorous year-long professional development to better understand how to draw upon students’ reflective self-assessment in their school’s decision-making thanks to Cognition Education Trust.

From expressions of interest received from 19 schools, Clevedon School, Marist Catholic School (Herne Bay), Gladstone Primary School (Mt Albert) and Rhode Street School (Hamilton) were selected to participate in the Trust’s inaugural Student Voice Impact on Teacher Decision Making project from early February 2014.

The successful schools will take part in a series of workshops facilitated by leading consultants from the Trust’s subsidiary, Cognition Education Ltd. They will learn how to use Student Voice to make decisions about lesson planning, success of lessons, classroom practice and development of self-regulation in learning.

Edeh Nobari, Deputy Principal, Clevedon School says she is very excited and feels privileged to be part of the Student Voice Impact project.

“Over the last two years we have been working very hard to develop our students’ assessment capability and this project is going to be a huge support as we continue this journey. We are looking forward to learning a lot more about how to

improve in this area in order to do the very best for our students.”

Opportunities will be created for collaboration between this cluster of schools and the Trust will publish and distribute the collective findings so that educators throughout New Zealand will benefit.

Cognition Education Trust’s Executive Officer - Anne Rodda, says they are keen to see how schools will integrate learning’s from Student Voice into their teaching curriculum.

“Each of the four schools selected already demonstrate leading teaching practices and we are delighted to offer them this opportunity to enhance their demonstrable commitment to student achievement.”

Informed by the guiding principles of ‘Collective Impact’, the Trust will provide backbone support throughout the project, in addition to the funding. Evaluation of the workshops will be steered by Cognition Education Ltd.

Another cookbook for Nic Scholastic New Zealand has once again teamed up with inspirational child chef Nicholas Brockelbank to produce a second cookbook, Nic’s

Lunchbox, this time with a range of quick, easy and delicious lunch ideas.

Nic lives with muscular dystrophy and in 2012 and 2013 was the ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Bow Tie Appeal and Scholastic NZ are again donating half of the royalties from sales of the book to the MDA. Nic’s Cookbook has been a regular feature in the top 10 NZ children’s bestseller list, and it won the 2012 Best Fundraising, Charity and Community Cookbook category of the strongly contested Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for the Pacific region.

Nic was encouraged by a schoolteacher to use cooking to improve his reading, spelling and maths. He enjoyed it so much that he put together his first ‘cookbook’ when he was eight years old, as a Christmas gift for family and friends.

This photocopied booklet of recipes was so popular he set up a website (www.nicocool.com) to sell recipe books and artwork to raise money for various charities. The website also describes aspects of Nic’s life with muscular dystrophy from his personal experiences.

Term 4 - 2013

school news

09

Attendance

education

When the bell rings DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF A CHILD MISSES A BIT OF SCHOOL HERE AND THERE? THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT YES IT DOES. THE ATTENDANCE PATTERNS OF MORE THAN 415,000 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY STUDENTS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS LED TO SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS ABOUT HOW SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AFFECTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND WINTHROP PROFESSOR STEPHEN ZUBRICK SAYS IT SHOWS THAT EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL REALLY DOES COUNT.

W

ith the release of our findings on the relationship between student absences and academic achievement, there is heightened discussion of what it all means.

On average in Western Australia, public primary school students miss about 15 days of school a year and secondary students miss about 25 days of school a year. This equates to about 16,000 children being absent from school each day with 11,000 of these absences being excused and another 5000 or so being unexcused. We believe these attendance patterns translate across the country.

Importantly, our findings show that academic achievement declines for every day of absence – in other words, every day of attendance counts and there is no ‘safe’ level of absence that students can get away with. It really makes a difference if students attend every day and, when they have to be absent, to have opportunities to make up for this.

Our findings also show that children develop their ‘attendance careers’ very, very early. In Year 1 a student’s pattern of attendance is already well established and will, in all likelihood, repeat from year-toyear. This tells us that part of what children learn at school is about attending school. So, part of their early learning is learning to ‘show up’. After all, life is about showing up – at school, in relationships, at work, at home and in sport.

Our findings show that school absences are a ‘long fuse with a big bang.’ This is because the effects of being absent from school add up over time. Earlier absences in primary school have impacts that can be seen in later years, so it’s important that students not only learn to ‘show up’ but to do so throughout their student careers.

While absences affect all students to some degree, students

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Key Findings •

Children develop their ‘attendance careers’ from as early as Year 1.

•

Disparities in attendance rates are also evident from Year 1. They are carried into, and become wider, in secondary school. Initiatives aimed at improving attendance therefore need to start early.

•

There is no ‘safe’ threshold of absence. Attendance matters

for achievement, and every day counts.

•

Unauthorised absences are more strongly associated with poor achievement than authorised absences.

•

Most achievement disparities are in place at the outset of Year 3. Improving the attendance of disadvantaged students may help to reduce these, or prevent the gaps from becoming wider over time.

Professor Stephen Zubrick of The University of Western Australia’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

who are disadvantaged are particularly affected by missing school. Each day of absence has a larger effect on lowering their academic achievements when compared with students in higher socioeconomic settings – and these are the students who can least afford to be absent. Students who experience unauthorised or unexcused absences also fare much more poorly. But where parents and teachers communicate about the reasons for a student’s absence, the effects of being absent are lessened considerably.

It’s important to note that school attendance is just one of several influences that matter in terms of how well students perform. The most important influence on students is the quality of their teachers and the learning experiences that they provide.

Quality teaching is foundational to excellence in school performance.

Also, socioeconomic disadvantage is a far greater influence on academic performance than even attendance. Addressing disparities in educational opportunities, expectations and constraints for disadvantaged students is central to closing gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Finally, attendance and the attitudes of parents and students about attending (or conversely being absent) are also important. Showing up does matter.

Parents and schools need to be in conversation about what happens when children miss school and the steps that can be taken to minimise the effects. Inevitably, community interest will turn to suggesting harsher penalties for families of children who chronically fail to attend school. It’s tempting to assert that school is compulsory and parents have a responsibility to send their children to school, so

education Attendance

penalising the family is justified.

But this attitude simply adds insult to injury. It doesn’t actually get at the root of the problem for most families where chronic school absence occurs. Improving attendance for all children rests first with alerting parents to the fact that it really matters, and re-affirming with our community that being absent from school, for reasons other than authorised absences, impairs onward success and, for some children, narrows their life

chances. More of this knowledge along with more vigorous steps by parents and schools to determine the nature of reasons for absence is the desired starting point for acting on our findings. Children miss school for many reasons. They get ill. Families have emergencies that require children to miss school. Special opportunities come along. And sometimes it can all be ‘too much’ and it’s easier to keep children at home rather than deal with the effort it takes to mobilise

attending school. Our report puts school absences into perspective and possibly reminds us of what we have always taken for granted – school really matters. We would be pleased if more parents asked about school expectations and processes that are used when children are absent. We would be pleased if more parents spoke with one another and their children about school attendance and what they expect. We would be pleased too if more schools were supported

to engage with their school communities in regular dialogue and expectation-setting about attendance and absence at school.

We would all benefit from this. The report called Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes: Every Day Counts is online at childhealthresearch.org.au.

By Professor Stephen Zubrick, The University of Western Australia’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research Article courtesy of the WA Department of Education School Matters newsletter.

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Mental Health

education

Beyond the screen

W

e’ve all been made aware of the physical effects that too much time in front of the television or on the internet can have on children. But with iPods, tablets, smart phones and other screenbased technologies now on the market, what are the mental health effects of prolonged use on children?

A team of researchers led by Professor Steve Houghton, director of The University of Western Australia’s centre for child and adolescentrelated disorders, set out to find the answers. Maria D’Agostino speaks with Steve about starting his groundbreaking research.

Children and teenagers live in a media saturated world and spend more time using various media technologies than they do time at school*.

This startling statistic had Professor Steve Houghton reflecting on the mental health impacts that long term use of screen based technologies can have on young people now and in the future.

“While there has been a great

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What the numbers say...

• Three to 13 year olds watch television daily for more than 1.5 hours, and the average Australian child first goes online before eight years of age.

• 47 per cent of the top 100 selling Apple applications in 2009 were targeted at pre-school and primary school children.

• 100 new educational applications are released each day, many for babies.

• More than 90 per cent of 12 to 17 year olds in the USA, Europe and Australia have access to television and go online, and 94 per cent have mobile phones, of which 90 per cent use them to play games.

• Young people on average spend deal of research looking at how this behaviour relates to children’s physical health, much less attention

between four and seven hours a day using various media. This is well over the less than two hours recommended by the American Academy of Paediatrics, Canadian Paediatric Society and Australia’s Physical Activity Recommendations for 12 to 18 years olds.

• Two studies in Australia have found that 58.9 per cent and 75 per cent of Australian children respectively, exceed recommended screen use time. These recommendations were made for physical health outcomes, rather than mental health outcomes. Limited research examining mental health and screen use means that similar recommendations have not been forthcoming. has been paid to the impact on their mental health,” he says.

“Given the pervasiveness of these

technologies in young people’s lives, understanding the links between use and mental health, and developing evidence-based guidelines for use, are crucial.”

Steve says previous studies have looked at the physical effects of watching too much television or spending too much time on the internet. But this will be the first look into the mental health effects on young people from using all screenbased technologies.

“I read something about children who are anxious and how using various screen-based technologies over an extended period of time can exacerbate their anxiety. I immediately wanted to examine this further,” says Steve. With help from his team and a professor travelling from Glasgow, Steve’s study will initially examine the frequency, intensity and types of screen-based activity, and how this varies for different ages, genders and geographical locations.

“Parents and schools find it hard to gauge when a child’s screen use is becoming a problem,” he says.

education Mental Health

“We’re not saying all screen use is bad because there are many positive things about modern technology. But for some young people it becomes their reality and they can spend so much time on screen that it can impact on their health and wellbeing.”

Schools in both metropolitan and country areas have already signed up to take part in the study which will involve online surveys over three years. Steve says the only way to measure mental health effects will be longitudinally but, because of the study’s innovative design, the three years of data will be able to model a 10-year growth curve.

Students will be questioned about whether, for example, their screen use interferes with sleep, eating and school work; whether their parents complain about their

screen use; and whether their communication with others is more successful online than face-to-face.

“The survey has been tested on 40 students and these situations come up quite often,” explains Steve.

“A lot of students find it hard not to use screen-based technologies all the time. But it’s not an addiction as many people think it is. Rather, it’s problematic usage.

“We don’t want to say children shouldn’t be using screens. Rather, from the study results, we want to be able to advise schools, parents and young people on the most effective ways to use screen-based technologies and at the same time develop positive mental health.”

Steve and researchers will also develop a problematic screen-use scale. “We’ve already had a fantastic

int.elligent library solutions

response from schools to the study, as many teachers and parents recognise that screen use has changed the nature of childhood and adolescence in many ways,” he says.

Steve says 50 per cent of all adult mental health problems develop during adolescence and screen use can exacerbate the problems.

Finding out how to use screens effectively without developing problems is vitally important.

“Research shows 18 to 24-month old toddlers regularly watch screen media for at least one-and-a-half hours a day and that early screen viewing – before three years old – has been linked to a number of psychological health issues in adolescence. It’s incredible,” he says.

“I remember when I was at an airport and about 150 students had

just come off a flight. Ninety-five per cent of them were on gadgets and not talking with each other.

“Then when I was on the plane, people were making last minute calls or listening to music and switching on tablets to watch something.

I’m always amazed at the amount of time people spend using screens so I’m really excited to fnd out more from this study.

By Maria D’Agostino Article courtesy of School Matters, Department of Education, Western Australia *Coyne, S., Padilla-Walker, L., Stockdale, L., & Day, R. (2011). Game on… Girls: Associations between co-playing video games and adolescent behavioural and family outcomes.

Journal of Adolescent Health, 49, 160-165.

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Term 4 - 2013

school news

13

MLE – Furniture

admin & management

Furniture a key part of modern learning

In the modern learning environment, it is accepted that children learn in different ways.

L

earning environments have changed drastically in recent years as old-style classrooms give way to modern learning spaces.

The pedagogy that students learn in different ways and in different settings is now well accepted. Intrinsically it follows the furniture should fit those settings.

It is a specialised and important component of the modern learning environment.

A major player in this market is Distinction Furniture where Julie Carter is a director. With her business partner, Dorothy Pearce, she formed the company about 15 years ago but both had several years experience with education furniture before that. Aucklandbased, Distinction Furniture is the largest provider of education furniture in the region but supplies schools throughout the country.

It is the second largest supplier in New Zealand, now employing eight people.

Distinction Furniture is not a manufacturer itself. “We have about 16 companies that manufacture to our specs,” says Mrs Carter. “We also tap into existing ranges that those companies may have that would

14

school news

Term 4 - 2013

suit the education market.”

It is a priority for Distinction that those suppliers are New Zealand companies and are using New Zealand-made products. “That’s very important to us as a number of local companies have gone under because of cheap imported furniture. Some competitors still do this but they cannot offer the warranties and back-up service that we’re able to do.”

Since she began her involvement with school furniture, Julie Carter has seen changes she describes as “dramatic” in the transformation from old-style classroom learning into a modern learning environment, or MLE. “We put a lot of emphasis on ergonomics now – a big change since the days when all the chairs in the old-style classroom were the sturdy, upright back kind.”

“We’ve outfitted all the new schools built in the last 18 years, except one, and we even supplied some furniture for that. They’ve all been fun projects because they’ve been built to suit the ways in which the kids are going to be using them.”

Distinction’s latest project was as

Studies show students learn more efficiently in today's MLE.

the successful outfitter of the new public/private partnership at westAuckland’s Hobsonville Point. Both a primary and secondary school, it is the first public/private partnership education school in New Zealand, due to open next year. It is totally MLE in concept, encompassing the whole learning environment: layout, lighting, sound, air flow, heating – and furniture.

“Distinction Furniture’s philosophy is based on the education theories of The Hermann Brain Model which says that children learn differently to each other. Consequently they need

different environments within their classrooms and schools if they are to reach their full potential, just as they would at home.

“So, we’ll establish several different learning areas within the classroom environment. The children then choose where they go and do their work,” Mrs Carter said.”

Furnishings could be High Tables for what she refers to as the ‘meercat’ kids who need to see what is going on in the classroom so usually are up and down a lot.

“Now they can just look up, see what’s going on and then go back

admin & management MLE – Furniture

to task without disturbing their fellow students. Other children do best at group work and sit at tables that can be set up in a variety of configurations, while others work better alone.

“There are wonderful open learning spaces in new schools, but also in well-established schools that have renovated or just turned their classrooms into an MLE environment. That extends to the libraries as well. They have a special place in the school but they’re even more special now. There are some fantastic libraries turning up in schools,” she said.

“The teachers are just excited by it all because it’s actually challenging them in the way they teach. They’re having to look at how they’re teaching and is it effective and what changes they need to make to their teaching to make sure that a better message is being delivered to the children. They’re

Changes can be made gradually to fit a school's budget.

enjoying that challenge, too.

“An unexpected side effect is that teachers are finding that bad behaviour in class is declining, marks are going up, while children who’ve been a little out of it socially with other kids – all of a sudden they’re actually joining in with the class more, they’re participating in group work, they’re making new friends – because they’re in groups or sitting in places where they feel more comfortable about themselves. The teachers have been amazed. What a fantastic side effect that is to an MLE environment.”

This might all sound wonderful but with most schools restricted by tight school budgets, surely it is rather unrealistic for many. However, that is a problem Julie Carter is well aware of.

“Because of how long we’ve been working with schools, we’re fully aware of schools budgets, so we go in and have a look and there is often a lot of furniture they’re already using that can be integrated into this MLE environment to keep the costs down. We usually work the most closely with the principal at primary level, and the executive

office at a secondary school.

“Then we’ll talk to the teachers about how many kids will be involved before working out how many tables and other furnishings will be needed. With school budgets being so tight, it’s a not a process where the schools have to do everything at once. Because of how long we’ve been doing it, we just know what needs to go into them.”

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

Term 4 - 2013

school news

15

MLE – Furniture: Case Study

admin & management

Modern learning at Auckland Normal Intermediate

D

istinction furniture within a modern learning environment is having a big effect at Auckland Normal Intermediate.

About three years ago the school was re-examining its whole existing pedagogy which included traditional single cell classrooms and old style desks where students sat the entire day.

“We wanted to make sure that the learning environment married up with our new pedagogical approach to teaching,” said Deputy Principal Jonathan Hughes. “We obviously wanted a physical environment to match it.”

That included introducing ‘learning commons’ – open style classrooms with breakout rooms where children have a choice where to work. “Part of that was having adaptable furniture, again based on where the students thought they could best sit and best study.

It could be high or low tables, or a

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Term 4 - 2013

“

“I like the shared learning environment and being able to choose your seat every day; it lets me be able to mix with new people, – Jessica Dale which I love.”

collaborative action table, and the students could choose throughout the year where they would sit and work on a daily basis,” said Mr Hughes.

“We went to Distinction Furniture because we thought it had the most up to date furniture that best symbolised how we’d like our classroom and furniture to look in terms of our new approach.

We started by trialling some of the furniture in the old single cell classrooms, and then introduced it into our learning commons as we built them over the last two years.

They have a lot more open space and give much more choice for the students.

“It’s been a smooth process.

One of the positives of working with Distinction was that its people understood where we were heading. They had a good appreciation of our vision and could help plan the layout of the classrooms on a case by case basis.

“At present we have four learning commons classrooms with Distinction furniture in them, and we’re growing that to achieve 80 per cent by January next year. This mirrors the real world; no one sits at the same desk all day and does the same thing over and over again.”

And has it all been worth it? “We’ve measured a massive increase in agency by children and students

MODERN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT because of having a voice and a choice where to sit and where to work and who to work with. It’s made a huge difference to their levels of achievement.”

And do students and teachers enjoy their new furniture?

"Oh definitely.”

“Through our strategic planning groups, we often measure the impact of this furniture. The biggest changes we’ve noticed is that the teachers would never want to go back to single cell classrooms and secondly; the students are all fighting to get into these classrooms. They like the choice of having different types of furniture and learning environment.”

Two students approached for their opinions definitely back that statement up.

“I really like the range of furniture you can choose from and how you can choose where to sit related to the activity you are doing.”

– Hana Witty “I like the shared learning environment and being able to choose your seat every day; it lets me be able to mix with new people, which I love.” – Jessica Dale

By Brent Leslie, Industry Reporter

MLE – Furniture: Case Study – Auckland Normal Intermediate

admin & management

FURNITURE

LEADERS Visit our showroom at: 8 Couldry Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland P 09) 523 4092 F 09) 523 4093 W www.distinction.net.nz Term 4 - 2013

school news

17

Science

teaching resources

Active science education matters

S

cience matters to us all. Science is everywhere, an essential part of our daily lives and a solid science education is essential, not only for our future scientists and engineers but for all children, of all abilities, in this increasingly high tech world. Science is about discovering the world around us, having the ability to make sense of the outside world, of knowing things and having new ideas. Part of science literacy is to teach students how to observe, collect evidence and draw conclusions. These skills sharpen minds and encourage scientific thinking – a gift for every child – preparing them for any career or indeed any event they may encounter in life.

18

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“

In school science labs, students should be viewed as active learners and not just passive recipients of knowledge

Most educators believe that formal classroom teaching alone is not true learning. It is well known that active “hands on” or informal learning fosters optimum scientific literacy in early childhood. The definition of learning from the Campaign for

Learning and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council says, "Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world. It may involve the development or deepening of skills, knowledge,

understanding, awareness, values, ideas and feelings, increase in the capacity to reflect. Effective learning leads to change, development, and the desire to learn more.” To adopt this philosophy students need to get out there, role their sleeves up and get actively involved with science experiments.

Science lab experiments promote the development of scientific thinking in students. Environments where students feel free to ask questions, probe for answers, conduct investigations, and collect data will have the most success.

In school science labs, students should be viewed as active learners and not just passive recipients of

teaching resources Science

knowledge and they need various opportunities to learn and experiment.

In order to do this it is essential that schools invest in safe, high quality science lab equipment.

Bruce Young the marketing manager of Labwarehouse explains that laboratories are potentially hazardous places and therefore appropriate safety measures should always be taken, he says” Familiarity with equipment, good training and appropriate protective clothing are probably the best lines of defense against accidents occurring.” In an environment where chemicals are used it is especially important that equipment is in top condition he says, “We advise conducting regular checks of glassware for cracks and chips to

avoid cuts, leakages and breakages when in use. Glassware is pretty cheap these days, so we advise, always having the right equipment on hand and keeping a few spares to ensure compromises aren’t made.”

The discovery of new ideas is an integral part of learning science. It is something that teachers can't teach from a book; it is a skill that students need to develop through discovering new concepts while searching for knowledge. In a science school lab, children conduct experiments and

adopt alternatives, they try to work things out and then conclude what did and didn’t work and sometimes they might see the potential in what didn’t. Many of the greatest science discoveries such as penicillin have been made by pure chance whilst a scientist is studying something else entirely. Nobel prize-winning biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi once said: “A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind and a prepared mind is usually what it takes.” Mr.Young from Labwarehouse

agrees, “In our view, science is one of the most exciting topics in the curriculum and is an ideal way to get students motivated with active learning. Who doesn't remember the wonder of making copper sulphate crystals on a string when they were at school?”

The general public may not realize its importance or the significant role that science plays their everyday lives and some may even think that science is not for them.

But science does matter and truly is for everyone, regardless of gender, race, or level of ability and active learning opportunities should be open to all.

By Mandy Clarke, Staff Reporter

Term 4 - 2013

school news

19

AV: Case Study – Dairy Flat School

teaching resources

20

ActivSound voice enhancement system proves its worth at Auckland school

W

hen Dairy Flat School principal Debbie Marshall measured the ambient noise levels in the school classrooms last year, she was in for an unpleasant surprise.

Ambient noise from such sources as an industrial plant, heavy trucks and a nearby airfield meant the school was unlikely to comply with the levels required by its Five-Year Agreements last year, so she made the decision to trial the ActivSound system in a Year One class. Immediately it was evident she had found a solution.

“By lunchtime on the first day of use, the class teacher was calling ActivSound ‘a miracle’” said Mrs Marshall. “If there was a child not paying attention, she just said their name and the reaction was instant.”

Within a term the school had decided to begin introducing the system in other classrooms.

“Now, there’s a lot less stopping the entire class to address two or three students. It also drops the noise level in the classroom. I can’t

school news

Term 4 - 2013

“

By lunchtime on the first day of use, the class teacher was calling ActivSound ‘a miracle’

exactly tell you why, but it does, and the classroom becomes a quieter working environment.”

She said the ActivSound system is also proving itself invaluable for enhancing the learning of children with special needs, such as auditory processing and attention deficit issues. A child is able to pick their name out of all the other classroom noises as the teacher’s voice is surrounding them rather than just coming from one direction.

“With one child, the minute the teacher said his name very quietly, he attended. Quite often people think these kids are being naughty but they genuinely don’t know how to pick out the important things in

what they are hearing. Just having the ActivSound system keeps in their mind what they need to be listening for.”

A further advantage of the system is that its introduction into a classroom goes almost unnoticed, says Mrs Marshall. “If you walked into a room you wouldn’t notice it until it was turned off. If the teachers are working down on the mat with their small group, they will probably turn it down or off, and then just turn it on if they want someone to attend to them. But I think the magic of it is that it’s not intrusive at all – you don’t know it’s there unless you listen for it.”

Debbie Marshall says the school

has not come across any major problems since ActivSound was introduced. “The only challenge for the teachers is remembering to charge it, however, they very soon notice the difference in sound quality.”

Students also use the ActivSound student microphone to actively participate in classroom activities, she says. “Those who are normally quiet suddenly have a voice.”

Mrs Marshall says the school now has ActivSound in eight classrooms, and is hoping to equip the remaining classrooms as soon as funding is available.

“The fact that we’re putting them throughout the school has meant quite a big investment in the technology. But for us that’s how powerful we think it is and how much of an impact it’s having on student learning.”

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

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Audio Visual Equipment

teaching resources

New audio-visual technology enhances learning experience

T

he benefits to both students and teachers of modern audio-visual technology are now well-proven by international research.

Such relatively modern innovations such as Interactive Whiteboards that greatly strengthen group learning and sophisticated sound systems that mean children can hear clearly wherever they sit, have proved to be godsends.

Teachers no longer have to shout, meaning their work is much more relaxing and damage to their voices is greatly reduced.

But for schools about to embark on expensive new purchases, good research is essential to avoid making a costly mistake. Fortunately, New Zealand is well equipped with companies that can provide first class products and skilled advice.

Sony New Zealand

“From safe environments to mass communication, from video as teaching tools to video production tools, products for Pod Casts, Sony audio-video technology can really enhance your students' learning experience,” says Erin Kirk, Sales and Business Development manager,

Professional Solutions Division of Sony New Zealand Limited.

“Students spend their time plugged-in, whether its video games, MP3 players, movies or the Internet, so digital media has become their preferred method of communication and expression. Students today are touched by technology at every turn, which impacts every facet of their lives, including how they learn and comprehend. Why not use technology-as-second nature to your schools advantage?

“Sony has many products that can be used in the classroom to engage students from Interactive projectors, Tablets and Laptops, Digital Signage solutions, TVs, touch screen solutions, cameras….. the list is very extensive,” she said.

An electronics giant, Sony’s product range relevant to education

is so vast it was impossible for Erin Kirk to list them.

“All our products can be used in many teaching solutions so I’ll just concentrate on Interactive projectors in the classroom. They’re designed especially to work in rooms of limited space with the VPL-SW536C enabling large screen projection from very short distances.

Our Interactive Projector comes with dual pen interactivity which enables two users to write on the projection surface simultaneously.

Selecting the whiteboard mode even allows specific highlights, spotlights, rewrites, replays and the ability to save and export all your valuable work. You’ll experience a truly engaging teaching and learning experience.”

VideoPro A specialist in AV sales and integration; VideoPro has installed Epson interactive projectors in numerous New Zealand schools.

“The functionality, features and ease of use requiring little or no professional development, plus attractive installation proving to be a winner with primary and secondary schools alike,” says Jason Tether, Education Sales. “Teachers are able to create engaging and interactive lessons, pull and display content from several sources (HDMI, USB, PC free slideshows, network and optional wireless connectivity), annotate freely and encourage student participation through active

22

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Term 4 - 2013

learning. “Thanks to the ultra short throw distance, students have a clear view of both the workspace and teacher without the distraction of cast shadows. And teachers are free from having constant light shining in their eyes. Plus, the WIFI enabled Epson EB-1400Wi and EB-1410Wi allow for projection and interactive function without wires getting in the way,” he said.

“The flexibility of Epson's interactive projectors allows schools several options when considering mounting and placement of units.

An interactive workspace can be projected onto any hard, flat surface; whether that be a wall, existing whiteboard or table. Schools with smaller budgets who wish to split this valuable resource across a several environments can consider a mobile mounting system.

“A major plus is that schools can make use of existing pen-based whiteboards; reducing the cost to upgrade and better utilisation of space without having dedicated boards.

“Many schools are choosing to invest in interactive technology along-side audio and classroom control. VideoPro recognise that each teaching environment is different and specialise in providing schools with individual solutions based on their needs and budget; offering expert advice, system design, installation and after-sales support,” Mr Tether said.

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Any wireless microphone operating on a frequency between 694 and 806mhz will be illegal to operate from 1 March 2015.

Any wireless microphone or portable PA systems that have been bought from Edwards sound can probably be “re-tuned” at a very low cost ($75 per item) or even free if purchased from us in the last 2 years.

If schools have other AV or office equipment (computers, photocopiers etc) under asset finance we may be able to add the wireless microphone systems on to existing facilities or create new ones with minimal paperwork and fuss.

Edwards is offering trade-in deals on equipment the schools have purchased from elsewhere to help with the cost.

CALL David or Robert now on 0800 433 927 (ext 2) or email sales@edwardsnz.co.nz for more information EDWARDS SOUND SYSTEMS LTD 68 WALLS ROAD, PENROSE, AUCKLAND PHONE: (09) 571 0551 FREEPHONE 0800 4 EDWARDS TRUSTED SINCE 1964 PORTABLE PA SYSTEMS, LECTERNS AND MORE!

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Audio Visual Equipment

teaching resources

Electronic whiteboards have revolutionised education for both students and teachers.

ACTIVboardNZ National Sales Manager at ACTIVboardNZ, Marnie Etheridge, says CleverTouch Interactive Screens is one of the company’s largest ranges of interactive touch displays with sizes ranging from 42” to 80”.

“The latest touchscreen technology is integrated into the screen, enabling it to be dual or multi touch. The crystal clear resolution and high brightness display means that images are clearly visible,” she said.

Another key ACTIVboard product is the Epson Meeting Mate Data Projector. “With our Epson EB-1400Wi Classroom Collaboration Bundle, you can turn your conventional whiteboard or magnetic whiteboard into a ‘PC-Free’ interactive workspace.

It’s so simple to use, it won’t faze even the most techno-phobic teacher.”

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Term 4 - 2013

“It allows full wireless collaboration with students’ BYOD devices while the PC-Free Whiteboard Function facilitates instant annotation without the need for a PC. Simply turn it on and start using the pen. You can also annotate projected images from a range of devices such as tablets, USB memory sticks or a Visualizer. With simultaneous dual pen functionality, teacher and student or student and student can annotate at the same time. It’s ideal for secondary schools or staffrooms,” Ms Etheridge said.

The Promethean ActivTable incorporates a 46” diagonal multitouch LCD screen with safety glass, Windows PD with inbuilt sound, WiFi and USB connectivity.

It is also supplied with software encompassing a range of activities designed for primary children.

“This multi-user interactive table allows up to six learners to

simultaneously use individual tools, web browsers and resources as they strive towards a common goal. It builds skills such as communication, creativity and critical thinking and is designed for use in the primary classroom.”

Ms Etheridge says that in interactive whiteboard technology, the Promethean ActivBoard 500Pro series is the top of the range.

“It can accommodate multiple users engaged with a single task. It combines pen and touch technology, i.e. images can be easily moved, scaled and rotated with finger touch in conjunction with real life ‘pen’ tasks such as writing and drawing.”

She says the ActivBoard 300Pro series allows two students to work simultaneously.

The Promethean Systems come with a choice of short throw or extreme short throw projector and

all have a range of mounting options.

Adena Ltd Adena Ltd specialises in supporting schools in all aspects of the technical side of the performing arts; covering lighting, sound, make-up, drapes and other aspects of productions.

Director Steve Reader says the company has steadily become more involved in the growing media studies side of education, such as video equipment for use in school TV studios. Adena has been in the business for 25 years but in the last 10 has specialised on working with schools, gradually broadening the business as demand for its services grew.

“Going back quite a few years, we found that schools generally struggled with the specialised technologies needed for the performing arts. They didn’t know

teaching resources Audio Visual Equipment

where to get technical advice, or even what questions to ask, and a lot of unsafe stuff has resulted. So we set out to provide a one-stop consulting service where schools can obtain advice and guidance for what they wanted to achieve.”

“There are lots of different ways you can approach the problem of providing performance space within a school but at the end of the day, that space has to be technically functional. For instance, lights must go in the right places or they won’t give the best results, and it has to be safe.”

“A lot of structural factors need to be considered. You can’t just hang up a bit of pipe and dangle 200kg of spotlights from it. With equipment loads generally becoming heavier, that could be quite dangerous.

Technical considerations such as that should be designed into a building at the planning stage.” And that’s not a specialty area for most architects, Mr Reader said.

“Some questions can be quite technically challenging and we have the ability to answer them. By getting it right the first time, schools can save a lot of money.

Adena’s advice can be applied to refits as well as new buildings. “You can make any space work but the best time to do it is before the walls are lined, so cables can go inside the walls out of the way and there’s good access to the building’s structure for mounting heavy items.”

Once Adena’s planning is completed, schools are free to obtain

competitive quotes and do due diligence before proceeding further.

“While we can supply equipment, our advice is brand-neutral,” he said.

Edwards Sound Systems Edwards Sound is one of New Zealand’s largest and oldest sound, lighting & AV suppliers - in business since 1965.

Managing director Jonathan Hardie Neil says the main products and solutions the company offers schools are: A range of portable sound systems with wireless microphones and music inputs, “great for use anywhere around the school, all in different sizes to cater from one class of students right through to the entire school for a sports day or outdoor event. We import all this equipment directly from the manufacturer so we can offer the best possible pricing.”

Paging systems – “complete school coverage with speakers in every class or just for the fields and outside areas.”

Installations for halls, gyms or theatres – “we can work with you to

design, build and install a custom sound, lighting and audio visual system to meet your requirements and budgets.”

An example of new technology is the Stage Pro 1500 –“ideal for indoor, sports and assembly halls.

The Stage Pro 1500 is powerful enough for live music as well as any public address application indoors or outdoors – speech and music. It’s portable enough to take anywhere and operates with or without mains power, on stages, sports fields and courts, halls and gymnasiums. It only weighs 13kg and packs a real punch,” he said.

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

EPSON EB-1400Wi & EB-1410Wi ULTRA SHORT THROW INTERACTIVE PROJECTOR PC FREE WHITEBOARD FUNCTION | DUAL PEN INTERACTIVITY CONTROL PAD OPERATION SAVE and load image files on USB or network drive.

REMOTE INTERACTIVE COLLABORATION collaborate

CAPTURE a screenshot from

from multiple remote locations (up to 4).

other sources (PC, DVD, iPad) & annotate over on whiteboard.

Save, print or email.

Clear sound and captivating vision now the norm.

“There’s a suite of optional add-on modules such as wireless microphone receivers, digital recorders and players, a Bluetooth receiver and wireless repeater. The Stage Pro portable PA gives you the flexibility of a battery operated wireless PA system with high quality sound that can cover hundreds of people at a very competitive price.”

Obsolete equipment? Mr Hardie Neil says Edwards offers long term rental and flexible lease options for those concerned about the pace of technological change, equipment becoming obsolete and constant repairs and maintenance issues.

"You can upgrade and replace your wireless microphones, sound equipment and lighting every three to four years from your OPEX budget rather than buying it outright and being stuck with old projectors or obsolete equipment.”

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interactive function without the wires.

for easy operation.

REPLACEMENT LAMP Only $129!

CONTACT

0800 773 736 | www.videopro.co.nz

Term 4 - 2013

school news

25

teaching resources Supplier Profile | Sitech Systems NZ

Creating mesmerising learning environments THERE IS AN ever increasing range of classroom presentation technologies available. Data projectors have come a long way.

Few schools now install anything other than short throw or ultrashort throw projectors because installation is simpler, there is no shadow cast on the screen and no glare in the teacher’s eyes. Where interactivity is a priority these are installed with an interactive whiteboard (IWB) or an interactive version of the data projector is used. St Joseph’s School in Picton have recently installed IWB’s with Sony ultrashort throw data projectors, the Principal having used them previously in another school, experiencing first-hand how they engaged students.

Within just two weeks they have seen the benefit of using the interactive software to enable children to actively take part in the learning, teachers describing how they “love saving brainstorms etc and bringing them up at a later date.

Plus the fact that it sucks students into learning is wonderful.”

They used well established education AV supplier Sitech Systems NZ. This decision was based on Sitech’s reputation for and the school’s previous experience of good customer service. They describe how the installation was efficient and afterwards Sitech ran through the basics with the Principal and he felt confident to go ahead and experiment.

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An alternative to the IWB is an interactive data projector, which will make the surface that it is directed at interactive, exactly as if it is an interactive whiteboard.

Ellerslie Primary have installed the Sony data projector featured in the advertisement in their music room.

centrally placed screen. As schools move towards more modern learning environments where mobility and flexibility is important, there are other options that could be considered.

Although they have interactive teaching stations elsewhere, they chose an interactive data projector on this occasion because the music teacher does significantly more whole class teaching requiring a larger

The systen pictured above was developed by Sitech Systems and features a Sony Bravia flat panel being used with a Mobi which adds interactivity and flexibility as the teacher or students can control

Panel TVs on trolleys or built into teaching stations have been popular choices for the last couple of years.

the screen from wherever they are in the room, and use up to nine devices (Mobis or tablets/ipads) simultaneously.

More recently due to the drop in price, touchscreens are making their way into education and a very affordable touchscreen version of the pictured teaching station is now available.

Contact Sitech Systems NZ for more information on any of these presentation options.

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Book Reviews

teaching resources

New books on the block My NZ Story: Lighthouse Family Philippa Werry, Scholastic For Frances and her family, living on a remote lighthouse station, World War Two is both far away and scarily close. There are rumours of submarines in the Pacific. The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, taken Singapore and bombed Darwin … so what’s to stop them invading New Zealand next? But then trouble strikes closer to home – and Frances, the only girl on the island, has more to worry about than the threat of Japanese invasion.

A new title in the popular My New Zealand Story series, Lighthouse Family gives a fascinating insight into the dramas and difficulties of remote island life in the 1940s.

(For ages 10+ years)

The 39-Story Treehouse Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton, PanAustralia What began as a humble 13-storey treehouse was transformed into a towering 26-storey treehouse and now, just when you thought a treehouse couldn’t get much higher, along comes the radically renovated The 39-Storey Treehouse.

This hugely successful awardwinning series of books has taken Australia and the US by storm, and Andy & Terry show no sign of stopping! Just how high will this treehouse go? Now you can join Andy and Terry in their astonishing 39-storey treehouse! Jump on the world’s highest trampoline, toast marshmallows in an active volcano, swim in the chocolate waterfall, pat baby dinosaurs, go head-to-trunk with the Trunkinator, break out your best moves on the dance floor, fly in a jet-

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propelled swivel chair, ride a terrifying rollercoaster and meet Professor Stupido, the world’s greatest UNinventor. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!

She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain The Topp Twins & Jenny Cooper, Scholastic

Speed Freak

By Fleur Beale ‘Fighting mongrel with a smart edge, that was me.’

Fifteenyearold Archie is a top kart driver, aiming to win the Challenge series and its prize of racing in Europe. He loves the speed, the roar of the engine, the tactics and the thrill of driving to the limits.

Craig is his main rival, and there’s also Silver who drives like she’s got a demon inside. Archie knows he’ll need all his skill and focus to win. But sometimes too you need plain old luck. Can Archie overcome the odds and win?

This favourite traditional children’s song, sung in schools and preschools around the country (and sometimes in the car on family holidays!), receives the Topp Twins/Jenny Cooper treatment, in the style of the bestsellers There’s a Hole in My Bucket and Do Your Ears Hang Low? With a full musical accompaniment and even the odd yodel thrown in, this Topp Twins hoedown's the best yet.

My Daddy Ate an Apple Craig Smith & Scott Tulloch, Scholastic

With strong, believable characters who grapple with a range of issues that teens face as they grow up, this a compelling book which New Zealand children and young adults will identify strongly with. A powerful story that will engage both boys and girls, Speed Freak will appeal not only to young adults, but to all readers of high quality New Zealand fiction.

Guinness World Records 2014 Macmillan Australia Awesome and then some! The planet’s biggestselling copyright book is back, it’s Officially Amazing!

So what happens if you eat an apple with a green worm inside? Not just any worm, of course, but a fuzzy one, a buzzy one, a great big fat juicy one!

Children will love this story about Daddy Zebra’s trip to hospital – and the surprise ending. The Wonky Donkey author Craig Smith’s latest song is sure to be another hit!

Download the FREE APP and experience the excitement of the 2014 book as record holders erupt from the pages in front of your eyes in full 3D. New themes • Greatest show on earth: a celebration of everything under the Big Top, from modern circus acts and sideshow geeks to superlative magicians and famous funambulists.

• Dynamic Earth: documenting our planet at its most deadly, from quakes and tsunamis to volcanoes and killer climates.

• Urban Life: exploring the extremes of architecture, city planning houses, homes and hotels.

• Mission to Mars: the latest records from NASA’s most recent trip to the Red Planet.

• Pioneers: breaking records by land, by foot, by car and by air . . . a scientific look at the outer limits of record-breaking.

Dolphins of Aotearoa A stunning book but is also packed with information. This book largely focuses on the human–dolphin interactions and the development of science to better understand human impacts on New Zealand’s dolphin populations. The first part contains a short summary of biological information on resident species (but the book does not attempt to address dolphin biology in any depth) and talks about dolphins seeking out people and people seeking out dolphins.

It begins by describing the early encounters with Pelorus Jack during the late nineteenth century and Opo in 1955, when whaling was still carried out in New Zealand and dolphins were considered by many to be little different from fish.

These two dolphins challenged the prevailing view that sea creatures were mere resources to be exploited. They suggested that humans might forge a very different and more positive relationship with marine mammals. The 2nd part of the book shows that developing a relationship with dolphins in New Zealand is still very much work in progress.

Dolphins are extraordinary creatures, and we are very fortunate to share our seas with them. But we do need to look after them better.

The final chapter of the book sets out how we might achieve this.

Commercial Kitchens

food & beverage

Making the grade

I

f you’re looking to give your school kitchen a boost then pay close attention to these industry pointers.

Smart commercial kitchen design can only be fully appreciated after having worked in a badly designed space. A well-designed kitchen with great appliances can help work flow more effortlessly, help you avert bottlenecks and improve safety. The size of your kitchen sometimes determines how you plan it out but, whatever the amount of available space, you need to make the most of it without sacrificing creativity, speed and safety.

A well-planned commercial kitchen should be configured for ease of movement so that your students can navigate the area smoothly and safely. This is essential, especially during busy periods. The ergonomics of your kitchen should ideally ensure that employees complete tasks in the fewest steps possible; they should be able to stand in one spot, operating with minimal bending, reaching, walking or turning, you need to ensure that all your equipment is accessible and usable.

A well-designed kitchen has the potential to be more energy efficient. As such, the prime consideration for any commercial kitchen should be saving money on utility costs. In order for your kitchen setup to be more energy efficient, you should ensure that any refrigerated appliances and any cooking equipment are kept as far apart as possible while still being practical. Cooking equipment should be strategically placed to maximise the efficiency of the exhaust hood. There is no definite rule regarding how to configure your commercial kitchen equipment, as it all depends on the space available to you and your particular needs.

When planning your commercial kitchen here are some valuable tips: Consider your space and the configuration that fits your particular requirements. An ergonomic configuration takes into account the comfort of the students and teachers but this may not be the most energy efficient.

For example, an ergonomically arranged kitchen might have an under counter freezer located directly beside the commercial deep fryer. Although this is not energy-efficient, it allows for easy transfer of items from freezer to fryer. A better and more energy efficient solution for you might be to have a freezer away from the main work zone.

Your kitchen may need to be zoned in blocks: for food preparation; for cooking; for refrigeration; for cleaning.

This configuration ensures that refrigeration and cooking equipment be kept as far apart as possible. This is the most energy efficient way to configure your kitchen because every time the door is opened on a commercial refrigerator or freezer the cold air will rush out and hot air will rush in, If the freezer equipment is situated in the hot cook zone it poses a definite problem.

When designing your space remember to keep all of your worktops at the same height as the countertop or the top of your range, griddle or other piece of cooking equipment. By having everything at the same height you ensure good ergonomics and you will easily

facilitate an assembly-line process.

Make the most of your wall space with the creative use of wall shelving. Store important, regularly needed ingredients and utensils above the cooking appliance and prep area. Then store heavy items, like bags of flour, close to the floor using racks. Hangers, hooks and racks are perfect for hanging oven mitts, cookware and large kitchen utensils in useful places. Word of warning though: be sure to keep all food items off the ground by at least six inches and be very careful not to block air vents.

Always buy new commercial equipment from reliable suppliers, this way you know that the equipment you are purchasing is dependable and will give you years of trouble-free use. Always ensure that you routinely maintain and clean your equipment as per the manufacturer’s recommendation as this is the best way to enjoy years of service, particularly for items such as commercial deep fat fryers.

When shopping for items like a commercial deep fat fryer, make sure that you choose a power source that matches the utility hookups in your kitchen. Try to purchase the most advanced models that you can afford as this

will save you time and money in the long run. For instance, with deep fat fryers the more advanced models come with computer controls this is a huge bonus because they provide accurate temperature controls and can be programmed to cook different menu items. Also advanced commercial deep fryers have built-in filtration systems that allow you to filter the fryer oil while it is still hot. This helps maximise food quality and oil life while maintaining employee safety.

Planning and organising a commercial kitchen is not an easy task and it is a good idea to get help from people who specialise in their design and layout for the best result possible. You can also ask your local restaurant equipment supplier as he or she may have experience with commercial kitchen layouts, remembering that every kitchen is different.

To get the best long-term results from your commercial kitchen you need to determine your priorities and choose a design that is well equipped to work within your space.

By Mandy Clarke, Staff Reporter

Term 4 - 2013

school news

29

Out of School Care

external learning

Proven operators and new methods in out-of-school care

Become a Bizzy Bodz School!

We provide quality Holiday Programmes and Before and After School Care Programmes DOES YOUR CURRENT OUT OF SCHOOL CARE PROVIDER: ■ Have CYF, OSCAR and WINZ approval?

■ Have passionate, industry-trained & police checked staff?

■ Have structured and supervised homework time?

■ Offer nutritious and interesting afternoon tea every day?

■ Have themed activity weeks?

■ Have an awesome Art and Craft programme?

■ Have child-led games and activities?

■ Offer awesome and exciting holiday programmes?

Bizzy Bodz does all of the above and more!!!

If you are interested in finding out more about the wonderful Bizzy Bodz programmes, please contact:

Jo Adamson 021 678 076 | jo@bizzybodz.co.nz All enquiries and new locations welcomed!

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school news

Term 4 - 2013

external learning

O

ut-of-school care for pupils can be quite a burden for schools but also a necessity in this age of time-pressed working parents. It is not a school’s core business but its senior staff will also want to ensure that its students are cared for safely in an environment they find enjoyable but in which they will not be just wasting their time.

While some school managers will choose to handle it themselves, they also have the choice of allotting responsibility to proven operators which have demonstrated high standards and are continually increasingly well trained with a growing range of skills they can offer.

sKids Safe Kids in Daily Supervision Ltd administers sKids, a franchise operation that aims to bridge the gap between people in the community with a service that is specific to a school and its community. “We offer-out-of-school care, sports programmes and, more recently, an intermediate school programme as well,” says Director, Business Development, Chris Bartels.

“We’ve been going since 1996 and have programmes throughout New Zealand. We’re currently in 120 schools between Whangarei and Arrowtown. We look after about 3,500 children a day and have between 350 and 500 staff members – a 1-10 ratio.”

A drawback for such staff until this year has been the lack of a qualification to gain skills, but this has now been addressed. “All they needed in the past was a First Aid certificate, but we now have an NZQA qualification from Level 2 to Level 5 so that we can actually offer a career path in after-school-care,” Mrs Bartels said.

“We’ve partnered with an ITO company called Skills Active and now offer a qualification which

will lead to better programme delivery and more committed staff.

We’ve had a 75 per cent uptake from our staff members and the first candidates will graduate on December 18.

“And we’ve just written an intermediate school programme called ihub that’s aimed at bridging the gap between primary school and college because school children cannot be left at home. It’s a selfdirected engaging programme for tweens, in which they choose a project and set their own goals to achieve it. It’s set up more in the form of a club, rather than after school, which is more acceptable for that age group. It’s based around the principles of: iactiv8, iparticip8, iinnov8 and icre8, and consists of arts, science or community-based projects.

“Our overall philosophy for older children is: Where kids want to be.

For the younger ones, it’s: We care when parents can’t be there.

“We’re not babysitters, we’re trying to engage the children and work collaboratively with the school so that everybody has a good outcome. While we’re helping the parents, we can also help schools and teachers with their overall goals.”

“We run school holiday programmes with outings which take children to places that they may never have the opportunity to go to with their own family or community environments. We also have a sports segment in both our after school and holiday programmes which is aimed at teaching life skills.”

Chris Bartels says sKids is always happy to talk to schools about setting up a programme. “If a school finds it’s getting too hard to run their own out-of-school care, we can certainly roll sKids out for them. We take over the responsibility. Schools quite often phone us wanting to convert their programmes to sKids.  32

Out of School Care

“

We’re not babysitters, we’re trying to engage the children and work collaboratively with the school so that everybody has a good outcome.

SKIDS IS NEW ZEALAND'S #1 OUT-OF-SCHOOL CARE PROVIDER

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SKIDS provides a FUN, SAFE, Out of School Care programme ON-SITE at your primary school • Trusted provider in over 100 schools throughout NZ since 1996 • 3 – 6pm is our core business! 9 – 3pm is your schools core business.

• Great marketing tool for enrolments to your school, we work collaboratively with your school and teachers.

• Additional source of income to school and freeing up administration for your school • sKids Staff have the opportunity of NZQA level 2 to 5 qualification in Out of School Care • CYFS approved so access to WINZ OSCAR subsidies for parents • sKids Active – sports programmes delivered and aligned with Life Skills both in school and after school • Jellybeans Music – in school curriculum based music programme www.jellybeansmusic.co.nz "I have been impressed wit h the professionalism of the SKIDS Franchise - they are an easy, hassle-free organisat ion to deal with" - Principal Willowbank Sch ool, Howick, AKL

To request a tailored proposal to offer sKids at your school, please contact:

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chris@skids.co.nz www.skids.co.nz

Term 4 - 2013

school news

31

Out of school care

external learning

 31 After all, it’s our core business and we’re there to fulfil a school’s out of school care needs. It’s a win win scenario.”

Bizzy Bodz Bizzy Bodz Ltd prides itself on offering quality before and afterschool care and holiday programmes in a fun, safe, caring and organised environment in several schools in the greater Auckland area. And while it is busy, it is actively looking for more work.

Bizzy Bodz currently runs eight out-of-school care programmes and six during school holidays.

“Most of our venues operate both before and after school care and holiday programmes,” said director, Jo Adamson. “We have a couple of stand alone holiday programmes. And likewise in the after-care, we have a couple of programmes where we don’t run holiday programmes during the break. We are looking to expand the business and take on more programmes – either before and after care only, holiday programmes only or both together – we are keen to look at all scenarios.”

“There might be schools out

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Term 4 - 2013

“

The programmes are an important part of the school community, particularly for working families, and we value the subtle but important role the programmes play in the lives of the children in our care.

there that either don’t have a provider at present and are looking to start something. I’m happy to answer any of their questions and put a proposal to them.

“All of our programmes can be tailored to each school, so the principals might like to be involved or not want to be involved at all.

We’re pretty flexible in that regard and are really happy to work with each school. We have been operating for eight years and have a wide range of experience in many different types of schools.”

Bizzy Bodz is not a franchise but run by Jo Adamson and what she calls her “lovely team. We run all the programmes ourselves and have a real hands-on, day to day involvement with the business.”

She says all staff are very carefully selected, are police checked and hold a current First Aid certificate.

“The programmes are an important part of the school community, particularly for working families, and we value the subtle but important role the programmes play in the lives of the children in our care.

Communication with families, via parents and feedback from the children, is vital in ensuring the quality of all programmes remains high.”

She says after school care is structured, with children being provided a nutritious afternoon tea, free time, supervised homework time and access to quality, organised activities such as art and craft, games, baking and sports.

Holiday programmes include trips twice a week from each venue, and include trips to places such as the movies, swimming, ice skating, roller skating, beaches, as well as specialist entertainment venues such as Rainbows End. “We’re happy to consider programmes outside Auckland.

We have really good office operation and electronic systems, so it’s definitely achievable. “We’re experienced, we’re flexible, and we’re very keen to look at any scenario in any area. We’re approved by Child, Youth and Family, which means we must operate to pretty strict standards.”

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

School Camps

external learning

Spoilt for choice

F

ew countries are as lucky as New Zealand when it comes to finding an attractive location for a school camp, where students and teachers can enjoy themselves taking part in a wide range of outdoor activities and enjoy spectacular scenery.

With any outdoor activity, careful thought has to go into guarding against any injury or worse – particularly in relation to climbing, boating or swimming pursuits, and schools need to plan adequately that sufficient teachers or helpers will be on hand to supervise. And when the weather is not playing ball, the sun is too hot or there is the need for downtime or learning activities, a camp will need indoor space for that as well.

Lists of such camps are available and are usually of a very high standard.

But no matter how attractive the countryside, mountain range, beach, lake or river that is chosen, young people are likely to get bored very quickly. And young people are perhaps not as enthusiastic about an all physical activity diet as earlier generations were.

South Island schools have some of the world’s most spectacular scenery to choose from and the camps themselves generally offer a very high standard of accommodation.

For those in the North Island, the choice is also wonderful, if perhaps not quite as physically grand. But school planners here will probably always at least consider Rotorua. When it comes to finding a blend of interesting attractions to keep students occupied on a field trip, it is difficult to go past the sheer range the North Island’s

The ever beautiful Champagne Lake

thermal region can offer.

The thermal attractions such as Whakarewarewa and Waiotapu are well known, as are the trout pool and wildlife parks such as Paradise Valley and Rainbow and Fairy Springs, but Rotorua offers so much more.

There are excellent opportunities to experience Maori history and culture, including Mitai Maori Village, where students will see cultural performances and warriors paddling a waka, and enjoy an authentic hangi meal. The village and Arts and Crafts Institute at Whakarewarewa are other must-sees.

Inspiring walks are to be had through a forest full of huge redwoods, and there are float planes and a paddle boat cruise to explore Lake Rotorua. Not far away are Lake Rotoiti, the beautiful

Blue and Green lakes and the secluded Lake Okataina. Also within the vicinity is the Buried Village at Tarawera and the historical features it involves, including the fabled, lost Pink and White Terraces.

The fact that Rotorua is well set up for such tourists help make it attractive for school groups as well. The agricultural displays at the Agrodome and other venues, a gondola ride to the top of Mt Ngongataha and a luge ride down, white water rafting and thermal bathing are others in a vast array of entertainment possibilities.

There are several locations for large banquets and other gatherings, the new Convention Centre in the Government Gardens being the major one.

Rotoura’s Maori Village

Accommodation ranges from back packer standard up to 5-star hotels. A number of venues are aimed especially at schools. Lakes Ranch is a 120 acre property offering numerous activities, including an adrenaline raising ‘swoop’ or abseiling down a 20 metre site.

There are tennis courts and horse treks available for all degrees of ability.

Students can play team games on the full-sized rugby field or in a large riding arena in wet weather. There are three swimming pools, one of them thermally-heated. Students can try their hand at archery, slug guns or badminton, relax on a giant hammock, kayak on one of the lakes and explore the ranch while navigating the challenging orienteering course. With more than 200 beds and tenting and camper van sites, Lakes Ranch is able to cater for almost any group.

Schools are able to organise their visits through the Rotorua Education Network (REN), a first-of-its-kind tourism collective solely dedicated to education. The network was formed by four tourism partners in 1997 to provide quality out of classroom experiences for students nationwide.

The group has now grown to 13 members; including 11 Rotorua based tourism businesses encompassing cultural, geothermal, natural environment, and adventure elements.

All members are Qualmark rated and members of the Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter.

From the South Island’s exquisite Queenstown to the beauty of the Bay of Island, when it comes to school camps, we are spoiled for choice.

By Brent Leslie, Industry Reporter

Term 4 - 2013

school news

33

Project Energize

health & safety

Waikato children Energized

A

nalysis from AUT University has confirmed a healthy eating and activity programme now in all Waikato primary schools is saving taxpayers money as well as improving lives.

The programme is delivered to all 44,000 primary aged children in the Waikato, 36 per cent of whom are Māori. This is 10 per cent of the New Zealand primary school population and 15 per cent of the New Zealand primary school population who are Māori.

Project Energize was initiated in 2004 with an objective of improving the health and wellbeing of children in the Waikato. An online publication in June 2013 of the prestigious British Journal of Nutrition confirms that in 2011 Waikato children have a healthier body weight for age and can run faster than children measured five to 10 years earlier The analysis took into consideration ethnic group, school and school socio-economic status, sex and age The success of Project Energize

34

“

The Energizers work closely with the teachers taking “Huff and Puff” games and activities that get all the children moving

has led to the programme being rolled out to clusters of schools in Franklin and Northland as well as the Ministry of Health recently announcing recently $1.1million of funding for it to be expanded to over 100 pre-schools and 4000 children in the Waikato.

Project Energize is funded by the Waikato District Health Board (DHB) and is run by Sport Waikato through a team of 27 ‘Energizers’. Each Energizer works with eight to 12 primary schools and teachers to support physical activity and healthier eating activities.

The Energizers work closely with the teachers taking “Huff and Puff” games and activities that get all the children moving, demonstrations of why water and milk are the best drinks and how to make a healthy cheap sandwich.

Lead researcher, AUT’s Professor Elaine Rush, says Project Energize is going from strength to strength and demonstrably improving the lives of Waikato children, their families, their teachers and the nutrition and physical activity environment of the school.

“While obviously there is an initial cost to run Project Energize, it saves money long-term by reducing the healthcare budget. Waikato DHB should be congratulated for its forethought in improving the health of people in this part of the country,” she says.

Currently Waikato DHB allocate just under $2million annually for the project but at less than $45 per child it is good value for money says Professor Rush. This is less than the cost of one visit to a doctor.

“We know the investment we

Jen Riley with a group of ‘energized’ children

school news

Term 4 - 2013

make into Project Energize is one we will get great returns on for many years to come in the form of healthier adults who will cost the health sector less,” said Waikato DHB chief executive Craig Climo.

“The positive effect of the work Project Energize does with these children is far reaching. What they learn at school, they pass on at home.

Healthy lifestyles benefit families mentally as well as physically,” he says.

Professor Rush says children are growing and are meant to get bigger.

“Growing too fast, not eating the best foods and not being able to run fast has flow-on adverse health implications for the rest of the child’s life.

“These effects are intergenerational so this will benefit the next generation as well. It is for our children’s children,” she says.

health & safety NZ Blood - Leukaemia

Kelvins’ story

K

elvin was diagnosed with leukaemia at 6 years of age, and after numerous tests and further bouts of illness, specialists delivered the devastating news that he would need a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

However, with increasing cases of leukaemia among the Mãori and Pacific Island community, teamed with low numbers of suitable bone marrow donors, the odds were stacked against 6-year-old Kelvin Bruce-Smith.

Kelvin was in for a long wait, but time was not something he had.

Without healthy bone marrow, Kelvin would need regular blood transfusions just to keep him alive.

Unlike matching blood types, a person’s race does play a significant role in bone marrow matching. So the young battler from Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngatikahu and NgapuhiNui-Tono iwi, needed a bone marrow donor of Mãori descent who closely matched his tissue type. A match

within Kelvin’s close family was not found, so the search was passed to the New Zealand Bone Marrow Donor Registry, which uses databases from New Zealand and around the world to find suitable bone marrow donors.

With only 6,000 Mãori or Pacific Island donors on the NZ database (compared to the 11.5 million European donors on other registries), Kelvin was unable to find a bone marrow donor. This meant more waiting and more blood transfusions.

The New Zealand Blood Service relies on the generosity of the public to voluntarily donate blood to help save lives. Blood for transfusion is matched to a patient according to their blood type and while this is unrelated to ethnicity, some ethnic communities are vastly underrepresented within the donor population: There are around 125,000 active blood donors in New Zealand and currently less than 5 per cent of these are Mãori.

Kelvin was unable to find an

adult donor anywhere in the world.

Chemo and radiotherapy treatment had weakened his system and he was suffering high blood pressure, anaemia and had to be kept in isolation as he was susceptible to infections.

Luckily, because of his age, Kelvin was able to receive a unit of umbilical cord blood (which also contains the necessary blood forming cells found in bone marrow) 5 months before his 7th birthday. If he had been an adult, he would not have found a suitable donor.

Following his transplant, Kelvin was closely monitored with regular checkups and was finally given the all clear in 2004. Today, Kelvin leads an active life like any other 12-year-old boy: He enjoys school and travelling with his whanau during the holidays and has been to visit his father in Australia for extended periods. Kelvin’s story has a happy ending, but only because blood donated by New Zealanders kept him alive long enough to find a successful treatment.

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Book now: www.redcross.org.nz/training

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Term 4 - 2013

school news

35

Maintaining School Grounds

property

Summer days bring grounds maintenance into sharp focus mounted brush, for clearing driveways and paths and a trailer to make the work easier.”

Allpower Industries

Husqvarna has professional servicing dealers throughout New Zealand

W

armer days are finally here but with that burst of growth and bright colours comes the increased problem of keeping everything in the grounds tidy. While the flowers may sprout rapidly, so does the grass, hedges and weeds.

Given that sense of wellbeing that the sunshine tends to bring, it is a small price to pay but a demanding one nevertheless. Let this rampant growth go for long and it can be time consuming and onerous to bring back under control. All the more reason to stay on top of it all with the best equipment available, and several companies exist here to make sure schools are well supplied.

Husqvarna Husqvarna is a world leader in outdoor power equipment and has professional servicing dealers throughout New Zealand. For lawn maintenance, Product Manager Mike Enderby recommends a dethatcher as the best tool for efficient care of the surface layer of a lawn and for sowing.

“For restoration of grassed areas, use a sod cutter. An aerator ensures the air, water and nutrients reach the roots.”

When it comes to hedge trimming, obtaining the best results takes time and care. “Perfect hedge trimming can be both monotonous and strenuous if you don’t use the right kind of tools. A hedge trimmer needs to be a powerful extension of your arms to do the job well.”

And he says blowers are versatile

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and can also be used for moving: straw, grass, dust, cobwebs, sand and even gravel. “They are really a very effective tidying tool.”

For lawn-mowing, he says zeroturn mowers are engineered especially for the effective mowing of large areas. “They are generally robust, compact and provide high-speed ride-on performance.” The articulated steering, together with the hydrostatic transmission, provides a smooth operation so the job can be done with greater precision.

“With our Combi cutting decks there are two cutting techniques to choose from – rear ejection or BioClip.

Taller, wilder grass and coarser types of grass should be cut with a rear ejection cutting deck that can manage large amounts of grass. The BioClip method is especially suitable for wellmaintained lawns that are mowed often. The finely cut clippings return to the lawn as fertiliser,” Mr Enderby said.

“The larger and more open the grass areas, the more important it is that the machine has a generous cutting width. If the area has lots of obstructions like trees and bushes, it’s essential the cutting width is small enough for the tractor to move through tight spaces. We offer garden tractors with cutting widths from 77 cm up to 137 cm.

“They can be equipped with a wide range of accessories for different seasons – for instance a collector for leaves, a moss rake, scarifier and spreader for lawn preparation, a front-

Allpower Industries began in 1977 in Victoria and now sources a wide range of equipment from manufacturers around the world. In January 2009, Allpower opened in Auckland and began trading throughout New Zealand.

While much has changed in the last 30 years, its commitment to customer satisfaction has not.

General manager New Zealand, Warren Trethewey says Allpower still provide customers with the best value for money, backed by a complete servicing dealer network of over 200 New Zealand wide. The company has several brands of high and low end mowers that are relevant for schools.

“One is our Stiga premium European ride-on mowers. Stiga is world famous for its ride-on mowers but Stiga has also revolutionized front mowers, garden tractors, lawn mowers, chainsaws, trimmers and other gardening machines. Innovation is one of Stiga’s characteristics.

The brand combines innovative technology and excellent power with minimal impact on the individual and the environment. As Nordic quality demands for garden machinery are high, this Swedish leader provides excellence in performance and design.

In all its ride-on mower development work and product ideas, Stiga keeps an eye on ergonomic and environmental problems as well as safety,” he said.

“Another Allpower brand is Country Clipper, a premium American zero-turn

mower. “All Country Clipper ride-on mowers feature the revolutionary, patented stand-up deck for quick, easy under deck access,” Mr Trethewey said.

“The rugged, welded steel deck is reinforced with a triangular front bullnose as well as at other strategic points to make it virtually indestructible. Country Clipper Zero Turn ride-on mowers are built in America's heartland to have the performance, features and quality needed to tackle any residential, estate or professional job. Featuring high quality Hydro-Gear and Parker transaxles, pumps and wheel motors, these mowers ensure you get a tough, dependable zero-turn performance.

Powering both residential and commercial mowers are industryleading Kohler and Kawasaki engines,” he said. A third brand is the Sanli walk-behind mower, manufactured in China. “In the past year alone, Sanli has shipped more than half a million mowers to countries which demand the finest.

“Choose between the Laser and Power Cut, Lawn Beetle, Power Mulch or the NEW self propelled mower which is ideal for commercial work.

These nifty mowers have a resilient baked enamel paint finish, and just the right sized grass catcher. Easy adjustment and ball-bearing wheels work with comfort-grip handles and deflector skirts to make a memorable mower. All Sanli mowers have modern Over-Head Valve 4 stroke engines and are excellent value. They are covered by a comprehensive two year warranty.”

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

Stiga combines innovative technology and excellent power with minimal impact on the environment

property Supplier Profile | Recreational Services

Achieving a top quality field THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS contributing to poor field quality which can make school fields unusable and potentially dangerous to use, these are: • • • • • • • •

high rainfall the surface profile the existing surface drainage design irrigation design over usage maintenance issues financial constraints

Sports Surface Design and Management (SSDM) a division of Recreational Services have been instrumental in the design, construction and maintenance of some of the best school fields primarily in the Auckland region and know how to construct and maintain school fields so they look and preform like premier sports fields.

The first step is to carry out a field assessment which establishes what condition the field is in and what remediation is needed. A soil and nutrient test will assist with identifying

what nutrient levels are needed to help with the health of the turf surface. An investigation of the drainage system will also determine if the current system is adequate or in need of replacement.

Having good drainage on a field can alleviate pooling of water on the surface and will reduce the potential for a field turning into a muddy bog.

There are several options available to help increase drainage and to allow more play on a surface. Most older school fields are built using a soil profile which can be effective only if rainfall is low, a drainage system is in place and there is minimal play on the field.

If the field is highly used, then a sand carpet system is an option. Having a sand profile between the grass and the soil allows water to percolate easier into the profile and enables it to enter the field’s drainage system quicker to eliminate pooling on the field surface.

Artificial fields are becoming a more popular surface option for high use fields as this surface type allows play to carry on regardless of the climatic conditions.

In addition it requires less maintenance then a typical natural field for the amount of play it can tolerate.

It is important to know the needs of the school and through consultation with school management and stakeholders, SSDM can create a plan based on what your specific requirements and outcomes are for your school’s field surfaces.

The design can be tailored to your requirements and budget, this means an incremental staged approach can be undertaken based around a master plan, allowing works to be carried out as finances become available. Cost estimates can also be provided for each phase of works to enable you to see what can be achieved and what budget may be required.

From Concept to Completion Recreational Services can oversee the entire project from concept to completion these services could include: • Undertaking a detailed field survey • Soil profile investigation

• Preparation of contour drawings • Concept drainage design drawings and details • Providing a cost estimate for the recommended works • Identifying any consenting requirements • Field construction and renovation • Field management and maintenance As one of the most experienced companies in sports field design and management , SSDM can accommodate whatever upgrade or remediation is required to ensure safe, usable and high quality school fields that meet your requirements and budget.

For more information on the services we offer or to contact an SSDM Consultant, please contact us: Website: www.ssdm.co.nz or www.recreationalservices.co.nz Email: info@ssdm.co.nz or info@recreationalservices.co.nz Phone: 09 443 5011

TOP OF THE CLASS Recreational Services is highly experienced in all facets of the development, management and maintenance of parks, turf and facilities across New Zealand and can proudly go to the 'top of the class' as one of the largest and most successful companies specialising in the design and care of these outdoor spaces.

We are highly experienced within the industry and understand the importance of well-designed and well-tended grounds and the contribution they make to the overall image of a school.

We currently work with a number of schools undertaking long-term grounds maintenance contracts including general surrounds and sports fields e.g. sand and soil fields and natural turf cricket blocks, trees and gardens.

Recreational Services ‘top of the class’ in: Sports turf consultancy Design and development Construction and renovation Management and maintenance

Our Construction and Renovation team regularly carry out projects that create new school fields or keep existing fields in tip top condition which lifts the fields to a whole new performance level.

For more information please contact us:

Not only is turf an important part of a high quality surface but also what is below the turf surface is a vital part as well, our specialist turf consultancy division Sports Surface Design and Management (SSDM) provides field assessment, feasibility studies, analysis, detailed design and remedial solution recommendations to ensure your requirements are met.

Email: info@recreationalservices.co.nz or info@ssdm.co.nz Phone: (09) 443 5011 Web: www.recreationalservices.co.nz or www.ssdm.co.nz

Term 4 - 2013

school news

37

Sports Field Maintenance

property

The secrets of sports field maintenance

S

chool face the unenviable challenge of trying to fund the different training requirements of their students.

Inevitably sports fields, despite being a major educational facility, are at the bottom of the ‘food chain’ when it comes to receiving funding.

Consequently sports fields at many schools fail to meet expectations at sometime during the year and the same problems often reoccur from one year to the next.

Although economic reasons are often cited for the fields’ substandard performance there are other considerations, namely: • Poorly defined or unrealistic expectations • Lack of an appropriate asset management plan to support expectations • Lack of appropriate maintenance plans • The reactive maintenance approach that is often adopted (aside from mowing and weed control) • Inappropriate prioritisation of resources Specialist, independent sports turf

38

school news

Term 4 - 2013

consultants help schools obtain better playing surfaces for their maintenance dollars by providing clear and independent advice, with the added benefit of improved playing conditions, which assist pupils to build better playing skills and add to the enjoyment of sport.

The provision of quality sports fields requires a number of considerations to be worked through.

Defining expectations The expectation for each field should be clearly defined. This provides the basis for identifying capital and maintenance requirements and thus establishing appropriate budgets.

Equally it enables schools to quickly determine the appropriateness (or otherwise) of a given expectation.

• Is closure due to wet weather acceptable?

• What is the maximum number of day’s closure that is acceptable?

• How much play (use) must we accommodate?

• What level of play are we accommodating – senior representative play vs. junior or casual use?

Asset management plan The next step is developing an appropriate asset management plan for this expectation. A feasibility study will need to be conducted to confirm the limiting factors and options available for moving forwards.

The most appropriate grass for the school’s situation will need to be identified, along with the maintenance requirements and costs for the different grassing options.

For example, temperate grasses, such as ryegrass or browntop, are used on fields in most parts of New Zealand.

However, new options such as Kikuyu are now the grass of choice for Auckland and further north given its better performance and typically lower maintenance costs than traditional grassing options.

It is also necessary to identify the capital improvement options that best meet the school’s expectations and the ramifications of each option.

Potential options for improving the availability of the fields for play during winter include:

• Additional, appropriate maintenance – e.g. vertidraining.

• Improving levels to prevent ponding.

• Subsurface drainage.

• Sand technology.

• Artificial surfaces.

Each of these options provides differing levels of service and financial impact for the school.

Maintenance plan A basic, regular maintenance programme is more cost-effective than letting the fields run down and spending several thousand dollars to resurface them – not to mention the additional costs required for cleaning classrooms thanks to muddy feet/ bodies.

Although each field is unique it is important to be realistic.

The greater your expectations, or the more a field is used, the greater the maintenance requirements will be.

Priorities for maintenance activities should be based on the amount of use a field receives and/ or the importance of each field.

Generally, high use fields require greater inputs than lower use fields.

property Sports Field Maintenance

=

Too often, the maintenance of fields is made unnecessarily complicated or expensive.

The key is to prioritise resources and place the emphasis on those options that will provide the best return for your maintenance dollar.

For many schools, the maintenance priority list would consist of: • Mowing – appropriate equipment that will not damage the field (e.g. tyre marks from cleated tyres), mowing frequency and height are the most important requirements.

•

Usage control – where modern sand or synthetic surfaces are not an option, closure of the field(s) when they are excessively wet or soft will provide major benefits for the school, both in better playing quality for the remainder of the year and significant savings due

to reduced renovation.

•

Nitrogen fertilization – too often fertiliser programmes are unnecessarily complicated and expensive.

Strategic nitrogen fertiliser applications during autumn/ early winter should be the first priority and will provide a stronger plant through winter, when retaining grass cover is paramount.

•

Weed control – for schools, weed control is critical (particularly for clover and Onehunga weed) to avoid the health (bee stings) and nuisance problems that they create.

Following these steps can help create sports field that will hold up to constant use throughout the year.

By Baz Woodcock, NZ Sports Turf Institute

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Term 4 - 2013

school news

39

Flooring – Case Study: Finlayson Park School

property

Pulastic surface means happy people at Finlayson Park School

The bright blue brightens the whole hall and makes it so inviting

N

o flooring lasts for ever, however new synthetic sports surfaces have made amazing technological leaps in recent years, and the two situations came together at Auckland’s Finlayson Park School last year.

Finlayson Park is a large school of more than 900 primary age students, and the polished chipboard flooring in its assembly hall/gymnasium had been down since the hall was built in 1992. “It was really looking drab and in some areas was deteriorating quite badly, so we needed to do something drastic about it,” said principal, Shirley Maihi.

“We’d also made extensions to our hall and the new flooring was of a different colour wood. It meant that it was a good time to put down a new surface over the whole area of floor.

“We did some research to see what was available and thought the Sika Pulastic flooring seemed like very good product. We talked to other schools that had laid it and compared prices with other surfaces.

In conjunction with our board, we looked at several options, and decided that the Pulastic seemed to be the quickest to be laid down. It also seemed to be the warmest to

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school news

Term 4 - 2013

“

This is a big school and community and church groups use it every night of the working week and every weekend

sit on,” Mrs Maihi said. That fact had considerable relevance as with 930 pupils at Finlayson Park, there are too many to be able to sit them on chairs. “They have to sit on the floor and the Pulastic very quickly warms when the kids sit on it. We didn’t want winter assemblies to be jolly cold for them.

“We talked long and hard with several different companies with different products.” The school eventually came to focus on Sika Pulastic sports flooring.

“Other schools had it and were really singing the praises of how durable it was and how permanent the lines for the different sports

on it were. The price was very competitive; in fact we were really pleased with the price. So, we decided to go with Pulastic.”

The decision was made in August last year and Mrs Maihi said the school was soon very impressed with NZ Specialised Coatings, Sika’s approved applicator. “The project supervisor and the manager came to see us and explained exactly what was happening. They told us how many days it would actually take, and gave us a really good time-line. We had to be out of our hall for only one week and a weekend.

“Once the laying process started, it kept to that timeline. There were

no hitches; the workmen were there on the day. Every time a stage was laid, it would have to cure for 24 hours, and then they’d be back again.

"There were no delays – just a very professional attitude to the job.

It was excellent.”

The principal says the new flooring has “made a huge difference.

It’s a far better surface for our kids to sit on, and it doesn’t scuff.

Although the children and groups that use it have been told to lift chairs, sometimes they still drag them, but it doesn’t have any effect on the product. It’s washed once a term, or if something is spilled on it, but it doesn’t show any signs of change from the day it was laid more than a year ago. And it has heavy traffic on it. This is a big school and community and church groups use it every night of the working week and every weekend.”

The building is used for gymnastics, volleyball, badminton, indoor basket ball and hockey. Has it worked well for those sports?

“Absolutely,” said Mrs Maihi.

“And we’ve noticed it’s been much more child friendly with our younger students. They can now roll and tumble without risking serious injury.”  42

Flooring – Case Study: Finlayson Park School

property

 40 The Pulastic floor seems to have another bonus that the school had not thought of originally. ‘It’s a big hall and was always quite ‘echoey’ but that’s been reduced greatly and I believe it’s the floor. The Pulastic seems to have helped absorb the noise.”

But Shirley Maihi’s most effusive praise is in relation to the floor’s appearance.

“The colour’s just amazing. It’s a beautiful blue that brightens our whole hall and makes it so inviting.

So many people come in and go ‘Wow! This is just fabulous.’ It makes the whole hall glow. The coloured lines are beautiful – and still

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Term 4 - 2013

perfect. There’s been no wear and tear on them at all.

“The other thing I liked is that after a month, the manager came back to check it and ask if we were happy. It wasn’t just lay it, take the money and run. NZ Specialised Coatings has been very good, and once every three months they come back to have a look at the surface to see if it needs any maintenance.”

So, overall, is this a happy school principal? “We’re all really thrilled with it. We love it. And we’re equally happy with the company that laid it.”

The flooring is manufactured by Sika AG, a global specialty chemicals company that is a leader in shock

absorbing sports surfaces.

“There is a huge range of Pulastic sports floor options available,” says Sika NZ’s flooring expert Max Tombleson. “The floors can be exactly matched to a school’s specific requirements, giving it a surface that is safe, comfortable, durable, and with the sports performance the client requires.

“The performance of a multifunctional sports facility has to satisfy a number of criteria. In particular, the floor properties must be consistent and the ball behaviour must be related to the game (e.g. the correct bounce of a basketball, the correct rolling behaviour of a football). A Pulastic

sports floor can be selected to match a client’s exact needs,” he said.

“A Pulastic sports floor gives you a very attractive, seamless finish.

There are no distracting open seams and no loose fits between walls and floor. The colours are completely uniform, and if repairs are ever needed, there will be no major visual deviations. It will look (and perform) exceptionally for many, many years. You can even create your own distinct look – either to match your team or organisation’s colours, or simply to help create a fun environment,” Mr Tombleson said.

By Brent Leslie, Staff Reporter

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