Principal’s Report 2009 Mr. John McKenzie

Introduction

This has been an interesting year for the school as we have explored the revised New Zealand Curriculum and attempted to align this work with the Government’s National Standards. The school continues to build on a tradition of excellent teaching to achieve results well above the expected level. The school roll did not rise quite as much as we had predicted due to people being reluctant to shift house – we concluded the recession has slowed down the movement of families into the area. Teacher staffing levels for 2010 are guaranteed to remain at the current level and consequently we were able to offer a full time fixed term teaching position as a permanent position. The hope that the College block and senior blocks would be structurally strengthened and remodelled this year came to nothing but tenders have at last been let for this project so we expect movement on these buildings in the New Year. The auditors reported a healthy bottom line for the 2008 year and we are on track to remain within budget for 2009. We have been involved in a number of Ministry of Education contracts this year and they have lifted our profile considerably. The school is in good health.

Curriculum

The curriculum focus this year has continued to be the implementation of the Revised New Zealand Curriculum.

The teaching staff, the children, the Board of Trustees and interested parents have all had opportunities to contribute to the development of a NEV Normal Curriculum.

The school employed the services of Mrs Robyne Selbie, formerly Principal of Port Chalmers School, as a facilitator, to oversee the implementation of the revised curriculum. Robyne has developed a model for a curriculum which sees the delivery of learning through the lens of the key competencies: thinking; using language symbols, and texts; managing self; relating to others; participating and contributing.

The school has been lucky to be involved in the Normal Schools’ Extending High Standards Project. This project began in 2006 and ended this year. The project involved a number of normal schools throughout New Zealand piloting some aspects of the revised curriculum and providing our findings to the Ministry and to other schools. The work done at NEV Normal was reported on the Ministry of Education’s website on three separate occasions. Many teachers and school managers visited and continue to visit our school to observe our journey as we embed aspects of the curriculum into our classroom practice and school management systems.

As part of the work around curriculum the senior teachers have re-written the school’s curriculum handbook and the assessment plan.

2009 saw the introduction of learning logs into the school week. These logs allow children a regular opportunity to reflect on their learning and to form personal goals to help them learn better. The Board viewed a sample of these logs at the November meeting. This initiative responds to our desire to provide an authentic voice for children.

Mrs. Staynes continues to work with all of those children who are falling behind or who need a push in their learning. This initiative began last year and has been hugely successful and will continue next year. Mrs. Staynes also provides reading recovery for eligible 6 year olds as well as ensuring all new children are tested and provided with extra assistance if required. Mrs. Staynes attends outside agency meetings (like family group conferences) on our behalf.

Midway through this year Mrs. Staynes began testing the reading of all children aged 7 and older on their birthdays so that we can get a view on how children are progressing in this vital area. Her report is available further on in this document, suffice it to say at this point that this exercise is proving very useful and will be extended in 2010 to include a simple maths test. We will use this data to inform school decision making in the future. It is pleasing to note that Mrs. Staynes reports that children she has tested thus far are, on the whole, reading very well and most are reading well above the national expectations.

The teachers continue to keep comprehensive records of achievement. On occasion, teachers bring their results to staff meetings to ensure results are moderated.

Staff meetings are held on Monday afternoons, syndicate meetings are on Wednesday afternoon and the senior teachers meet each Wednesday morning at 7.45.

The syndicates continued to run cross-class groups for language and numeracy teaching from 9.30 till morning break throughout 2009. The interchange in maths will be discontinued in the senior syndicate in 2010 to address some concerns we have in this part of the school. Our end of year maths data shows one cohort performing below expectation. The College of Education Maths Advisor has been working with Mrs. Staynes to address underachievement in this group and one of the recommendations she has made is to return the teaching of maths in the senior syndicate to the classroom teacher.

All teachers have areas of responsibility and perform some leadership duties in the school.

The number of ESOL (English as a second language) children attending NEV Normal continues to grow – we currently have the second highest number of ESOL verified children in Dunedin. Mrs. Probert has the ESOL area well under control. The school hosts a conversation class for parents of ESOL children and also for recent migrants.

PMP (Perceptual Motor Programme) is provided in Mrs. Will’s class three mornings a week.

The Rainbow Class is run 3 or 4 times a term for children aged over 4½ years. The session starts at 1.15pm and ends at 2.45pm and is an introduction to school for those about to turn 5 years old.

Mrs. Will worked with the Ministry of Education, supporting Otago and Southland new entrant teachers improve their practice. This work adds considerably to Mrs. Will’s workload and the fact that she takes this work on so willingly is a sign of her commitment to the profession.

The Principal, Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal continue to travel to other schools and regions to work with principals and teachers on the subject of the New Zealand Curriculum. The Principal is a curriculum sector leader assisting schools implement the revised curriculum. The Principal also assists other schools in their appointments processes and Principal appraisal.

Documentation and Self Review

The Board of Trustees have instituted a 3 year cycle of self review and have worked through this process this year.

The Board have reviewed the school charter this year and have aligned the Charter with the focus of the school’s curriculum.

Employer Responsibilities

This year we will farewell three teacher aides as their contracts come to an end: Mrs Saroja Navaratne (ESOL), Mrs Pauline Carnegie (Health) and Miss Victoria Cooper (Behaviour). These three members of staff have all made their mark on our school and the children. We thank them for their hard work and wish them all the best for the future.

Financial and Property Management

The school’s financial situation is in good health – cash reserves, provision for maintenance and replacement of assets are carefully planned for.

The school was able to secure formal agreement with the University of Otago regarding the arrangement for them to use part of the school for the Reading Recovery Centre. This had been an ongoing issue since 1999 so it is satisfying to have it sorted at last.

The PTA paid for the installation of soccer posts on the middle field and basketball posts for the tarmac area.

The staff ablutions were updated during the year. Alterations to make allowance for special needs pupils were completed as well.

Health and Safety

All necessary and reasonable steps are taken to ensure all at North East Valley Normal School are kept safe and healthy. Policies are up to date in this area. Teachers check their classrooms every school day for hazards. The caretaker undertakes monthly health and safety reviews and reports the results of these to the Board of Trustees. The Principal coordinates evacuation drills at least once a term. The teachers have developed a plan for dealing with threat posed by intruders.

This year a delegation of the Board undertook a full property and buildings health and safety review.

Last year we instituted a ‘no hat no play’ policy which applies for terms 1 and 4. The children and staff must wear wide brimmed hats or legionnaire style caps while they are outside. Classrooms have sun block available for the children.

We continue to be blessed with a ‘community worker’, Gill Eastgate, working in the school. Gill is available to support families and children through advocacy, counselling, and liaising with the school and other agencies. This role has proven so valuable that the Otago Youth Wellness Trust have applied for funds on our behalf to extend her contract to include the other Valley education sites.

The Principal continues to chair a regular ‘interagency’ meeting to deal with troubled or troublesome students and families. This group consists of the local community constable, the Public Health Nurse, The Salvation Army Pastor, Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour, a Ministry of Education representative, senior teachers, Youth Wellness Trust representative and Strengthening Families.

The Salvation Army and the local community constable organise a Thursday afternoon activities club for children to help them keep out of mischief! This group work out of the school hall. We really appreciate what they do for the children.

Constable John Somerfield, a police educator, spent a lot of time in the school during 2009 – his focus was safety; road safety; personal safety. John also ran the ‘Keeping ourselves safe’ programme with the children.

The lunch area directly in front of the junior block looks great as the trees take hold and the gardens flourish. The children love tending their class gardens.

Peer mediators do a wonderful job mediating between children in class and during breaks.

There were no suspensions or exclusions during 2009. There was one 3 day stand down.

The school continues to be active in fostering community development in the Valley, lobbying for better and more co-ordinated services to the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized. The NEV Schools Community Project gained considerable momentum this year when Presbyterian Social Services came on board to provide support to the developments in the Valley. The principal attended a hui in Wellington called by the Families Commission to speak about the Valley Project and the influence the school has had on community development.

Administration

Mrs. Sara Lindsay and the principal attended a 2 day seminar this year aimed at improving efficiencies in the office and administration. As a consequence the filing system has been refined, Mrs. Lindsay and the principal meet daily for a short time to consider administration matters, and generally systems have been improved.

Teacher Training

The school continues to be well used as a training ground for teachers by the University’s College of Education.

This year senior school staff met with the course directors at the University College of Education on a number of occasions to discuss teacher training issues.

School staff members provide their services to the College for a range of purposes including:

· Providing demonstration lessons;

· Delivering the odd lecture to College students;

· Sitting on committees at College;

· Sitting on interview panels at College.

Some highlights of 2009

ICT Development: The school purchased 36 small laptops bringing the total computers in the school to around 60 – not a bad ratio of nearly one computer to every 2 children!
The Revised New Zealand Curriculum: The school participated in 2 ‘teacher only’ days which the Ministry allocated towards discussion about the curriculum.
Community Development: The school was visited by the Chief Families Commissioner, Jan Pryor, to discuss how we are making links with the community.
Family support: A number of school families are supported through school initiatives including access to legal help, food banks, counselling and other assistance.
Visits from the following schools to view our practice:

College St Normal Palmerston North

Arthur St School

St Bernadette’s School

Omakau School

Palmerston School

Silverstream School

Halfway Bush School

Terrace School Alexandra

Papakaio School

Rotary Park School

Gore Main School

Tapanui School

College St School

· We also welcomed:

Julian Reel, the new NEV Community Constable

Nolan Hill, the new pastor, NEV Salvation Army

Maori Resource Teachers

Ministry of Social Development

Ronald MacDonald

NZEI senior staff including the National manager

Mary Jane Rivers, Inspiring Communities

The DHB Oral Health Manager

Julie Buxton, the new public health nurse

Jan Pryor, Chief Families Commissioner

Mary Simpson, Associate Dean of Education, Otago University

Michael Woodhouse, MP

· We enjoyed:

An African Storyteller

Puppeteers

Bikes 4 Fun

Walk n wheel Day

Book Character Day

Otago Piping Club

DNI Polynesian Group

The junior school production

Wok n Woll

Wide Horizons

Active Life

Stars on Stage

Jaffa Day fundraise

Volleyball tournament

Wacky Hair Day

Cultural Day

Ukulele Performance

Trips here there and everywhere!

Thanks to all who contribute to the work of the school – we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Chairperson’s Report Michael Gaffney

This Annual Report demonstrates that 2009 was another successful year in the life of the school. Yet it only touches the surface of the activities that make up the school year. I want to acknowledge the large amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and is never referred to. There are the teachers who spend many hours at school, often at the weekend, so that they are well prepared to offer the best to our children when they are with them in the classroom and beyond. There is the never ending work in the office and around the school property that is done with a smile, but once again is often unacknowledged as an essential part of a good school. Likewise there are groups such as the Parent Teacher Association and the Board of Trustees who are meeting on a regular basis to deal with the business of the day.

Every year the parent and community volunteers are brought together for a morning tea provided by school staff. It is a chance to reflect on the year gone by. It is always great to see the large number of faces representing the community’s contribution to the school.

This report is a summary of how this school is able, as a result of all that energy and activity, to respond in kind by contributing to the Valley community. We see this reflected through our children’s achievement, their participation in community activities, the schools support of the North East Valley Community Project (and other similar activities) and the school’s contribution to the local, regional and national education system. This level of success is due to the leadership shown by John McKenzie and the other senior staff members, Cheryl Staynes and Fiona Will. I would like to commend them for this significant contribution that they make to the life of the school and beyond.

The board, made up of Frank Edwards, Lyn Howe, Steve O’Connor, Jo Howard, Michael Andrew, John McKenzie were joined this year by Jesseme Jones and Richard Fitzpatrick as we made preparations for the Triennial Board elections in 2010. It is an important time as we see some long-standing members prepare to stand aside and look forward to new members of the school community join the board in their place.

The board’s attention has been on property this year as we attempted to speed up the process of maintenance and capital development projects. The co-ordination of these projects has taken longer than we would have liked but I think we will finally see in 2010 the redevelopment of the senior teaching block and the ‘college’ block at the front of the school. This will then be followed a full school repaint made possible by the preparation in 2009 and before. The board has also reviewed its property policies to make sure they meet all legislative requirements and are up to date with current practices.

Work has also continued to review the school charter as it changes shape to account for the revised curriculum that is to be implemented in 2010. Some of the Charter elements can be seen in this report.

We are concerned about how the compulsory introduction of standards might impact on the new curriculum developments. The data presented in this report and other similar reports received by the board over the year show that the students at North East Valley Normal School are very successful in their learning in comparison to the standards achieved nationally. Our job is to make sure the implementation of a new system does not interfere with an already successful format established over the years. The teachers are to be congratulated and commended on this achievement. Well done. As always we look forward to doing it all again next year.

Junior Literacy Results Mrs. Fiona Will

When children turn 6 years we aim to have them reading at level 15/Orange 1. This year 14 children were at this level or significantly above. These results are in keeping with previous years results. Four children were below this level. Of these one started school as a 5.7 years old and achieved 10 levels progress in 6 months; another had transferred from a different school. Three of these children went into the Reading Recovery programme.

Many things contribute to high achievement: staff have a shared understanding of how children learn to read; there is a focus on literacy and numeracy across our school; resourcing; class sizes; extra teacher aide time provided by the BOT. Children are taught to read individually and each have an individual programme to meet their needs and they want to read.

Reading Ages - 6 year olds - Comparison NZ All and NEV Normal All

All NZ 2008		NEV 2009	NEV 2008	NEV 2007	NEV 2006	NEV 2005
Level	%	%	%	%	%	%
magenta	10					5.26
red	17		10
yellow	18	7.69		10.52	13.32	5.26
dark blue	18	7.69	10	10.52	6.66	5.26
green	15	7.69	5	10.52	13.32	10.52
orange	8	23.07	40	52.6	33.3	10.52
light blue	6	53.83	25	5.26	33.3	42.08
purple	3		10	10.52		15.78
gold	3
beyond	2					5.26

Numeracy Data – a sample of our 2009 results

Addition and Subtraction 2009 NEV versus National Data cf Decile 4-7 schools.

Key

2009 NEV

National Data

Year Level	Emergent	1-1 Counting	Count from one (materials)	Count from one (imaging)	Advanced counting	Early Additive part-whole	Advanced Additive part-whole	Advanced Multiplicative part-whole	Advanced Proportional
0-1	0%	0%	23%	36%	41%	0%	0%	0%	0%
0-1	1%	8%	47%	21%	16%	4%	0%	0%	n/a
2	0%	0%	0%	3%	66%	31%	0%	0%	0%
2	0%	1%	13%	18%	43%	20%	1%	0%	n/a
3	0%	0%	0%	0%	58%	42%	0%	0%	0%
3	0%	0%	2%	6%	44%	41%	4%	0%	n/a
4	0%	0%	0%	0%	54%	46%	0%	0%	0%
4	0%	0%	0%	1%	29%	55%	12%	0%	n/a
5	0%	0%	0%	0%	16%	58%	26%	0%	0%
5	0%	0%	0%	0%	18%	51%	26%	2%	n/a
6	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%	45%	41%	9%	0%
6	0%	0%	0%	0%	10%	44%	36%	7%	n/a

Addition and Subtraction 2009 NEV vs National Data cf Decile 4-7.

Key

2009 NEV

National Data

Year Level	Emergent	1-1 Counting	Count from one (materials)	Count from one (imaging)	Advanced counting	Early Additive part-whole	Advanced Additive part-whole	Advanced Multiplicative part-whole	Advanced Proportional
0-1	0%	0%	23%	36%	41%	0%	0%	0%	0%
0-1	1%	8%	47%	21%	16%	4%	0%	0%	n/a
2	0%	0%	0%	3%	66%	31%	0%	0%	0%
2	0%	1%	13%	18%	43%	20%	1%	0%	n/a
3	0%	0%	0%	0%	58%	42%	0%	0%	0%
3	0%	0%	2%	6%	44%	41%	4%	0%	n/a
4	0%	0%	0%	0%	54%	46%	0%	0%	0%
4	0%	0%	0%	1%	29%	55%	12%	0%	n/a
5	0%	0%	0%	0%	16%	58%	26%	0%	0%
5	0%	0%	0%	0%	18%	51%	26%	2%	n/a
6	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%	45%	41%	9%	0%
6	0%	0%	0%	0%	10%	44%	36%	7%	n/a

Proportions and Ratios 2009 NEV vs National Data - Decile 4-7.

Key

2009 NEV

National Data

Year Level	Not Assessed	Unequal sharing	Counting	Early Additive part-whole	Advanced Additive part-whole	Advanced Multiplicative part-whole	Advanced Proportional part-whole
0-1	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
0-1	86%	3%	10%	0%	0%	0%	0%
2	0%	46%	50%	4%	0%	0%	0%
2	46%	7%	41%	4%	0%	0%	0%
3	0%	5%	68%	21%	5%	0%	0%
3	9%	6%	58%	20%	4%	0%	0%
4	0%	0%	69%	31%	0%	0%	0%
4	2%	2%	48%	32%	12%	2%	0%
5	0%	5%	5%	58%	26%	5%	0%
5	0%	1%	32%	36%	20%	8%	0%
6	0%	0%	0%	53%	32%	16%	0%
6	0%	1%	19%	34%	26%	16%	2%

Fractions 2009 NEV vs National Data - Decile 4-7.

Key

2009 NEV

National Data

Year Level	Not Assessed	Unit fractions not recog	Unit fractions recog	Order unit fractions	Coord num'r/denom'r	Equivalent fractions	Order fractions
0-1	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
0-1	86%	9%	3%	1%	0%	0%	0%
2	0%	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
2	45%	26%	15%	12%	0%	0%	0%
3	0%	61%	17%	17%	6%	0%	0%
3	9%	20%	34%	32%	2%	0%	0%
4	0%	8%	54%	38%	0%	0%	0%
4	2%	10%	29%	50%	5%	1%	0%
5	0%	5%	11%	37%	47%	0%	0%
5	0%	5%	21%	51%	15%	3%	1%
6	0%	0%	0%	58%	32%	5%	5%
6	0%	3%	15%	48%	19%	9%	4%

Basic Facts 2009 NEV vs National Data - Decile 4-7.

Key

2009 NEV

National Data

Year Level	Non grouping w 5	Facts to 5	Facts to 10	Add'n w 10s/doubles	Addition facts	Subtr'n/mult'n facts	Division facts	Common factors/multiples
0-1	64%	27%	0%	9%	0%	0%	0%	0%
0-1	57%	21%	9%	10%	1%	0%	0%	0%
2	23%	9%	23%	46%	0%	0%	0%	0%
2	19%	20%	17%	36%	4%	0%	0%	0%
3	0%	16%	0%	63%	11%	11%	0%	0%
3	6%	10%	10%	41%	24%	5%	0%	0%
4	0%	8%	0%	62%	8%	23%	0%	0%
4	1%	3%	7%	32%	37%	14%	2%	0%
5	0%	0%	5%	5%	32%	53%	5%	0%
5	0%	2%	3%	19%	37%	25%	9%	1%
6	0%	0%	0%	0%	44%	28%	28%	0%
6	0%	1%	2%	10%	31%	29%	21%	4%

SNET (Otago)

MENTOR SCHOOL:NORTH EAST VALLEY NORMAL SCHOOL (3783)

DATE: 21 OCTOBER 2009

LDO: Shelley Wilde

SCHOOL INFORMATION

· Decile 6 Contributing Primary Normal School

· Junior Roll: 60

· 15% of students identify as Maori

· 8% of students identify as Pasifika

· ESOL: 11 funded students in junior school

HISTORICAL POSITION

The reading progress of new entrant – year one students at this school is consistently higher than the overall NZ progress.

6-year olds Reading Levels	NZ 2008	NEV 2009	NEV 2008	NEV 2007	NEV 2006
Above	22%	77%	75%	68%	67%
Within	15%	8%	5%	11%	13%
Just Below	36%	15%	10%	21%	20%
Well Below	27%	0%	10%	0%	0%

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Key Competencies (EHSAS)
ICT PD with links to literacy

SNET CLUSTER INVOLVEMENT

John McKenzie: Principal
Mentor Teacher: Fiona Will

KA HIKITIA

Student achievement data is disaggregated
The school has a lead teacher who provides PD in te reo
Liaison with the community occurs in a variety of ways including via a board member who is Maori and via a whānau group
The Māori parent group at this school is relatively conservative and express the wish that their children succeed in English first
The school is considering a ‘post new entrant’ bi-lingual stream

DRAFT NATIONAL STANDARDS

Achievement is reported against expected levels and progress is also shown in relation to these levels

READING RECOVERY

4 students are currently on the programme.

ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND PROCESSES

Formative assessment during the Rainbow Class (under fives programme) and during visits to prospective new entrants’ preschools
SEA (all elements), Letter ID and NumPa at 5.1 (discussed with parents soon after)
Regular analysed Running Records
Regular assessment of literacy items such as Letter ID and word recognition
JOST & Oral Language Sample (HPP for those students who are ‘at risk’)
PROBE
PM Benchmarks
NEMP tasks and National Exemplars for moderation
The Reading Recovery teacher assesses each student at the school on or close to his/her birthday

TARGET AREA FOR THE CLUSTER

Raise student achievement of Year 0 – Year 3 students

(a) Junior teaching (Y0–Y3)

(b) Junior students (Y0-Y3), including a target group of students who are achieving ‘just below’ or ‘well below’ the expected Level 12 (Green) at 6 years of age

ACTIONS TO DATE

Mrs. Will has been reflecting more explicitly by asking herself, “Why do I use that particular strategy or practice or routine?” rather than relying on intuition.
Behaviour management routines and expectations are strongly related and correlated to literacy expectations and routines.
Use of ‘Learning Logs’
After 6.0 the next teacher widens the literacy experience for students e.g. more non-fiction; deeper learning
Working hard to lift the achievement of students who did not start at the school as new entrants
Holistic approach: TA support using board funds, community engagement, working with adults involved in transition from ECE, social worker
Using ICT as part of the usual ‘fabric’ of the learning day – photo books, oral language, Learning Logs, blogs
Mrs. Will has changed her analysis of teachers’ needs – some need to gather ideas whilst others want to unpick and analyse teaching practices

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PROGRESS TO DATE

Six Year Observation Surveys YTD (17 students)

13 students are reading above the expected green level

1 student is reading within the expected green level
3 students are reading just below (2 at yellow and 1 at blue
No students are reading at the well below level

Y0 – Y3 Junior Class Reading Levels as at Oct 2009

2 Year 0 students: red (2 students)
21 Year 1 students: turquoise (2); orange (1); green (6); blue (8); yellow (2);red (2)
30 Year 2 students: 7.0 – 10 RA (14); gold (8); purple (3); turquoise (3); orange (1); green (1)
8 Year 3 students: 7.0 – 9.5 RA (7); silver (1)

COMMENTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN USED FOR THIS CLUSTER

The overall design of the plan has been good.
Some teachers have been making extra contact with Mrs. Will because they value her as a mentor teacher.
Conversations at cluster seminars and meetings have become more professional.
Teachers have valued the opportunity to view and discuss Fiona’s planning, assessment records, progress graphs and anecdotal notes as well as the chance to observe her literacy teaching.
Would suggest that describing her teaching philosophy to the group earlier in the development would be more beneficial.
There is some difficulty in meeting the needs of all participants because of the differing needs of those teaching new entrant – year 1 groups and those teaching years 2 – 4.
Verifies that getting children to expected levels is hard work that involves many elements e.g. willingness to listen and to think, enthusiasm, punctuality, commitment, desire for continual improvement, and being well prepared.

Running Records taken on Student’s Birthdays Mrs. Staynes

From the beginning of term four we began a new assessment procedure - tracking reading progress for students seven years old and over by testing them on their birthday. This monitoring will mean that we can record individual student progress on a yearly basis. From the results we will be able to give students assistance if required. As well as looking at reading age and accuracy we also record the level of comprehension.

In the future we will be able to use these results to graph achievement throughout the school. The classroom teacher will still be responsible for taking running records on their students. They need to be aware of the reading level the student is at and have knowledge of the strategies each student is using.

Results from the ‘birthday’ running records so far:

Twenty students have been tested;
Of the seven 7 - year olds, five were reading above their chronological age, one at and one below;
One eight year old was reading above;
One nine year old was reading above;
Of the seven 10 - year olds, four were reading above their chronological age, two at and one below;
Of the four 11 - year olds tested, three were reading above their chronological age and one at;
Children have been recorded as being above their chronological age if they are reading at a level one year higher;
One of the children reading below had just started at our school when tested and has already made gains. His progress will be closely monitored. The other child receives learning assistance.

Reading Recovery Report Mrs. Cheryl Staynes

‘Reading Recovery’ is an early intervention programme which provides intensive individual help for children who reach the age of six and are having difficulty in reading and writing. Reading Recovery achieves excellent results. The children who do not respond well to the classroom instructional programme, and so do not got started on efficient patterns of learning, are able to catch up with their classmates and become independent learners.

Children are selected for the Reading Recovery programme as close to their sixth birthday as possible, and they enter as soon as there is space. The table below shows the profile of children turning six in the report period compared with the same period in the previous year. The colours represent the reading levels.

Year	Magenta	Red	Yellow	Dark Blue	Green	Orange	Blue	Purple	Beyond	Total
2007			1	3	1	11	1	2		19
2008		2		2	1	8	5	2		20
2009				2	1	4	8	2		17

In a well-resourced Reading Recovery Programme, about two thirds of the children will make sufficient progress to be able to return to the classroom reading programme. Of the remainder, most will continue their programme in the following year, and will make enough progress to allow discontinuation. A few children will be referred to specialists or the school’s learning assistance programme for long term help.

Other information

· Average entry text level L 8 (Range 3 to 14)

· Average discontinuing text level L20 (Range 17 to 22)

· Average weeks for discontinued children 13

· Children carried over from 2008 1

The 2009 Reading Recovery programme at North East Valley Normal School met the needs of our six year old children effectively. Most children entering the programme are coming in with medium to high scores in all tests. Data collected from children for up to 2-3 years following discontinuation indicate that most continue to make satisfactory progress and have not required additional assistance. Out of the five children who received reading recovery this year two were transient children. This is becoming more common. The school has adopted new processes to better integrate transient children into the school environment in light of this emerging pattern and in light of recent research about transience in schools.

Reading Recovery at North East Valley Normal School is a very valuable resource. While many children enter at higher levels than elsewhere in New Zealand, it gives these children confidence to become fluent readers for the rest of their lives. Thank you to the Board of Trustees of Trustees for the continued support of this programme. It gives a group of children a second chance in gaining early literacy skills. The Reading Recovery is well stocked with books.

ESOL Mrs. Jan Probert, ESOL Coordinator

ESOL stands for English as a second language and is used to refer to those of our school children for whom English lessons are provided. The change in Government/University policy relating to PhD students continues to have an impact on the number of international pupils coming to New Zealand to attend primary school. There are a number of children of PhD students attending our school – they are classed as domestic students and hence pay no extra fees to attend school in New Zealand. If their English is poor we get extra funding. No international students have applied for enrolment this year.

However, 2009 has been an exciting year for ESOL and the number of domestic ESOL students at our school has remained high. Ministry of Education funding granted throughout the year has enabled ongoing employment of Mrs. Navaratne as a teacher aide to work alongside Mrs. Probert and support the English language learning needs of some of these students.

The newly established English conversation group for adults/parents has grown and now has 16 members meeting in the school for two hours each week. The group has contributed to and enriched school life in many ways during the year. Malaysian parents arranged an “open home” lunch-time visit to school and brought food to share with staff to celebrate Hari Raya, an important celebration in their culture. Cultural sharing in this form is indicative of how much our school values and respects the diversity of our community and as a consequence gains greater cultural understanding. Members of the conversation group have also been actively involved in classroom programmes throughout the year, particularly for our cultural day celebrations when they provided wonderful experiences by cooking with the children, food from their culture. The food was then consumed at a shared lunch.

In Terms 3 & 4, Mrs. Probert travelled to Christchurch on a regular basis, to attend and complete training as a facilitator for a Ministry of Education professional development programme for teacher aides (English Language Assistants (ELA)). In Term 3 & 4, 2010, our school will run this contract and Mrs. Probert and a colleague will deliver the programme for other schools in Dunedin.

No ESOL children are leaving our school at the end of this year but sadly, Mrs. Navaratne has recently left and returned to live in Australia. She will be greatly missed from both our “ESOL family” and the wider school, but will be fondly remembered for her quiet, caring demeanour and her wonderful work, particularly with support for our young beginning learners of English.

2010 promises to be an exciting time when our ESOL community and school reunite to share our experiences of the holiday time and to welcome new students.

The Rainbow Class Mrs. Fiona Will

The Rainbow class has been held fortnightly on 16 Thursday afternoons. 27 children have attended the Rainbow class this year, whereas 27 attended in 2008 and 28 attended in 2007. Of the 27 children who attended this year, 16 of them have started NEVNS or will do so in 2010. It is interesting to note the numbers attending Rainbow class and the portion of them moving onto NEVNS has been quite consistent over recent years.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see the children at Rainbow class prior to starting school. Parents give positive feedback about how it helps their transition to school and some have said that it influenced their choice of NEVNS for their child’s schooling.

Four of the families who have attended this year are onto their second and third child attending the Rainbow class.

The class size each fortnight has averaged 10 children and numbers each fortnight have been quite consistent.

I am grateful to the BOT for funding the Rainbow class and hope the funds will be available for a further year.

PMP Report Mrs. Fiona Will

PMP has been running since 2002 and is a wonderful programme designed to meet the needs of 5 year olds. It is exciting to watch children’s skills develop as they move through the programme. PMP is designed for 5 year olds and uses a sequence of activities which develop perceptual motor skills. It also has a language component and memory activities, all of which greatly assist in the whole of a child’s development at this age.

Initially PMP was set up in room 10 in 2002 then it moved to room 20 in 2004. Last year PMP moved to room 13 when the prefab classrooms were moved away. Room 13 used to be the music room. PMP requires strong parent support to run the stations which are essential to this programme.

This year we have been fortunate to have the same teacher aide setting up PMP and taking a station. This consistency of staff has helped the programme run more smoothly

HPP

(Hei awhi awhi tamariki ki to panui pukapuka)

The HPP programme has been running since 2002, finding volunteers and retaining them has been an ongoing issue.

In 2009 eight people volunteered to take HPP and seven of them trained as HPP tutors. Seven children were tested and entered the programme. Six of the seven children will have completed the programme by the end of the year.

HPP continues to have a high turn over of personnel. Tutors find it an exciting concept but the reality and prescriptive nature of the programme means their enthusiasm wanes. Two of the tutors may consider taking a new child next year.

One solution to the problem with retention of volunteers could be to modify the programme. After speaking to each tutor I believe the programme could be modified to lessen the prescriptive nature of HPP but still retain the oral language modelling for children.

Senior Syndicate Report Mrs. Staynes

There are three classes in the Senior Syndicate: a year six class, a year five and four class and a year four and three class. During the year we rearranged the classes in Rooms three and two as the numbers in the Junior School increased.

The children were involved in a number of EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) activities this year. The visits supported the curriculum areas. Pupils are fortunate to be involved in many sporting, musical and artistic activities. I thank the teachers, parents and outside coaches who provide these opportunities.

Special activities:

· Kapa Haka: The syndicate worked together, learning waiata and dance. They took part in the Pasifika Festival performing with great enthusiasm. Special thanks to Maria Kewene-Edwards and Frank Edwards. Following this performance a group of enthusiastic parents have been working on purchasing and making costumes for the Kapa Haka group.

· Jump Jam: As part of the fitness programme this has been taken in individual classes as well as whole syndicate sessions.

· Stars on Stage: This event is now biennial. The children enjoy the experience of performing on the Regent Theatre stage. Thanks to the teachers and especially Cheryl Cartmell and Jacqueline O’Brien.

· Artists in School Project: It was marvellous to watch the enthusiastic way the pupils approached this project. From the creation of the puppets to the performance it proved to be very successful.

· Cultural Day: Everyone worked together to celebrate a number of cultures evident in our school. Parental involvement made it a success. Jan Probert and Saroja Navaratne put many hours into this celebration.

Teachers have been involved in professional development throughout the year. The ICT contract continued during 2009 and many day courses and after school courses were attended. The opportunity to attend in-service training is appreciated by the teachers and the benefits show in classroom programmes and pupil attainment.

As a Syndicate we discuss children’s performance and social needs. As a group we work well together to provide a safe, happy learning environment. I have already thanked some individuals but would also like to thank the Board of Trustees and Parent Teachers Association for their ongoing support.

NEV Normal School PTA 2009 Mrs. Paula Watts

We hope that you will enjoy finding out what we have been doing with your help to support the teachers and children of our school. Take a quick look at just what we have achieved together.

Fundraising events held this year:

· Easter Raffle

· Fruit and Vege Sale (Peirces Orchard)

· Spell-a-thon

· Jaffa Race (ticket sales, car parking and sausage sizzle)

· Hyndman Publishing Book Sale

· 2010 Calendars

· Hot Lunches (Thanks so much to Mick and Mary for their great work!)

Donations made to the school this year:

· $100 for costumes for the Junior musical

· $300 for the “Bike for Fun” day

· $150 for language games for Room 5

· New computer chair for Room 3

· Purchase of NEV Normal school jackets (Grant received from Foodstuffs)

· $790 for PTA book bags and books

· $1,704.00 for two new soccer/rugby goal posts

· Stars on stage costumes

· $330.63 for a new printing press

· Sausage sizzle at the end of Term 3

· Food purchased to go in the office for those children who have come to school without lunches

· $204.50 for school fridge magnets (to go in all intro. packages for new students)

· Bi-annual Xavier award ($50 book voucher for each award)

· Trophy in memory of Benjamin Wright (given to one student each year)

· Donation toward the costs of the Year 6 EOTC

· $1,000 library donation

· End of year ice blocks

· Surprise Christmas presentation to the children of the school, at the end of year assembly

· $2,000.00 grant from the Bendigo Trust for Term 4 swimming tuition

Something to think about for next year:

Please consider joining the committee. We are a small group of parents and grandparents and teachers who meet once a month and have fun doing all kinds of activities to support the teachers and children of our school. Joining the PTA is a great way to meet other people within the school and in the local community. Look for meeting dates in the school newsletter. Or if you just want to help us out occasionally, give one of us a call or e-mail – any assistance is greatly appreciated.

The PTA would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year. Best wishes for the future to all the Year 6 children and their families as they move on to new schools – we hope you have enjoyed your time with us. Have a great holiday everyone and we look forward to seeing you all for another successful year in 2010!

ICT Report 2009 Mrs. Karen Sintmaartensdijk

In 2008 NEV Normal School reported that some teachers were including elements of ICT in their planning. The classroom hardware was limited so the incorporation of e-learning into classroom programmes was difficult. In 2009 large screens and 6 notebooks were purchased for every classroom. This added hardware has enabled teachers to incorporate e-learning into their daily classroom routines and programmes. All teachers have used ICT in their action research during 2009. E-learning is used daily in oral language and writing programmes in some classrooms. With the addition of these tools, the teachers have had increased access to student voice in conjunction with other developments such as learning logs. There is collaborative blogging with student work and feedback recorded on several classroom blogs. There is evidence of inquiry learning in all classrooms as all teachers in the school have attended professional development with the Kath Murdoch Inquiry Model.

· NEV Normal School will construct an e-learning statement to be shared with BOT and community.

· We will continue to develop and refine our learning logs to increase the use of student voice in teaching and learning.

In 2008 the teachers at NEV Normal School reported that they were unaware of what they did not know and relied heavily on the ICT facilitators during their visits to guide their new learning. Several teachers members attended sessions led by the facilitators and trialled new ideas they gained during these sessions. The lead Teacher completed an action research project. Teachers trialled new ideas in 2008. This was developed further in 2009 with all teachers involved in action research projects. All teachers were reflective about their own practice when sharing their action research with the other teachers and discussing the added value that changing practice has had on student learning, not just talking about “cool tools”. The teachers report less dependence on experts as they learn to solve their own technical problems. Increased hardware in classrooms has provided opportunities for all teachers to experiment and develop confidence.

· Teachers will continue to participate in action research in their classrooms in 2010 to identify areas for development in ICT and reflect on practice. Action research will become part of performance management programme. Action research will demonstrate added value to learning.

· Teachers will share with other teachers at regular teachers meetings.

In 2008 NEV Normal School reported that there was a range of abilities across the school teachers and that there was no way of systematically sharing practice between teachers within the school. Sharing happened but was spontaneous and informal. The lead teacher shared new knowledge at teachers meetings gained from the lead teacher days. The lead teacher took the main role in any cluster work, sharing action research at the end of 2008 including the formulation of goals. The teachers accessed expertise through the facilitator visits. One teacher was using a class blog to communicate outside of the classroom. One teacher attended the ULearn conference and several visited other schools in the cluster as part of the end of the year celebration bus trip.

There has been a noticeable change at NEV Normal School in 2009. Teachers are using increasing expertise to help each other when problems arise. ICT facilitators continue to provide invaluable input and teachers appreciate the uninterrupted time and non judgemental support from the facilitators. There are now 4 wikis and 4 blogs in the school as teachers use new ways to communicate and collaborate. There is an increased use of e-mailing within and across schools to communicate. Teachers have been using the Otepoti cluster wiki to access expertise from the wider ICT community. Other schools have visited to observe our new screens and notebooks in use in classrooms. Three teachers attended the ULearn conference this year. Two teachers are presenting action research at the Otepoti Mini Conference. The lead teacher has presented at one of the virtual syndicate meetings and will be supporting teacher presenters at the Mini-Conference. The school has been part of the national EHSAS contract over the past three years and has been regularly sharing school practice as part of this.

There was regular attendance at cluster meetings by the principal and lead teacher.

All teachers are more active in using e-learning in their classrooms. They are motivated to try new things and use the new hardware in the classrooms. The large screens have been particularly effective in engaging students, along with the notebooks in each classroom. There is much more opportunity for student engagement through e-learning with improved the infrastructure.

Teachers are noticeably less dependent on experts to develop their skills and will persevere to solve problems.

The next step for our school is to really focus on the added value of using ICT to enhance student achievement.

MEMBERS OF STAFF 2010

Mr. John McKenzie Principal

Mrs. Cheryl Staynes Deputy Principal, REM Coordinator

Mrs. Fiona Will Assistant Principal

SENIOR SCHOOL

Ms. Tracy Ballantine Teacher R2

Mrs. Maria Kewene-Edwards Teacher R5

Mrs. Judith Evans-Weir Shared Teaching R3

Mrs. Jane Hesson Shared Teaching R3

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mrs. Fiona Will Teacher R11

Mrs. Karen Sintmaartensdijk Teacher, Models R10

Mr. Michael Andrew Teacher, Models R8

PART TIME TEACHERS

Mrs. Jan Probert Teacher ESOL

Mrs. Lyn Revie Teacher R11

ANCILLARY/SUPPORT STAFF

Mrs. Sara Lindsay Office Administration

Mrs. Jill Ferry Library Assistant

Mr. Ken Harvey Caretaker

Mrs. Beverley Geeson Cleaner

Mrs. Lynne Buijck Cleaner

Priority areas for improving Pupil Achievement 2009

Priority areas for improving Pupil Achievement	Targets	Actions Maintain and build on high standards of pupil achievement at NEV Normal by:	Outcomes	Analysis / Evaluation
Core Curriculum - Literacy	All students at age 6 years will be reading at orange level 15/16 on the Ready to Read colour wheel. All children beyond aged 6 will be reading at or above the reading age which corresponds with their chronological age.	The school will continue to support the new entrant teacher to provide a comprehensive reading programme aimed at successful reading outcomes for the year 1 children. Explicit/focussed teaching and learning strategies in reading, writing, inclusive of selected Key Competencies across school year; Testing – mid and end of year for senior syndicate; ongoing throughout the year for the juniors. All children will be have their reading tested on their birthday by the DP.
	Children not reading at level 11 by their 6^th birthday will be considered for Reading Recovery.	The Board will continue to fund 0.1 ftte towards the cost of reading recovery.
	Children who come to the school from other schools or from overseas will be tested on arrival and if they do not meet the above expectations for reading will receive immediate help to lift their reading scores.	Those who do not achieve at or above level become the target group for Reading Recovery REM Parent Tutoring HPP Teacher intervention ESOL support
	Children will be able to respond to, enjoy and use the English language in all its variety and forms across the oral, written and visual strands as designated in the English curriculum – in a range of contexts	Developing a critical literacy across the oral, written, visual strands cross curricula; Continued promotion of higher order thinking skills, through continuation of programmes embedded in the learning culture at NEV Normal e.g. de Bono Six Thinking Hats, Inquiry Learning; Student-centred learning; Blooms Taxonomy, Three level thinking guides.
	The expectation at NEV Normal is that children identifying as Maori or Pasifika will achieve commensurate with Pakeha peers	Those who do not achieve at or above the expected level become the target group for Reading Recovery REM Parent Tutoring HPP Teacher intervention ESOL support
Core Curriculum Numeracy	By the end of Year 4, children at NEV Normal will be: Working at stage 5 (Advanced counters) of the MOE Numeracy Project in Addition and Subtraction and also be working at stage 4 in Multiplication and Division. Maintain and build on the high standard of pupil achievement at NEV Normal in Numeracy, the emphasis for the first four years to be on building Number knowledge and the application of mental strategies related to the Numeracy project Through the Numeracy Framework children will: Develop a belief in the value of mathematics and its usefulness; develop skills, concepts and understandings which enable them to cope confidently with the application of mathematical ideas in everyday life.	Those children not achieving at these levels will be a target group for Recovery and Enhancement Programme. Teaching of the Number strand will be on a sliding scale – 70% in the first year, decreasing to 50% in Year 6. Years 5 & 6 – the delivery emphasis will be spread across the strands Professional development in Maths will be provided this year for teachers. The school will return to teaching maths in classroom groupings not cross-class groups.
School wide assessments	SWA allow the school to track achievement over time. Teachers will use SWA data to inform their practice and lift achievement.	School wide assessments are differentiated for gender and ethnicity (with particular attention to Maori, Pasifika, Gifted and Talented and ESOL)
	Literacy: The teachers will administer one SWA each year for 3 years to lift children’s’ vocabulary skills and one assessment for recounts.	Data will be collated to track achievement over the three years. Analysis will inform teachers of how to lift achievement. Emphasis will be on developing oral language vocabulary through teacher and student language co construction within authentic learning contexts.
	Numeracy The teachers will administer one SWA each year for 3 years to lift children’s’ basic facts knowledge
	Literacy: The teachers will administer 2 reading tests a year
	Numeracy: The numeracy survey will be conducted across the school in term three every year	Data will be collated to track achievement over the three years. Analysis will inform teachers of how to lift achievement. Results will be entered onto the national Numeracy Database
	The teachers will administer 2 assessments each year in a non-core curriculum area	Results will be presented to the Board of Trustees.

General Targets 2010

	Action: Board of Trustees	Action: School Management	Action: Teachers & Other Staff
Revised Curriculum (NZC)		Oversee NZC implementation	Base planning on the NZC
Literacy and Numeracy	Fund Teacher aide in the new entrant class; Fund Teacher help.	More closely monitor at risk children	Report all results each term to senior managers;
ICT	Fund ICT professional development	Support ICT Contract; Better manage tech support.	Continue ICT Contract; Complete action research projects; Embed ICT in classroom practice.
Environment	Promote environment issues in school & valley	Promote environment issues in school & valley;	Maintain and further develop edible garden; Recycle more.
Pedagogy	Fund PD re: NZC Student voice	Promote learning logs; Promote student voice;	Continue to implement NEV version of learning log; Develop student voice especially in self assessment & peer assessment.
Key Competencies (EHSAS project)	Fund further Normal Schools’ collaboration.	Work with other normal schools.
Documentation & Self review	Rewrite new NAGs; Continue to implement new 3 year review cycle.	Continue to implement new 3 year review cycle.	Trial new processes and provide feedback where applicable.
Charter	Continue revision of Charter.
Employer Responsibilities		Ensure all have JDs, Police checks and registration where applicable
Property: Hall upgrade Stage 2; seismic work and 2 storey blocks; Repaint exterior walls.	Develop plan front of Hall; Action refurbishment of 2-stroey blocks; Develop plan for repainting exterior of other buildings.	Manage projects.
Engagement in learning		Continue to address attendance and lateness.	More closely monitor and follow up on lateness and non attendance.
Administration		Transition to Novopay	Implement new payroll system.
NEV Community Project	Promote community development.	Represent Board of Trustees & school in promoting better living in NEV; Develop social worker role across education sites in NEV
College of Education		Further develop effective practicum practices; Support Malaysian teacher trainees.

North East Valley Normal School 2010 Term Dates

Term 1 Tuesday 2 February - Thursday 1 April

Term 2 Monday 19 April - Friday 2 July

Term 3 Monday 19 July - Friday 24 September

Term 4 Monday 11 October - Thursday 16 December

Holidays which fall in term time

Otago Anniversary Monday 22 March

Queen’s Birthday Monday 7 June

Labour Day Monday 25 October

School Day Timetable

Session 1 8.55

Morning Break 10.40

Session 2 11.00

Lunch 12.30

Session 3 1.30

Final bell 3.00

Award	For	To	Background	Decided By
“Digger Dan Trophy”	‘Respect and Responsibility’ (A student who displays values)	Yr 6 Student	Presented in 2007 by Joan Miskimin to mark the return of the marble WW1 soldier to the NEV War Memorial Archway on Armistice Day; 11 November 2007. Mrs Miskimin taught at NEV in the 1980’s & loved this old soldier who was then housed in the Junior block.	Senior Syndicate Lillian Brewer
“Hammer Cup”	Junior Reading (A child who has made significant progress in reading in the Junior Syndicate)	Junior Syndicate Student	Mrs Jacqui Hammer taught at NEV for 10 years. On her departure in 2007, Mrs Hammer presented this cup to highlight the importance of junior reading.	Junior Syndicate Staff & Reading Recovery Teacher Matthew Bruce
“Citizenship Award”	Displaying consistently a very positive attitude to others in society	Yr 6	First presented in 2005, by the North East Valley Baptist Church	Yr 6 Teachers Puti Marsh
“Stewart Cup”	Sportsmanship	Yr 6	History unknown. First awarded 1950 to Audrey Stewart. Presented to student who displays top sporting skills and a top sporting attitude.	Teacher in charge of Sport Mikaire Schooner
“Most Diligent”	Diligence and work skills	Yr 6	Presented to a student who has consistently worked very hard at school.	Teachers Senior Syndicate Cassandra Muir
“Top Academic”	Top academic student across the major subject areas	Yr 6	Formerly the Dux Top Academic acknowledges high academic achievement.	Yr 6 Teachers Junior Eteuati
“Xavier Award”	To a child who has best displayed the school’s values	Any Student	Presented by the PTA in memory of Xavier Lucky O’Fever Dean who attended NEVNS from 2003 to 2006. RIP 20 March 2006.	All Staff Jaani Allen
“Ben Wright Cup”	For participation in sports at any level	Any student	Presented by the PTA in memory of Benjamin Stewart Wright who attended NEVNS from 2000 to 2007. RIP 5 March 2007.	All staff Sierra Sawyers