Update 3 - 7th March 2019

A message from the Leadership Team - Critical to Learn

"If you get preoccupied by a certain type of achievement then you don’t even look for other things people might be good at" ~ Sir Ken Robinson

An important goal within our 2019 strategy is to start an open conversation with our community, parents, learners and staff about ‘what is critical to learn and know’. We are very aware that we are experiencing rapidly changing times. Technology is advancing exponentially, climate change and global warming present new problems to be solved and the workplace is demanding skills and dispositions that they say are not being taught.

Eight years ago we asked ourselves ‘What learning really matters now and for our children’s future? This formed the basis for our vision aspiration and School curriculum. We believe it is time to take stock and together think and talk about ‘What is critical to learn and know?’

• Is our current local curriculum still relevant, future focussed enough?
  • What should a learners 8 year curriculum entitlement be?
  • Is what we are asking reasonable and doable for teachers and Schools?
  • What might we need to stop doing, start doing and continue?

It was great to get many parents voices at our recent meet the teacher event. The ideas have been collated and we are currently working through synthesising and summarising peoples thoughts and ideas. Your thinking illuminates the rich diversity within our community, there are quite polarised perspectives on some things. We appreciate that what we are setting out to do is challenging, it is going to take open dialogue and debate to ensure that we land on a shared understanding that represents what our community values and believes.

Our teaching staff recently watched and read what Sir Ken Robinson had to say.

Sir Ken Robinson recently shared an an educational forum "There are still many disagreements about how to improve the education system so that children graduate with the skills and dispositions they will need to succeed in life"

The problem with a conformist approach, Robinson said, is that “human life is like the rest of life on earth; it is characterised by diversity.” Parents with more than one child know all too well that each can be radically different in temperament, personality and in their strengths and weaknesses. The same rules and parenting approach may work with one, but not the others. And yet this fundamental diversity in the human population is not honoured within education. Instead, the curriculum has narrowed and now priorities a type of intelligence that favours academic work.

We sincerely value the voices of our parents and caregivers - have your say. If you didn’t have the opportunity to have your say during the ‘Meet the Teacher’ event we would love you to take a moment to complete a short survey now. What you think the School should continue, stop and start doing?

Health Update

We would like to thank all of our whānau for your continued understanding and support during the stomach bug outbreak over the past week. We are pleased that we are now at what seems to be the end of the outbreak and our learners have recovered and are returning to school. We have been in continuous contact with CLM who have assured us that they have very strict protocols in place regarding pool hygiene and there have been no other issues for the other school that has been using the pool within the same time frame and prior to Stonefields starting their swimming curriculum. We have arranged for all of our interior and exterior windows to be cleaned and our cleaners will continue to disinfect and take additional measures in all areas of the school for the rest of this week.

Important Sign in Procedure

A reminder that if you need to be on the school site as an adult helper or are coming into the hubs to drop something off, please remember to sign in at the office. In the event of an emergency it is important we know who is on the school site at anytime. It is also important to remind you that should your child have an appointment it is essential that they are signed in and out on the tablet in the school office. Thank you for your support in this matter

Tamaki Softball

We had lots of fun in the sun at the Tamaki Softball Tournament this week. Our learners demonstrated great teamwork resulting in our Yr 7/8 team finishing 3rd and our Yr 5/6 team finishing 5th overall. Tau kē Stonefields! We would like to thank all of our whānau for their help and support on the day.