MENPS News

Kia ora koutou

Educational standards are once again in crisis, so you’d be forgiven for suspecting we may be in an election year.

Once again, we hear the mounting sense of panic at drastically falling standards, almost exclusively focused on reading, writing, maths and – to a slightly lesser extent – science.

Naturally, achieving high standards in these foundation areas is an aspiration shared by all, and always a legitimate political campaign issue that resonates easily with parents. The only issue for us is that decline certainly isn’t reflected in our results here at MENPS, which remain consistently at the highest levels.

More broadly, national OECD data is, in fact, actually less alarming than we’re often led to believe (particularly at Primary level) in New Zealand. While there is no doubt that there are sustained and concerning downward trends over time in key subjects by age 15, there is also a lot more nuance to unpack than can be captured in attention-grabbing media headlines.

Nonetheless, the pendulum of conservative vs progressive education policies will swing as wildly as ever, casting a long and unpredictable shadow over the education sector.

We’ll be told that we need a more inclusive, progressive curriculum, or that what’s actually required is a more rigidly prescribed ‘back to basics’ production-line model of standards and testing. Over time, the cycle will roll on endlessly through a ‘greatest hits’ of attractive, media-friendly policy prescriptions.

Whatever the merits of individual policies, it’s worth bearing in mind that in reality, educational success depends on a much more complex interplay of factors than politics would have you believe.

As you’d expect, this includes socio-economic inequity, NZ’s alarmingly low attendance rates, the quality of teacher recruitment and training, increasing numbers of children with high and complex learning and/or behavioural needs, adequate resourcing for schools, alongside a background of global decline in reading that neatly correlates to an increase in the prevalence of screens in children’s lives.

This may go some way to explaining why, over the last 20 or so years of successive governments, the patterns and trends have remained so resolutely stubborn.

What we can be sure of is that the political search for the elusive educational ‘Holy Grail’ will continue regardless. For teachers, this usually boils down to another curriculum re-write, Ministry initiative or a re-surfacing of the magical thinking that if we just test children young enough and frequently enough, this will somehow inexplicably make them brighter or more capable.

As the manifesto pledges pile up, it’s important to bear in mind that there are, in fact, a number of genuine key factors that really do make the difference for our learners, starting with;

• Recruitment and retention of passionate, high quality teachers
• A well-planned, inspiring curriculum that meets the needs of individual learners
• Learning support interventions for those who need additional help
• Positive, learner-focused relationships
• Adequate resources to support teachers in their work
• The influence of educated, engaged parents, and the stable home lives they provide
• Children’s exposure to reading from an early age
• A broad, balanced and rich curriculum

Anyone who recalls a teacher who truly inspired them understands that these are the essential elements that combine to maximise success for learners.

Soundbites are easy (not to mention cost-effective), but I’m confident that yet more curriculum documents or ‘standards’ designed by politicians in Wellington are as unlikely as ever to be the magic bullet they profess to be.

In fact, the danger is that focusing on this risks losing sight of what actually matters most in education which is, in fact, all about people. As renowned Educational reformer Sir Ken Robinson put it:

“To improve our schools, we have to humanize them and make education personal to every student and teacher in the system. Education is always about relationships. Great teachers are not just instructors and test administrators: They are mentors, coaches, motivators, and lifelong sources of inspiration to their students.” - Sir Ken Robinson

Ka kite anõ i a koutou

Alan Jackson

Principal

Monday 27th March:

• Mangere Mountain Trip - Rooms 29 & 30

Tuesday 28th March:

• Mangere Mountain Trip - Rooms 31 & 32
• Zone Cricket - Cornwall Park

Wednesday 29th March:

• Term 2 New Entrant Cohort Visit 1

Thursday 30th March:

• Zone Cricket (Save Day)
• Room 5 & 6 Bridge Trip

Fancy trying a new apple variety and Doubling our points? Yummy Apples have introduced new varieties called Ambrosia, Lemonade and Sweet Tango! Each sticker counts for 2 points to our total count. Collect these stickers on the same sticker sheet or download another sheet here specifically for these varieties. Happy Munching!

Do you like online shopping? Why not Support MENPS PTA by doing your shopping through REWARDHUB and select MENPS PTA as your nominated cause - no hidden costs to you. Make your everyday support your local community.

Follow this link to see how: https://rewardhub.co.nz/fundraising-for-mount-eden-normal-school-pta?q=menps and let’s make a difference together!

Check our new website here - this will be updated regularly as we confirm details for a calendar of fun events and activities in term 2, 3 & 4.

Also see the updated Team section with all of the role changes confirmed at the AGM earlier this month.

Many thanks to Romi Dexter and Pam Clifford for setting up our new website!

Co-Chairpersons Pam Clifford & Rosemary Li

Secretary Chelsea Chen

Treasurer Linda Waddington-Miller & Paula Tran

Class Coordinator Leader Chantal Brunner
Advisor/Coordinator Melanie Woollard
Sponsorships Rayni Chung

Communications Sarah Eason

PTA Advisor Scott Optican

School Representative Hilary Edwards

Full team of amazing parents/caregivers listed here

Email menpspta@gmail.com | Refer to the PTA website for information on the various fundraising and community activities.

Follow us on Facebook and keep up to date with the PTA on Mount Eden Normal Primary School PTA page.