State and state-integrated schools can continue to order face masks for use by your staff at no cost.

Find details of how to order on Te Mahau website.

Mask supply for schools – Te Mahau

In our bulletin on 15 February we advised that we would be providing a supply of masks to schools for learners in Year 4 and above.

We are aware some schools are providing masks for some students and are running low on child-sized masks, unfortunately we do not have any more stock. As highlighted in the bulletin, this was a one-off supply.

Will the Ministry be supplying masks for tamariki? – School Bulletin 15 February

With NZQA, we are encouraging secondary schools to take part in a brief survey about the impacts of the latest Omicron outbreak.

The survey was emailed to NCEA relationship managers last week by NZQA. We would appreciate your relationship manager completing the survey on behalf of your school by Friday 10 June.

We want to understand how schools have been impacted by Omicron and whether they feel confident that they are able to manage the ongoing impacts on teaching, learning and NCEA assessment for all students.

Your school’s relationship manager should speak with other staff to gauge the impact the Omicron outbreak has had on teaching, learning and assessment.

In previous years, we have put in additional supports for schools because of disruption caused by COVID-19. While information collected via this research will not immediately initiate additional support or interventions, it will help inform whether (and what) support may be necessary if further significant disruption occurs later in the school year.

Erika Ross and Steve Lindsey have talked to more principals about their experiences with leading their school communities through the pandemic.

Weymouth Primary School: All about relationships

Bream Bay College: Hybrid learning

St Mary’s College: Being prepared

Find the full series on Te Mahau website.

Navigating COVID-19: School leaders reflect – Te Mahau

Though the annual financial reporting season has once again been impacted by COVID-19, 92% of schools and kura submitted their annual financial statements to their auditors by 31 March.

This is a fantastic result in these extraordinary and challenging times.

However, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and resulting industry wide shortage of audit staff means that many schools may miss today’s Tuesday 31 May reporting deadline.

Where schools have provided the draft financial statements by 31 March (along with the provision of supporting information and responding to audit queries) the annual financial statements will not report a breach of the statutory deadline if auditors cannot complete audits by the 31 May deadline.

For any schools affected in this way, there will not be consequences for late filing of the annual report.

The Office of the Auditor-General will further explain the reasons for the audit delays in its report on the results of the 2021 school audits later this year.

If your school is impacted, your auditor should be in touch to advise the expected timeframe for completion of your audit. Delays in the audit process can be frustrating, but we encourage you to remain responsive in assisting your auditor with any queries so that your audit is completed as soon as possible.    

Our school finance advisors are also available to support you with any queries you have regarding annual reporting.

Contact details for managing school finances – Ministry of Education

A reminder that once the audit of your financial statements is complete, you must make your annual report (including the audited financial statements) available on your school’s website.

If you do not have a website, we can host your annual report on our Education Counts website. You can send your request for us to host your annual report to planning.reporting@education.govt.nz.

The ‘school records information pack’ has recently been updated to reflect the most recent disposal authority for schools that has been approved by Archives New Zealand.

Archiving and disposing of school records – Ministry of Education

Retaining and disposing of school records isn’t just a matter of keeping documents for seven years and then destroying them. The information pack reflects the range of records that schools now hold and advises what needs to be kept, for how long, and when and how records can be disposed of.

There is guidance for storage of digital files, information on what an effective records management system should look like, and a self-review process for staff to consider current practice and goals for school record keeping.

Please pass this information on to the staff in your school who manage the establish and maintain your school records.

A reminder that you are responsible for undertaking building compliance owner’s inspections at your kura.

Upon completion of these inspections, a nominated staff member is required to digitally confirm these through the Argest school portal.

It’s important you complete the online record once the relevant month has ended, or on the last working day of that month. Your confirmation is a statement that the entire month’s checks (both daily and monthly) have been completed.

If you feel that you need any assistance/training to meet these requirements or if you are unable to log on to the Argest school portal, get in touch with the Argest team: teamMOE@argest.com.

As mentioned in our bulletin on 17 May, the Carbon Neutral Government Programme (CNGP) aims to make selected government organisations carbon neutral by 2025.

As part of this, organisations are required to measure and report emissions annually. As the legal body governing schools, school boards are included in the CNGP from 1 July 2022.

However, we recognise that annual emissions reporting would be a significant undertaking for most boards and schools. Therefore, the Government has agreed that the Ministry will report on carbon emissions on behalf of state schools from July. CNGP requirements do not apply to state-integrated schools.

To do this reporting, we will need boards to give us approval to collect necessary information on your behalf. We will also need boards and schools to tell us what types of energy your school uses and who you get it from.

We want to make this process as straightforward as possible. We will be in touch with board chairs and schools by email in the next week with a short one-off survey to gather all the information we need.

For more information, see our website.

Carbon Neutral Government Programme in schools – Ministry of Education

The Carbon Neutral Government Programme – School Bulletin 17 May

The theme for this week is ‘Fa’aāuāu le Folauga i le Va’a o Tautai – Continue the Voyage with Competent Wayfinders of the Ocean’.

This year's theme reflects the journey of revitalising and maintaining Gagana Sāmoa. It also recognises the importance of having the right tools, leadership skills, relationships and va’a that adapt to faring the ocean and its elements.

We have ideas for how you and your learners can get involved with Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa – see resources on the NZ Curriculum website.

Sāmoa Language Week – NZ Curriculum

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples has put together some easy-to-use language cards.

Gagana Sāmoa language cards [PDF, 192 KB]

Stay connected with the activities and events being held throughout Aotearoa on the Gagana Sāmoa i Aotearoa Facebook page.

Gagana Sāmoa i Aotearoa – Facebook

We also have dual-language resources in Gagana Sāmoa that are designed to support the early language and literacy learning of Pasifika new entrant students. Find them on the Literacy Online website.

Gagana Sāmoa – Literacy Online

Last week the Human Rights Commission (HRC) released their new school uniform guidelines.

HRC developed this advice independently from the Ministry because it was concerned that some students experienced discrimination due to uniform policies and practices.

The guidelines are non-binding and are available on the HRC website.

New rights-based school uniform guidelines launched – HRC

For more information about the guidelines, we encourage you to contact HRC directly at infoline@hrc.co.nz.

Yesterday a refreshed Ki te Ao Mārama space was launched.

Ki te Ao Mārama – Kauwhata Reo

The new space showcases new resources, including teaching and learning materials to support learners at Taumata 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Ki te Ao Mārama is an online space through which kaiako, ākonga and whānau can access practical advice, guidance, learning activities and resources that have been designed to support flexible learning in kura and at home, with and without digital devices.

The Kōpaki Ako interim landing page has been retired and all resources moved to Ki te Ao Mārama.

In partnership with New Zealand Principals' Federation (NZPF), we are hosting a series of workshops to support principals to lead mathematics effectively in schools.

Workshops will be co-facilitated by Rob Profitt-White and an NZPF executive and will take leaders through high-leverage routines and resources that staff and school leaders have reported as having a positive and immediate change on their beliefs and practices in their teaching and assessing of maths.

The workshops are happening around Aotearoa in June and July – find more information, including dates, locations and how to register on the Education Gazette website.

Leading maths effectively roadshow for principals – Education Gazette

There will be a post-attendance webinar option for leaders who are unable to attend.

If you know someone working towards a guidance counsellor qualification, we can provide support for them and your school or kura.

The TeachNZ guidance counsellor training award is now open, apply now.

Guidance counsellor training – TeachNZ

Applications close 26 August 2022.

If you have any questions or queries, you can get in touch with us by calling 0800 165 225 or email teacher.studyawards@education.govt.nz.

In our bulletin on 17 March, we let you know we’re seeking feedback on the draft social sciences content and the draft Vision for Young People.

Kia tere, hurry! This is your last chance to have your say. Consultation is open until the end of this week.

Since feedback opened on 17 March a number of you have attended our workshops to run through the draft social sciences content.

Thank you to those that have participated! We’re now asking that if you haven’t already you complete the survey and have your say by this Friday 3 June.

Draft social sciences content survey – Have Your Say

For the first time ever, we have a draft Vision for Young People written by ākonga for ākonga within the refresh of The New Zealand Curriculum.

Now we want to hear from students across the country. If you haven’t already done so we’re asking you to share the draft Vision for Young People with your students and get them to complete the survey below and have their say by this Friday 3 June.

Draft Vision for Young People Survey – Have Your Say