The Principal Diaries - reflecting on the journey three terms in!

These school holidays marked the end of my third term at Albany Senior High School. I am absolutely loving my role as Principal at ASHS and I am still pinching myself when I think about how good of a fit it feels for me (and hopefully vice versa as well). It is incredible to think about how much has happened in such a short time. At this point I really do want to give my senior leadership team and all the staff at ASHS a massive warm and fuzzy shout out for the way they have jumped in boots and all!

Below is a bit of an overview and update of the exciting things going on at ASHS. Much of which links directly back to the our trusty annual plan.

Link to the 2019 Annual Plan

Specialist Subjects working on providing visible, deep and inclusive learning. Part of this year’s annual plan is focusing squarely on how we can ensure we are working towards all learning being visible, deep and inclusive. Under the fabulous leadership of Associate Principal Miranda Makin and DP Cristina Casey our specialist subject leaders are working hard to unpack each of these concepts and build on the work that has already gone on at ASHS. Visible learning is achieved through the careful use of technology ensuring all learners know what they are learning and can access that learning 24/7 via platforms such as Google Classroom - this will be an ongoing focus to ensure we are using these platforms effectively and consistently across the board. Deep learning (which has been an ongoing focus at ASHS for some time) is about ensuring our learners not only know what they are learning but can see how that learning is relevant beyond the classroom. For most subjects this is about further enhancing dialectic practices in their courses. Deep Learning is also achieved by tackling real world contexts such as climate change in Science and applying their Mathematics learning to future focused contexts such as coding and robotics. Inclusive learning is about employing ‘universal design for learning’ to ensure our learners can access and evidence their learning in a way that suits their strengths and interests and ensuring assessment is personalised rather than one size fits all! This is definitely a work in progress and I look forward to seeing how it develops over the coming terms.

Impact Projects 2.0 are go! At ASHS they have dedicated every Wednesday for the past 10 years to Impact Projects (IP) where students get to focus on a large scale and long term project of their choice. Projects are developed by students who work with a project mentor (teacher) and are guided by four principles: student ownership and agency; substantial learning beyond the classroom; quality product; and participating and contributing with the community. This ensures our students have the opportunity to be an adult in the world and to develop the skills required to succeed in the 21st Century, developing skills in: time management; leadership; project management; participation in an authentic context of their own making and making a very real contribution to our world. 

This year, with the help of DP Hamish Chalmers, we have stepped up the IP mentor practice focus on problem-solving and mentoring conversations, we have re-introduced Impact Projects Hubs that group students with common interests and have introduced the Stanford D.School Design Thinking Framework to engage in creative complex problem solving, critical thinking and learn how to negotiate and collaborate whilst managing themselves and others. These are the very skills that employers and universities are increasingly looking for and are the skills our young people will need to thrive in an increasingly complex world. We believe each and every ASHS students has the opportunity to be future ready! I have always loved ASHS Impact Projects so it is beyond exciting to be able to support them as they evolve. We are also introducing extended PD for staff on Wednesdays (2.30-3.30) from this term onward, hopefully this will give us a chance to further embed the design thinking approach which is still very much in its infancy.

ConnectED is growing. ConnectED aims to be a first of its kind, school / business / community / innovation hub and network which will be based at Albany Senior High School. The aim of the network is to establish a network and talent register that might mentor and support student Impact Projects; connect learning across the school with the community and wider world of business; host whanau community facing educational events about futures thinking and social business networking so as to establish ASHS as THE ed-innovation hub on the shore!

ConnectED which is being supported by DP Ross Martin and our Business SSL Lloyd Gutteridge (and our ConnectED crew of students) is already working with The Mind Lab, 21C Skills Lab, Grow North and Shore Junction. More recently we have met with the North Harbour Club and the OMG Tech team from Voluntari.ly who are working with our ConnectED Impact Project students looking to develop a platform that will be able to bring students and business and industry mentors together with ease. The ConnectED crew are also looking at hosting a community launch event later this term. Am pretty excited to see how this might evolve into something for all students and schools across NZ.

ASHS has opened a dedicated Makerspace for the whole school community. 2019 marked the launch of a dedicated Makerspace at Albany Senior High School. The aim of the Makerspace is provide a creativity hub for the entire school community. Recent additions to the Makerspace include a laser cutting machine, 3D Printers, a screen printing press and even a spinning wheel. We look forward to adding more VR and AR equipment, robotics, a CNC router and a pottery wheel and kiln. Over the coming years we are looking to expand the space to include a range of art and design equipment to ensure we are providing the necessary infrastructure to support ASHS becoming the leading school for creativity and future focused innovation! Credit where credit is due - a lot of this is down to the vision and hard work of our Technology Specialist Subject Leader (SSL) Tracy Elton-Farr and the ongoing support of Office Max. Can't wait to see where might take it over the coming years!!

Other things on the horizon include the appointment of a new Deputy Principal, with founding Associate Principal taking on a fabulous role as Professional Expert at University of Auckland's Leadership Centre we have an exciting opportunity to grow an already fabulous senior leadership team. Closes next Friday if you're interested ;). 

On a more personal note I am looking forward to seeing out my last months on the Teaching Council. I have loved being part of the Teachers Council, Education Council and now the Teaching Council. I do hope I can continue to support that work in some way. It has proven to be the most incredible opportunity for both personal and professional growth and I have felt very privileged to have been part of the incredible work produced by the Education Council over these last three years and getting to work alongside the likes of Graham Stoop, Lesley Hoskins, Pauline Barnes, Barbara Ala'alatoa and Anthony McKay. 

Later this term I look forward to heading to EduTECH to lead a Masterclass about design thinking and project-based learning and talking once again about 'The Digital Blue Yonder'. Let me know if you are going to be at EduTECH!

I am also really looking forward to helping lead 'The DisruptED Social Learning Experience' which will happening over Terms Two and Three. Make sure you join DisruptED on Facebook if you are keen to get involved. Our wee DisruptED PLN made up of myself, Maurie Abraham, Nicola Ngawera, Steve Saville, Natasha Hemara and Andy Kai Fong continues to be a great source of support and challenge. 

If you are interested in more regular updates about what we are up to at ASHS, make sure you join me for my weekly Facebook Live updates which air every Wednesday on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ashsnz  My intention is to ensure these are weekly throughout the term. 

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The Principal Diaries - reflections, observations, opportunities and leadership inquiries

Well, the first term has felt like something of a whirlwind. It has been a case of of hitting the ground running and any other whirling/high speed metaphors you can think of. Partly this was due to the time of year - being a senior school, the third term ends up feeling like the (nearly) end of the year, with Impact Projects coming to an end this marked a flurry of exhibition, performance and celebratory evenings. The other reason that it has barreled along so quickly is that I was determined to act quickly so as to ensure plans were well and truly in place for 2019.

As I reflected earlier in the term, I am determinedly approaching first-time Principalship as a leader of learning and have tried to be transparent in that leadership (and leading of change) from day one. In my second week I shared with my staff my lens on powerful learning which informed my approach to observing learning across the curriculum and school. After many weeks of digging into school data (attendance and academic), observing Specialist Subjects, Tutorials and Impact Projects and talking to a range of students and teachers it was time to present a summary of observations and a range of opportunities and interventions. These were presented in various iterations to the SLT, BOT, staff and our community.

Here is a copy of the presentation shared with our community at the Meet the Principal evening in Week Nine.

At the end of Week Six the Senior Leadership Team spent a day off site to go over the observations and opportunities and to begin the process of developing a collaborative action plan. Whilst it was my first instinct to simply allocate an area of the curriculum to each senior leader as a "portfolio" it was swiftly met with hesitation. The ASHS SLT has had a long tradition of collaborating on all areas of the curriculum and were hesitant to return to what was viewed as traditional "divide and conquer" approach to leadership. I have a somewhat different view (and experience) and do see more discrete leadership roles as effective, I did however respect and understand my team's views and I too was keen to ensure we developed a distributed yet collaborative approach to leadership. To this end, we settled on each senior leader taking responsibility for a leadership inquiry based on each aspect of our curriculum. We have also decided to commit an extra SLT meeting each week to focus on sharing and testing inquiries and ensuring coherence across our inquiries and curriculum. And just as I had presented my overarching observations and opportunities to the BOT earlier in the term,  the SLT presented their leadership inquiries to the BOT in Week Nine thus making a tangible step towards turning the opportunities into action!

We also kicked off the ConnectED initiative with an evening event in Week Nine and have now mapped out our timeline for making the Makerspace a reality for Term One 2019.

Beyond ASHS, I have also played a part in establishing #DisruptED with Maurie Abraham (Hobsonville Point Secondary School), Natasha Hemara (Rototuna Senior High School), Andy Kai Fong (Haeata Community Campus), Nicola Ngawera (Spotswood College) and Steve Saville (Rolleston College). The purpose of the group is many and varied and will evolve over time. Firstly we are keen to support each other as we each find ourselves (perceived as) challenging norms about what secondary schooling needs to look like. We also want to provide support for others keen to disrupt their school environments and look forward to putting a spotlight on the great innovations happening in pockets across the country. We are looking to launch a podcast series later in the year, beyond that...watch this space.

On reflection, it has felt like an incredible first term. I absolutely love the school, I have an awesome senior leadership team with whom I am developing a warm (and demanding) relationship with, a passionate and receptive team of teachers and a fabulous school of students who never fail to blow me away with their agency and articulateness. I do genuinely feel like I am the right person, in the right place, at the right time!

However that hasn't stopped moments of self-doubt, and moments of sensing that you can do everything right(ish) and still feel like you are never good enough - as a principal, as a mum and as a wife. It's interesting that in winning the role I have looked forward to my whole career, you get there and you quickly realise it is "a job" albeit one that comes with an intangible sense of "Responsibility" and I mean that with a capital "R". Whilst my rational brain knows I am firing on all cylinders, that doesn't stop my emotional brain and inner voice asking: am I doing enough; wondering if people like me enough; wondering if they think I am doing enough; worrying that when I am doing enough it starts feeling like too much - which then means you start thinking you might be becoming an absent mum and crap/selfish wife/partner. As someone who values a work/life balance and will never apologise for putting my family and my well being first, I can see that this will be an area I will need to watch!

It is already patently clear - wanting to be the best I can be, in the job I have always wanted, will be a balancing act like no other.

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The Principal Diaries - Getting ConnectED with our community!

When I applied for the role of Principal of Albany Senior High School, one of the points I covered in my pitch at the interview was my ability and desire to build powerful partnerships and networks for ASHS students:

And finally, I am leader who can build powerful partnerships and networks. 

I have experience in developing productive and warm relationships with local schools to establish a highly effective Kāhui Ako. I bring in depth experience gained as a Projects Pathways and Partnerships Leader and as an Impact Project Guide, having worked with the community and business sector to create rich and authentic learning partnerships for our students. As Education Advisor for the 21st Century Skills Lab and as a board member of NetSafeNZ I have experience that spans across the education and business landscape. I have fostered a vast education, community, innovation and business network that will support the growth and expansion of powerful partnerships for this school and it’s learners. 

As a passionate and confident communicator I can continue to grow the reputation of this fabulous school. 

I have long believed that we have need to blur the line between school and work and have learned, through my own work experience (particularly beyond school), that opportunities are as likely to be the result of who you know, as much as what you know! 

On sharing the idea with my Senior Leadership Team it was great to discover that my DP, Ross Martin and Business Specialist Leader, Lloyd Gutteridge, had also wanted to create a stakeholder network but had shelved the idea some time back, so it was particularly awesome to reignite that passion as well, using my network and energy to stoke the flames!

With a kernel of an idea I placed a cheeky plea for help on LinkedIN. Within hours it was clear we were on to something, with friends and connections across Auckland showing a genuine eagerness to get involved. 

On Wednesday 17th November I hosted a Meet the Principal event and we launched the ConnectED network. The event was an opportunity to introduce the concept and to run a session where our students from the ConnectED Committee led a world cafe as a means of co-designing with our community what ConnectED might be. 

ConnectED aims to be a first of its kind, school / business / community / innovation hub and network which will be based at Albany Senior High School.

The aim of the network is to: 

• establish a network and talent register that might mentor and support student Impact Projects
• connect learning across the school with the community and wider world of business
• host whanau community facing educational events about futures thinking and social business networking
• so as to establish ASHS as THE ed-innovation hub on the shore! 

ConnectED is already working with The Mind Lab, 21C Skills Lab, Grow North and Shore Junction. We also have a wide range of community members signed up. 

If you are keen to get involved as an individual, community, business or innovation partner please contact me, Claire Amos at camos@ashs.school.nz We are super keen to hear from anyone keen to co-host events, mentor our students or just basically get involved. 

In the spirit of much of the innovation I have been involved in, it is very much a case of building the plane whilst flying it. Thankfully I have a trusty co-pilot in my Deputy Principal, Ross!

Our next ConnectED gathering is The Mind Lab event - The Future of Education with Frances Valintine on Wednesday 17th October. Go to http://tiny.cc/futureofed to register. We are also super excited to be a location for The Mind Lab's Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning. The course kicks at ASHS in November.

Stand by for ConnectED updates in Term Four!

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Assessment and the future of education - lessons learned from ACACA

On Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to give the opening address at the Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Qualification Authorities (ACACA) Conference who as their website states is the national body for the chief executives of the statutory bodies in the Australian states and territories and in New Zealand, responsible for certificates of senior secondary education. ACACA provides a (Australasian) national means for monitoring and enhancing developments in senior secondary curriculum and certification. 

My message was a variation on what I often get invited to speak about - my journey from English teacher to e-learning learning and the lessons I have learned about leading change from my time at Epsom Girls Grammar School and the work I am involved in with the team at Hobsonville Point Secondary School rounded off with a few challenges and reminders as to why we all must be invested in changing education and ideas about how we might start making that change. It was yet again a humbling reminder of how lucky I am at this stage of my career, on one hand doing what I got in to this game for - teaching and helping to lead change at a classroom and school level, whilst also being in a position to work with a number of national agencies to explore how we might lead this change at a national level. Thank you again to Maurie Abraham (my visionary Principal) for letting me indulge in my edu-passions on so many levels.

I had gone to the conference not really knowing what to expect. To be honest I was actually momentarily daunted when I was saw the seriously besuited crowd for the first time. After a brief moment of "sh*t balls this event is SERIOUS" I got into my happy presenting zone and realised the audience was interested and incredibly open to the messages I was sharing. I had already made the decision to stick around for the day, even if I wasn't the intended audience for the conference I am big believer that I have a lot to learn and that any conference is an opportunity to soak up new ideas and perspectives. The session after mine was an opportunity for different Australian state agencies to share projects or recent initiatives they had been working on. It was interesting to see how different Australia is to NZ, particularly this notion of state led education systems rather than country wide - although all eight states are delivering the Australian Curriculum and NAPLAN which is similar to National Standards, senior qualifications are assessed and managed state by state in isolation of each other. 

There were two states and initiatives that I found really interesting, both of which I believe could be adapted for the NZ context to move us forward. The first was the NSW agency BOSTES (the board of studies, teaching and education standards) who have developed two online environments for their teachers. The first was Programme Builder which allows teachers to create programmes and units directly from the NSW syllabus. The fact that you could work beyond the templates and share your programmes looked rather useful. I could see a similar tool being developed around NZC learning area AOs that could be a great help in ensuring units were being build around our curriculum documents.

The other online platform they shared was Scootle, this looked like the next level tool that allowed you to create online learning pathways for students that integrated a wide range of digital tools. I did come away wondering if this is how Pond might work in the future?? The image below provides a nice overview of how educators could use Scootle to enhance teaching and learning.

Source: http://blog.scootle.edu.au/files/2013/07/10-ways-1oibkvj.jpg

The next thing I saw was very interesting, for me I liked the way that it answered to an extent that question as to how we might go about assessing and there by raising the status of some of our key competencies. SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) offers cross-disciplinary qualifications, the crowning glory of which is the SACE Research Project. The Research Project is a semester long assessment in Year 12 that as the website states "students have the opportunity to study an area of interest in depth. They use their creativity and initiative, while developing the research and presentation skills they will need in further study or work." In many ways the SACE Research Project reminded me of the state wide version of the fabulous Albany Senior High School Impact Projects. What I loved about the SACE Research Project is that it took senior assessment out of the context of siloed subjects and focused on the assessing the students ability to actually 'learn to learn'. Considering how the NZC highlights the importance of schools developing 'life-long learners' surely a compulsory national qualification like this would be an excellent start to ensuring all schools were teaching these skills and giving dedicated time for these skills to be developed. Check out the Videos of Student Stories here. I loved the fact that they even hosted a state-wide exhibition of learning to celebrate what the students achieve each year. The sooner we refocus on these broader cross-curricular skills the better!

So all in all it was a great day, both as an opportunity to share and to learn. The week after next I head to Google Teacher Academy in Sydney where I hope to also catch up with ACARA and the NSW agency to learn more about their software developments. We are certainly living in exciting times, just wish we could make a few changes here and now.

Thank you to Sue Chalmers (and Steve Bargh) from NZQA who invited me to attend the event.

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