30 April 2019  
President's Message
member photo

Alwyn Poole is a prominent figure and voice in the partnership schools movement and together with his wife Karen, founded the partnership schools South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland. Earlier in 2003 Alwyn & Karen also established Mt Hobson school in Newmarket (through Village Education Trust) and has plans to open Russell Middle School in the Bay of Islands in 2020 (a designated character school).  

Alwyn shared with us his passion and vision for education in New Zealand citing some of the challenges and opportunities we face from a structural and political perspective.

We have all heard about primary schools teachers being low-paid and having difficult jobs of managing large number of students. Compounded with the tight labour market and inability to attract qualified people into teaching professions- it seems like a never ending challenge.

Yet having a good primary education and a strong year 9 and year 10 programme are fundamental in helping prepare students for the next stage of life- especially if that includes university.

Citing a NZ Initiative Report that was published last week, Alwyn shared the key determinants to educational attainment in children have to do with the educational background of their parents and wealth.  Research shows that young people who have university degrees make more money than those without and that the peak quality of secondary schools is measured by university entrance. The report also found that the percentage of university entrance acceptances was higher amongst Asian and Pakeha students and lowest amongst Maori/Pasifika (20%). 

The Village Education Trust (VET) model which Alwyn created, consists of small class sizes of 15 students per class (important for establishing strong teacher-student relationships and feedback) and allows flexibility in recruiting the best teachers for the roles. With 60 staff and the majority of students from Maori or Pasifika backgrounds, Alwyn's schools have really made a difference.

Alwyn took the New Zealand curriculum and broke it down into 32 topics (see photo above) which are then taught in a split day format of academic mornings/ arts & sports afternoons. The 32 topics are also incorporated into projects where students have personal interactions with professionals to learn more about how the topics are incorporated in real life or with site visits - such as a visit to Pearl Harbour (to enrich the studies on War History).  

So how big a difference do these schools make?

Alwyn found that students who entered into their schools from other public primary schools were lagging almost 2 years behind their peers. However after 1 year at their school, they measured and saw a dramatic improvement of 1.4 year advancement which means that the students who come in at year 9 have a chance to catch up during their two years at VET school.

Alwyn ended his talk by saying talent and intelligence shouldn't be seen as things we are born with, but rather something that can be developed through education and experience which is done year by year.

Next week our speaker is Victoria Brownlee, the first New Zealand woman to intern at the United Nation Office for Disarmament Affairs. She will be sharing with us her story about her experience at the UN as well as her journey from NZ to NYC. We also will be inducting a new member, so please come out and meet Weilian Du.

Please remember to register online for our weekly meetings by clicking on the "accept" link in the email from Dan Turkel subject "Event Invitation for Downtown Rotary Meeting- xx 2019" before the cutoff on Monday 11:00am. From May 7th, we will implement a new system of fines for those who don't register by the cut-off time. All proceed will go towards the Sunshine Fund.

Lucy

Stories
It's Tree Planting Time!!
Trees for Survival is an environmental education programme which involves young people growing and planting native trees to restore natural habitats by helping landowners revegetate erosion prone land, improve stream flow and water quality and increase biodiversity. The Trees for Survival programme creates community partnerships by engaging schools, their community, local businesses and Councils all working together to restore our natural heritage.
 
Come out for one of our Tree Planting days at the following schools listed below:
 
 
Trees For Survival 2019 Planting Dates
 
Fri     17 May - Kings School
Mon  20 May - Meadowbank Primary School
Thur  20 Jun -  Remuera Intermediate School
Tues   6 Aug -  Ponsonby Primary School
      (in 2020) -   Freemans Bay Primary School
 
For further details see: http://www.tfsnz.org.nz/ or contact Champion Kenneth Winstone (kfwinstone@gmail.com)
Read more...
Brian, Sue & Mike Made it to Bluff and Back...
Brian, Mike (and their lovely wives Sue & Cheryl), made it back to Auckland. Apparently there were "Banger window shopping" for their trip next year...
 
What's going to happen to Little Red? 
Save The Date- CHANGEOVER PARTY Saturday 29th June
Save the Date for our Changeover Evening - Canapes and Drinks (by Urban Gourmet) on Saturday,  29th June.
 
Location: Fale Pasifika (University of Auckland City Campus), 20-26 Wynyard Street, Auckland Central 1010
Time: 5:00- 7:30pm  
Cost: $50 per person
 
More information to come out soon.
Read more...
Sending Our Support to Christchurch Families 
Three Rotary Clubs in the Christchurch District have sent out an email appeal to Rotary Clubs throughout NZ to help raise funds to support the families and survivors of the Christchurch tragedy. Together we send to the families, our thoughts and wishes of strength to overcome their deep grief. United we stand in our belief that all people have the right to live free from violence and prejudice. 
Our Club members have donated this week's (19th March) sargent's session and a matching amount from our Club's Sunshine Fund, totalling $1605.
Let us continue to build bridges of cultural understanding and tolerance.
Read more...
News
SAVE THE DATE - Battle of the Suits
Our club has established what we hope to be the first of a series of annual debates between two established law firms.
The purpose of this event is to raise funds for the charitable causes supported by our Club. In the first year, the primary cause will be Auckland City Mission, with the balance of the funds going to the other charitable causes supported by our Club. Funds will be raised from ticket sales, auction items sourced by the Club and a raffle. 
 
 
 
Read more...
Meeting Responsibilities
Reception
 
Team Lead
Loesser, Susanne
 
Team member
Hainey, Jim
 
Team member
Hally, Grant
 
Speaker
 
Introducer/host
Theunisen, Byran
 
Thanker
Benedek, Susan
 
5 minute Speaker
 
5 minute Speaker
Caughey, Philip
 
Upcoming Speakers
Apr 30, 2019
All about Charter Schools in NZ
May 07, 2019
Defying the Smashed Avocado Sterotype: My Journey to the United Nations
May 14, 2019
How one man's vision (Sir Stephen Tindall) for a native tree campaign became a reality
May 21, 2019
Mission to normalise NZ sign language
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Downtown Rotary meeting - 30 April 2019
The Northern Club
Apr 30, 2019
7:10 AM – 8:40 AM
 
Feeding the Homeless - Auckland City Mission
Haeata Community Centre
May 03, 2019
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
 
District Conference 2019
Napier
May 10, 2019 12:00 PM –
May 12, 2019 12:00 PM
 
Cooking School with Karen Hally
8 Burwood Cres, Remuera
May 21, 2019
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
 
Feeding the Homeless - Auckland City Mission
Haeata Community Centre
Jun 12, 2019
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
 
SAVE THE DATE - CHANGEOVER PARTY Saturday 29 June
Fale Pasifika
Jun 29, 2019
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
 
SAVE THE DATE - Battle of the Suits
Cordis Hotel
Aug 13, 2019
6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
 
Rugby World Cup Japan October 2019
Sep 21, 2019 – Nov 02, 2019
 
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