4 Dec	Seminar on the public role of education, AGS, Mountain Rd, 4pm. Register here.
5 Dec	World Soil Day www.nzsoils.org.nz
7-15 Dec	Hanukkah. Article about the festival
11 Dec	International Mountains day www.fao.org/mnts/intl_mountain_day_en.asp
14 Dec	Peak Geminid meteor shower 3 am. http://www.rasnz.org.nz/in-the-sky/meteor-showers
17 Dec	Applications close for MacDiarmid Inst scholarships. Info here.
22 Dec	Summer Solstice NZ https://www.rasnz.org.nz/in-the-sky/sun-rise-and-set-1
Moon	3Q Dec 5        NM Dec 13        1Q Dec 20        FM Dec 27

1. NZASE held another webinar with pilot school teachers of L1 Science on Friday. The recording can be seen here. Webinars from 2022 are available on the PLD news page (scroll down)
2. Vic Uni’s 2023 STEM Teacher PD day is Wed 6 Dec, Kelburn Campus. Register here.
3. The Aotearoa New Zealand PISA team is holding two webinars on 6 Dec:
   • 8-9 am: Launch of 2022 PISA results for Aotearoa New Zealand, Info and register here.
   • 4-5 pm: international PISA 2022 results for schools. Info and register here.
   • You can read the national and international reports first.
4. Learners can be registered for the Virtual Learning Network’s primary programs until 12 Feb 2024. Classes start 4 March. Info and registration here.
5. Sun 10 Dec at 10:30am & 12:30pm the Marine Studies Centre at Portobello will run tours of their facility for the public. $15/10. Info here
6. Midday 12 Dec Jon Proctor gives an online webinar, He haerenga mōrearea: a hazardous journey; exploring mātauranga Māori and volcanic hazards. More info and link here.
7. Te Papa will be showing Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa Dinosaurs of Patagonia from 16/12/23 to 28/04/24. Opening night $110. The exhibition features full-scale casts and fossils and explores mātauranga and science of the dinosaurs of Aotearoa who roamed the same landmass. Te Papa will provide guided sessions for teachers early in term 1, showing the EOTC on offer. Info here and here.
8. Wellington Zoo has small grants available for conservation work with students, aiming to provide 25% of the budget needed, up to a maximum of $5,000. Deadline 21 Feb 2024. Info here.
9. ASTA sent out a survey to Auckland HoDs to gauge if there was interest in an online exam review meeting. As only 14 out of 120 replied it seemed not. Everyone must be flat out preparing for 2024.
10. Please let me know if you are shifting schools and send me a new email address. If your HoD is changing please let me know that as well (so we can keep the NZASE database up to date).

Info

1. Culturally Responsive & Relational Pedagogy:
   • The Story of a Treaty by Claudia Orange (2^nd edition, 2015) describes both the context & events around the signing of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the debates since. Available in many libraries.
   • An article about racism in Science from 500 Women Scientists Leadership: Silence Is Never Neutral; Neither Is Science.
2. Mātauranga Māori:
   • Stories of a new generation of kaitiaki, protecting and restoring the natural environment https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-turning-point
   • Parke, E. and Hikuroa, D. (2021), ‘Let’s choose our words more carefully when discussing mātauranga Māori and science’.
3.  Pedagogy:
   • How can teachers encourage good behaviour? Article from evidence-based Education.
   • James Heneghan shares what LBC has learnt about lesson observation https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/activity:7132429241580744705
4. Student opportunities:
   • Register now for Young Ocean Explorer’s 21 day challenge, a guided inquiry into our first Marine Park, Tīkapa Moana Te Moananui-ā-Toi The Hauraki Gulf, 1 Mar – 12 Apr. Lesson plans.
5.  HoD:
   • Principles of authentic leadership https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=infographics
6. NZASE has uploaded articles on Numeracy, teaching mātauranga Māori and Pasifika knowledge for all and Curious Minds funding and First Foundation scholarships for members only. Sign up for the newsletter or find resources here https://nzase.org.nz/ (under Pedagogy). Join NZASE here https://nzase.org.nz/membership/ .

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Demonstrate properties of a cell membrane in a practical using bubbles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=masD8IuzN0M
   • A practical lesson on leaf litter https://www.caryinstitute.org/eco-inquiry/teaching-materials/schoolyard-ecology/school-woodland-biodiversity/decomposition-leaf
   • Metazooa is a classification game that tests how well you know our extended family tree. Guess the mystery animal here and the mystery plant here.
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Kaitiakitanga with respect to horticulture, a 2h course for students https://engine.ecampusnz.com/enrol/index.php?id=65
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Findings from JWST confirm process of planet formation, here.
   • A video explaining the Coriolis effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIyBpi7B-dE
   • Fossil activity https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/50_How_could_I_be_fossilised.pdf
4.  Chemistry:
   • Different ways of demonstrating acid rain: acid rain pracs
   • A recipe for making slime: Slime recipe RSC
5. Physics:
   • Article explaining how a sonar pulse can injure divers.
   • Science Learning Hub have a rocket launch simulation where students can adjust parameters & see their effect on flight. Jaycar’s aquapod bottle rocket launcher, currently $50, allows students to try it for real.
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • NZAPSE resources on light experiments https://nzapse.nzase.org.nz/primary-science-week-archive/primary-science-week-2015/
   • As their last job the NZASE Science Communicators are working on developing some posters for the classroom based on Māori and Pasifika scientist profiles at the request of a primary teacher. I will post on FB when they have been uploaded.
7. New standards
   • A ppt slide from the NZASE PLD about where you can find support for L1 Science: L1 support
8.  Science
   • 2024 Calendars
     • with astronomical info in 2 versions: 1 day per page and one week per double page spread.
     • with an earth science activity each month
     • this year’s chemistry advent calendar https://www.compoundchem.com/2023/11/30/chemadvent2023/

MoE/NZA

1. News from the NIFs about the new L1 assessments uploaded to the NCEA website
   • Exemplars are found here
   • Internal tasks for CB (version 2) are up (start here) & the rest will be up by 30/5/24 at the latest.
   • The 2023 exams are now up. Enter AS number here https://search.nzqa.govt.nz/index.html
2. Regionally allocated PLD in the first half of 2024 is confirmed. Term 1 will have 30,000 hours to be allocated (cf 50,000h last round). The deadlines will be 23 February 2024 for round 1 and 17 May for round 2. Contracts will continue to be limited to 4 terms/12 months.
3. MoE is updating kaiako, tumuaki and poari (kura board members) on the changes to Te Tīrewa Mārautanga the redesigned Te Mārautanga o Aotearoa. Info here. Register here.

Vacancies

1. NZASE is looking to fil a number of positions
   • Science Communicator to publish their newsletters and update the website. See the job description and apply by email with your CV and a covering letter by Jan 25
   • Voluntary Assistant treasurer for about 30 mins a week plus one monthly online meeting
   • Secretary for the school animal ethics committee – 3h a week & 7 meetings. See the job description. To apply, please email your CV and a covering letter.

Can you help?

1. Kāinga Pukapuka Home Libraries gifts culturally specific books to children in our community. Each pack – Cook Islands, Niue, Tongan, Aotearoa, Samoan and Tokelauan – contains 6 books and costs $100 + GST. To find out about sponsoring a pack go to https://readingwarrior.com/kainga-pukapuka/

Professional Learning and Development

1. Evaluation Associates Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga provides support for beginning tumuaki principals. Contact Gese Aso here g.aso@evaluate.co.nz to register and access this support.

Wishing you a refreshing break and a happy Christmas,

Cheers, Mike

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