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LATESTConnect.org.nz the online hub for young New Zealand Catholics Catholic Education Convention 2009 Handbook For The Board of Trustees Of New Zealand Catholic Integrated Schools 2007 [pdf 1025kb] Special Character Review and Development 2007 document [pdf 665kb] The Role of the Proprietor's Appointee on the Board of Trustees [pdf 120kb] The Declaration (poster and brochure)
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Media Release Archives09.06 Catholic Schools' Convention Attracts A Record Audience 02.06 Attitudinal Revolution Called For 11.05 Three Scholarships Awarded To Catholic School Principals 10.05 Catholic Education Office Welcomes the New Minister of Education 08.05 Values for The New Zealand School Curriculum 08.05 David Lange's Legacy As Minister of Education 06.05 Integrated Schools – Capital Assets and Audit Issues 05.05 Strengthening and Challenging the Education Sector 02.05 Scholarship Examination a Good Government Call Care Needed Not to Fatally Undermine The NCEA Structure New Zealand’s Schools’ Response to the Tsunami Disasters Catholic School Teacher Wins National Education Award The 'Tomorrow's Schools' Model is Delivering Scholarships Awarded To Catholic Principals Catholic Schools' Convention Attracts A Record AudienceThe 2006 Catholic Education Convention which concluded today in Wellington, attracted over 800 participants from all over New Zealand. It was the largest national gathering the Catholic education system in the country has witnessed since the first Catholic school opened in 1841. Representation from over 85% of the 240 schools, was quite remarkable! Participants: were teachers, principals, school trustees, senior secondary school students, Bishops, priests, parents and a range of interested parties. The theme of the convention was 'Radiating Hope - Challenging Our Times'. The gathering primarily focused on the highlighting and strengthening of the special character of the schools and early childhood centres through keynote addresses by overseas and local presenters, plus a wide range of seminars run by leading individuals working in their particular fields. The Minister of Education, The Hon Steve Maharey, addressed the gathering offering his support and encouragement to the 800 leaders of the school system which educates 66,000 students. One of the main outcomes of this three yearly gathering was the strong sense of national identity the schools now have as they seek to serve, not only their own communities, but also seek to contribute to the nation's resilience and well being. Catholic schools are part of a wider network of schools, internationally, which educate over 50 million young people in 192,000 institutions, in over 180 countries. New Zealand's Catholic Schools are proud to be part of this international network. 2 September 2006 Patrick J. Lynch August Convention
9 July 2006 Patrick J. Lynch Attitudinal Revolution Called ForThe adage, "if all you do is what you do, then all you'll get is what you've got", is worth reflecting on at the beginning of the 2006 school year. Recent OECD rankings put New Zealand students in fifth place out of forty one countries in their access to high quality technology. International testing puts our best and brightest up with the world's best and brightest. All this is excellent news which is encouraging for teachers, political leaders and other stakeholders. However, evidence from the reverse side of the coin shows a significant percentage of our students are in the "can do better", category. As a nation this is where we need to commit ourselves to the better nurturing of talent where ever it is found, and be diligent in unearthing it. As a country we are perceived internationally as a gutsy, bold and energetic people. This image has to be built on, if, as one of the small international players, we are going to make our way in the world, where the "sovereign giants" with their hundreds of millions of citizens stomp around. Those New Zealanders who are successful at home and internationally, do so more because of their 'can do' attitudes and energy rather then through their sheer brain power capabilities. Perhaps it is time to concentrate more strongly in our education delivery on the attitudinal, emotional maturity side of student development, as well as ensuring the academic fundamentals are done well. In the long run, it is well-honed personal attributes that bring success and well being to individuals and nations. 5 February 2006 Patrick J. Lynch Three Scholarships Awarded To Catholic School PrincipalsLatest professional development and research scholarships will benefit the Catholic educational communityLisl Prendergast of Sacred Heart College Lower Hutt, John Coulam, Marian School Hamilton and Kath Deady, Carmel College, Auckland, are the latest Catholic School Principals to receive Catholic leadership scholarships, awarded by the New Zealand Catholic Education Office. Kath Deady was awarded the 'Spotless' Scholarship, sponsored by the Auckland-based company, Spotless. The 'Spotless' Scholarship is a welcome addition to the NZCEO leadership scholarships. It was awarded for the first time at the start of 2005, to Patrick Walsh of John Paul College, Rotorua. Each scholarship is awarded over a two-year period, and provides significant financial support for the principals' professional study and for research they are undertaking which will benefit the Catholic schooling system. Lisl Prendergast intends to produce a video and powerpoint resource on the life of Euphrasie Barbier, Foundress of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions. She will also undertake some study at the Marino Institute in Ireland and the College of Leadership, Nottingham. John Coulam intends to further his understanding of the ways in which large Catholic primary schools promote Special Character, and retain the family feeling that Catholic parents especially value in Catholic schools. He will also look at the school environment, parish-school interactions, and structural issues for larger schools. He will visit schools in New Zealand and Australia. Kath Deady will research the Mercy charism, and produce a CD of resources for senior leaders in Mercy schools. She will attend the Mercy International Education Conference in Dublin in July 2006, and will undertake academic work at the Spiritual Life Centre and at Auckland University. NZCEO is delighted to be able to support outstanding leadership in Catholic schools, through these scholarships. 21 November 2005 Patrick J. Lynch Catholic Education Office Welcomes the New Minister of EducationThe New Zealand Catholic Education Office welcomes the Honourable Steve Maharey as the new Minister of Education. Mr Maharey has a long involvement in education at a range of levels and knows the school sector well. He appreciates that education is the engine of fairness for a resilient society and will work to ensure that young people and teachers are well supported as learners and teachers. The Catholic School sector and the wider Integrated School sector will actively support the new Minister and work closely with him. We wish him well. 19 October 2005 Patrick J. Lynch Values for The New Zealand School CurriculumThe New Zealand Catholic Education Office strongly supports the work that is being done nationally on The Curriculum Project in order to make more explicit the values that form the foundation of the nation's school curriculum. As a country we have been too timid and not explicit enough about the values we want young New Zealanders to be taught and exposed to. The initial list of values being developed by the Ministry of Education and its reference group, is at this stage, too limited. Most New Zealanders, no matter what their ethnic or religious background, want solid virtues to be taught: honesty, truthfulness, courtesy, tolerance, compassion and respect for others. A resilient democracy recognizes the spiritual dimension of individuals and seeks to nurture it. If our society is generally virtuous it will be strong when guided by sound systems of law. If people are not committed to being virtuous, society will simply implode. Parents are children's first educators. However, when schools have a strong role in supporting the values which an overwhelming number of parents support, the youngsters will be positive contributors to society. Young people without real values are a menace to society and unfortunately we are witnessing a rise in the number of these youngsters. The public consultation on values issues in our schools will take place over the next twelve months. It is an opportunity for all New Zealanders to have their say about something which is fundamental to our country's health and well being. 20 August 2005 Patrick J. Lynch David Lange's Legacy As Minister of EducationAs the nation mourns the death of this wonderful New Zealander and reflects on his achievements and legacy it is worth remembering his revolutionary achievements in education. As Prime Minister and Minister of Education he ushered in the 'Tomorrow's Schools' reforms which set up each school site as a self managing Crown Entity. Since 1989 when the reforms began, excellent progress has been made developing administrative structures which address teaching and learning difficulties which previous systems of administration were not able to address sufficiently well. New Zealand's school system is now admired by many nations, internationally, and has been copied by a number. The genius of David Lange was to be able to convince people that when parents and caregivers work closely with teachers and principals in educating young people, learning outcomes do get better for the younger generation. David Lange was of the view that it would take a generation from 1989 to get the best out of the 1989 reforms – he was right and will go down in history as a bold, innovative, Minister of Education who had the vision to see that when parents and teachers work closely together, plenty of magic occurs in educating young New Zealanders. He will be long remembered with affection by the education community. May He Rest In Peace 16 August 2005 Patrick J. Lynch Integrated Schools – Capital Assets and Audit Issues
20 June 2005 Patrick J. Lynch Strengthening and Challenging the Education SectorThe Education Budget succeeded in not only strengthening the structures, skills and standards of the education sector, it also contained some insightful initiatives which focus on long term national, social and economic goals. Substantial additional funding in the early childhood education and tertiary education sectors will take away some of the pressures these sectors have been experiencing over a numbers of years. This will be welcomed by young parents and students. Trustees and teachers will be happy with the income increases to various dimensions of the compulsory school sector. The emphasis on professional development initiatives for teachers will give greater support and encouragement to them and principals as they work to lift the quality of what they deliver. Three particular initiatives bear highlighting since they recognize the vital importance of developing intellectual fire power among the nation’s young people.
Adjusting taxation thresholds every three years will also be welcomed by many parents who have any of their children in the education system at any level. The adjustment will ultimately provide more money in their pockets for discretionary spending. Now that the nation has come to accept that education is the engine of fairness, spending 18% of the national Budget on education is a recognition of the importance education spending has on achieving economic and social goals. It is money well spent on the future well being of all New Zealanders. 20 May 2005 Patrick J. Lynch Scholarship Examination a Good Government CallThe Government’s announcement that a round table of education stakeholders will soon be appointed to work thorough the issues surrounding the new scholarship examination is to be applauded. The only way forward to enable a robust 2005 Scholarship system is to get stakeholder buy in; to establish strong dialogue and communication systems with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and to ensure that teachers, principals, parents and students know all they need to know about the examination and how it will work. The country vitally requires an elite stand-alone scholarship examination for the top five per cent of students which stretches the academic ability of these talented Kiwis. We cannot rely on overseas examinations to do this, since our credibility as a sovereign entity is at stake. The examination has to be bench marked with the best in the world, without any ifs and buts. It has to be the peak assessment of the education school system. As a result of the announcement of the establishment of the education stakeholders’ group there can now be confidence that the scholarship examination will be on a secure path for everyone. 15 February 2005. Patrick J. Lynch Care Needed Not to Fatally Undermine The NCEA StructureWhile the upset associated with the 2004 Scholarship Examination is regrettable and understandable, until a review of what actually occurred is completed, it is not prudent to be stampeded by the ‘horror’ stories. The Scholarship Examination is a new ‘animal’ and is separate from the NCEA structure. There is not too much criticism of the NCEA Level Three implementation in 2004 – it has largely gone well and this needs to be acknowledged lest the integrity of the qualification is publicly undermined. The Scholarship Examination, to use an analogy, is like a new combustion engine, it is spitting out fumes and running roughly. However it is basically a sound machine from a conceptual point of view. With the right tuning it will run well and serve young people and the country well. The Government is to be encouraged in its efforts to find out what improvements are required. Learning from last year’s experience will enable new processes and structures to be put in place for 2005, to ensure that this elite examination functions effectively for our top academic students. The involvement of senior secondary school principals and senior subject teachers in the review process would help the credibility of the final recommendations whatever they may be. 5 February 2005. Patrick J. Lynch New Zealand’s Schools’ Response to the Tsunami DisastersFor the last month the world has intently focused on the consequences of the Boxing Day tsunami disasters. Children, young people and adults have been forced to reflect on the vulnerability of our humanity in the face of the crushing forces of nature and at the same time to realize that everyone is connected by their common humanity. The disasters present school principals and teachers with a perfect opportunity to lift the understanding of their charges so they come to better appreciate they are indeed international citizens, as well as citizens of New Zealand. All too often young people are ignorant of international issues and are blithely ignorant about many of the world’s peoples. They are not always alert to what affects billions of their fellow human beings, not knowing what they do not know. Today’s international environment makes it incumbent on schools to better emphasize the ‘soft skills’ which concentrate on the development of one’s spirituality, international understanding and the desire to contribute to improving the quality of life for the billions of people who scramble to exist in Asia and Africa, in particular. Since education is the engine of fairness, it is capable not only of improving the resilience and coherence of New Zealand society, it has the capability of doing the same, internationally. China welcomed its 1.3 billionth citizen on January 6th. Our country is an extremely small, yet significant niche player in world affairs. With its 4.4 million people, the New Zealand education system has a role to play in shaping the minds and hearts of its young people so they come to understand that they do have a part to play in helping their fellow human beings, wherever they are in the world. 27 January 2005. Patrick J. Lynch New Catholic Primary SchoolsTwo new Catholic schools open their doors this week: Stella Maris School, Silverdale, Auckland and St Claudine Thevenet School in Wainuiomata. These are the eleventh and twelfth new Catholic schools to open since 1995. Along with the other 239 other Catholic schools, nationwide, they will endeavour to play their part in lifting the sights of their students so their young people are more international in their outlook and build a desire to make a positive contribution to the world’s resilience and stability. 27 January 2005. Patrick J. Lynch Catholic School Teacher Wins National Education AwardBernadette Lawlor a teacher at St Joseph’s Primary School in Queenstown has just been awarded the National Excellence in Teaching Award which has singled her out as one of the very top teachers in the country. Besides winning the award which selects one person from over four hundred nominations among early childhood, primary and secondary school teachers who have been nominated by parents and senior students, she also collected a cheque for $5,000.00 which will go towards her own professional development. Pat Lynch, the National Co-ordinator for the National Excellence in Teaching Awards said, “it is a great day for Catholic education when a teacher from one of our schools is presented with this wonderful accolade which centres on excellence in all of its dimensions”. All three subsidiary awards for early childhood teachers, primary school teachers and secondary school teachers went to the South Island. “This is a great day for South Islanders to rejoice in achieving a grand slam of awards”, said Pat Lynch. The National Excellence in Teaching Awards occur each year and are sponsored by the Australian Scholarship Group which has 39,000 families enrolled in its programme in New Zealand. The Scheme encourages parents to put a small sum of money away each week for their children’s tertiary education. “With most parents seeing that education is the engine of fairness, anything that can be done to enhance the status and importance of teachers is to be applauded”, said Pat Lynch. 24 November 2004. Patrick J. Lynch The 'Tomorrow's Schools' Model is DeliveringThe recently released ‘Education for All’ UNESCO Global Report fails to make a valid comparison with the centralized education system which was in place prior to the 1989 reforms taking place. Hence its findings are suspect. A few educators in 1989 were of the view that while the administrative reformswere needed, it would take all of a generation to get the full benefits of the self management model where schools are run by professionals in partnership with parents. This view is coming to fruition. The country is proud of the way it runs its schools, this being testified to by the large number of international groups who come to New Zealand to see what we are doing. The quality of teaching and learning continues to improve when compared with international benchmarks. All the international evidence points to the importance of decision making at the school site level as being fundamental to increasing the levels of student learning and achievement. The UNESCO Report has got it wrong about minority groups not being represented around Board of Trustee tables. It fails to acknowledge the work of Iwi groups and various community forums around the country which engage minority groups in education policy making. One of the weaknesses of the Report is it has given the New Zealand experience a once over lightly treatment, which is often the major failing of most international reports. The bold reality is that almost no parent or administrator would want to return to the centralized education that the nation was used to. Parents today are educated and know what they want from their schools. Their involvement their children’s education is the genius of the ‘Tomorrow’s School’ model. 9 November 2004. Patrick J. Lynch Scholarships Awarded To Catholic PrincipalsLatest professional development and research scholarships will benefit the Catholic educational community Brendan Schollum of Aquinas College Tauranga and Kath Moy of Holy Cross School Henderson (Auckland) are the latest Catholic School Principals to receive Catholic leadership scholarships, awarded by the New Zealand Catholic Education Office. Each scholarship is awarded over a two-year period, and provides significant financial support for the principals’ professional study and for research they are undertaking which will benefit the Catholic schooling system. Brendan Schollum intends to research what Catholic secondary schools are achieving with senior secondary students in the areas of Catholic Church teaching spiritual formation and social action development. He will back this research with papers in the Master of Educational Leadership offered by the Australian Catholic University. He intends to visit a number of Catholic colleges in Australia and New Zealand to gather data. His work will lead to seminars and workshops for teachers on his research findings. Before becoming the inaugural principal of Aquinas College Brendan had been principal of Sacred Heart College Auckland and at various times has been a Visiting Teaching Fellow of the University of Waikato, and a senior lecturer at the Auckland College of Education. Kathy Moy intends to continue case study work on emotional intelligence needs in children, an area which is strongly linked to spiritual growth. She will spend some time in Nigeria teaching and making comparisons between the emotional needs of Nigerian and New Zealand students, then will visit Catholic schools in Great Britain to research programmes aimed at the development of emotional intelligence. Kathy also hopes to progress her doctoral work at London University or Nottingham Leadership Centre. Kathy was principal of St Patrick’s School Wainuiomata before she took up the principalship of Holy Cross School Henderson, one of the country’s largest Catholic primary schools. Kathy sees her research being shared with colleagues by the publication of articles and through workshops and seminars. 2 November 2004. Patrick J. Lynch |
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