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Term 2 2022 Newsletter to Kura

August 31, 2022

Term 2 2022 Newsletter to Kura

Term 2, 2022 Newsletter

Kia ora koutou,
RTLB Cluster Vision: To ensure success for all ākonga through collaboration and inclusive education. He waka eke noa
RTLB Cluster Mission: We strengthen and empower kaiako to enhance educational outcomes.
Values: Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Rangatiratanga & Kotahitanga

Well, term two has flown by! It’s definitely been another challenging term for the education sector. I’m sure you are completely over juggling staffing and messages about COVID, flu and gastroenteritis. We really hope you and your staff have a well deserved break and spend some time relaxing.

Overview of newsletter content:

In-Class Support (ICS)
National Satisfaction Survey
Requests for Support
Systems Support
RTLB PLD
SENCo/LSC PLD
Compliments & Complaints
Data shared from schoolgate (database)

In-Class Support (ICS)
As you may have read, in the email from Corralanne Child, ICS allocations are being rolled over for 2023. There will be no application process.
‘Schools who have ICS places currently will receive an allocation for 2023 calculated on the numbers they had for 2022 with some possible adjustments. Those schools will receive an email confirming the number of places. Once you have received confirmation of the number of places you will have for 2023 please email your Service Manager with the names of students that you have identified for the resource. Please have this information to us by the end of term 3. These may be students who are currently receiving ICS or new students that you have identified as needing this additional support.’
If you have questions please contact Tracy Rohan (tracy.rohan@education.govt.nz / 3787387) or Fiona Cook (Fiona.cook@education.govt.nz / 378 7389).

National Satisfaction Survey 2021 thank you!
Once a year, the MoE sends out a National Satisfaction Survey to all schools. Our cluster (60 schools), had a total of 55 responses from 34 schools/kura. This was a response rate of 57% of all our cluster schools. Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with feedback on our service, it is very much appreciated.

In our cluster, satisfaction with the quality of service provided by our RTLB team continues to increase significantly as well as the satisfaction in the time it took to access the service. It was overwhelmingly positive. Our team has been unpacking the results and identifying our next steps to improve our service and ensure we are meeting your learning support needs. The strengths and areas for stretch will inform our strategic plan 2023-2025.

Requests for support-Kaiako driven
From time to time, we come across kaiako who seem to not be fully aware of what the RTLB Service does or are confused about roles and responsibilities when teaming up with RTLB. It would be highly advantageous if SENCos/LSCs could please spend some time with the kaiako to ensure the kaiako are absolutely sure they understand how the RTLB Service will support them. Providing them with the RTLB pamphlet (attached) and reassuring them it is a well supported, collaborative and highly reflective process, or a free personal coach in the classroom! We are all wanting to achieve the same goal, the very best outcomes for our mokopuna.

Systemic Support: Teacher(s) & Individual School Requests for Support
Evidence shows that building the confidence and capability of adults around a child means more children have access to the support they need earlier, and closer to where they are learning. Although there will always be individual and group requests for support (targeted and indiviudalised), our service has also been busy supporting teacher(s) and individual schools (universal) as this is often where the greatest impact for our mokopuna happens. The Learning Support Delivery model supports this way of working as well as the Response to Intervention/Three Tiered Model.

If you have been thinking or feeling overwhelmed about how to support your mokopuna who have learning support needs, reach out to your Liaison RTLB, or myself, and ask about how we can support your school/kura at a systems level.

Some examples of the systemic support we have provided:

Use of effective assessment practices; unpacking tools, analysis and identifying next steps for teaching and learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Neurodivergent Learners
Social & Emotional Learning
Evidenced Based Literacy
Encouraging Learner Independence

This support can be delivered to the whole staff, teams, year levels, departments and can be followed by modeling and/or coaching over a period of a couple of terms or even longer. Our main purpose would be to empower the leadership team to sustain and embed evidence based practices across their school/kura that improves outcomes for our mokopuna.

Ehara taku toa, te toa takitahi engari ko te toa takitini
Success happens when we work together

RTLB Professional Learning & Development:
During Term 2, our team took the opportunity to catch up on some much needed PLD that had been postponed due to COVID.

Psychological Safety with Tony Burkin (Interlead)
To strengthen our Cluster and our team's ability to lead adults as learners
Understand our responsibility to our own well-being and mental health
Growing Leaders with Amira Aman (CORE Education)
Developing effective team cultures
Our core beliefs
Learning talk tools

SENCo/LSC PLD
Due to COVID, juggling of staffing and being mindful that SENCos/LSCs have had plenty on their plate over the last 6 months, we had paused on offering PLD. We do, however, have some exciting things in the pipeline for you.

Primary Focus: Oral language-What makes a supportive language learning environment? Date yet to be confirmed.
The Speech Language Therapists from the MoE led some excellent PLD last year for our RTLB team so we have asked for them to return to provide the same PLD for our SENCo/LSC group. We are working on a date for the end of Term 3 and will let you know as soon as this is finalised.

Intermediate & Secondary School Focus: What’s Going On? – Understanding the Adolescent Years, 10th August 12:00-2:00pm
At very short notice, there was an available booking with Kathryn Berkett, so we have jumped on it. She’s one busy presenter! Kathryn has her Masters in Educational Psychology. She is also a certified Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics practitioner - a qualification gained via the Child Trauma Academy (Dr Bruce Perry). She will be presenting on ‘Understanding the Adolescent Years’. Please register your interest by emailing Sharonj@rtlb34.school.nz .

Compliments & Complaints
A reminder, if you have any concerns (or compliments) about our RTLB working in your school, please do not discuss this with other RTLB in your school. This places them in a very uncomfortable position. Addressing any issues with the RTLB concerned would be the first step, and then, contacting me if you feel it is not resolved.

We are always looking at areas we can improve upon and your feedback is incredibly valuable. In the meantime, our Liaison RTLB is the person you can speak to about any of your school’s/kura needs. You are always welcome to phone or email me at any time.

Ngā mihi nui

Michelle Maule: Cluster Manager, Te Paeroa RTLB 34,
clustermanager@rtlb34.school.nz, cellphone: 0272766713, Te Paeroa website