VLN Primary Pānui December 2021

Nau mai, haere mai ki te Kura Tuatahi - Akonga Aka Mariko

Welcome to the VLN Primary School December Pānui

Kia ora koutou katoa, Kia orāna, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Nĭ hăo 你好, Annyoung haseyo 안녕하세요, Namaste, Assalām alaikum, Hola, Bonjour, Hallo!

As another school year draws to a close, we reflect on the year that has been and prepare for the year ahead. 

In this month's final pānui we focus on our ākonga, the reason we are here of course! We celebrate their achievements and showcase examples of their learning as well as share feedback from them. We are very proud of the awesome mahi our learners have been engaged in and the positive feedback they have given us. 

The annual Snapshot of Learning 2021 gives you all the vital statistics regarding our learners, our programmes and our schools. Although our student numbers are down a little from previous years, the number of schools learning with us was significantly more. 75 schools in total participated in our schools' network this year. Again, this makes us feel proud that we are able to support so many schools. I know this makes a difference in building capacity and resilience in these uncertain Covid times.

Now is the time to start getting ready for online learning in 2022. Whether you are a school who is new to the VLN Primary or an old hand, check out the timeline and process for registering and preparing your learners. If for some of you the idea of online learning is a turn off after two years of Covid and multiple lockdowns, put that to one side and consider that our VLN experiences are based on many years of pedagogical practice and that

learning with the VLN Primary is all about extending curriculum opportunities and enabling our learners, especially those in more rural and remote areas, to make connections with others. 

At the recent Kōtuitui PLD hui keynote speaker Dr Michael Barbour discusses the impact of Emergency Remote Teaching on our schooling systems around the world. I recommend if you haven't tuned in to this yet, to make some time over the summer break. Michael shares some interesting international trends and data (including from NZ) that are relevant to us in thinking about our schooling futures and the role of online networked learning.

Rick Whalley shares his experiences with online learning in Primary schools over the years in his introduction to participants at the Kōtuitui hui. You can find all Kōtuitui hui recordings, presentations and resources here.

Thanks to all who have supported the kaupapa of the VLN Primary and our work across schools. To our schools who supported their learners to participate in our programmes this year and contributed to funding our shared learning opportunities. To the Ministry of Education for funding our operational team and Gifted Learners project. Finally thanks to Lucie, Jen, Helen and our awesome eteachers who make this kaupapa a reality in our online classes every day! 

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou
Have a lovely summer break and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2022.

Ngā mihinui maioha

Rachel