Two a penny

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Lout label not helping boy racer situation, says academic

Thursday, 05 February 2009

Once a boy racer, now a champ

Tough talk from the Government on boy racers has stepped over the line into name-calling, says a Canterbury University academic who studies car culture.
Associate Professor Dr Simon Kingham said comments such as Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker's labelling of boy racers as "ugly, immature and embarrassing" were a generalisation.
Not all boy racers were criminally minded, Kingham said.
Police Minister Judith Collins' "off-the-cuff" comments on crushing cars were "sensationalising" the issue. One of the things they've got to do is get the message out that this behaviour is unacceptable, but they've also got to have dialogue.
"To associate them with the guys who had a go at the police is tarnishing them all with the same brush. You can talk tough without labelling people.
"I don't think that's helpful.
Some people were simply interested in cars and liked joining their mates, some were into "the parading thing", some were risk-takers "the same type who like bungy jumping" and some were attracted to "pushing the police"."
Kingham said his research showed there were several reasons to get into car culture.
Boy racers yesterday said they were not all out to cause trouble.
"There will be some people who join it because they want to cause trouble," he said. .
Several contacted to say an emblem showing a skull with a helmet was not an anti-police badge but belonged to a United States motorcycling group called Metal Mulisha.
The scramble by councils to hold the V8 Supercar Championship two years ago and the lauding of Indycar driver Scott Dixon at Tuesday night's Halberg Awards were encouraging the boy-racer phenomenon.
Kingham said he believed there was a link between New Zealand's "obsession" with V8 cars and the boy-racer culture.

.A blanket of snow has covered large parts of western Europe after some of the heaviest falls in two decades, resulting in major flight cancellations, disrupting public transport and misery on the roads.
London was covered in up to 10 centimetres of snow, the highest recorded in 18 years, closing the world’s busiest airport at Heathrow, paralysing trains and bus services and forcing many commuters to stay at home.
The snow caused a Cyprus Airways plane to come off the taxiway at Heathrow before the airport was then shutdown.
Flurries also brought chaos to parts of Paris and Spain, while three people died in Italy amid adverse weather conditions as the snow reached northern Morocco.
Forecasters the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for London and the southeast of England, while train and London Underground services have also been badly hit.
Both runways have since been closed at the world’s biggest international airport while all flights have been cancelled up to 5:00pm local time.”
Hundreds of schools in southeast England have also been shut.
An army of snow ploughs and gritters were working to clear roads as a spokesperson for the Highways Agency said: “If your journey is not essential I would strongly advise you don’t make it.
“I’ve never seen snow before, it’s very exciting.
“It’s absolute madness going in to work, but at least I can say I tried,” said Bree McWilliam, a policy analyst from Brisbane who experienced her first ever snowfall as she struggled into work.
– Icy roads –
In France, flights were delayed by an average of an hour in Paris’s Orly and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airports. It doesn’t snow in Queensland,” the 28-year-old said.
Air France cancelled around 30 short and medium haul flights from Charles de Gaulle between 7:00am and 10:00am, but said long haul routes had not been troubled. One of Orly’s two runways was closed, and the other opened two hours late.
The snow and icy conditions caused a dozen accidents in the Paris region without resulting in injuries, officials said.
France’s road traffic agency urged motorists to cancel non-essential journeys, with roads difficult and in a small number of some cases impassable around Paris and in the east close to Strasbourg.
Up to 20 centimetres also fell in parts of Switzerland overnight while part of the road around the San Bernardino tunnel was closed.
In Italy, three people died and 500 people had to be evacuated from their homes Sunday amid bad weather in parts of the country, while Milan woke Monday to a dusting of snow.
Snowfalls snarled traffic in several parts of Spain including the Madrid area where sections of two highways were temporarily closed to vehicles, resulting in traffic jams, the National Travel Administration Department (DGT) reported. .
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Principals confident of a first-class year

– Sunday, 01 February 2009

There are 750,000 students heading back to school about now parents are stocking up on sandwich bread, digging out last year's lunchbox, and fretting about whether Jimmy will make the top class. But how are principals feeling about the new school year?
We convinced four principals, from Kaikoura to Epsom, to tell it how it is.
There were just two questions:
1. What will your school cut back on this year as the recession hits?

Bruce Pagan, Kaikoura Primary School, Roll 92, decile five
Question 1: "Read to their kids, talk to their kids, have fun with their kids, play with their kids that makes for a positive attitude which will rub off on the teachers!"
Question 2: "What recession! Teachers' sick leave (they'll have to apply in triplicate three days in advance) and my `professional' trips to Christchurch. What can parents do to help their child's education?
2. The fact is there are many great things occuring in our schools and we have every reason to be proud of them."
Comments: "Principals together usually end up trying to outdo each other by promoting doom and gloom or waxing lyrical about their school (themselves) and what a fantastic job their teachers and children are doing. Sure it would be great to increase the operations grant so that I don't have to become a professional fundraiser to support the core activities of our school such as new maths equipment, library books, atlases or new dictionaries, reading texts etc. I extend a welcome to the new minister of education, Anne Tolley.
"Despite the frustrations I know I'm examining forward to the school year as eagerly as most children and parents are. We lead the world so why can't we have the courage to solve and meet our own challenges. Plea for the minister follow your own heart, talk and listen to New Zealanders who are actively involved in the profession; learn from New Zealand educators and our professional groups and organisations; don't follow overseas trends or allow yourself to be captured by amazing "new" developments from Europe or Scandinavia (most of them originated in New Zealand anyhow)."
David Grant, 39, has been teaching/principal for 11 years nine as a principal.
"This year's going to be great yes, we have a recession certain to affect those who want to be affected by it but part of the reality for our school(s) is that staff are secure with adequate salaries, operations grants are guaranteed to arrive in the nick of time to keep us financially afloat, parents are still prepared to support the school with fundraising the school fair, market days and sausage sizzles (whoops, only one per term it's a `sometimes food' choice), our property money is on track to be spent on a new spartan office for the principal and brightly carpeted corridors for the kids, and our teachers are professionals – they are ready and willing – and they care! Trust us, we know what we are doing. Appointed principal of new Dunedin school Big Rock Primary School six months ago. Appointed principal of new Dunedin school Big Rock Primary School six months ago."
Question 2: "None. Parents must have the courage to ask the tough questions and teachers and schools have to have the courage to give honest answers and not answers of appeasement. It will probably mean we have to dip into savings or fundraise even harder. We are not going to reduce learning opportunities for children because of a recession.
"The economic crisis shouldn't be allowed to affect schools."
Comment: "As a recently merged school, 2009 promises to be an exciting year as we establish a school culture and community-driven learning programmes. So schools on average were having to find 29% of their operating costs. In 2007, fundraising made up 15% of schools' operating budgets not including grants, which made up another 14%.
"I believe that children have changed, and behaviour especially, due to the lily-livered way we deal with it. The fundraising will be tougher as there is going to be less money about in communities the challenge must be for the new Government to seriously raise schools' operating funds and I am confident that this will happen. So we must create strong school cultures that demonstrate loud and clear what is acceptable and what is not. So we must create strong school cultures that demonstrate loud and clear what is acceptable and what is not.
"I love the start of the school year and this year it will be especially exciting because as a merged school we have the luxury of a blank page, we can create a strong, inclusive school culture together from the very beginning.
"Our goals for 2009 will and must be high standards set and achieved in numeracy and literacy, but also developing tolerant, independent, resilient children. Our school will provide the support and the guidance – but we will not provide the excuses.
"Yes, 2009 will be a challenge, as are all school years, but if we expect our children to be resilient we must model that resilience as teachers and parents."
Madeline Gunn has been teaching for 34 years and was appointed principal of Epsom Girls Grammar School in November, after a year as acting principal. Epsom Girls Grammar, Auckland. Roll: 1994, decile nine
Question 1: "Show a positive interest in what they're learning. Let them teach you about their new skills and knowledge and acknowledge their progress. Do make contact with the school if you have any concerns."
Question 2: "We have cut back on our budget for IT developments and capital expenditure and are monitoring our spending very closely."
Comment: "2009 is going to be challenging year for all of us as we cope with the consequences of the global credit crisis. But for schools the focus still remains very firmly on improving student learning and achievement.
"Over the holidays the media has highlighted John Hattie's finding that positive interactions between teachers and students are the key to effective teaching. This is no surprise to educational leaders, who are also aware that it is important to make these positive relationships an integral part of the school. If a culture of trust and respect is obvious between the adults in the school, this flows on to the students and ultimately improves achievement levels. . My senior management team has spent two days focusing on how we will lead the school through the year ahead and I have met with the student leaders for their input.
"This is an exciting time to be leading a secondary school as we design a new curriculum and constantly question how we can better prepare our young women with the skills, knowledge and confidence to be leaders in the 21st century."
Brent Lewis, 57, 30 years in teaching, including eight years as head of Avondale College in Auckland. Roll 2559, decile four
Question 1: "We encourage parents to be actively engaged and up-to-date with what's occuring in their child's education. We would also like all parents to initiate lively and supportive conversations about their child's learning, informed by quality information from the school's `Family Connection' feedback system our innovative online real-time reporting system which allows parents to obtain instant information about their child's academic results, attendance, reports, timetables, teachers and behaviour at any moment they want. Where they have a concern, we want parents to trust their instincts and make early contact with the school so that matters are dealt with promptly."
Question 2: "We intend to support an expanded range of extra-curricular activities, underpinned by an increased commitment of school resources. We will continue to carefully assess the impacts of all our programmes on families that may be facing financial pressures and will look to provide alternative sources of support for families where appropriate."
Comment: "When people have asked this week how our students are responding to a future clouded by global recession, I report that they are facing it with the same quiet confidence and determination that has propelled ex-prefect Martin Guptill to prominence in the Black Caps one-day cricket side this summer.
"The "Avondale attitude" underpinning his success is also evident in the lively buzz surrounding returning senior students, who are well aware of the challenging world environment, but less interested in dwelling on things beyond their control than they are passionate about taking responsibility for their own futures.
"These pupils have the added confidence of knowing that their school recently entered the top 10 schools in the country for the number of senior examination scholarships it wins. The college already has an enriched NCEA programme but this year is also delivering the Cambridge qualification pathway as a further choice.
"Recent research confirms that for any student to achieve their academic potential it needs the engagement and commitment of all of the key parties involved; teachers, students and parents. Well-qualified, passionate teachers need to teach effectively and build positive relationships with students who will be motivated to seek their approval and have the confidence and determination to reach higher standards.
"Parents, too, need to remain fully informed and involved in their children's learning. To support this Avondale College has developed the `Family Connection'."
"Within this supportive framework, students feel they can lift their aspirations, set goals and take responsibility for their own learning.
"Indeed, talking to excited students this week, that's what the coming year is all about."

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Armed incident on North Shore

By CLIO FRANCIS – Thursday, 29 January 2009

SCOTT EVANS
ARMED CALLOUT: The scene at Queen Street, Northcote, this morning.

A gunman has reportedly held up a security guard on Auckland's North Shore this morning. .
Three people have been taken to the North Shore police station to be interviewed, he said.
Inspector Anthony Edwards said further investigationsfound a vehicle, and two homes were searched with help from the Auckland Armed Offenders Squad.
Ben Gaines, who lives on Queen Street, witnessed the armed standoff.
No shots or injuries were reported in the incident.
He told that he and his flatmates had been woken up by the sound of police around 7.
There were 10 police cars down his street, along with the armed offender's squad, he said.30am."

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"The police had surrounded a house down the street, they were yelling into their megaphone for about half an hour, just repeating 'would the occupants come out of the house, we have you completely surrounded'

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Remedial reading methods ‘outdated’

– Tuesday, 13 January 2009

A "long tail" of more than 70,000 New Zealand children are falling behind in reading.
New Zealand's gap between the best and worst readers is among the widest in the world, and experts say it is getting wider.
Professor James Chapman, organiser of a two-day Dyslexia Conference in Wellington, said the Reading Recovery programme was "past its use-by date" and useless for dyslexic children.
The programme was developed in the 1960s and implemented in the 1980s.
"Its claims about effectiveness just cannot be sustained," Chapman, pro-vice-chancellor of education at Massey University, said.
The spread in achievement between the weakest-performing and strongest-performing Kiwi pupils is large by international standards.
"It was based on reasonable theory at the time but research has just simply overtaken the views of how children learn to read and what happens when kids struggle learning to read," Chapman said.
Official figures show 18 per cent of Maori and 16 per cent of Pacific Island pupils do not reach the low international benchmark of 400 points.
They show the proportion of pupils from low-decile schools who do not reach the low international benchmark is 18 per cent, compared with 5 per cent of pupils from medium-decile schools and 3 per cent from high-decile schools. Only 3 per cent of Asian and 4 per cent of European-Pakeha pupils fail.
"They tend to develop problems in other learning areas and they also tend to give up on themselves and develop negative self-concepts," he said.
Chapman said there was a fall in New Zealand children's reading abilities compared with those of other developed countries."
Ministry of Education group manager of curriculum teaching and learning Mary Chamberlain said the Reading Recovery programme worked for 85 per cent of those who took part.
"Their level of confidence tends to go down as well, and that can be compounded into more major behaviour problems downstream.
Ten per cent of New Zealanders, including 70,000 schoolchildren, are affected by dyslexia.
Ten per cent of New Zealanders, including 70,000 schoolchildren, are affected by dyslexia.
Matthew Colee, 11, of Kirwee, made no progress on Reading Recovery, his mother, Mary-Jane Colee, said.
"But from what we have heard from our membership and their experiences, it's certainly not a solution," he said. .
"He didn't seem to improve," she said.
"His self-esteem has improved."
Matthew was diagnosed with dyslexia and went on to a new programme called Steps to Literacy.
Since starting on the new programme nine months ago, Matthew's spelling and reading ages had improved from seven to 11, and his favourite subject was spelling. The teachers at school couldn't believe the success, and all in all it was really good," Colee said.

.French President Nicolas Sarkozy will fly to the Middle East “as of Monday” in a bid to “find a roadmap towards peace” between warring Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers, he said in a televised New Year message.
“France will continue to be active in Africa, in Asia and of course in the Middle East where I will go as of Monday, because it is France’s duty to look everywhere for the roadmap towards peace, as it is its duty to act on behalf of human rights,” Mr Sarkozy said. .
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