Ministry Bulletin for SCHOOL LEADERS He Pitopito Kōrero ISSUE No. 121 | 2019 DECEMBER 2 In this issue Message from Iona Holsted Kia ora koutou katoa This is the final School Bulletin of the year and I wanted to reflect on some of the work that has been done or is underway. Many of you have told me directly, or through your representatives, that it feels like there is a lot of change going on. I know that there is always change at school and kāhui ako level as teachers and others work together to strengthen professional practice and pedagogy. This is a strength of our system; self- evaluation and ongoing improvement. Thank you. In the past couple of years the Ministry has been leading the Education Work Programme and that will have felt like even more change. So far there has been a lot of discussion and policy formulation and we will be working with you to implement key aspects of the work programme, over time, and with regard to the busy environment we all work in. Each part of the Work Programme is important in its own right, but it is also a connected whole and to help describe this we developed the Education Work Programme “wheel”. I find this a useful tool for keeping an eye on the big picture and also seeing where individual parts of the work are up to. You can see the latest version of the wheel here [PDF]. Please note, I am deliberately using the term “latest” here, because things do change and the picture is never static! My thanks to all of you for the work that you do to support effective teaching and learning for your school community, and a particular thanks to those of you who have contributed to the long term system wide change that the Education Work Programme is defining. Please enjoy a safe, restful and well-deserved break with friends and whānau this holiday season. Nāku noa, nā Iona Holsted Secretary for Education Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Email [email protected] Contact us at [email protected] Page 2 ISSUE No. 121 | 2019 DECEMBER 2 Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback X Critical need to know and action 1. From 1 December the meningococcal ACWY vaccine is free for school boarders and school leavers off to halls of residence. Read more… X Heads up 1. Payroll staff and others continue to be targeted in spear phishing scams. Read more… 2. The Quarter 1, 2020 Operational Funding Instalment Notice will be available via the School Data Portal on 19 December. Visit our website for more information and instructions on how to access it. 3. End of year property checklist. Read more… 4. Updates to Preventing and responding to suicide resource kit for schools. Read more… 5. Banking staffing recovery and reimbursement rates for 2020. Read more… 6. Reminder: Cohort entry changes come into effect 1 January 2020. Read more… 7. New circulars published on attendance dues accounts and annual reporting. Read more… 8. Security systems with smoke detectors are now subject to the same compliance requirements as fire alarm systems. Read more… 9. We’re running energy efficiency trials in schools. Read more… 10. Ensuring accurate and updated student roll return addresses for Ministry School Transport Assistance. Read more… 11. Change Planning Tool to help schools get ready to teach the digital technologies curriculum content in 2020. Read more… 12. Implementing the new PLD priorities, online system and other PLD improvements. Read more… 13. Updated Ngā Kete Kōrero books to be delivered to kura in Term 1, 2020. Read more… 14. New climate change resource for schools. Read more… X General information 1. Ministry office holiday closing dates Our offices will close at the end of the business day on Tuesday 24 December and reopen on Monday 6 January 2020. Key contact details are on our website. 2. 2020 TeachNZ Scholarships The second application round for the 2020 TeachNZ scholarship programme is open from 6 December – 24 January. Read more… Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Email [email protected] Contact us at [email protected] Page 3 ISSUE No. 121 | 2019 DECEMBER 2 Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback 3. Tahi Rua Toru Tech national finals Students across the country will be in Wellington on 4 December to share their best innovations at the ‘123Tech’ national finals – come and show your support and be inspired. Visit the website for more information or contact [email protected] X Regional news q Tai Tokerau q Auckland q Waikato q Bay of Plenty,Waiariki q Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatū q Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti q Wellington q Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast q Canterbury, Chatham Islands q Otago, Southland X Communications/Events q Ministry key dates calendar q Events q Ministry newsletters q Education related websites q Early Learning Bulletin Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Email [email protected] Contact us at [email protected] Page 4 ISSUE No. 121 | 2019 DECEMBER 2 Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Critical need to know and action Meningococcal ACWY vaccine free for school boarders and school leavers off to halls of residence From 1 December 2019, the vaccine to protect against four groups of meningococcal disease (groups A, C, W and Y) will be free of charge for anyone who will be living in a boarding school hostel or tertiary education hall of residence in 2020. The Ministry of Health is asking boarding schools to recommend that parents of boarders get their children vaccinated before the new school year. For more information, please refer to the Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC) website. Director of Public Health, Dr Caroline McElnay, is also asking secondary schools to alert parents of school leavers to the opportunity to receive this vaccination free of charge if students are planning to live in halls of residence in 2020. From December 2020, the vaccine will only be funded for students entering their first year of living in a boarding school or hall of residence. It would be much appreciated if you could include the following in any communication you have with senior students and parents: • The government has announced that anyone aged 13 to 25 years who lives in boarding school hostels, tertiary education halls of residence or military barracks is eligible to receive the meningococcal ACWY vaccine free of charge, from 1 December 2019 and for the next 12 months • Boarders and school leavers moving into halls of residence next year can access this vaccine at their local GP free of charge • The vaccine will be funded for one year, after which only those entering into their first year of living in these institutions can be vaccinated for meningococcal ACWY free of charge. For more information visit the immunisation advisory centre website. It is important to note that the ACWY vaccine does not provide protection against meningococcal B disease. As a result, it is important to consider meningococcal disease even in people who have been vaccinated if they present with symptoms consistent with meningococcal disease. The meningococcal B vaccine – Bexsero – can be purchased privately. Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Email [email protected] Contact us at [email protected] Page 5 ISSUE No. 121 | 2019 DECEMBER 2 Critical need to know and action | Heads up | General Information | Regional news | Archives | Send us feedback Heads up Beware of targeted spear phishing emails Payroll staff, as well as staff handling accounts or personally identifiable information, continue to be targeted in spear phishing scams. These scams try to trick or pressure staff to change bank details, process payments or release private information. In the bulletin on 9 September [PDF], we alerted you about phishing email scams. Spear phishing is a targeted phishing attack where scammers first gather information about their chosen target to make their emails more personalised and convincing. Often these scammers try to impersonate trusted people, organisations or the systems they use. While spear phishing emails can be very sophisticated, there are steps your staff can take to reduce the risk: • consider whether the email was expected and check the sender’s details carefully, looking at the whole email address • treat emails with suspicion if they ask recipients to click links, open attachments, enter passwords, make payments, change or enter bank account details or any unusual requests • even if the sender looks familiar, treat with suspicion emails pressuring recipients to perform any of the above actions urgently. An unusual email from a known sender might be a sign their email has been compromised • if in doubt, confirm the sender of the email by phoning them. If possible, use a number you already have for that person or organisation – don’t rely on phone numbers given in the email. Other steps to reduce the risk include • making sure paper records containing sensitive information are destroyed appropriately • checking that your school website is not disclosing any personally identifiable information that could be used by scammers • having payroll, accounts, and leadership staff review the personal information they are disclosing publicly on social media and adjust their privacy settings if required • always applying your school’s payroll business processes when making changes or updates.