19 November, 2019

GWNZ Fellow Dr Nina Earles at the November branch meeting

Nina is studying for a Masters of Public Health at Yale University with an emphasis on health policy.

Nina shared insights about the US health system, and inspired us with her vision to reduce the inequities in the New Zealand health system so that the best outcomes are available to everyone within the limited health budget. She impressed us with her ability to work as a GP while parenting 3 young children, and with her determination to continue her studies to gain higher qualifications.
Lorelle George (GWNS President) and Nina are with our new GWNZ banner.

10 October, 2019

PhD in French for North Shore member Helen Sturm

Helen’s thesis comprised an analysis and translation of 1840 letters to Marist Superior General, Fr Jean-Claude Colin in France, from Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier and the French Marist missionaries working with him in New Zealand.

For her thesis Culture, politics, religion and language in the letters of French Roman Catholic missionaries in 1840 New Zealand Helen used the views of Māori and the writings of Jacques Derrida and Pierre Bourdieu to inform her linguistic and historical examination of cross-cultural encounters in the new colony.
One of her examiners’ reports on the thesis notes that it “presents an original cross-disciplinary contribution to knowledge in the fields of colonial New Zealand history and translation studies. […] The candidate’s documentary translation of [the Marists’ letters] illuminates our current understanding of New Zealand history around the time of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by offering different, non-Anglophone perspectives on the events and personalities involved. […]
The letters not only provide fascinating insights into the relationships between the Marists in New Zealand and the wider Pacific and Colin in Lyons but also, more importantly for early New Zealand colonial history, they describe Māori culture and spirituality (from the Marist perspective, of course), Māori attitudes to colonisation, interactions between themselves and Māori and the interactions and tensions between themselves and the Anglo-Protestant missionaries, settlers and authorities. The letters offer a new take on cultural and political life in early colonial New Zealand.”

Congratulations on your achievement Helen!

10 October, 2019

The Summer Learning Journey digital literacy programme

Students who engage in sustained blogging over summer, in response to challenging learning tasks, make significant gains in Reading and Writing achievement.

The Summer Learning Journey (Toki Pounamu) is designed to reduce the ‘summer learning slide’ or loss of learning which occurs during the summer holidays. Developed by Dr Rachel Williamson from Auckland University, the innovative programme involves the students choosing an activity from a number of modules and blogging their responses – which receive feedback from a team of expert commenters: teachers, student teachers and former students of the programme.
The programme is for Years 4-8 children in lower decile schools. It started in three Auckland schools in 2014 and is now active in 100 schools throughout New Zealand.
Rachel’s presentation to the North Shore branch July meeting was well received by members who were impressed to see how social media can be used to support an effective literacy programme. Research has shown that students who take part in the Summer Learning Journey return to school after the summer break ready to learn, and achieve better results in reading and writing than students who do not participate.
Visit the Toki Pounamu website for more information and a link to the Summer Learning Journey website.

25 July, 2019

GWNS Charitable Trust undergraduate study awards

First-year students from North Shore schools awarded study grants for tertiary study.

Five high-achieving first year students who had attended North Shore high schools were awarded $1,500 grants for undergraduate study at AUT North campus and Massey University Albany.
Recipients of these awards were:
TamilaTodd, Glenfield College; Jade Mademblik, Northcote College; Sherrice Imbo, Carmel College: Megan McIsaac, Rangitoto College and Holly Spencer, Orewa College.

The awards were presented at a High Tea held at the Masonic Centre in Albany.