Warrington School/About

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The Warrington Way-working together

Contents

Haere mai and welcome to Warrington School

  • Warrington is a small semi-rural seaside village that sits on the edge of Blueskin Bay
  • It has the pristine white sands of Warrington Beach a child's stroll from the school and an easy 20 minute drive from central Dunedin
  • The school has 50+ pupils, five teachers and a supportive community
  • The school has developed good links with the local Playcentre, surf life saving club and neighbouring schools

School Philosophy

  • Warrington School has the "Well Being" of all, as the key to its strategic management systems
  • Warrington School's unofficial logo 'WWW' equates to Warrington Well-being Way/Te Ara Oraka O Okahau
  • The Warrington Well-being Way is also the name of the main pathway entering the school
    • Which will one day be a forest of native, edible and pleasurable plants
  • Pupils are encouraged to care for themselves, for others and the environment through an envirethical curriculum
  • The School prides itself on being child centred and family friendly
  • The School community through the Board of Trustees supports the teachers in their continual development of using child focussed and current educational pedagogy that is developed from free thinking
  • Warrington School encourages children to enjoy their childhood, ask questions of their world, seek their own answers and to have freedom to learn

PDF_down.png School Charter 2011‎

Three diverse multi-level classrooms cater to all children

The Warrington Way-rock steady flag flyers
  • 3 classes – senior, middle and junior – year levels depend on roll numbers
  • Junior class provides lots of structure, places an emphasis on children becoming literate and numerate through creative teaching approaches
  • Middle school children begin to take more responsibility for their own learning through directed programmes of work
  • Senior pupils are aiming to become independent learners using various strategies to gain understanding and knowledge of the wider world
  • Teaching and learning are supported by our Janine Cotton (Face to Face Teacher), Vicky Miller (Teacher aide), June Anderson (Secretary), Dawn Hope (Secretary), Annette Hughes (Cleaner) Trudy Lee (Caretaker) 
All staff are friendly, smile lots and enjoy working with children

Quick Info for new families

  • School is open at 8.30, starts at 9.00, morning break is 10.35-11.00, lunch is 12.30-1.30 and finishes at 3.00
    • Earlier and later drop offs can be arranged with a class teacher
  • School bus transport is available from the top of the Kilmog on State Highway 1 to Seacliff
    • We encourage everyone to walk, cycle, car pool or bus to school
  • After school we have had pupils involved in miniball, T-ball, guitar tuition, swimming, taekwondo, dance, netball, boogie boarding and hockey
  • Our heated and covered swimming pool is used in the summer terms
The Warrington Way-drumming and dancing
  • Our grounds include pirate ship, climbing frames, playfield, trees, sandpit and a school paddock
  • The sport shed is open every break time for sports and sandpit gear
    • We encourage outdoor activities at break times (weather dependent)
  • Parents, caregivers and whanau are encouraged to join in on school activities
  • Homework is negotiated on a needs basis in consultation with parents
  • We encourage children to take responsibility for their learning and behaviour
  • We use restorative justice principles in dealing with problems
  • The staff are actively involved in lunchtime activities
  • Children are supervised through all break times and are required to sit and eat their morning tea and the first fifteen minutes of lunch
  • Named and wrapped food can be brought to school for heating in the oven - 11-12.30
  • On Mondays each children can order a school made lunch – depending on the term either a sausage, bread and sauce, pizza, hot potato and fillings 
This is a fundraiser for our sponsored Childfund child in East Timor
  • Year 7/8 pupils have a separate programme
    • Attending technology sessions at Dunedin North Intermediate on Thursday mornings - fees $80
    • Second language learning
    • Extra IT time
    • Career guidance is delivered through talking with a variety of adults about their chosen profession
    • Guidance counselling is offered via RTLB referral
    • Personal goals and inquiry learning
    • Camp on Quarantine Island even years and a bike camp at Sutton odd years 
Warrington is a happy school with a great mix of children and teachers, 
we get along well and are proud of being able to work and learn in such a wonderful environment
  • School Activity Fees = $70 per child per year covers visiting performers, entry to events and bus trips
  • The Blueskin bay Library book car comes to Warrington School every 2 weeks and once a month runs an after school book club
    • Pupils share afternoon tea and their favourite reading material
  • Naming of children's property is helpful -
    • Lost property is displayed regularly
    • Unclaimed property is kept in a blue crate that periodically is tossed into the view of passing adults
    • We encourage parents to pick through the lost property at their own risk
    • Unclaimed articles get washed and tossed (recycled) at the end of the term
  • Pre – entry visits for 4 year olds are arranged with the junior teacher - starting about 6 weeks from starting date
  • Attendance - if your child is going to be absent for any reason please phone the school preferably before 9:00 am
  • Stationery lists are available so materials can be purchased in town - the school stocks a few replacement items or specialist books
  • Newsletters are sent home every second week - paper or emailed
  • Our office is generally attended Monday to Friday mornings
    • The phone is not always answered so leave a message or txt a classroom teacher
  • Parent interviews and written reports are twice yearly - other interviews as needed

Guiding principles

The Warrington Way-shared experiences

Warrington Decision Making Process

The well being of Warrington pupils and the sustainability of all associated with the school needs to be protected through decisions that are informed and fundamental to the School's philosophy.

Key questions

  • Does the decision benefit the pupils? i.e. academically, educationally, emotionally, socially, culturally, sporting, environmentally, physically.
  • Is the the decision ethically sound? e.g sustainable, uses fair trade, locally produced, environmentally friendly, healthy, renewable.
  • Are we drawing on and building up local resources?
  • Are all parties involved in the decision process?
  • Is there someone we need to consult further with this decision?
  • Will this decision impact negatively on someone/thing else?

Reaching Consensus

Warrington Living Within Our Means

  • Sustainability of education within the Warrington area is dependent on working within our means.

The Ministry of Education in their wisdom fund the school in an equitable manner sufficiently to manage the day to day running of the school, its on going maintenance and for the employment of necessary staff members.

Key Questions

  • Should we need or seek external funding to run Warrington School?
  • If we do need external sources of funding in what form should it come?
  • Should the school compromise its ethics by accepting funding assistance from the proceeds of goods and services that are not aligned philosophically with the direction of the school, for example gambling or the sale of alcohol? 
The school surveyed its community in 2008,
a resounding majority chose any funding,
as long as it benefited their children.

Possible Answers

Virtues programme

  • This is an initiative to empower children to live by their deepest values and experience what is meaningful in their lives.

It's creating a culture of character... cultivating WWW.(Warrington Wellbeing Way)

"Character is a perfectly educated will." – Norvallis
"Cultivate virtue in your self and virtue will be real.
Cultivate virtue in the world and virtue will triumph everywhere." – LaoTsu

Virtues are more basic than values. All cultures honour virtues such as courage, love, honesty and service, yet they apply them differently according to their own diverse value systems. So, what is a virtue? Here are a few thoughts from the children in Senior Room 1: "A virtue is something that everyone has to make them who they are."TRHN "A virtue is something inside you."AVT "Virtues can be used to make the world a better place."IAP "Virtues live in your mind and come out when you speak or act."EKMS "Virtues make you who you really are."NAA "Virtues plus personality...it all stacks up." FJH

The whole school is now on board with choosing a "VIRTUE FOR THE WEEK" from our virtues pack. The seniors learn what it means for them, through role plays, discussions and reading the virtues card. More often than not we find there are many sides to the picture and surprisingly many other virtues within the one we are focusing on (interdependence to the max). Two reps from the senior class then move through to the middle class and 'teach' their understanding of the new virtue for the week (often giving a little role play of their own). Once the middlies have got the new virtue pictured, a rep from their class joins the two seniors to move on to the junior room and deliver the new virtue to the young ones. The junior room teacher has noticed an encouraging improvement in the seniors delivery of the virtue to the juniors: "They are much more confident and bring the message down to the level of my little ones. This really shows they have a great understanding of it themselves. I am so impressed."

We are planning to move on to creating an 'Appreciation booklet' in the senior room where we make a regular entry of the things we are grateful for... from a simple smile, to a good friend...

ROOM TWO have been exploring the different virtues and came up with their own definitions of "WHAT ARE VIRTUES?": 

  "Things that make you good and happy" (Elsa age 7)
  "They make your personality" (Sarah age 8)
  "Things that make the world a good place" (Ashlie age 9)
  "Things that make you a better person" (Mary age 7)
  "Things that make you who you are" (Lachlan age 9)
  "They make you different in character to others" (Shea age 9)
  "If you had no virtues the world would be in chaos" (Joshua age 9)

Envirethical

The purpose of this page is to provide a space for writing up the Warrington Open School story - thoughts and ideas:

Warrington's Ubuntu Journey

Reflecting on.

This segment is to use the open authoring approach

Free with a capital F, means Freedom, as there is no F in proprietary.

Rationale behind the Warrington GNU/Linux goal

Working together - reliably
  • Warrington School uses GNU/Linux software as it has proven to be reliable, easy to use and install
  • It is cost effective as the software is Free and is supported to run on older computers
    • Wringing as much life out of them as possible
    • We even run it on old computers donated to the school
  • Fits readily in the New Zealand Curriculum
  • Schools should be allowed to choose their operating systems and software and should not be disadvantaged for doing so
  1. The Ministry of Education presently pays $62 per computer a year for proprietary software licences for schools choosing this software
  2. Official Information Act Question
  • By paying equal amounts to schools using Free software this money remains in NZ
  • Older computers are supported - saving money and the planet
  • Our community of teachers, parents and children are empowered to install and run GNU/Linux software on computers
  • It allows the school and its community to alter the software for its own purpose and to share this with others
  • We recycle old computers donated to us for school use and give spare computers away to our community

Warrington School Gnu/Linux Goal

Overall Goal

  • To create equity for New Zealand schools who choose to use Gnu/Linux instead of proprietary software.
  • To remove the barriers created by the Ministry of Education for schools wishing to use Free software.


1.GNU/Linux (Ubuntu or Edubuntu is Warrington's choice) has been as easy to use and at least as reliable as either Microsoft or Apple computer systems. Therefore the New Zealand Ministry Of Education needs to look at what other nations are doing to implement Free computing in their countries. UK [1] Switzerland [[2]]

2. Gnu/Linux installed onto Educational computers could assist the New Zealand economy. Licensing fees that the Ministry of Education now pays to Microsoft on behalf of Microsoft license users should be paid equally to GNU/Linux users. If this was the case then Warrington School would receive the same money that is presently given to Microsoft users but this money would remain within New Zealand. E.g if Warrington was using 15 Gnu/Linux computers, and the Ministry of Education is paying Microsoft $50 per computer license then the Ministry of Education should pay this $50 per computer to Warrington school. [3]

3. Without access to either a knowledgeable technician, helpful parent, 0800 help desk or the ability to access help forums that allow for fast and easily understood fixes it could remain too difficult for many schools, teachers and pupils. The Ministry of Education help desk [4] will presently only handle queries from either Microsoft or Apple users.

4. Possible solutions for an 0800 help desk may be the Otago_Polytechnic already well versed in Open source Education providing the infrastructure or alternatively the Ministry of Education could purchase support through the Canonical Global Support Services team. [5]

5. Dunedin as a city having a plethora of Gnu/Linux experts may be able to offer technical assistance to the Otago Polytechnic - brokering of a voluntary or paid agreement to be negotiated.[6]

6. Warrington School could become a model for using Gnu/Linux, as being at the "monitor face" of education it would be able to trial both equipment and interoperability of Free software and document their progress via this wiki.

7. The substantial environmental savings made from recycling computers that were destined for the land fill (because they had become unsupported by Microsoft) and supported by Gnu/Linux as either stand alone machines or as LTSP. [7] [8]. Money saved from using less electricity with a LTSP or being able to use older computers and keeping them from entering landfills could be researched further from the Sustainability Advisor at Otago University or similar at the Otago Polytechnic or as a(funded) thesis for a student based in Dunedin.

8. Funding from the Ministry of Education available for Extending Higher Standards Funding [9] or similar should be directed into creating a model appearing from this wiki. Funding for the establishment of an "Free Software Model" from the Ministry of Education would entice other learning institutions from NZ to work collaboratively on this Gnu/Linux goal. Money would not be spent on "physical resources" but on systems and people to set up the systems.

9. Creating protocols that would allow free Gnu/Linux computers into the homes of Dunedin school pupils or other suitable recipients by the local Gnu/Linux group with computers being replaced by the ICT departments at Otago University, Medical School, Dunedin City Council etc. This scheme is presently happening in a small way from Warrington school. Assistance in both infrastructure and procedure would need to be created on a wiki so both the installer of the Gnu/Linux computer and the recipient of the Gnu/Linux computer understood the correct procedures. This could begin as a voluntary scheme until such time as it became unwieldy for a group of volunteers to manage then could be taken over by a Trust who could administer its further conception.

10. Software released by the Ministry of Education for schools such as the "School Journal" search CD Rom and Ministry accredited School Management software should be usable by Gnu/Linux users. [10]

Free computers - how to.....

Warrington Community Internet Access

Warrington residents access to computers, Internet and meeting space

  • Warrington School Ubuntu room
  • Outside school hours of 8.30 - 4 Mon-Fri
  • With permission from the principal - available during school hours on request
  • Room and equipment usage to be explained
  • Procedures for vetting of users will need to be established - access to a key = $20 ($5 key and $15 for Police vetting)

Computer access:

  • Will be Gnu/Linux (Ubuntu or similar) and free software.
  • Internet access available after an Internet agreement signed.
  • Able to save to and from desktop and memory stick, use all office programmes including printing to black and white copier (10c and colour 30c).

Computer access: Computer access:

Free software

Why Schools Should Use Free Software

  • Free software can save schools money.
    • Free software gives schools, like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the software, so the school system can make copies for all the computers they have.
      • In poor countries, this can help close the digital divide.
  • Schools have a social mission: to teach students to be citizens of a strong, capable, independent, cooperating and free society.
    • Schools should promote the use of free software just as they promote recycling.
      • If schools teach students free software, then the students will tend to use free software after they graduate.
        • This will help society as a whole escape from being dominated by mega-corporations.
  • Schools should refuse to teach dependence.
    • Offers of free samples to schools gets communities addicted.
      • The same discounts will not be available to these students once they've grown up and graduated.
  • Free software permits students to learn how software works.
    • Some students, want to learn everything there is to know about their computer and its software.
      • They are intensely curious to read the source code of the programs that they use every day.
        • To learn to write good code, students need to read lots of code and write lots of code.
          • They need to read and understand real programs that people really use.
            • Only free software permits this.
  • The deepest reason for using free software in schools is for moral education.
    • The most fundamental job of schools is to teach good citizenship, which includes the habit of helping others.
      • In the area of computing, this means teaching people to share software.
        • Schools, should tell their pupils, 
“If you bring software to school, you must share it with the other students. And you must show the source code to the class, 
in case someone wants to  learn.”

Media/Press/Links

May 2009 - Warrington School Is Now Running Only GNU/Linux

*Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

In the blog sphere

This user contributes using Ubuntu GNU/Linux.
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