Blenheim Whanau Hui

A new project! Our first Computers in Homes for Blenheim in beautiful Marlborough was launched on 13 November 2012. 17 keen and committed parents registered, with more sending forms in the next day, so it looks like we will not have any trouble in filling our allocation of 25 families. Training will begin early in 1st Term 2013 and the families chosen span 7 schools, with a focus on shared families and Pasifika student achievement. New Whanganui Coordinator Tania Van der Vegte came along to see how we work with schools and provided valuable assistance to parents in understanding the details of CIH. Special thanks to Andrew Read, Principal of Bohally Intermediate for offering to host the training for all families. Valuable support has been provided by Dina Ahradsen Principal of Blenheim School and Karen Stewart Principal of Marlborough Girls’ College. We already have our fantastic tutor Cathy-Ann Scoon and awesome tech Carmen Wilson, both of Bohally. Families are from Bohally, Blenheim, Marlborough Girls’, Marlborough Boys’, St Mary’s, Springlands and Mayfield.
Looking forward to getting straight into it in Week 3 next term everyone.
Soifua ia manuia Di

Victory School Kiwi Group 1 & 2

On 24 May we held the 1st Victory graduation for 23 families. On 31 July we held the 2nd graduation for Victory School families. 13 graduated alongside 10 Refugee families. See......

Local MP Hon Dr Nick Smith was guest of honour and presented the certificates. In his speech Dr Smith praised the families for engaging in education and wished them well for the future. He acknowledged that Nelson had been a forerunner in Education from early settler days. Our fabulous Nelson team of tutor Tania O’Meagher, technician Tim Jackson and in-school coordinator Dianne Goodwin did an amazing job of guiding the families through from recruitment to graduation. Briar Kopa from Wellington Computers in Homes came down to help and get to know the Victory team as she deals with all the Snap internet signups. Victory also hosted families from Auckland Point and Nelson Central in their intake.

Victory is the first of Di Daniel’s pilot projects to benefit from 2020’s new Auto-Payment option for accessing Snap Broadband (BB). It means that CIH families without landlines can now afford a Naked BB deal using small weekly payments, instead of facing a larger amount each month. We wish all the graduates well and are happy to report that we have connected a further 15 families that would have otherwise gone without BB at home. Please make sure you keep up your AP payments so the internet stays connected and you don’t incur any bank charges. For those who still have no internet at home, there are 2 computers in Mrs Goodwin’s room (opposite the sandpit) for CIH parents to use.

Thanks to Principal Mark Brown and other staff for your support of Computers in Homes. Mr Brown has taken up a position with the Ministry of Education Wellington so now he can hang out for coffee in the big city with Di and Briar! We look forward to working with new principal Wendy Taylor during the Stepping UP phase of our programme. Every CIH graduate parent received a Stepping UP set of vouchers to redeem for a further 10 hours of expert tutoring from Tania.  A notice has gone out via the school and Tania is already taking registrations for Thursday classes, beginning 26 August. We have bought a new datashow projector for the ICT training room, and Mr Taylor will be ceiling-mounting it.

Thanks everyone – Victory School rocks!!

Coromandel

18 May 2012
A fabulous graduation was held for 13 Coromandel Area School CIH families on Wednesday 16 May. We were joined by MP’s Scott Sinclair and Catherine Delahunty, with apologies from Hon Tariana Turia, Dr Pita Sharples, Te Ururoa Flavell and Nanaia Mahuta.

Both Scott and Catherine congratulated the parents on their achievements and Di expressed her gratitude to Principal Asha Peppiatt, school staff and tutors. Rebecca South graduated her students and presented a special award to Johannes Stol for his dedication to learning and mastering digital literacy to help his mokopuna. Well done Jo we are all proud of you!

The hospitality students provided us with a sumptuous supper so thanks to Ryan and your team, and all the best with your NCEA. DP and ICT guru Brendan Carroll will set up the computers in everyone’s homes over the next couple of weeks, and provide ongoing tech support, so we wish you all well.

Remember whanau – Friday is tech support dropoff and pickup day at school!!
Nga mihi a koutou katoa
Di

See pictures of the graduation by clicking on play!

11 May 2012
Coromandel Area School CIH Class 2 is well underway with new tutor Rebecca South. Bex is very experienced with teaching ICT to adults, and is so great that some of CIH Class 1 are doing extra hours with her.
Di travelled up the beautiful Coromandel Peninsular to visit last week and welcome the new families on board the programme. She gate-crashed training night but was forgiven by bringing along a few refreshments. Now Tuinga is talking about bringing in an urn! What have I started!
All the best and see you at graduation next week.
Nga Mihi.

16 Feb 2012

Kia ora,

Coromandel Area School has recruited 18 keen families to be involved in Computers in Homes in 2012. 

With a few more to reply and the possibility of collaborating with Colville School parents, we are determined to make a difference for whanau in the Coromandel area. 

Unfortunately Tapu School families did not take up the offer, but we are always open to being approached again in the future.

Classes begin Monday 20 Feb and 2 other evenings to be confirmed

Tutor Kate Robey explains training arrangements with the new CIH whanau

Tech support and ICT teacher Brendan Carroll assures families without landlines at home that the CIH pod will be open for use during the school day

Teachers and families invaded the library for information and delicious food prepared by the NCEA Catering Students. It is amazing how Computers in Homes can get around the no food rule in school libraries!

Principal Asha Peppiatt is a strong champion for Computers in Homes, along with her staff, Lesley Thwaites, Kate Robey and Brendan Carroll. This makes all the difference in our programme providing the best outcomes for parents, students and school

We are grateful to all our past and current CIH school principals who have agreed to be videoed for us to promote Computers in Homes to new schools and families. They are Peta Brown & Neils Rasmussen from Rotorua; Nuku Wallace from Taumarunui and Raetihi; and Chris Hull from Waiuku, Auckland.

Thames Computers in Homes champion and tutor Trish Corrin is running an intake at Beneficiaries Support Centre for Waikato CIH with Rebecca Fraser. It is always great to call in and see Trish on my way past up the peninsular

Nelson Pilot

VICTORY SCHOOL

28 Feb 2012

 Victory School’s  new computer training room has had the finishing touches put on it in the last week of March, in readiness for the beginning of CIH training for 25 families. 

Dave Taylor built and varnished the desks which look fantastic! The space is designated for Computers in Homes, Homework Centre and Adult Education for parents. We are looking forward to having our special space for Refugee CIH, Kiwi CIH and Stepping UP classes. We held 2 staff meetings and a Whanau Information evening last week, with a great turnout and much enthusiasm all round. Thanks to Principal Mark Brown, Champion Dianne Goodwin, tutor Tania O’Meagher and Tech Support Tim Jackson, we have a wonderful team. 

Victory is host to many amazing programmes including a Paws visit for children to learn how to handle and respect dogs.

Our amazing tutor Tania has set up her own class blog for her CIH parents to use: http://computersinhomesnelson.blogspot.co.nz

Project Update

Di’s previous Computers in Homes Pilots have been amalgamated into the new regions, with Waiheke becoming part of Auckland CIH with Cara Sefuiva. Cara is currently beginning the Rejuvenation family surveys and warrants of fitness on the computers. Cara has a vast area from Franklin to Northcote, and Waitakere to Tamaki, so has long waiting lists of eager schools.

Cara Sefuvia

Hutt City schools Pomare and Tui Glen are now part of Wellington region with Briar Kopa, and Pomare School hosts the new Wellington CIH Steering Committee. The region covers Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt cities, and Briar’s new schools for 2011-12 are Berhampore, Petone Central and Taita College. 

Briar at Tui Glen with Hon Tariana Turia

Palmerston North took off like a rocket and has grown to become Manawatu / Horowhenua under the stewardship of Sarah Lee-Rautahi. Terrace End, Roslyn and Somerset Crescent have been joined by Monrad Intermediate. And next year a second Monrad intake, Awatapu College and St Joseph’s Levin will complete by June.

Sarah with InspireNet team

Please see their CIH Regional Blogs which will now record all activity in these areas.

Di Das has also been working with the Correspondence School Te Kura, to extend services to students who are studying outside school. A team effort between Computers in Homes and our hardware supplier RemarkIT Solutions in Wellington has seen CIH sponsor 4 workstations into the Highbury Whanau Centre and RemarkIT sponsor 12 laptops for student and tutor use. Their Youth Worker and tutor Sandra Carroll is over the moon about our donation and says this will make a world of difference to her students.

Alistair Fraser of Wanganui CIH has also been helping Te Kura families get on board with digital literacy via the Whanganui Learning Centre. We have had other enquiries from Dannevirke, and our work to support Te Kura will continue as more and more of their teaching modules go online.

New Pilots 2011-2012

Coromandel 

Di visited Coromandel Area School and Tapu School in October to arrange the CIH rollout for Term 1 2012. Everyone is really excited and Tapu School appreciates the opportunity to be involved as they are so small with only 13 students. They have identified 3 families without computer or internet and Coromandel Area School has kindly relinquished 3 spaces for them. Coromandel will now train 22 families although they have identified around 40 eligible. So we will have to see what we can do for them in the future! Happy to also report that our Waikato CIH team is arranging CIH for 10 families in Thames via the local Beneficiaries Support Trust. Their families will train at Wintec. So we are making inroads into more remote communities that are often passed by, and what a beautiful drive to get there. Waikato CIH have also worked with Paeroa and Te Aroha schools so check out their blog.

Coromandel Area School

Tapu School

Tapu School

Nelson 

Di has had a close relationship with Victory School in Nelson since 2006 through the Refugee Computers in Homes programme for Burmese, Chin, Nepali, Bhutanese and Kayan families. Principal Mark Brown, CIH liaison Dianne Goodwin and Di have often thought it would be great to extend the opportunity to other Victory families. In 2010 Victory Village received the families Commission Award for Best NZ Community, and this year 2011 Victory School hosted a national conference the Victory Village Forum, so the time seemed right to push for funding a CIH pilot intake. We have installed a new 10-pod for training all CIH families. Refugee families are training now, with other due to begin 1^st Term 2012.

Nelson graduation. Chin dance

Nelson graduation

Nelson graduation. Di Das, Mark Brown and a participant Nepali family

Nelson

Palmerston North

10 proud parents and excited children attended graduation at Roslyn School on 19 May. Special thanks to tutor Kylie and to Malcolm from Terrace End who is taking on the tech support at both schools. Great community spirit! Now we are beginning 12 families at Monrad Intermediate and have Awatapu College waiting in the wings. The groundswell has begun in Palmerston North, my old stamping ground from teacher’s college days, longer ago than I will admit.

Roslyn Graduates