The National Executive met last weekend, 8-9 April 2017, in
Wellington at Raroa Intermediate School. Below
is Part 2 of a two part summary of some of the discussions held at the meeting,
You can find Part 1 on the SLANZA website’s news page
Membership
As expected in conference year, there has been an increase in
membership, as evidenced in the number of invoices issued. To date, 76% of
member subscriptions have been paid. Thank you, your timely contribution is
appreciated. Please
note that unpaid membership fees for 2017, $60 per person, are OVERDUE.
Financial Report
We have a healthy budget and are looking at options for spending
some of this on strengthening our organisation.
Conference Grants
Book Protection Products have been a substantial supporter of
SLANZA regional professional development for many years. This year each
region’s $500 grant will be allocated to assist members to attend the Auckland
conference. In addition, National Executive will top up this amount by $1,500,
therefore increasing the grant allocated to each region to $2,000. This grant
money must be used exclusively for assisting members to attend conference.
Please contact your regional representatives for more information or to apply
for funding.
Conference
National Executive would like to acknowledge the fantastic job
the Auckland Conference Committee are doing. Holding a conference is a huge
task that falls to just a few volunteer members, yet it provides valuable
professional development and networking opportunities for approximately a third
of our members.
Have you registered yet? Too expensive for your school? Senior
leadership may be more amenable if you secure a SLANZA Conference grant towards
costs. Consider applying for grant money and take advantage of this quality
professional development opportunity. See the conference
website
for the programme, speakers, registration and more.
SLANZA Awards
Call for nominations for SLANZA awards to recognise excellence,
success and achievement within school libraries are now open. Criteria for each
award can be found on the Awards Page on the SLANZA website. Please send nominations with all the
required documentation to admin@slanza.org.nz no
later than Thursday, June 1, 2017. Awards will be presented at the upcoming National Conference in
Auckland.
Professional Development
The Google+ community has grown to 165 members, up
from 111 members from the same time last year. Term one’s monthly discussion
entitled Self Censorship and the School Library, was instigated by the
SLANZA Professional Development team in response to a Listserv discourse at the
end of 2016. This pd challenged all participants to reflect on their library
practices, and the resulting conversations added depth and understanding to the
contentious issue. Twenty-five members actively contributed but members who
followed along reading the articles and responses gained valuable knowledge to
better serve their school communities. These discussion threads remain open if
you would like to catch up on some
professional reading over the holidays. Keep an eye out for the Term 2
discussion.
Once again, the Connected Online
Learning PD team responded to topical issues and offered a module on Digital
Literacy and Fake News. Thirty-four members actively participated which is
the biggest cohort to date, well done those members who have taken this opportunity to further
their learning through SLANZA. There was lots of stimulating discussion and critical thinking going
on. In addition, these modules provide a space to build collegiality and gather
like-minded learners to follow on your pln (personal learning network).
Issue 20 of SLANZA’s online magazine Collected
will focus on conferences, SLANZA and non-SLANZA conferences. We welcome
articles on special experiences, inspiring speakers or workshops, on how to
make the most of the opportunities, professional development and collegiality
of the event. Call for submissions opened yesterday and will close on May 15th.
Please consider submitting articles or reviews to collected@slanza.org.nz; Collected is your magazine and we want
to hear your voice.
We are also seeking volunteer book reviewers
and proofreaders of articles and reviews. We would really appreciate your
support in helping to edit your magazine. If you would
be willing to help out, please contact collected@slanza.org.nz
Outside Agencies
Since our last committee meeting National
Executive has had meetings and/or ongoing discussions with LIANZA, the Open
Polytechnic and the National Library. Maintaining relationships with associated
national professional organisations is important for our credibility as a
professional organisation. These connections help us provide and support you,
our members, with more opportunities than SLANZA alone may be able to provide.
Jackson
Ertel, Open Polytechnic, discussing the iQualify platform with NE, Raroa
Intermediate.
National Executive wishes you a Happy Easter
and safe holidays after a long school term.
Julia Smith
Communications
