OCT Learning Impact Fund gathering momentum, first Innovation Fund awarded

Media Release

The Otago Community Trust Learning Impact Fund starts to gather momentum. The Trust launched its new Learning Impact Fund on 1 April 2017 with the aim to encourage new thinking and collaboration. 

The Fund has been delivered in two tranches, the $1.5million $for$ fund and a separate Innovation Fund.  Each fund has been set up as a three-year programme to help assist projects which support the education of Otago’s young people.

Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger said since its inception in April the Trust has received five expressions of interest with respect to the Innovation Fund.

“Two were returned as they did not fit the criteria of the fund, two are at present under review and we are delighted to announce that earlier in the week Trustees approved a $310,000 donation to support the Dunedin based Hills Cluster Project based learning initiative” Bridger announced. 

Simon Clarke Principal from Kaikorai Primary School said, “the ethos of the Hills Cluster project is to equip students with future focused skills and attitudes so that they may be successful lifelong learners.”

The Hills Cluster Innovation Fund will go towards introducing and building a constructivist approach to learning whereby students will learn by investigating and responding to authentic challenges.

This project builds upon work that Kaikorai Primary School and Balmacewen Intermediate have been piloting with students and teachers.  This pilot will be extended to the five schools within the Hills Cluster -  Balmacewen Intermediate, Kaikorai Primary School, Maori Hill School, Wakari School and Halfway Bush School.

Clarke said that “the Hill’s Cluster Principals are very excited about this opportunity to collaborate with the Otago Community Trust.  The fund will provide the right blend of hands on resources for the students and professional development opportunities for all of the 85 teachers within the cluster.”

Bridger explains that the Trust’s $1.5million $for$ fund is also tracking along well, albeit slower than we first anticipated. To date the Otago Community Trust has donated $175,508.50 to 22 Otago schools from this fund, covering a range of activities from mathematics programmes, IT equipment, robotics to programme specific reading materials.

“Schools applying to this fund must have 50% of the project cost available at the time of application, therefore we know a lot of schools are still fundraising before applying to the Trust” she said.  

 

Otago Community Trust Community Learning Impact Fund Donations to Date
Innovation Fund
Dunedin	Hills Cluster	310,000
$for$ Fund
Alexandra	Dunstan High School	19,974
Balclutha	Clutha Valley Primary School	1,672
	Kaitangata Primary School	1,986
	Waiwera South School	597
Dunedin	Balaclava School	11,840
	Big Rock Primary School	2,206.50
	Fairfield School	19,650
	George Street Normal School	12,415
	Halfway Bush Primary School	1,445
	King's High School	28,779
	Logan Park High School	11,438
	Macandrew Bay School	5,579
	Mornington School	5,423
	North East Valley Normal School	5,942
	Port Chalmers School	5,100
	Sawyers Bay School	2,200
	St Bernadette's School	8,100
Milton	Tokoiti Primary School	3,000
Mosgiel	Outram School	2,772
Oamaru	Maheno School	885
	Waitaki Boys High School	22,950
Roxburgh	Millers Flat School	1,555