As the middle east conflict proceeds there will be many implications for schools and communities. This page is designed to help you prepare and respond.
Our aim is to make something that is easy to use and actually makes a difference, and we will continue adding useful features as necessary should the shortages escalate. If you have other ideas to contribute, please let us know.
Prepare and know your school capability:
- Identify who is likely to be most affected by creating an ‘at-risk’ travel list
- Export from your SMS the postcodes students reside in, and the percentage of the roll this is
- Map where people are located and how they travel – EV vs fossil fuel vehicles, distance to travel (larger schools may need to survey staff)
- Consider working from home for some roles if feasible – see leadership considerations below
- Reduce unnecessary travel – eg. non-essential meetings go virtual
- Check readiness for hybrid learning – devices, staff capability, communication plan, alternatives to technology
- Check/tighten security of physical assets – fuel storage, caretaking and IT, etc
- List community organisations to engage with or share to community
- ‘Light’ communication – point community to MBIE and other Ministry of Education updates, encourage people to consider carpooling
- Leadership considerations:
- Privacy implications – carefully consider issues relating to anyone sharing personal information via school-shared documents (see tutorials below).
Creating an ‘at risk’ list; be careful not to make people feel vulnerable or breach their privacy when creating this list. - Changing release schedules – be aware that poorly implemented changes (eg. to CRT, etc.) may have implications down the track; be careful in how any necessary changes are communicated and consider doing this with Board approval as a temporary measure if required. Get advice if unsure.
- Rising costs – start monitoring increases in costs; these may affect decision making down the track.
- Privacy implications – carefully consider issues relating to anyone sharing personal information via school-shared documents (see tutorials below).
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Create a school community travel map
This easy to use mapping tool will enable you to quickly create a useful visual designed to help you, your team and your school community navigate the predicted upcoming fuel shortages. For example, you might want to suggest staff car pool based on location or encourage them to use public transport. Highlight bus stops and/or protected cycleways.
Use Google My Maps and the Google Sheet template below to create a Google Map showing where staff/community live to inform decision making.
Follow these steps:
- Export the address data from your SMS (name, address 1, suburb, city, region, postcode)
- Take a copy of this Google Sheet template by clicking here
- Delete the existing sample data in cells A2:G2
- Paste your address data into cells in your spreadsheet
- To delete the example data in row 2, click in cell H2 and copy the entire formula. Then delete row 2 completely
- Click again in cell H2 (which should now have your school data in it and be the top row of data in your sheet) and paste the copied formula in
* This will calculate and create a ‘full address’ for each row of data beneath
* Note this is only necessary if your SMS cannot export a full postal address - Go to mymaps.google.com and create a new map
- Import the spreadsheet template as a layer in your map, selectinging the column ‘full address’ as the geographic location for each person
Please note:
- this is intended to be an internal planning tool for the school
- here is the example map created in this tutorial
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
Now you have your Google Map showing where staff/community live you can create a travel to school route on the map. Follow these steps:
- Under the search bar of your map, click the ‘draw a line’ button which will create a new layer in your map
- From here, click on the map to trace your travel route
- Name the layer if you wish to make it easy for people to know it is for them
Please note:
- this is intended to be an internal planning tool for the school
- here is the example map created in this tutorial
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
Use these templates to create a published Google Doc or Google Sheet for families to self-organise carpooling, shared bike and walking routes to school.
Make sure you change the instructions to suit your school context and cover off the privacy aspects:
- Google Doc version – designed for smaller schools
- Google Sheet version – designed for larger schools, this one has a few more instructions:
- Please note:
Make sure you cover off the privacy considerations for people sharing their information on any document you publish to your community – see the instructions on the document and adjust accordingly before sharing.
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
Create a dashboard to monitor key changes
This dashboard is designed to help you keep your Board in the loop as you make decisions and respond to the evolving situation. For example, if operational costs change dramatically, or staff become unavailable, or the impact of moving to a hybrid and/or remote learning delivery.
These options for creating a dashboard can be adapted to any situation and can be tailored to suit your school and Board.
This simple dashboard is created using a Google Doc that is shared to your Board once you have customised it. Note this is a simple process, you just have to decide what information you need and how to format it nicely.
Follow these steps:
- Copy the Google Doc template here
- Decide what types of information you wish to include in it and who can provide it to you (eg your accountant may be able to provide a report showing certain costs you wish to monitor)
- Delete the example text from each box
- Go to Share > General access settings and share it to the internet as either view or comment access
- Send the link to your board, or link it to your board intranet or report
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
This dashboard uses a Google Doc that is linked to a Google Sheet. This creates an interactive, semi-dynamic dashboard that you can update when data in the spreadsheet changes. Note this method requires some spreadsheeting skills.
Follow these steps:
- Take a copy of this Google Doc template here
- Take a copy of this Google Sheet template here
- Place both files into the same folder.
- Decide what data you would like to display in your dashboard, and customise the spreadsheet accordingly (this step requires the most work!).
- Once you are happy with the graph of each piece of data, click the three dots top right corner of the chart (graph) and choose Copy.
- Click in the box in your Google Doc template and paste the chart, choosing ‘Pasted linked to the spreadsheet’. This will create a dynamic chart inside your Google Doc.
- When data is updated in your spreadsheet, the Google Doc will show you a swirl to click to update the chart.
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
This dashboard uses a Google Sheet that has graphs in it which are embedded into a Google Site. The site is published privately to your School Board.
Alternatively, use the Google Doc template in option 1, and embed this in your Google Site.
This creates an interactive, dynamic dashboard that you can update when data in the spreadsheet changes. Note this method requires some spreadsheeting and Google Sites skills, as well as for your school to have a private portal site for your Board.
Follow these steps to embed your live spreadsheet data in your Google Site:
- Take a copy of this Google Sheet template here
- Decide what data you would like to display in your dashboard, and customise the spreadsheet accordingly (this step requires the most work!).
- Once you are happy with the graph of each piece of data, publish these charts in your Google Site on the relevant page.
- When data is updated in your spreadsheet, the Google Site will show you a swirl to click to update the chart.
[16 April: video and template to come shortly…]
If you need help please get in touch with Rob – 021 590 572 or [email protected]
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