• Maximise opportunities to raise awareness of the resource at the time of the launch in August 2009 when all schools will receive their new resource
• Ensure that strategies are put in place both nationally and by CDEM Groups to encourage and support the ongoing use of the resource in all schools

• The resource will be sent with a cover letter from the MCDEM Director outlining the purpose of the resource and encouraging schools to utilise the resource. We recommend you send a letter or email to all schools in your district/city to reinforce the national mailout. A personalised follow up letter or email from you either before or after the resource reaches schools is a great opportunity to engage directly with your schools. You may wish to offer any of the suggested services listed below, depending on your budget and/or staff availability.
• A double-sided one page flyer (see below) is available on the website that summarises what the resource is all about and how to use it etc. You could attach the flyer in your correspondence.
• Articles in your local newspapers/newsletters are always helpful to promote any new resource. Some teachers may not have seen or heard about the arrival of the new resource and this kind of promotion will make them ask questions at school on the whereabouts of this new resource. Also an opportunity to promote your district/city website for the public to visit.Suggested copy and articles are available in the WTPS Toolkit page on the MCDEM website.
• Advertising opportunities. MCDEM has advertised nationally in the Starters and Strategies schools publication and will have an ad in the August Education Gazette. You could try and negotiate affordable rates with your local publications. Advertisement templates are offerd on the WTPS toolkit page on the MCDEM website under public education.
• The distribution of this resource in August in your school community provides an opportunity to get together with representatives from other services such as NZ Fire service Police, Red Cross, StJohn to discuss working together on the promotion of this resource. (If you have not already established a committee to discuss Disaster Awareness Week in October, the launch of this resource may be worthwhile considering and discussing a few promotion opportunities to recognize both events).
• Teachers AND students love competitions. But keep it simple! A simple drawing to colour in always works. Display entries in your office foyer. Prizes could be emergency supplies (or also very popular is money for library books) for the winning schools Poster design competitions too are popular. Provide a theme ( e.g. “Why everyone needs a torch beside their bed” or “correct EQ safe position under the school desk and why”) for teachers to encourage their students to think about what to do.
• Invite teachers and kids to come to the Emergency Management Office on a field trip. The volume of visits could be managed through a schedule to suit the Emergency Management Office, and you can do this by providing a range of days and times for schools to make a booking. The benefit of this is you've got their attention on your turf and WTPS can be launched to a captive audience. Kids like to see how equipment works, check out civil defence gear, etc so a tour of the facility will probably appeal as a reward for listening.

• Teacher support: Please do not hesitate to contact our District Council Office to speak to your local Emergency Management Officer/ Civil Defence Officer (or other appropriate title for your district/city) regarding any Civil Defence matters or inquiries you may have about information in the resource. Note: We request that any inquiries come directly from teachers as unfortunately, we are not able to field a large number of inquiries from students to complete projects.
• Your local Civil Defence Officer would be happy to attend a staff meeting to discuss local Civil Defence matters such as hazards specific to your location, warning systems, location of welfare centres etc.
• Your local Civil Defence Officer would be happy to attend a meeting with the school principal and/or Board of Trustees to further explain response procedures in case of an emergency and how your school premises may be utilized to support the community in need as well as discuss your schools’ emergency policy.
• Your local CDO will be happy to provide advice/information should you decide to conduct a Civil Defence exercise with your students (e,g, attend a planning meeting).
• Due to the number of school in our city/district it is not possible to offer a visit to a classroom, however we would be most happy to present a 10 minute informative talk to your students on Civil Defence matters at an assembly.

• Waikato Valley - Hamilton City/Waipa/Otorohanga/Waitomo
• Thames Coromandel
• Rodney
• Rotorua
• Kawerau
• Wanganui
• Tararua
• Lower Hutt City
• Ruapehu
• Palmerston North City
• Waitaki
• Invercargill City
• Buller
• Grey
• Westland
• Selwyn
• MacKenzie

To download: right-click and image and select ''save picture as".

Promotional flyer
A four-page A5 promotional flyer has been developed which can be downloaded (1.6 MB PDF) and photocopied double-sided on an A4 sheet.

Articles/Editorial
Suggested text that you can use in relevant communications/publications/websites to describe/ promote the resource. More detail on the resource is available on the WTPS synopsis page.

What's The Plan Stan? Revised edition 2009
Background
Earthquakes, floods, storms, volcanic eruptions, tsunami and non-natural hazards all have the potential to cause significant damage in New Zealand. While we cannot prevent such disasters, it is important that we understand them, what they can do, and the steps we can take to ensure we are prepared.

Experience around the world has shown that where people are aware of the risks around them and plan their response, the injuries, damage and subsequent trauma are significantly reduced. Involving students in an educational programme that focuses on disasters will help them to prepare and give them the skills to act in a safe manner when a disaster occurs. Their increased awareness and understanding of the risks may also prompt their parents and families to be better prepared.

Summary of resource
What’s the Plan Stan? is a teaching resource for primary and intermediate schools which has been developed with the support of teachers and civil defence staff in New Zealand. This resource is aimed at promoting understanding and planning for disasters, and provides teachers with curriculum-linked ideas and activities to include in their teaching programmes.The resource has been revised to align with the new NZ Curriculum which takes effect in 2010. The new resource will be distributed to all primary and intermediate schools in early August 2009. The mailout will take place in the first two weeks in August.
The 2009 revised edition of What’s the Plan Stan?:

• is aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum
• incorporates an inquiry approach model
• includes up-to-date disaster information
• includes a wider range of practice scenarios
• reflects current best practice of what to do before, during and after a disaster.