Week 11 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

Our Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future

Last newsletter for the term…nearly 11 weeks done! I hope everyone enjoys a good break, and that you get the opportunity to connect and recharge with the children.

We held a Whānau Evening on Monday looking at both the new school curriculum, and the new reporting we are doing…so in the newsletter today I thought I would summarise what we covered.

I wanted to cover 3 main points on the night

That we are a great school
That things have changed in the curriculum (and that it is much harder)
That reporting will look different now

I’ll flesh these out briefly

We are a great school

We’ve recently re-applied for our Apple Distinguished Schools status…first awarded to us in 2023. Apple describes schools they choose as being ‘educationally excellent’, and that they are some of the ‘most innovative in the world’. Our video is below…but this is important as Apple is a world leading company, and they see us as a world leading school
The Education Review Office (ERO) came late last year…they are the government's independent review department that checks schools out. They said (among many positive things) that “Learners benefit from excellent quality teaching practice”. They have a 4 point rating scale with Excelling being the best…and they upgraded our ratings in Leadership, Curriculum, Teaching & Learning and Partnerships to Excelling. Pretty awesome. This is important as they review all NZ schools, and they considered us to be Excelling.
Our standardised test data is also awesome (schools now have to test twice a year)…we are above the average in Reading, Writing and Maths…with our Maths results once again being fantastic. 80% of our Year 6 children are at the national average or higher…that's great. Schools also have to do Phonics Checks now…at 20 Weeks and 40 Weeks. Last year nationally 53% of children were at expectation after 20 Weeks of schools. So far in 2026 at DPS we have 78% of our students at expectation or better…amazing. All this data shows that our students are doing fantastically academically.
Add all of this up…and the school is doing very well. Recognised internationally, recognised by ERO and our children perform awesome academically.

Things have changed in the Curriculum

- We have a new national curriculum, replacing the 2007 Curriculum. Two things of note -
- Firstly…it is much, much more detailed. In the 2007 version for English across primary school we were expected to teach/cover 83 Achievement Objectives and Indicators. In the new 2025 curriculum…that has risen to 263 knowledge and practice points. Not all of that is bad (having some clear detail is great) but it is a massive amount of content in comparison to the past
- Secondly…the bar has been raised, and the new curriculum is much harder in what it expects of children. The image below shows a comparison between the old 2007 Maths curriculum, and the new curriculum below it. You can see the equations in the colourful boxes have all been shifted to earlier in a child's learning…often 2 years lower. This has raised the bar a lot in terms of what children have to know and be able to do. The story is similar in Reading and Writing, but Maths is certainly been affected more

So what is the Impact?

I mentioned our Year 6 PAT Maths results earlier…80% of them doing very very well. NZCER (who create the PAT’s) has done a conversion from their test to the new curriculum…and our 80% of Year 6’s doing well becomes 37%...just 37%! I would happily stand here and claim that we are a high performing school when it comes to maths…but even us, even with our great test results…just 37% meet the demands of the new curriculum
BUT - the children have not gone backwards, their ability in Mathematics is still strong…rather, the goal posts have shifted. I used the analogy the other week of the drivers test…likely you drive now and have a license, but if I made you resit the test tomorrow but added in that you had to back an 18 wheel truck/trailer and strip an engine, chances are you wouldn’t do very well! It is not that you are no longer a good driver…but rather, what we are measuring is much harder!
This matters…we used to be able to report to 80% of whānau that your child was ‘on track’ and doing well…this is going to be lower

So what does Reporting look like now?

- Reports will come out today in HERO. They will contain:
- A teacher comment. This comment is about your child as a person and as a learner
- For Reading, Writing and Maths you will get a set of sliders showing how well your child is going against the component parts of each area. Each component is rated on a 5 point scale…Emerging, developing, consolidating, proficient or exceeding. The definitions of these are at the bottom of the report
- Each area will also have an Overall Descriptor, again using that 5 point scale
- You will also get attendance information for your child for the year to date. It will have a % present. The aim for all children is to be at school for 90% or more of the time (this is called regular attendance).

At the evening I stressed at the start that we are being very open and honest about all of this. It could be easy for me to hide the school behind its great test data for example…but the reality is we are doing our utmost to meet the demands of the new curriculum, and we wanted to make it clear that this is going to mean our results will look lower. I’ve been saying the same thing for nearly 2 years now…so I hope that it isn’t going to be a massive shock.

No matter what label your child has in their report…we teach this where they are, we teach them what they need next, and we strive to accelerate all learners to be as academically proficient as possible. But…alongside all of that…your child gets to learn in an incredibly creative, engaging environment that gives all children the chance to be successful each and every day. Being literate and numerate is important (and our results show that we value that highly), but being creative, being collaborative, being able to think critically and being able to motivate and drive your own learning…these things are also important. Being a great human, that's also important. Caring for our world and our fellow man…that is also important. I think the staff do an incredible job here…and I’m stoked that my own two boys are here and are getting the full benefit!

Reports will come out today, feel free to email through any questions that you might have. I’d love to know your thoughts: principal@douglaspark.school.nz. I hope the children have a great break, and we will see you all Monday 20th July for Term 3!

I made a ‘little’ recording of the presentation from the Whānau Evening…20 minutes long, but it covers a lot of ground. If you were unable to attend…have a watch!

friends of douglas park school (fodps) agm 2026

Save the date - Friends of Douglas Park School (FoDPS) AGM 2026

When? Wednesday 29 July

Where? DPS Staffroom

Time? 7:00pm

We would love to see any old, new, returning faces at our AGM.

We are a group of committed parents with our main focus being fundraising to support our wonderful kids at DPS. We work hard, but have fun too!

wellington regional cross country results

On Tuesday, our DPS Inter-School Cross Country winners competed at the Wellington Regional Cross Country Championships. Below are their fantastic results. Well done to you all on an amazing achievement!

Year 4 Girls - Remi Northcote - 13th place

Year 4 Girls - Lily Mckenzie - 43rd place

Year 4 Boys - Kiah Allen - 25th place

Year 5 Boys - Henry Henderson - 46th place

Year 6 Boys - Jaxon Tobin - 26th place

reminders

Stationery - Payment Reminder

We are very fortunate that our Board of Trustees subsidises stationery each year, helping to keep costs as low as possible for families. We kindly ask that all learners pay the $15.00 stationery contribution as soon as possible.

Payment can be made online to ASB 12-3290-0064275-00. Please include your child's name as the reference. Alternatively, payments can be made at the office via EFTPOS, or cash can be sent to the office in a clearly named envelope.

We appreciate your prompt payment, as this helps reduce follow-up. If you are experiencing any difficulties, please contact the office - we are happy to help.

Sports Fees - Reminder

If your child is participating in a sports team for Douglas Park School, please ensure the relevant sports fees are paid as soon as possible.

Payments can be made at the DPS office (cash or EFTPOS) or via online banking:

DPS Account: 12-3290-0064275-00

Reference: Child’s first name, last initial, and the sport they are playing

subway lunch available every friday - order online or at the school office

change of details

If you have recently moved house, had a change of phone number, or any other contact details of your child/children have changed, could you please let us know at the school office by calling in to see us, phoning us on (06) 370-0189, or sending an email to office@douglaspark.school.nz

Sports

All school teams and draws will be posted on Hero.

Community notices

The Bubble Spectacular | Sunday 5th July 11:00am - https://www.wairarapaec.co.nz/the-bubble-spectacular-sunday-5th-july-11am/

Enter the bubbly-brilliant world of Dr Hubble, as he presents The Bubble Spectacular – a fun-filled, out of this world, bubble-riffic show! Expect to be amazed as the ultimate master of bubbles, Dr Hubble, creates little bubbles, BIG bubbles, volcano bubbles, tornado bubbles, square bubbles and with a bit of his bubbly-magic, you might even end up inside a bubble!

This poppin’ bubble party, filled with laughter, audience participation and even a little burst of fiery bubbles, kids and their grown-ups will be left awe-struck as bubbles fly around the auditorium and take forms you’ve never seen before!

The Boy With Wings | Wednesday 8 July 11am - https://www.wairarapaec.co.nz/the-boy-with-wings-wednesday-8-july-11am/

A comic, touching, and environmental story using the ageless wonder of puppetry, live music and exquisite hand-crafted sets that magically unfold out of boxes, telling an epic fable of one young man’s life-altering journey. All this is set against the backdrop of a contemporary ornithological lecture on the miracle of the great migration of Kuaka (Bar-tailed Godwits).

As these fragile birds set out on their extraordinary journey from New Zealand to Alaska, watching them take to the sky in awe is Jack-the-Everyman, who is contemplating a journey of his own to seek the ‘treasure’ that will save his dying orchard.

Award-winning theatre company ‘Birdlife Productions’ promise laughter, tears and thrilling adventure, enticing us to ask the question; “how do we trust our inner map – how do we find our own wings?” Suitable for ages 5 to 95!

Tickets only $16 per person.

The Pantolooons: Alice In Wonderland | Tuesday 14 July 1:00pm - https://www.wairarapaec.co.nz/the-pantoloons-present-alice-in-wonderland-tuesday-14-july-100pm/

When curious Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she lands in the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland, where nothing makes sense and everything is wonderfully silly!

She meets the White Rabbit, the cheeky Khandallah Cat, and a host of oddball characters… all whispering about the terrifying Jabberwocky, who everyone is scared of, but no one has ever actually seen.

Meanwhile, the fiery Queen of Hearts is demanding jam tarts, ready to shout “Off with their heads!” at any moment!

With laughs, songs, and plenty of audience fun, Alice must navigate the madness, solve the mystery, and find her way home.