Week 5 NEWSLETTER

Reporting to Whānau

We are making some progress on how we are going to report to whānau at the end of this term. It has been, and continues to be, a bit of a struggle. The guidance from the Ministry wasn’t what schools were expecting…so we are all scrambling to make sense of it, and to have decent systems in place when we share with you. 

We know we have 5 words to choose from to apply to a child…Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient and Exceeding. We know that Consolidating/Proficient and Exceeding at this time of year means the children are doing well. 

What is less clear is how to apply these labels. 

Historically schools reported on a child's learning journey across the curriculum levels.…it built over time, they were assigned a ‘curriculum level’, and these matched an expectation for an age. Parents knew how their child was going against expectations and progress over time was visible. 

Now…we are expected to report on a Year Level. So we are not looking across a child's learning journey…we are just looking at their current year level, and applying a label Emerging through to Exceeding. 

This is different…and to us, despite what we are being told, it doesn’t actually seem to be very clear at all. At this stage you won’t see how your child is doing overall across their time at school…you will just see how well they are going for their year level. 

Confused?

So are we a bit…but we have made some decent progress getting our heads around it, and I’m starting to feel confident that we have a workable approach. 

We still plan on holding a whānau evening to explain a lot of these changes…likely to be in Week 10…June 22 - 26th, we will confirm a date later.

Beat Station!

This is going well across the school, each class getting a 30 minute music lesson each week. Some of the senior kids have graduated onto the ukulele which is super cool. The resource from the Beat Station has made it fairly simple and engaging for the children…and I’ve seen lots of happy faces in the lessons. 

Cross Country

We are all set for tomorrow! Come on down and support the children as they complete their cross country for 2026, they do love heading back into the finish running past all their peers, their whānau and staff…big smiles. Races start at approx 11am, so be here before then to catch all the action!

Reminder: Teacher Only Day Tuesday June 2nd

Just a reminder that all of the local schools, primary and secondary, are closed Tuesday June 2nd. As one of the organisers I’m stoked with how the day is looking, and excited to get everyone in the same place, hearing the same thing. Thanks for your support. 

In Room 2 we have been focusing on alliteration poems - check out some of our work so far.

• Lovely lions love licking lollipops - Zaylee

• Willow went whale watching with William - Dane

• Great generous Greg gasped at the glowing ghost. - Amaia

• Milla made Maisy make magical marshmallow muffins for magical Maddie - Zoey

• The Terrific Tyrese terminated the Terminator - Tyrese

• Fiona fainted on flowers - Emily

• Noa named a Narwal Nathan - Maisy

• Amaia ate an aggressive alligator - Hildred

• Elephants eat eggs eagerly - Milla

• John joked jokes to Joe - Deegan

• Mighty Maddie made marvelous melting muffins - AJ

• Ruby ruined running, ranting and rocking - Keith

• Flies found fresh fruit - Ruby

• An anteater ate the ant - Ira-jane

• Tineka tried to tie the terrific tiger but the terrific tiger tried to turn tail.

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

Some Dates for your Calendar

Friday 22nd May - School Cross Country

Monday June 1st - Kings Birthday, no school

Tuesday June 2nd - Townwide Teacher Only Day, no school

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 

All school teams and draws will be posted on Hero.