Week 6 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

It’s been a busy time here at DPS over the week with plenty on offer for the children! We had an Outdoor Classroom afternoon last week…another opportunity to get outside, and do some learning. Rimu had a wee adventure to Millenium Reserve last week as a part of that outdoor afternoon. The school held its Cross Country on Friday…another cool event. Lots of parent feedback around how positive it was, how much fun the children had, and how hard they pushed themselves. We now have a healthy crew heading to the Interschool competition. This week Kōwhai also headed off to Millenium Reserve, and today we are filming clips for our upcoming Apple Distinguished School re-application!

It’s the richness of these (and all the other) opportunities that make this place pretty awesome for the kids. Reading, Writing and Maths are super important…but the other stuff is what makes the place vibrant, engaging, fun…something to look forward to! The smiles and laughter, the look on faces when going to new areas, the cheers and support at events (and the fun dressing up!) as well as the breaks from normal, routine class life (although I reckon our normal class life is pretty amazing as well!). Deep down all teachers know, that no matter how great that reading lesson was, how much progress was made…deep down we know that children won’t remember that in years to come. They will however remember how they felt, they will remember the events and they will remember the people. So as well as having great academic lessons…we need to also be providing an environment that has great people, engaging events and providing a place where they feel empowered. I’m clearly biased…but I reckon we do this well here. My own two children are at the school…and as a parent, I know they are in great hands, doing great things, and will have great memories in the future of their primary school days ALONGSIDE being well set up academically for the rest of their school experience after DPS.

Extra-long Weekend!

King's Birthday this weekend, so no school on Monday. And we are closed on Tuesday as well, along with the Masterton schools, for a shared teacher only day at Wairarapa College. This will be our first Teacher Only Day this year, with the possibility of another later in the year.

As always…we appreciate your support of these days, and hopefully tacking it onto a long weekend makes it a bit easier to manage.

Reporting to Whānau

We are still chipping away at this mahi…trying to make sense of it all, and have a coherent system in place for the end of this term!

One of the jobs at the moment is…how do we assign one of the new labels to children? The labels and their definitions are below. At first glance they make sense…but the trick comes when you start to try work out the difference between them. What does ‘meeting many’ expectations look like to use the label ‘Consolidating’? Everyone makes progress…is that enough to be ‘Developing’? And the way ‘Proficient’ is described…it sort of sounds like the child needs to have mastered all their year level content (which is a big ask).

These are the sorts of questions we are working through, as are other schools across the country. One main aim is for consistency…consistency between our teachers, and our teaching teams.

writing from mrs ryan's homeclass

We have been writing to entertain. We have been learning how to write limerick poems.

Here’s a few we would like to share:

There once was a girl named Lily

Who was very, very silly.

She fell out of bed

And bonked her head.

Now she thinks her name is Milly.

Lily McKenzie

There once was a dog

Who liked standing in a bog.

He made such a mess

That his owners put him in a dress

And made him stand on a log.

Toby Wishnowsky-Gray and Brock Wilton

There once was a horse

Who liked licking tomato sauce.

She got so big

She had to wear a wig,

And now she is stuck in gorse.

Maddie Lister

pie orders

REMINDER: Pie orders can be collected tomorrow, Friday, 29 May, from the school hall from 3:00pm, unless you receive a notification on Hero advising that your order is ready for pickup sooner.

Thank you so much for your support - it is greatly appreciated by the FoDPS team.

whats on at dps

lucky book club

A reminder that all Lucky Book Club orders need to be submitted by Friday, 5th June!

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

Some Dates for your Calendar

Monday June 1st - Kings Birthday, no school

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

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.