Week 4 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

Last week I wrote about the opportunities that are available to children at school, linking this to the ‘Explore’ part of our school vision. A couple more examples of this to share today

The Kahikatea team have been doing their student inquiry into mokomoko (native lizard). The children have learnt about them, their habitats and the conservation effort around them. They brought Sam Ludden into school to learn more, and also to create clay mokomoko sculptures. Alongside this they have been learning about persuasive writing, how to write effectively to convince someone about your ideas. And…they have also been learning how to use iMovie on the iPads.

Yesterday our Kahikatea students got to put their learning about mokomoko into action at Solway Reserve…and not only that, it has become a cool culmination of all of their learning. They got on the bus, headed to the reserve…spent time down there looking for mokomoko, hearing from our student tracking and trapping team, hearing from TA Joe about his mahi down there, and while there they filmed a bunch of clips on the iPads. And the cool part is…over the next little while they will be combining their knowledge of mokomoko, their skill of persuasive writing and their ability to create little movies to make a short film convincing people to look out for, and care about mokomoko!

That is a rich piece of learning…science, reading, writing, art, digital technologies, oral language…with a trip thrown into the mix, and a chance to do some good for our local community. This is the kind of rich learning we strive to provide for the students of DPS…learning that is connected, that is relevant, that is engaging and connects us to our community.

But that isn’t all folks…this week the radio team recorded their latest podcast with Arrow FM. This group of students work away at developing both the content, and the hosting skills, and when Arrow FM comes in they get the chance to put it into action. Whaea Deb does a great job at organising the children…and the content is always entertaining. The previous episode contained a running theme of Dad jokes which were hilarious! Pretty awesome that students get this kind of opportunity…not only the chance to make a podcast, but the chance to share their learning to a wide audience. You can download and listen to the latest podcast here.

And..also, also…this week we had the ‘Ministry of Inspiration’ come to school, an engineer called Connor, to work with our two Aquabot teams. These children have to construct a robotic submarine themselves, learn how to use it…then will compete soon in a local competition. I love the fact that the children are hands-on, building their own vehicle (with the help of Connor and Mrs Harkness). What an awesome opportunity for these guys!

Teacher Only Day - Not far off!

Make sure you have marked Tuesday 3rd June on your calendars, no school that day. Almost all the local schools are closing, including all of the secondary schools. We are gathering at Wairarapa College for a day of learning. I’m one of the organisers, and the lineup for teachers is looking great…experts in maths, in artificial intelligence, in innovation, in literacy, in digital learning, in trauma-informed teaching and in leadership.

Thank you for your support of this day. We will have one more teacher only day this year, but the date is TBC.

Reminder: Teacher Only Day Tuesday June 3rd

Just a reminder that all of the local schools, primary and secondary, are closed Tuesday June 3rd as we are getting all of the town’s educators together for a day of learning. 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.

Key Dates

King's Birthday: Monday, June 2nd
Townwide Teacher Only Day: Tuesday, June 3rd
Matariki Public Holiday: Friday, 20th June
Last day of Term: Friday, 27th June

What's happening at DPS?

School Leaders for SPORT

Writing - Mr Josh's homeclass

So far this term, we have been learning how to write persuasively. We began by learning to state our opinion, then moved on to using 'because' to justify our opinion or point, and finally, we have been learning to create digital posters designed to persuade.

I like watermelon because they are juicy. - By Darius

I like pears because they are juicy. - By Taye

I like apples because they are crunchy. - By Billie

I like apples because they are juicy. - By Jock

You should eat watermelon because it is good for you. - By Mātai

You should eat bananas because they are healthy. - By Marika

You should eat pasta because it gives you energy. - By Lola

You should eat rice because it is good for energy. - By Kash

You should eat bread because it is good for energy. - By Destiny