Newsletter


Week 1 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

Welcome Back!

So awesome to be back at school, and to have some of our COVID restrictions lifted! We’ve kept the main important ones of course…the welfare and safety of our people comes first…but seeing the playground full again, seeing old mates catchup who haven’t really seen each other this year and seeing the smiles from the children interacting with different staff has been very positive. Pōwhiri tomorrow for our new staff and students, always a great way to kick off the term…and to start building those Powerful Relationships that we know are so vital for learning.

‘Orange’ at DPS

All the systems we have put in place have kicked in seamlessly, very appreciative of the community's support. Mask wearing has been excellent…and so important as we head into these winter months (and with the border now open). I thought this article in the Spinoff was an excellent read, and highlights why DPS is carrying on with our strong mask wearing culture.

“Some schools are ahead of the game, and are keeping masks just a bit longer, through winter. It’s easier, after all, to keep a good habit in place, than to take it away and have to put it back.”

As shared before we know that masks have worked wonders at school…the difference in infection rates between the two senior teams and the two junior teams is very stark…masks work.

As you can see below cases for the Wairarapa have dropped, but haven’t gone away. COVID is still circulating in the community, and mask wearing is a strong defence against infection (and reinfection).

Give-a-Little

A member of our school community has received some unfortunate news, and I’d just like to use this opportunity to promote a way to offer them some support. Aimee has a child here at DPS, and unfortunately has been given the news that she has a form of cancer and has to undergo an intensive treatment programme.

Aimee is a lovely supportive Mum to her DPS child, her other children, and clearly this turn of events has had (and will continue to have) a big effect not just on Aimee, but her wider whānau. If you are able and want to contribute, the link to the page is here.

We wish Aimee all the best for the journey ahead, and are thoughts are with her whānau as well during this.


Non-Uniform Day

Friday this week our councillors are organising the first non-uniform fundraising day at DPS for the year…with a twist! We are after some more supplies for the maker learning that happens across the school so on Friday bring along either some maker supplies (list below), or a gold coin. Councillors will also be selling ice-blocks for $1.

ANZAC Day Dawn Service

Great to see our councillors out in force for the Dawn Service this year. A great way to pay tribute, and to pause and reflect on how lucky we are to live in such a great country. Eliza and Elise, our two Lead Councillors, laid a wreath on behalf of our school community. The service at the Cenotaph in town was great, and particularly timely with the conflict happening over in Ukraine.

Well done Eliza!

Eliza entered a competition last term to design a logo for the new mountain bike park currently being installed in Lansdowne…and won! Eliza wins herself a bike, and gets to see her logo come to life at the park. The club said this about the design:

We thought Eliza's design was really well done, it complemented our signage and had a great image of a bike in the centre


Well done Eliza, awesome to see your creativity in action!

Naming Uniform

Just another reminder…please name all of your school uniform items. At this time of year it is chilly in the mornings, but warms up. Children wear their fleece jackets to school, and then as the day gets on they take them off…and they tend to leave them where they took them off (playground, field, wheels area, deck). A Size 8 unnamed fleece jacket looks identical to another Size 8 unnamed jacket, and makes sorting out ownership a nightmare. 5 minutes with a vivid…writing names in several places on the inside of items would save a lot of angst for kids, staff and parents!


Upcoming Dates

We have 3 short weeks at school this term that you need to be aware of:

  • Week 6: Monday 6th June is Queen’s Birthday Weekend

  • Week 7: Friday 17th June is a Teacher Only Day for all the Masterton Primary Schools

  • Week 8: Friday 24th June is the new Matariki public holiday

writing - councillors

ANZAC DAY


6:00AM in the morning many were getting ready for the commemoration of ANZAC day. Hundreds of people came to celebrate the men that sacrificed their lives for New Zealand. The people at the front read the names of those who sacrificed themselves for New Zealand to remember those that came from Masterton. We sang with the Masterton brass band. The darkness made the day more somber. They talked about the lost ones for over an hour making every minute even sadder. Lest We Forget.


-Austyn and Liam


ANZAC DAY!


At 5.45am 7 Councillors met Mr Sinton and Mr V across the road from the park. We were there to represent Douglas Park School at Queen Elizabeth Park for the Anzac dawn service. We walked across the road and walked with other schools up to the Cenotaph that is in the rose gardens. We sang some songs and listened to people talk about remembering people in the war. In the main speech the air cadet talked about the 14th Masterton battalion who were pilots in WW2. My Dad’s Great Uncle was one of these men in that group and he fought in the Guatalua Canel for five years. The two lead councillors Elise Polley and I (Eliza Price) laid a wreath on behalf of Douglas Park School underneath the cenotaph.

By Eliza Price

Cross Country

Our DPS School Cross Country will be held on Friday 27th May (Postponement date: Friday 3rd June).

Parents are welcome so put the date in your calendar! More details will come out soon.

Sport

Order subway for delivery this friday - online or at the office

Community notices