Week 8 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

Service Day Success! What an awesome day last Friday that saw all of our whānau classes taking action for others, giving back to the community and completing acts of service. Timely as well, with the passing of the Queen, when she turned 21 she gave a famous speech where she said:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

I think Friday’s acts of service would’ve lived up to her ideals. We had classes make and deliver games to West Kindy, donate to the children’s ward of the hospital, make thank you packages for local shop retailers, make kindness cards for Wairarapa College, make a start on creating a Pataka Kai, make thank you cards for staff, make a start on a community free library service, tidied the school gardens, tidied our local streets, painted rocks for children to find and even ran an onsite community coffee morning (got on the radio for that, great job Elise and Eliza).

What I liked most about the day was not only how proud the children were, but how well they could talk about what they were doing. The culture we are developing, the young people we are helping to develop is inspiring. Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

This week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, and also marks 50 years since a petition was delivered to parliament to ask for acknowledgement of Te Reo as an official language. We were lucky enough to be a part of a hikoi through the town centre led by Te Kura Kaupapa o Wairarapa to mark this event. Miss Eagle and some proud DPS Kids marched through the town centre, alongside members of the public, students and staff from Te Kura and Wairarapa College, singing waiata and being proud of this unique part of our country.

To mark the Māori Language moment we all gathered in the hall on Wednesday and the Rātā and Kahikatea kapahaka roopu performed for us. They were very impressive…but what was equally as cool was watching the Rimu and Kōwhai children singing along. We are super lucky to have Jimbo work with us each week…and all students From Year 2 up getting that weekly kapahaka experience. The language, the singing, the team work, the discipline, the rhythm, the coordination, the memory…the skillset that it brings is epic…but the big win is the enjoyment! Smiling happy faces. Only a few weeks until the Kōwhai Kapahaka, and the Senior Kapahaka represent the school at the local kapahaka festival…can’t wait to see them in action.

You can watch our Māori language moment here by clicking on the photo below

Upcoming Public holiday…and Camp!

With the Queen’s recent passing we have a one off public holiday coming up soon, Monday 26th September (the last week of term). So, school will not be open that day.

This has thrown a spanner in the works for camp…which was due to start that day. After a bit of scrambling we’ve been able to shift the camp dates to October 17 - 19 which is the first 3 days of next term. More information will come out to our Year 5/6 children heading to camp…but the full programme is still in place, just new dates! Glad that we were able to make this work.

Board of Trustees

First meeting was held with the new Board this week, and I can announce that Adam Hall is the new Presiding Member (Board Chairperson). I look forward to leading the school alongside Adam.

We were able to thank and farewell Waireka and Derek from the previous Board and I’ll take this chance to publicly acknowledge the hard mahi they have put in over the last 3 years. Waireka has been our Presiding Member across that time, and Derek was in charge of property. Waireka has steered us through the pandemic, leading with grace and support. And Derek has progressed a lot of building projects…all the ones that are just about to start! I’ve promised he can come back when the new admin space is open! Being on the Board is a real act of service…giving up your time and effort for the greater good of our school community, and as service is such a big part of who we are…Waireka and Derek can be seen as real role-models. Thanks once again.

Rosie Finishing

Tomorrow will be Rosie’s last day with us as she heads into maternity leave. Rosie is a long time DPS staff member, and came back this year after her last maternity leave to be a part of the Core Belief Team, and to work in Kōwhai for 2 days a week. We wish her and whānau all the best as they welcome a new member to their family…looking forward to a visit next term!

WRITING - Rātā - "sorry, not sorry" poems

What's happening at DPS?

ORDER SUBWAY FOR DELIVERY TO SCHOOL EVERY FRIDAY - ONLINE OR AT THE OFFICE

SPORT

Winter Hockey break up

What: End of season winter hockey break up.

Parents vs Children game and shared afternoon tea

Who: All winter hockey teams.

Where: Douglas Park School Turf and Kōwhai (Room 14)

Why: To celebrate a successful winter hockey season.

When: Tuesday 27th September 2022

Time: 3.00-4.00pm

Required: Hockey gear and a small plate of food to share please.

Many thanks to you all for getting your child to Clareville for their games. It has been a great season. We have seen huge developments in the players as the season has progressed. We look forward to summer hockey next term (watch out for information on Hero soon) and the next winter season!

A huge thank you to all our coaches who have volunteered their time and helped our tamariki develop into confident hockey players.

Ngā mihi nui

Red Star Cricket Junior Registrations

The registrations for junior cricket at Red Star Cricket club are now open for the coming cricket season. Please use the link below to register

https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/register/c207f8

If you need any further information please contact Mark Elliott on 027 7890707

Newsletter