Week 5 NEWSLETTER

Eliza is a great role model for children…and not just for those interested in sports. By way of introduction to the school I mentioned three ways we could try be like Eliza:

1. As a young child she tried lots of different sports, and didn’t end up specialising in pole vault until she was a teenager. When she spoke to the school she mentioned that trying such a wide range of sports meant she picked up on a range of skills that helped her later. The message is around giving things a go at school, making the most of the opportunities presented to you.

2. I mentioned that becoming an Olympic success doesn’t just happen by magic…it takes hard work and dedication. To reach a high level of anything…talent isn’t enough. Hard work beats talent every time if talent doesn’t work hard. Eliza mentioned the hours and hours of training she had to put in, and the slow grind to her eventual success. The message here is around working hard to meet your goals.

3. The third part of my intro talked about challenge and perseverance. After the Rio Olympics Eliza kept improving, beating her records in NZ and in overseas competitions…but in the leadup to the Tokyo games she suffered an achilles injury. Since then she has taken the time to analyse how the injury occurred, and has rebuilt herself as an athlete to ensure her recovery goes well…even to the point of retraining herself to run in a different style! So despite her immense success, she has had to face serious challenges in recent times…and is working her way through this. The message here is…even with success, the next piece of the learning journey will come along and having the skill of perseverance is vital.

After the presentation in the hall, Eliza joined Rātā and Kahikatea outside for some fun games. She was amazing with the children, and took the time to chat to anyone who approached her. One little snippet I saw…one of our boys approached and asked if she had ever won a gold medal. She replied that she has, in competitions in New Zealand, but not in the big events like the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics. She then paused…and added…’well, not yet’. The student nodded and said ‘yep, got to have a growth mindset’ and wandered off. We talk to the kids often about the ‘power of yet’...that little word can turn a negative or a challenge into a goal, or a next step. It was a great interaction.

After her time with us she headed down to the Wairarapa Interschool Athletics event. The prize was for her to spend the day with us…but we decided that having an Olympian come to Masterton was too good not to share around. I arranged for her to come on the day of the interschool event so that all local schools had the chance to see and hear her. While down at the sportsbowl she stopped at all the events, and chatted with the young athletes. She did go out of her way to yarn to all the DPS athletes down there…so while they missed her at school, they still got that bit of celebrity magic. Clearly she did have the magic touch for our kids…the full results are below, and our DPS Kids have had a winning day! Thanks to Shaun for organising the in-school games with Eliza, to Hayley and James for the Interschool logistics and to our awesome parent helpers for giving up their time yesterday.

Creativity in Action!

I was shared this wonderful piece of work this week by Fern and Briella. Retelling the legend of Māui fishing up the North Island. They’ve used plasticine to create their characters and props, have had to digest and rewrite the legend, create a script and used our Apple Tech to pull it all together. Another great example of the rich learning here at DPS…a collaborative piece of creative work, pulling together oral language and written language, and using the power of technology to create a piece that can be shared to a wider audience. Love your work girls!

For the Calendar

• Monday 28th November: School closes at 1pm. Staff are heading out with Joseph Potangaroa to look at local sites significant to the area

• Tuesday 13th December: Final Celebration Time and the final day of school! Final Celebration Time starts at 10am, and following that we will return to school for a 12.30pm finish.

Calling all 4 Year Olds!

While our Out of Zone applications have closed for the year, we are still keen to hear from any of our in zone families who will have children starting with us next year. This information is invaluable, and allows us to plan our class and team setups much more effectively. If you have a younger sibling (or know of people looking to attend DPS) please flick an email to the office and let us know. office@douglaspark.school.nz

The Race

We lined up for the race. BOOM!!! The gun shot! I felt nervous and scared. I had butterflies in my tummy. I felt like my heart was beating at 100 miles per hour. At the end, I had a HUGE grin on my face, and my face was as hot as lava.

By Micaiah Wilson

The Race

It was time for the race. We were getting into our lanes and… CLAP! Went the clapper. We were all starting to run. I was in first place. I looked to the side to see if my mum was watching, and then this girl went past me. I tried to run as fast as I could, but I didn’t win. I tried to look down to hide my tears. I came 2nd place. I had butterflies dancing in my tummy. I felt like a melting ice cube. When it was done I had noodle arms and legs and I was limping back to get a drink of water. I loved it when I heard that people were cheering “Go Hillary!”

By Meeia Buchanan

The Race

POP! There goes ME! My heart was pounding hard. I was running as hard as I could. I felt cold like ice and I won! At the end, I lay down on the grass, my legs felt heavy.

By Bruce Wilson

The Race

When the gun went off I started running. My legs were tired and sleepy. My face was hot. My arms were done - they felt heavy like an elephant. I came 2nd place. At least I didn’t come 4th. It was hard, but I did it. I was smiling up into the sun.

By Caiden Nicholls

The Race

We lined up, then BANG! Went the gun. I dashed to the front but I felt like I couldn’t make it. My face turned to the colour of our uniform. Also, I was so dehydrated. At the end I felt like I wanted to get into bed.

By T.J.

CLAP!

One day I ran in a race. I felt like butterflies were in my tummy. CLAP! Went the clappers! My legs were running fast like a cheetah. My heart was pounding in my chest. At the end of the race my legs felt heavy and my cheeks were red like a strawberry. I was hungry and thirsty, and I felt proud of myself!

By Izzy Hokianga

The Race

One day there was a race and I was scared. I had butterflies dancing in my stomach. My heart was pounding…then…3,2,1….CLAP! While I was in the race my face turned red like the hot sun. I made it! I was so hot and my breathing was deep. I felt so happy.

By Aliza McCormick

The Race

BANG! The clappers went. I was scared. My heart was pounding with scaredness. My chest was burning and I was puffed and really really tired… until I crossed the finish line. YAY! I felt glad but sleepy.

By Jayanah Chase Walker

The Race

ZOOM! I raced down the track. Suddenly I got put at the starting line. I had butterflies in my stomach and I was jumpy. I felt nervicited (that means nervous and excited at the same time). Rocks were stacking on top of my heart and then I cracked my ankle. At the end I was so so sleepy that I dropped to the ground.

By Olivia Bilton

Summer Sports are well under way. If you are yet to pay your fees, these are now overdue.

Find the draws here. (Please note that some draws come out weekly or are yet to be set for the season.)

We had a wonderful day at Athletics Day yesterday. All of our students competed with PRIDE.

Below are our results. Full results (with timings, heights and distances) can be found here. The students who qualify for the Wellington Regional Event will be confirmed soon.