Newsletter
Week 1 NEWSLETTER
from the principal
Our Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future
Last term I mentioned that we had Apple’s head of learning come to visit us, and I’m proud to say that as a result we’ve been invited to become an Apple Distinguished School which is awesome! You can have a read here about what being an ADS means…but this quote sums it up:
Apple Distinguished Schools are centres of leadership and educational excellence that demonstrate Apple’s vision for learning with technology — and we believe they are some of the most innovative schools in the world.
Our Vision isn’t technology specific…but being driven by the ‘Better Future’ words, technology is a key part of what children need going forward. What our vision does though is give us scope to develop children who can use technology to be Creative (we’re seeing movie making, 3D design and robotics happening frequently in rooms), who can use technology to Explore their learning and their world (we see children using devices to support things like their reading and maths) and children who can use technology to Nurture themselves and others (we’ve seen creations to promote wellbeing, and posters for being kind to each other). Our visit from Apple was very affirming for our direction as a school. She could see our Vision in action, and she thought the mix of learning our children get was stunning.
Just over 700 schools worldwide have been granted the ADS status, including 15 from New Zealand. Only two NZ schools have been invited this year…DPS being one of them! We still have a lot of work in front of us, the application is quite rigorous and we have no guarantees of being accepted…but we look forward to the challenge!
Teacher Only Days
Thank you once again for your support of the two teacher only days we had, one at either end of the holidays. On April 6th all Masterton primary schools closed, and we got to work with a range of facilitators including leading experts in trauma-informed teaching, wellbeing and how relationships matter in teaching.
On Monday this week the school had its first look at the draft New Zealand Curriculum - Te Mātaiaho. Schools have until 2026 to be ready for this, and the day was very affirming for us…we are on track, the way learning looks at this school aligns nicely with Te Mātaiaho.
Schools will have another teacher only day to look at the curriculum in November, and when we have a confirmed date I will let you know.
Learning on Display!
I went for a 5 minute walk through the classes this morning and was stoked with the range of learning on offer for the children. Powerful teacher group instruction in all spaces, alongside powerful student-led learning and a mixture of devices (hi-fi) and hands on
learning (lo-fi).
I saw reading lessons, writing lessons, a phonics group, children designing window frosting for the new admin block, designing a marble run, exploring native birds and objects, testing a fitness course they’d built…and everywhere I went children were engaged and happy. This is something that the school has worked hard at over the last 5+ years…getting the balance right between formal academic learning, and student-led learning and I think we are in a great place with it. As I mentioned last term…both are important, both deserve their time at school and both have positive impacts on our children. Ka pai team!
Writing - The Councillors
fodps news
Lucky Book Club Orders…here is some information so you can plan out your orders over the year. When each edition arrives - students are offered the magazine but taking one home is not compulsory! We encourage parents to enstall the LOOP app on their devices to make ordering easy. Please have your orders submitted by the closing date to avoid postage costs to yourselves.
Any problems please contact Gemma McPhail at gemmamcphail@douglaspark.school.nz or you can find me in room Kōwhai. Or you can talk to Meryl in the office and she may be able to help you.
Sport
Kia ora e te whānau
We are excited for the upcoming Hockey season. Games and practices start next week (Week 2). Please help your child be prepared for these.
All students need to wear DPS sports uniform, shin pads, long black socks and a mouthguard for their games and need to arrive at least 10 minutes prior to their game time.
The seasons for each grade are:
Mini Sticks: Tuesday afternoons (quarter field, 15 minute halves) May 2nd – August 1st (12 weeks)
Kiwi Sticks: Friday afternoons (Half field, 20 minute halves) Friday May 5th – August 4th (12 weeks)
Fees are heavily subsidised by the school and are set at $40 per player. This is to be paid to the office before TOMORROW. Students will not be able to play until either their fee is paid to the office or a payment plan is established.
We appreciate your support in getting your child to their games with ample time. Please ensure you let the child's coach know if your child is unable to attend any games so we have time to sort extra subs.
Ngā mihi
Order Subway online or at the office for delivery to school friday
Every Friday we have Subway lunches delivered to school. If you would like to order your child a subway lunch, the easiest way is to order online. Please make sure you put your child's class (teachers name) on the order as it makes it much easier to sort our end. Subway can also be ordered by filling out a form at the school office before school on a Friday.
Community notices
