Week 9 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

Two events one week apart that capture a lot of our vision in action:

Tararua Challenge - Last Friday we hosted Russell Street School in our annual sports exchange…the weather was beautiful, the kids were amazing…and we won the flag back after losing it last year! While the event is a sporting one…in many ways it is bigger than that. Many of the children were playing unfamiliar sports, and for some…they aren’t into sport but are giving it a go! One of my favourite parts of the exchange each year is seeing these children…the ones who are not into sports…daring to dream, enjoying being in a team situation…and sharing in the success! And ultimately one of the big aims of the day is around relationships…meeting, greeting and building relationships with new people. It was amazing to watch the two schools interact so positively, and some strong bonds were formed pretty quickly! All of this adds towards the ‘Better Future’ part of the vision…children who will try new things, be brave, meet new people and build relationships with them.

Service Day - Tomorrow whānau classes will be engaged in another service day…taking positive actions for others, without expecting anything in return. These days are a chance for the children to enact the learning they do each week about being a good person/good citizen. We want our DPS Kids to leave us with a belief that they can, and they should, do things for others to help give our place a ‘Better Future’.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2023

It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) currently, . Te Reo is a part of what we do here at DPS…greetings, commands, waiata, kapahaka, karakia, lessons…we don’t really have a language ‘week’, it is happening all the time. Across this week though we do a massive celebration of our official language, and use of reo earns children a ticket to go into a draw at the end of the week. Winners will get themselves some awesome books as prizes. Also this week the councillors will sell ice blocks to raise money for the Wellington Free Ambulance…and as part of that, children who order/say thanks in te reo will go into another draw for some prizes. Have a practice at home for āpōpō (tomorrow).

Year 1-3 - Thank you (kia ora or Tēnā rawa atu koe or ngā mihi)

Year 4-6 - Can I have an ice block please? Homai koa kia kotahi te poraka tio?

New Admin Space

We are all still buzzing about being back in the admin space…so awesome! One of the things I’m proud of is how we have created a space that is uniquely ‘of the Wairarapa’. We’ve used our carpet to reflect the ‘Tuna Highways Map’ (Nga Waipikopiko rau ō Whakaoriori: The meandering streams of Masterton). This map was created a few years ago…Masterton has a massive number of streams, and these largely are now culverted and run underground, or are hidden away. Lots of names had been lost…but the project brought them back. At DPS we plan to keep these names alive by using them…and having the carpet reflect them gives us this ability. The carpet also reflects the forest remnants that are left around the town. Our splashback is a Pete Nikolaison image of the Tararua’s covered in snow. Tie all this together, and our admin space reflects where we are, our whenua (land) and the stories of our past. We have been working with someone crafting a pūrākau (story) to explain our carpet/colours/splashback choices, and what they all mean. I’ll be excited to share this when it is ready. Our designers sent in a professional photographer last week to capture some images…here are a couple.

Well done Willow!

There was a local karate competition in the weekend, and on Monday I was on the field doing break time duty, and Willow came running over to show me her medals. A silver for ‘kata’, and a gold for ‘kumite’...go Willow! I hear that other DPS Kids did well at the competition as well.

Date for your Calendar - Teacher Only Day - Monday 13th November

An upcoming Teacher Only Day…most of the town’s schools will be closed for the day…Monday 13th November. The New Zealand Curriculum is being ‘refreshed’ at the moment, and schools are holding Teacher Only Days to get to grips with the changes. We held one earlier in the year on the 24th April, and this is the followup. As always…we super appreciate your support for these days.

Out of Zone Enrolments

Our out of zone process for Terms 1 and 2 next year starts this week. Please pass this info on to family or friends wanting to attend our school. Always (always!) someone will contact us after the process has finished and sadly they miss out.

Douglas Park is governed by an enrolment scheme (a school zone) and we only take out of zone enrolments twice a year. The next intake is for Terms 1 and 2 next year. Anyone who lives out of zone comes through this process. Even if you have children here already and have a younger sibling to start...if you live out of zone, you have to apply for your child to attend.

Contact the office if you need to put your child/ren down for a possible place office@douglaspark.school.nz

Writing - mr josh's homeclass

Earlier this term our writing focus was to make our sentences more interesting by using adjectives to describe. Check out some of our awesome authors using adjectives…

This is a NZ eel. This eel is slimy. It is a little bit sharp and it has scaly skin. It has a finn that has lines. When you hold it is very disgusting. Some of you might like eels. Some eels are extinct and some of them are alive. Don’t throw rubbish into the waterways because people's rubbish makes the eels sick. Reuse, recycle, and reduce. By Jorja

I landed in the Sky Stadium grounds. I said “that’s a big building”. I could smell fresh air. I could hear the loud crowd. I could touch the hard plastic seats. By Piper

I went to Go Zone and I saw a big donut slide. I smelt sweet watermelon. I heard soft sounds. By Khloe

My monster is so fat and his legs are so so small. His tail is cool and he is so smart. He knows 2+2=4, 4+4=8, 8+8=16, 16+16=32, and 32+32=64. My monster is so tall. He can fly up high. He shows PRIDE. By Jaxon

I went to the cheesy moon. It is not what you’d expect it to be. The moon was yellowish and it had a strong smell of camembert. I heard a low pitched scream. I felt the silky smooth cheese. By Keith

The last few weeks our writing focus has been to use joiner words (conjunctions) like “and”, “to link ideas or add more detail to our sentences. We’ve also been practising writing stories that have a beginning, middle, and end.

One night my brother Jackon was sad and scared. Then dad came and Jackson fell asleep. Later that night I heard a loud scream! I went into Jackon’s room and I saw a black hole. I saw Godzillas and dinos. “AHHHHH!” I screamed. I ran as fast as I could. I saw another hole, “yes… I’m home”, but I sucked into another hole. I saw copies of Jackson. He’s a Godzilla! Then I used my imagination to get out of his dream. By Maisy

Me and Aza were trying to get our chook in the cage but we couldn't because we had no food. Mum called us in to get some food. By Asti

On Sunday I went to my motocross. I got the holeshot but I crashed because I leaned too forward. I still came in fourth place but I didn’t get a trophy. By Oliver

Me and mum are getting train tickets but mum forgot her money. It was in the car. We found it and we went to Wellington. By Braxton

I found a mouse in the office because I made a trap. The mouse did nothing because it was still. By Zak

I went to the beach and I saw a starfish in the sea. I wanted to touch it because it will be slimy. I picked it up but it slid off my hand and went back into the water. By Edee

what's happening at dps?

SpORT

We are always on the lookout for second hand sports gear (like shinpads, long black socks, hockey sticks, sports uniform). If you have equipment that your child has outgrown that you wish to donate to school... please send them into the office!

Masterton Intermediate - 2024 enrolments open now

MASTERTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 2024 ENROLMENTS OPEN

PLEASE ENROL NOW

Please enrol online using the below link

bit.ly/3DrAvkq

We are encouraging online enrolments!

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. Please note that these must be ordered by early morning on the Friday to ensure your child's order goes through for that day.

Please note that the app you are looking for is Subway Express - School Lunch programme.