Newsletter
Week 5 NEWSLETTER
from the principal
Our Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future
On Tuesday we welcomed visitors from other schools and organisations that helped us over the year, to celebrate our Enviroschools Mahi. We shared the things that make DPS awesome, gave tours of our grounds then reflected on our sustainable schools journey. We compared Douglas Park to a mature ngahere (forest), looking at how we show Kohtahitanga and are a thriving, interconnected, and nurturing school. The day was extremely positive, and extremely affirming for the work we have done and our ideas for the future. It was great to have our visitors share not only the gold they saw but also help us in developing our next steps. These were collated on a wonderful piece of art created by Michelle…stunning! And now full of the team’s positive reflections and ideas for the future. I got some great feedback from one of the visitors afterwards “If Douglas Park is the model, then our future is in great hands. Well done!!”. A massive thanks to Brooke and Michelle for their work in the leadup to the event, and to Hannah for her awesome leadership of this kaupapa. And…proud to say that as a result of the reflection we are still a Green-Gold Enviro School…Wairarapa’s longest serving one.
Athletics Day!
Great day down at the Sportsbowl on Friday for the school Athletics. I wasn’t there unfortunately, having a funeral to attend…but by all accounts the children had a great time, challenged themselves and did it all with PRIDE. I got a lovely email from one of the amazing parent helpers at the event…and her words sum things up nicely “I was so impressed with all of the kids encouraging each other and showing all of the PRIDE values. The day was a great success and I was very proud to be part of the DPS community”. Thanks to Hayley for all the organisation, to the staff and parent helpers for making the day awesome for the kids…and to the kids for Daring to Dream!
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
A busy couple of weeks for our DPS Kids…classes off to the Forest School, to Beachy’s camp at Te Whiti for some skill building, to Castlepoint and others off to the Hidden Lakes. I popped out to Rangiwhakaoma (Castlepoint) today to see the Year 4’s in action…having a great time, and displaying all of our PRIDE values in action. Some lucky children (and adults) even got to go inside the Lighthouse, and climb up to the top! What an experience!
A big thank you to FODPS…each year they fundraise, then provide $4000 for EOTC experiences for the children. The effort (and the $$$) are super appreciated!
Great stuff Deegan!
Kōwhai have been learning how to use Book Creator on the iPads this term, and this week Deegan showed me his retelling of ‘Maui and the Sun’. Re-written in his own words, illustrated by himself and he recorded the narration as well. Have a look here!
Masterton District Brass Band - Well done DPS Kids!
The local brass band had its 150th celebration last weekend, and gave a performance on the Band Rotunda at QE2 Park. The Brass Band has given lessons to students here at DPS for a number of years, and they do a marvellous job. In the concert we had some past and present DPS Kids performing…Willow on cornet, AJ on tenor horn, Savannah on cornet…with ex-DPS Kids Okewa on tenor horn, and Joshua on tuba. Well done guys!
Teacher Only Day - Monday 13th November
Our last Teacher Only Day for the year. Douglas Park and 8 other primary schools are closing to learn more about the refreshed NZ Curriculum. The day is starting here at DPS as we listen to Derek Wenmoth…a fantastic thinker in the education space. He worked with our staff at the beginning of this year, and I have brought him to Masterton for other teacher-only days. So…Monday 13th November…Teacher Only Day…add to your calendars!
Sports - Athletics Day
We had a fantastic Athletics Day on Friday. Thanks to everyone who helped make the day a success - especially our parent helpers and our FoDPS group for providing the well deserved ice blocks on return to school.
We wish all the children who have qualified for the Masterton Inter-school event the best of luck!
Click on these links to see the hockey draw for the term!
Please note the DPS Kakariki V Kikorangi for 13th November will be played at school at lunchtime!
Masterton Intermediate - 2024 enrolments open now
MASTERTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 2024 ENROLMENTS OPEN
PLEASE ENROL NOW
Please enrol online using the below link
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.
Community notices
