Newsletter
Week 6 NEWSLETTER
from the principal
Our Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future
Here at DPS we are big believers in children performing well academically, we are big believers in children creating, we are big believers in children sharing learning and we are big believers in the use of technology to help with all of this. Sometimes…all of these things intersect nicely in a piece of learning, all the elements come together and we have a very cool example to share!
Cairo and Angus from Kōwhai have just been announced as national winners of a big Minecraft competition! Their work was around learning about an animal, their needs, habitats etc…then building something in Minecraft for them to live in. Part of all this mahi was the research and learning about the Little Blue Penguin, writing down notes, organising information, writing an information report…then…building the needed habitat/space in Minecraft…then…giving a virtual tour and recording a voiceover explaining both their learning, and what they had built. Phew! You’ll see from watching the video below just what an amazing job the boys did…but as you watch…just consider all the amazing learning that went into it…not just the researching, note taking, writing, creating…but the communication, collaboration, the critical thinking and the problem solving. Stunning stuff lads…and pretty cool to be the ‘best minecrafters’ in New Zealand!
Athletics Success!
A great day for our young athletes at the sportsbowl on Tuesday! Perfect weather for it, and a perfect mix of nerves and enthusiasm meant for an awesome time.
A bunch of our kids have done exceedingly well…and their results are further down the newsletter. I look forward to seeing them Dare to Dream at the Regional event upcoming!
Nice Feedback!
We just had our turf cleaned/groomed yesterday…and this morning I arrived at school to this email:
I'd like to thank you and your staff for helping me tiptoe past the kids to get to the artificial turf so I could groom it. Also just wanted to say, I spoke to a handful of kids while I was there, who were busting to utilise the artificial turf. I thought they were all lovely kids, and just wanted to pass my thanks onto them for respecting my space while I completed the job. Much appreciated.
Parent Communication
Just a reminder that your child’s teacher is your first point of contact about any issues at school…and we encourage you to do this! Schools are complex places (over 400 humans on site each day here) and sometimes we can be unaware of an event that has happened. Reach out to us, and let us know. Approaching another child to speak with them is not appropriate, nor is taking a school issue and raising it with another parent. I’ve been in the game for a long time now…and this approach has never, ever worked! It tends to backfire, sometimes spectacularly. While this very, very rarely happens…when it does it isn’t nice for anyone. School can and will deal with school issues, and we have great processes for keeping whānau informed (something we get a lot of praise for). If you are aware of an issue…please let us know, please let us work through it…and please let us get back to you.
Teacher Only Day - Thank You!
Thank you for supporting our recent teacher only day on Monday. Most of Masterton’s primary schools shut for the day, and we hosted everyone in our hall to start the day. I brought Derek Wenmoth in to speak to us…and he then worked with the DPS staff and around 15 teachers from other schools for the rest of the day. Derek is an educational legend…hugely respected both here in NZ and internationally. I wanted him to speak to us again (I also got him to work with DPS staff in January) as he has clear thinking about what learning could look like in the future, what challenges we might face getting there and how to ‘do change’ in a successful way.
Today was our second teacher only day looking at the new ‘refreshed’ NZ Curriculum. This is a big piece of work for schools to get onto…and something that in order to succeed we need to do well. We have until 2025 to be doing the Maths, Reading and Writing parts and until 2027 to be doing all of it. Well…these were the timelines before the election, and some of this may change…but at DPS the mahi is underway and we feel like we are on a good path towards implementing Te Mātaiaho (the refreshed Curriculum) well.
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 will be played on Tuesday 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
