Week 5 NEWSLETTER

Introduced last year, each week we recognise a ‘Good Sort’...someone who has done an act of service for someone else. Stacking chairs, helping new children, holding doors open for people, picking up some rubbish…all ‘little’ actions, but all done with good heart. These little actions are what make our school such a positive place, and will lead to our students making a difference (big or small) in their worlds as they leave us. 

We gave out our first ‘Good Sort’ Certificate last week to Isaac and Otis. They have the responsibility of doing the dishes in the staffroom twice a day, and they do this without asking (they do a great job) but they also complete the work, without complaint, even if it has meant missing a bit of a break time or a fun activity in class. Way to go lads!

HERO Learning Posts + Reporting

We have made some adjustments to our reporting process based on your feedback last year. The general system stays the same…Learning Conversations, our face to face reporting with whānau, happen at the end of Terms 1 and 3. These are opportunities to celebrate the learning, to hear from your child about what learning they have been doing and the opportunity to discuss with their teacher how they are progressing as a learner and as a person. In Terms 2 and 4 you will get a teacher comment about your child. These will be a bit different this year…more of a focus on the child as a learner, work ethic, social skills. 

Across each term you will get two posts from the teacher, and several from your child (our older students may do this themselves, and our younger students will be helped to do so). These posts from the teacher will cover the core curriculum areas over two terms (Reading, Writing and Maths) alongside sharing based on our Creativity goal. Students will post things that they are proud of…this could be completed work, it could be the initial attempt at some work, or something in between. 

The HERO dials and graphs for Reading, Writing and Maths are updated semi-regularly across the term, and are always up to date in the last week of a school term. These show progress being made (in the dials) and overall achievement (in the graphs). 

So across the year you will get two face to face hui with your child and teacher, two teacher comments about your child, ongoing posts each term from both the teacher and your child capturing their learning and also have access at any time to their dials and graphs for reading, writing and maths.

Apple Visit - Leadership and Learning Leader

On Friday Paula, Apple’s New Zealand education leader, came to visit the school. Paula is a teacher at heart…new entrant teacher…and she loved walking around our classes seeing the learning in action. Watching our DPS Kids manage themselves, be engaged in their mahi, be curious and be innovative on the devices…she was super impressed. Right from a young age our DPS Kids are learning to be digital creators and storytellers. 

SchoolDocs - Our School Policies and Procedures Platform

Like many NZ schools we use SchoolDocs as the platform to host our school policies. The school works on a subscription basis with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies which have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our board of trustees has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented. We invite you to visit the site at:

http://douglaspark.schooldocs.co.nz/ (note that there's no "www"!). Our username is "douglaspark" and password "pride".

Stationery

Thank you to everyone who has paid their $15 for their child's stationery.  This pretty much covers all they need for the year and is heavily subsidised by our BOT. All stationery money is due in by the end of term please, you can pay online ASB 12-3290-0064275-00 or pop into the office.

Helen and Amanda's home class have used the Sketches School app to make a drawing plan before completing their writing.

Subway lunches delivered to school every Friday 

Order online using the Subway Express App or you can fill out a form at the office.

Term 1 Sport 2024

Here is a link to the teams and draw for Teeball, softball and netball. 

Masterton district brass band are offering years 4,5,6 students a chance to learn how to play a brass instrument - Instruments are Cornet, trombone, tenor horn, baritone.  lessons are in school time. There is a small cost of $50 to hire the instrument and $50 a term for the lessons, if interested either email Narissa on mastertonbrass@gmail.com or get a form from the office.