Week 5 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

One of the things we PRIDE ourselves on here at DPS is giving children multiple opportunities to be successful, multiple pathways to their passions, and accepting that everyone’s differences are our greatest strengths. We have children from all backgrounds, all kinds of ethnicities, children who find numbers a challenge and those that compete in the Matharapa, children who find physical activity hard and those that’ll climb the highest tree, a large number of beautiful ORS (Ongoing Resourcing Scheme) students in the school learning alongside their peers, children who receive high health funding and those that support them, children who find sport difficult, who find coding a robot hard and those that can make them do what they want, those who reckon they ‘can’t’ draw and those that see themselves as highly creative…but…I reckon we’ve designed our learning environments, and learning programmes, in such as way that they can all find their form of success daily.

I shared the piece of writing below with staff on Friday…I came across it last week, and it comes at a time of change in education where I think that the system is going to forget (again) that children are unique humans, each with a set of strengths, challenges, passions and problems that they work through each day. Not all of us learn or progress at the same rate, not all of us find learning easy…for some, the small piece of progress is a massive achievement. A ‘one size fits all’ approach to teaching isn’t the answer to problems inside Education, and we cannot forget…Not one of us is the same, and that is something to be remembered and celebrated.

Don’t forget the kids who are doing the extra work.

The kids whose days don’t end with the final bell, the kids whose breaks don’t follow a school calendar.

The kids who spend their afternoons being shuttled to speech, or PT, or OT.

The kids whose schedules include services and therapies, on top of everything else.

The kids who need extra help and support.

The kids who are struggling to overcome barriers—whether physical, mental, or emotional.

The kids who don’t follow the typical schedules, hit the expected milestones, take the traditional path.

The kids who might need different strategies and tools to help them learn.

These kids are working so hard, too.

They’re tired, too, even if their successes seem smaller or maybe even completely unnoticeable to most.

There likely won’t be any awards for them at the end of the year, or special recognition for how far they’ve come.

But take it from me—they are working SO dang hard.

Don’t forget to acknowledge their efforts.

Because what might be a small hurdle on the track for most kids, could be a Herculean task for a kid who has to try 10 times harder just to make it to the starting line.

These kids might not excel in traditional ways, but there’s nothing unexceptional about them.

Because they work harder for every win, and they don’t take a single bit of it granted.

Nice work!

I had Margaux and Aria pop into the office this morning very pleased with their art (inspired by Japanese Blossom trees). They had made their creations as part of play-based learning today…fully independently, and full of passion about it! Nice work guys!

Masterton Intermediate School Enrolments

Year 6 whānau…MIS have opened online enrolments for 2025. We have also shared the link via HERO and Facebook. If your child is heading to MIS next year, please complete their online process.

Click on this link to submit your child’s enrollment online.

What's happening at dps?

Use our fundraising page - https://daffodilday.org.nz/o/d-park-school

Our fundraising page allows friends and whānau to donate online - each donation is immediately added to our fundraising total so you can watch it grow.

Make a bank transfer

Here are the account details for your local Cancer Society:
Name: Cancer Society Wellington Division
Account number: 06-0689-0126104-00
Reference: 1661

Your funds will not reach your local Cancer Society or be added to your grand total online if these details are missing.

On Friday 6th of September, as part of the Council's Welcoming Week 2024, we are going to have a Cultural Dress up day.

Students can come to school in their cultural dress. For kiwi kids, this can look as simple as wearing black clothes or the colours from our flag! We are excited to see the wide range of cultures at our kura represented! There is no cost for this day. It is just an opportunity to celebrate the diversity here at DPS!

Celebrated across the globe, Welcoming Week is an annual campaign that connects neighbours of all backgrounds through community-informed activities and events. Welcoming Week provides communities the opportunity to publicly proclaim welcoming values, foster a mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants, and build a deeper sense of belonging for all.