Week 7 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

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

It seems my newsletter comment really struck a chord with people last week, and I really appreciate the support shown towards what we do here at Douglas Park. You can read that post here if you missed it. I think something is lost when discussions in education get boiled down to ‘this way works’ and ‘that way doesn’t’. While our school may not look or operate like the government wants, we do get the results they are after.

It is this freedom to do what is right for our children that led Radio New Zealand to come and visit us. The visit (and article) allowed us to get our view across…that one size does not fit all, and that one approach to teaching/learning won’t work for everyone. Schools need the freedom to navigate what is right for them…setting high benchmarks and targets, that is fine…but allow us, and trust us, to do the right things to get there.

You can read the article here, the second half being focussed on Douglas Park School. Helen, Hayley and Sophie do a great job explaining why we do things like we do at DPS, and the impact that our choices have on academic outcomes.

I think a powerful way forward would be for the major political parties to set a bi-partisan agreement about education in place, a 10 year plan…and then resource and trust the profession to work towards it. The lurch we get between left and right governments doesn’t help matters.

Kōwhai EOTC Trip

Another successful outing this week with Kōwhai heading down to Greytown to visit Cobblestones, and have a look at some local waterways.

We received an email afterwards with some great feedback…”We found your children to be very polite and well behaved and they asked some great questions”. Pleasing that not only did the children act with PRIDE, their questioning skills were noted.

Thanks again to the tireless FODPS team for their fundraising work. Each year they donate significant money for EOTC…the money means we can afford the trips each team goes on each term. Particularly challenging these days is transport…catching a bus out of town costs a heap, so it is this FODPS money that allows us to have the funds for these trips!

Check out some highlights from the trip here:

FODPS Again!

The photo below really doesn’t do credit to the act…last week the fundraiser pies arrived, a big bit of work for the FODPS team. However, once again they have gone above and beyond and bought a bunch of extra pies to give to whānau who we know need a bit of a hand.

Service - the idea of giving to others without expecting anything back - is an important theme here at DPS. We want to raise children who just think it is normal to do good deeds for other people, who think it is normal to go out of their way to help, who think it is normal to give back…and one of the best ways we can help develop this in children is by showing them. This is why we show the Good Sorts clips each week in whānau class…and this is why FODPS doing this act is so meaningful. Extra work for the team, but done for the right reasons. Thanks FODPS for all your efforts, and for showing our children the power of Service in Action.

What's happening at dps?

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.

Writing - michelle's homeclass

Sports

It is time to sign up for Term 4 Sports. There are options for all year levels. Please ensure that your child commits to the entire season before signing up. We make the teams based on the amount of children that sign up. When children pull out part way through the season, it puts an unnecessary pressure on the team.

Please fill out this form by Thursday 12th September.