Newsletter
Week 1 NEWSLETTER
From the Principal
Welcome Back
Term 4, the year draws steadily to a close. Lots on offer for our tamariki this term, a raft of sporting opportunities about to get underway, the Life Ed bus (and Harold!) arrives soon, Book Fair, School Athletics, the Final Celebration Time...as well as the normal day to day learning here at DPS. Sun Hats, compulsory this term. They are for sale down at NZ Uniforms and no hat means no play. Please ensure they are clearly named...380 hats that are all identical can lead to many cases of mistaken identity otherwise!
Something close to home and something fairly mind blowing!
I often write about the WHY behind the changes that education needs to make, in particular the changing skill set an employee will need in the future (and now). In the past, school has been an efficient method of pumping out humans with a similar skillset...we grouped children together in age levels, taught them the same content at the same time and expected them to leave the schooling system with the ‘right’ skills to survive and contribute to society.
Technology is changing that and schools need to adapt to meet the future needs of our learners.
Last term I shared the Google Duplex tech that can place calls for you and interact seamlessly with another human. Now I share a video of the robot Atlas from the company Boston Dynamics.
It is eerie seeing the way it moves, it corrects itself, adjusts weight and balances itself. Future uses? Too numerous to list, a vast amount of possibilities (and not just stacking shelves like at the end of the video).
But that won’t happen here? Will it?
Been to the Warehouse recently? Self serve checkouts. Newly remodelled Countdown, again self serve. Skills that traditionally have enabled people to get jobs (people skills, money skills) replaced, gone. The trick now is to consider not what has been traditionally important, but what will become increasingly important for the future. To link this all back to what we do here at DPS...this is the WHY behind our push to teach the Core Beliefs of Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Learner Agency. Across this term we will be implementing work with students that teachers have been completing across the year with expert Mark Osborne. We have taken the time to deeply understand what these 4 beliefs are, what they look like in action and what conditions in the classroom will help develop them in your children, they will be the feature of the DPS Kid PRIDE lessons each week in learning spaces.
Sporting Success!
lennox
Lennox won a swag of medals for swimming (Tana and Elia also did very well).
theo
Theo competed in the under 13 Curtis Cup hockey. His team came 5th, and Theo won the sportsmanship award (voted by coaches, managers and supporters...awesome!)
jeremiah
Jeremiah competed with his Nan and Aunties in the Iron Māori Duathlon here in Masterton, taking part in the 10km run section. They are off to compete in Napier later in the year.
Epic! love hearing success stories about our tamariki outside of school time. If your child has done something awesome (and it doesn’t have to be in the sporting arena) flick through a photo and some details and we can celebrate that success also.
Māori Sports Awards
Well done to our Rippa Rugby team along with Joe Dahlberg and Amy Williams. They are nominees for the local Māori Sport Awards for Team of the Year. Well deserved recognition for reaching the National Champs in their code. All the best.
FODPS Quiz Night
Please grab some mates, get a team together and support the latest FODPS fundraiser for the school. It’ll be a great night out, lots of fun and the chance to win some amazing prizes. Remember the $$$ to enter and to buy beverages goes straight back to the children via the FODPS projects. Want your child to experience Camp? FODPS pay for those buses. Want your children to continue to get EOTC expereinces? FODPS contributes $1000 each year to each teaching team for trips. Love our annual exchange with Russell Street School? FODPS pay $$$ for that...food when we host, buses when we travel. How do they get their money? Hard work, giving up their own time and putting on cool events like this.
Advance Notice - Potential NZEI Industrial Action
You’ll no doubt be aware from media coverage that Primary Teachers have rejected the Ministry’s offer. Currently the Union is holding a ballot about a week of rolling, regional strikes across the country. The Wellington area is down for Friday 16th November as our possible strike day. We will of course keep you informed as information comes to hand. The issue is becoming much larger, Secondary Teachers have also rejected their offer and the Government has now acknowledged the teacher shortage and is trying to address it by attracting overseas teachers. We have good teachers here in New Zealand, and we need to encourage good people in this country to train to be teachers. The Overseas teacher action is a band-aid, not a solution to the real problem.
pride & Whakatauki
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DPS?
FODPS Quiz Night
FRIDAY 26th OCTOBER
Always a great night out! Get a team together and book in the babysitter...tickets will be available from the office as of Monday 24th September.
* Teams of 4-6 ...$10 per ticket
We are looking for prizes for our quiz night - if you own a business, or know someone who does we would be keen to donate something please contact Amy Williams, Sally Hunter or Olivia Walsh.
A big thanks to families and businesses who have already contaced us and donated prizes!
2nd hand Uniform Shop @ DPS:
We have good stock of polar fleeces at the moment. Other items are available in various sizes. Shop is open on Wednesdays 8 - 9 am and 2.15 - 3 pm
DPS Lunch Orders
Subway lunch available to order on Fridays. Order online or pick up an envelope from the office.
Mr Yipadee!
Looking forward to this musical performance next term on the 26th November for our DPS students!
lucky book club Issue 7 - Please order by 31 October!
DOUGLAS PARK SPORT
Term 4 Sport
Information and permission slips have been sent home this week for teeball, mod-softball, intermediate softball, touch and twilight hockey. The last day to get permission slips in is Wednesday 24th October, 3pm - NO late permission slips will be accepted. There is a box in the office for returns.
Please ensure your child has a DPS sports uniform if they are going to be playing sport for DPS.
Community Events
