Week 2 NEWSLETTER

From the Principal

DPS Kid - The importance of struggle

More food for thought. As we head towards the business end of the year the progress being made by the kids is huge since the start of the year, and so the work can seem ‘difficult’. A common call can be that the work is ‘too hard’. Over the last 10-15 years the research into how the brain actually works has taken off and something that may surprise you is the importance of struggle.

It is important for the work to be hard, it is important for mistakes to be made, it is important for the first attempt at something new to fail...this is learning, these things make our brains stronger. It has been likened to a muscle, doing reps of weights that are too easy doesn’t build muscle very fast, whereas reps of a demanding weight does.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

A temptation (for both parents and teachers) is to help when work is challenging. This is due to the basic human nature of kindness, but being kind isn’t always the same as doing the right thing. Sometimes It's better to encourage a re-attempt, to try again, is there another way you could approach this problem, why don’t we try something different...to persevere, to continue to struggle (to continue to learn).

Whoever is doing the working, is doing the learning

Great clip below from Jo Boaler, a Stanford University Professor. She has explored Growth Mindset and the positive effects it can have on maths outcomes for kids and adults. She explains the importance of struggle.

Photography Competition

Wow, an amazing night at MIS last night! The quality of the photos from across the Wairarapa was simply stunning. I remember the early competitions, lots of photos of school playgrounds, school shoes, school bags...all at school. Now the creativity has been unleashed, most shots coming from children's own lives, telling their own unique story. A great addition this year was the Photo Essay, a combination of photos that deliver a narrative or message.

Douglas Park has traditionally done well in the competition and this year carried on with that.

Michael Shaw - 3^rd Place, Year 1 & 2, Non-Living

Heath Warren - 2^nd Place, Year 3&4, Non-Living

Naya Boone - 3^rd Place, Year 3&4, Non-Living

Alexa Wishart – 2^nd Place, Year 5&6, Non-Living

Kelsie Laing-Bayley – 2^nd Place, 3&4, Living

Daisy Cottle – 1^st Place, Year 1-4, Photo Essay

Michael Shaw – 2^nd Place, Year 1-4, Photo Essay

Alexa Wishart – 1^st Place, Year 5-8, Photo Essay

FODPS Quiz Night

Got your team together? Been combing the local news for facts and figures? Reading up obscure sporting tidbits? Friday night will be a lot of great fun, with the chance to win some great prizes! The Board of Trustees have put a team in...ready to compete. The $$$ all flow back into cool things for the kids, the most obvious ones being the EOTC experiences our children are lucky enough to get. Camps, exchanges, bus trips...these are all significantly cheaper due to the work of the FODPS. Cheers, and game on!

Summer Sports

An impressive array of sports on offer this term and a huge number of children taking part. Sport is something the school values, not only for the opportunity it provides kids but for the different relationships that can be built between teacher, student and whānau out on the sportsfield. This relationship relies on commitment. As a school we put in huge numbers of teams, commit all our teaching staff to taking a team. It is far from ideal when children don’t turn up...often without letting us know. This lets the team down, the teacher and also the mana of that player is diminished. The draws are always up on the sportsboard, encourage your children to check these themselves across the week. What time, what place do they need to be? Look forward to another successful summer sport season.

Life Ed Bus

The Bus (and Harold) arrive next week. Your child will spend some time in the bus over the next 2 weeks completing some learning from the Health curriculum. A wide variety of interesting topics that teachers have tailored for the needs of their students.

NZEI - Upcoming Industrial Action

Quick update, the vote closes tonight so the results will be out tomorrow. Our Board of Trustees meet next week and following that we can inform you of what will be happening.

pride & Whakatauki

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DPS?

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

Poi Porotiti 2018

Last week four of our senior girls in Kapa Haka travelled to Wellington with their tutors Pania and Palais to perform at Te Papa. This was the 4th time the group had been together over the year and it was a real honour to perform in such an amazing space and to a large audience. Ātea, Kaitlyn, Jeianah and Āniwa have been part of the Poi Porotiti workshops this year and have been so lucky to have learnt 4 beautiful waiata and poi!

A big thanks to Trudy Sears for all her wonderful organisation over the 4 workshops, we really hope it continues in 2019.

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

Please note...

All teams and draws are displayed in the sports board outside Rm 4. Pupils who have committed to playing a sport for DPS this term are expected to be at all games in their DPS sports uniform and with the correct gear.

Games start this week!

Practises are during lunchtime and there are reminders on the daily notices.

PRACTISE DAYS (Shuttle Time and Yr 1/2 Netball do not have a dedicated practise day)

Tuesday = Teeball and Yr 4-6 Twilight Hockey

Wednesday = Mod & Intermediate Softball

Thursday = Touch and Yr 1-3 Twilight Hockey

LINKS TO DRAWS FOR TERM 4 SPORT