Week 9 NEWSLETTER

FInal Celebration Time 2018

The Year that was 2018...

Last words from the principal

Think about the students leaving college this year as Year 13’s...these guys started school in 2005...back then, no such thing as a smartphone, no ipads, youtube had just started, no facebook, and Netflix was a DVD rental company...fast forward to these college children leaving for work, or further study...and we now have super computers in our pockets, can connect with someone on the other side of the world, watch any program we wish at any time, bank, conduct business all through technology....This rate of change won’t slow, and schools need to adapt. What will learning need to look like now to prepare these DPS Kids in front of me for the future?

This is quite nicely summed up in a comment made about me...that I don’t look like a Principal...now, I hold no ill will about the comment...I probably don’t look like a principal...my immediate response, after a quiet laugh, was...well, what does a Principal look like?

If we have a traditional view of what a principal looks like...an important person in a suit and tie, what then about learning...what does that look like? As I’ve said, learning has to change...traditional views of what was important, what skills were needed have to change.

We need to get our DPS Kids ready for their future...not try to prepare them for our past. While our schooling may have been perfectly adequate for us...a relentless focus on the 3R’s is not what is needed now...reading, writing and maths are important...but they are no longer enough.

Our country's mental health issues depend on us developing kids with resilience, not just their times tables. Our dropout rate from University means we have to develop learners with grit and determination, not kids who can write neatly and recall facts. Our employers are desperate for hard workers, who are creative and show initiative...not people who will only do as they are told. The system of schooling has to adapt to meet modern needs...the world no longer cares if you know stuff...the world cares IF you can do stuff with what you know.

I feel like the education sector has lost focus on what is important, on what the purpose of education is. To me, the purpose is to grow better communities by creating better people. The focus has to be on the children being better humans, not just the academic results.

While I may not look like a Principal, I am a man who cares deeply about our DPS Kids as humans, I am someone who cares about making them better people, better citizens for their future and helping to create a better community for us to enjoy living in.

So what are we doing? What does learning look like to us? Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. The child is at the heart of the matter. For us, that child is the DPS Kid...all we do at school is aimed at developing this well rounded, future capable learner.

2018 has seen us make change, and be successful working towards this DPS Kid

• Alongside the 3R’s, we now teach our Core Beliefs of Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Learner Agency. It is these skills that will prepare our learners for the future. In saying that...our academic results have also improved across the board this year... as well as children making amazing progress, making personal bests, and becoming better learners.
• We have refurbished a large part of the school into 3 flexible learning environments. These modern spaces allow for the Core Beliefs to be developed, and have won us a National Award...we have some of the best learning spaces in this country...an amazing achievement.
• Our teachers are constantly innovating in their programs. Our play-based learning is rich and engaging, our children have the opportunity to build, make and create across the school, Ka Rewa brings an amazing focus on failing, and the skills needed to pick yourself back up and try again. Our ideas have been recognised by the Ministry of Education as leading edge innovative, and they are currently providing significant extra funding for us to be bold, to be ground breaking in our approach to children making and creating as their learning. In other words...we have amazing teachers to go with our amazing learning spaces.
• We continue to get very positive feedback about our children from the community, most recently MIS once again pointing out the quality of the children headed their way. Our DPS kids stand out, do well and demonstrate our PRIDE values long after they leave us.
• Our new whānau classes are building powerful relationships across the school, and days such as our Service Days and our Grandparents day were amazing successes.
• The choir continues to be awesome (wait until you hear them today), and our two kapahaka roopu are always impressive
• DPS continues its strong sporting stance, providing a massive number of teams in local competitions, competing to the highest level and going back to back with a team making the National Finals for Rippa Rugby once again (and being nominated for an award to top it off)
• Add into that a visit from ERO, and a very positive 3 year review from them...and we have had a very successful 2018

Our guest speaker - George Hewitt

Our fabulous speaker, George Hewitt, blew us away with his speech on Tuesday!

George is 22 years old and lives with Cerebral Palsy. We think he’s a bit of a legend! He had a really positive message for us about never letting anything stop us from doing the things we want to do!

Check out his blog about his most recent travels around South America:

https://www.worldpackers.com/articles/travelling-with-a-disability-in-south-america?fbclid=IwAR0kx7Yc1OsF5N5CZVnQcEJhLDAXZuHsfa9RaueUV298X-oImZJUMAw8AB4

This article is also worth having a look at - one George wrote and was published on Stuff about his travels around South America.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/themes/adventure/107798673/backpacking-south-america-with-cerebral-palsy-easy-as?cid=app-iPhone&fbclid=IwAR1BPANG7fSMHwd4wmldyMYYWRBa-ChLBKRBgpZIwAdbEcW8yc4PVokZ8so

Thank you George - we know public speaking wasn't your thing, but you did a fantastic job! We've had so much great feedback about your words, so THANK YOU!

Award Recipients

Class Awards

Rimu DPS Kid Classroom Awards:

Kowhai DPS Kid Classroom Awards:

Rata DPS Kid Classroom Awards:

Kahikatea DPS Kid Classroom Awards:

Year 6 Leavers - Farewell

Check out the slideshow from the Final Celebration Time!

We had an awesome time at the Yr 6 leavers party yesterday! Pools, pizza and games...looking very fancy in their leavers t-shirts.

Community Events

PIFA HOLIDAY PROGRAMME MASTERTON:

17th-19th December 2018 | 9am - 12pm

Trust House Memorial Park Turf,

Dixon Street

8 - 11yo & 12 - 14yo

​$45 per day or $120 for 3 days

Register now at www.paulifill.com