Week 3 NEWSLETTER

From the Principal

• Use a bank teller, or an ATM or online banking?
• Use a paper map, or ask your smartphone directions?
• Use a travel agent, or book flights yourself?
• Walk the high st shops searching for a good deal, or hop online?
• Use the manned checkout at the supermarket, or the self-serve?
• Pay inside the service station, or pay at the pump?
• Make an international call to talk to whānau, or Skype/Facetime them?
• Handwrite a letter and post it, or flick an email/message?

You may not do all of the second options all of the time...but chances are you have done them. When the current 2018 Year 13 students started their school life most of the above weren’t even choices, so consider then...the current DPS Kids when they leave college (in 8-13 years time) what will their society be like, what skills will be needed?

The good news is that our Core Beliefs of Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Student Agency are rated highly in terms of future important skills that our learners will need in order to be adaptable to their changing world.

If you are curious about the rise of the robots...click into this site, and enter your current job. Oxford University have done a heap of research and have developed this tool to try and guess what impact automation will have on our current work industries. Interesting stuff.

Teacher Strike

August 15th (next Wednesday) is the day of industrial action for teachers. The strike is from 7am until 7pm and as such, the DPS BoT have decided to close the school for instruction and supervision. This means no children to attend next Wednesday. Please ensure you have alternative arrangements in place for childcare. We know this may be an inconvenience, but as I’ve mentioned before teachers are not making this decision lightly. It has been 24 years since the last strike, an indicator perhaps of how big the issue is the sector is facing. 2 interesting statistics for you:

• The profession was short of 200 teachers at the beginning of this year...that is 200 classrooms without a teacher
• We will be 1500+ teachers short by the end of the decade. Sounds like a long way off? Current Year 3 children will still be at DPS...and I know we all want the very best people to be working alongside them each day in the classroom.

I’ve appreciated the messages of support and the positive discussions I have had with many of you at the gate or in the playground.

Rippa Success

Well done to our Rippa Rugby team, qualifying once again to compete in the National Championships next month! An amazing achievement by an incredible group of people. Qualifying was a real spectacle last week, Mr Blue made an awesome pitch to play on, the whole school turned out to support along with a heap of community members (the atmosphere was awesome) and Paraparaumu Beach School provided some stiff competition. DPS won the first match, Paraparaumu Beach the second, then we clinched it in the third. Coming back in the third showed a great sense of determination in the kids, they had to dig pretty deep. Winning made me a proud Principal, but it was how we did it and how we acted afterwards that really gave me a buzz. Once all was said and done we took the visitors to our hall and fed them. Instantly our kids mixed with theirs, smiling happy faces, great manners...then they shot off into the playground. They went from being competitors to friends in minutes. Our young people really showed our DPS Kid values and I think the comment below (left on our Facebook page) really captures the aim of our school community...to be great people:

Well done Cody!

A part of a group representing Harlequin Theatre, Cody performed King John as part of the Drama Competition TheatreFest, Wellington edition. They won ‘Best Production’ and they now enter the next round of the competition to be held in Fielding. Good luck!

Whānau Hui

Nau mai, haere mai

When: Rāhina 13 o Here-turi-kōkā 5:30-7:00 pm

Where: Rangimarie Marae - Cole St

Who: Parents of all students registered as Māori and interested others

What: Whanau Evening and shared potluck kai (please bring enough to feed your family to share with others)

Why: Nga Kaupapa:

• Bring a buddy whanau
• Learn a simple Karakia kai
• Practise a hand/foot game led by students
• Practise some poi led by students

Noho ora mai rā i roto i nga manaakitanga katoa

Nā mātou, nā DPS whanau team.

Brett Cockeram

(BOT Chair and Whanau group member)

Board of Trustees

Minute Secretary Vacancy

The Board of Trustees has a vacancy for a Minute Secretary and would ideally like to recruit someone from the parent community. The role includes taking, compiling and distributing the minutes for the BOT’s nine meetings per year, with approximately 3-4 hours of time required per meeting.

Meetings are usually held between 7:00 pm-9:00pm on a Tuesday evening.

It is essential to be competent with MS Word and/or Google Docs and an advantage to be familiar with minute taking.

$20 per hour

Please contact the BOT Chairperson, Brett Cockeram via bot@douglaspark.school.nz

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DPS?

Wairarapa Schools Photography Competition

The entry categories are:

• Living Photographs
• Non-Living Photographs
• Photo Essay

Photograph Essay

Must:

• Tell a clear, compelling story, or illustrate an emotion or event
• Have a title that adds impact to the essay
• Be a large size (e.g. at least 1 MB)
• Be named using the title of the photo and the name of the photographer.

Examples of Photo Essays:

Living and Non-Living Photographs

Must:

• Be saved in jpeg file format and at least 1 MB.
• Be named using the name of the photographer.
• Be taken by the student
• Be taken in 2018

Examples of Past Entries:

All images can:

• Be in colour or black and white.
• Be cropped but they cannot be digitally altered in any other way.

DPS learners can enter as many photographs/Photography Essays as they wish and teachers will select which 10 for each age group will represent the school.

Entries close Tuesday 18th September.

If you need assistance with getting your images to us you can bring your camera/memory card into school, or email the photos to Miss West or Mr Harkness.

awest@douglaspark.school.nz

sharkness@douglaspark.school.nz

Uniform Shop

We have a good selection of 2nd hand uniform at the moment, sizes 6 and up. Open on Wednesdays 8-9am and 2.15-3pm for cash sales only.

Lucky Books at DPS!

Please have any orders back to school by Thursday 9th August.

Writing

The wolf came out of his cave. He had brown eyes and he is hairy. The wolf has ears as big as batman! He is as wicked as a robber and he is really fierce. He tricked Little Red Riding Hood to go the far way.

By Arlie Henson

My mum has blonde hair like a husky and she likes to go on her phone. Her eyes are the colour of the blue sky. My mum likes to go shopping, driving, sleeping and to cook dinner! My mum gets angry when me and Finn fight a lot. She feels happy when she gets breakfast in bed.

By Riley Chittick

My cousin Rosie is so fun. She lives in England. She has lived in England all her life. Rosie is on my dads side of the family she moved house a few years ago but she still lives in England. My cousin has beautiful blonde hair as beautiful as the sunset on a warm summer night. My cousin Rosie has wonderful blue eyes like the sky on a clear summer afternoon.

By Oona Heyes

COMMUNITY NEWS

Teacher Strike Day Activities for the kids!

ATHLETICS TRAINING

This programme is designed for kids of all abilities from year 2 until year 6 who are looking for a little help to run jump or throw faster longer and further and considered the basis for many sports. The aim is to improve running, jumping, throwing techniques, move faster, Increase distance, get fit, lose weight or add some variety to your current fitness programme, while having fun. The programme for term three is:

Term 3 23 July – 28 September

Monday and Wednesday 3.45pm – 4.30pm General Run Jump Throw Training

Venues = Colin Pugh Sportsbowl, Masterton

Costs on Application

Please contact Mark Harris to book your spot on +64 21 300 380, mark@maharris.co.nz or refer to www.maharris.co.nz