Week 6 NEWSLETTER

From the Principal

As we have shifted into our Flexible Learning Spaces the idea of ‘classes’ has dropped away. Starting tomorrow the shields are being rebranded as the DPS Kid Shields and they will be awarded fortnightly to a student from each teaching team who has showed one of our Core Beliefs. We will tell their story, what they have done to show, promote, develop these beliefs.

Rātā Bake Sale

Money is tight in education and we do rely on your generosity to make the $$$ go further at school. Each of our teaching teams has a term to do a fundraiser...to bring some extra $$$ to help their team out. This could be buying some resources for the kids, paying for an EOTC trip, or subsidising the cost of events. Literally every dollar matters, so big thanks to those families who donated some food to the bake sale and to all those who purchased something yummy in support of Rātā.

Whānau Classes

A new initiative this year is to build that ‘community’ feel within the school, we are stoked at how well this is going. This term we now sit in whānau classes for celebration time, then head off for 30 mins of time together. Classes do a mix of activities...but always the win is the interaction of big buddy/little buddy. The smiles, the stories, the celebrations...great to watch. We also use the time to share our local Wairarapatanga stories, again to widen our knowledge and view of this cool community of ours. Later this term we are having another Service Day, our chance as community members to give back. In Term 1 home classes did their service together, but this term it will be our whānau classes. Look forward to seeing what we can achieve this time around.

End of Winter Sport

The seasons are wrapping up, not quite all done and dusted but close. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our coaches...both parent volunteers and teachers. Great to see parents stepping up to take a team, to give up their time, to give themselves and their energy to other children. Awesome. Hats off to teachers as well...taking sport teams is ‘one of those things’ that add to a teachers job. We aren’t paid to take sport. We aren’t paid to be in the rain at the Colombo Road Courts, or to stand in bitter frosty wind of Clareville during the winter. We do this because it is great for kids, great for whānau, important to our community. The current teacher pay negotiations, the strike...some negativity towards the profession has popped out in the media...but let's pause for a moment and recognise our DPS staff for what they do. Is it fantastic, yes. Is it part of their contract, no. Do I appreciate it, you bet. Do the kids benefit, most certainly. Are we paid to do it...No, but does that stop our staff...No. You guys are epic.

Cody - More Success

Well done to Cody Laing-Bayley, I wrote a few weeks ago about his theatre group winning the Wellington round of TheatreFest. Last week they competed in Fielding at the Regional Level and have come away with another win! Off to Nationals next, congrats to the talented bunch of thespians, and good luck Cody for the next stage of the competition

Enjoy what we do?

Spread the word amongst your parent friends. Early next term the ballot will open for Out of Zone applications. Douglas Park does have an enrolment scheme, but twice a year the Board of Trustees open up spaces for those families who live out of our zone, but want to come to this great place of learning. There is always confusion around this, which has seen many students miss out on coming to DPS as their parents wrongly thought they would not be able to get in. No promises, no guarantees...but if we know that you are interested the BoT can consider opening up places. If they don’t know...they don’t know!

EOTC - Blanket Consent

As part of our ongoing review we have had a look at our EOTC procedures and are making a few changes. The first that you will notice is that we are sending home a notice today to get blanket consent for all low-risk activities. The note will explain more, but this is important and something that we expect a 100% return rate on. Without this consent your child may miss out on the simple, low-risk activities that the school provides. Please get these back to your child's homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DPS?

MIS 2019 - Enrolment Forms

Packs have been sent home with Year 6 pupils who are, or might be attending MIS next year. Please complete all forms and return them to your child's home class teacher by Friday 14th September.

If you will be returning the forms to MIS yourself, please let your child's home class teacher know.

Orientation day will be at the end of Term 4 and more information will come out about this closer to the date.

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

Please have your Lucky Book orders in by Thursday 13th September!

Writing

Check out what we love about being in Mrs Williams whanau class!

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