Week 9 NEWSLETTER

Welcome parents, teachers, students, relatives and friends. Here we are again, gathered to celebrate the year and give thanks to our learners. A warm welcome to those new parents who are joining us for their first DPS Final Celebration Time.

I’d like to acknowledge our special guests Carys and Waireka.

Also, a quick public farewell to Beverley, Helen and Amy West who finish with us this week. Thanks for all your efforts for the learners at DPS...and Amy, all the best as you start your family next year.

I’d like to say thanks to Rosie Davies...this event today is down to her hard work...She recently found her notes from last year...and next to my speech she had written “needs to iron his shorts”...the details matter to Rosie!

I have been incredibly impressed with all of our learners this year. Whilst not all are recognised formally at this prize giving, I know that they have all progressed so very much, both educationally and as people. I am proud of each and every one of you.

Last year I based my speech around a comment a parent had made about me...that I didn’t look like a Principal. This year I’d like to use another comment, made just yesterday to me...the person who was speaking to me works in education, across many schools in the local area...and she said... that I should be proud of this school, of what we are doing and the people we have within our learning community.

So...in that vein, I’m going to do something not very Kiwi...and certainly not like me...and I’m going to show off what this school and our community has achieved...you need to know about this...your school is something to be proud of

We are Innovators

• Last year the Ministry chose us for the Teacher led Innovation Fund...this fund recognises schools that are innovative. We are the only Primary school in the region chosen for the fund, and one of only a few primaries across New Zealand. Massive recognition for us
• Your school is one of the driving forces behind teacher innovation across the town also...a group of us organise and run the yearly EduCamp...a mini-conference for teachers...not only do we organise this, but our staff have presented more workshops in the last 3 years than any other school.
• We are also behind the inaugural Connect, Inspire Learn conference for children...only the second student led conference in the country. We did a mountain of work for this, and it resulted in an awesome day where children led the learning of others..real agency in action

Sports...I could list a heap, but here are some highlights

• We were finalists for two awards at the Wairarapa Sports Awards, winning Wairarapa Primary School of the year. We are the only school to have won this award twice
• For the 3rd year running we qualified for the National Champs for Rippa Rugby...no other school has done this locally.
• We are the only school that expects all staff to take sports in their own time...this provides many opportunities for your children.
• We have massive participation rates as a result...This was illustrated just this week with the local badminton league sharing their results...14 pairs in the grades that DPS competes in...and 10 of those 14 pairs are from our school

Property

• Last year we won a national award for our refurbished learning spaces...We have the best learning spaces in the country...something to be proud of
• Last weekend the government announced a big spendup on school property...and DPS will have an additional 237 thousand dollars to spend. Other schools are going to have to fix leaky roofs, toilet blocks that don’t work, fix mouldy walls...and the money will disappear as that stuff is expensive to sort...our money can go towards improvements...to making our already NZ leading learning spaces even better
• We are the only solar powered school in the region, and have been for over a decade now. Our awesome Board have just decided to upgrade our existing 12 panels with a further 50. Green-gold enviro school? Yep, we live that

People choosing us

• Peter Lee...a retired ex-High school principal from the Hutt Valley wanted to give money back to education. After trawling through all the local school newsletters, ERO reports and websites he chose us...he chose us for the direction of our school, and for the learning we offer
• We get a lot of visitors to this school...teachers, educators, principals...I had a count up, and on average we have a visiting group every fortnight. People come here because we are doing cool things that work for kids
• Education advisors, facilitators and consultants...they recommend us as a place to visit. They can see the amazing things that staff are doing with learning, the innovative approaches we have...and know we have a good story to tell. They tell others to visit us
• We were chosen by Aratoi to work with Richard Reddaway...an accomplished artist, and lecturer at Massey University...recognised for both the way we teach creativity, and the making/creating classrooms we have...
• Two things make a massive difference in education...the single largest determining factor for success is the quality of the relationship between teacher and student, and the second biggest is the quality of the teacher. Professional development is a part of our job...staff meetings looking at new ideas, going on courses...this develops teacher quality...and the teachers of your children have the best professional learning opportunities in town hands down. We work with education guru Mark Osborne...a man who regularly speaks at massive conferences overseas, we work with leading expert Rebecca Sweeney...and she wants us to present alongside her next year at NZ’s largest education conference called uLearn, we completed an online course through Stanford University with Professor Jo Boaler...an international maths expert...and we brought Nathan Wallis in...we seek the best. An easy illustration...a local school larger than us has a budget for professional learning next year worth $15,000...a lot of money to be sure. DPS, a smaller school...we’ve allocated $40,000...your kids are getting the benefit of the best trained staff around.

An External Voice

To show this is not just me skiting...2 weeks ago the Education Review Office...the part of the government that checks up on how well schools are doing...released a report around how well New Zealand schools were implementing the Key Competencies...our Core Beliefs...Agency, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity. A range of schools across the country were sampled for the report in Term two of 2018...and Douglas Park was a part of this. ⅓ of schools had done nothing to implement the Key Competencies, 50% of schools had just made a start, and 20% were starting to implement them well. Douglas Park is part of this 20%...among the top 20% in the country...but, being the nosey nerd that I am...I contacted the Education Review Office to get some more information. It turns out that 18 months ago they rated us not only in the top 20%, but at the very highest end of that. Your school, rated as a leader in New Zealand for the broad education we are delivering to your children.

Now...my saying all this, this is not me bagging other schools...I have maximum respect for anyone in this profession...and I am certainly not saying we are perfect, or the best...we have our flaws, and yes we have made our share of mistakes...but the massive list I just read out to you...I am saying that this isn’t the norm, that this is a real point of difference for DPS...and that your school is doing things that we should be proud of...that we should be very proud of.

All these amazing things only take place because of a large number of people.

• You guys, our DPS Kids, prepared to take a risk and prepared to commit to their learning.
• Parents, your support for us and your children makes all the difference
• Our brand new BoT for stepping up this year to govern our school
• The Friends of Douglas Park...your efforts equals more cash, which means better things for our Kids.
• Our teacher aides...tirelessly supporting learning in and out of the classrooms.
• The admin team...keeping the school running day to day, making us function
• Our caretaker Blue who does an enormous amount of work to keep the school functional as well as beautiful
• And our teachers...I am proud and honoured to be working alongside such amazing educators. They give their all, are wonderful learners themselves...and great people to boot.

I would like to thank the whole team we have here at DPS for all the work they have provided for our children this year.

To our 2019 Year 6’s I wish you all the very best as you head off to your next learning adventure

Haere taka mua, taka muri, kaua e whai - Be a leader not a follower.

Your academic success isn’t what defines you. Your sporting or cultural success isn’t what defines you. What defines you is your commitment to a set of values like PRIDE, and having a skillset like the Core Beliefs. A DPS Kid shows PRIDE and uses the Core Beliefs. The challenge I present you all with today is to strive to define yourself through these values and skills, to be peaceful, to collaborate, to reach for excellence and be creative. I’ll leave you with some wise words from Dr Seuss;

“Congratulations!

Today is your day

You're off to great places

You're off and away

You've got brains in your head

You've got feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself any

Direction you choose

You're on your own

And you know what you know

And you are the guy

Who'll decide where you go

Out there things can happen

And frequently do

To people as brainy

And footsy as you

And will you succeed?

Yes you will indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)

You're off to great places

Today is your day

Your mountain is waiting

Go, get on your way!”

I’d also like to acknowledge that for some families, this is the end of their time with DPS...the journey has been awesome, thanks for all your support over the years.

To everyone who has supported the Douglas Park School community in such a positive way this year, I thank you. To all the families and whanau of our DPS community I wish you an amazing Christmas, and a safe and exciting new year.

Thank you

News for 2020…

The office and uniform shop will be open Friday 24th January (please remember cash sales only for uniform)

All children will receive their stationery packs on the first day of Term 1 (Wednesday 29th January)

All packs will be $15.00.

Payment to be made by Friday 14th February.

Return of Library Books

We have a number of outstanding library books, these all need to be returned as soon as possible please.

Haere Ra DPS!

DPS has been like our second home and many of us started school right here in the Rimu syndicate. We will miss so much about this awesome school

What will we miss...

• Our amazing teachers and all our Yr 5 friends
• All the sports
• Playing on the go-carts
• All the opportunities I have been involved in
• Netball and kapa haka
• 11 a-side hockey and road patrol
• Some teachers very bad jokes (Miss West and Miss Fraser)
• Mrs Puddy and all the sports and opportunities

Our best memories are…

• Winning the Fair Go ad awards
• Playing shops in the Rimu team
• The road patrol party
• Going on PRIDE day out
• Going on Camp
• Going to Mount Holdsworth
• Creating the shocks video
• Hadlow exchange
• Russell Street exchange
• Rippa Nationals
• Being in the Radio team
• Doing Road patrol on cold days and getting Milo
• Going to Cobblestone Museum
• Colour run
• SLAM