Week 8 NEWSLETTER

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

A notice came home yesterday with the children containing a full update, you can read it here if you missed it. The obvious message around hygiene is in there, but also the news that all sports have been cancelled or postponed, and that we won’t be hosting Celebration Time in the hall following Ministry advice and guidance.

We are sharing information as it comes to light, and continuing with the hygiene messages to children. The videos we have shared to Facebook are well worth watching again with your children, and the Ministry has some excellent advice (click here) for how to discuss COVID-19 with your children. Nathan Wallis has posted some advice for parents around how to help child anxiety during this event, well worth watching.

The government has set up a new site (https://covid19.govt.nz/) that contains all the relevant information in one place, and as always...the best source of up to date information is the Ministry of Health. The Minister of Education has also released a video to parents about schools that you can watch below.

Please stay informed, please follow correct hygiene procedures, please have your children stay home if they are ill, and please be kind and respectful towards one another in these times.

We advise students, staff, parents and whānau that - if they have the symptoms of COVID-19, have recently been to any countries or areas of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19, to call Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 or their doctor immediately.

Nga Tama Toa

The boys had the first Nga Tama Toa session for the year yesterday. The course is a leadership through Tikanga experience for the children, and the meet once a term...Primary, Intermediate and College students all take part.

Road Safety has been a constant issue as our school has grown, and we’ve worked with the Council and Road Safety Council many times over the year to try make some sort of changes to improve conditions. This is a great way for you to have your say.

Click here to complete the online submission

And if you want further information on the proposed changes, head to this Council site

Trois Grande Fugue

On Thursday March 12, thirty lucky DPS students had the opportunity to go by bus to The Opera House in Wellington. They went to see a performance in the New Zealand Festival Trois Grande Fugue.

About the show

One massive piece of music. Three choreographers’ remarkable interpretations. Three of the world’s most esteemed choreographers, Lucinda Childs (US), Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (Belgium) and Maguy Marin (France), present their own visions of Beethoven’s passionate masterpiece Die Grosse Fugue. Performed by the world-renowned Lyon Opera Ballet, a company known for taking on a vast range of ambitious work, this “monumental, stark and uncompromising” (New York Times) triple bill takes you deep inside Beethoven’s score, in ways so different and gripping it reveals how strongly music can move you.

Watch this trailer and get a wee taste...

Trailer Trois Grande Fugue

The students were able to see the dancers respond to the changes in pitch, tempo and use of space and repetition. This complements the dance teaching workshops all Douglas Park students are receiving from Paris of Footsteps Dance Company.

Thanks to all those people who came and supported our DPS Book Fair from every sale we get points to purchase new books for our school.

We are so lucky here at DPS to have such an awesome group of people working with our learners! Each week we will have a korero with some of our staff to help you learn more about us! Feel free to stop for a chat when you see us around school.

MOVIN'MARCH

Walking Pou

Our school is asking parents to use one of our Travel Pou over March to encourage families to walk the last 500m or so to school. This helps ease congestion in Cole Street markedly and get kids active before the school day AND we’ll stamp your passports at the crossings and hall gate! We have 4 Travel Pou. One located in Cole Street by the brick wall outside numer 96. Two in Essex Street. One located by “The Crossing” walkway between Essex and Cole Streets and a very popular one at the start of the walkway beside Douglas Park opposite Douglas Park School. This one is very popular because it is in line of sight from the school and you can watch your child walk or scoot all the way.

If you live close to school and don’t need to cross at one of the crossings come to the Pou located inside the hall gate at DPS and you may collect your stamp.

Your child should have received a second WOW passport on Friday. Make sure you name the passport and write the name of our school and when you have collected 10 stamps post it in the WOW box in the foyer. No name and school = no possibility of winning a prize!

More WOW passports have been ordered.

Parent Photo Competition

Last week Staglands donated all our Family passes for our parent photo competition. This week parents are in to win daily prizes to Zealandia!

Look out for Jack’s Favourite Friday competition every Friday where we’ll be giving away this adult scooter courtesy of Micro Scooters worth $359.95! Simply snap a photo of your family’s journey to school during Movin’March and win! It might highlight a small adventure or wonder discovered along the way, or capture a moment. To enter, post your photo publicly on Facebook or Instagram with #movinmarch. T&C’s are here

Share your story

Whānau can also take part in our Share your Story and be in to win weekly Wellington destination prizes as well as a Bluebridge Family + vehicle pass on a return Cook Straight sailing.

Recent postponements and cancellations

• As you may be aware many sports events and competitions have been postponed or cancelled. This is based on guidance and best practice from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health, these decisions have been made as a precaution. Below is a list of sports we know so far.
• Regular updates will be on our DPS Facebook page as we receive them, and this link is a great page to keep an eye on too.

More FM - Wairarapa Cancellations and Postponements

CANCELLED

• All Rugby until April 18
• All Netball until May 2nd
• All Cricket - this includes the Girls Cricket tournament scheduled for this Friday
• Masterton Cluster teeball, mod softball and intermediate softball season (for term 1)

POSTPONED

• Wairarapa Primary Schools Swim Champs. We will look to run these later in the year.
• Junior Touch Rugby for Thursday 19th March and Thursday 26th March

THANK-YOU to all our parents who offered to coach DPS teams this term and give up their time as a parent helper at various sports events. We always appreciate your support and look forward to this continuing over the rest of our sporting year.