Newsletter
Week 5 NEWSLETTER
from the principal
Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future
On Monday I was showing some prospective parents around the school, and they remarked how cool it is, and how lucky the children are, that they get to make and create during their learning. They also asked why we do it...and this is a great question!
We are big believers here at DPS about the importance of children being active in their learning, being hands on, with the ultimate aim of empowering them to make a difference, to be able to Create for a Better Future.
This takes many forms...being literate and numerate for example are ways of being empowered, but also having that belief that I can have an idea, I can plan out my idea and I can then bring my idea into life. Grit, resilience, perseverance...skills we all need. The hands-on, practical nature of our classrooms is how we do this...and children love rising to the challenge. They get the opportunity to Explore all sorts of materials, ways of making and experience what I consider to be ‘hard fun’...learning that is very engaging (fun), but also with challenges (hard). Here are some recent examples below:
A coded football game...kick the ball into the goal past the goalie. It even keeps count of your score!
A snake with an opening/closing mouth...watch out!
Statue of Liberty (with a COVID Mask!)
Mr Clucky Cluck...a creation from Sewing Club
Some completed Sewing Club projects
Alessandra digitally designed and 3D printed the Back to the Future Delorean!
Coding a robot football game. Then testing and refining!
Creative Schools Index
Douglas Park has been accepted into an Australasian study of Creative Schools. Primarily run by the Universities of Auckland and Sydney, the advisory board also contains Universities from the UK.
The study involves an assessment of the Creativity here at DPS...the children's creative ability, the programs we run, and the environments our children get to learn within. The Creative Schools team agreed on these 11 dimensions as defining what makes a creative environment in schools;
Curiosity
Problem Posing
Critical thinking
Collaboration
Divergent thinking
Discipline mastery
Synthesising
Play
Innovation
Risk taking
Physical environment
I’m sure that looking through this list you’ll see elements of what we are striving to provide here at DPS. We take great PRIDE in our journey here, and this process will help us get a real picture, real data, about how we are going.
Next week all our Year 5 and 6 students will be bringing home a consent form for parents to sign. This gives the University permission to conduct the survey, and to keep the information on file. I have provided consent for the school to take part. The study won’t take place until early next term, but I’m very excited to see what comes of it. I’ve no doubt it will find some strengths, but more importantly...it will provide us with some clear next steps to improve our journey towards being a place of creativity.
Neuroscience Lessons for us as Parents
I’ve come across a wonderful, wonderful resource that I’m going to share with you in the newsletter over the term. Nathan Makaere Wallis is a well known NZ neuroscience educator. He has partnered with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to create a set of videos for parents explaining the neuroscience of learning.
In this week's video Nathan speaks about school starting age, and it is a really interesting/provocative watch! Starting school at 5 is a rite of passage in NZ, but why is that? Children don’t have to legally start until they are 6, but most start at 5. This isn’t a negative...my own son Henry started DPS last year just after his fifth birthday...but it is interesting when you consider the science behind brain and learning development.
For us at DPS this idea of being developmentally ready for formal, academic learning sits behind our choice to run play-based learning environments. This caters to the childs ‘limbic’ brain (brain 3), but also allows for those who are ready for starting their academic journey. Our play-based classes include reading, writing and maths (like all NZ schools), but also offer a really diverse learning environment catering to the differing developmental stages children arrive at. Reading, writing and maths...delivered alongside a safe social and emotional growth environment...Win Win!
Enjoy! And give me your feedback: principal@douglaspark.school.nz
Paid Union Meeting - Thursday 1st July: School Finishes 12.30pm
NZEI (The Teachers Union) are having a round of Union Meetings across the country towards the end of term. The meeting that Douglas Park staff will attend is Thursday 1st July. As such, school will finish at 12.30pm that day. We appreciate your support in this.
It doesn’t seem too long since the last round of bargaining...but if you recall, that round was very bitter and featured the first strike action by teachers in 25 years. I hope this upcoming round doesn’t end up the same, but like last time...I support teachers in seeking the best possible conditions for themselves. The problems of 2018/19 still exist. The average age of a teacher is 58, numbers of people training are still low, and the retention rate is also low (people leaving teaching never to return within the first 5 years). I imagine these issues will come up again during this round of bargaining.
What's happening at dps?
Stay safe on the way to school, Call in to the school office to pick up your free backpack cover. We have limited stocks available.
WRiting - Ms pinfold's homeclass
Staff Profiles
Sports
This folder has a list of netball and hockey teams. Draws will be shared through Hero each week.
DPS Cross Country
This will be held on Friday 4th June. The first race starts at 11.15am. Please arrive in plenty of time as we cannot give accurate start times and do not want you to miss it - Some races are very quick!
Order of Races
Year 3 boys and girls
Year 2 boys and girls
Rimu boys and girls
Year 4 boys and girls
Year 5 boys and girls
Year 6 boys and girls
Students can wear their sports uniform or dress in their house colour (Sheppard = Blue, Rutherford = Red, Batten = Black, Hillary = Green.) Year 6s are allowed to dress up.
Please be very aware of runners if you are using our surrounding streets at this time.
FoDPS
Community notices
