Newsletter
Week 9 NEWSLETTER
from the principal
COVID Alert Level 1
Back to Alert Level 1, thanks for your support of our Level 2 procedures. Things went very smoothly, and I’m grateful that as a country we dodged another COVID bullet. A definite reminder about sticking to the systems such as scanning in.
Massive thanks to Jane, Shaun and Olivia for manning the gates in the mornings and afternoons. Taking names and sanitising hands is part of our system to ensure we can have parents in safely...and the Monday and Tuesday this week were freezing and wet! Thanks guys, above and beyond.
Paid Union Meeting - School Closed today at 12.30pm
Thanks for your support of this, we know it is an inconvenience...but we have no control of when the Union calls for the meeting. We also appreciate your ongoing support as we head into another negotiation round. I mentioned a few weeks ago...the issues of 2019 are still here. The average age of a teacher in NZ is 58, we still don’t have great numbers of teachers in training and (even with COVID) teachers are still leaving the profession in high numbers within their first 5 years.
One of the big issues that will be campaigned on is the lack of equity for primary staffing. Pūaotanga, an independent review into primary school staffing has recently been released. The report recognises that the system we operate in is not ideal for learners. It highlights some of the equity issues in the system (a good example is the largest class sizes in education are from Years 4-8...as they enter secondary schooling, class sizes are funded at smaller ratios) and makes suggestions for the Ministry and government to consider. You can read the report here.
Staff Only Day - Next Term, Friday 20th August
Advanced notice, we are having a staff only day Friday 20th August. This is at the end of Week 4 next term. We are looking at our assessment and reporting systems that day, and doing some further work on our HERO platform.
Angus and Bentley - Awesome learning!
Some awesome learning on display here. Angus has been reading a novel about Pompeii and completed a written report on the topic as well. He has a real depth of knowledge here, and the writing was excellent. As well as that excellent academic learning, he has collaboratively built a model of what Pompeii looked like after the destruction with classmate Bentley. This learning is hands-on, creative and requires a lot of critical thinking to get the model/prototype right. Put all that together...a powerful mix of academic and creative learning, done alongside peers. Well done!
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 Parenting Styles, and the difference between the 3 most common ways to parent children. Some key messages from Nathan:
“Have some negotiation, within clear boundaries”
“The parts of the brain we use, grow. We have children using their frontal cortex”
“Give support, structure and put in clear boundaries, with the ability to be flexible and responsive moment by moment.
For us at DPS this idea is embedded into our behaviour management systems. We have clear guidelines for students, but also engage with children in conversations about their choices. Rewards (like golden time) are often negotiated, and then the conversations are supportive, helping children towards making these great choices and getting the reward for it.
Enjoy! And give me your feedback: principal@douglaspark.school.nz
WRiting - mr Riley's homeclass
Sports
This folder has a list of netball and hockey teams. Draws will be shared through Hero each week.
Miniball
Next term, Year 3-6 students can choose to play Miniball if they wish. Games are played every Wednesday after school (from 3.30pm) at the YMCA. The season begins on the 4th August and concludes on the 29th September. All practises will be during the week at lunchtime. There is a $15 fee for the season. To register, click the link below, fill out the form and pay the fee to the office by Tuesday 6th July.
FoDPS - AGM 5 JULY 2021, 7.30pm in the staffroom
Our Annual General Meeting is being held Monday 5th July 2021 @ 7.30pm in the staff room followed by our regular meeting.
We encourage and welcome new families to join us.
Any queries email fodps@douglaspark.school.nz
Community notices
