Our Purpose: To prepare students to be active participants who will contribute to their community.
Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka It is hard to believe that we have one week of school before the holidays. School lunches have started this week and children have given a lot of positive feedback. I have been really taken back by the gratitude that students have shown towards the food provided and the positive attitude that they have had towards trying different foods. We have adjusted our lunchtime timetable to ensure that students have enough time to eat. I wanted to thank you for your support and encouragement with the Healthy Lunches Programme. The students will have an opportunity next week to give feedback on the menu so far.
As you know we are an IDEAL school, Acting with Respect is one of our core values. This isn’t just about respect for others but respect for ourselves and the environment. How we treat others and the environment is a direct reflection of how much we respect ourselves. It has been great to see students out at break times enjoying the sunshine and playing different games.
Today at Assembly I reminded students of their responsibilities to help prevent bullying both online and in person. Everyone has the power to prevent bullying. We can all make a difference in our schools, workplaces, communities and whānau. One of the simplest ways to support others is by being kind, taking the time to smile, asking if someone is ok, and standing up for them if they are being picked on. Be an OIS upstander. It often takes courage and strength to be an upstander.
5 simple actions that students can do to be upstanders:
Support the person experiencing bullying by letting them know that they are not alone, stand with them.
Distract/Interrupt the bullying in some way: help them to leave the situation - walk away.
Call it! If you feel unsafe, use your words to let the person or people doing the bullying know what they’re doing isn’t okay.
Leave and act: if you don’t feel safe to step in while the bullying is happening, leave and contact help, Police, teachers, trusting adults.
Get help for the person: ensure that a supporting adult knows who can support them.
As parents, often our children take the lead from us as adults and how we react to situations is how our children learn to respond. As teachers, we are often talking with students and whanau about how our children are interacting and speaking with each other online. We encourage you to monitor what platforms your children are using to socialise and talk with others online.
At O.I.S we value your feedback and I encourage you to continue to communicate with your child’s class teacher, our doors are always open. If you have any concerns please contact your child's teacher, they're always open to having a chat at an agreed time. It is much better to sort things out at a low level and restore understanding early on, to ensure we are all on the same page. Please also remember to pass on those positives.
Phones
At Oamaru Intermediate students are able to bring their phones to school as we are aware a number of students use them to communicate with parents after school. They must be turned off and handed in to the class phone box at the start of the day. If phones are found on students during the school day, the phone is taken to the school office, and parents are contacted to come and collect it.
Illness
We have had a large number of children off school with colds and flus. We have also had head lice. If you need support with treating your child’s head lice please don’t hesitate to contact us. I appreciate that accommodating sick children is extra pressure on families however, we can not have sick students at school. It is really important that you phone, text or email school to let us know your child is away.
Uniforms
With the weather heating up, students are taking shoes/socks and jerseys off. Can you please double-check that your child’s uniform is well named. We have a number of clothing items turning up at lost property unnamed and unclaimed. I am happy if students start wearing their summer uniform ie. white sockets and hats starting next week.