Principal's Message....
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
As I reflect on the second week of school, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in ensuring your child is wearing the correct uniform and having everything they need for their learning and their day, including PE gear and togs.
This week children have had the opportunity to participate in class swimming and technology programmes.
Next Wednesday 15 February we have our Meet the Teacher Evening, 6 pm - 6.30 pm. This is an opportunity for you to come and meet your child’s teacher, see the environment that they spend their day in and hear from their teacher. Your child’s teacher will go over timetables, expectations and share important programme information. We are so excited to be able to run this event, as normal, this year. When you arrive please head straight to your child’s classroom. I will be at the main entrance to point you in the right direction.
O.I.S classrooms are places where teachers cater to a wide range of differences between students. As well as this, extra support may be available within the school for students who need it. Occasionally, you may hear your child has had contact with Christine Lewthwaite or Kim Kennedy, our Learning Support Coordinators. Their role is to identify the best ways to support learning for particular needs. We are super lucky to have these ladies on our team. They bring a wealth of knowledge to support teaching, learning and the wellbeing for students. If you would like to know more about this, please contact the school.
Our third IDEAL value is Acting with Respect. It is the way of treating or thinking about other people and ourselves, often this is the area that many children this age struggle in. More and more teachers are finding that they are having to have conversations with students about how they talk, act and behave towards themselves and others.
At assembly I spoke about how important it is to respect others, whether it be online or in person, and never forget how powerful our words are. I talked about the importance of setting boundaries around our friend groups especially online, ensuring that the content of messages that we send is respectful. A smile, a thank you, an encouraging comment, and a compliment are all small acts of kindness, yet go such a long way with how others feel, and how we feel about ourselves.
At O.I.S we encourage our students to express their opinions and ideas, we don’t always have to agree with what others are saying however, we do need to be respectful and be prepared to listen to another students point of view.
Our last value is Learning with Purpose, actively engaging and participating to achieve your goals and to feel success. Success doesn’t always happen the first time round and it is from our failures, that we can learn the most. Success looks different to each individual.
Learning with Purpose is about paying attention to a learning intention and having clarity around learning. Listening during a learning opportunity is important, not only for yourself but for others around you. It involves participating when appropriate, staying focused and seeing something through to the end by not giving up.
At O.I.S we have high expectations. We have been talking to our students about taking responsibility for their learning and their behaviour. As parents, you also have a crucial part to play and we appreciate your support encouraging the high expectations around attendance, appearance, effort, behaviour and attitude. Take an interest in who your child is connecting with, both in person and online.
Often parents ask me what they can do to support their child's learning. One of the most important things you can do for your child is to prioritise school attendance. Ensure that your child comes to school everyday ready to learn. We all know ourselves that we don’t function well if we have had late nights, poor nutrition and/or lack of sleep. It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that we set routines and provide an environment where our children can be set up for success. By prioritising school attendance, you as parents are sending a clear message to your child, that education and their academic and social wellbeing is important. If your child is going to be off school for more than three consecutive days please don’t be offended if we ask for a medical certificate as it is important that you keep in touch with your child's teacher to help support their learning on return to school.
We are super lucky to have BX Foods supporting our first informal whānau breakfast this term. This is an awesome opportunity for your whānau to come along, share kai and meet other parents and students from your child’s room or year group. The breakfast is free. It will take place on Tuesday 21 February at 8:00am - 8:30am. To give us an indication of how many sausages to cook, we would love you to complete this simple form. I know your children will enjoy having you at school and showing you around the grounds. We would love to see as many of you here as possible.
Touch
Touch signups are underway. Please remind your child to sign up via the google form at school. Once we have confirmed numbers then your child will receive a notice regarding the cost and playing details. We do need your help so please if you are able to touch a team get in touch with Mr Mitchell Collie zac@oamaruint.school.nz
Youthline
Everyone has difficult experiences or feelings at some point in their lives, it isn’t always easy or useful to try to deal with them alone. Youthline offers a range of different platforms where your child/ren can get support when they need it, helping them better understand themselves, discover strengths, make decisions, deal with difficult events both past or present, cope with feelings, improve relationships and improve self esteem. We are very lucky to have two Youthline counsellors who visit the school regularly to support children. This is a confidential service.
For more information please contact Sharanya on the email address below.
Reminders
PARENT MEETINGS: All parent meetings need to be prearranged. You can do this via contacting the school office (03 4370822) or by emailing the applicable teacher.
OFFICE: Our office is undergoing renovations at present so we are now located beside the Food Room (first room on the right as you drive in).
If you come into our school, you must first report to the school office and ensure that you sign in.
NZEI Union Meeting for Teachers - Tuesday 28 February - school will be closed at 1pm. This day is also a mufti day.
School Swimming Sports - Friday 3 March
School Duathlon - Friday 17 March
Teacher Only Day - Tuesday 21 March. The school will be open and available on this day only for those students that have no other care available.