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,
It has been a great start to the year with students quickly adapting to routines and expectations. This week all our Year 7 classes are were introduced to the ‘Zones of Regulation’ programme that we run here at O.I.S. Year 8 classes will also be having refresher sessions, as this work was initiated with them last year. This programme develops awareness of feelings, energy and alertness levels while exploring a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, pro-social skills, self-care, and overall wellness. It is important that we, as adults, also look after ourselves and each other as ‘we are the calm’ for our students. Caring for the carer and building adult emotional regulation and strategies also helps us be aware of some practical ways to develop ‘tiny habits’ to ‘reset’ and to encourage healthy thinking and positive team well-being. So on Wednesday all of our staff were actively involved in a workshop based on our awareness and responses to different situations. The workshop made us reflect upon our own protective factors, our barriers, our thinking, and how it depends on how we are feeling that impacts our responses, it was great learning for us too.
Often one of the questions that we get asked as educators is how can we help our tamariki if they are struggling with emotions or finding learning difficult. As adults, how we respond to our children when they have times of struggle or when they make inappropriate choices is one of the biggest ways that we can support our akonga. If we respond calmly and allow our children to share their feelings and struggles, it empowers them to solve problems alongside someone and start the journey to solve them by themselves. It could simply be asking your child, “I can see you are finding this difficult. What do you need from me to help you achieve or accomplish what you want?"
Strike Action: School is closed on Thursday 16 March
Our tamariki need a quality education, and we want to give that to them. Unfortunately, the funding for our schools and kindergartens is not enough for us to give us the time we would like to support all our kids to thrive. We need to attract and retain educators by ensuring that teaching is a valued and attractive profession.
Principals and teachers in primary and area schools and kindergartens have considered, at length, the offers from the government to settle our respective collective agreements. The offers did not meet our expectations, nor make sufficient steps towards the changes we need for our children to succeed.
You may have seen that teachers voted to take industrial action on 16 March. This means that Oamaru Intermediate will be closed on Thursday 16 March, along with many schools in New Zealand.
Biking and scootering to school
It is wonderful to see so many of our students biking and scootering to school, however, it is important that our students are travelling safely around our community. If your child bikes or scooters to school please take the time to talk about these things:
Biking only on the roads, not on the footpaths
Looking both ways at a corner before crossing the road especially if you are on a scooter.
Riding in single file
Students on bikes must wear a helmet
Students who are biking to school need to know our road rules the same as we do to driving a car. I do suggest that you take the time to find what route your child is biking to school and what precautions need to be taken.
We strongly encourage all our students to bike the back streets from school, however, I am aware that a number of our students use the high school bike route. Regardless of what way your child bikes, they must adhere to all road rules.
Duathlon
Friday 17 March we will be holding our annual Duathlon. This event is a whole school event, students can do it as an individual or as part of a team. We have a competitive and a non-competitive option. Class teachers support all students to be part of this event. Please encourage and support your child to participate in this school event. You are more than welcome to come along and support your child.
Uniform
We pride ourselves in how well we wear our uniforms at OIS, it is important that your child is in the correct school uniform each day. If your child needs a uniform pass then you are required to make contact with your child's classroom teacher. Please support us by ensuring your child has the correct uniform each day. Nail polish and coloured hair are not part of our uniform.
Rebecca Meek
Principal