Newsletter #2
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 their uniform with pride and having everything they need for their learning day, including PE gear and a hat. The feel in the classroom and playground has been super positive.
This week children have had the opportunity to participate in
Class swimming programme
Technology programme
This week we have our Meet the Teacher night, Tuesday 13 February at 5.30 pm. This is an opportunity for you to come and meet your child’s teacher this year. Please head straight to your child’s classroom, I will be at the main entrance to point you in the right direction. Your child’s teacher will go over timetables, and expectations and share important programme information.
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 Kim Kennedy, who is our SENCO and one of our Learning Support Coordinators. She has been in classrooms helping to identify the best ways to support learning at O.I.S. If you would like to know more about this, please contact the school.
Our third IDEAL value is Acting with Respect. It is a way of treating or thinking about other people and ourselves. Often this is the area that many struggle with. 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 the assembly, I spoke about how important it is for us 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 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 student's point of view.
Our last value is Learning with Purpose, actively engaging and participating to achieve your goals and feel successful. 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. Listening during a learning opportunity is important, not only for yourself but for others around you as well. Learning with Purpose involves participating when appropriate, staying focused, and seeing something to the end, not giving up.
At O.I.S we have high expectations and we have been talking to our students a lot about taking responsibility for their learning and behaviour. As parents, you also have a crucial part to play and we appreciate your support in 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.
Attendance
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 prioritize school attendance. Ensure that your child comes to school every day 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 prioritizing school attendance, you as parents, are sending a clear message to your child that education is important, that 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. It is also important that you keep in touch with your child's teacher to help support their learning on return to school.
Emergency drills
Over the next few weeks, we will be practising our evacuation drills. These drills are to ensure that students are prepared for these in case of an emergency. If you feel that your child needs more support with this please email your class teacher directly.
Rebecca Meek
Ki te Taumata
Get there with learning