ŌRĀTIA DISTRICT SCHOOL - NEWSLETTER

Tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai ki te whānau o te Ōrātia. Malo e lelei. Zdravo. Talofa lava. Kia orana. Ni hao. Namaste. Kamusta. Greetings Ōrātia whānau.

Last Friday Mr Moncur and I greeted the dawn out at Lone Kauri School with the parents and students, teachers and staff all gathered to celebrate Matariki around the fire. Pita Turei was present and shared some of the local stories with us all. He is always so interesting to listen to with his knowledgeable information presented in such a humorous way that makes links to modern life so well. The weather was kind to us as we shared the warmth of the Ahi Ka, and remembered those who had passed away in the preceding year, and considered goals we might have for the upcoming year. We finished our time together with a lovely shared breakfast. Thank you to Lone Kauri community for their hospitality and warm welcome.

Please note that Ōrātia School's Matariki celebration is Thursday June 27th with the gathering around the fire/Ahi ka starting at 6.00am. We hope to see the stars as we welcome in the dawn.

Our Garden to Table gardener Sylvia gave us her notice a few weeks ago as she is relocating out of Auckland. We were very sad to lose her as she was very knowledgeable about gardening, and enjoyed working with our students and parents. We advertised and were able to receive applications from a number of quality gardeners. We are delighted to let you know that Tanya Harre will be our new G2T gardener starting with us next week. She is very skilled with a lot of knowledge about renewable gardening and permaculture. We look forward to getting to know her better, and welcome her to Ōrātia kura.

I wanted to thank those parents who read my message last week about getting to school on time, and who have made a noticeable effort to adjust their mornings to make it happen for their children. Thank you very much if you are one of these families, as it is much appreciated. We are aiming to have students come in to school between 8.30 and 8.45 for an optimal start to their day.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

Every second Friday we hold a full school assembly in the hall and last week's assembly was hosted by our student leaders. We had beautiful performances from the school choir and a small Pasifika group.

Recently, our student leaders attended The National Young Leaders Days (NYLD) the largest and longest running leadership event for primary and intermediate school students. These large scale annual events aim to develop student leadership and focus on objectives such as Inspiration, Connection, Student Empowerment, Promoting Positivity, Motivation and Education. Well done to Macy Futter for asking a question in front of the large crowd. We hope you all picked up a few words of wisdom from William Pike to share with your school friends.

A big thank you to Room 15 for sacrificing their morning tea break last week to clean up the School environment. Their contribution not only keeps our school clean and green but also earns them apple vouchers to use in the PB4L shop. It's a win-win situation !

Tēnā koutou whānau and families. You are invited to read and review this term's current policies that are under review, by following the steps below. We really welcome and value your input.

All reviewers

1. Visit the website https://oratia.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
2. Enter the username (oratia) and password (0604).
3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
4. Read the policy.
5. Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
6. Select the reviewer type.
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
9. Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.
   
   

Key review Topics for Term 2 are:

• Employer Responsibility Policy (board)
• Appointment Procedure (board)
  (also see subtopics)
• Equal Employment Opportunities
• Teacher Relief Cover
  (you may have an older version called Employ a Reliever)
• Safety Checking (board)
• Police Vetting
• Classroom Release Time / Timetable
  (this topic name will differ depending on your school type)
  If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form. Or click the logo below for quick access to the school docs website.
  

This Saturday 15 June you have a chance to watch our rōpū Kapa Haka performing at the Arataki Visitors Centre as part of their Matariki Whānau Day. They will be there from 11am ready for their performance at 11.30am. The green star on the map below shows where Ōrātia School Kapa Haka will be performing and what else is going on during the day. There are plenty of activities organised to keep everyone entertained so bring the kids along for a fun day out.

On Thursday 27 June you're invited to join us at school to take part in our Matariki celebrations. It's a brilliant way to spend some time at our kura with your tamariki at this time of year to reflect, celebrate and seek hope for the future. Details of the days events are listed in the flyer below. We would love to see you there.

It's the annual event that you've all been waiting for - yes it's school photo time. The class and individual photos are booked in for Mon 24 - Weds 26 June.

Kings Birthday was a Teacher Only Day for our school so while most of our students were at home enjoying a day off, Asher, Aria, Tuatapu, Gene, Blake & Kobe were at school working. But instead of doing school work they were working with a film crew who were shooting a commercial at the school that day. Well done for your expert performances as school kids !

Get your glitter and glow ready for the Ōrātia School PTA disco on Thursday 4 July. There will be lightsabers, pizza's and great music on offer. Don't miss your chance to show off your best dance moves with your friends. Thanks to the PTA for planning and hosting this event which will no doubt be a winner. Get your tickets NOW through Kindo.

Oscar Kool Kidz Before/Afterschool and Holiday Care Programme are looking for a fabulous person to fill the last piece of our puzzle for a 2IC/Senior Program Assistant. There is flexibility on hours and days, we have a great team and working environment just waiting for you! Feel free to pop in and visit us in Room 21 or email your CV to oscarkoolkidzltd@gmail.com

Email: principal@oratia.school.nz
Website: https://www.oratia.school.nz
Location: Shaw Road & West Coast Road, Oratia, Auckland 0604, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 818-6216
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OratiaSchool/