ŌRĀTIA DISTRICT SCHOOL - NEWSLETTER
Week 10 - Thursday 04 Jul 2024
MESSAGE FROM MS LINDA
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.
Here we are at the end of the first half of our school year. Some of us are thinking, "Where did the time go?" Others of us are just thankful we have made it successfully to this spot. I hope that you parents are ready for the holiday break, and that you get some time to hang out with your children in a more relaxed space. Our teaching team have worked really hard this term with fun activities, new learning around our theme of Communication, field trips, assessments and report writing. I am very proud of them all for the way they have committed to making school as inviting and engaging as they can. So thank you very much teachers, teacher aides, and support staff for your mahi. Our students have had a great term thanks to your efforts.
Tomorrow is the last day of term and we are sending mid-year school reports home to you. We hope that you find the new format helpful and informative. We have a parent/whānau survey that we would love you to fill in for us, and you can give us your feedback on the new report layout and other matters if you follow the link that will be sent home to you via email tomorrow. We would really value you taking the 10-15 minutes needed to fill the survey in, so we can hear your perspectives on a range of matters.
Tonight is our PTA sponsored disco. We are looking forward to seeing everyone here at the school hall for a good dance and glitter and glow. The junior disco starts at 5.00pm - 6.15pm, and the senior disco starts at 6.30pm - 7.45pm. We hope to see you there.
Look after yourselves over the term break, and enjoy the two weeks away from school routines. School starts for Term 3 on Monday July 22 at 8.55am. Please make an effort for Term 3 to get your children to school by 8.45am so they are on time to class each day. This will be our focus for the term.
Take care and stay safe.
Kia kaha, kia atawhai.
Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda
MATARIKI WHĀNAU DAY
The Matariki Whānau day last week was a great success. We had amazing support from our school whānau and there were lots of happy faces and plenty of good kai. Here's a few more photos from the day.
PEPEHA ART
Our Pepeha Art murals are coming along nicely! The students are showing great enthusiasm while drawing and painting their designs. Most of the paint is making it's way onto the boards and each student is keenly participating in their workshops.
We're looking forward to updating on their progress in Term Three!
PB4L FOCUS THIS WEEK - WHARE PUKAPUKA (LIBRARY)
Whare pukapuka (Library) is the focus for PB4L this week. We are learning how to find books you want to read, how to behave in the library and how to take books home to read. Books are taonga and should be treated with respect.
ERO RESEARCH ON RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION
Our school has been selected to take part in national research by the Education Review Office, about Relationships and Sexuality Education. This means that our students will be invited to complete short surveys early next term, that will ask them simple questions about their teaching and learning related to this area of the curriculum. The surveys are designed to be appropriate to their level of the curriculum.
If you would prefer that your child is not invited to complete these surveys, please let your child’s teacher know.
SCHOOL DOCS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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
- Visit the website https://oratia.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
- Enter the username (oratia) and password (0604).
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
- Read the policy.
- Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type.
- Enter your name (optional).
- Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
- 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.
40 HOUR CHALLENGE PIZZA FUNDRAISER
A Big thank you to everyone who supported our 40 Hour Challenge pizza fundraiser. We made a grand total of $476.00 which has been donated. Thanks so much!
WINTER IS HERE SO DONT FORGET TO PACK SPARE CLOTHES ☔🌂
A reminder please to make sure your child has spare named clothing in their bags every day now we are in winter. This week we have had a number of children come to the office for a change of clothes after getting wet and muddy during break times. We don't have enough spare clothing to go round so would appreciate you packing fully named spares each day if you want them to come back to you. If you child has borrowed spare clothes from the office recently, please remember to wash and return them to the office. Thank you.
SPORTS ROUNDUP
Last Tuesday saw the return of The Henderson Cluster Basketball Zone competition at the Trusts Arena. Twenty-one of our Tuakana Students took to the courts and played their hearts out, coming away with 4th place overall. What an amazing achievement to place in the top four. Congratulations to everyone involved.🏀🏅
Last week our school was the setting for The Valley-Ōrātia Foothill Annual Rugby Challenge. It was Henderson Valley vs Ōrātia and both sides had great crowd support. It was a hard fought match with some standout play and the Cup ultimately going to Henderson Valley. 🏆👏👏 Well done to everyone who took part and gave it their all !
MIDDLE SCHOOL RUGBY
Here’s a photo from the middle school rugby practice today. We have some senior students helping out. Practices are every Wednesday so please make sure your child brings their mouthguard. A change of clothes is also a good idea if you don't want complaints from cold, wet, muddy kids at the end of the day.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Contact Us
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/