ORATIA DISTRICT SCHOOL - NEWSLETTER

Tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai ki te whānau o te Oratia. Talofa lava. Malo e lelei. Zdravo. Ni hao. Namaste. Kamusta. Greetings Oratia whānau and families.

Our students have been out on very exciting trips in the past couple of weeks. Our Potiki students have visited the Maritime Museum and taken a sail on the harbour in the Ted Ashby sailboat. Everyone said this was the highlight of the trip and we were very fortunate with the weather. Our Tuakana students have been taking turns to visit the Matuku Link wetlands reserve out at Te Henga/Bethells. I have spoken to a lot of the students about their time there, and they loved the hands on experience of finding creatures in the water and exploring the environment. Mr Moncur took the first group of students on a Sea Cleaners outing up the Tamaki Estuary, as part of their Ngā Rākau Kaha programme. They were out on the Waitemata harbour cleaning up the rubbish and plastics that litter the inlets and islands in the gulf. We will be taking about 70 students out with Sea Cleaners over the next term, and are very thankful to Hayden Smith and his team for the opportunity to participate in their mahi.

I am sure that most of you will be aware of all the talk from government about the refreshed curriculum and new mandates regarding structured literacy and mathematics. The curriculum has an entirely new scope and sequence, with a new way of assessing our students based on year levels rather than curriculum levels. Teachers are able to engage with the new scope and sequence this year for the first time, and adjust their teaching and assessment accordingly. This year will be one of intense learning for our kaiako as they do this. Despite all the curriculum changes, I thought it would be timely to remind families what our reporting schedule to you looks like, as this will not change.

Term 1

Week 1: Whānau sessions with the teacher

Week 8: Goal setting conversations with whānau

Term 2

Week 9: Written mid-year student progress report(New Entrant students follow a different transition reporting schedule as they move into the Potiki Year 1 / 2 classes)

Term 3

Week 8: 3-way/student led conferences

Term 4

Week 10: Written end-of-year student report

As you can see there is written reporting as well as opportunity for face to face conversation about the progress and achievement of your child at various stages throughout the year. Our teachers are also very proactive about reaching out to families to include them in discussions about their child, so that we can work together in partnership for their benefit. In a reciprocal way, if you have any questions or concerns about your child's learning or socialisation, we encourage you to contact the class teacher when you are first aware so that we can deal with things early on.

We look forward to our goal setting conversations with you later in the term, so keep an eye out for the link to sign up when it is published in an upcoming newsletter.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

Please click here to view the video "Literacy Experts: What Parents Need to know about changes to Reading and Writing in Schools". This video has some really helpful and practical tips for parents to support the structured literacy programme we are teaching here at Oratia school.

Next week is Week 6, ‘Family Friendly Week’ for our staff which is to acknowledge the hard work and dedication they have for our students. We do not have any staff meetings before or after school, to allow them to head home to their families. This is just one way we can recognize their effort and support their well-being. We like to do this each term in Week 6.

A DAY OF DISCOVERY AT TE HENGA FOR OUR TUAKANA STUDENTS

This week some of our Ngā Rakau Kaha students along with Mr Moncur, had the opportunity to go out on the water with the Sea Cleaners team. Sea Cleaners is a not-for-profit organisation that collects rubbish from the ocean and the foreshore. On an average day, Sea Cleaners will collect about 10,000 litres of rubbish! This was a wonderful hands on opportunity for our children to learn about the impact of waste in our oceans and to do their bit to help keep our environment clean.

Lone Kauri School was very proud to be nominated for a "Love your Place award. Six schools in West Auckland were nominated for this award. It is for the work they do 'eco-wise' to help the Waitakere Ranges.

One thing we have been working on in the last week is making seed bombs.We are making them to throw onto the slips so that the new native plants can regenerate to help our fragile land because we really do LOVE our place.

It was hands on this week in some of our Potiki classrooms, using our new Numicon resources. Students filled their boards while discussing numbers, shapes and colours… we are growing great mathematicians at our kura!

THE PACIFIC OCEAN, by Hamish Bartlett, Room 15

Ferdinand Magallen named the Pacific Ocean, Mar Pacifico, meaning peaceful sea, but it is not always peaceful because there are storms called typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes. Shark fins are getting cut off into shark fin soup. In the Pacific Ocean there is an area that is a circle of volcanoes called the Ring of Fire. Currents can be warm or cold like rip currents, they can go really fast, so they can be extremely cold or pretty hot. Coral is going white/getting bleached because of oil, rubbish and chemicals that people put in the ocean (maybe chemicals).

Arawhata Y3/4 Touch Team

Inspired by Tuakana, the Arawhata Y3/4 touch team has been training every Wednesday lunchtime. They are now trying to find other schools to play against! Matua Ben has been really impressed by their skills and spirit. “They go hard every game but always remember to shake hands at the end.”

Our Oratia School Netball teams have weekly games at Te Pai courts, just off Lincoln Road. Year 5-6 play on Mondays after school and Year 1-4 on Thursdays after school. Games start from 3:40pm and runs for 10 weeks.

Netball is a great team sport, and each week new skills are taught and built on. We have wonderful parent coaches who support the children through their weekly games and training.

The winter season starts on the follow dates:

Year 5-6 starts on Monday 5th of May for grading.

Year 1-4 starts on Thursday 29th of May

If your child is interested in playing netball this season, they can collect a form from Rm 2 or email Louise Robertson louiser@oratia.school.nz

Registration closes on the 4th of April and fees are available to be paid form this date.

We are fortunate to have a school nurse available at Oratia School. Marlies Tukia will be visiting every Wednesday to support the health and well-being of our students.

Her role will include various responsibilities, such as:

• Providing health education and resources to students, staff, and families.

• Collaborating with school staff to address health-related concerns.

• Conducting health screenings and assessments.

• Supporting students with additional health needs.

If your child requires her support or if you have concerns about their health and well-being, please contact our admin staff or our SENCo, Kathryn Mansell (kathrynm@oratia.school.nz), with verbal consent for a referral.

Liston College – OPEN EVENING - Wednesday, 19 March 2025 at 6.30pm in the Gymnasium

After hearing from the Principal, Head Boy and key staff, we will be showcasing Liston College with guided tours. Find out what it’s like to be part of the Liston Community!

Enrolment Information for 2026:

Online applications are now open for the 2026 academic year, and will close at 4:00pm on Friday, 30 May 2025. Applications are to be completed online via our website: https://www.liston.school.nz/about-us/enrolment

Full information about the school is available from our website: https://www.liston.school.nz

Email: principal@oratia.school.nz
Website: https://www.oratia.school.nz
Location: 1 Shaw Road, Oratia, Auckland 0604, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 818-6216
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OratiaSchool/