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.

We are settling into school routines with classes discussing class treaties, school values and expectations, getting to know each other and beginning the process of learning. So many of our students are glad to be back in the classroom and happy to be reconnecting with their friends and teachers. We are very happy with the way school has begun, and thank you very much for the preparation you have given your children for the start of school.

The school hall restoration is back underway. Over the holiday break the workers removed the roof and cladding to reveal the structure of the building. Their discoveries meant that they needed to go back to council for further consents which has delayed the process for a while. However, they are now back on site and are working on concrete foundation work and then will move onto replacing the roof. We have been told to expect the project to take up to 3 terms to complete, so we will be using the Settlers Hall across the road for many of our assemblies and meetings until then. This will mean separate teams will be having their assemblies and we will not be having full school assemblies like we have usually done. Principal's certificates will be awarded at syndicate assemblies, and you will be informed if your child is receiving one in the same way that we have done in the past. We would love to have you join us for that in the Settlers Hall.

With the warmer weather we are very thankful for our school pool which is being well used by our students. Please name all swim gear and towels etc as every week we have a huge pile of lost property that we cannot return to anyone. If your child's gear is named it will be returned to them by the lost property team. We check our lost property at the end of every week and ask you to do the same. We store the week's collection outside of Room 20 so please take a look if you are missing anything.

Next Tuesday, from 5pm, we will host our annual Oratia School Community Picnic on the school field. It promises to be an afternoon of fun with bouncy castles and a sausage sizzle for the children. Parents are welcome to bring a picnic and a picnic blanket and enjoy the music. I look forward to seeing you there.

Please keep in touch with your class teacher if there is anything that arises that you would like clarified. We look forward to forming a great partnership with you for the benefit of your children.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

Last year Kohanga Nui (Room 17/18) worked on some self portraits using fence palings. We had to think about size and shape to make them fit the plank. We also learnt about colour contests. Thanks to Bex Walton Hannay and Lee Perry for their patience and expertise.

This week, Tuakana classes had cricket development sessions with Winston from Auckland cricket. The three values of Auckland Cricket are teamwork, honesty and support. First we played snowball tag. Six people had tennis balls and when they tagged someone they would give them the tennis ball then start running. The people that were in at the end had to do a punishment which was 5 burpees. Afterwards we did a challenge and we were timed to see how fast we could knock down 4 sets of wickets. The class with the fastest score will get a prize. Everyone had a great time learning throwing and catching skills and working together as a team.

Room 13 and 14 attended the first Garden to Table session for 2025 yesterday. They made fruit salad to test their knife skills that they had practiced. Students also made Tongan banana pancakes - keke vai. They found potatoes and seeds in the garden which they are planning to replant.

Waitakere Flippaball is starting up again. There is an open skills session this coming Sunday, the 16th of February which is a great place for players to see if they are interested. Games start the following week on the 23rd. Let Marissa Slaney (marissas@oratia.school.nz) know if your child is keen to join or if you'd like to coach or manage the team. For more information go to waitakwaterpolo.co.nz

COMMUNITY ALERT

Unfortunately we have had a second breakin to the school hall this week. We do have footage of a person of interest as there are security cameras around the school and the school hall however, if you do notice any unusual activity on the school grounds after hours, please contact the police to report it. Thank you.

Classes for youth aged 10 -15 years old begin on 12 February, (years 7, 8, 9 or 10 at school). Have fun, get creative, learn skills for the stage, with experienced tutor John Goudge. Classes are at Rimu Glade Studio, 4 Rimu Rd, Oratia, 5 – 6.30pm. The weekly classes are for 3 terms, with performances at the end of term each term.

To enrol or for information contact John on email goudgedrama@gmail.com or ph 021 2329822.

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/