Newsletter Term 2, Week 5
Otautau School 4th June 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Today all the staff have spent the day together reviewing our wellbeing curriculum and planning for the future. Some of the key areas we have looked at today are:
- The Power of Positive Relationships
- Culturally Responsive Practices and Wellbeing
- Developing a Wellbeing Model for Otautau School
The plan from here is to get feedback from all key stakeholders in our school community (students, whanau, Board of Trustees and Friends of School) around our school model. From there we will review and modify the model so that we develop a model that all members of our community can relate to. Watch this space for more information.
Cross Country
Over the long weekend we will send out a registration link for the Western Cross Country along with the names of the students competing in this event. We will be running the same course as what the students ran last week. The cross country will begin next Friday at 11am and will be finished by 1pm.
Have a wonderful long weekend everyone. Please stay safe (and dry!!!!!) and most importantly drive safely with your precious cargo on board. We all can't wait to see all the smiling faces back next Tuesday and hear about what they have been up to over the long weekend.
Mid Year Reporting
At the end of this term all parents will receive a written Mid Year Progress Report. This will be in a slightly different format from previous years. Following on from this, early in Term 3, we will be running Student-Led Conferences. These are slightly different from previous years and will be the child sharing their learning, talking about where they are currently at, and where they need to go next in their learning. More information will come out about this towards the end of Term 2.
New School Counsellor
- Thursday, 17 June
- Thursday, 1 July
Referral forms are available from the school office if you wish to refer your child to this wonderful service.
Welcome to Otautau School
We hope you all enjoy your time with us.
Friends of School / Board Information Evening
We have invited Pam Fleck, Principal Adviser to come along to school on Friday 11th June at 5pm to talk about these roles and responsibilities.
All are welcome to attend this informal meeting in the school staffroom - look forward to seeing you all there.
SCHOOL MESSAGES
SAUSAGE WEDNESDAYS
Every Wednesday $2 a sausage if you would like to purchase.
SMILE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMME
Where: Otautau School - Multi-purpose room
When: Mondays
Time: 3:30-4:20 ⇒ Children yr 1-4
4:30 - 5:30 ⇒ Children yr 5-8
ABSENCES
Please contact the school if your child is going to be away. The easiest way is through the School App or you can phone the school office 225 8320.
If there is no reason given for a child's absence they will be marked as truant!!
BUS CODE OF CONDUCT
These forms need to be returned to the school office please. If the forms are not returned by the end of Term 2 then students will not be able to access the bus service in Term 3. If you have lost your form or did not receive one please contact the school office.
VESTS
Please remember to make sure your child has a vest on them when they leave home each morning. We will do the same at the end of each day before they leave to go home.
National Young Leaders Day
On the 29th of May the Year 8s went up to Dunedin to go to National Young Leaders Day. When they first got there, the year 8s went to Moana Pool for a swim. After that they went to Dunedin Holiday Park to put the bags and rest of their gear away before going to the buffet for tea. After they had their delicious meal, they went back to the Dunedin Holiday Park to spend the night.
On the second day in Dunedin they went to the Dunedin Town Hall in the Octagon to the NYLD. There were a lot of schools there. The theme was “Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini.” “My strength is not due to me alone, but due to the strength of many.”
The Year 8s got to see a little message from Jacinda Ardern about what a leader is. The speakers at the NYLD were Cam Calkoen, Brooke Neal, Shay Wright, Georgia and Benny Tipene. Cam was the first speaker and then after him was Brooke, next was Shay, then Georgia and last but not least was Benny Tipene
At the end of NYLD Benny Tipene performed 2 of his songs. After that the Year 8s went home.
The quotes of the speakers
Cam Calkoen said “ Listen to the people who say you can.”
Then Brooke Neal said “I’m a duck- I look calm on the outside but my legs are going crazy in the water."
Georgia said, “You don’t let your age stop you.”
Shay said, “You have a super power.”
Benny Tipene said, “Study other people's music." and "You are allowed to change your dream.”
Thanks to Kelly, Mel, Paul, Brent and Miss Dickson for taking cars up there and making it possible.
Dunedin Camp Year 7/8 - some camp collages
ROOM 6 CAMP
Room 3's writing about their best experience on camp
We are proud to announce that Bailey Jamieson from Year 7 has won a poetry competition with her poem Stargazer.
Bailey will have her poem published in a magazine to celebrate her win.
Stargazer
I have always been a stargazer,
Looking up at the clear midnight-blue sky
My cold faint breaths, the only sound
As I squint my tired eyes at the moon
The only lights alive are the stars
Scattered over the heavens
Nine stars shine brighter than the rest
Matariki has begun
Constellations and star clusters litter the night sky
The moon’s red appearance
Deceives the world into thinking that
A red ring of fire devours it
The star Ururangi blows across the
Craters and valleys of the moon’s surface
From the top of the Matariki cluster
The star Waipuna-a-rangi causes
The grass to be covered in a soft dew
from the gentle, evening showers and rain
The winds of Ururangi whisper replacing the
Quiet chatter of the birds in the trees as
They pick the fruits and berries that
Tupuarangi has nurtured to life from afar,
With the help of Tapuaenuku who
Cared for the sustenance of the soil
The reflections of the star Waiti shine off the waters,
Rivers, ponds, creeks, streams and mighty moana
Plankton deep down shine their own light
Fish circle, swimming around their prey,
Hunting and the hunted
Fisher people catch and cook kai for their families
Memories about our treasured people who have passed
Are kept alive by the star Pohutukawa
“Lest we forget”
As our confidence grows, Matariki shines brighter
Giving small hope to the world below
With promise and expectations of a great future
And a happy and healthy life
The stars form sights
Like no other
People gather to see the constellations
Crowds flock to see the shining star clusters of Matariki
We join together
Like the star Matariki joins together
Connecting with the other eight stars
Silently, breathtakingly, to display her beauty
And wonder to the world
And to me
I have always been a stargazer.
Upcoming Events
- 11th June - Western Cross Country
- 11th June - School Assembly 2pm
- 14th-17th June - Year 8 Technology Winton
- 15th June - Board of Trustees meeting 3.30pm
- 25th June - School Assembly 10.30am
- 25th June - Southland Cross Country
- 5th-8th July - Year 7 Technology Winton
- 9th July - School Assembly 10.30am
- 9th July - END OF TERM
- 26th July - TERM 3
COMMUNITY EVENTS


