Oratia District School Newsletter
Week 10 - 7 April 2022
Message from Ms Linda
Tena koutou katoa. Nau mai ki te whanau o te Ōrātia. Ni hao. Talofa lava. Zdravo. Kia orana. Namaste.
Greetings Ōrātia whānau. It has been great to be back amongst the school community and say hello to all the children over the past week or so. Your children have been so empathetic and kind to me, wanting to know how I am feeling and wishing me a speedy recovery. They do you proud. I have found moving around on crutches to be quite tiring so am still doing reduced hours on site and working from home the rest of the day. It is working well.
Monday was a fabulous day as we hosted our school cross country, and were able to welcome our parents and community to come and cheer their children on. We loved having you onsite, and were delighted at the large number of families that were represented through the day. It felt really good to be a bit more 'normal'.
Thursday is the day we are having our Goal Setting meetings with you all. Thank you so much if you have booked in to talk with your child's teacher about their progress so far this year, and what their goals will be. Over the past couple of years, as we have taught through the pandemic, we have found that these sorts of events are the ones that really can suffer. It is very hard to maintain our usual close and caring relationships with each other when we have not been able to see each other on a regular and ongoing casual basis like we have been used to in previous years. So many of the little questions that we have about our children can often be asked and addressed when we pop in to school and have a quick word with the teacher. This has been really difficult to maintain through Covid, so it is really wonderful when we have parents that make the effort to connect with us for things like the online meet the teacher event we had earlier in the term, and today's Goal Setting meetings.
If you find that you have ongoing questions and concerns about your child in any way throughout the year, then please email their teacher and set up a chat time. If we deal with things when they are small then we can often find a solution that suits all.
We look forward to meeting with you at the Goal Setting evening. Please remember that school closes early at 1.30 today.
Take care and keep safe.
Kia kaha, kia atawhai.
Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda
CROSS COUNTRY 2022
Thank you to Dawn Holdsworth for taking these photos.
PB4L - Positive Behaviour for Learning
Our school-wide PB4L focus for week 11 is Friendship .
In order to support our learning, could you please discuss with your children some of the things that make a good friend? How do we support our friends both in the classroom and in the playground? We will be spending next week on this in classes as well as well as continuing our focus on using kind words.
Potiki Playhouse
Our junior classes really enjoy when it is their turn to unpack the potiki playhouse. The items inside which include planks of wood, plastic tubes, tripods, pallets and wooden spools create an opportunity for loose play and exploration. A favourite challenge at the moment is climbing to the top of the pole which Carter from Room 1 with the support of Matua Olly, skimmed up with ease!
Room 20 adventure!
'The Giants Story' by Tobias Turner - Rm 20
The rain was fierce and lightning flashed. The land was flooded and our shoes slowly filled with water… but worst of all Tuakana was starting to go under.
The only way to stop it was to sacrifice one class. One class would have to leave and if they did the rain god would not flood their home.
So the sacrifice was made and room 20 was exiled from their home. They barely lasted three days, running through puddles pulling each other out of deep mud pits until finally they made it to their destination… POTIKI. Where the little sausage breathing giants live. Sadly, the giants would have to be in ROOM 5 for ALL ETERNITY.
We attempted to settle into our new class, but giant after giant kept falling off chairs, squeezing through doorways and breaking sandcastles. After many days and nights, out of the blue someone defeated the rain god and we were back in our old home. YES!
Library Corner
Come and visit us online, with Access-it Library. Check out our new range of books on the carousel. http://aiscloud.nz/ORT01
Congratulations Zoe Tomlin you are a super star in attaining your Silver Certificate level. Excellent effort! Also congratulations goes to Etta Bamborough for your Bronze Certificate level. Well done!
Oratia District School - Out of Zone Ballot
Enrolments at Oratia School are governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available on our school website. The board invites out of zone applications from parents or caregivers who wish to enrol their children at Oratia District School.
The board has determined there will be 30 places in total across year levels 0 - 6 available for out-of-zone students in this ballot.
- Applications will open on Monday 14 March 2022
- Applications will close on Tuesday 10 May 2022
- If the number of out-of-zone applications exceeds the number of places available, students will be selected by ballot. The ballot will be drawn on Tuesday 17 May 2022
- Successful applicants must commence their first day at school on or before Thursday 30 June 2022
Information on how to apply will be available from our school website from Monday 14 March.
Please note: Applications are to be submitted online. We will not be accepting any applications at the school office.
COVID RED LEVEL - PHASE THREE
Important points to note at Oratia School:
- School access can begin at 8.30am. Parents are to remain off site for drop off and pick up. Please do not let children back over the fence to play in playgrounds after school while teachers are on site.
- Pick up at the end of the day will be staggered to reduce congestion at the gate - Potiki (Junior) at 2.30pm, Arawhata (Middle) at 2.40pm, Tuakana (Senior) at 2.50pm, Bus travellers at 3.00pm Siblings can leave at the same time as their younger sibling.
- If your child shows any sign of illness, please keep them home till they are well again
- If your child becomes ill at school we will call you and ask you to collect them. (We will meet you at the school gate).
- Children from Year 4 - 6 and their teachers will be wearing masks in the classroom and on the school buses; no masks are required when children are outside
- Please call the office on 818 6216 if you need to drop something to your child or collect them early and we will make arrangements with you.
You can information from the Ministry of Health on this link:
What does it mean if I am a household contact? – Ministry of Health
Netball Update
Netball teams will be announced tomorrow! Please check your email and look for information coming home with your child.
A BIG THANK YOU to Jason Lewis and the New Zealand Police force for the donation of five lovely new pink netballs for Oratia School.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
PARENT CORNER
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/