Oratia District School Newsletter
Week 08 - 24 March 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. What a downpour we had on Monday morning! It created a flood in one of our classrooms which we are still remediating, and poor Room 20 are settled into Room 5 in the meantime. My sincere thanks to Ian Julian our caretaker and the team who helped mop up the mess, and to Hayley our Room 20 teacher for her wonderful handling of the situation. Not what you want to greet you at the start of the week!
I have received some beautiful artwork and get well letters from the students at school, all bound into stunning booklets for me to browse through. I keep dipping back into them as they are so lovely and make me smile. I am being very good working from home and keeping my leg up so my knee can heal as quickly as possible.
Last Friday, our staff had a Teacher Only Day where we worked with Heather Lewis from Cognition Education on the Maths Curriculum. This year the government is conducting their curriculum refresh in both Mathematics and Literacy, and so the staff are engaging with that, with a focus on Maths. While all staff are involved with Teacher Only Days and staff meetings associated with Maths, we also have a smaller group of teachers who are working more closely with Heather and guiding the wider learning for us all. They meet in a professional learning group (PLG) twice a term to work together on our Maths journey. The TOD was full of practical ideas and suggestions to try in our classrooms, and reminded us of the importance of developing 'Maths Talk' amongst our students and highlighting how Maths is incorporated into so much of what we experience in life. We will have another TOD in June to continue this learning.
The Prime Minister's announcement on Wednesday signaled an end to the vaccine mandates that we are working under in Education. Jacinda Adern said that after April 4th staff will no longer have to be vaccinated to work in schools, and that this would extend to our volunteers also. We will have to wait to see what the fine print states when the Ministry of Education send out their bulletins to us, but I am hopeful that this will be the start of a return to a more normal school life for us all. While we are still in the Red Level of Omicron we do still have to abide by the health and safety guidelines we are currently operating under. Once we know for sure what the changes will mean for us, we will be informing you promptly.
Save the date: Thursday April 7, 2.00-7.30 Goal Setting Meetings. School will close at 1.30. Buses will leave around 1.30 also. Oscar Kool Kidz after school care will be open for bookings from 1.30pm.
Take care and stay safe.
Kia kaha, Kia atawhai. Ngā mihi nui
Ms Linda
Calendar of Events - Term 1, 2022
Monday 4 April - School Cross Country. In Red level we are unable to have spectators in the school ground. Thank you for your understanding.
Monday 4 April - Board of Trustees Meeting - 7pm
Thursday 7 April - Data Sharing/goal setting online meetings. School closing at 1.30pm
Thursday 14 April - Last day of Term One
All school events are recorded in our public calendar on the front page of our website.
MASKS
Friday Lunch Schedule
Friday lunches can be ordered on Kindo and will be delivered to your child's classroom at the beginning of lunchtime. Cut off times for orders are 7.00pm Thursday night except for Sushi which is Wednesday night. If your child is absent on the day for which lunch is ordered and you would like to collect the food please phone the office.
Friday 1 April - Jesters Pies (Great fundraiser for the school we make $2 per pie!)
Friday 8 April - Subway
Data sharing evening
We would like to invite you to attend a goal-setting conversation for your child on Thursday 7th April. As a school we promote parents and whānau to be active partners in their child's learning and we value the opportunity to meet with you to share information and work together. These conversations will be held over Google Meet and be ten minutes in length. We would like to hear from you about your child (their interests, strengths, passions) and then work together to agree on a goal for the direction of their learning for the terms ahead.
How to make a booking
You can make your booking online at www.schoolinterviews.co.nz.
Bookings can be made from Thursday 24 March . The code is qawma
A Big THANK YOU to the Selfe Family and their business INFINET CLOUD SOLUTIONS LTD for a very generous donation to Garden to table. We value your support.
Popping good popcorn!
Teacher Feature!
Tena koutou Oratia school community, it’s Whaea Jude here and I am one of the New entrant teachers in Kohanga iti (Rooms 6/7).
I love this school and community, and I have loved teaching alongside my colleague Whaea Gemma supporting our earliest tamariki to transition to school for the past 3 years. I have a long history here.
I moved to Anawhata with my partner and our 3 children in 1994 (I know, I look so young) and it was great being a parent here before I began teaching at Oratia in 2002. I have had breaks in between my teaching years at Oratia (life is too short not to) but I always seem to return, it’s a great school and I have loads of fun! Occasionally you may see the ‘odd’ character around the school that looks a wee bit like me but surely it couldn’t be? At Christmas I acquired a new cat called Elvis. He is super suave and able to mind control, and I love him to bits.
Rock your socks Day
A BIG THANK YOU to the Futter family for their generous donation of plastic chairs and tables. We will find many uses for them in the future!
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.
Policy for Review
The instructions to contribute to the review are below:
- 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 Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type "Parent".
- Enter your name (optional).
- Submit your ratings and comments.
- If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.
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
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/