Welcome to Mya Bradshaw who started in our new entrant class this week. We hope you and your whānau enjoy being part of our learning community.

Rachel Thompson from Kids Greening Taupo has been working across each classroom in the school sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for ngahere.  She has a wealth of knowledge, fun facts and experience that our staff and students have benefitted from.  Please talk to your tamariki about what they have been learning with her.  Over time you will notice projects around the school that she may have supported, including a lizard space to encourage our native skinks and geckos.  
We will share more of our natural world learning over the coming weeks.

Southland Cross Country was held on Friday 14 June at the Southern Field Days site at Waimumu with some great results, congratulations to all those who represented Kiwi Zone.

10 Year Old Boys:
Ben Holmes 15th, Jack Packham 19th and Jackson Nyhof 24th

10 Year Old Girls:
Charlotte Rain 9th, Felicity Campbell 26th and Mae Ramsay 36th

11 Year Old Boys:
George Ramsay 10th

11 Year Old Girls:
Madeline Tiriaere 20th

We had a small group of children that were lucky enough to work with the New Zealand poet Cilla McQueen this week.  They wrote poems individually and then worked as a group to create a soundscape to go with their collaborative pieces.  

My branches float gently in the wind
Little humans play on me
Sometimes I wonder...
What would it be like to be a human?
Addie

Rich soil
Brown, red, green and purple
Spider scattering
Bees buzzing
Cobwebs
Sweat and gloves.
Scarlett

I'm growing
It's roots
Longer than a dinosaur.
Tegan

I see through the air
Looking down at foamy waves
Crashing into the sand dunes.
Isla

Waves ripple below me
Sun reflects onto the sea making it gleam
Feathers ruffle in the wind
Seagulls squawk
Trying to catch fish.
Harpur

I glide across the misty sky 
as huge clouds swiftly pass me
The ripple of rain and mist splodges on my face as
I look down at the crashing waves
creating soft foam
just to be washed out again.
Splish, splish, splash.
Felicity

I think
as I'm standing still
"What's out there?"
Aliens?
A massive cherry?
A portal?
or a nest world?
Rory

Stripey, orange, clown fish zoom past me
as I swallow krill
group by group.
I'm speeding like lightening 
through
the dark salty water.
Zoom!
Jonty

I watch birds land on me
as the wind sways gently
and quietly
while my leaves rustle 
aggresively and loudly.
Everything happens so slowly around me
Like time's stopping.
Ada

Student led/three way learning conversations will be held on the 2nd and 4th of July. 

Please keep an eye on your emails and the Skool Loop app to see how and when you can sign up for your conversation.

As a part of our mid year reporting process you will receive a brief report with mid year summary judgements for reading, writing and mathematics as well as teacher judgements of your child's learning competencies - their ability to manage themselves, relate to others, focus on learning tasks etc.   In making judgements teachers draw on a range of information sources such as ongoing classroom tasks, observations and learning conversations.

The learning conversations are an important part of our mid year reporting process.  They provide valuable insight into how your child/ren see themselves as learners and what they understand about their role in the learning process and also provide strategies and ideas on how you can further support your child’s learning goals.

Please remember teachers are happy to discuss your child’s learning at any time throughout the year.  Teachers’ email addresses are available on the school website.  If you wish to talk with your child’s teacher without your child present please contact them to make another time.  

Our TPSR group have been working on their self assessment rubrics and leadership skills as they take responsibility to transfer their learning by working with smaller groups and their whanaungatanga buddies at lunchtimes.  This week we had a planning meeting at Ziffs to set up our game plans and work through different scenarios.  We cannot wait to show our younger buddies our new games that we have created!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Light and Bright fundraiser for Hato Hone St John.  We raised $345.70.

Kia ora Whānau,
Through our Wai Ako lessons we have been learning how to tell someone where we come from. Have a go at the activity below, and if you have whānau anywhere else in the country, can you find the Māori kupu for their home.

 

Friday 21 June – 2:00pm Whole School Assembly

Friday 28 June – Matariki Holiday

                          Morning                          Afternoon

Monday           Lizzie Stephenson         Sharon Livingstone
Tuesday          Pip McIlwrick                  Pip McIlwrick
Wednesday    Sarah Hamilton             Sarah Hamilton
Thursday        Mandy Oosterbroek      Mandy Oosterbroek
Friday                               Matariki Holiday

 

Parent helpers please be at school by 8.20am for the morning patrol and 2.40pm for the afternoon patrol. If for some reason you are unavailable on your rostered day please swap with another parent.

 

To register your child/ren for sport in Term 3, click on the links below for further information.    Please note registration closing dates, late entries will not be accepted.  All payments are to be made to the Otatara School bank account: 030855 0560871 000.

After registrations have closed and teams have been organised, team information will be emailed out to parents/caregivers.

Monday 5th August - Monday 16th September at ILT Stadium Southland

Cost: $50

Tuesday 6th August - 10th September at ILT Stadium Southland

Cost - $20

Tuesday: Age 5-8, Thursday: Age 9-11

Cost $40

Wednesday 14th August - Salford School

Miniball will be held on Tuesday afternoons beginning at the end of September.  Information & registration details will be sent out next term.