Kia ora koutou.

Thanks to all of the supporters who came along to the Junior and Senior swimming sports days. We had two very successful events where the students really enjoyed themselves.

Yesterday we had a team take part in the COPS inter-school event which we had some excellent individual results with 15 x 1st places, 9 x 2nd places and 16 x 3rd places. We also came 1st in the senior 4 x length relay and 2nd in the junior relay and medley relay. Well done to all of our swimmers.

GALA is tomorrow afternoon. Please remember that school finishes at 12:30 tomorrow due to Gala setting up - there won't be any school lunches as a result. As mentioned last week we will be selling tickets for the attractions from two central positions - by the school office block and on the edge of the basketball court (both under blue gazebos). Tickets cost $2 each, they can be purchased in bulk lots, eg. 5 for $10 or 10 for $20. One ticket will get entry into any attraction. Ticket sales will be available from 3:30. Tickets are non-refundable. Food, drinks and Garage Sale will all be cash.

Unfortunately we haven't been able to secure an auctioneer for the GALA. We are going to set up an online auction that we will share with you and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Additionally the items will be displayed near the raffle selling tent. You can select the auction you would like to bid on and make a bid in there. The auction will finish next week and the auction winners will be informed. 

The Board of Trustees have decided to donate a percentage of the profit from the GALA to the Cyclone Gabriel appeal.  Please be assured your generosity is going to support the school and a lot of people in need!

Please be aware that the school may be closed on Thursday 16th due to industrial action - we will inform you if this is going to happen as soon as possible.

Ngā mihi, 

Scott Lincoln 

Principal 

2023 TERM DATES

Term 1 - Thurs 2nd Feb - Thurs 6th April

Term 2 - Weds 26th April - Fri 30th June

Term 3 - Mon 17th July - Fri 22nd Sept

Term 4 - Mon 9th Oct - Fri 15th Dec

March
Fri 10th March - Gala - School finishes at 12:30
Fri 10th March - Gala - 4pm-8pm!!!!
Mon 20th - Tues 21st - Parent & Teacher interviews

April
Fri 7th - Good Friday - School Closed

 

 

Our values focus for the next few weeks is Kindness.

Our school-wide values are explicitly taught in all our classrooms and across a variety of settings.

These value lessons are also supported by our school councillors sharing messages and role-playing at assemblies, as well as value reminders over the school intercom each morning during our daily notices.

This is how we display kindness in one of our school settings:

You may have heard the saying, “Before you criticise or judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes.” This quote is all about empathy. Empathy is the ability to be aware of the feelings of others and imagine what it might be like to be in their position (or in their shoes).

Empathy is a key ingredient in positive friendships and relationships. It reduces conflict and misunderstandings and leads to helping behaviour, kindness, and even greater success in life in general.

And like any skill, empathy can be taught and developed in our tamariki. Below are some key ideas to consider when talking to your child/ren about what it means to be empathetic towards others.

 

We are beginning to plan for winter soccer and netball teams.

SOCCER
Please respond to this survey to register your child for soccer.

NETBALL
Please  respond to this survey to register for netball.

If you can't access the online registration forms please contact the school office. Parent support is crucial for students and teams to take part.

INTRODUCTION TO NETBALL
The Otorohanga Netball Centre will be running an introduction to netball for year 5 students, or students year 5 and above who have never played full 7 a side netball and want to learn how the game works.

This will be on Wednesday 15th & 22nd March From 6pm - 6.30pm.

There will be a warm up and then go straight into a game, with stops and starts to help teach the girls and boys how to play the 7 aside game and some tips and tricks.  

The Mighty Middle Syndicate are back to weekly rotations learning skills in Art, Music, Te Reo Māori and Science! In Science, we have been learning about the properties of magnets and what sorts of objects magnets attract.

Sam, Evan, Ryder and Rome all took part in King of the Schools event held at the North King Country motocross track in Te Kuiti last weekend. They took out 10th place for the schools.

Sam Gray got 4th equal in pro65 class
Ryder van der Heyden got 8th in pro 65 class
Evan Gray got 10th in 7-8 65 class
Rome van der Heyden got 17th in MX 50 class

13th - 17th March

Ikura|Manaakitia te whare tangata is an initiative set up by the Ministry of Education to provide free period products in all state schools across New Zealand.  The main aims of this scheme are to support whānau with the rising cost of living and to make a positive impact on student wellbeing. If you would like to opt into the scheme, please contact the school office. 

 

Many families now choose to spread the cost of the Technology fee as well as the Middle and Senior Syndicate Camps over many months by making small, regular payments to the school bank account via internet banking. These costs will be applied to your child's account early in the year and emailed to you so that you have all of the information on hand. The camp cost is not due until later in the year, but you are welcome to start making payments at any time. If you choose to take up this option, please use your child's name as a reference.

School Account:
Oto South BOT
01-0391-0023110-00