Together We Grow  – Ka Tupu Kotāhi ai Tātou

Kia ora koutou OVS Whanau and Caregivers,

We have had a very busy couple of weeks since our last newsletter!

Firstly, a big thank you to all those parents who participated in our parent/teacher conferences.  It was lovely to see you all celebrating your child’s success at school.  As teachers, we enjoy catching up with you in regards to your child’s progress.   It also gave us the opportunity to make sure parents could access the mid year reports properly.  However, if you are still having trouble accessing your child’s report, please feel free to ask your child’s teacher to help you. 

Our tamariki have also been incredibly busy at morning tea and lunchtimes, helping Dylan and Sid to move the woodchip mountains.  ‘Together we grow’ became ‘Together we shrink ( the wood chip piles!)’ and many hands definitely did make light work! A special mention to Dylan, who worked hard to keep everyone interested, organised, and well co-ordinated.   

Unfortunately, there remains a lot of nasty bugs around at the moment – including chickenpox.    Please take care of yourselves, and remember to let us know via the Hero app if your child is not coming to school.  

Ngā mihi

Heidi Nieddu

 

PLAYGROUND UPDATE 

Our playground was officially opened this past Monday! We had the oldest and the youngest students step up and cut the tape, to officially open the playground.  There was a lot of celebration!

Before he left, Mr Sayer gave me the list of children who were to have the first play on the playground.  Then at morning tea, everyone was welcome! It was a pretty popular place to be – I think nearly the whole school was there!

It was an exciting time for everyone – and has been a long time coming.  Thank you to everyone over the years who has supported our school in getting to this point, especially the BOT and PTA!  

Star Spot – Celebrating Student Learning @ OVS

Every week at assembly we celebrate super OVS students, and this week’s shout out is to say a huge congratulations to our R.U.R.U award winners from the last two assemblies.

Well done to Indie and Van from week 2.

 

 

Week 3’s super star student was River. 

Unfortunately, the junior RURU recipient was absent – so we will have 2 junior recipients next week! 

 

Star Spot – New students.

 A warm welcome to Emmet and Emilia who started in Room 1 last week.  We hope you love your time at our kura. 

Haere mai ki te kura o Ōtāika Valley !

 

After School Care

Our numbers in after school care are continuing to grow and after school care is currently full.  Please make sure you have organised your days with Robyn in advance.  If you no longer need ASC, please inform Robyn as we have families on a waiting list. 

 

Time to get training – The Waiotira Cross Country is coming up!

On Thursday the 29th August the whole school will catch buses to attend the annual Waiotira Cross country.  A more detailed letter and permission form will be sent home shortly.  Both the junior and senior syndicates have started a targeted fitness programme within school time. Additional training outside of school hours is always a great thing too!  For those who have not been previously, it can get a little muddy and so practicing in a paddock is probably the best bet! 

 

Ag day animals

Our Lamb pen is up and ready to receive its first guests! Participating in Ag Day by raising an animal is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn, grow, and develop a variety of important skills. This hands-on experience teaches responsibility, as children must care for their animal daily, ensuring it has proper food, water, and shelter. They learn about animal behavior, health, and nutrition, which can spark a lifelong interest in agriculture and veterinary sciences.

Moreover, raising an animal fosters empathy and compassion, as children form bonds with their animals and learn to understand their needs. This process also enhances problem-solving skills, as they must address any issues that arise in their animal’s care.

Just a reminder to past winners at Ag day that it is time to bring your trophies back.  

 

Did you know…this week was Cook island Language week?

The 2024 theme for Cook Islands Māori Language Week is ‘Ātui’ia au ki te vaka o tōku matakeinanga – connect me to the canoe of my tribe.’  To celebrate, the lovely (and multi talented) Darcie has been working hard with a group of girls at morning tea and lunchtimes creating an inspiring dance performance.  It was shared at assembly and we were very proud to see our tamariki trying something new and performing in front of the whole school.  Mako rai! ( Well done!) 

 

And now a couple of messages from our amazing ​​PTA

Raffle – PTA are again running a raffle. This time we are hoping to be able to split the funds between camp subsidies and upcoming projects in the school’s outdoor environment.

If you own a business and would like to sponsor a prize, or know someone you could approach, please get in touch pta@otaika.school.nz. We have a letter we can give you if you are approaching a business.

Ideally, we would like vouchers or cash sponsorship where we can purchase a voucher.

 

Disco – woohoo! Nearly time to par – tay!

Please let us know if you can help during the event or with tidy up on Friday morning 🙂

Check out the price lists for glow sticks and food items.

Before and after school routines

Just a reminder that students who arrive before 8.20am need to sit outside R3 and 4 until the bell rings.  Teachers need the quiet of the early morning to prepare for the day ahead.  

After school, children will be seated outside at R3 and 4 if they have not been picked up, or are not being actively supervised by a caregiver/parent. We appreciate that sometimes life gets hectic and/or the traffic gets bad!   If you are running late, please make sure you have phoned the office to let us know. 

 

Dates for your calendar 

Term 3
22 July – 1st Day of Term 3

29 August – Waiotira Cross Country
27 September – Last Day of Term 3

Term 4

14 October – 1st Day of Term 4

24th October – Ag and flowershow day

25th October – Teacher Only Day
28 October – Labour Day (Public Holiday)
TBC – Last Day of Term 4

Next newsletter – Week 5.