ORATIA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

MESSAGE FROM MS LINDA

Talofa lava. Happy Samoan Language Week!

Tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai ki te whānau o te Oratia. Malo e lelei. Zdravo. Ni hao. Namaste. Kamusta. Greetings Oratia whānau and families.

Happy Samon Lanugage Week. We love showcasing our Samoan students and their capability in their culture and language. We have a Pasifika performance happening in school on Thursday June 4 at 2pm in the hall. I hope that some of you are able to attend and support our lovely students.

I trust that you found the King's birthday weekend as much of a welcome respite as we did here at kura. This term is a long 11 weeks, and so having the break in the middle of it was really helpful to our staff. We really valued the Maths Teacher Only Day on Tuesday as well.

We had Kim Bulluss from Cognition come and work with the teaching staff and we spent the day looking at strategies to accelerate learning for our students to get them up to the learning expectations for their year group. We had some great hands on teaching about the Statistics strand, and finished with exploring the Numeracy strand. We looked at how to grow our students' understanding from memorised knowledge to the application of that knowledge in rich tasks and real life situations. We learned a lot and had many good practices reinforced for us.

You may be aware that the NZ curriculum is undergoing extensive review and rewriting, and that we are also being asked to adjust our ways of teaching to align with a more structured pedagogy that fits the Science of Learning framework. For most teachers this has meant a lot of relearning and adjustment of their teaching practice, and a need to learn the new curriculum scope and sequence. I am very thankful for the quality of our teachers who have taken it upon themselves to grow and learn in this new environment in order to best meet the needs of their students. It has taken a lot of effort and persistence on their part, and we are still learning and growing to attain excellence in our teaching delivery.

At the moment we are in the middle of writing mid-year reports, which will be sent digitally to you at the end of the term. Reporting expectations are shifting to match the changes in curriculum. So, SAVE THE DATE: Parent Curriculum and Reporting Information Evening. We will be holding an information sharing time in Week 10 - Wednesday June 24 at 7pm in the school hall. If you are interested to hear about the changes to the curriculum and what assessments are now being expected to be conducted with our students, and how reporting to parents will be changing in 2027 then please come along to hear from us.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

Samoan Language Week

This week we celebrate Samoan Language Week, a wonderful opportunity to recognise and honour the rich language, culture, and heritage of Samoa. At our school, we value the many languages spoken within our community and believe that celebrating linguistic diversity helps foster understanding, inclusion, and respect for all. This afternoon at 2pm, our Pasifika group will perform in the school hall. Everyone is welcome to attend.

TREES FOR SURVIVAL PLANTING DAY

Yesterday, the Trees for Survival Team travelled to a farm in Waitākere for a very special planting day. For some students, it was a particularly meaningful experience, as they had been involved in the project from the very beginning, carefully planting the tiny seedlings that would eventually become the trees planted out on the day.

As the team arrived, there were some initial nerves about the challenge ahead. With a significant planting task awaiting them, students approached the day with enthusiasm, determination, and a readiness to contribute. Over the course of the morning, the Trees for Survival Team planted an impressive 922 native trees, including māhoe, karamū, mānuka, tī kōuka (cabbage trees), and kānuka.

Students demonstrated outstanding focus and perseverance from the outset. In just three hours, they exceeded expectations with the number of trees they were able to plant. Despite their hard work, some children still found time to carry out worm counts and enjoy a little dam building along the stream.

After completing the planting, the team enjoyed a well-earned lunch of sushi and chicken rolls. It provided an opportunity to relax, reflect on their achievements, and celebrate the collective effort that had gone into the day.

By the end of the trip, students had every reason to feel proud of their contribution. Knowing that their efforts will help restore and protect native habitats for years to come made the experience especially rewarding. The Trees for Survival Team returned to school with a strong sense of accomplishment after a job exceptionally well done.

CLASS AND TEAM PHOTOS - WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE

Photolife will be coming next Wednesday 10 June.

If your child/children are part of a group or team, please remember to bring in any uniform requirements.

We invite netball coaches and managers to come in for their team photo. Coaches and managers, if you are availabe to help children with their uniforms prior to the photo, that would be appreciated.

We will forward a timetable out to coaches shortly.

Please note: we will not be doing individual or sibling photos once again this year.

MATARIKI SCHOOL DISCO - THURSDAY 2 JULY 2026

CHANGES TO ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING - INFORMATION EVENING

Alongside the refreshing of the curriculum, there are currently changes afoot regarding assessment and how we report information about student progress and achievement to parents and whānau. We invite you to an information evening where we will share what this means for understanding the student reports you will receive from the school this year.

Date: Wednesday 24th June

Time: 7pm-8pm

Venue: School Hall

For any questions or queries, please email matthewm@oratia.school.nz

JUMPING JUNE

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB - ISSUE 4

Please place your Book Club order online as we do not accept cash orders at school. Information on how to order is included in the Book Club brochure that went home with children.

POLICY TO REVIEW!

This term, the scheduled review focuses on behaviour management, staff wellbeing and safety. For more information about the review, go to the Current Review tab at the top of your SchoolDocs site. A summary is provided below.

Daily School Bus
School Swimming Pool
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
EOTC Governance Roles and Responsibilities
EOTC Risk Assessment and Management

Follow these instructions to log on to schooldocs to review these.

1. Visit the website https://oratia.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

2. Enter the username (oratia) and password (0604).

3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

4. Read the policy.

5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

6. Select the reviewer type "Parent".

7. Enter your name (optional).

8. Submit your ratings and comments.

9. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.