ORATIA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

MESSAGE FROM MS LINDA

Gong hei fat choy. Happy Chinese New Year. Happy Lunar New Year. Wishing you happiness and prosperity in the final week of celebrations.

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

I wanted to thank every family that has sent in their student donations for their children. This is done via Kindo and can be started now and paid off over the year if paying in full seems a lot at this stage of the year. You can call the office for information on making part payments, or see the newsletter insert we have included. So far we have 29% of our donations covered, and are grateful to all those who have been able to support us this way.

I had the pleasure of taking a group of our student leaders on a Sea Cleaners trip on Tuesday, along with one of our wonderful parents. The weather was great and we collected a lot of plastic rubbish from the Devonport area, Motuhi island, Motutapu and Rangitoto and the inner viaduct area.We are very thankful to the Sea Cleaners Trust for allowing us to take part in their harbour cleanups as part of our community service opportunities.

Our Annual Plan 2026 has been accepted and approved by the Board of Trustees at our meeting on Monday. You will be able to find this plan on our school website once it has been uploaded, along with our curriculum results in our Analyses of Variance for reading, writing and maths. In keeping with the goals in our Annual Plan, our teachers have been having professional learning in Structured Literacy and Mathematics( a consolidation of PL we have done in 2025), and also in Neurodiversity. Hayley Bamborough and Kathryn Mansell ran an excellent staff meeting this week that included teaching strategies for our neurodiverse learners, a discussion on what neurodiversity means and looks like in our context, and a chance to share our questions and thoughts about this area. We will be having regular staff meetings each term to keep learning about structured approaches to learning and neurodiversity, with a session with the Halberg Trust later in the term about inclusive practices for sports and PE.

A reminder that we are collecting non-perishable items for our big wheelbarrow raffle for the Country Fair, so please send along to class a tin or packet of something that we could add to the pile. Many thanks for your support for this big event on March 28.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

SEACLEANERS

Ngā Rākau Kaha – Growing Strong Leaders

Ngā Rākau Kaha is our Year 6 leadership programme, closely aligned to our school curriculum and vision. It develops the key competencies — thinking, managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing, and using language, symbols and texts — while promoting our school values. Through this programme, our tamariki actively live our vision of being confident, connected learners, making a positive difference.

A special part of Ngā Rākau Kaha is giving back through community service. Last week, a group of students visited Waitematā Harbour to collect rubbish from beaches and wharves thanks to Sea Cleaners and their team.

This authentic experience allowed our students to demonstrate kaitiakitanga and take real action for our environment. We are grateful to Sea Cleaners for supporting this meaningful opportunity.

If you have a year 6 student and would like them to be apart of this exciting mahi, then please sign them up on Kindo by Friday 27th February.

TE URU ART GALLERY

As part of this term’s inquiry focus, the Arawhata syndicate visited Te Uru Art Gallery in Titirangi last week which included a guided tour of the Bill Hammond exhibition. The visit concluded with a hands-on printmaking workshop, giving students the opportunity to apply new techniques and express their own ideas creatively. It was a valuable experience that enriched their learning and connected strongly to our classroom programme.

Attendance at school

When children attend school regularly, they stay up to date with their learning in reading, writing, maths, and across the curriculum. Just as importantly, they stay connected to their friends, develop resilience, and feel that they belong. Missing too much school makes it harder to catch up, both academically and socially.

What Parents Can Do to Support Good Attendance

Build strong routines: A consistent bedtime and wake-up time help children feel rested and ready to learn.
Prepare the night before: Packing bags, laying out uniforms, and organising lunches in the evening makes mornings calmer.
Limit late nights and screen time: Too much time online or on devices can make mornings harder.
Talk positively about school: Encourage your child by focusing on what they enjoy—friends, sport, art, or learning something new.
Work with us early: If your child is finding it hard to attend, please let us know. Together, we can find solutions.

Real change happens when schools and families work together. Every day at school counts—not only for learning but also for building confidence, friendships, and habits that set children up for success in later life.

Let’s make attendance a priority so that every child has the best chance to learn, grow, and thrive.

As we prepare for our upcoming Country Fair, we are kindly asking for donations of goods to help support our fair stalls. Contributions would be greatly appreciated and will help make the day a success for all. If you have a business and would like to contribute a prize, voucher or cash donation, we would love to hear from you - michellem@oratia.school.nz

We are collecting Jolly Jars for the school gala. These can have a range of wrapped lollies, small unbroken toys, stickers, hair ties etc. Please deliver to Room 22. The class that collects the most Jolly Jars will receive a pizza lunch. photo credit - Isla White Room 22

Online Safety Hub for Parents and Whānau

Through our use of Linewise internet safety products, we have access to an Online Safety Hub for parents and whānau. You will also find a link to a safety app for parents, called Qustodio.

This short video (can you embed this video in the newsletter?) explains what the Online Safety Hub can offer. For more information, please contact Matt Moncur at matthewm@oratia.school.nz

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.