Together We Grow – Ka Tupu Kotāhi ai Tātou- Week 7, Term 3

Kia ora e te whānau,

Message from the Principal – Thank You to Our Board of Trustees

As this 3 year election cycle comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the staff at Otaika Valley School, to acknowledge and sincerely thank our current Board of Trustees, along with recent Board members, for their dedication and contributions to our kura over the past three years.

Our Board members – Gareth Bourke, Melissa Russell, Ryan Stevens , Korey Taylor, and Rebecca Yeates – have each given generously of their time, energy, and expertise to ensure the very best for our school and tamariki. Their governance has been invaluable in guiding us through challenges and supporting our ongoing growth and success.

A very special thank you goes to Melissa Russell for her capable and committed leadership as Board Chair during this period. Her stewardship has provided steady direction and strong advocacy for our school. I would also like to acknowledge and thank our staff representative, Heidi Neiddu, for the important perspective and support she has brought to the Board table.

We were very fortunate to have had such a dedicated team supporting our kura, and their contributions will have a lasting impact on OVS.

I  wish all candidates standing for election or re-election the very best, and  look forward to working with our new Board over the next 3 years.

Attendance Matters – A Reminder to Whānau

As we slowly come out of the middle of winter, we acknowledge that colds, flu, and even staff absences have made  this a challenging term. However, it is vital that we all continue to make student attendance a priority for learning. Regular attendance builds consistency, confidence, and strong progress for our tamariki.

The Ministry of Education now requires all schools to follow up on student attendance that falls below 90%. This reflects how important attendance is to your child’s success at school.

Sobering Statistics – Did you realise?

As you can see, even small absences add up to a significant amount of lost learning time and this hugely impacts their learning and their entire future.

For the remainder of this term, we are asking all whānau to help us by making attendance a real focus. Together, we can give our tamariki the best chance to grow, learn, and thrive.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Rick Sayer
Principal

What is Daffodil day?

Daffodil day is a special day when we support the Cancer Society with daffodils, which represent hope. Most schools in NZ celebrate and commemorate Daffodil day. We fundraise money to put towards more cancer research, to help find a cure. Daffodils are yellow right? This year, Ōtaika Valley School have embraced the fun by wearing yellow clothes and fundraising money for the Cancer Society. Daffodil day is held on Friday the 29th of August, so don’t be surprised if you see a lot of yellow! Let’s all support those who need it with a gold coin donation, if you want you can wear yellow too! Daffodil day is a day full of fun and a day where you could be SAVING LIVES just with a gold coin!

So why not donate, as most people know someone who has been affected by cancer. 

Written by Annabelle Griffiths and Ivy Finn.

Yesterday, some of our Year 4, 5, and 6 students braved the wind and rain to compete at the Interschool Cross Country at Barge Park. Over 1200 students were competing, and before the races had even started, we found ourselves surrounded by mud! This made the course a lot more slippery and tougher than usual. Everyone showed fantastic resilience and represented our school with pride. A HUGE thank  you to all the adult helpers who transported our students- we can’t do events like this without you!

.       Rock on!!!

We would like to take the time thank Fern and their Fuel for schools programme who have enabled us to add to our music resources this week. We have a brand new electric rhythm and bass guitar plus 2 amps to add to our drum kit and keyboard. We are finally ready to start to get a school band underway. Watch this space!!!

A huge thank you and shoutout  to the members of our  community are that have contributed to our school, they are listed as follows:

• Cochrane & Son Logging Limited.     * Quality Log Haulage Limited     *  M R and N J Attwood.    *  Grimmer Contracting Ltd-704.   
• Cochrane & Son Logging Limited – Taipuha
• If you buy bulk fuel from Fern and and would like to support our kura, please get in touch with the school and let us know. Every litre counts!