Together We Grow – Ka Tupu Kotāhi ai Tātou- Week 1, Term 3

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope the break brought you a chance to relax, recharge, and maybe even enjoy a few of those crisp and wet winter days with a hot chocolate in hand.

An especially warm welcome to all our new students and whānau who have joined us this term — it was a real pleasure to meet many of you at our Whakatau. A special shout-out to Liam and Matteo, two of our senior boys who stepped up and showed true leadership as part of the welcome. Ka rawe, boys!

As we dive into this winter term, I’m reminded of a quote by John Steinbeck:
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
It’s a lovely reminder that challenges — like a chilly morning or a tough assignment — help us appreciate the warm wins and happy moments even more.

Let’s embrace Term 3 with energy, kindness, and curiosity. There’s lots ahead and we’re excited to be on this learning journey with you all.

Ngā mihi mahana,
Rick Sayer
Principal

Parent/Teacher Interviews

A reminder that we are hosting Parent/Teacher in Week 3 of Term 3, which in light of the above gives parents and caregivers an opportunity to discuss their child’s learning in relation to the new New Zealand Curriculum. We strongly encourage whanau to attend. Interviews have been extended to 15 minutes this mid year cycle to allow for this.

These interviews will take place over 2 days during Week 3 of Term 3 (dates below). Please note, school will be closing early at 12:00pm on Tuesday 29th July.

Dates:

Tuesday 29th July 12:15pm to 6:45pm

Wednesday 30th July 3:15pm to 5:00 pm

Booking

Either book online https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code Enter the code: nw27z

or you can contact the office directly.

Online bookings will close on Monday 28th of July at 3:00pm for Tuesday bookings, and Tuesday 3.00pm for Wednesday bookings

After School Care

No after school care Tues 29th & 30th of July school and will close early (12pm) on the Tuesday. Please make arrangements for your child to be collected from school on this day if your child usually attends After School Care. Unfortunately there will be no supervision available in this instance.

Star Spot – Student Learning @ OVS

RURU Awards

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 today’s assembly .

Week 1: Jnr – Ryder. Snr – Syd

Class Attendance: New ‘Ruru Rockstar’ Award

Each week at assembly we are acknowledging the class with the best attendance for the week…and they win the new ‘Ruru Rockstar’ Award.

This weeks winner is (drum roll please) …Room 7 !

Outstanding Attendance Term 2

The Outstanding Attendance winners from last term will be holding their special party with Mr Sayer next Wednesday, 23rd July.

Slice of pizza and bag of french fries | Free Vector

Otaika Valley School’s World-Famous Ag Day is Coming!

Start polishing those gumboots and practising your best “Moo!” because Ag Day is just around the corner — happening on Friday 24th October (Term 4, Week 3)!

It’s time to start thinking about which adorable farm friend you’ll be bringing along — lambs, calves, and goats are all welcome (and highly encouraged!). Keep an ear out, because the official call to register your livestock will be made soon. (Animals must be born after 1 July)

In exciting news… Mr T has already built the Lambie Daycare pen — so our tiniest hoofed friends will have a cosy spot to hang out. We’re already dreaming of the clip-clop of tiny hooves echoing across the school!

Get ready for a day of fun, fluff, and farmyard fabulousness. Ag Day at Otaika Valley is truly the Greatest Show on Hooves!

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

School Lunches

To ensure our school lunch database is accurate and up to date, please let Jen in the office know if your child does not require a school lunch or if there are any changes in your child’s dietary requirements. Information about school lunches can be found here.

Spare clothes

With the amount of rain we’ve been having lately there’s quite a bit of mud around, which can be very appealing for some students! However we’ve noticed some students don’t have a change of clothes when they do get wet and muddy. Please ensure your child has at least one set of spare clothes in their school bag.

Reception revamp

If you haven’t seen it already, the office area has finally been transformed to reflect our special OVS ‘little bit of Country!’ A massive thank you to Mr T (with Sid’s help of course!) for building the fabulous new reception desk.

Property Developments and ‘Parking congestion’.

Due to the current demolition and building works our parking spaces are under considerable pressure at drop off and pickup times. To help with this congestion please be considerate of others and drop off and pick up your child as quickly as possible. We will continue to monitor this and try to improve things as possible. Only 9 weeks to go…Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding!