Kia ora koutou.

We are just a week away from Gala. Please note that we finish school at 12:30 next Friday to allow staff to set up the activities. We are introducing ticket sales for some activities at Gala to help reduce the need for cash. Please keep an eye out for more information regarding this next week. If you are able to help out on Gala night, please respond to this survey with your stall preference.

Monday is our senior swimming sports, please feel free to come along and support our school. We will be holding a sausage sizzle fundraiser for the middle syndicate and our Gala raffles tickets will be available too. Gala raffles have been selling really well, please send in any unsold tickets as we have keen students looking to sell more.

Tomorrow is the Junior swimming day at the school pool. The students are looking forward to demonstrating their skills to family members.

Information for this year's netball and football registration can be found in this newsletter.

Ngā mihi, 

Scott Lincoln 

Principal 

2023 TERM DATES

Term 1 - Thurs 2nd Feb - Thurs 6th April

Term 2 - Weds 26th April - Fri 30th June

Term 3 - Mon 17th July - Fri 22nd Sept

Term 4 - Mon 9th Oct - Fri 15th Dec

March
Fri 3rd - Lower & Upper Junior Swimming
Mon 6th - Middle & Senior Swimming Sports
Fri 10th March - Gala - School finishes at 12:30
Fri 10th March - Gala - 4pm-8pm!!!! 
Mon 20th - Tues 21st - Parent & Teacher interviews

April
Fri 7th - Good Friday - School Closed

· Roster: We still need 30 people to help on the evening. Please reply to this survey with your preference. You can choose a slot in both time slots (4-6pm & 6-8pm) if you would like. 

· Groceries: We request that each child brings in 2 non-perishable grocery items.  In order to receive a variety of items we ask that students bring in goods that start with the first letter of their first name and the first letter of their last name. The first class where all students have brought their grocery items to school will receive a prize. Please send your goods directly to your child's class, we greatly appreciate your support!
 
· Raffle tickets:
Please return your sold raffle ticket butts and money ASAP. If you cannot sell your tickets please return them as we have other students keen to sell them. All raffle butts must be back at school by Monday 6th of March.

· Talent Quest: Get your entries in now!

· Giant Garage Sale:  Now is the time to have a clean out! We will be accepting garage sale items from Tuesday 21st February. Details about what we can accept are included with this newsletter.

· Roster: We will be calling for volunteers to help on the gala day with manning stalls and activities and cleaning up after the gala. Even if you can only spare an hour. Keep an eye out for a survey to get your preference in quickly. If you want to get in quick and choose your spot now please call the school office - 873 8530.

· Sponsorship: The request for sponsorship below will be sent to our local businesses. If your business does not receive the email, but you would like to get on board, you are welcome to call the school office or email accounts@otosouth.school.nz with your offer. 

 

 

Our values focus for the next few weeks is Kindness.

Our school-wide values are explicitly taught in all our classrooms and across a variety of settings.

These value lessons are also supported by our school councillors sharing messages and role-playing at assemblies, as well as value reminders over the school intercom each morning during our daily notices.

Below is how we display this value in one of our school settings:

Self-love is treating yourself the way you would a friend. Through positive self-talk, we can teach our tamariki to talk to themselves the way they would speak to a friend—always with kindness. Encourage them to compliment, comfort, and motivate themselves.  Practicing self-care has so many benefits from increasing happiness, reducing stress, improving overall mental health. Below are a few ways to encourage our tamariki to show kindness to themselves.

 

We are beginning to plan for winter soccer and netball teams.

SOCCER
Please respond to this survey to register your child for soccer.

NETBALL
Please  respond to this survey to register for netball. 

If you can't access the online registration forms please contact the school office. Parent support is crucial for students and teams to take part. 

6th - 10th March

Ikura|Manaakitia te whare tangata is an initiative set up by the Ministry of Education to provide free period products in all state schools across New Zealand.  The main aims of this scheme are to support whānau with the rising cost of living and to make a positive impact on student wellbeing. If you would like to opt into the scheme, please contact the school office. 

 

Many families now choose to spread the cost of the Technology fee as well as the Middle and Senior Syndicate Camps over many months by making small, regular payments to the school bank account via internet banking. These costs will be applied to your child's account early in the year and emailed to you so that you have all of the information on hand. The camp cost is not due until later in the year, but you are welcome to start making payments at any time. If you choose to take up this option, please use your child's name as a reference.

School Account:
Oto South BOT
01-0391-0023110-00