Principal's Message...
Our Purpose: To prepare students to be active participants who will contribute to their community.
Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka.
As another week draws to a close, I wish to express my thanks to everyone who has supported our students in their many activities throughout the term. This includes our sports teams, Kapa Haka and Pasifika groups, production, chess club, music groups, art groups, mathletics team, and James Hargest Exchange. Without the support of staff and parents giving up their time, we could not offer such a broad range of activities for our students to participate in.
Today our students participated in the OIS Country, it was awesome to see so many of our students engaging with this activity. A huge thank you to WBHS for allowing us to use their grounds.
This term, we're focusing on wellbeing (Haurora) and the importance of balance. We've noticed that some students are not bringing lunch, and while school lunches are provided, we understand that some students may not eat them. If your child isn't eating the provided lunch, please ensure they bring their own food from home.
At OIS, our third value is Acting with Respect; it is a way of treating or thinking about others and ourselves. Often, this is the area where many struggle. At OIS, we have a strong culture of building and maintaining positive relationships. It is a timely reminder for us all that the way we treat others and ourselves directly impacts our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. As humans, we all have control over our actions and words. If we create a culture of respect towards everyone that we have interactions with, whether it be teaching staff, support staff, relievers, peers, whānau or community members, these interactions are core to the culture at OIS and reflect our values.
It would be great if you could have a discussion at home with your child around these points
How do we Act with Respect in our lives?
Treat people with courtesy, politeness, and kindness.
Use kind words, respectful words, safe words.
Compliment others when they are achieving or doing the right thing.
Encourage others to express opinions and ideas.
Listen to what others have to say before expressing your viewpoint.
It is important to remember that these interactions, both online and when interacting with someone in person, are a direct reflection of who we are and leave the biggest impression on someone.
Everyone has their part to play to ensure we are all working together and supporting each other to be the best that we can be.
“He waka eke noa” We are all in this together.
Sickness
We have a fair amount of sickness in the school with our staff and students. While we know keeping students home from school isn’t easy on parents, we do ask that you do keep your child at home until they are well enough to return.
Open Night/Week
While we don’t invest heavily in traditional marketing, we believe in the power of word of mouth, especially within the Oamaru community. Please encourage anyone who is thinking about enrolling to come along to one of our open-week tours. We have a night session on Monday, 18 August at 5.15 pm - 6.15 pm and also offer tours during the day, Tuesday 19 August 9.00 am and another at 12 noon. For more information, and to register for our day tours, check our Facebook page or our website under the enrolment tab. We strongly encourage anyone interested in gaining a place at OIS to complete our enrolment form online or make an appointment to talk about the enrolment process.
This week, our Mathletics team represented OIS in Timaru. The team of Ēowyn Petry, Fynn Still, Luka Faria and Jackson Stratford achieved a fantastic second place (in a tie-breaker) out of 35 teams. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishment. Special thanks to Jude Garrett for supporting the team.