O.I.S Newsletter - 13 February, 2026
Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka
As I reflect on the second week of school, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in ensuring your child is wearing their uniform with pride and having everything they need for their learning day, including PE gear and a hat. The feel in the classroom and playground has been super positive.
This week, children have had the opportunity to participate in
Class swimming programmes
Technology programme
Our IDEAL Values:
This week, we're focusing on "Acting with Respect." This involves treating others and ourselves with respect, which can sometimes be challenging. Teachers are increasingly discussing respectful communication and behaviour with students.
At our assembly, we emphasised the power of our words and the importance of respecting others, both online and in person. Setting boundaries within online friend groups and ensuring respectful messaging are crucial. Small acts of kindness, like smiles, thank-yous, and compliments, make a big difference.
At OIS, we encourage students to share their ideas respectfully and listen to others' viewpoints, even if they disagree.
Our final value is "Learning with Purpose," which means actively engaging to achieve goals and find success. Success varies for everyone and often comes after learning from failures. It involves paying attention, listening, participating, staying focused, and persevering.
We have high expectations at OIS and are teaching students to take responsibility for their learning and behaviour. We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home, including attendance, appearance, effort, behaviour, and attitude. Please stay involved in your child's social interactions, both online and offline.
At OIS, we talk about being IDEAL students. A huge part of growing up is taking responsibility for our behaviour and actions, and understanding that we can only control our behaviour and our response to others. At this week’s assembly, we spoke about ‘circle of control’ and what that means. I wonder if your child remembers?
I am well aware that we are all human and can all make mistakes from time to time. As you will know, some of our best lessons can come from our mistakes. One of the greatest things we can do when we make a mistake is own it and put it right, because we can’t take it back, and we can’t undo the action.
As parents and caregivers, we need to let our children take responsibility for their behaviour by supporting them to do the right thing. Rather than blaming others. If you do have anything you want to discuss regarding your child, we do encourage you to be in touch with your child’s teacher. It certainly helps when we’re all on the same page.
Cyber Safety
At OIS, all students receive an individual login after agreeing to the Digital Citizenship Student and Parent Agreement upon enrollment. It is important to note that the O.I.S. filtering system tracks and records all activity while a student is logged into their school account.
We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of online safety, including not sharing personal information or passwords. We also strongly advise against students participating in large group chats involving more than five people. Given how active our students are online, our focus is on education, coupled with parental measures, to keep our children safe.
Occasionally, issues that originate on social media outside of school can affect the school environment, leading to disruption in the playground and classroom and requiring teacher intervention. If your child uses online platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or Discord, active parental monitoring is crucial. Please pay close attention to whom they are communicating with and adding as online friends.
Attendance Matters
Regular school attendance is pivotal for academic success and overall development. We know that consistency of attendance ensures an uninterrupted flow of learning, offering new opportunities to expand knowledge, engage with peers, and interact with teachers. In addition, by being present consistently, students establish strong foundations, build habits, and set themselves up for success in high school. As a parent, the biggest way we can support our students' education is by ensuring that they are attending school every day. Please make school a priority for your child. You will be emailed each week your child’s attendance report.
If you require any support with getting your child to school, please make contact with your child’s teacher. The Public Health Nurse, Youthline Counsellor, Truancy Officer, and Learning Support Coordinators are only too happy to support our tamariki regularly attending school.
If your child is sick, you must contact the school office. If your child is going to be late for any reason, they must sign in when they get to school. A reminder that school starts at 8.45 am each morning and we finish at 2.45 pm.
Rebecca Meek