Principal's message

I would like to start this week's newsletter with a huge thank you to you all for your support over the last week in ensuring that sick children are staying at home. The students have also been incredible in the way that they have stepped up, demonstrating amazing self-management and quickly adjusting to new routines.

Today, our school held a "loud shirt day" to raise awareness for children with hearing loss. It was fantastic to see so many students enthusiastically participate in this important initiative.

On Wednesday, we had 16 teams at Netty Fest, and the students were awesome and absolutely loved being involved in this day. Thank you to all our parents who managed a team for us. Thank you to Sharon and Hannah, and the team of staff who made this happen.

As we approach the end of the year, I want to remind our whānau about our uniform expectations. We appreciate your support in ensuring that ākonga wear their uniforms with pride, including appropriate black footwear. I understand that some students’ shoes may be nearing the end of their lives, but it’s important that we maintain our standards.

Additionally, during terms 1 and 4, we ask that students bring a hat for outdoor activities and break times. We need your help to ensure students have a hat to wear that they can leave in their bag for school use. You can purchase bucket hats from the school office for $12. NO EFTPOS / CASH ONLY.

Athletics sports on Wednesday, 22 October

At OIS, we approach Athletics Sports Day with a unique structure. We host a school-based event that emphasises fun and participation through skill-based activities in running, jumping, and throwing. Concurrently, a more traditional athletics day takes place at Centennial Park for our competitive students, offering them the opportunity to qualify for the North Otago Athletics Champs.

Strike Day Thursday 23 October 

The school will be closed on Thursday, 23 October, due to industrial action. This is nationwide.

Touch

Thank you to everyone who supported Tuesday night’s Touch games—it was a great success! Just a reminder for next week: only players should attend the games, arriving about 10 minutes before their scheduled time. Please remind students to head home promptly after their games and to cross any roads with a caregiver, as we had a close call last week. It is also important that you take extra care while driving around this area.

JR McKenzie Trust

If you have children coming to OIS or leaving to go to high school, you may be eligible to apply to the JR McKenzie Trust for uniform support. If you could benefit from this support, please see the separate article in the newsletter with the application form.

Have a safe weekend

Rebecca Meek

Tumuaki, Oamaru Intermediate