Tēnā koutou katoa, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Bula vinaka

This week I had the privilege of being part of a wānanga in Tauranga with Whaea Jamaya. It was run by Te Akatea Principals’ Association for Emerging Leaders. It was a very humbling, uplifting experience, and for me personally, another reminder of what a privileged position I have being the Principal of Oamaru Intermediate School.

We have a unique community of students and whānau who make up our kūra. I feel proud that we are all on the same waka in making sure that those who come through our gates leave after their time with us having the tools to face a brighter future.

Everyone has the power to prevent bullying. We can all make a difference in our schools, workplaces, communities, on the sports field and within our whānau. One of the simplest ways to support others is by being kind, taking the time to smile, asking if someone is ok, and standing up for them if they are being picked on. Be an O.I.S upstander. It often takes courage and strength to be an upstander.

5 simple actions that students can do to be upstanders:

Support the person experiencing bullying by letting them know that they are not alone, stand with them.
Distract/Interrupt the bullying in some way, and help them to leave the situation and walk away.
Call it! If you feel unsafe, use your words to let the person or people doing the bullying know what they’re doing isn’t okay.
Leave and act: if you don’t feel safe to step in while the bullying is happening, leave and contact help, police, teachers, trusting adults.
Get help for the person: ensure that a supporting adult knows who can support them.

At O.I.S we value your feedback and I encourage you to continue to communicate with your child’s class teachers as they are always open to having a chat at an agreed time. Our doors are always open! It is much better to sort things out at a low level and restore understanding early on to ensure we are all on the same page. Please remember to pass on those positives.

Unfortunately, our staff have been really hit by illness this week. We have managed to keep classrooms running as normal as possible however, this may not be the same for the coming weeks. Please ensure that the office has updated contact details, to ensure that we can communicate with you in the event that students need to be at home learning.

Phones

At Oamaru Intermediate students are able to bring their phones to school as we are aware a number of students use them to communicate with parents after school. They must be turned off and handed in to the class phone box at the start of the day. If phones are found on students during the school day, the phone is taken to the school office, and parents are contacted to come and collect it.

Illness

We have had a large number of children off school with colds and flus, not just COVID. I appreciate that accommodating sick children is extra pressure on families however, we can not have sick students at school. It is really important that you phone, text or email school to let us know your child is away.

Uniforms

With the changeable weather, students are taking shoes/socks and jerseys off. Can you please double check that your child’s uniform is well named. We have a number of clothing items turning up in lost property unnamed and unclaimed, this includes 5 pairs of school shoes.

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