School news

School Athletics day year 7 and 8

Apologies to the year 7 girls for the incorrect names written in the athletics newsletter in the last Te Panui Year 7 Grade Championship

Year 7 Girls                       1st Bianca Brown            2nd Marley Sheppard

Tina Holst
Sport Coordinator

Term 4 was a very busy term with a variety of sports played.

Badminton yr 9-10 and Yr 7-8
Futsal Festival Yr 9-10
Golf yr 7-10
Fast Five Netball yr 7-8 and yr 9-10
Volleyball Cup yr 9-10 
Festival Yr 9-10
Cricket Yr 7-8

Our students showed the Ota way and represented the school with pride. There was a lot of laughter, fun and lots of learning for the students that have never played before.
I would like to thank our coaches who helped out Jason Roux, Quentin Clough, Ian Catubigan, Olivia Alcock, Amy Webber and Imogen McLeod and all the wonderful parents that assisted.
With just 2 more trips left to go (Northern Wairoa Athletics and Beach Volleyball), it has been a very busy term.

Ōtamatea Toi Māori Festival 2024

Saturday November 30th we held our annual Kapa Haka Festival. We had 16 groups perform from all around the Kaipara area. 
Our professional M.Cs Wiremu Ngatipa and Ngāroimata Morgan had the large crowd entertained all day. There were free giveaways, raffles, stalls and more.
Our lovely staff and Kapa Haka parents done an amazing job helping out where needed to make this day successful.
This event is growing bigger every year, it was created to give our tamariki a chance to perform.
The biggest thanks has to go to all of our sponsors and people who donated to this event. 

Bronze DOE Qualifying tramp to the Coromandel

The 16th & 17th of November, we embarked on a fantastic trip to the Pinnacles in the Coromandel with a group of enthusiastic Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (DOE) students. The weather couldn’t have been better—clear skies and a gentle breeze made for perfect tramping conditions. The group was outstanding, with students showing incredible teamwork, supporting one another every step of the way. They displayed their culinary creativity as they cooked meals together at the hut, fostering camaraderie and sharing plenty of laughs.

One highlight was the river crossing, where students confidently put their training into practice. It was rewarding to see their skills and teamwork shine in a real-world scenario. The trip was full of positive energy, fun, and memorable moments. This group of students truly embodied the spirit of the DOE program, making the experience not just a success but a joy to be part of.

OTA Fun Day

On Wednesday 27 November, we were thrilled to host a fantastic fun day for our transitioning Year 6 students from our feeder primary schools. The day was packed with excitement and laughter, and it was a huge success!

Our amazing Year 8 students took charge, organizing and running a variety of engaging sports activities. Meanwhile, our current Year 7 ambassadors stepped up as leaders, guiding the Year 6 groups throughout the day with enthusiasm and care.

The day wrapped up with a refreshing dip in the pool, followed by a delicious sausage sizzle and ice-cold juice—perfect for recharging after all the action!

This incredible event not only celebrated the upcoming Year 7 cohort but also helped them feel a strong sense of belonging and excitement about joining Otamatea High School in 2025.

We can’t wait to welcome these future stars to our school community!

Exploring different cultures

This term the syndicate has been exploring different cultures and learning about their traditions! Focusing on traditional recipes and culturally significant artifacts. The students created a mini presentation to share their new knowledge with their class.

Year 7 Workplace trip

Workplaces around Maungaturoto gave up time and hosted our Year 7 students for visits and talks about what happens in their workplace and the careers that go with it.
On Monday 2 December the Year 7 classes were divided into 4 groups and they walked into town. One group visited the Fire station where they could see the two different type of vehicles and the equipment on them such as the jaws of life. When they arrived at the Maungi Village Café, they were very busy so the students just had a quick look.

Another group started at the Police station where Llew Smart answered all their questions and then showed them the equipment used in the Armed defenders squad. Students could put it on and realised how heavy it was. Every student who wanted, also had a turn to handle an automatic gun and a Glock handgun. These students then went on to Farmsource where Samii Kirkham showed them all the different areas and told them about the training needed for driving a forklift.

A third group visited the Pharmacy first where their questions were answered and they had a walk-through. After that they went to the Vet Centre where Tom took them through the whole centre. They saw a dog just coming out of anaesthesia and another one that was being prepared for an operation. Then they could guess what the equipment in the ute was used for on farms.

The last group started at Maungaturoto Motorcycles where they enjoyed seeing all the ATVs and were very interested about what they cost. They then visited the Op-shop and enjoyed hearing about rare objects that has been sold there.

Rural Health Careers Initiative

The library was heaving with activity when five tertiary students studying a health career visited the school. They presented a very informative and well-polished talk to the Year 9 students. Each of them introduced themselves and what they are studying and then continued to show the need for the career as well as the benefits you can gain from following it.

Then the students were divided into four groups and rotated around 4 activity tables. The nutritionist used plastic food to discuss a healthy diet and had the students test their own hand strength with a dynamometer which made students feel quite strong. This measurement declines in people who are malnourished.

The next station was the optometrist and students confirmed that they don’t suffer from colour blindness and some of them were amazed how well they could see at a distance. They were also showed how our pupils contract in bright light.

The dentist student were the girls favourite and everybody enjoyed his activities around oral health and healthy teeth.

Finally, students used stethoscopes to listen to their own and other’s heartbeat and learnt all the pulse points in the body.

Adrenalin Park

On Thursday, December 5th, the buzz of excitement was palpable as 42 eager students boarded the bus, ready to experience the thrills of Adrenaline Park. After a long journey, the students arrived, brimming with energy for a day filled with challenges and positive risk-taking. The recently opened water slides were a bonus highlight, providing endless fun. Even the staff got in on the action, and eel spotting added an unexpected thrill to the day.

The fun continued on Friday, December 6th, with round two of activities. The morning began in the gym, featuring fat mat rounds and lively games of badminton and volleyball. Following this, everyone gathered to share a delicious BBQ feast and treats before heading to the pool for water sports. Activities like aqua aerobics, beach ball, and noodle jousting kept the energy high and the smiles wide.

These two action-packed days were unforgettable, leaving students and staff with cherished memories of fun, teamwork, and adventure!

Year 9 Career Lessons

In the last two weeks of class all the Year 9 students had four lessons focused on Careers.
The activities varied from thinking about the careers their families had to imagining a career that doesn’t exist now. They also used the new Tahatū website to see what people in different careers do, how they get trained, how much people earn in the specific careers as well as how many people are needed in New Zealand and specifically Northland. Finally they explored the different options of going into an appreticeship, going to university, or another tertiary institution, straight into job or go travelling after they finish Year 13 or 12.
Some of the imaginative new careers were a forest cleaning robot (with a tail), a wedding planner for dog weddings, space rocket racers and a volcano capper. This creative exercise is based on international research that it helps students to view career options with less trepidation when viewed in imaginative ways.

Year 10 Art students 

Year 10 students final project of the year was to paint an animal based work on either a skateboard deck or long form cardboard. They painted these in layers using a variety of techniques. Each student had their own ideas about the composition layout, colour and the vibe as you can see from their work. We'll done year 10 artists,  your work continues to be phenomenal!

Year 10 Camp

On Tuesday, December 3rd, nearly 100 Year 10 students, 15 senior students, 15 staff members, and a few parent volunteers headed to Kai Iwi Lakes for a four-day camp.

For the duration, everyone stayed in tents, participating in activities such as biscuiting (being towed by powerboats), raft building, kayaking, mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, Waka Ama, various sports, adventure-based challenges, and swimming. The weather was exceptional, and the camp was thoroughly enjoyed by all. For many participants, including some staff members, it was their first time trying these activities.

Special thanks to:

Nicola Kemp for managing food preparation and cooking for around 130 people.
Lana Parkinson for supervising the girls' camp area and handling the extensive paperwork.
Bruce Allison for overseeing the boys' camp area.
Adrian Cooling for coordinating the overall camp.
Chris Gill for bringing his boat and spending two days towing students.
Gratitude also goes to the staff members who contributed before, during, and after the camp: Adam Blake, Nyree Antunovich, Dylan Algie, Jason Roux, Sam Phillips, Chris Byers, Quentin Clough, Ian Catubigan, Lourdes Moreno, and Principal Todd Malcolm, who joined on Thursday.

Additional appreciation to Ryan Sheppard for dedicating all four days to the camp, as well as Jason Radd and Kate Davis for assisting on one of the days.

A special mention goes to Ali Ajodani for providing his Jet Ski and allowing its use throughout the camp.

Thanks are also extended to the Hikuwai O Kaipara Waka Ama Club from Dargaville. Four members volunteered their time to take students out in Waka Ama over two days.

Student Feedback:

“This was the best camp I’ve ever been on,” shared a student who typically dislikes camping.
“I thought camp was really good, and I had a great time.”
“It was really fun! I loved the biscuiting and enjoyed kayaking.”

Grant Funding

We have been very fortunate in receiving local grant funding for some of the student related activities this term. Every amount helps our students participate in programmes that help develop their sense of self, their mana, their life skills and "smarts" . These are extra things are not funded by the Ministry of Education but are pivotal to the education and enhancement of our Students. 

Thank you to Luxinn Wellsford Combined Antedivuvian Order of Buffaloes for their Grant for the Mindshift Programme, the Maungaturoto Op-Shop for their Grant for the Attitude programme and Paparoa County Depot Trust for supporting our William Pike 2025 programme. 

Junior Prizegiving

We held our Junior Prizegiving on Tuesday 10th December to acknowledge and celebrate students in Years 7-10, academically and in the sporting arena. Special thanks to Oscar Curtin and Nico Freeman on their musical performances. 

Well done to all the prize winners. 

Summer Reading Bingo cards

With the summer sun steadily beating down on us, don't forget get to fill in your Summer Reading Bingo cards. This is for all of our school community with a variety of prizes and each square being an entry. It is open till March 2025, read to your ability and audiobooks, picturebooks, graphic novels, classic novels, non-fiction, fantasy , fiction all qualify. If there are any questions do email me, Imogen. 

The term "summer slide" is not  in reference to a fantastic waterslide but used to highlight the decrease in literacy and brain skills during the long summer holidays. There is lots of research about the "don't use - lose it" of not reading during summer. A simple way to counteract this and to be ahead on 2025 is to read through-out the holidays. One book a week, a page a day, an interesting magazine, word finds, reading aloud to the younger tamariki , listening to an audiobook on a car journey all help prevent this from happening. The key is anything helps, consistency is an added bonus. A book a week is 52 a year... 

It has been a lovely busy year in the Library, even Tuesday morning before prizegiving we had over 40 students in. Although I am looking forward to some lazy mornings, and an adventure to Adrenalin Whangarei, there are some exciting things planned for 2025...

Enthusiastic young film-makers

We had a great group of enthusiastic young film-makers for the "48" hour film challenge for our end of year activity. Students worked in small teams to produce a short film. The teams drew a random prop out of a hat, chose a genre and then had 12 hours to write, plan, shoot and edit their film. It was an action packed two days with furious film making and tonnes of creativity. We ended with a presentation ceremony and awards, with some excellent short films being enjoyed by all.

Kaiwaka Athletic Club

After having several years in recess we are planning on meeting again.

We will be having a muster on Wednesday 6 th November at 5pm. This will be at Otamatea High School – field by the swimming pool. We cater for all ages (including pre-schoolers).
We do have an expectation that caregivers will stay for the duration as we need help with events as well as supervision of the youngsters.

Please remember a drink bottle and warm clothes as the evenings can be cool.

We are fortunate to have the support of the High School and will be operating until Wednesday, 11th December 2024. In 2025 we will commence on Wednesday 5th February and finish on Wednesday 3rd April (this is just prior to daylight saving ending).

If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to call me on 021 142 0357 or email me at: eileen.parsons@otamatea.school.nz.

Kind regards - Eileen

School Stationery

We would like to encourage our families to order their 2025 stationery on-line from OfficeMax or OPD (Baigents Whangarei). The school can earn rewards. 

The OfficeMax online site will be opened beginning December  click on link https://www.myschool.co.nz/ to access stationery lists.

OPD link to the website is www.nzschoolshop.co.nz

Chromebooks

At Otamatea High School, it is expected that all students from years 10-13 bring a Chromebook to school each day to assist with their learning. The Chromebook should be charged and in a protective case. 

If whānau are not able to provide a Chromebook each day for their child(ren), it is vital we know as early as possible so that we can support you in providing this important piece of equipment for your child's learning.  

Please fill in and submit the form below whether or not you are able to provide a Chromebook for your child.

https://forms.gle/YtWvikcHxMNHqfWJ6

'Stray Chromebook Return Amnesty'

Please check under beds in bags, laundry hampers, wardrobes etc. 
Any chromebook to be returned to the library in any condition no questions asked.
Takoha chromebooks exempted, unless no longer needed.

Report an absence

You can notify the school of an absence using the portal, by phone at 0800 682 628, option 1, or by email at absence@otamatea.school.nz.
The old google form is no longer in use, our school website will take you to the portal if you click on 'Report an Absence'. Please note that you need to log on to the portal before you will see the option to do this.
Our school portal has been updated and the new address is https://otamatea.school.kiwi/
If you need help with accessing this please email Mrs Cadman alison.cadman@otamatea.school.nz

For any bus passes, after school arrangements, student needs or requests, please email studentcentre@otamatea.school.nz