School news

Introducing our new staff member - Vasti van Niekerk

I'm a South African born female, proud to call Afrikaans my mother tongue.  With a teaching career spanning 24 years across South Africa, the United Kingdom, and now New Zealand, education has been my steadfast companion. My academic journey began at the University of Pretoria, where I delved into the realms of Fashion Design and Marketing. Following my passion for teaching, I pursued a Postgraduate Teaching Diploma, specializing in Mathematics, Commerce, and Food & Textiles Technology. When it comes to literature, the enchanting tales of Roald Dahl never fail to captivate me. Turquoise hues reflect the vibrancy of my personality, while the striking beauty of the Protea holds a special place in my heart. My fascination with mathematics extends beyond the classroom; I thrive on exploring its real-world applications.  Blessed with two wonderful children, family is the cornerstone of my life. As a devout Christian, my faith in Jesus illuminates my path. Match days find me fervently supporting the Springboks, my passion for rugby unwavering. I relish the tranquility of the outdoors, often accompanied by the rhythmic stride of long-distance running. Gospel and Afrikaans melodies provide the soundtrack to my soul, uplifting and inspiring me. In the realm of indulgence, a velvety cappuccino tops my list of favorite drinks, while the loyalty of dogs or the elusive grace of leopards resonate with me as favourite animals. The Kruger National Park, with its majestic Big Five sightings, holds a special place in my heart, while the delight of Krispy Kreme doughnuts is a cherished treat.

Urupukapuka Island Trip

The Level 2 PE and Sport Leadership students had an amazing time at Urupukapuka Island. This provided the students with an opportunity to develop their snorkelling and leadership skills, build positive relationships with their peers and staff, and explore a unique New Zealand island. A big thank you to Bruce Alison, Marco Troost, Adrian Cooling, Chris Townsend, and Anna Liddington for their contribution and supervision at this camp. 

Kids Lit 2024

There is often 3 moments in every competition - the nerves before starting, the reflection on the results, and the nail biting minutes when winning is possible.
On Friday the 5 th April, the twelve Y8's representing Otamatea, in the Te Tai Tokerau heat of the Kids Lit 2024, certainly experienced this to be the case.

On the way to Kerikeri, excitement filled the van, with discussions about what questions there might be and last-minute strategies occurring. A quick travel break at the Hundertwasser inspired Kawakawa Public Library occurred.
Lilly the Librarian was lovely, and it is definitely a stop we could have spent more time at.

The Kids Lit Quiz comprises of 10 rounds of 10 questions, with 2 bonus questions in each round. Every round is based on a different theme with no-one knowing the categories until they sit down.
The team with the most combined points becomes the ultimate winners and in turn represents Northland nationally but each team can win individual rounds. Competition is fierce with a spectrum of questions. Some questions
were about classical literature, others about very popular book series, some being very logical and some a bit cryptic. Each team has four students ranging from Year 5 to Year 8. This year a total of 36 teams participated.
Otamatea fielded three teams.
Otamatea Team 3; consisting of Percy McLeod, Jackson Allen, Jeremy Duff and Jack Brown, won the first round, they came 19 th overall. Harry Brown, Heston Clooney, Zach Scheepers, and Lachie Millard (Team Ones’ members) came second in two rounds after head-to-head sudden-death questions (one round was against Springbank). They ended up being 11 th overall. The girls in Team 2; Caitlin Ewen, Nico Freeman, Hayley Walker and Allyssa Watson, did consistently well in every round, managing to come 17th. Springbank School managed to narrowly win with the greatest overall points, with only a handful of points separating the top teams and half points and double points creating ripples in the placings .
A huge thank you to the parents who helped facilitate the early start as well as Pepe from Ewen Equine Management and Katie at Mangawhai Taxis, your support has been truly valuable.

Year 7 & 8 speeches

The Year 7 & 8 Syndicate have been working hard to persuade our teachers that we should be able to eat gum in class, that we should have longer breaks and even longer weekends but most of all we have been trying to persuade our teachers that we should NOT have to write speeches... We celebrate the top three speakers in each of our classes with the Syndicate Speech Finals held this week. A big thank you to our judges who supported us to make some tough decisions on the day and congratulations to the winners who persuaded us that speeches aren't so bad really... 

The year 8 speech finals winners were...
1st place: Molly Clark
2nd place: Lachie Millard
3rd place: Esme Worsfold 

The year 7 speech finals winners were...
1st place: Tiaki Worsfold
2nd place: Zene Prinsloo
3rd place: Leo Hampshire

Kiwi Tag

Kiwi Tag was held at Ruawai College. The day was an absolute stunner. We had 2 teams of 7 (there's supposed to be 8 in a team). Team one was amazing and decided to play against other teams with 8 players. They won every single game (3 games and the finals) with only 1 try scored against them, winning the final 7-1. Team 2 also had some good games finishing 3rd. We were super proud of both teams. Shaka Kimani and Ollie Clark got players of the day for their Teams.

Paddle Boarding

We travelled up to Lake Manuwai, Waipapa. Beautiful day with a bit of wind. All our kids did amazing and had a great day.
Our Boys did really well with Kyle Sheppard placing 2nd and Harry Wood placing 3rd. They had a fun relay and a serious one.
Great day had by all.

Kapa Haka

Our kapa haka roopu participated in the Te Taitokerau Festival in Okaihau yesterday. A lot of hard work, commitment and dedication has gone into preparing this roopu for this event.
You can check out their amazing performance on our facebook page.

School Social

Parent Teacher Interviews – Wednesday 15th May starting 1pm

All parents are encouraged to attend.

The online booking app opens at 10am Tuesday 30th April and closes at 12pm on Tuesday 14th May.
To book appointments parents/caregivers should log on to: www.schoolinterviews.co.nz the event code is ypvz6.
Those families who do not have internet access, are encouraged to ring the school office and we will make the bookings for you.

Buses will run at 12.30pm on Wednesday 15th May

Otamatea High School Parent By- Election Notice

Nominations are open for the election of one parent representative to the school board.

All eligible voters will receive a nomination form. Use this form to nominate yourself or someone in your community. You will also receive a nomination cover letter calling for
nominations. If you need more nomination forms, contact the school office.
Nominations close at noon on Friday 3rd May 2024. You may provide a signed candidate statement and photograph with your nomination.
The electoral roll is held at the school and can be viewed during normal school hours. As nominations are received, there will be a list of candidates’ names kept at the school up until election day, which you can view.
Should an election be required, voting closes at 4pm on Friday 7th June 2024.

Signed Eileen Parsons
Returning Officer