School Uniform
Wearing the correct school uniform is important to us.
The weather is beginning to get a little colder and we felt that a proactive and timely reminder was required to prevent uniform transgressions. Please also find attached the link to our full school uniform code.
Common complaints of staff in the past have been, socks and sandals, wrong coloured, long sleeved under garment and hoodies.
Importantly, we are acutely aware of the financial burden and stress that a school uniform can cause some families and whanau. Please feel free to contact the two Assistant Principals: Richard Brown or Ash Lack in confidence to discuss solutions for hardship situations.
Below are some reasons why a school uniform is important to us.
- Promotion of Equality: School uniforms can help reduce socioeconomic inequalities among students by eliminating visible markers of wealth or social status, such as expensive clothing brands. When everyone wears the same uniform, it can create a sense of equality among students.
- Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Uniforms can foster a sense of belonging and unity among students. When everyone dresses alike, it can promote a feeling of camaraderie and school spirit, contributing to a positive school culture.
- Minimising Distractions: By standardising clothing choices, uniforms can minimise distractions in the classroom. Without the pressure to compete with peers in terms of fashion, students can focus more on their studies and less on their appearance.
- Enhancing Safety and Security: School uniforms make it easier for staff to identify students on site, which can enhance safety and security measures. It also helps to distinguish outsiders from students, reducing the risk of unauthorised individuals entering the premises unnoticed.
- Preparing for the Future: In some professions, wearing a uniform is a requirement. By enforcing a uniform policy, schools can help students become accustomed to adhering to dress codes and professional standards, preparing them for future endeavours in the workforce.
- Reducing Peer Pressure and Bullying: Uniforms can reduce peer pressure and bullying related to clothing choices. When everyone dresses the same, there’s less opportunity for students to judge or tease each other based on their attire.
Click here to view Uniform Options
Please see reminders below.
Takitumu Maori Pasifika Homework Hub – Help Needed Please
We’re looking to re-start Takitumu Māori Pasifika Homework Hub in Terms 2 & 3 from 3:20-5:30pm each Wednesday. We need at least 3 people who are willing/able to help cook the dinner. We’ve got two volunteers so far, so this commitment would be once every three weeks.
Ingredients are kindly donated by Good Neighbour and can be dropped to your door or collected from the College. If you think you might be able to join our small team of aiga/whānau, please reach out to one of our kaiako Māori or email Ms Nicola Hawkes – nhawkes@otc.school.nz
Level 3 Biology Mayor Island Trip
Year 13 Biology students have been heading out to Tuhua (Mayor Island) this week to see first hand the benefits of marine reserves for improving biodiversity in the Bay of Plenty.
Students spent the day snorkelling at two dive sites on Tuhua, one in the marine reserve and one outside the marine reserve. This gave us the opportunity to see the differences between the number and range of fish and invertebrate species between the two sites.
Highlights were the calm weather, seeing a school of common dolphin with babies on the way out to Tuhua, the clear blue water at Tuhua with excellent visibility for snorkelling and seeing a wide range of fish including some big snapper, shoals of blue maomao and demoiselle, yellow moray eels and a very playful fur seal and shark that visited some of our divers.
The bottom 4 photos were taken by student Carmen Green.
Homestay Families Wanted
Ōtūmoetai College Internship Programme
This year, the Careers and Pathways team have initiated the Ōtūmoetai College Internship Programme which caters for students who would like to experience the world of work before starting their University studies in 2025. The Careers and Pathways team has partnered with some amazing companies to provide this opportunity to students and our first internship began last week.
Partnering with Priority One and the team organising the Daybreak Festival of Innovation, five Year 13 students have been part of the groundbreaking festival and its future. Their key roles have been creating content for social media, helping to develop what the future of the festival might look like through writing and presenting a report and general event planning/help during the festival.
The students had an amazing time and are looking forward to continuing their work with Priority One and the connections made during the festival.
“I found the internship opportunity to be a great way to make connections to local businesses like Priority One. I got to experience and participate in workshops that companies paid for, ate delicious food, and learnt a lot about corporate events. Overall, I had a great time!”
“The internship went well, I learnt a lot about how organising and running an event like Daybreak works. And learnt useful knowledge about about business from the sessions.”
From Left to Right – Harleen Bains, Jaz Howan, Chaeli Campbell, Kobi Notman & Wesley Newland.
The Great K Valley Cycle Adventure
Join in this family friendly scavenger hunt by bike in the Kopurererua Valley on Sunday 21st April, in the school holidays.
The event is designed to:
- Be lots of fun for anyone who enjoys getting on a bike, especially families, work colleagues and groups of friends. There’s a short course and a longer one. This is not a mini Tour de France!
- Raise awareness of the valley as the biggest urban wetland reserve in New Zealand and its amazing recreational, historical, ecological and climate change mitigation value.
Raise funds for the Graeme Dingle Foundation www.dinglefoundation.org.nz whom you may already have running KiwiCan, teaching values like integrity and respect to your 5 to 12 year olds, or Project K, building confidence, a positive attitude and teaching life skills to some of your year 10s.
