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"Whāia to Pae Tāwhiti - Pursue the Distant Horizon"

About Our School

Oroua Downs School is a well-established country school which has delivered primary education to Year 0 – 8 students since 1903. The school is situated on SH 1, 42 kilometers west of Palmerston North and 12 kilometres north of Foxton. The locality of the school ensures a diversity of students and families from Himatangi Beach, lifestyle blocks, and farms. The majority of students travel to school by bus. The current roll sits at 100 pupils. We have five classrooms. We have a turf and basketball hoops.

Today the school operates 5 classrooms with learning supported by up-to-date resources, a well-stocked library, two swimming pools, extensive playing fields, courts, and a large adventure playground. The extensive playing fields hosts the annual Lamb and Calf Day, presently called Pet Day, for which cups, ribbons and certificates have been awarded to participating students since 1938.

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What's happening at Oroua Downs School?

Upcoming Events in November

Wed 4

ODS Athletics

4 Nov 2026

Tue 10

Foxton Cluster Hui

10 Nov 2026

Tue 10

Tanya Zander - One hour meeting

10 Nov 2026

Thu 12

TK Athletics

12 Nov 2026

Latest Notices

Bus Two Notice

4 Nov 2026

A message from Paul, Himatangi Bus Driver.

For those students that get picked up in Himatangi Street, this afternoon can they please be meet at the Church as he cannot get the bus down due to roadworks.

Thank you

Athletics Day - 4th November

3 Nov 2026

Kia Ora Whānau

We are looking forward to athletics day tomorrow. The weather could be a bit showery, however, we will keep progressing through events until it becomes to hard for the athletes.
Students wear house colours and clothes that they can run, jump and throw in.

Here is the timetable:

8:30 Set Up
9:10 School to assemble outside Room 4 – ready for explanations and expectations
9:30 Sprints Year 1 & 2’s 80m, Year 3 up 100m
10:10 – 10:50 Rotation 1
10:50 Break
11:10 – 11:50 Rotation 2
11:55 – 12:35 Rotation 3
12:35 – 1:05 Lunch
1:10 – 1:50 Rotation 4
2:00pm Relays –

We should move through the events quite quickly, so please take these times as apporiximate.
If the weather does not end up being on our side, teachers have been recording students efforts throughout training and we can make the team up from those results.

Looking forward to a great day.

Home and School

28 Oct 2026

A huge thank you to our Friends and Whanau of ODS for all your support with our fundraising efforts over the last couple of years. Because of this we have been able to support school with:

2025
Gazebo sign written with our school logo
Getting children to camp
An Ice Cream truck
The Disco
Year 8 Dinner

2026
Learning Books
Outdoor Bench setting
Year 8 Dinner
Lamb and Calf Day Lunch

We are also doing the Grocery Grab Fundraiser again this term which was popular last year. Keep an eye out for more info around this and the raffle booklets coming home first week of November. All money raised will go towards upgrading the sports shed.