Kia ora te whanau o Te Kura a Rohe o Whaingaroa
A very warm welcome to the beginning of our school year. The powhiri on Wednesday was very well attended and I would like to thank those whanau that were able to take the time to join us. We notice each year, and particularly this year, a larger number of whanau, and are encouraged by your presence.
My condolences to whanau who have lost loved young ones who are ex students of our Kura over the last few weeks. I acknowledge your loss and pain as do many of our staff who were their teachers.
There have been a number of changes to staff and it is wonderful to welcome Alison as a long term reliever, Gabrielle who returns to us, along with Naomi and Kerry in the secondary area. I would like to again acknowledge the mahi of Bronwyn and to congratulate her on her very recent marriage. On Tuesday, A koopuni of staff, kaumatua and friends were part of her kawe into her new position at Melville Primary School.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Mel for her very considerable mahi in our school and Board as she steps down from the chair. And I formally welcome Joe Hassell to that position. There are a number of strategic changes that will be implemented this year. We are looking to phase in the use of Chromebooks beginning in term two, and have developed a school ‘app’, which will be ready for use shortly. Along with this is our a determined effort to lift achievement, particularly in writing across the school. We are also continuing to implement the Te Reo Curriculum (with Whaea Lizzy) through Years 1-8 English Medium as fits the context of our community and Te Ao Maori.
We are very encouraged by our NCEA results at the end of 2017. I wish to especially acknowledge the mahi of our students and the support their teachers gave them. Across all levels of NCEA, we improved our results and out-performed the national averages. A 96% pass rate for year 12s in Level 2 was particularly gratifying.
Again, welcome and thank-you for joining us for another exciting and engaging year.
Nga mihi
Malcolm
From Board of Trustees
Kia Ora Koutou
Welcome back to 2018, we trust you have been enjoying our spectacular summer weather and we look forward to working with you to create a dynamic 2018 school year. A warm welcome to new staff and also staff returning this year from leave.
The Board of Trustees held their first meeting of the 2018 year on 25th January. Our use of digital tools and strategies continues to grow, providing us with more efficient and faster ways to communicate and access resources.
The Board wishes to reiterate our commitment to improve communication to our staff and our community. We seek to be more responsive and transparent as part of our newly developed communication strategy. We will be providing regular updates to staff following our Board meetings to reflect our commitment in this area.
The Board is required to elect a Chairperson at the start of each year. It’s a role that brings with it many extra responsibilities and requires significant time commitment. Having held the role for a few years now, and after a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided that I’m unable to commit the time necessary. It is time for me this year to take a step back to refresh and refocus. I would like to congratulate and introduce Joe Hassell as Board Chair while Chris Banks retains his Deputy Chairperson role for 2018.
Our Charter 2018 is progressing well. We are excited about this document and look forward to sharing it with our community. You can find the results of community consultation on our Raglan Area School Facebook Page.
Applications for Deputy Principal are also progressing well. Applications closed 25th January and the Board was pleased with the number of applications received. We are currently evaluating and shortlisting applicants for interview.
We have updated our school dress code, which is available on our school website. We plan to distribute the dress code in our school newsletter, enrolment pack and via other social media channels.
We are undertaking interviews for Sportsfit Co-Ordinator shortly and hope to make an announcement in the near future. We have appointed Karamea Puriri as our new Board Secretary. Karamea is Chamber of Commerce secretary as well as being involved in many other facets of our community. We are excited to be working with her.
We met with ERO/MOE representatives last month to formulate our longitudinal action plan which will address recommendations identified in our review. We are happy with our progress so far.
We wanted to acknowledge and congratulate the school on its improved NCEA results, we are scheduled to review Year 0-10 data in the next few weeks.
The Board agreed to subscribe to the School Docs – Policies and Procedures programme to ensure we provide and apply clear and consistent policies and procedures across the school. We are still in the initial enrolment phase, but more information will be available as soon as possible – Watch this Space!!
To contact or communicate with the board, please email us on boardoftrustees@raglanarea.school.nz. All Board members receive emails sent to this address.
Nga Mihi
Mel Brydon
Outgoing Board Chairperson on behalf of Board of Trustees
Daily Time Table (Don’t forget, Short Day Wednesday)
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
| 8.20 | School children allowed in gates |
| 8.50 – 9.00 | Whanau |
| 9.00 – 10.00 | Period 1 |
| 10.00 – 11.00 | Period 2 |
| 11.00 – 11.30 | Interval |
| 11.30 – 12.25 | Period 3 |
| 12.25 – 1.20 | Period 4 |
| 1.20 – 2.00 | Lunch |
| 2.00 – 3.00 | Period 5 |
Wednesday (short day)
| 8.20 | School children allowed in gates |
| 8.50 – 9.10 | Whanau |
| 9.10 – 10.10 | Period 1&2 |
| 10.10 – 10.30 | Interval |
| 10.30 – 11.30 | Period 3 |
| 11.30 – 12.30 | Period 4 |
| 12.30 – 1.00 | Lunch |
| 1.00 – 2.15 | Period 5 |
Please note: we don’t close early on rainy days
Stationery and P.E Uniform
School Stationery is available in the following ways. Parents can either:
– purchase books on line from Office Max www.myschool.co.nz (online purchases will be sent directly to your home);
– visit OfficeMax retail store on the corner of Victoria St & Princess St, Hamilton;
– On the OfficeMax “MySchool” website you are linked straight through to your child’s pre-populated stationery list. Add or remove products you may already have or order a class pack.
There will be a limited amount of stationery available from the school office (no class packs).
If you have WINZ documentation, we can order the stationery pack in for you.
School P.E. Uniform
All Year 7-13 students are required to wear a regulation school P.E. uniform during P.E. classes. This is optional for Year 0-6.
You can purchase directly from the NZ Uniforms website.
Want to try before you buy? Visit your local New Zealand Uniforms Store which has the entire uniform range in stock.
If your child is in Te Ropu Aroha ki te Reo, the T-Shirts are held at the school office. There is a new lot arriving very soon.
Super Kai Menu Term 1, 2018
Daily
Warm food ready to go
Pork and Lentil Sausage Roll $2.50
Ham and Tomato Pastizzi $2.50
Spinach Pastizzi $2.50
Half a sweetcorn, with butter and sea salt $1.00
Baking
Muffin of the day $2.50
Oat choc chip cookie $1.50
Smoothies
Orange & Mango $3.00
Strawberry & Banana $3.00
Spirulina $3.00
Dizzyblocks
Watermelon & Strawberry $3.00
Chocolate & Vanilla $3.00
Raspberry, Yoghurt & Vanilla $3.00
Lunch Box
Wrap, popcorn, fruit and mini muffin $6.00
Add a boiled egg for $1
Lunch Specials
Monday—Sushi bowl with crispy Tofu $5.00
Tuesday—Burrito (beef or vege) $5.00
Wednesday—Closed (there is often a food fundraiser run from the hall kitchen on Wednesdays)
Thursday—Bean Nachos $5.00
Friday—Mild coconut curry (lentil or chicken drumstick)—$5.00
Year 0-6 Update
What’s Coming Up
- Thursday 8 February: Year 0-6 “Meet and Greet”. 5.30-6pm: swim at the pool, 6-7.30pm: picnic on the top field.
- Wednesday 14 February: Science Club starts again for Year 0-2 on in Science Lab H2o – all welcome!
- Saturday 3 March: Student art displays at Maui Dolphin Day.
What’s Happening in the Classroom?
Year 0-2 (D-Block)
We are busy getting to know our new students, setting expectations and getting our learning programmes underway. We will be running a colour theme over the next few weeks, then moving on to “Sea Week” and learning about Maui Dolphins to coincide with Maui Dolphin Day.
Year 2-4 (E-Block)
In Physical Education his term we are focusing on swimming and water safety. All students are expected to swim, and we will be catering to all skill levels.
We will be continuing our successful collaborative reading programme this year. This may mean that your child attends a different class for reading for one hour a day throughout the week in order to best cater to their learning needs.
Our ‘Value’ focus is Whakawhanaungatanga – building strong learning relationships and creating a positive classroom culture. Our kaupapa will be around “build-ups, not put-downs” as students navigate building new relationships.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to whānau for supporting our school pōwhiri on Wednesday. It was great to see such a large number of whānau joining our school.
Year 7-10 Update
What’s Coming Up
- Tuesday 13 February: Year 7-10 Meet the Teachers, 6:00-7:00 pm.
- Wednesday 14 February: SeaDogs starts – information meeting Tuesday lunchtime in Science Lab H2.
- 1-2 March: Year 7-8 camp at Ruapuke.
- 27-28 March: Year 9-10 Team Building camp.
What’s Happening in the Classroom?
Year 7-8
Over the first two weeks the focus for our syndicate is building relationships and setting expectations with an overarching theme of ‘overcoming challenges’. We are engaging with Year 13 students during peer support, which is helping to create Tuakana/ Teina relationships before our upcoming Ruapuke camp.
Year 9-10
The Year 9 and 10s are examining the theme of ‘Overcoming Challenges’ in a variety of learning contexts. Through English and the Social Sciences, our learners are developing an understanding of how to overcome challenges. For example: fear, family situations, finding acceptance and rites of passage. This is an exciting theme pertinent to our young learners.
Student Writing
Butterflies
You know that saying ‘butterflies in your stomach’… well, it’s a nice idea, but walking into my new school, my stomach felt like a pit of snakes, restlessly tumbling around.
My brain throbs in nervous anticipation. I cross my fingers, it must be some sort of idiosyncrasy of mine; wishing myself luck.
I have been told to keep my head up… but it’s so hard when people look at you in the eyes. Up ahead of me is our classroom. Wait, are those lockers!? That is such a cliché!
by Jade Jansen van Vuuren, Year 9.
Just Breathe
My heart beats in time with the soft thrum of the motor shuddering underneath the soles of my worn jandals. Absently, I gaze out the window; watching the blur of familiar landmarks pass by. It’s weird, this morning I wasn’t nervous at all, but now, as we turn the corner past the ancient, gnarled tree opposite the BP, my nerves are steadily increasing. I try my best to listen to Mum’s half-hearted attempts to soothe my growing heart-rate, but despite her best efforts, my adrenaline levels remain almost dangerously high. And before I know it, we are pulling up outside the school, students, parents, and teachers swarming around the school gates eagerly. All too soon, Mum pulls me into a warm hug, showering me with kisses, and bustling me out the door. Suddenly, I’m stranded in front of my new school, thrown in the deep end, with no friends in sight.
Taking a deep breath, I shakily take a step forward before I’m almost knocked off my feet onto the cement. After a moment, I recover, and looking down, I find an excited Brooke, a big, cheesy grin stretching across her face. Glancing up, to my relief, a gaggle of my friends hurtle toward me, enveloping me in a rib-crushing hug. Contentedly, I glance back to my Mum, who watches on with a brave smile; a little sadly, I give her a small wave to show that now I’m ok, that I’m ready. As my stress levels return to normal, Mum pulls out of the carpark, and disappears over the hill
by Sophie Higgins, Year 9.
Pōwhiri
Silence falls over the room as the principal hushes our chattering mouths, all eager to find out who the new people are. I hear singing, it’s starting! People slowly pile into the gymnasium – whispering in the crowd grows louder as our visitors sit now. Matua Quenten does a karakia and welcomes everyone. Confusion crosses faces of those not knowing what is happening. Whaea Kylie stands up and starts Whakamau. I look around and see everyone standing up and joining in, so I rise to my feet and start as well. Once Whakamau finished, the visitors all stood up and sung Te Aroha. We all look around and wonder what happens now. I wait for a bit, and see the teachers lining up to hongi and greet all of the new people and their whānau. Students start piling out the back door to get outside and finally stretch their legs. After waiting about five minutes, we all break off around the school to our new classes to meet our teachers.
By Paris Teddy, Year 10.
Looking at the crowd ahead, there stood a bunch of new people, faces I’d never seen before. All of a sudden, I saw the people around me stand up with pride, so up I went. Suddenly, I heard sweet voices surrounding me. “Karanga mai ra” (the call of welcome). The new people were welcomed by Raglan Area School. Slowly, the crowd of new people sat down. Then we sat down after. After sitting down, we waited till the hall quieted down. Then, all of a sudden, the room was dead silent.
As Matua stood up, he said a speech, a speech that would welcome the crowd, and acknowledge them with a warm greeting, making them feel comfortable and at home. After minutes had passed, the group of new students did hariru with the teachers of R.A.S. (shook hands). Then they walked out into the staffroom to eat, and the R.A.S. students were told to go to their classroom. They followed their teachers and headed to their new class, starting the day with a new band of people.
By Koriana Tahakura, Year 9.
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