Newsletter - Rangiora High School

Rangiora High School
Te Kura Tuarua o Rangiora
Newsletter - September 2013
Rangiora High School Netball Season
The 2013 netball season saw Rangiora High School registering fifteen teams in the North Canterbury competition. It has been very pleasing to watch the teams come together and improve their game of netball.
At the business end of the season it was fantastic to have thirteen out of our fifteen teams make it to semi-finals
with seven teams going on to play in finals. Those making finals were our Senior B, Senior E, Senior F, Year 10A,
Year 10C, Year 9A and Year 9B teams. Finals day provided some very exciting netball as teams matched up and
fought nerves to pull off some great wins and some heart breaking losses. Our season winners were Year 10A
34 vs Sefton 23, Senior E 25 vs Ohoka 22, Year 10C 24 vs Kaiapoi 17, Senior F 23 vs Ashley 21. Runners up were
our Senior B who lost in a tough battle with Kaiapoi, Year 9A who gave their all against Clarkville and our Year
9B who went into extra time and lost by a heart breaking one point on the whistle.
Along with this success has been the achievements by individual teams. Congratulations to the Senior B team
who won the Shadbolt Cup and the Senior A team who won the Catherine Mclean Cup.
This year a number of girls gave their time to umpire every week. Six of our girls passed their umpiring exams.
At Level One Jasmine Koehler-Tibbots, Ashleigh Ritchie and Taneisha Nutira passed their exams. Level Three
Sam Power, Vanessa Bond and Lauren Sim passed their exams.
The Level One Umpire Cup for 2013 was awarded to Jasmine Koehler-Tibbots and the Level Three Umpire Cup
was presented jointly to Sam Power and Lauren Sim. Congratulations to these students.
Finally a big thank-you to all our dedicated coaches, managers and supporters. The season would not have
been nearly as successful without your help.
“Jumping for Joy” - The Senior E Team celebrating winning their final
Rangiora High School
East Belt
Rangiora 7400
New Zealand
Telephone 03 3118888
Facsimile 03 3138005
Email [email protected]
Website www.rangiorahigh.school.nz
From the Principal
Nga mihi ana ki te whānau o te kura tuarua Rangiora.
Term 3 has been extremely positive and successful with numerous high points for us to celebrate as a school. It was wonderful to see the recent two page celebration in the Northern
Outlook of our students’ various successes in multiple codes during Tournament Week.
Not only are our students experiencing success on the sports field, as well their exploits
in the classroom are encouraging. A recent student-led innovation demonstrates this real
focus on learning. A group of senior students have taken the initiative and established the
Academic Council. The council in turn has formed an Academic Executive which meets regularly to discuss ways of raising student awareness around the importance of study skills, academic application
and all round achievement. Of great credit to this group is their inventive approach to communication and the
introduction of the ‘Academic Gazette’ a student produced newsletter focussed on celebrating student success
and disseminating news and information about academic issues. Senior students are keen to work with junior
students to get that message out there, that “it is cool to be smart at our school”.
The Board of Trustees’ annual goals for 2013 were:
• To lift student performance above National Decile 8 standards at all year levels
• To support a ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ approach to improve learning outcomes for all students
• To engage with the school’s community to capture shared aspirations and local curriculum needs
• To provide a vibrant and dynamic modern learning environment
Great gains have been made in the area of student achievement, teaching and learning, curriculum delivery
and design and the progression of the capital development plan. The Board, staff and students have worked
extremely hard to achieve the targets set for 2013. In August the Board met to discuss the gains that have been
made in 2013 and to set the annual goals for 2014. The following goals have been set:
• To enhance and sustain student performance above Decile 8 National Standards at all year levels.
• To support the introduction of the Positive Behaviour for Learning [PB4L] Framework.
• To engage with the school’s community to capture shared aspirations and local community needs.
• To enhance through the implementation of the 10 Year Capital Development Plan, a vibrant and dynamic
modern learning environment.
Following confirmation of the Board’s 2014 Annual Goals work has commenced on the preparation of the
2014 annual budget, while at the same time the timetabling team have already started the intricate process of
building the student timetable for 2014. It is important to note at this time that students in the senior school
have less than one month to go before they begin external assessments for NCEA. It is imperative that students
focus on revision and review at this time and reduce their hours of paid work to accommodate the necessary
time constraints appropriate study requires. It is an extremely busy time of year and one that offers many challenges for students and staff alike.
A group of 18 students left on Monday 23 September 2013 for Hamilton to support Celine Goulding at the
national Manu Korero Competition. Ms Julia Malcolm, Ms Tui Hawaikirangi and Mr Nathan Thompson accompanied the students and I was fortunate to be able to travel to Hamilton to support them all on Wednesday
25 September 2014. I am proud to announce that Celine achieved second place in this national competition.
Work with the Ministry of Education and the rebuild North Canterbury Cluster continues. Rangiora High School
is a member of both the Mahaanui Learning Community Cluster and the Rangiora Learning Community Cluster.
The work is focussed on a North Canterbury vision for the Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Programme
and offers us an opportunity to be part of the vibrant and exciting planning and design of the modern learning
environment that will be the educational landscape of North Canterbury in the 21st century.
Over the past three years there have been many challenges for students and staff alike and each challenge has
been met resolutely with a dogged determination so prevalent in North Canterbury. September saw the school
closed yet again due to the ravages of nature. The vagaries of the storm that saw the destruction of so many
trees in North Canterbury was a reminder to us of our vulnerability where Mother Nature is concerned. The
school sustained very little damage and reopened the next day after power was restored.
Finally I would like to end on a positive note about uniform. I wish to record my profound sense of pride when I
see our uniform worn with pride at school and in our community. Our students know that it means something
to wear that lighthouse on your chest – and it does. There is a saying that when the All Blacks run out onto the
field, no matter where in the world they might be, we as Kiwis say “that’s my black jersey they’re wearing”. I
know for many people in our community when they see our lighthouse on the jersey they say to themselves
“that’s my lighthouse you’re wearing” and they say it with a real sense of pride. Let’s continue to support our
young people to wear our uniform with pride and let’s make sure we ask and expect them to do so.
Kia kaha, kia toa, kia manawanui.
Peggy Burrows
Principal
Science
Year 12 Biology students working with microscopes:
Amber Miller - 12SAA
The Year 12 Biology classes went on a trip to Lincoln University this term. We learnt microscope skills for our
internal. We learnt how to use the microscopes and how to properly prepare a slide. It was really fun; most of
us got headaches from the “one-eye” microscopes though. We were split into two groups and went through
what we needed to do for the internal. We drew a diagram of a leaf cell, an onion epidermis and a unicellular
organism. The unicellular organism was really hard to find as they moved so fast around the slide. Overall the
experience was very enjoyable and we got a few credits at the end of it.
Fleur van Eyndhoven - 12SSZ
Melanie van Eden - 12HPP
On the 26 August the Year 12 Biology students took a day trip to Lincoln University. On this trip we completed
a microscope internal while learning about cellular organisms. At the university we got to go into one of the
science labs where lectures were held. One of the lecturers from the university taught us how to use their state
of the art microscopes and to identify and label the cellular organisms. Throughout the day we learnt some
amazing things and were able to see the cellular organelles that we had been learning about during the term.
Year 12 Chemistry students investigating the oxidation of alcohols:
Sophie Booker 12LPM
Hannah Price 12LPM
Chemistry practicals are good because they let us see and do the things we have been learning about. They really help us to understand.
HILLARY HOUSE
HEAD OF HOUSE Mr N Moyle
DEAN OF HOUSE Mr K Sullivan
Term 3 has been very busy in Hillary House. We have had the
Hillary Climb, Senior WinterFest, the Years 9, 10 and 11 Quizzes,
Junior Public Speaking and House Choir. As usual, Hillary students
have been outstanding in their dedication and determination for
the House. As a House we tasted success with our Year 10 Quiz
team (Olivia Janes, Connor Cleary, Bryn Atkin and Max Ridout– all
10HPB) defending the title they won in Year 9. Our Year 11 Quiz
team worked very well and attained fourth place. In the Junior
Public Speaking, Mikayla Calley and Jack Higby (both 9HGL) spoke
very well in extremely competitive sections and attained fifth and
fourth places respectively. In the Year 10 section, Fraser Sheat and
Sarah Gunn (both 10HPB) delivered very polished speeches to attain first and second places. A big thank you to Miss Gallen and Mr
Tripp for helping the students prepare their speeches.
The House Choir competition happens at the end of the term. Our
choir this year under the direction of Miss Pepper are sounding
terrific. The songs “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Pompeii” will be a
real treat to hear at both the Baptist Church and the School Hall on
the final day of the term.
Congratulations to Sheldon Pitama (13HCT) for his selection in the
New Zealand Under 18 Rugby League team.
In this newsletter we feature Monica Bean (12HRO) who recently
participated on a voyage with the Spirit of Adventure.
What was the length of your Spirit of Adventure voyage?
10 days.
What roles did you have in sailing the ship?
We all worked in four groups on a different station. Each day we
helped to sail the ship, put up sails and tack.
Where did you sail from and to?
We sailed from Auckland Harbour to Waiheke Island, across to the
Coromandel and then we stayed near Great Barrier Island for a few
nights.
How many people were on your voyage?
34 trainees and 13 crew.
What skills did you learn on your voyage?
Basic sailing skills, leadership and more confidence in myself.
What advice would you have for any RHS students thinking about
undertaking a Spirit of Adventure voyage?
Go for it! It is such an amazing experience that I will never forget.
LYDIARD HOUSE
HEAD OF HOUSE Mr A Drayton
DEAN OF HOUSE Mr G Scott
The term has been a short one and flown by quickly. It has been an
eventful term with a lot on. We have had a number of inter-house
events that we have done reasonably well in and all participants
should be proud of their efforts.
We started with the Senior WinterFest and subsequently we have
had three other competitions. Last week we had the Year 11 Quiz
where Tei Hema, Oscar Howat, Riley Aitken and Patrick McCallum
placed second by one point. Well done lads. On Friday the Junior
Public Speaking was held with Tyler Seaton and Grace Driver
representing us in Year 10 and Dylan Buckley and Lucy Weddell
in Year 9. Each year the competition is fierce and this year was
no exception. We are incredibly proud of the time and effort put
in by Tyler, Grace, Dylan and Lucy and know that they will have
learnt a lot in competing in such a strong competition. Earlier
in the term we had the Junior Quizzes and they also competed
strongly. The Year 9 team from 9LBE won the year 9 section. The
last competition for the term is the House Choir competition.
A lot of time and energy has been put in by the choir with Mrs
Himiona and Miss Saunders spending a lot of lunchtimes preparing our choir. We wish them all the best in this year’s event.
We have had a busy time recently academically with “mock”
exams for seniors and the Junior Graduation marks coming in for
Years 9 and 10. Along with the exams there is a fair amount of mid
night oil being burnt with internal assessment deadlines looming.
Many students will no doubt be keeping a very close track of the
number of credits they have achieved so far this year. I know
that Lydiard Form Teachers have been and will have been having
conversations with students about their academic progress. With
results of the mocks in there will be a lot of students who will be
setting goals for the NCEA exams which begin in just over four
school weeks’ time.
In the last newsletter we mentioned Craig and Ben Oliver who
were off to the World Championships in South Africa. Both lads
gave everything they had in competing in their races and in 35
degree heat, conditions which are the complete opposite to a
North Canterbury winter. Even a mild one. Well done on your
efforts lads we are proud of you.
Over the next two weeks we hope you enjoy the chance to relax
and recharge and have some quality time as a family, that seniors
find a balance of relaxing and investing in some study, and come
back prepared for a surge towards the exams.
MANSFIELD HOUSE
HEAD OF HOUSE Mr A Gebbie
DEAN OF HOUSE Mrs F West
The third term rolls to an end and Mansfield staff and students will
be looking forward to a well deserved holiday. This term has been
busy with Senior Exams, Tournament Week and some important
House competitions. The exclamation point of this term is the
hugely anticipated House Choir competition which takes place on
the last Friday afternoon. The Mansfield House Choir has given up
huge amounts of their own time building towards this competition
and I’m sure that they will do a great job on the day. The House
Choir competition is worth a huge 120 points so could potentially
have a large say in the overall placings come the end of the year.
I am very proud to report that Mansfield has been on a great roll
at the end of Term 3 winning both the Year 11 Quiz and the Junior
Public Speaking Competition. As always the commitment to put
themselves forward to represent Mansfield was greatly appreciated from the eight students that put their hand up to take part.
The Year 11 Quiz team was made up of the former 10MRH Quiz
team that won the Year 10 Quiz in 2012. They made it two years in
a row by winning this year’s competition by surging ahead on the
last round. The team members were Briar Fowler, Laura Kevern,
Hannah Brotheridge and Nic Steyn. Winning this competition in
back-to-back years is a fantastic achievement for these students
and Mansfield is extremely proud of them.
Two days later was the Junior Public Speaking Contest. Our team
consisted of Tahu Collier-Robinson and Eliza Burt-Priddy in the Year
9 sections and Nick Van Royen and Celine Goulding representing
Year 10. These students wrote a three minute speech for their
required topic and then delivered it in front of a full audience of
their peers. The individual results saw Tahu come fifth, Eliza third,
Nick second and Celine an outstanding first. The combined scores
of all of the Mansfield students resulted in us taking the maximum
points with an overall first placing. Both the junior speakers and I
appreciated the assistance that we received from Mrs Stephenson
during our speech practice sessions. I thoroughly enjoyed this
competition and was extremely impressed with the ability of the
speakers from all Houses. Rangiora High School certainly has some
outstanding young public speakers.
The gap between us and the leading Ngata House is getting closer
as we now trail by only 26 points with plenty more opportunities
for points still on offer this year.
As the holidays approach I remind the seniors to ensure that they
get their books out and work through a well planned revision
program to build towards their NCEA External Exams. Also take
an opportunity to catch up on sleep and eat well so that you will
have the energy to give the final term the effort that it deserves.
Remember that you have to be at your sharpest to be the best that
you are capable of becoming.
NGATA HOUSE
HEAD OF HOUSE Mr R Winson
DEAN OF HOUSE Mrs V Wilkins
It’s great to see that spring is here, the weather warming up and
students able to get outside and enjoy their free time. This has
a positive impact on achievement and attitudes too, a good time
for this with the external examinations looming next term. It was
noticeable that very few Ngata students were absent from the
external practices held in week 6, great organisation seniors!
Our choir has been practising hard this term and getting ready for
the last day of term when we will be performing. Our numbers
have been improved greatly this year by the super efforts of our
Year 9 pupils; there are some lovely voices in the group and as a
result we have some soloists taking on individual parts. I am sure
we will put on a great show for everyone and hopefully gain a good
placing overall.
Leadership applications have been available to Year 12 pupils now
for a few weeks to apply for Ngata House Captains and Executive
positions for 2014. There is a great deal of talent this year as usual
and the competition for the six places as House Captain or Executive is always keen and the decisions on appointments difficult. Our
2013 leaders continue to amaze me with their maturity and commitment. A good example being our charity drive, well done to all
those who brought items in. Many thanks.
I would also encourage all our Year 12’s to participate in Peer Support even if they do not aspire to leadership. The training takes
place over two days at the end of the year, and this builds the skills
of the seniors to deliver a quality program to the Year 9 students
starting on the first day of school in 2014. The training is great fun,
and a good confidence and skills’ builder for seniors.
Our Year 11 quiz team is also competing in the annual inter house
quiz this week. Kaelyn Brandso, Liam Rennie, Felicity Rudd and
Ashleigh Forbes-Day will be representing Ngata and with 30 points
up for grabs it will be a nail biter as the competition gets fierce at
the top of the table!
Speaking of which, at the time of writing Ngata House is clear at
the top from Mansfield by 63 points on 474. But with Choir Competition a massive 120 points for the winner, down to 20 for sixth
position, you can see how easily that lead can be eroded.
Junior Public Speaking is coming up fast as the latest part of the
House Competition, also worth 30 points for the winning team it’s
all hands on deck to get our best people prepared for action. Our
four juniors, Alex Fabish, Caimin Sue Tang, Saskia Lane and Jacob
Eder, are busily writing speeches with support from other pupils as
we speak, and will have delivered them by the time you read this. I
know they will do us proud! The moots include “NZ should become
another state or territory of Australia” and “School Formals are a
waste of time and money”. Controversial as always!
I hope you all enjoy a safe and fun term break, and come back
refreshed.
RUTHERFORD HOUSE
ACTING HEAD OF HOUSE Mrs P Bernards
DEAN OF HOUSE Mrs S Reed
It is with great pleasure that I am Acting Head of Rutherford House
while Mr Williams is seconded to Linwood College as Acting Deputy
Principal for the remainder of the year.
Having been Head of Lydiard House for five years I am a great
believer in the benefits of the House system through my observations of the support, enthusiasm and commitment given by the
pupils and staff to their House and which is very much in evidence
in Rutherford House.
As this newsletter goes to press Rutherford is third in the House
competition as a result of Senior WinterFest, the Year 11 Quiz
and Junior Public Speaking with the Choir competition on the last
Friday of term. I am hopeful of a good result and having seen many
of their practices it would be well deserved,
MUFTI FOOD BANK
Organised by Rutherford House this annual event collects a can of
food or non-perishable goods in exchange for wearing mufti. While
successful the number of cans collected did not reach last year’s
total which is a result of short term notice and also shows that
people in our community are hurting. Photgraphed right are Mr
Brian Hays (Deputy Princpal) and Mr Steve Dixon (Property Manager), two of Rutherford’s Mighty Knight House Administrators
helping the Salvation Army to load up the Food Bank truck.
Rutherford’s “behind the scenes” administrators:
Mary Langdon and Bridgitte Robinson are Rutherford’s hard working representatives in the school office. Where would a school be
without such committed people?
House Junior Public Speaking:
Bella Partington, Olivia Skirrow, Zac Lane and Lachlan McKenzie are
pictured below. These students represented Rutherford House in
the inter-house Junior Public Speaking competition, gaining two
seconds, a third, a fifth and came fourth overall. A very commendable effort.
SHEPPARD HOUSE
HEAD OF HOUSE Ms A Hay
DEAN OF HOUSE Mr K Anderson
As Term 3 draws to a close, our Year 13 students will be mindful of
the drawing to an end of their time at secondary school. Our senior
students should be focused now on preparing for their external
examinations, to ensure they meet the prerequisites for entry into
their chosen subject for next year if they are returning to school
and if they are moving onto tertiary education, that they meet the
entry requirements for their chosen courses.
This second half of term has seen the culmination of most of the
House competitions, with the Junior SummerFest Competition to
be held at the beginning of Term four. The Year 11 House Quiz competition was once again hotly contested, with a tie breaker round
required to decide the top three placings. Our thanks goes to Caity
Andrew, Katrina Douglas-Withers, Tim Gulland and George Howat
for representing Sheppard House and securing third place in the
competition.
This year the topics for the Junior Speech Competition provided
the audience with great entertainment, especially the topic for the
Year 9 Girls’ – ‘What teachers do when they are not at school’.
As you can imagine, this resulted in great hilarity and some interesting ideas from the students. I would like to thank our contestants – Rebecca Lord, Liam Johnston – placed fourth in the Year
10 Boys’ section, Sam Towse – winner of the Year 9 Girls’ section
and Dylan Smith who did an amazing job with their speeches.
The final competition for the term is for the House Choirs. Many
hours of practice go into the preparation for this and the Sheppard
Choir sounds amazing. A huge thank you must go to two of our
Year 13 students – Brydie McFall and Georgina Hackett, who took
sole charge of our choir this year. It is a true reflection of qualities
that our young people acquire during their time at school, when
they volunteer to undertake a huge task like this. The amazing
performance of our choir is a credit to the dedication of these two
amazing young women.
Our Sheppard students have supported the community during the
term, with students from 10SSK assisting Rangiora Rotary with
the bagging up of the telephone books and also collecting for the
Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s street appeal. Our Sheppard
House Junior Executive also supported the re-enactment of the
petition that was delivered to Parliament 120 years ago, driven by
pioneer suffragette Kate Sheppard that resulted in New Zealand
women being the first in the world to win the right to vote. Our
students collected signatures on the ribbons, which form a part of
the local celebration of this event which is being organised by Mrs
Lois McGirr.
Next term is the business end of the year, with our senior students
preparing for their external examinations and our junior students
focused on reaching their full potential, to ensure they are prepared for a higher level of study in 2014. I wish all of our Sheppard
students and their families a safe and happy holiday and I look
forward to seeing our students return refreshed ready for Term 4.
Junior Silver Fern - Gemma Hazeldine
Former Rangiora High School student Gemma Hazeldine has just returned from Glasgow crowned a world
champion where she was a member of the New Zealand Under 21 Netball Team competing in the World Youth
Championships. The NZ U21 team was made up of 12 talented players selected from all over the country to
represent New Zealand at the World Youth Netball Championships.
The Junior Silver Ferns defeated Australia,
winning 52-47 in a thrilling championship
final.
Gemma was in the Tactics wider training
squad this season and has just signed with
the Central Pulse for next year’s transTasman netball league.
Gemma came to Rangiora High School
in Year 11 and says she strongly believes
playing for your school provides you with
a pathway to be exposed to higher representative levels within New Zealand. She
says that it was exciting to be part of the
school’s first ever Senior A Netball team
to make the Secondary Schools’ National
Netball Tournament.
Year 13 - Wacky Week
Otago Offers Welcome Challenges for RHS Scholarship Winner
Constant exposure to new information is making the University of Otago’s demanding Health Science First
Year (HSFY) course thoroughly enjoyable for Rangiora High School graduate Finn Williams.
Winning a $5000 University of Otago Alumni Appeal Scholarship has assisted Finn with furthering his longheld ambition to become a doctor. The scholarship results funds gifted by alumni and friends of the University
of Otago to provide scholarships for high calibre students who require financial assistance to attend Otago.
“I have wanted to do medicine from an early age,” Finn explains. “I am very interested in the human body,
medicine and science. Hopefully I will do well enough to get into Medical School next year.”
Finn’s academic prowess comes in handy for the HSFY course, which is a prerequisite for several of Otago’s
limited-entry disciplines - Dentistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy.
The course has seven papers; physics, chemistry, human body systems (HUBS), biology, biochemistry and
epidemiology. Around 1300 other HSFY students seek the high grades required to enter the second year
discipline of their choice.“Some of the course contains pretty new information for me. It seems like there is
quite a lot to learn at times, but it still quite enjoyable. In papers like HUBS it’s all stuff you never encounter in
high school biology because it’s all about human biology.”
Being a vegetarian, Finn did find the dissection of a deer’s knee joint during
one laboratory session challenging, but exhilarating nevertheless.
“We had just learnt how joints worked and then got to actually see inside one
– it was pretty exciting. The labs and online assessments really complement
the lectures, giving us a practical point of view. It does take a bit of dedication to study all the material especially stuff that’s quite new – but some of it
carries on from high school which makes it a bit easier. In some areas I could
stand to study a bit more.”
Finn thanks a tour of Otago’s campus organised by Rangiora High School
last year for introducing him to Carrington College, one of 13 undergraduate
residential colleges on or near Otago’s campus, each offering accommodation,
support and care in its own unique style.
“I was quite drawn in,” he says. “Carrington is a bit removed from the campus,
with bush around it. It has a record for academic excellence and being really
supportive, holding extra tutorials for most of our papers. I have gone to a few
of those – they are pretty useful. They are taken by people who have done
the paper before. They really help me get my mind around the material.“The Carrington tutors and staff are
nice and there is a good mix of the social and academic. I think the college really helped with making friends.”
Finn says his family was able to gain a good impression of his residence and the University during ‘parent
orientation’ when his mother and his sister came down and stayed at Carrington College just prior to the start
of the first semester.
“I have never really lived in a city before, so it’s nice Carrington is so close to the campus. The campus is quite
big and integrated into the central city. It’s pretty, too, with the old lecture theatres putting a bit of history
into the University.”
Football Champions SISS Tournament
The Senior Boys’ Football side played in the Jim Wishart
Cup Tournament in Christchurch. Due to the bad weather
that arrived on the Wednesday the organisers changed the
draw. This meant that after a win over Ashburton and a loss
to Waimea in Pool Play the team qualified for the Quarter
Finals. In wet and muddy conditions the team beat Botany
Downs, 1-0. The semi-final and final were played on the turf
at ASB Park. In the semi-final the team beat Kapiti College 2-1
to earn a place in the final. After going down a goal early on
in the final the team fought back to lead at half time 2-1. With
great defence and attitude the team managed to hang on to
win the game and tournament. A great end to a great week!
BP Business Challenge
Careers Advice for Jobseekers
On Thursday September 12 September and Friday
13 September, Rangiora High School hosted our
third Annual BP Business Challenge.
At a recent Workchoice seminar for teachers, employers were asking that students be work ready when
they come cold-calling, or for an interview. What the
Business Round Table call “soft skills” are, in reality,
very difficult for many school-leaver jobseekers. We
call them “core employment skills” and they include:
Delayed by one day (due to school closure), our
Year 10 students rose to the challenge of taking
this THREE day challenge and completing it in just
TWO days.
Our wonderful presenters from the Young Enterprise Trust, were very impressed with our
students working so admirably over the two days.
1. Hygiene. Arriving squeaky clean is always a good
look. Shower and use deodorant.
2. Wear clean clothes to the job interview and to
work.
In the two days, students had to conceptualise a
fictional business idea and present their business
plan to external judges in a “Dragons’ Den” style
competition.
3. No piercings. Many employers have strict rules.
The winning product was presented by “Cars ‘R’
Us” led by CEO Geordie Ruitenberg. This group
presented the idea of an engine that is powered
by Salt Water.
5. Nutrition and plenty of good food. Too many
young people go to work with no breakfast and
only chips and soft drink to sustain them in a busy
day. Your body needs good food if you are to be
able to do a full day’s work (e.g. a builder or dairy
farm worker needs enough food for 3 meals during the working day – morning and afternoon teas
as well as lunch – on top of a good breakfast).
Congratulations to all our participants.
4. No visible tattoos. Cover them with long sleeves
or a collar as many employers have strict rules.
6. Client services. Teach your students to make a cup
of tea or coffee for visitors (and yourselves), and
how to ask nicely if they want milk or sugar.
7. Phone manner. Teach your student how to make
and receive phone calls by announcing themselves, greeting the person at the other end, and
smiling (yes, it is reflected in their voice). Have a
pen and paper ready to take a message.
Ms P McDonald
Head of Faculty, Business and Enterprise
New Student Trustee for BOT
Congratulations to Michael Heron who is the
newly elected Student Trustee on the Rangiora
High School Board of Trustees. Michael was elected unopposed.
A huge thank you to Courtney Cooke the outgoing
Student Trustee for all her hard work and dedication.
8. Help your student get their Driver’s Licence. As we
live in a rural area everyone needs to get around
independently and not rely on parents to take
them places. Many jobs (e.g. builders, electricians, vets) travel in the course of their work and
need to be able to drive. Do it sooner rather than
later so students have, at least, their Restricted by
the time they are job hunting.
9. Clean up your Facebook page and get a new,
professional email address when students start
looking for jobs - [email protected] is not a
good image.
10.No alcohol (or other drugs). Businesses drug test
workers regularly, sometimes at the interview,
especially where Health & Safety is an important
factor at work. Students must learn to take H&S
issues very seriously once working.
And we haven’t even mentioned CVs and interview
skills…
Ms A McGowan
Careers Advisor
Rangiora High School Netball Finalists 2013
Winners - Senior Reserve Grade
Winners - 4th Grade
Winners - 5th Grade
Winners - 6th Grade
Runners Up - 3rd Grade B
Runners Up - 3rd Grade A
Runners Up - Senior B Grade
Mr Williams in full support mode
Rifle Shooting
Philosophy Club
Congratulations to Amelia Hughson and Kevin
Harper who have been named in the South Island
Junior Team. Amelia has also been named in the
South Island Ladies’ team and the New Zealand
Junior Team.
Rangiora High School’s philosophy club “Outside the
Box” has started off with a bang, with already 25 avid
philosophers! With our tenth meeting last Friday,
so far we have: cross examined crucial world events
such as the war in Syria, and our erratic weather; had
a glimpse at the lives of famous philosophers, such
as Rene Descartes; discussed and debated a variety
of topics including poverty, war, morality, religion,
existence, politics, the environment and how we can
change them for the better; as well as run games of
giant “current events” Connect 4, a philosophical
treasure hunt and a riddle competition. At the moment we are making a movie protesting war and
corporate greed, and planning a ‘murder mystery’
night to fundraise for the club, and charity.
Amelia is currently training in the New Zealand
development squad.
Students Against Driving Drunk
On 20 September the “drunk driving simulator”
visited Rangiora High School. This simulator allows
students to experience in a safe learning environment the effects of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
We are only the second high school in the South
Island to have been able to secure the drunk driving simulator for student use.
As the person who runs the club my goal is to allow
people to come together under one roof and think for
ourselves, as well as develop our morality. Without
being able to critically think we are blind to the issues
that surround us, and without being able to love and
care, we have no drive to stop them. I implore those
who read this to question the lives you live and the
things you do. That you may question the importance
of doing good instead of ignoring it, that you may not
take the easy route of drowning your questions and
morals in the run of the mill work and pleasure, but
rather keep it as a seed, and let it flourish, for to have
is only one part of life… we must also learn to be.
In this time when our earth is dying, our fellow
people are dying, and even our spirits our dying, we
must learn to use both our heads, and our hearts.
Any questions or opinions? Please contact tobiscuit@
gmail.com
Mr T Palmer
Learning Assistant
During the two hours that the simulator was able
to be here, we had over 200 students utilise the
simulator. We had 200 other students use the
“obstacle course” set up next to the simulator. The
obstacle course was completed while the student
was wearing “drunk goggles” to simulate the difficulty in maintaining balance and direction while
inebriated.
Our co-chairperson for SADD this year, Lauren
Sheat, did a magnificent job organising this visit
through the Waimakariri District Council and SADD
district office.
Student feedback was very positive; all felt that this
provided them with a strong learning experience.
It is my plan to have the simulator back again next
year.
Mr T Tripp
Teacher Co-ordinator
Students Against Driving Drunk
Swimming
Nic Steyn and Bryn Atkin travelled to Blenheim in the
last holidays to compete at the very impressive Stadium 2000 pool complex. The boys swam well with Nic
getting a second in the Over 15’s 50m backstroke and
making the final for the Over 15’s 100m backstroke.
Bryn made seven Under 14 finals and was second in
the 100m backstroke and 50m free and third in the
50m backstroke. It was a good quality meet with 150
swimmers from all over the South Island.
Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide
What is it and what does it mean for Rangiora High School?
Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide (PB4L School-Wide) is a Ministry of Education funded process
aimed at helping schools to develop a social culture that supports learning and positive behaviour.
A foundation part of the Positive Behaviour for Learning School Wide process is to establish and promote a
shared set of defining CORE VALUES which shapes the way we do things at Rangiora High School. The results of
Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide Teacher Only Day at the start of Term 3, brought to the surface a
set of values as being important to us as a community of teachers and students
The values were grouped together under similar themes by the Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide
team. These six themes now need to be reduced into three clear, positively stated, VALUE expectations for all
students and staff at Rangiora High School.
Part of this process includes seeking feedback from staff, students and the wider community. This will take place
in the last week of Term 3 and the beginning of Term 4. You will receive a link via the Parent Portal early next
term. We value your thoughts and opinions, and ask that you take time to complete the survey when it becomes
‘live’.
Once our core values are established, we will work through the process of developing: procedures for teaching these expectations;a reinforcement system for encouraging students to demonstrate and maintain these
expectations; a continuum of logical consequences for students to discourage unwanted behaviour.
Orienteering
This has been a busy term for up and coming orienteers.
Callum and Connor Cleary competed at the NZ Secondary
School Championships in Hastings at the end of the July
holidays, where Callum was placed 3rd in the Intermediate
Boys’ Long Distance event.
The sprint event was run at the Splash Planet, Hastings.
Callum placed 8th and Connor finished just outside the
top 10. The long event was run at Arborfield, with Connor
placing 8th and Callum claiming 3rd place - a great result.
The Canterbury School Championships were scheduled to
take place on the 14/15 September, but the recent storm
badly damaged one of the locations, so a reduced event
was held. A team of 10 students represented Rangiora
High School, a number of these were senior students competing in their first competition.
Championship Events
1st Intermediate Boys’ Championship - Connor Cleary
2nd Intermediate Boys’ Championship - Callum Cleary
5th Junior Girls’ Championship - Lucy Prickett
Non Championship Events
1st Senior Boys’ - Henry Fraser
2nd Senior Boys’ - Jordan Seaton
1st Senior Girls’ - Hannah Price
2nd Senior Girls’ - Katrina Black
1st Intermediate Girls’ - Taylor Higby
RHS - is currently lying 2nd in the schools’ competition.
Congratulations to Connor Cleary who has been selected
to represent New Zealand in the NZ Secondary Schools’
Orienteering Squad. He heads to Canberra at the end of
the term for a Trans-Tasman Challenge.
JUST ASK US - Student Voice
Do you think it is important to have a school uniform?
Angus Howat – Head Boy: Yes it is very important to have a school
uniform because it shows our pride in our school, to each other and
to the community. It also gives us that sense of community within
the school.
Ruby Clark – Head Girl: Yes it gives the school an identity, easily
recognisable in public and on sports exchanges, etc. Also it looks tidy
and I think the uniform contributes to the working environment.
Tell us what it means to you to wear the Rangiora High School uniform?
Angus – It means a great deal to me by wearing our school uniform. It has given me a huge sense of belonging
and I believe that is apparent to my peers.
Ruby – It is part of the history of our school and again it is easy to recognise. The success of other students and
the school is associated with you.
With a review of uniform currently underway what do you think should be the key focus?
Angus – I think the key focus should be practicality and look. It should look nice and be appropriate for different weather conditions.
Ruby – Changing the rules about when it is necessary to wear kilts or not. Either boys’ winter uniform needs to
be compulsory or neither. I don’t think it is right to have a foot in both camps. My preference would be neither.
What advice would you give to students around the wearing of our school uniform?
Angus – The advice I would give to students about wearing our school uniform is to wear it confidently. We
need to respect it and uphold the values our school believes in. We need to understand we are representing
everyone.
Ruby – Wear it properly, I promise you that you will look a lot better without your underwear on display. You
will get a lot more respect as well.
The students who attended Nga Manu Korero in Hamilton with Ms Malcolm.
Important Dates
27 SeptemberLast day of Term 3
14 October First day of Term 4
14 October Junior SummerFest begins
24 October
25 October
28 October
BOT Meeting, 6.00pm
Mufti Day
Labour Day