Absences and Remote Learning

Thank you to the many of you who are keeping us so well informed. This enables teachers, Tutors and Deans to have great oversight of connection and engagement with learning, especially when students might not be consistently tuning into timetabled, face-to-face contact times.

If your daughter is unwell, leaving early or starting late please advise their tutor and our Attendance Officer, Heather Shaw, attendance@rangiruru.school.nz, with all the details including: 

• Student name and tutor group;
• Your name and contact number if phoning (in case we need to follow-up);
• When the absence is for;
• Reason for absence e.g. sick; doctors/physio appt etc

If your daughter is unable to be online for a ‘contact’ class with their teacher, due to illness, connection issues, another appointment etc please ensure they contact their teacher ahead of time to let them know.

Date Changes

While we await further information from the Ministries and Health and Education, we are updating the School Calendar with cancellations and amendments as they come to hand. We’re hopeful that some events can be rescheduled.

It is likely that our Term 3 Awards Assembly on Wednesday 15 September will be ‘in person’ for recipients and live-streamed to parents.

In response to the NCEA date changes, Years 11, 12 and 13 students will now have their last day of classes on Wednesday 10 November (not 3 November).

At this stage the end of year programme and events remain as advertised and we will keep you informed of any essential changes.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate the changing landscape.

From the Care & Development Network

While your daughters are receiving wellbeing times, tips and check-ins, this may provide useful support for you: https://parentingplace.nz/resources

Safe TV viewing for students in Alert Levels 3 and 4

More time at home can see young people watching more TV, and potentially watching outside their normal viewing hours – which can increase the risk they will encounter unsuitable viewing. Tools are available to help parents protect students from TV content that may harm them.

A practical guide to the latest tools (including parental locks, classifications, advisories, warnings and timebands) plus an informative video from Jordan ‘How to DAD’ Watson, is available at safeviewing.co.nz.

These tools are overseen by the Broadcasting Standards Authority, which provides further useful information here.

Term Dates 2022

27 & 28 January Teacher Only Days, some senior student training

31 January Term 1 begins for Years 7, 9 new students

1 February Term 1 begins whole school

8 April Term 1 ends

2 May - 8 July Term 2

1 August – 30 September Term 3

17 October - 1 December Term 4

1 December Prizegiving

2 December Leavers’ Ball

Parent Education

Thanks to the PTA and to Mandy Anderson for making Miriam McCaleb and Drs Craig Harrison and Katie Schofield available to our community. Both were thought-provoking sessions with a rich array of information, advice and tools for parents and coaches.

There are some very relevant resources out there, offering advice to parents to support their children or to provide subjects for discussion with our young people. For seniors focusing on exam preparation, you may be looking for guidance on how best to support your daughters. Take a look at this.

In this widely-read article Victoria Proody, Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist and renowned expert on parenting, provides some advice and great practical parenting tools here.

And on choosing bedtimes here.

Netsafe offers a treasure trove for parents e.g. Safe online relationships – what’s never ok, managing break-ups, naked images, helping a friend and where to go to for help. You’ll find useful advice on a wide range of topics on Netsafe.