Bruce Kearney by RHS

From the Principal

RHSDecember 3, 2023

Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,

Once again it is the final newsletter of the year.

We had a fantastic Year 11-12 prizegiving on Thursday night where we celebrated the academic successes of our senior students. During the evening I spoke about success and what it looks like, and I mentioned how interesting it is that we create an evening to celebrate success when the notion of success is so subjective… and yet it is so clearly woven into the tapestry of school, education and life. In reality for some it is getting excellence, for some it is going to school, and for some it is simply getting out of bed.

What I do know is that there are a large group of students who did not walk across the stage because their success did not fit our criteria and I want to recognise that many of our students worked hard and achieved personal success even though they may not have achieved the highest possible academic results.

On Thursday night we also celebrated the naming of our two head students for 2024. Our school has six students in this role and the two head students are Tessa McNay and Adam Wake. They will be supported by Alyssa Grigor, Liam Pritchard, Couper Wiki and Millie Wright. These students will be asked to represent the school in a wide range of areas such as setting culture and speaking at events (i.e. ANZAC day). I am really excited about working with this team.

It has been incredibly satisfying to see the school return to a more normal year. We have had sports, cultural and arts events once again flourishing and giving our students the opportunity to connect and celebrate both within and outside the classroom. I am very excited about having a school production next year and it was pleasing to see the return of an orchestra at Rangiora High School. We often say that whilst the classroom is our core business, it is the opportunities outside the classroom that make our students feel connected to our school.

Speaking of classrooms, the work is well underway in Rakahuri to enable a more flexible learning environment. The contractors are confident that we will have the walls up and ready for the start of the 2024 school year. The whare has its foundations and we should see the building grow out of the ground over Christmas and possibly be finished mid-year 2024. The new building classroom is about to be started and there may be some tiny houses up for sale at the end of next year.

I also would like to say that whilst we had to remove Automotive as a subject, we are strongly connected in providing our students with opportunities to learn in the trades. Both Building and Fabrication are subjects that are popular with our students and add to the list of trade-based courses. We also have our Land-based studies that is always popular with our students and I do want to reiterate that we have absolutely no intention of selling our farm and are in fact looking at making sure we use this fantastic resource to its full potential. A Board driven committee has been created with staff, board members and expertise from outside the school (i.e. farmers and universities) that are spending the next two years making sure that we are doing our part educating the farmers of the future.

I wish to thank our teaching staff for a busy and rewarding year. Whilst we are paid to teach, many of our staff can be found in tutorials, on the sports field, or on stage giving their time freely to our students and school. Thank you also to our School Board for supporting us on our journey and making sure that we are doing the right thing and to Simon Green for his time, energy and support as the Presiding Member of the Board. It is a job that receives lots of attention, not always positive, and yet it is a voluntary one that we cannot do without. 

Finally thank you to Paul Donnelly for being a great friend to me over the last two years, I will miss him a great deal.

Nga mihi nui,

Bruce Kearney

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