This year we introduce a Whāre (House) structure which will see all students placed in one of four whāre where they will be supported by a Kaiarataki (Head of House) who will work alongside the Kaitiaki (Dean of House) and a group of whānau teachers.
Our new pastoral care whāre (House) structure
- Students will be connected to their allocated whāre throughout their time at Riccarton High School.
- Each whāre will consist of whānau classes. These classes will be around 18 students in total, covering a range of students from Years 9 to 13 with one whānau teacher. The vertical nature of these Whānau classes will allow older students to mentor younger. In Te Ao Māori this system of older and younger learning from each other is referred to as tuakana–teina.
- Whānau classes will meet for two short, 20-minute sessions each week and one longer session which will allow for a stronger focus on academic mentoring, life skills, embedding aspects of well-being and resiliency.
We are extremely excited about these developments. It represents a move to have our students better prepared for a radically changing world by offering a curriculum more relevant to their individual needs as well as providing an enhanced pastoral support system which further strengthens the school’s Riccarton Way values.