It was wonderful to be able to meet a large number of parents and whānau at our Student Achievement Interview Day (SAID) earlier this week, particularly with the fact that we could finally meet in person! Subject teachers are always willing to connect with whānau to discuss what is going on for students in their classes. We hope that you found these meetings beneficial as a way of encouraging students to reflect on their learning and progress while also allowing opportunities to establish and work towards realistic and meaningful goals. 

There are, of course, other ‘significant adults’ involved in your child’s life while they transition through Riccarton High School. Our Whānau Teachers can support our students with well-being, academic achievement, attendance, and their overall experience while at school. Each Whānau Teacher is supported by a Kaitiaki (Dean) who has oversight for the students in each of our 4 Whare (Houses). Home-school partnerships are vital for student success and a key part of this relationship is for you as parents and caregivers to know who the right person is to contact or get information from. 

It was also fantastic to be able to host approximately 650 people at our Open Evening last week as they explored our various learning areas and engaged with both students and staff. The most common comment from our visitors on the night was about our passionate teachers and outstanding student ambassadors. 

At the event, we also took time to reinforce the fact that for many out-of-zone families looking to enrol in 2023, their chances are very limited with any out of zone places offered likely to go to ‘priority 2’ (siblings of current students) and possibly ‘priority 3’ ( siblings of former students). As I have stated previously, the decision to accept fewer out-of-zone students has not been something that has been decided by Riccarton High School but is the result of a directive by the Ministry of Education. We certainly understand the disappointment that many of these families will feel, however, it is something that remains beyond our control.

Enjoy reading the rest of our newsletter. Just like me, I know that you will be impressed, as always, by the great efforts and achievements of our students. Although we still very much live in a COVID-19 regulated world, we have still managed to start the first few weeks of this term with some sense of normality, allowing students to participate in a range of events and represent our school in true Riccarton Way fashion!

Ngā mihi nui

Neil Haywood

PRINCIPAL