As the final term has drawn to a close for our Senior School, we have had a number of opportunities to reflect upon, and celebrated many outstanding successes experienced by our students. 

Stress and pressure are inevitable for our young people but they don’t have to face it alone. Let’s do all we can for them.

All senior students must report to the school Hall from 8.30am in order to complete clearance.

An update from the teams' managers.  

As part of the extension programme in our junior science curriculum we offer the opportunity to compete in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS).

Leah Albrow (10TR) competed in the Future Problem Solving (FPS) nationals held in Auckland last weekend.

Our Year 13s were farewelled at the student-led assembly on Friday 4 November with music, dance and recollections of their time at RHS, as well as a powerful roopu, consisting of the Year 9 Te Reo class, 1ST XV Rugby team, and the seniors and juniors who regularly form the the core of Kapa Haka.

Foundation Day was celebrated with a full school assembly led by the Principal, Neil Haywood, followed by a function to celebrate staff milestones.

A friendly reminder that entrance testing will be held this Wednesday 8 November at 8:45am in the school hall. Bring a pen. The back-up testing day is Tuesday 14 November. Students who have sat the Peerswick Academic Scholarship test do not need to sit the entrance test. 

The exhibition, held Wednesday October 19, showcased the external folio work by students from the following Senior Art classes: L1ART, L2ART, L2Photography, L2Art Design, L3 Printmaking, L3 Painting, L3 Photography and L3 Art Design. Students, whanau and friends attended this event in record numbers.

A team of 10 players will be heading to the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup in Melbourne being held from 3 -9 December. 

The two RHS crews found themselves competing in their first regatta in Ashburton under very difficult conditions. The regatta was cancelled at 12.00pm due to high winds so only two races were completed. The Girl’s Quad placed fourth out of nine crews, and Mixed 8 were fifth. A great result for their first outing!

Images from the inaugural dance recital held 23 September. Click on any image below to see full size.

In late November and early December we will be running a range of assessments for our junior students. These provide important information for class and subject placements for next year. They also inform our end of year reports which will be sent home by email on Thursday 15th of December.

A group of 24 students from the level two physics classes went to the Canterbury Aero Club in the afternoon on Tuesday the 25th of October for an enjoyable educational flight over Christchurch.

Congratulations to Jay Kang , who competed in the TaeKwonDo Union New Zealand (TUNZ) Competition, in Christchurch on the 16th and 17th of September. He was awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for his efforts. 

A unique opportunity to prepare you to join the workforce. Working with Ara, National Trade Academy, SIT and other tertiary providers, this course enables you to complete pre-trade courses that prepare you for work, apprenticeships or full time study while still at school.

A big Thank You to Monica Koster (9RF) who won an amazing stash of books for the Library. Monica attended a writing course in the holidays and was lucky enough come home with a fantastic bundle of books for her school library. 

Two Riccarton High School teams entered the Year 11 Chemistry Competition at ARA on Thursday 15 September.

The TheatreFest One Act Play Festival is an annual festival and competition in which Riccarton High School had the good fortune to take part this year. 

With the Senior students now concentrating on their exams, the focus of Gifted and Talented in Term Four is on our Junior students and those from four of our contributing schools. 

The Level 2 Health class recently started to investigate an issue around the false expectations we see in the media to do with body image. We have decided to raise awareness and teach positive coping skills to help young people deal with the stress and pressure the media places on them.

Congratulations to Will Eason and Caleb Weir who were awarded first place in the secondary schools category and also won Audience Choice for their entry into the 1-Minute Film Competition. 

Our students have entered two major Mathematics competitions this year and have achieved some outstanding results.

Christiana O'Connor, along with a group of 30 high school students, recently attended the QuakeCraft Challenge workshop. Christiana describes her experience.

The PTA would like to share and celebrate all that has been achieved in 2016.

The PTA will be holding two second-hand uniform sales – Saturday 17 December 9:00am to 12:00pm and Saturday 14 January 9:00am to 12:00pm.

Stationery packs for our Year 9s starting in 2017, are available to purchase from the main office - $55 per pack.  Scientific calculators are also available for $25 each.

Term 4 began with a warm and calm weekend at Peel Forest, South Canterbury where Ms Jermy, Mr Hammond, Mr Harlow, Ms Gordon and Mrs Stoop encouraged 23 students working towards their Bronze awards, to lace up their boots and get tramping.

Connecting generations by sharing knowledge.

Congratulations to Toby Buckner 10WS, who competed in the Aoraki Mt Cook 50km open entry cycle event in the holidays and came third. An awesome achievement as it has been the first time he has been old enough to compete. 

Bonnie Maxwell, Carmen Holdaway, Dean Holdaway, Toby Buckner and Jeffrey Chen, as part of the Christchurch Schools' Regional Orchestra, which performed at the Secondary Schools' Orchestra Festival on Tuesday.  

The Student Volunteer Army recently hosted the final session of the UC Student Volunteer Army UCan programme for Year 10s, where students got the chance to reflect on what they have learned, brainstorm new project ideas and celebrate their volunteering achievements.