December 2021 Newsletter

Principal’s comment

Kia ora Koutou

It has been a hectic last few weeks of school as we have carefully navigated around Covid restricted prizegivings, end of year celebrations, preparations for external exams and planning for 2022, all the while endeavouring to keep a sense of normality and routine with our junior students.

As Covid continues to present us with challenges, we march on with what needs to be done, particularly with our future planning. Over the last few months, a lot of work has been done in conjunction with the Board of Trustees around developing our Strategic Plan for the next three to five years. I believe our vision is both clear and exciting as we continue to work towards achieving the best possible educational outcomes for our students. You will find a brief summary of our mission statement (or key purpose) by following this link. Our one-page Strategic Plan can also be found by accessing this link.

We welcome any feedback on these documents – email me at pr@riccarton.school.nz

Our annual review also involves reflecting on what we are currently doing and asking the question of whether it is meeting the needs of our diverse learners. One aspect currently under review is the place of NCEA Level 1 at Riccarton High School, which is timely given the changes happening at a national level to NCEA starting in 2024.

Our thinking is around the challenges that three years of constant assessment brings to our students and staff while also acknowledging the need to have a robust way of assessing the learning and ensuring that the small number of students who typically leave us at the end of year 11 leave in the best possible position. This review will continue through the first half of 2022 and there will be opportunities for parents and whanau to feed in their thoughts on the topic.

Finally, we will go into 2022 with a degree of confidence that by years end, our long overdue redevelopment project will have begun. As mentioned previously, this will involve the combination of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing facilities carefully staged so that disruptions are minimised. I look forward to bringing you an update on this project early in the new year.

At the end of another far from normal year, can I extend my sincere thanks to all parents and whanau for your ongoing support. I wish you all a safe and relaxing Christmas break, and I look forward to catching up in 2022.

Nga mihi nui

Neil Haywood
Principal