Rototuna High Schools


KORERO FROM MEG

He mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa, warm greetings to you all during Māori language week,

It has been a fabulous week with many activities and initiatives to support Māori language. The Kapa Haka group have been rehearsing tirelessly and were able to perform ‘virtually’ and live streamed as participants of the WIMS Kapa Haka competition. Ka pai.

With a little over a week left in Term 3, we are well and truly at the business end of the year. It is vital that students focus on planning for success with many assessments coming to a close and with external exams just around the corner. Students should be putting together a study plan to take them through to the end of the year. They can get support with putting together this study plan from their Kaiārahi if they are struggling to understand how best to do this. You can support your child by asking to see their study plan and ensuring they have the best possible environment and encouragement to meet the requirements of their study plan. It is the simple things that can sometimes make a real difference. A student needs to be fed and watered and whilst it can be quite challenging, finding a warm dry and quiet space for them to study is really important.


COMMUNICATION

I wanted to remind everyone of the importance of communication and that the best form of communication is through your child’s Kaiārahi (Advisor). They hold more of the information about your child than anyone else in the school. Communicating outside of the Kaiārahi can be unproductive in seeking support as the Kaiārahi knows your child well and understands the whole picture of their achievements, their timetable, where they are at with their learning across multiple areas and what their next steps are. If they don’t have the information that you are asking for, they are the best equipped person to find it and get back to you. Your help by following this process enables us to provide the best support possible for your child. If you have any unanswered questions or concerns I urge you to follow this process rather than go to subject teachers directly. The other significant person that knows your child well is their Kaihautū (Iwi Leader). If you don’t want to communicate directly with your child’s Kaiārahi, they are the next person who knows and understands your child.


CHANGES TO OUR SCHOOL SCHEDULE

In 2021, we will be looking to make some minor scheduling changes.

As a part of our ongoing review and evaluation of teaching and learning programmes, we have heard that some minor changes to the way we schedule students' time would continue to strengthen and support your child’s learning experiences with us. Two key pieces of feedback we have received from you, as our whānau community, is that a change to a full day of Projects and that additional time in subject learning would be more beneficial.

In the past, one of the main functions of a full day of Impact Projects was to allow students the opportunity to access community focused experiences, including Trades Academies, work experiences, community engagement and ultimately participating in activities that make a difference for our community. With the adjustment to our programmes of learning that have already been made, these kinds of activities and engagements can now happen any day of the school week.

It is important to recognise that Projects continue to be a critical component of the learning experience for all students. All students will continue to be expected to participate in Projects and at all Year levels. The change for 2021, is that Projects will no longer be a full day on Wednesday, it will continue to have the same amount of time allocated within the week, however, the time will be spread across three days, not one. Our focus will be on better aligning the experiences your child is having within a subject learning context, to possible actions or projects that they may participate in to extend complex problem solving.

In addition to a minor adjustment for Projects, our Advisory sessions will be moved to the morning and will replace all Ahurea slots. The reason for this change is two fold, firstly, regular contact with a Kaiārahi (Advisor) is crucial for tracking and supporting student learning and progress. Secondly, by replacing Ahurea with Advisory an additional 2 Blocks of time will be redesignated for subject learning opportunities within the Wānanga Ako.

(Our updated schedule is in the article below)


If you have any feedback regarding your child’s learning needs then do feel free to complete the attached form.

I also wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday and encourage you to take some time out to enjoy the longer, warmer days spring offers.

Kia Kaha,

Meg



  1. 2021 Updated Schedule

    Read more…
  2. 2021 Course Selection

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  3. NCEA Support

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