RJHS Newsletter - Term 4, Issue 1

KORERO FROM MEL

Welcome back to Term 4! It is nice to see some finer weather more regularly, as we look forward to summer on the horizon.

We are focusing on finishing the year well, by revisiting and upholding our SOAR expectations - these are things that we expect all students to be doing in order to access learning, find success, and not negatively impact on the people around them. In assembly this week, I am focusing my message on the following points under each aspect of SOAR:

S: we complete tasks to the best of our ability

O: we bring the right equipment ready for learning

A: our phones and headphones are off and away unless needed for learning

R: we make sure everyone has the right to learn and to teach

All students should be coming to school every day with a stocked pencil case, their books, a charged device and their charger if they know their device battery does not last all day. We expect students to try their hardest with all of their learning tasks, and to keep their phones turned off and in their bags throughout the day, unless they’re given permission to use them by their teachers to support a learning task. We also expect students to show respect to their peers and teachers by doing what they’re asked, first time and with no ‘back-chat’. We think these expectations are achievable for all RJHS students as their every day way of being. These habits will contribute to creating an environment in which all students can learn to the best of their ability.

How can you help at home? Ensure your child/young person has everything they need, each day, for learning. Charge their devices overnight and check they have their pens, pencils and other supplies packed. Chat to them about their learning, and have them show you their task submissions in Schoology, including teacher feedback. Pay attention to their fortnightly Class Effort grade - anything less than a 3 means that they are not meeting the basic expectations listed above. Support them to complete home learning. Even if specific work is not set, students can improve on work completed in class, proofread and add to their tasks, and reread teaching materials provided by teachers. By now, you should also have received update emails from each of their Learning Modules. Teachers will have indicated if your child is on track, or not, to achieve at the expected curriculum level by the end of the semester.

If you need any support, please reach out to your child’s Learning Advisor in the first instance. We look forward to celebrating their success at our IEMs at the end of the term. Bookings will be coming out soon.

We are excited to announce that we have appointed a new Deputy Principal into the position vacated by me. Michael Tan is joining us from Aorere College, where he is currently a Deputy Principal. He also has Senior Leadership experience at Murray’s Bay Intermediate School on Auckland’s North Shore. Michael and his wife will be relocating to Hamilton, and start officially in 2024, but he will spend Week 6 of this term with us, getting to know the school.