Starting Strong!
This began with our whānau conferences, where students and whānau had the opportunity to reconnect or meet for the first time, reflect on past achievements, and set goals for the year ahead.
In school, our whānau time has been centered around whanaungatanga — building connections, fostering a strong sense of belonging, and strengthening our kura community. Our goal is to ensure every student feels valued, supported, and part of a school whānau where students are both challenged and encouraged to thrive. Their Kaiārahi (whānau teacher) is a trusted anchor—offering a soft place to land when needed while also setting high expectations to help them soar.
As we move forward, we continue to emphasise key expectations, which are expanded on below. These guide how we work together to create a positive, engaged, and successful learning environment for all. We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home as we embark on another great year.
Attendance:
This year we are strengthening our focus on improving student attendance and reiterating our school’s expectations - ‘Right Place, Right Time’, and recognising that when it comes to your learning, ‘every minute matters’. The Government’s target is for 80% of students to attend regularly; that is to attend school more than 90% of the time.
A reminder that if your young person is absent from school, our process is:
Reporting an absence:
If your young person is absent, please notify the school before 8:30am by:
Calling (07) 854 0541, press 2 for Senior High absences
Emailing seniorabsences@rhs.school.nz
Include their name, whānau class, reason for absence and expected duration. Unexplained absences will be marked as ‘T’ for Truant.
Please note that students are not permitted to report their own absence. This must come from a parent/caregiver.
Please support us in prioritising attendance. You can check your young person’s attendance via the KAMAR portal.
Cell phone Policy:
This is our second year of implementing the national cell phone ban policy at RSHS. We have been delighted to see that most of our learners are doing the right thing! Please support your young person in understanding that whilst they are welcome to bring their cellphone to school, that they are expected to have them off and ‘away for the day’ throughout the school day, unless they have been given permission by the teacher to use them for learning. Please assist by keeping communication via cellphone to a minimum between the hours of 8.45am to 3.15pm.
How do I contact my student?
Email them directly (firstnamelastname@rhs.school.nz)
(If it is an emergency you can contact the Main Office — (07) 854 0541)
**The Government regulations state that students cannot use or access phones while they are attending school, including breaks.
Uniform:
We are working hard with students to ensure everyone is representing our school wearing the correct uniform with pride and ‘show they belong’. We have multiple options available as part of the Senior High uniform, which is linked on our school website. If a student comes to school wearing non-regulation uniform, our process is:
Your student’s kaiārahi (whānau teacher) will check in with your student about why they are in incorrect uniform
A temporary pass given if there is a genuine need
Non-regulation items will be swapped out for uniform where possible, as we have a small number of loan uniform items
In extreme cases where students repeatedly wear non-regulation items, contact will be made with home to bring in uniform, or students sent home to change.
We look forward to your support as we work through this process.