From the Principal

“Mauria te pono - Keep steadfastly to the truth”

NEWSLETTER ISSUE No. 02 - 18 February 2022

CONTENTS

From the Principal – P. 1 News from Teachers – P. 2 - 4 Student Successes – P. 5 - 6 Sports – P. 6 Careers / Gateway – P. 6 - 7 Notice Board – P. 8

Kia ora Koutou,

School is settling in to some positive routines for learning as we work through the set up stages for 2022. The key focus for all of us at this part of the year is to support students to build strong and positive relationships both with peers and staff to ensure they feel comfortable and safe to support their learning.

On Friday 11 March, we will be celebrating our investiture assembly, where our prefects and houses captains will be formally badged and presented to the school. Unfortunately, due to covid restrictions we cannot invite our parents/caregivers, however, we will be organizing a virtual event, details of which will be issued shortly.

We have had phenomenal success with recent scholarships:

CLAY FOOKES Statistics and Accounts RLHS Dux

As you will know, these scholarships are not easy to obtain, they are the result of hard work, commitment and dedication. A remarkable achievement.

NCEA figures for 2021 were excellent last year with all our pass rates in all levels higher than the national average. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge our wonderful students for their hard work and dedication in achieving these outstanding results. We are very proud of you. Again, I thank the staff at RLHS for the exceptional commitment they put into supporting our students. As part of the Investiture Assembly we will also be recognizing students at Levels 1, 2 and 3 NCEA who received Merit and Excellence endorsements in their overall certificates.

For the most part, the students are looking great in their uniforms. They show a sense of pride in themselves and our school environment. A gentle reminder to a minority of students that it is important to have the correct uniform for school. Over the past 2 weeks we have been gently reminding students about appropriate uniform and hope that this will resolve any irregularities. As we move forwards, repeat reminders will start to come with

We are looking forward to events coming up at the school, including our Athletics Day on 24 February (further details on page 3). It is always great to see our students out and enjoying themselves. No doubt, we will have some great pics to share with you shortly.

As you will be aware, we have had a positive covid case at the school. Our priority is the health and safety of our students and staff and we continue to follow all the health and safety protocols to ensure all risks are minimized. The key safety elements are wearing masks whenever possible and if feeling ill, staying away from school and if necessary getting a covid test. I will be sending out more details in the near future about the various contingencies we foresee.

Ngā mihi,

Jon Ward Principal / Tumuaki

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NOTIFICATION OF PPTA MEETING

A reminder that on TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2022 there will be a PPTA Union Meeting for all Rotorua Secondary teachers, which is allowed for under the terms of their Collective Agreement. This means the school will only be able to have classes for periods 1, 2 and 3 on that day. Students will be required to go home at 12.30 pm. Charter bus and Ministry Bus will leave the school at the normal time. The school will remain open and non-union teachers will supervise any students who need to remain at school. Thank you for your co-operation.

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POTENTIAL IMPACT OF OMICRON ON SCHOOL TRANSPORT SERVICES

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is likely to have a significant impact on our communities over the coming months.

One of the groups that could be affected is school transport drivers. It is highly likely that some school transport services will need to be cancelled at very short notice due to drivers being unavailable and it is unlikely that there will be replacement drivers available.

In the event of a cancellation: The school will work with the Ministry of Health on the appropriate next steps, including whether the students on that bus need to self-isolate. You will need to have your own plan in place for transporting your children to and from the school. Our service provider has been instructed to let us know as early as possible of a cancellation. They have also been instructed to advise the duration that they expect the service to be cancelled. It is vital that all students wear masks on school transport at all times.

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FROM THE BOT

The following policy is currently up for review. If you would like to view this policy, we invite you to come into the school where it is available at the Principal’s PA office. Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed, please send an email to humphriesj@rotorualakes.school.nz RTLB Cluster Vehicle Agreement

NEWS FROM OUR TEACHERS

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OUR CHILDCARE CLASSES NEED YOUR HELP

The Childcare classes are in need of equipment to help the students complete the practical activities in their Units. If anyone is willing to donate: ✓ linen for baby beds, sheets, blankets, preferably cotton and wool ✓ towels, a hooded one would be great ✓ a change mat ✓ a non-slip mat for the bath ✓ infant and toddler clothing ✓ cloth nappies and liners ✓ infant bottles ✓ bibs, soft spoons, bowls, sippy cup ✓ mouli, blender sieve ✓ simple play toys, teething rings, stacking rings, treasure basket items, Duplo or wooden blocks, play dough etc

All items can be dropped off to the school, thanks very much, Kay Ackerman

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ATHLETICS DAY

Please note our athletics day has been postponed to Thursday 10 March 2022.

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YEAR 13 CAMP

We are having to review the format of our Yr 13 camp based on the current omicron situation. We will confirm with students and whanau as soon as possible.

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GET2GO CHALLENGE – ORIENTEERING TRAINING

Last year we had multiple teams enter the Torpedo7 Get2Go challenge which is a great entry level adventure challenge for Year 9 & Year 10 Students. The Torpedo7 Get2Go Series combines fun, outdoor adventure activities like orienteering, kayaking, stand-up paddling, mountain biking and a little bit of problem solving, into an action-packed day suitable for students of all fitness levels and experience.

Orienteering BOP are running a “Summer Nav” series where students can practice their navigation skills in preparation for the Get2Go Challenge. Each event costs $5 and is a 60 minute evening rogaine in local parks, forest and/or streets. It can be completed individually or in teams. Simply turn up and enter on day.

What to bring: cash for entry, walking/running shoes, My Vaccine Pass, mask and water For more information visit https://www.obop.org.nz/summer-nav-2022.html

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NEW TO NCEA?

New Zealand's National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) are national qualifications for senior secondary school students. Students who will be sitting NCEA assessments this year will be issued an information booklet that helps to explain key areas. NZQA also has made a video to help parents understand NCEA. Go to their website ( www.nzqa.govt.nz) and search for "How NCEA works video".