PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
We grow the most when we're faced with new and challenging situations. It’s easy to stay in our comfort zones where everything feels safe and familiar, but real growth happens when we step outside of that bubble and take on something that stretches us. When we push ourselves beyond what we know, that’s when we start to learn what we’re truly capable of.
A great example of this is the group of 30 students who recently went on the Japan exchange. They faced many new experiences; living in a different country, adapting to a different culture, meeting new people, dealing with language barriers, and coping with extreme heat. These are not small challenges, but the group handled it all amazingly well. They didn’t just get through it, they thrived. They represented our school superbly and came back stronger, more confident, and with a whole new perspective on the world around them.
Being part of something like this isn’t just about having fun (though I’m sure they did!), it’s about personal growth. By stepping out of their comfort zones, they learned how to adapt, how to problem-solve, and how to be more independent. These are life skills that go far beyond the classroom and will stick with them for years to come. And the best part? Every one of you has the potential to do the same. When you face a challenge or take on something that feels a little bit scary, that’s when you’re growing the most, even if it doesn’t feel like it right away.
So don’t shy away from those tough moments—embrace them.
Kyle Brewerton
Principal/APPA President
IMPORTANT DATES
| SEPTEMBER | |
| September 16 | Cornwall Park Visit - Rooms 2-5 |
| September 17 | Year 7 Water Safety - Room 14 IZ Futsal BOT Meeting |
| September 18 | Mufti Day - SPCA |
| September 19 | RI Talent Quest Cornwall Park Visit - Rooms 23-25 |
| September 20 | William Pike - Waipu Caves |
| September 24 | IZ Rugby League Boys |
| September 26 | Cornwall Park Visit - Rooms 6,7, 29 &30 Pop/Rock Band Performance |
| September 27 | Awards Assemblies Term 3 Ends |
| OCTOBER | |
| October 14 | Term 4 Begins |
| October 15 | CZ Boys Volleyball |
| October 17 | CZ Girls Volleyball |
| October 18 | International Day |
| October 22 | Cornwall Park Visit - Rm19-22 CZ Basketball Boys |
| October 23 | CZ Basketball Girls |
| October 25 | Teacher Only Day |
| October 28 | Labour Day |
IZ CROSS COUNTRY
We had a great day at Muriwai Beach competing in the IZ Cross Country. All twelve runners managed the course really well even though the sand was very difficult to run on. Well done to the following runners.
Year 7 Boys: Liam McIvor - 3rd place, Isaac Martin - 4th place
Year 8 Boys: Charlie Grant - 2nd place
Year 8 Girls: Emilia Hoglinger -7th place, Sienna Groves - 12th place
YEAR 7 SPEECH FINALISTS
After weeks of hard work by our Year 7’s we were able to find our 8 Speech Finalists.
The lineup did not disappoint with a variety of topics and delivery styles presented. Well done to these 8 finalists:
Eliza Tran - The Doctor who was killed for telling people to wash their hands
Peter Norman - Acting
Kevin Deng - Speeches
Ollie Lethborg - Inclusivity in sports
Shanvicka Gowrishankar - Pet Rocks
Oliver Ingram - English Language
Ayaan Rai - Fear
Deiviya Dhileepan - Respecting each others differences
Making it to the final is not an easy task, as students need to place in the top of their class, then go through a syndicate final which finds the 2 representatives for their team. This competition had over 420 competitors!! Congratulations to all year 7’s who put an enormous amount of energy and preparation into this task. Public speaking can be a daunting challenge, and it was wonderful to see our young people's confidence grow during this unit. As we know, we grow when we are pushed out of our comfort zone.
Shanvicka Gowrishankar was our overall winner and she went on to represent RI at the Central Zones speech competition, hosted by Ponsonby Intermediate.
Well done Shanvicka!
YEAR 8 SPEECH COMPETITION
The Year 8 Speech Competition centered around the theme Kotahitanga - Unity. Each student brought their unique perspective, exploring the meaning and importance of unity in today’s world. From tales of teamwork in sports and school projects to reflections on cultural harmony and global togetherness, the speeches and spoken word highlighted the power of coming together despite differences. Well done to all the students who made it through to the school speech finals and to our overall winners!
Minudi Wanninnayaka- 1st Place Speech Competition
Shobitha Tayalan- 2nd Place Speech Competition
Elysha Ilo - 1st Place Spoken Word
Hayley Smith - 2nd Place Spoken Word
YEAR 7 WATER SAFETY
The 2024 World Health Organisation Drowning Prevention slogan.
This term, our Year 7 students are taking part in our Water Safety Program, which is held at Mt. Albert Wave Pool.
Each class takes part in 3 sessions that focus on the correct use of a life jacket and how to make sure that it fits snuggly. While the life jackets are on, students jump off the side of the wave pool and enter the pool with their arms crossed whilst holding onto the jacket. The life jackets are also worn in the inflatable boats, where students sit on the edge of the boat and roll backward into the water, ensuring that heads remain clear of the edge.
Once in the water, students are shown how they can swim under the boat and find the air pocket, which is formed by the upturned hull. Survival skills are also taught, including huddling together to conserve energy and to keep warm and floating in line, which speeds movement through the water.
One of the most valuable experiences our students have is when they add a layer of heavier clothing over their swimming costumes and then are challenged to swim several lengths of the pool. Students are amazed at how difficult and tiring swimming in clothes is and realize that there may be times when they fall into the water fully clothed. After all, you’re not always in togs when you are around water.
This is what makes this water safety program such an important experience - it helps us prepare for the unexpected! One of the highlights of the day has to be the water slide….. a wonderful way to finish a day of high-energy activities in the water.
Thank you to our wonderful group of parent volunteers, we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did.
LEGO LEAGUE
Remuera Intermediate is excited to introduce the First Lego League (FLL) competition to the school for the very first time. FLL is an international robotics competition that encourages students to tackle real-world challenges through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
This year's theme, 'Submerged,' focuses on underwater exploration, and students have been working hard in the DigiTech Lab to build various stations for the competition. Using Lego Spike Prime, they will build and program robots to complete missions and earn points. It promises to be a great showcase of their creativity and problem-solving skills.
The competition will take place on a custom-built Lego table, designed and built in-house with assistance from our Multi Materials teacher, Tom Symons, and student volunteers - Byron, Finley, Fletcher, Zach (ex-RI), and Emi - who helped with assembly and painting.
THE SOCIAL CHANGENCY
On Monday The Social Changency (a group of Year 7 and 8 students led by Mr Zemke) launched Peace Week for the whole school with special initiatives. 
Tuesday was a time that students could be in the Media room to design peace posters using the Canva website.
Here are some examples.
On Wednesday students were invited to watch short films with themes of peace, hope, kindness and the abolishment of war.
The initiative for Thursday relates to performing acts of kindness for others in order to receive a token.
Also we shared a slideshow with activities related to different curriculum areas to happen anytime during the week. For more photos click on this link to view.
LOADS OF UNCLAIMED LUNCH BOXES
Now that the weather is turning warmer, and more of our breaks are able to be enjoyed outdoors, we are seeing an increase in the number of lunch boxes being left around the school.
The good news is that if your child’s lunchbox is found, and it has their name on it, we will do our best to return it. The lunch boxes in the trolley sadly, have no names.
Please take a moment to check that names are clearly visible on the lunch boxes.
ABSENCES
All absences need to be reported by 8:45 a.m. at the latest. To report an absence please:
Use the 'Report an Absence' link in the top right corner of the school website homepage http://www.remint.school.nz
Use the school app or phone the office on 09 522 9890 Option 1
Please do not email absence notifications to classroom teacher
ABSENCE TEXT NOTIFICATION
Our children’s safety is of paramount importance to us. In order to ensure the safety of all our students, at 9:45 am if your child has not been marked as Present we will send out a text notification to alert you of his/her absence.
We are aware many parents are simply very busy people and forget to notify the school so please respond with a Y and a reason for the absence/lateness.
Respond with an N if you have dropped your child at school or know that he/she was coming to school and we can investigate this promptly.
Should your mobile number change, please notify the school immediately so that we can update our records accordingly.
REMUERA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL APPS
You can download the free SchoolAppsNZ from the App Store or Google Play. It works on both Android and Apple phones. It sends important school messages and forms a big part of our school communications.
Features of the App:
- You can subscribe to alert groups of interest to you and your child
- You can complete the absentee form directly from the App
- You can access the school calendar, news and events directly through the App
- We can send out targeted alerts to everyone with the App or to specific groups