PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Clear Skies Ahead
Whilst our local community and our school only experienced relatively minor impacts, our thoughts remain with those communities across Auckland and New Zealand who are still grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. It is difficult to comprehend the scale of the devastation and destruction many communities are experiencing.
Last night we welcomed many families into school for our Meet the Teacher evening. Having missed this event for 3 years, it was an absolute pleasure to reconnect with our community in person. With relationships being such a critical part of who we are as a school, we are finally starting to feel whole again. This being said, after all the chaos of the opening weeks, it was not surprising when the fire alarm decided to sound partway through the evening. Fortunately, many teachers had covered the majority of their presentations when the alarm went off. For those who hadn’t, many made their way outdoors to continue conversations. Thankfully it was a beautiful evening.
We are now looking forward to clearer skies ahead. This week, we have started our new year assessments and these will continue into the weeks ahead. These assessments give us a clear picture of how our students are tracking and what our next steps are for learning. In addition, the inter-zone sports competition is starting next week with Tennis followed by Cricket. Music groups are coming together and rehearsals are underway, RI Singers auditions have begun and camps for both year groups are being finalised.
With the chaos of these past few weeks behind us we are excited to be focusing once again on what matters most…growing great people.
Kyle Brewerton
Principal/APPA Vice President
DAY ONE 2023
It was a real pleasure to open our school and welcome the students to begin 2023. It was lovely to see the familiar faces of our returning Year 8 students and the excited nervous energy of our new Year 7s.
At the end of the day there were many smiling faces at the school gate and a really positive feeling as students and staff left for the first time this year.
I know that everyone is looking forward to making the most of the opportunities available in Term 1 and really getting to know each other as the term progresses.
MULTI MATERIAL'S NEWS
Year 8 students in Multi Materials have been creating structures such as walls, stairs, towers and even pieces of temporary furniture using MDF building blocks. They have tested their MDF creations' resistance to impact forces from a rolling tennis ball. From their experiments they modified their designs using the principles of massing, layering and the use of T and I beam construction. As a safety reminder, all students learning Multi Materials need to wear covered shoes in this specialist area.
Tom Symons
ESOL NEWS
Tucked away at the back of the library is our ESOL room. Around 60 students will receive small group lessons this year to enrich their proficiency with our English language. It’s a busy place, with opportunities to focus on listening, speaking, writing and reading. Many activities are based on the Year 7 and 8 Social Studies or Science topics to provide support for their classroom lessons.
Year 7 and Year 8 students receive one lesson a week for 1 ½ hours with other students from their syndicate.
New English learners receive 3 half-hour lessons Tuesday to Thursday at 9 am for one term or until they are proficient enough to join my group lessons.
Any inquiries regarding your son or daughter’s involvement in ESOL can be directed initially to their classroom teacher.
Welcome to all the new students. I look forward to teaching you, along with our Year 8’s from last year!!
Gillian Waters
2023 WILLIAM PIKE CHALLENGE
We are very fortunate to have the William Pike Challenge back up and running in 2023! Sophie Sills is the WPC coordinator and will be leading the group of 30 ‘Pikelets’ (the official WPC student nickname) this year.
What is the William Pike Challenge?
It is an outdoor education program, similar to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, for intermediate school pupils. Some of the main values instilled and nurtured in pupils through the WPC are Courage, Teamwork, Resilience, Compassion, Pride and Enthusiasm.
Who is William Pike?
A teacher who was caught in a volcanic eruption on Mt Ruapehu in 2007. He suffered many injuries and lost his right leg. William was motivated by his accident and created the WPC to provide young New Zealanders with a pathway to new experiences outdoors.
Please visit the William Pike website for more info: www.williampike.co.nz
What do you have to do to pass the WPC?
5 outdoor activities. These are in the local area, organized by the school and run jointly by teachers and an outdoor activity provider.
Learn a new sport, skill or hobby (passion project) Half an hour a week. This is chosen and undertaken completely independently by you, monitored by the project leader.
20+ hours of community service. This is organized and undertaken completely independently by you, with support from the project leader.
You must also be able to meet regularly at school to get information and training on the activities.
How do you apply?
You must have attended the WPC meeting to collect your application form. If you were absent, please see Sophie Sills in Room 8 as soon as possible for an application form. You must create a 2-minute video of yourself telling us why we should choose you. Refer to the application form details for information on what you need to talk about. Applications are due by Monday 27 February 3 pm. No exceptions!
IMPORTANT DATES
February
21st BOT Meeting at 6:30 pm
22nd Year 8 Waterwise Programme - Room 3
23rd CZ Tennis Boys
March
1st Photo Life Class Photos
PTA Community Picnic at 6:00 pm
6-8th Port Waikato Camp - Rooms 2,4 and 19
8-10th Port Waikato Camp - Rooms 7, 29 and 30
7th CZ Cricket Boys
9th CZ Cricket Girls
ABSENCES
All absences need to be reported by 8:45 am at the latest. To report an absence please:
Use the 'Report an Absence' link in the top right corner on 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 teachers
ABSENCE TEXT NOTIFICATION
Your 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 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.
PARENT PORTAL
Parents are able to use our portal to pay for their child’s donations and fees. We encourage anyone who has not already signed up to do so. The address is https://parent.edgelearning.co.nz/
REMUERA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL APP
You can download the free app 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