Newsletter - 17 November 2023

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
 

Celebrating Success

As we approach the closing weeks of 2023 we turn our minds to recognising those students who have stood out amongst their peers in character, effort and achievement. This is a great time of celebration and reward for those who have put their best self forward and excelled. While fostering inclusion and involvement we also like to acknowledge those who deserve recognition.

Over recent weeks teachers have begun writing reports, lists have been distributed to identify award recipients and discussions have been had to consider who will receive one of the many awards. This is one of my favourite times of the year you really do get valuable insight into just how much many of our young people have grown.

As these final weeks count down we look forward to completing this year's programme and building on the successes already shown so far. We have recently completed a full analysis of our achievement data and once again I am unashamedly proud to share that our students have outperformed their peers in all areas. In Maths, our year 8 students on average are working well beyond Year 9 expectations and in Reading over half of our students are functioning at least a year ahead of their peers.

I have heard questions at times about the purpose and relevance of intermediate schooling especially as it seems to be a time of multiple opportunities that perhaps distract from learning. I would argue that it is these additional experiences that bring meaning and life to learning. If our results are anything to go by, this seems to me to be a fair argument.

Have a great weekend.

Kind regards,

Kyle Brewerton
Principal/APPA President

 

IMPORTANT DATES

NOVEMBER
November 21 Dance Showcase 
November 22 CZ Athletics
Waterwise - Room 4
November 24 Staff Morning Tea by PTA
November 28 Girls Cricket - Parnell Cricket Club
November 30 Waterwise- Room 23                              Boys Cricket at Scared Heart College     
IZ Athletics                                       
DECEMBER
December 1 Term 4 Awards Assemblies 
December 12 Prizegiving at Holy Trinity Cathedral
Rainbows End trip Year 7
December 14 Rainbows End trip Year 8
December 15 Term 4 Ends at 12:15pm

 

BADMINTON NEWS

Thirteen neighboring intermediate schools brought together 157 players to play in the 2023 Central Zone Intermediate Competition at the Auckland Badminton Association.
Remuera Intermediate sent 12 of those competitors. We did really well across the Round Robin so into the playoffs we went.

Next came the semis before the finals, which was all very exciting for our team. In the final results; our Y8 Boys Doubles were the 1st place winners, Y8 Boys Singles- 3rd,
Y8 Girls Singles- 3rd, and Y7 Girls Doubles- 2nd.

Remuera Intermediate Teams:
Year 7 Boys Doubles - Zac Yen & Ryan Chou, Year 7 Boys Singles - Leo Haoran Zhang, Year 7 Girls Doubles- Erin Liu & Claire Wang, Year 7 Girls Singles - Ashley Ling,
Year 8 Boys Doubles - Ethan Au & Charles Jiang, Year 8 Boys Singles - Shivesh Shetty, Year 8 Girls Doubles - Tapashya Das & Carmen Young, Year 8 Girls Singles - Kate Lai, plus our Umpires/Scorers Dylan Song & Dylan Randall


WILLIAM PIKE OVERNIGHT TRIP

On Friday the 13th of October the William Pikelets loaded the vans and set off for Hunua for our overnight survival trip. Around 45 minutes later we arrived at the Upper Mangatāwhiri campsite and got ready for a 4 hour walk to the Lower Mangatāwhiri campsite.

We found out we were sleeping in bivouacs for the night so we got to work. At about 4 in the afternoon we were set for the night. When it came time for dinner we used gas cookers to cook our butter chicken around the fire circle.

As the night continued we went into the woods for a blindfolded Burma Trail with a no communication rule which challenged us all. We slept the night through, packed up and headed back up to the Upper Mangatawhiri campsite for departure back to school.

By James Cunningham - Room 24

YEAR 8 SOCIAL EVENING 2023

Year 8 students gathered to commemorate their time at Remuera Intermediate during the Social held in the school hall on Wednesday, October 25th.

The hall was transformed with balloons, dazzling lights, and the added flair of smoke machines, while the students themselves arrived in style, walking down a red carpet.

It was a memorable evening filled with dancing and enjoyment for everyone in attendance.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS ART EXHIBITION

In October, the Middle Schools Art exhibition opened down at Silo 6 in Wynyard Quarter. These are 6 large Silos which hosted 26 middle schools, artwork for the week. 20 of our students have art on display in this fabulous space.

Our very own Myka Susanto played her full-size harp at the opening. The acoustics in the Silos made this beautiful instrument, played with such skill, sound amazing.
Thank you, Myka, that was special.

REMUERA INTERMEDIATE SCULPTURE

25 of our Year 8 students have created ceramic fish to add to our sculpture for Sculpture on Shore at Army Barracks, Narrow Neck Beach.

Mr Robert Rasmussen and Mrs Billie Sturgiss accompanied a group of students across to view the school works from 12 Auckland schools and over 100 adult artists.

CZ TOUCH GIRLS

The Girls Touch Tournament on November 1st at Cox's Bay Reserve was a rollercoaster of a day. They started strong in their pool with a win against Dio and had a close draw with Marist.

They then secured wins against St Cuthberts, Waikowhai, and Balmoral, earning them the top spot. However, they faced a tough 2-1 loss to Royal Oak in the quarter-finals, which drained their energy.

The final two games were challenging, and the tournament ended with a 7th place finish. While it wasn't the result they hoped for, the girls showed great determination and sportsmanship throughout the day.


CZ TOUCH MIXED AND BOYS

The mixed touch tournament was held on the 2nd of November. With a tired bunch of girls from the day before they were ready to show up and do their absolute best. With a change to the draw they had to play 6 games back to back. Playing each team in their pool twice they challenged themselves to do better than the last game.

They finally got a break at 12:30 and were completely shattered but they still had 2 more games to play. This team played extremely hard throughout the day supporting each other and improving each game. Overall the mixed team finished 6th for the day. 

Kōwhai 6-2 L
St Therese 3-7 W
Wai kōwhai 3-1 L 
Kōwhai 2-2 D
St Therese 0-8 W
Wai kōwhai 3-1L

The boys' touch tournament was also held on the 2nd of November at Cox’s Bay Reserve. The boys started strong with comprehensive wins over St. Pauls (5-1) and Balmoral (8-0). We didn't have much time to rest and immediately faced the eventual winners; Kowhai, next.

With fatigued legs, we put up a strong fight before eventually going down 5-2. Our final pool games were against Waikowhai, where we lost 6-3, but ended pool play on a positive note by beating ANI 4-2.

Finishing fourth in our pool we were up against a well-drilled St. Peters team in the first quarter final. Alas, St. Peter's edge attacks proved too much and we went down 4-1. We had a pool rematch against Balmoral in the 5th and 6th placing semi-final. We were too strong again, winning 6-3. This led to our final match of the day against Wesley for the 5th and 6th place. After a strong start, we let a couple of soft tries in to lose 4-2, finishing 6th out of 12 teams. 

Mixed
Charlie Grant, Dylan Randall, Reuben Stead, George Taylor, William Sinclair, Bronson Gosche, Eden Clyma, Lizzie Hawksbee, Masiva Ongoloka, Nina Pluck, Tafadzwa Ruvando, Emma Thompson

Boys
Jack Leka, Jaden Martin, Jesse Duggan, Tawariki Watene, Ely Ilo, Jacob Taranaki, Julian Watohi-Lilo, Carthew Snowden, James Cunningham, Thaydius Matenga, Owen Bethell, Eddie Kivalu

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

On Wednesday November 8th our Central Zones-winning boys’ volleyball team competed at the Inter-Zones volleyball tournament at Eventfinder Stadium on the north shore. We had a tough first game against Rosmini College (eventual winners of the tournament).

Also in our pool were the 2nd place getters, meaning our pool round matches were tough, effectively relegating us to 5th-8th playoffs.
From there on in we didn't drop a game, earning us 5th place overall.

The boys played well and with great sportsmanship. Mr Alaric Nicholls would like to thank the team for putting in the Mahi and giving it their all on the day.

Boys who competed on the day:
Roman Scanlan, CJ Toa Teremoana, Lucas Parker, Missenden 'Oto'ota, Alex Williams, Bronson Gosche, Usman Hamid, Ryan Duggan, Clayton Bailey, Daniel Yi 
Reserves:  Luka Cocker Tuni Lea, Toby Lenaarts, Brigham Takataka, Carthew Snowden, Henry Martin

ATHLETICS DAY

On Tuesday, November 7th, around 300 students embarked on a bus journey to Lloyd Elsmore Park to partake in the competitive segment of our Athletics Day.

The day unfolded amidst pleasant weather, occasionally punctuated by brief showers. Remarkable achievements were recorded in all events, and our standout athletes are now gearing up to participate in the Central Zone event scheduled for later in November.

We extend our gratitude to Miss Jenni Brookes and Mr Alan Whitehouse for their outstanding organization and setup on the day.


While our competitive athletes were at Lloyd Elsmore, the rest of the school's students engaged in a series of activities that challenged various athletic skills. It was an enjoyable and engaging experience for everyone involved.

We'd like to express special thanks to Mrs Juliet McGarry and Mrs Hayley Buckley for their outstanding organization during the day.

Results for the Competitive Events:


 

GOING, GOING, GONE - THE UPPER HUB DO REALTY WITH BARFOOT & THOMPSON

This term in the upper hub (Rooms 26, 27 and 28), we have been integrating a range of mathematical skills and understandings with our Financial Capabilities focus.

Each student revised the area and perimeter, then learned how to create nets for 3D shapes. They used this knowledge to design and cost a house build. These houses sat on a scaled down 729m2 section somewhere along a model of Great South Rd that we have displayed on the walls in our Upper Hub space. The road ran from Newmarket all the way out to Manurewa, with the allocation of suburbs being drawn from a hat.

On Friday 3rd November we were lucky enough to have Neale Jones (sales manager) and Rawdon Christie (sales agent), from Barfoot & Thompson's Remuera branch, come and run a property valuation and auction session with us. Initially, students were given recent sales data and had to calculate mean, median and mode figures for sales within their allocated suburb. Then, it was time to decide whether they were to keep their properties and rent them out, or sell up to free up cash for other investments.

A game of chance then ensued, wherein students rolled dice to see if they lived in the Grammar School Zone, had an unconsented deck or pool, whether houses met the Healthy Homes standard and how close they were to amenities such as bus stops and parks. Each roll had the potential to add value or deduct value from their property.

Finally, we ended up with our Rawdon running an auction for a new and 3 townhouses along our simulated Great South Road.
Only students who had chosen to cash up were able to bid.

Mayank Gudepu from RM26 ended up the proud new owner of this sought-after property.

57th ANNUAL JUNIOR CITIZENSHIP AWARDS

Organized by the Remuera Lions Club and hosted by Dilworth Junior School; we select two Year 8 students who best encompass the ideals and concepts of the Junior Citizenship Code.

The Student Council plus RI Staff are involved in the selection process. This is a very prestigious award and congratulations to our 2023 recipients- Lizzie Hawksbee and Tim Chin.
 

The Junior Citizenship Code

Honest in word and deed
Friendly and helpful towards other people
Generous with their time and talents
Courteous and well mannered
Respectful towards senior citizens
Willing to accept responsibility
Sympathetic towards those in distress
Careful with their criticism
Liberal with their praise
Determined to build up, preserve not destroy
Loyal to their city and community, and prepared to accept criticism of themselves and be willing to improve

GUMBOOT FRIDAY 2023

In Week 4, the Corner Crew hosted their community initiative to support the charity 'Gumboot Friday'.

Gumboot Friday is an organization that raises money to fund free counselling services for young New Zealanders. We celebrated with a Gumboot Fashion Show and coloring in competition and raised money with wristband sales, a bake sale and a school-wide mufti day.

In total, we raised $1841.30!

Congratulations to Arvin, Noam and Lydia for winning the fashion shows and coloring competition. Donations to the organization can be made at any time at https://www.gumbootfriday.org.nz/ or by texting BOOTS to 469 to donate $3!

DONATING USED UNIFORM

Students can bring them to the school foyer during the last few days of school or they can be placed in the drop-off bin in the school car park near the hall, during the school holidays.


 

STAFF MORNING TEA TREAT - 24TH NOVEMBER

The PTA kindly requests your assistance in organising a morning tea for the dedicated staff of Remuera Intermediate. Any contribution, whether it's biscuits, fruit, cheese, crackers, or, for the more adventurous, some homemade baking, would be greatly appreciated.

Please bring a plate for the staff to share on Friday, 24th November, and drop it off at the school office before the start of the school day.
Thank you for joining us in treating our well-deserving staff.

LOST PROPERTY

As our weather is getting warmer, we are finding more items of lost property left around the school. The days start off cool, and then once lunchtime rolls around the temperature is up and the outer layers are off!! If items are labeled, and make their way to the lost property box, we endeavor to return these to their owners.

Please ensure that all items belonging to your child are clearly labeled. This week, we had 22 jackets in our lost property, and the 12 that had names in were returned to their owners. Happy students and perhaps happy parents too!
 

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 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 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.
 

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 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