PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FIRST AND FOREMOST
Twice a year we conduct a series of formal assessments to help us evaluate our academic programmes' effectiveness and identify areas of ongoing need. Next week you will receive a special school wide academic progress and achievement report. The purpose of this report is to share how well our young people have performed overall during their time here at RI.
Whilst we pride ourselves on the vast range of cultural, special interest, sporting and academic opportunities here at RI, learning is always our primary focus. Once again, I am extremely impressed by the achievement results of our young people. Our teachers’ dedication and commitment to success, along with the hard work of our students, has clearly paid off.
Despite the significant disruption over these past few years, the vast majority of our students have made outstanding gains in their learning with many now performing at least a year ahead of their expected level. This is particularly exceptional as, for obvious reasons, many of our year 7 students arrived working at a much lower level than we have seen in previous years. As we move forward, we continue to focus on our mission as supported by our belief statements.
MISSION STATEMENT
Remuera Intermediate School will provide a rigorous and enriching education in an environment that supports the unique social, emotional and academic needs of emerging adolescents. The aim of this education is to develop resilient, compassionate and responsible members of a global community.
BELIEF STATEMENTS
We believe success for all students is possible when:
- Rigorous, engaging and inspiring learning experiences develop the knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to our students’ world now and into their future
- A range of assessment practices provide purposeful, timely and relevant information regarding the progress and achievement of all students
- Individual strengths, needs, interests and experiences contribute to a culture of high expectations where everyone feels safe, supported and valued
- Positive and supportive relationships are the foundation for social, emotional, intellectual and physical development
- Teachers and school leaders actively seek and participate in professional learning to support continuous growth and development
Kyle Brewerton
Principal
YEAR 7 CAMPS
Term 4 started with a blast for year 7’s!! At the beginning for the year we had to cancel our year 7 camp as the year had started at the orange setting. But luck was on our side and when Camp Adair in Hunua offered us a second date in term 4 we jumped at the chance. We didn't need to worry that anyone would forget camp was due to start the first week back after the holidays, as everyone arrived packed and ready to go first thing Monday morning. Everything worked out perfectly; the weather stayed mainly fine, the meals as always were delicious and the instructors were enthusiastic and showed their skill at encouraging our students to make the most of the challenges they faced. Some of our activities including the Leap of Faith and the High Beam were not for the faint hearted where students scaled poles that were over 12 meters high. That’s quite a way up when you are looking down!! We felt a bit sorry for the poor activity groups whose first activity was the water slide or confidence course!! We keep asking the camp to see if they can get warm water into these but no luck so far!!
RI Staff we are incredibly proud of all of our students. Everyone had a go and when some children thought they had reached their limit, they showed courage by going just that little bit further. And that is what camp is all about - being in a situation that is unfamiliar and unknown, but having the determination to give it a go. Our parents were another group who were determined to give things a go - from measuring out the butter chicken to working the main lodge dishwasher. Thank you to you all who gave up time and sleep to help us experience the highlight of 2022! We could not have done it without you.
EPRO8 SERIES 2022
This was the first time we entered this competition and we were battling against season veterans who have been doing this for a number of years. Super proud of the effort from our 2 teams.
Congratulations to the "Shooting Stars" who battled valiantly throughout the evening but unfortunately it wasn't their night. They narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals. They should be commended for attempting an insanely tough challenge though, if they would have been successful in finishing that, we would have seen a podium finish for them.
Our second team "The Brainy Bunny Buddies" did a bit better, actually a whole lot better, not only did they make it to the top 4 finish - which granted them entry to the Finals, they ended up winning the whole thing. They finished 1st equal on the night together with Takapuna Normal Intermediate. The Brainy Bunny Buddies displayed very good teamwork, time management and strategy throughout the challenge.
Shooting Stars - Summer Li, Abigail Chang, Imaan Rajan and Calla Yan
The Brainy Bunny Buddies - Guangnian Li, Sebastian McIvor, James Lethborg and Shivesh Shetty
EPRO8 FINALS
Our boys (Guangnian, Seb, James and Shivesh) finished tied for fifth place in the final at Blockhouse Bay Intermediate. It was a tough outing but our team kept battling on, they thoroughly enjoyed it and kept smiling and chatting the whole way through. Good stuff!
RI CHEER NEWS
The RI Cheer Team are the 2022 Cheer Factor Scholastic Champions!!
On Sunday 25th September the RI Cheer Team travelled to the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton, to compete at the 2022 Cheer Factor. This was the first competition RI Cheer has competed in since pre-COVID days and so hugely exciting. They were up against very tough competition in a division where all of the other teams were from High Schools. The team was SO nervous - Miss Faulknor can't ever remember having so many of them looking like they were going to pass out or vomit backstage - but they overcame this and executed a flawless routine. Coming off the floor they felt like a million dollars as they knew they had hit it with no errors.
Miss Faulknor could not be prouder of their conduct or results and is so thrilled for them!!! They had no reason to be so concerned as they won by a large margin and finished 22 points ahead of 3rd place. Thanks to all the parents who helped!
BASKETBALL NEWS
Boys Teams
On 19th Sept our CZ team headed to North Shore Events Centre for a day of basketball. Our first game was against Kowhai school. They quickly took the lead with the first shot then kowhai scored. It was a close game right to the end with Kowhai scraping a win 12-11. Next we played Waikowhai. They took an early lead but we came back. This was a tough team to play and we finished with a score of 16-13. Our final game of our pool matches was Waiheke High. The boys were keen to fight back, started off strong making some good lay-ups and stole some rebounds winning 20-10 coming 3rd overall in our pool games.
We then entered the knockout phase. We had 2 games. First against St Therese winning 35-7. Then we played against Wesley and they matched us point for point. A couple of shots from the 3 -point line edged us into the lead and a couple of shooting fouls resulted in our final win 22-18. A great performance from the boys, they did R.I. proud with their effort, performance and their attitude.
Ryan Duggan, Clayton Bailey, Will Walker, Adam Wright, Dodi Abuhijleh, Timothy Chin, Nadal Becker-Fainu, Max Poppleton, Jessten Yee
Girls Team
After the boys had a successful trip earlier in the week, the girls team were hoping they could go a little further and compete with the best. After surviving a tight first match against Kohia (winning 14-12) and battling through a tough loss to eventual runners-up Ponsonby Intermediate (4-21), we progressed to the quarter finals. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way, with a last minute goal to Pasadena ending our dreams of 1st place with a 12-14 loss. However, it was our best game by far, with Zoe and Laylah ‘cashing’ in with a 3-pointer each, and Olivia a constant threat all over the court. We rounded off our day with another tight win against Royal Oak Intermediate and fell short of our goal of a top 5 finish by only one placing, losing to Mt. Roskill Intermediate 11-6.
Overall, the most enjoyable part of the day was the friendships shared with other schools, especially with Pasadena (who were extremely supportive and kind after defeating us) and eventual champions, Kowhai Intermediate.
Arthika Prabhakaran, Darya Sivakova, Dinuki Wiyalamunna, Laylah Westbrook, Olivia Edhouse, Samanvi Rawat, Scout Challinor, Zoe Kalauta, Tafadzwa Ruvando, Angela Zhu (injured, DNP)
INTERNATIONAL DAY 2022
International day was full of fun, fabulous outfits and delicious food. Thank you to everyone involved and a special thank you to our community, the shared lunch was the best one ever!
VOLLEYBALL BOYS
On September 27th the RI CZ Boys volleyball team competed at Eventfinda Stadium on the North shore in the 2022 Central Zones volleyball tournament. We started the day with an easy win, but then came up against some tough teams, meaning we could not get past the quarterfinals. The boys played their hearts out on the day, and we had a pleasing victory over ANI for the 7th-8th place play-offs, beating them in a tie breaker set by the narrowest of margins. Strong serves and committed digs kept us going, and we were happy to walk away with a 7th place finish. Mr Nicholls, team manager and coach would like to thank the team for their enthusiasm and devotion to volleyball this year.
Maximus Poppleton, Charles Robertson, Jake Marsden, Pratham Thakre, Juan Aon, Ethan Wood, Roman Scanlan, Lucas Parker, Dylan Wright, Rohan De Zoysa, Luqman Usman, Micah Cocker
RI CYCLING NEWS
Mountain Bike Club 2022
The RI Mountain biking club has capped off a successful season taking away the Mons Royale Auckland Mountain Biking Championships Intermediate School Cup for the second year running. Remuera Intermediate School was placed 5th overall with a total of 641 points. We beat 53 other Auckland Secondary and Intermediate schools in the overall points competition. After 5 fiercely contested races many individuals shone and the team as a whole should be proud of their combined efforts.
Top 10 finishers included:
Cole Ferringa (2nd) U14 boys (total 223 points)
Max Allan (9th) U14 boys
Nova Taylor (9th) U13 girls
Seb McIvor (5th) U13 Boys
Special thanks to all of the parents who supported the team through the rain, mud and sunshine during all those early morning starts this year. Also a huge thanks to coach Duncan Turnbull for all of his exemplary organisation and teaching throughout the 2022 Season.
Nationals Road Race
At the start of the school holidays from the 2nd - 4th October, eight riders from the RI Cycling Club competed in the SKODA National School Road Championships in Palmerston North. This event consists of three races over three days; a team time trial (TTT), a road race, and a Criterium (road race circuit). It was the first time in a few years that we had all RI riders finish a major Schools road race. All of them crossed the line giving 100% with many of them achieving PBs.
Congratulations to all our riders who achieved the following great results:
- 2nd place in the Intermediate Boys TTT - Cole Feringa, Max Allen, Angus Dickinson and Thomas Still.
- Winner of the National Intermediate Boys Cycling trophy - the RI Road cycling team consisting of Cole Feringa, Max Allen, Angus Dickinson, Thomas Still, Ava Donnelly, Caleb Swan, Kairan Strydom, James Turnbull. The trophy was won as a result of all points earned by all these riders, including Ava who rode in one of the boys TTT teams.
KIDS VOTE 2022
Over the course of term 3, a group of sixteen enthusiastic and politically minded Year 7 & 8 students from the HUB planned and ran a schoolwide KIDSVOTE event as part of our TWO E’s extension and enrichment programme. It was a major event run by students - for students.
The group had 7 sessions to learn about the role of Auckland City Council and to plan the KIDSVOTE event for RI. There were different roles in their team, such as the publicity crew, the electoral officers, the polling booth managers, and the project managers. The publicity crew had the job of writing this article, creating information posters, creating a KIDSVOTE yearbook page and inviting the media. The polling booth managers made ‘How to Vote’ posters, organised and efficient system and set up the polling booths. The Electoral Officers made an electronic register of every RI students and on the day welcomed people in and kindly directed them to the voting booths. In preparation they set up the HUB, created vote here posters, and organised equipment. Lastly, the project managers, they have to check on everyone, keep the team focused and positive, and also support them all. They had to organise classrooms and give out instructions to hundreds of students on the day.
It was a very hard day for the KIDSVOTE team, because we set up everything beforehand and took down everything after, but we also had to keep focused on the main task. It was a very, very fun day for the crew and it ran from 8.45 till 3.00pm. At the end of the day the crew packed it all down and had a little treat to pay off for our hard work. The KIDSVOTE team had a few technical difficulties on the way, but we got through it in record time and are proud of our efficiency. The entire team was cool and calm, and everything went smoothly. After everyone voted they were given a few orange and black jellybeans (voting colours) and a ‘thank you for voting’ message then one of the publicity people interviewed them and they headed back to class.
It was a very exciting day in the Lower HUB, and it was a great experience for the kids of RI. All the classes loved the experience, and we got some great feedback too. “It was a really good process, and it was really easy to vote”. Some other students also said “We all found candidates who represented our views and we will be more confident to vote in the future.” All in all, the RI KIDSVOTE 2022 was a huge success!!
Written by Nadja Hill Teichmann, and edited by Aanya Dewan
FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Skill for Life
When Year 7 students first enter the Foods programme, learning to improve their food preparation skills is the main focus. This includes safe knife handling skills, accurate measuring skills along with good hygiene practices. With the support of a team they make simple tasty recipes to build their confidence to cook for their families at home.
Growing and Learning in the Garden
Look out for new signage in the school veggie garden. These have been created to let our community know how the garden is teaching our young people to grow their own vegetables and use the produce in their cooking. A quick scan of the QR code will give you more information about the vegetable, photos of students using it in their cooking and a recipe.
MULTI MATERIALS
Year 8 students have completed their night light and storage box projects using a range of hand skills and the school's laser cutter. The projects were finished, using acrylic paint and spray painted stencils, to give each a unique aesthetic. Students finished their designs with a range of handles, switches and felt-lined interiors.
Year 7 students have been working in a safe and focused manner on their notepad and tea light projects producing some excellent results. Some students in this cycle hold the record for the Freestanding Paper Tower challenge with 6 levels of folded geometrical forms reaching a staggering height of 1782 mm!
CAN DONATION DRIVE
Room 5 and their classroom teacher, Armine Abrahamyan have delivered your contributions to the Ruapōtaka Marae. The organisers were grateful for the donations and the day was filled with many memorable moments. Ruapōtaka Marae and Team Ruru appreciate the support received from all of you!
ORIENTATION EVENING FOR 2023 NEW ENTRANTS
The Principal, Board of Trustees, staff and students would like to extend a special invitation to 2023 RI students and their parents or caregivers to attend our Orientation Evening. This is an excellent opportunity for you to familiarise yourself with your new school.
WHEN: Thursday 10 November 2022
TIME: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: Meet in the School Hall
HOMESTAY FAMILIES WANTED
We have several International Students who are due to study at our school in 2023.
They will arrive in early January to attend English classes at an academy and then will study at RI for an additional four weeks. They are each willing to pay around $300 per week. If you have space for two children, they would be very happy to share a room. It would be great if they were reasonably handy to the school. The agent who cares for them is also looking for longer-term homestay positions for university students.
If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Robert Rasmussen (Director of International Students), robertr@remint.school.nz or 09 522 9890 extension 819.
IMPORTANT DATES
NOVEMBER
01st Athletics Day
BOT Meeting
03rd Year 8 School Social Dance
07th Cornwall Park Visit - Room 19- 22
08th PTA Meeting
10th Orientation Evening
12-13th CNZ Cheer Nationals
17th RI Talent Show
22nd CZ Athletics
24th Prizegiving at Parnell Cathedral
DECEMBER
01st RI Dance Showcase Evening
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
ABSENCES
All absences need to be reported by 8:45am 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 9:30am 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/