the Principal - Rangi Life
Transcript of the Principal - Rangi Life
JUNE 2017
OPEN DAY SUCCESS
We had a wonderful Open Day with a record breaking attendance with well over 200 families coming to experience a taste of Rangi Ruru. Our campus was looking immaculate thanks to the care from the Grounds Staff and, after crossing our fingers and toes and praying the weather was kind to us with a fine but cold day, allowing for people to be able to walk around. My thanks to the staff team for their organisation and willingness to participate in this event which showcases just how special Rangi is. Thanks also to parent and Board member Nick Miller and our Head of School, Meg Dutton who spoke from the heart about what Rangi means to them.
My thanks also to our amazing senior girls who spent time showing prospective families around our site. We received some lovely feedback about how attentive they were and their obvious passion for their school. We have generated strong interest from prospective families in enrolling at Rangi for next year and already our Boarding numbers are looking very strong particularly at Year 9. If you have friends who may be interested, then please encourage them to make a time to meet me and tour our campus – we are expecting strong numbers next year across all year levels.
REVENGE OF THE AMAZONS
Wow!! It was an absolute privilege to be in the audience to see this amazing show. I found myself mesmerised by the acting talent of our girls and their ability to portray such strong characterisation in what was a challenging play. My sincere thanks to Peter Rutherford, Hannah Clarkson and Kirsty Bell for the many hours that they have put into giving our students this wonderful opportunity. To the girls who supported in makeup, stage setting, lighting and costumes my wholehearted thanks - together you all contributed to make it the outstanding success that it was.
J ROCK
At the same time that we were hosting our senior production our Years 7 and 8 girls were performing in J Rock at the Horncastle Arena. Their performance entitled “Being Bold” was well rehearsed and, under the guidance of Kirsty Bell, was a spectacle of precision, energy and obvious enjoyment. The girls were awarded five awards for - Stage Use, Costuming character, Set design and function, and Choreography. They are to be congratulated on their commitment to practising for this event and I was very proud watching them perform. Well done!
FROM
the PrincipalYEAR 10 CAMP
I had an enjoyable day at Castle Hill spending time with our Year 10 girls who were enjoying the many and varied experiences of Camping. Seeing them break barriers, trying new skills and the opportunity to get to know each other better are all part of the experience. With snow on the hills and the crisp mountain air it was a beautiful place to be part of. My thanks to the team of staff who give up their warm beds for a few nights to support this adventure.
ISNZ TEACHING AWARDS
Congratulations to Janet Kingsbury, our Director of Music, who has recently been awarded a teaching award for her outstanding contribution to Music. It was an absolute thrill to attend the Independent Schools’ Conference and see Janet recognised for the passion and energy that she gives on a daily basis to our girls. As one of the girls reflected “Apart from Mozart no one knows more about music than Mrs K”. I think this sums her up beautifully.
Dr Sandra K Hastie Principal
Rangi.Life:
intouch 2
CURRICULUM
There are broad forces that help
shape new and evolving ideas about
what it means to be educated for
life. These include:
• The need for personalisation and
an understanding of who the
learner is
• Changes in society
• The impact of technology
• An increasing global dimension
to life and work.
A progamme of learning – The
Curriculum – needs to respond to
these forces for change. In order
to truly know who our learners are
and what they need now we need to
understand how learning happens.
We need to draw on the latest, most
promising research. We need to
draw on the knowledge and vision
of leading educational thinkers.
What we know from all these
sources is that a static curriculum
is unlikely to prepare our learners,
your daughters, for the sort of
future they will face.
In order to inspire, challenge and
empower our learners we need
to be innovative, creative and
responsive. We need to take a
look at the curriculum’s relevance,
its appeal, its ability to foster a
love of learning, and to equip our
girls with the capacity and desire
to learn throughout their lives. A
curriculum needs to do more than
focus on the content of subjects.
The innovation is to build into these
subjects the development of skills
and personal qualities- the wider
aspirations of education. These
underlying qualities are the basis
that will sustain life-long learning
and adaptability. This does not mean
abandoning subjects or softening
content; it means that such content
is driven by fitting into a programme
of wider goals. It does not mean
sacrificing our traditional celebrations
of success and acknowledgements of
learning. NCEA allows great flexibility
in course planning. It allows for a range
of subjects to be learned and, within
these, the Achievement Standards
encourage and provide for analytical,
critical and creative learning to be
recognised. In order to respond to
our students’ learning needs at Rangi
Ruru the real question for us is not:
“why change?” but rather: “how will we
change?”.
LEARNING PROGRESS INTERVIEWS
Thank you all for your attendance at
the Learning Progress Interviews. It is
wonderful that so many of you were
able to come and meet your daughter’s
teachers and receive feedback about
her learning. The girls are welcome to
attend with you, in fact we encourage
this, so that any information or
feedback is part of a learning
conversation, and there is nothing lost
in translation!
Parents of senior students will
have another opportunity for this in
September, after the Senior School
Practice Examinations. All students will
receive a written report and this will
be ready to go out to you at the end of
this term. If you have any concerns or
questions regarding your daughter’s
learning, please be in touch with her
Tutor or Dean.
NCEA
NCEA is a yearlong event.
Assessments happen all year,
and learning in the classrooms
may be tied directly to an internal
assessment or preparing for
external examinations that will
not be assessed until November;
all the learning contributes to the
assessment package. Term 2 is
a busy time for senior students
as a large number of internal
assessment events occur in the
next six weeks. Internals are the
assessments that students have
the greatest control over as there
is often a longer period of time in
which to complete assignments
with guidance and feedback from
their teachers. Nonetheless, it is the
students’ responsibility to manage
their assessment programme
by meeting all checkpoints and
deadlines.
Keeping on top of internal
assessments and keeping up
with the learning that is crucial
for the external assessments is a
balancing act and effective time
management is a learned skill.
Girls need to be organised, fed and
rested in order to properly learn and
practice time management. This is
a partnership; they need guidance
and clear boundaries at home in
order to function well at school.
Thank you for the part you play in
this.
Juliet Collins Assistant Principal -
Curriculum
FROM
the Assistant Principal- Curriculum
intouch 3
Autumn is upon us again. There is a
freshness about the air that makes
your nose run; the mold spores from
the leaves are prevalent; they swirl
around and generally create havoc
with my sinuses, causing much
sneezing and eye watering.
It is a glorious time of year usually
calm, the nor’ wester banished
to other places, the easterly
more settled, a gorgeous time to
celebrate our ‘Harvest Festival’.
What is Harvest Festival?
Harvest festival is a celebration of
the food grown on the land.
Thanksgiving ceremonies and
celebrations for a successful harvest
are world wide and very ancient. We
have given thanks for successful
harvests since Pagan times and we still
do this today.
In our school and in our Church of
St Andrew we celebrate the harvest
by each Clan bringing as many non-
perishable goods as possible.
Harvest reminds us that all good things
come from God and we show our
gratitude by sharing with others.
This year the clans collected a record
2, 283 cans, noodles and other kinds
of food, all of which will end up
supporting the Christchurch City
Mission.
As we know from the cold over the
past few days Winter is almost
upon us. Imagine if you will the life
of someone living on the street in
these temperatures, or a family who
hasn’t the means to feed and clothe
their children. Thank you all for
your contribution. You have made a
difference.
Chaplain
Rev Kirstie McDonald
FROM
the Chaplain’s pen
It’s time we heard about drugs & alcohol
Thursday 8 June, 7pmOld Drama Theatre, Rangi Ruru
The Rangi Ruru PTA warmly invite parents and daughters to a free presentation by Debbie Wilson (Senior Constable Christchurch Police).
Debbie will provide us with a good update on the supply and availability of substances and alcohol in our community, as well as our responsibilities as parents and the possible outcomes of alcohol and drug use.
We would love to have you join us. >>Click here to secure your free ticket
SUPPORT RANGI RURU WHEN YOU TRAVEL
WITH HOUSE OF TRAVEL MERIVALE
Help support Rangi Ruru Girls' School by booking your holiday
through Merivale House of Travel.
A percentage of every sale will be donated to
Rangi Ruru Girls' School.
ENTERTAINMENT BOOK
We are raising as much as we can to
support our school, and we need your
help! Order your NEW 2017 | 2018
Entertainment Book or Entertainment
Digital Membership now. You'll
receive hundreds of valuable offers
for everything you love to do, and help
our fundraising at the same time!
https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/
orderbooks/1345c50
CHANGED YOUR CONTACT DETAILS?If your contact details for phone,
email or postal address change
throughout the year, please
remember to let us know.
Email [email protected] or call 03 983 3700 to update your contact details at any time.
IMPORTANT NUMBERSABSENTEES 03 983 3786
SCHOOL OFFICE 03 983 3700
intouch 4
BRYONY GIBSON-CORNISH RESIDENCY At the end of Term 1 we welcomed back Rangi alumna
and viola player Bryony Gibson-Cornish. Bryony, who has
a Master in Music from the prestigious Juilliard School
in New York and is currently studying and performing in
London at the Royal College of Music, worked intensively
with soloists and chamber musicians during the
residency. She engaged with others in our community,
speaking about opportunities available for overseas
study, and simply ‘hung out’ with the girls, getting to know
them and sharing her experiences and journey since
leaving Rangi five years ago. The Residency concluded
with Bryony performing a Benefit Concert for the Stellar
Programme. This was a most successful and inspiring
week for all our girls and wider Rangi community.
intouch 5
EQUESTRIANLeah Zydenbos and Lily Buckley, winners of the South
Island Schools’ Mounted Games Pairs Championship.
EQUESTRIAN DAY Eyreton Pony Club grounds at Mandeville, first day of
Term 2.
We had 20 Rangi Ruru riders competing in dressage,
derby [dressage, showjumping and cross-country
combination], showing classes, a unity competition,
mounted games and an equine seminar with Sophie
Hargreaves. It was lovely to see so many new
combinations out there enjoying themselves.
Congratulations to Georgia Woodley and Imogen Morrison
who were winners of the Denham Senior Unity, and the
Ibis Hotels Junior Trophy respectively!
Good luck to all our riders who are out competing in One
Day Events during the winter.
Pippa Young
Director of Equestrian
intouch 6
This year for the 40 Hour Famine,
the service council are wanting to go
big and go bold and as a school do
40 hours of movement. This would
mean that starting at 5am on Friday
9 June, between us all as a school,
we would be constantly moving in
some way (whether it be walking,
playing hockey, doing Zumba etc.), at
school, for 40 hours until 10 June, at
9pm. We want all the movement to
be done here at school and for there
to be a ‘Rangi baton’ that is passed
on between those participating,
which won’t stop moving throughout
those 40 hours.
I’m sure you’ve already spied a bit of a
hole in my plan i.e. staying the night at
school. Obviously, this is the hardest
part of this event, as there a lot of
health and safety factors that need
to be considered. We would definitely
need adult supervision, and while I’ll try
and get some parents to help out, we
really need some teacher supervision
as well. So I know it’s a huge ask, but
would any staff member be willing to
supervise this event for some time
throughout the night? If you were willing
for even just an hour, could you please
email me and say how many hours
you would be willing to do. We need
supervision of senior girls in the
gym from about 7pm on 9th June to
about 7am on 10th June. We would
split up this time frame into slots, so
it wasn’t too long for anyone.
Yes, this is very ambitious. Yes,
this is probably nuts! However, I
think this is such a great way to try
and bring everyone in the school
together and try to raise as much
money as possible for refugees in
Syria. So if you are willing, please
email me and thank you so much in
advance for giving up your time.
Flossie van der Pol
This year as a part of Young Enterprise,
Louise Vryenhoek and Holly Evans will
be creating and selling a cookbook that
is focused on the Rangi community.
They will be aiming to sell the book to
our current students, Old Girls, parents,
preschool and wider Rangi Ruru
Community.
We will be sourcing the recipes from
everyone who is part of the Rangi
community, as well as potentially
creating new recipes and collecting
some ourselves.
We would love to hear from our
community with any recipes that
people would like to potentially have
included in the book. If you are wanting
to supply a recipe and be involved,
please contact vryenhoek.l@rangiruru.
school.nz or through the Hapori Rangi
Ruru Cookbook Facebook page.
RANGI RURU/CATHEDRAL GRAMMAR MUSIC EXCHANGEThe now annual Rangi Ruru/Cathedral Grammar School Music Exchange
was held on Thursday 11 May, with around 25 Cathedral Grammar
instrumentalists joining girls in Rangi Players for a morning of workshops.
The students worked together for an hour on two combined pieces, and
then all joined together as a choir and learnt one song. The morning
concluded with a delicious shared lunch, provided by Rangi Players.
An evening concert was very well attended by parents from both schools.
This was a most competent demonstration of the progress made in the
collaborative music making that had happened during the morning. In
addition to the combined orchestral and choral items each school orchestra
played one piece on their own, and the audience also enjoyed performances
from very accomplished soloists from both schools.
Many thanks to Jeremy Thin from Rangi, and Kirsty Currie from Cathedral
Grammar for their work behind the scenes to allow this event to take place.
Photo??
intouch 7
In the constantly changing
digital world we live in, it was
very reassuring to have Angela
Webster from Netsafe talk to
Leadership Team and members
of our pastoral care team
about the new Harmful Digital
Communications Act which
helps to protect people from
online abuse. This information
will be passed on to the
students as we endeavour to
encourage a culture where the
Rangi Values are at the heart of
all our interactions, both online
and in the real world.
Netsafe www.netsafe.org.nz/
We really encourage you to visit
the site for valuable resources
for parents wishing to improve
their understanding of their
children’s digital world.
Jude Hancock
Digital Citizenship Coordinator
PRESCHOOL
MEDVIEW EXPO:
I invite you to come along to our free expo on June 18th. Delivered by current Medical students and doctors, the presentation will include insights, tips and hints into everything there is to know about applying for and attending Medical School in Otago, Auckland and Australia. For more info, please visit Your Path to Medical School. This is an open event and we welcome students and families from other schools.
EXPERIENCE ARA:
In the next couple of months Ara will be offering a variety of Taster Days and free Master Classes in topics like art&design, sustainability&outdoor education, business, broadcasting, etc. It is a great opportunity for students to learn about the fields and broaden their interests. For more info, please visit: Experience Ara.C
AR
EE
RS IMPORTANT DATES:
Friday, 2 June: UMAT (Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test), Registration Close
Thursday, 7 June: University of Canterbury Info Evening, 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Wednesday, 15 June: Ara Open Day, 2pm – 5pm
Sunday, 18 June: Your Path to Medical School, 10am – 12pm Merivale Lane Theatre
Thursday, 17 July: University of Canterbury Open Day
Wednesday, 26 July: Sit UMAT Exam
Tuesday, 1 August: University of Melbourne Info Evening, Novotel,
With the support of our families we
will be holding a trike-a-thon on
12 June. Two years ago, we held an
extremely successful trike-a-thon
around the school rose garden area.
This was well supported by school
faculty members and the sports
committee, and we hope our upcoming
one is as well. Our aim is to raise
additional funds to purchase specific
magnetic resources.
Our Kapa Haka programme,
facilitated by Brad Hemopo continues
to be very successful and appealing
to families. We are now moving to
planning a cultural event with Brad,
featuring our children and hopefully
will also include the school Kapa
Haka group.
Over the last two months the children
have been extremely fortunate to have
worked on a special art project with
Libby Sheehy. This involved working
in the art rooms, exploring the school
art collection and working on a scale
model of the preschool, based on a
model that was studied during a trip
into the Boardroom. Our willing and
able collection of architects, builders,
painters and decorators worked
brilliantly as a team to undertake
this project, taking roles in the box
construction, papier mache and
painting stages. The finished project
was taken over to the school offices
in Te Koraha and presented to Neil
Templeton, our Business Manager.
There was some discussion on
the large extension to the back of
preschool! We left the work, with
Neil, for him to ponder the children’s
suggested improvements to the
building. This ongoing art exploration
has added depth to the learning
occurring and certainly strengthened
the connection the children feel within
the school community.
The preschool can currently offer
places to prospective enrolments, so
we are looking forward to new friends
joining our wonderful community and
family.
Linda Scanlan
Preschool Manager
intouch 8
REVENGE OF THE AMAZONSAnother senior production takes a bow and slips out
the stage door. Revenge of the Amazons, the first senior
production directed by Director of Theatre Arts Peter
Rutherford at Rangi Ruru, was a resounding success and
left audiences with tears in their eyes for all the right
reasons. Rutherford says that ‘without sponsorship from
Upright Scaffolding, Mitre 10 Mega Papanui and Fuji
Xerox, as well as exceptional support from other staff at
Rangi Ruru this play would not have been possible’. ‘Much
of the success is also due to the talent and dedication
of our students.’ He cites the compliments of many
audience members on the casting. ‘How brilliantly the
performers took on their roles was certainly a highlight’.
Hannah Clarkson’s superb choreography paired with
Henare Kaa’s musical direction added insight into
the characters’ states of being. ‘Students also took
full responsibility for production areas such as stage
management, lighting, sound, costume and props. Their
commitment and professionalism was second to none.’
Revenge of the Amazons managed to be hilarious,
touching, bawdy and bewildering within its two hours and
those who were brave enough to see it were thoroughly
entertained. ‘The clever way in which Jean Betts
transformed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
and updated it in a way that brings feminist issues to the
fore, while maintaining the sense of fun, makes Amazons
a joy to direct and watch’ says Peter.
Principal of Rangi Ruru, Dr Sandra Hastie, congratulated
those involved on ‘a wonderful theatrical performance
that combined with outstanding acting, fabulous makeup
and costuming, high quality sound and lighting as well
as a clever set construction.’ She told the cast and crew
‘I was very proud of what you have achieved and I am still
smiling as I reflect on what a special evening it was.’
As a part of our commitment to the wider community
we collected donations from our audience in support of
Aviva, the Family Violence Support Service. This gift was
matched by the Revenge of the Amazons team, from ticket
sales, amounting to a final gift of over $600 for Aviva.
Next year we will again be working with Christ’s College
on a joint senior production. Details of this wonderful
show will be available later in the year.
intouch 9
JUNE KEY DATES
THURSDAY, 1 JUNEYear 10Rv, 10Mr Camp
FRIDAY, 2 JUNE4:00pm Year 10Rv, 10Mr Camp1:45pm Awards Assembly
TUESDAY, 6 JUNE 8:00am 10Rs Camp
WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 10Rs Camp7:00pm Chamber Music evening
THURSDAY, 8 JUNE 10Rs Camp7:00pm PTA Parent Education - It’s time we heard about Drugs & Alcohol
FRIDAY, 9 JUNE4:00pm 10Rs Camp5:00am 40 Hours of Movement
SATURDAY, 10 JUNE9:00pm 40 Hours of Movement
TUESDAY, 20 JUNE9:00pm Big Sing Regionals
THURSDAY, 22 JUNE8:30am Craighead Junior sports Exchange
FRIDAY, 23 JUNE7:30pm Year 9 Dance
SATURDAY, 24 JUNEAll day NZCT South Island Chamber Music Final, The Piano
TUESDAY, 27 JUNE12:10pm Lunchtime concert (senior music scholars) The Piano
WEDNESDAY, 28 JUNE7:00pm Clan Theatre Festival
THURSDAY, 29 JUNE7:00pm Contemporary Performance Evening, MLT
SATURDAY, 1 JULY8:00pm Senior Dance
SUNDAY, 11 JUNE7:00pm Chamber Music evening
TUESDAY, 13 JUNE7:00pm PTA meeting
WEDNESDAY, 14 JUNENZCT Chamber Music Districts, The Piano
THURSDAY, 15 JUNENZCT Chamber Music Districts, The Piano
SATURDAY, 17 JUNE2:00pm Resolutions and Soloists, Nut Point Gallery7:30pm Year 11 Semi Formal
SUNDAY, 18 JUNE10:00am Crimson MedView Careers Expo
MONDAY, 19 JUNEam Big Sing Regionals, The Piano7:00pm Gala Concert, St Mary’s on Manchester
Please click here for a full calendar
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
VOLUNTEERS PLEASE: LEARNING CENTREMany of our students have ‘Special Exam Conditions’ which mean we need volunteers to be readers and/or writers and/or supervisors for students who have extra time or separate accommodation.
No experience needed. If you would like to be involved in our vibrant Learning Centre supporting our students we would love to hear from you.
Sometimes we need Assistants for Internal assessments which occur regularly.
We also need volunteers for the school exams August 31, September 1, 11, 12 and 13 plus external exams which start in November.
If you are keen please email [email protected]
HELPFUL INFORMATION?Each month we would like to update you on helpful information from our friendly Business Team
· Canteen Spending
· Did you know that this can be managed at school for you? We can help by
putting a fortnightly spending limit on the student’s card.
· Please feel free to contact Angela Hirst at school on 03 983 3746 or email