RONGOTAI COLLEGE
PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
July 2019
FAREWELL We will give you more information COMING EVENTS Friday 14 June regarding this in the next newsletter. Friday 5 July marked the last Last day Term 2 day at Rongotai We will follow-up the subject selection process by notifying you of Monday 22 July College for First day Term 3 Deputy Principal, your son’s choices. Mr Blair Simpson. Wednesday 24 July Blair left us to Students are encouraged to speak to Parents’ Association Meeting at 7.30pm in take up a position teachers, family and friends about the staffroom career choices and academic at the Fire & Emergency NZ as a Tuesday 30 July policy analyst. courses. They can access more Tu Tagata at the Michael Fowler Centre information by visiting the Careers Subject selection handbooks for 2020 Best wishes for your future Blair! Office or contacting our Careers distributed Teacher, Ms Wilson.
Thursday 2 August DEPUTY PRINCIPAL Winter Food Fair 5.30pm in Renner Hall Ms Wilson is happy to follow up APPOINTMENTS your enquiry with information Thursday 8 August Mr Geoff Hall which specifically targets your Board of Trustees’ Meeting at 6pm in the has been questions. You can reach Ms Wilson staffroom announced as Mr at her email address: Friday 9 August Tavernor’s [email protected]. Interim reports posted home replacement. He is currently an Monday 12 August Subject selection for 2020 week Assistant ENROLMENTS 2020 Principal at Scots Earlier this term, we began our Monday 19 August College. Mr Hall will be starting at enrolment process with the annual Rongotai College Pasifika Parents’ Asosi Rongotai College on 22 July, the first Rongotai Experience and Open meeting at 6.30pm in the staffroom day of next term. Welcome Mr Hall. Evening. Open Evening was an Wednesday 21 & Thursday 22 August extremely successful event, with the Parent interviews 4.30-7.30pm We have appointed Mr Venkat hall full of parents and their sons. I Reddy to replace Mr Simpson. Mr have had positive feedback from Monday 2 September Reddy is currently Acting Deputy Mid Term Break families who attended, with Principal at Heretaunga College. He comments about the attitude and Monday 2 to Friday 6 September will take up his new position in late manner of the students who guided Winter Tournament Week August. them, and the engaging manner of
the staff and their passion for the school. I would like to publicly thank SUBJECT SELECTION the boys who volunteered to help at An important event early in Term 3 is 2019 TERM DATES both the Rongotai Experience and Subject Selection. Your son will the Open Evening – you are our best Term 3 Monday 22 July to Friday receive his Subject Selection advertisement. 27 September Handbook on 30 July. He will
Term 4 Monday 14 October to subsequently make subject choices To date our enrolments for 2020 are Friday 6 December for next year. This early notification encouraging and we will be of his intentions is necessary so that organising enrolment interviews Today is the last day of Term 2 we can begin planning timetable and starting in August. If you have marking the half-way stage of the staffing needs for the coming year. friends who are intending to send 2019 school year. Once again it has their son to Rongotai College next been a busy and productive term Boys will be asked to state which year and have not yet enrolled, with many highlights. I would like to subjects they want to study in 2020 please ask them to do so promptly in thank our students and all those by 16 August. There will be an on- order to be part of this. members of the school community line process via the student portal to who have worked so effectively to make this more straight-forward. make this term so successful.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Congratulations to the following candidates who have been elected to the Board of Trustees: Sally Aitken Louise Carter Jemal Dixon Dave Sutich Jason Wells
Thank you also to the four other candidates who stood for election but were unsuccessful.
Congratulations to Mr Dinesh Bhindi who was elected to the position of staff representative, and joins Year 12 student Jamal Fiso on the Board.
At a special board meeting, Louise Carter was made the Chairperson and Dave Sutich, the Deputy Chairperson.
The first full meeting of the new Board of Trustees was held on Thursday 27 June.
2020 TERM DATES In the meantime, if you have any Wellington and Auckland. It has now been confirmed that immediate concerns about your Congratulations Hamish! dates for the 2020 school year will son’s schoolwork, please contact the be: appropriate year level dean. The MUSIC Term 1: 28 January to 9 April deans are: The Rongotai College Big Band have Term 2: 28 April to 3 July Year 9 Mr Ash Collier recently participated in three major Year 10 Mr Nick O’Halloran events in their calendar - Term 3: 20 July to 25 September nd Term 4: 12 October to 6 December Year 11 Ms Esmee McAuley 42 National Youth Jazz Competition Year 12 Mr Justin Gray in Tauranga, High School Jazz Year 13 Mr Kit Norman Competition at the Manawatu Jazz E-SCOOTERS Festival and the Big Band There are many of these devices competition at the New Zealand TOI WHAKAARI available now in Wellington. School of Music’s Jazz Project. Rongotai College has adopted a Students from Toi Whakaari (NZ policy that they are not to be Drama School) recently visited Great operated in school grounds. Rongotai College and performed performances excerpts from Shakespeare in front at all events There are several reasons for this of some of our Level 2 and 3 English culminated in policy. First, they can become a and Drama students. Rex McKee hazard to others due to their speed. winning the Secondly, many of the companies best big band stipulate that anyone under the age drummer at of 18 must have a parent or legal all three events. Congratulations guardian supervising them when Rex! they are using an e-scooter. If your son is going to use one, it needs to Thomas J Moore be left outside of the college won the best bass grounds, which then also makes it player award, available for members of the public sharing the to pick up and use without having to accolade with enter the school grounds – which previous winners, would be another health and safety CULTURAL including some of risk! the best bass NEWS players in the world today, whose names appear on the trophy. ACADEMIC NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA The Jazz Combo won a gold award in NEWS Hamish Tauranga, and the Big Band, silver. Goodhue has Interim school reports will be posted been selected in Well done to all involved! to you on 9 August and subsequent this prestigious Parent Interviews will be on 21 and orchestra. He is 22 August. currently practising with the orchestra and will be performing in concerts in Medley, 400m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle and was also a member of UNIVERSITY INFORMATION SPORTS the winning 4 x 100m Medley team. Students considering university study in 2020 may be interested NEWS Karl Gollan was in attending one or more of the recently named open days. Dates for these are: Term 2 has been another busy one in the training AUT - Saturday 31 August for sport with rugby, football, squad for the NZ Canterbury University - hockey, basketball, table tennis, Junior Black Sox, Thursday 11 July badminton all involved in weekly joining Ciaran Massey University competitions in and around Bolger and (Wellington Campus) - Friday Wellington. Students have also Dylan Jackson 23 August competed admirably in cross country who were named in the squad Massey University and swimming events across the earlier this year. (Palmerston North Campus) - Wellington region. Wednesday 7 August These achievements are supported University of Auckland - It is pleasing to see great support on with a long list of Wellington Saturday 31 August the sidelines throughout all sports representatives in all our winter Victoria University Friday 23 and grades. This support does not codes. August go unnoticed. Thank you and we Weltec (Wellington look forward to your support for the TRAINING AND MATCHES Campuses only) - Friday 23 rest of the season. Remember that when your son signs August up to a sport team he is signing on Further information is available As the weather has got colder and his commitment to the team. from the Careers Office. wetter, it has been a little disappointing to hear that some We have had a number of defaults University Scholarship boys are not attending training. and players not turning up to applications are now open and When you join a team, you make a trainings and matches which makes information and guidance on commitment to your coaches and the job tougher for our coaches and these can be obtained from the team mates to attend practices – managers but also other team Careers Office and/or the please make sure your son fulfills members. Commitment is an university websites. that commitment. attribute developed in sport which will help your son in life – parents Closing dates are for School Following an incident on the side- please help your son honour this in Leaver Scholarships are: line involving a dog on a leash and a his teams. AUT - close 1 September rugby player, we must remind all Canterbury University - close supporters that DOGS ARE NOT FUNDING AND GRANTS 15 August PERMITTED anywhere on school Not only have we had a busy time on Massey University - close 20 grounds (either on or off a leash). the field but we have been working August We should also mention that the tirelessly off it. Thanks to Nadine University of Auckland - close college (including its grounds) are Coulter who has been working with 20 August SMOKE FREE (including vaping). the Sports Department we have University of Otago - close 15 been fortunate to secure a series of August SPORTING SUCCESSES grants from the Infinity Foundation Victoria University - close 2 Success for Rongotai students hasn’t resulting new goalkeeping September been limited to just regional equipment and training balls for the Waikato University - close 31 representation, we have been well 1st XI Hockey team; training and
August represented nationally and match balls for football and rugby internationally. and a set of handball goals which will arrive shortly. TU TAGATA FESTIVAL Ciaran Bolger is The Tu Tagata festival is on Tuesday currently in Japan DRAWS AND RESULTS 30 July at the Michael Fowler Centre. with the New As always the latest sports draws can Zealand U16 be found on the noticeboard outside Tickets are on sale at Ticketek from Baseball team – the Sports office (and on our 15 July at 9am. Adults $30, children well done on website) BUT for all the latest $15. This is the only avenue for your selection information please download the purchasing tickets. Ciaran! College Sport app. It is a free app and is the best source for all the Thanks to all those who supported Sam Brown draw information you need – the boys at their excellent Poly competed in the download it now! Variety Night earlier this week, NZ Swimming which entertained the large crowd Nationals held in SPORTS ENROLMENTS who attended and helped to raise Wellington and Although the winter season is now in funds for uniforms. won the 400m full swing, there are still plenty of opportunities for your son to play Lastly, can I wish you a very relaxing sport in 2019. Whether he is a July holiday, and we hope to see all complete beginner or has our boys return fresh and ready to experience, he would be most hit the ground running for the start welcome to join a sports team in of what will be a busy Term 3. Term 3 or 4. For details about sporting options for the rest of the Kind regards, year, please contact the Sports Manager, Mr Hemant Lala ([email protected]).
SPORTS FEES Kevin Carter Sports fees are now overdue. Thank PRINCIPAL you to the many parents who responded and either paid the fees directly or have made arrangements to do so. Please contact Mr Hemant Lala, Sports Manager, if you have any questions relating to the fees.
RONGOTAI COLLEGE 170 Coutts St, Kilbirnie, Wellington www.rongotai.school.nz PO Box 14-063, Kilbirnie, Wellington, 6022 www.facebook.com/RongotaiCollege PHONE: +64 4 939 3050 EMAIL: [email protected] www.youtube.com/RongotaiCollegeNZ