RONGOTAI COLLEGE PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER Week 2, Term 4, 2019 COMING EVENTS week at school in which to increase 2020 TERM DATES their knowledge and skills in Thursday 31 October preparation for the important final Term 1 Monday 27 January to Board of Trustees’ meeting 6pm in NCEA examinations. It is important Thursday 9 April the Mackay Library that all our seniors make use of the Term 2 Monday 27 April to Friday 1 November time ahead to ensure they prepare Friday 3 July Last day for selected seniors who thoroughly for the exams, Term 3 Monday 20 July to Friday qualify for study leave maximising their chances of 25 September academic success. Term 4 Monday 12 October to Tuesday 5 November Friday 4 December Testing day for Year 9 students for 2020 material will be valuable for all Friday 8 November students from Years 9-13. NCEA External exams begin Wednesday 13 November I would also like to point out that Parents’ Association meeting Junior Examinations for Year 9 and 10 students are scheduled to start Thursday 14 November Tamatoa Christmas Concert on Friday 15 November. An examination timetable will be issued Friday 15 to Wednesday 20 For parents of Years 11-13 students, shortly, but your son can begin his November we have included a report on your preparation for these important Junior Examinations son’s academic progress. These end- exams by ensuring that all his notes Monday 18 November of-year reports are an important are complete and up-to-date. Pasifika Parents’ Asosi meeting signpost and highlight current levels Teachers will be giving students 6.30pm in the staffroom of achievement, behaviour and advice on what material will be in Wednesday 20 November effort. Reports are also now posted the exams over the next few weeks. Board of Trustees’ meeting 6pm in on the Parent Portal. As a family, the Mackay Library you should discuss the contents of the report, and take the opportunity Friday 22 November ACADEMIC Teacher Only Day to go through it carefully with your son and help him to make any NEWS Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 November adjustments to his study programme Year 10 Camp for the upcoming NCEA external NCEA EXAMINATIONS and Wednesday 4 December examinations. STUDY LEAVE Seniors return for assembly As in previous years, examination Junior impromptu speech competition As part of the report we have study leave will only be given to provided an update on your son’s Thursday 5 December students sitting two or more NCEA current standing with regard to Prizegiving. Last day for junior students. external examinations and who are credits he has earned towards his likely to achieve their qualification Friday 6 December NCEA qualification. Of course, you this year, or who have already Teacher Only Day can also keep track of his current gained the qualification. Students progress through the Parent Portal Friday 13 December sitting fewer than two external School office closes on our website. examinations, or who are unlikely to achieve a high number of external To help all our students prepare for credits, will be expected to be at I would like to welcome you all back their upcoming examinations, some school as usual during this time, to what is an extremely important Study Skills material, looking at a working on internal standards or Term 4. range of revision techniques, revising in all their subjects to attain including a blank revision timetable, the number of credits required to The term is already in full swing, and is available on our website. This get their NCEA qualification, as part it has to be, our Year 11, 12 and 13 of our Qualifications Attainment students have only one further Programme. Once the qualification someone else is a good way to our annual Performing Arts and is gained, they will then be granted confirm what you have Cultural Assembly on Friday 18 study leave. A letter will be sent learned. October. We also welcomed Old Boy informing you if your son will be Encourage your son. Judge Andrew Becroft, Children’s expected to be at school as part of Confidence comes from having Commissioner (RC 1967-1971) to the Qualifications Attainment learned material and then present the awards and address the Programme. remembering it. Once your assembly. son has gone through this Senior students who have been process he should be confident The following students were granted examination study leave that he can cope with the presented Honours awards at the will have their last day at school on examination. assembly: Friday 1 November. NCEA Jesse Carter Kapa Haka examinations begin on Friday 8 There are some excellent websites Sonny Johnson Kapa Haka November. The time between for tips on how to study, such as Te Teira Kameta-Tipu Kapa Haka classes finishing for these students www.how-to-study.com. Another Whareti Taukamo Kapa Haka and exams beginning should be website that I would recommend, Hamish Goodhue Music considered as “revision leave”, which has on-line practical help with Leo Griffiths Music rather than an early start to the revision techniques and methods, is Stefan Jenkins Music holidays! https://getrevising.co.uk/make. Rex McKee Music Thomas J Moore Music Study It (www.studyit.org.nz) is a Lufi Lene-Isara Polynesian Club HELPING YOUR SON TO STUDY New Zealand website which Christianlee Tutaki Polynesian Club I have included a copy of the NCEA contains revision material related to Jamal Fiso Production examination timetable and an NCEA English, Mathematics and Mackenzie Htay Production examination study timetable with Science. Tobias Maling Production this newsletter to help you assist Samuel Murphy Production your son to use his time wisely. Our teachers have also made Georgio Toulis Production Please ensure his examinations are revision material available by marked on his calendar and that he sharing through GOOGLE docs. comes to school at the right time for his examinations. Teachers are also running study and revision classes for students, both Whether your son is in Year 9 or 10 during normal class time, during or studying for NCEA, he should lunch times and after school. Please have a Study Timetable for the time encourage your son to seek help leading up to his exams. Extra Study from his teachers in areas where he Timetable blanks can be is unsure. During study leave, downloaded from the college teachers are available in their We also gave Gold awards for website. normal timetable slots to give Community Service to the following revision help. students: The following suggestions are useful ways to help your son to study: We will be celebrating the Devin Cho Make sure that your son has achievements of 2019 at our Dhairya Chhaya set his routines from now until Prizegiving on Thursday 5 Ben Dellabarca the time of examinations. It is December. Details of Prizegiving Ihaka Haenga-Sutton a good idea to do the same will be included in our next Ruhaan Saiyad things at the same time each newsletter. Robbie Spooner day e.g. meals, chores, and Zulkifli Yes STUDY. Make sure your son All Year 11-13 students are has filled in his Study Leave expected back at school after the Timetable and help him to exams finish, on Wednesday 4 keep to the times on it. December, as we prepare for SPORTS Help your son to organise the Prizegiving and farewell leaving information he needs to study. staff. NEWS His teachers will have given him a clear indication of what As we approach the end of the to study for each Standard. school year, many of our summer Help him to organise this CULTURAL codes are getting underway again. information. This term, Rongotai is pleased to be Ask your son to get out the NEWS able to offer athletics, basketball notes he has been given in his (social), cricket, croquet, floorball, classes and help him organise futsal, rugby 7s, volleyball and water them. PERFORMING ARTS & polo (juniors). Thank you again to all Ask your son questions about CULTURAL ASSEMBLY the parents and volunteers who what he has learned. We celebrated the success of have put their hands up this term Explaining something to students in a range of activities at and have made these offerings a SPORTS ASSEMBLY are unsure if you are up to date with possibility. We celebrated the success of your fees, please contact the school students in a range of activities at office. With exams just around the corner, our annual Sports Assembly on the importance of regular exercise Friday 25 October. SCHOOL INVOICE and physical activity becomes Also included with this newsletter is evident and while it may seem that The following students were an invoice for payment of a range of sport could be a distraction to presented Honours awards at the fees and the school donation. academia, there is plenty of assembly: Thanks to all those families who evidence to suggest that exercise Jordan Chan Badminton have paid the fees and donation. improves brain function and Lyric Samu Basketball Your fees and donations are academic performance. Evyatar Tabor Basketball important as our Operations Grant Jaylin To’o Basketball from the Ministry of Education Basketball Matthew Carter Cricket barely covers our running expenses, We would like to congratulate the Bevan Cox Cricket making your annual donation Senior A basketball team, who Henry Wells Cricket essential for us to continue offering qualified for the National premier Robbie Spooner Croquet a quality education for your son. tournament finishing an admirable Jack Cobden-Cox Floorball 20th in the country. Liam Fisher Floorball Jackson Lewis Floorball OFFERS FROM LOCAL Louis Scott Floorball BUSINESSES Alec Stewart Floorball We have a number of relationships Jesse Randall Football with local businesses who offer Matthew Peden Futsal incentive schemes that provide Preston Rota Futsal discounts for you while also helping George Walker Futsal to raise money for the school.