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 office@rangiruru.school.nz 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 a.sommaruga@rangiruru.school.nz

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

a.hirst@rangiruru.school.nz