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Tēnā koutou e te whānau whānui o Rangitoto.
The release of NZQA scholarship results has provided our community with a great start to the year. These exams recognise the very highest levels of academic achievement in New Zealand. Our students gained an incredible 244 scholarships, surpassing our previous national record of 215 set last year. These scholarships came from 29 different subjects, highlighting the strength of our academic programme across all disciplines. Cameron Senior was named as a Premier Scholar, with a truly exceptional 10 scholarships, including seven at Outstanding and three Top in Subject awards. A further six students were named as Outstanding Scholars, including current Year 13 student Ashley Huddart, who was also named as Top in Subject for Health and Physical Education.
With the recent running of the PTA AGM, I would like to thank those parents who have joined this group to continue with fundraising efforts for the school, particularly in the provision of second-hand uniforms. The school is very appreciative of the support from the PTA and encourages any parent or whānau member who wishes to help to visit the PTA page on the school website for further information.
Rangitoto staff have been delighted with the calm transition of our Year 9 students into Rangitoto. However, we are aware that we will face significant challenges in the coming weeks. Planning for school continuity has been a key focus as we await the spread of Omicron. In order to remain open for all students, we anticipate staff shortages being our biggest challenge. Initially, staff who are required to isolate, but remain able to teach, will run virtual classes from home, with supervisors in the classroom. As case numbers and subsequent isolation continues to escalate, we anticipate having to roster a year group home one day per week. Our last resort will be to close the school for onsite instruction (apart from children age 13 of essential workers), with teachers and students working from home.
Please be assured that we have our successful online teaching and learning model ready to go in case of this occurrence. Students who have to isolate will be able to access classwork through Google Classroom during the period of disruption we face.
We thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate this current period of uncertainty.
Patrick Gale, Principal
