BACKWe were delighted to welcome our new cohort of Year 9s in January, and they have made a wonderful start at the college. We began the year with orientation activities run by Year 13 Peer Support Leaders, school tours, and team-building activities in tutor classes, all of which aim to help students find their place at the college. Our students are now well into the school year. They’re trying new subjects, joining clubs and sports, making new friends, and learning how to manage a busy schedule, including homework! Hear below from two of our Year 9 students about their experiences of starting at Rangitoto College.
Yousef Abueideh – Year 9, 2024
I’m going to share with you my experience as a new Year 9 student at Rangitoto College. My first five weeks at Rangitoto College have gone exceptionally well and hopefully will continue to go this way for many years to come. Some of my highlights include making new friends and meeting lots of different people. Many classes come with a new set of students, which has kept me continuously interacting with students around the school. Additionally, the teachers have made the transition from intermediate to high school extremely smooth. This has allowed me to adapt easily to the new schooling system and made me feel less frightened to begin my journey in such a large school! My new options classes have been some of the best and most refreshing subjects I’ve taken in a long time. There is a wide variety of options such as Electronics, Digital Technology, Business, and Economics. My friends and I have been very engaged in all my classes. Overall my time at Rangitoto College has been the best start to high school I could have ever asked for and I hope it will be the same for many students to come.
Cloe Porter – Year 9, 2024
When I first started Rangitoto College, I had lots of emotions going through my head: I was scared and worried, but also excited because it was a new school to start at, which meant new friends I could make. In the first week, I sometimes got lost and constantly had to ask teachers where my classes were, but after that week, I quickly learned and found it easier to find my way around the school. In tutor class, my Peer Support Leaders helped me a lot when I was struggling with a subject or finding my way around the school. This year at Rangitoto College, I am eagerly looking forward to netball, tag, touch, volleyball, and so much more. Coming from Murrays Bay Intermediate, I have so many new subjects I am learning this year, for example, Digital Technology, Spanish, and Junior Social Science. The new subjects that I am taking are going super well and the teachers are super supportive which makes lessons a lot more fun. When I first heard the word homework, I felt a bit nervous about the amount I might have to do, but actually, the amount of homework that is given is reasonable and there wasn’t anything to stress about! Overall, starting high school at Rangitoto College has been an amazing experience so far.
