Rangiora High School looks to 1986 for inspiration
By David Hill, local democracy reporter
"It’s back to 1986" at Rangiora High School, but a new enhanced version.
That’s the assessment of principal Bruce Kearney following a comprehensive curriculum review, which will lead to sweeping changes to the school’s teaching and learning, pastoral care, and a revamp of the Rakahuri building.
Kearney tasked deputy principals Paula McDonald and Haidee Tiffen with the task of conducting the review in term one.
The pair worked with education consultants ImpactED to conduct an online survey and interviews with students, staff and whanau, with more than 1000 students responding from a school roll of 1700.
"It’s not a step back in time to 1986, but it is something parents can understand," Tiffen said.
"We are trying to simplify it, but we’re not letting go of all the good stuff," McDonald added.
She said the students would be "at the heart of everything", with a new philosophy of "know me, guide me" under-pinning the new curriculum.
"It is about getting to know our learners and guiding our learners.
"The number one thing parents said was they wanted the students to be going to school happy and having lots of choice (in their subjects)."
Tiffen said having strong connections between students and teachers also came through strongly.
Once the survey was completed, staff were invited to test the review findings, with 23 staff volunteering to explore what changes were possible.
The biggest change will be installing internal walls in the open plan Rakahuri building, which is thought to be the largest classroom in the South Island.
The proposed layout will be essentially the same, but with learning spaces turned into single cell classrooms and the potential for the library to be incorporated.
The project is out for tender and the school will be seeking funding from the Ministry of Education to make it happen.
Tiffen said students had found it distracting being in an environment where multiple classes were operating in one big space.
"Our neuro-diverse learners were finding it particularly challenging.
"They still want those spaces, but with more closed off spaces to improve their learning."
From next year junior students will return to spending more time with specialist subjects teachers, instead of the co-operative teaching across subjects employed in recent years.
Senior school courses will return to full year, rather than semester (half-year) courses.
"It is all about those relationships with learners," Tiffen said.
"You can’t get to know our learners well enough in half a year."
She said the focus would be on the teaching and learning rather than assessment, with the assessment built in.
The Wānanga (form class) structure will change, with students spending less time "with a trusted adult for whanaungatanga (building relationships)" from next year.
Literacy and numeracy would also be a big focus.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
New Year, Same Brain Teasers!
A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.
Yet, the police knew it was a murder.
How?
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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