PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
School Attendance
I am sure you will have heard many announcements and news about New Zealand's poor school attendance.
Commencing at the end of this year, attendance will be included on your child’s report. With this in mind, it is important that you understand how attendance is recorded and what this will look like in your child's report.
In simple terms, attendance generally falls under the following categories:
- Present
- Absent for a justified reason such as sickness or family bereavement
- Absent for an unjustified reason such as a family holiday
- Truant which is when a child is absent and no reason is given
- Late which is anyone who arrives at school after 8:45 am
Note: For the purposes of the national attendance strategy, only Present and Absent are used for reporting purposes. I.e. regardless of why your child is absent, attendance will only count the days your child is present at school or a school-related activity such as camp or a sports day.
The descriptors used on your child's report will be those used by the Ministry of Education. These are:
Regular attendance Over 90% attendance - Absent for fewer than 5 days across a term
Irregular absence More than 80% and up to 90% attendance - Absent for between 5 and 9 days across a term
Moderate absence More than 70% and up to 80% attendance - Absent for between 10 and 14 days across a term
Chronic absence 70% attendance or less - Absent for 15 days or more across a term
Overall our school has very good attendance compared with the national data. On most days we have over 93% of our students at school and truancy is not a concern however we do see some concerning patterns. Fridays are typically lower. A significant number of families take holidays during school time. The last week of term sees a notable drop in attendance
In Term 1 we had 75% of students attend over 90% of the time. This means 25% of students missed at least a full week of school. This is slightly less than the same time last year. Whilst there will always be times when illness or unavoidable circumstances keep our young people away from school it is important to remember that if school is open for learning, this is where your children should be.
Phones Away for the Day
You will be aware the government has introduced a new policy around phones and digital communication devices in schools. Recently we have had a few cases of our young people being found with their phones during school time.
Our policy, which has been in place for over 10 years, is very simple.
- Phones must not be used once children enter the school grounds before school
- Children must hand the phone to their teacher before school starts
- Phones will be handed back to students at the end of the day
What happens if my child uses the mobile phone during school hours?
- Anyone caught with a phone during school will have it confiscated
- Confiscated phones must be collected from the Principal by a parent or caregiver
Kyle Brewerton
Principal/APPA President
IMPORTANT DATES
| JUNE 2024 | |
| June 17 | Art Week Begins CZ Boys Hockey Community Dental Van Visit Starts |
| June 18 | CZ Girls Hockey Year 7 Zoo Trip - Rooms 1,8-10 BOT Meeting |
| June 19 | Year 7 Zoo Trip - Rooms 11-14 |
| June 20 | CZ Table Tennis |
| June 26 | Art Exhibition Evening |
| June 28 | Matariki - School Closed |
| JULY 2024 | |
| July 3 | Year 7 Boostrix Year 8 HPV Catch-up |
| July 4 | Term 2 Pop/Rock Bands Performance |
| July 5 | Term 2 Awards Assemblies Term 2 Ends |
| July 22 | Term 3 Starts |
REMUERA LIBRARY TEMPORARY CLOSURE AND RELOCATION
The school has been advised that Remuera Library will close temporarily on 1 July 2024 for approximately 12 months. This is due to the library undergoing restoration work as part of Auckland Council's renewal programme.
Library services will be relocated to Somervell Presbyterian Church, 497 Remuera Road. The services are expected to resume operating from Somervell Presbyterian Church around 15 July 2024.
We are aware that a number of our students visit the library after school to participate in the library's activities, spend time with their friends or wait to be picked up by their parents. This means that families will need to make alternative after-school arrangements.
For more information about this project, please click the following link.
Remuera Library Restoration Project 2024
SCHEDULED ROADWORKS ON ASCOT AVENUE
We have been advised that a scheduled utility overhead maintenance at 63 Ascot Avenue will start on Monday 17 June 2024 for 4 Days.
The main disruption is no left turn into Ascot from Greenlane Road and the pedestrian crossing at Ascot Avenue and Greenlane Road will be out of action. However, there is a temporary manned crossing right outside the school's main entrance.
Key details about this roadworks:
Scheduled Date: Monday 17 June 2024
Times: Weekdays: 0900-1800
4 Day Operation, weather permitting
Please click here for more information on the roadworks planning.
NEW SISTER SCHOOL EXCHANGE - BANGKOK, THAILAND 2025
This June, the Principals and a Lead Teacher from both Remuera Primary School and Remuera Intermediate travelled to Bangkok, Thailand to visit Satit Chula Elementary School.
Remuera Primary School has been involved in a sister school relationship with Satit Chula since 2012. Remuera Intermediate intends to join this exchange programme in 2025. As such the purpose of this recent trip was to familiarise the Lead Teachers with the school, local culture, local sights and attractions to assist with planning and organisational arrangements.
We also took the opportunity to meet with families who were interested in sending their children to New Zealand. The feedback from these families was excellent with many wanting to sign up on the spot. Of particular interest was the prospect of attending a school camp, something which is not done in Thailand.
Both teachers have fed back that this opportunity was invaluable in gaining insights into how they can best prepare our students for this exchange. Examples such as understanding the climate, navigating airports and what to expect at some of the sightseeing locations and the school will assist in ensuring the children have a positive experience.
PINK SHIRT DAY 2024
On Thursday, 23rd May, Remuera Intermediate School held Pink Shirt Day to raise awareness and funds for Youthline. Students participated in a mufti day, dressing in pink to support the cause.
The event highlighted the school's stand against bullying and commitment to kindness and inclusivity. The day was filled with activities and a sense of community, with all proceeds going to Youthline to support youth mental health services.
WILLIAM PIKE CHALLENGE
The William Pike Challenge is an outdoor education programme for intermediate school pupils, similar to the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Year 8 students work hard in Year 7 to be selected into the programme, and take 6 outdoor education trips over the year.
This time, they turned their focus to mountain biking. They split into 3 groups based on their confidence levels, and headed out to take on some trails.
After a long, arduous climb into the mountain bike park, the groups worked with their instructors to select trails and plan their day.
Despite the rain, it was awesome to see students gain so much skill and confidence on their bikes, and they can all be very proud of how they represented Remuera Intermediate.The instructors always compliment their reliability, integrity and service, and this trip was no exception!
Thanks very much to Mr. Waite and Mr. Stenning for accompanying us.
WRITERS FESTIVAL
The Writers Festival is an event where authors from Australia and New Zealand come to Aotea Centre and speak about their books. They also gave us tips on how to write, to come up with ideas and even signed some books for lucky students.
We saw Selina Tusitala Marsh, Maryam Master, David Hill and Rachael King. I had the most fun listening to David King because he taught me the most.
I definitely recommend going! - Ren Sugahara (Rm 29)
CENTRAL ZONES BOYS FOOTBALL
A tough CZ competition for our Year 7 and Year 8 Boys teams this year. Both teams displayed great sportsmanship and determination throughout the tournaments to finish in a commendable 3rd place.
We had some outstanding performances from our goalkeepers (Xavier Chaffy and Jake Janiurek). The boys now have their sights set on performing on the big stage at the AIMS games later in the year. 
INTRODUCING THE NEW 4 SQUARE REMUERA LOYALTY CARD
Support Our School!
We are thrilled to launch the exclusive 4 Square Loyalty Card, with a special initiative to support our school! For every purchase made with your loyalty card, 4 Square Remuera will donate 5% of the purchase value directly to the school. This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to our school while enjoying great rewards. Loyalty cards will be distributed to all students next week, so keep an eye out!
ICAS EXAMINATION
We are delighted to inform you that our school will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competition again this year.
What is ICAS?
ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies. Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.
This year, RI will be participating in English, Science, Mathematics and Digital Technologies. The ICAS dates are listed here.
How to participate in ICAS
If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:
- read about ICAS subjects and prices here
- read the terms and conditions here
- go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here
- enter our school’s access code – HMI995
- enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment.
After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records. The last day to order is Monday 29 July 2024.
2025 ENROLMENTS
If you have a Year 6 student who will be coming to RI in 2025, we encourage you to start the enrolment process early to ensure we are well prepared for the coming year.
You can now apply online by clicking this link. If you have a query regarding the enrolment process, please contact Ms. Amy McGowan at [email protected]
Important dates for 2024 Enrolment
In Zone/Out of Zone Applications Open: Monday 8 April 2024
Open Morning: Wednesday 12 June 2024, 8:45 - 10:30 am
In Zone Application Due Back: Wednesday 4 September 2024
Out of Zone Application close: Wednesday 4 September 2024 at 3:30 pm – no exceptions
Out of Zone Ballot Ballot to take place: Wednesday 11 September 2024
ABSENCES
All absences need to be reported by 8:45 a.m. at the latest. To report an absence please:
Use the 'Report an Absence' link in the top right corner of the school website homepage http://www.remint.school.nz
Use the school app or phone the office on 09 522 9890 Option 1
Please do not email absence notifications to classroom teacher
ABSENCE TEXT NOTIFICATION
Our children’s safety is of paramount importance to us. In order to ensure the safety of all our students, at 9:45 am if your child has not been marked as Present we will send out a text notification to alert you of his/her absence.
We are aware many parents are simply very busy people and forget to notify the school so please respond with a Y and a reason for the absence/lateness.
Respond with an N if you have dropped your child at school or know that he/she was coming to school and we can investigate this promptly.
Should your mobile number change, please notify the school immediately so that we can update our records accordingly.
REMUERA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL APPS
You can download the free SchoolAppsNZ from the App Store or Google Play. It works on both Android and Apple phones. It sends important school messages and forms a big part of our school communications.
Features of the App:
- You can subscribe to alert groups of interest to you and your child
- You can complete the absentee form directly from the App
- You can access the school calendar, news and events directly through the App
- We can send out targeted alerts to everyone with the App or to specific groups