BACKOur new Year 9 students have made an excellent start at Rangitoto College. They began their journey with a mihi whakatau, joining the wider cohort of new students in a warm and welcoming ceremony. Following this, students separated into their tutor groups where they began building connections with their classmates and peer support leaders. Two-days of orientation ensued, where students were provided with an introduction to College life. Highlights included peer mentor-led activities, a school-wide Amazing Race, and the now bigger-than-ever Sports and Clubs Expo, offering students opportunities to explore extracurricular involvement.
Following orientation, classes began in earnest, and after a few days of following their maps, students began to find their feet. Staff across the school have been impressed by the way our new Year 9s are settling into routines, familiarising themselves with their surroundings and taking up new opportunities.
Alex Su, one of our Year 9 students, has written the below about his experience starting at Rangitoto College.
Hi I’m Alex Su, currently a year 9 student at Rangi.
Although it has only been a few weeks and a few cycles of my timetable, I can safely say that the time it has taken for me to become a part of this huge and welcoming family has gone quicker than I expected.
Transitioning into high school can truly be a tough and nervous experience for all of us. But remember, there will be hundreds of other students just like you, feeling scared and nervous at the same time. You’re not alone in this!
Having gone through this myself, I can tell you the first few weeks and classes that you go to will truly be a memorable journey that you can never forget. You’ll experience a mix of emotions like excitement, resilience and personal growth. High school is not hard, everyone is kind and there will be a lot of staff members, and students that understand you and will do a lot of things to help you! Here is a message from me: Embrace it, enjoy it and you will feel right at home!
As a reminder to students and parents the school’s uniform expectations can be found here and details on our attendance processes can be found here
Lastly, we wanted to let parents know about the free resource “School TV” which contains articles and videos aimed at parents, on a range of topics relevant to raising teenagers. You can access this resource via the FACTS parent portal under the “quicklinks” heading. Feel free to contact your child’s Dean, if you would like any further information.
