PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME

Kia Ora, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Sastrikal, Namaste,
Bula Vinaka, Salam & Warm Pacific Greetings to you all.

Welcome to our wonderful school. It is a privilege to be the educational leader of this exciting, vibrant learning community. A a school/kura we are continually striving to give our tamariki the best opportunities to achieve. Providing experiences beyond the classroom is one of our priorities. These include learning through trips to places such as  MOTAT, the Auckland Museum, the  Zoo and  Rangitoto Island. In 2014 our Year 5/6 (Pohutukawa Team) had an over night camp at Chosen Valley and in 2015 we have our Yr 7/8 (Kahikitea Team) tamaiti heading off to Camp Adair.  The Year 3/4 (Kowhai Team) hold an annual sleepover at our School. 2014 was the first year our talented Yr.7/8 students participated in the AIMS Games held in Tauranga. We are looking forward to this becoming an annual event and increasing the number of tamariki and codes we participate in.

Having our community actively involved in the learning for our tamariki is a priority. One of the great examples of  this is our Te Hui Ako which continues to be one of the flagships of which hold very proud. Partnership with whanau   successful learning from and with each other is what makes our place so special.

Learning at Randwick Rark School continues to evolve. Chrome books are gradually being introduced as a resource for finding information and up skilling through the technology programmes available. We are finding these as an economical resource that our students can use to access the Internet. They are proving popular for a number of our students who are challenging themselves with learning new Internet technology skills independently through the “World Wide Web” and “Google Docs.”
Our school annually celebrates a number of significant cultural events throughout the year including Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island,Fiji, Niue, Tokelau and Tuvalu Language Weeks, Holi, Diwali, Matariki, Sign Language Deaf Awareness Week. A these events our children have the opportunity to share information and celebrations within their specific culture. These allow our tamariki to gain greater insight and appreciation of the cultures that all contribute to making our learning community the diverse, exciting place it is.

The Samoan community held a Po Siva evening last year to support their cultural group. This was to purchase cultural costumes and provide a further opportunity for the Randwick Park community to come together and share traditional dances.

Our Tongan community once again hosted the 2014 Auckland Intermediate School’s Tongan speech competition. A Fiefia evening was held to raise funds for this event. Again, it was a wonderful experience that the Tongan community deserves to feel proud of. We consider it an honour to be involved in this.

Participation in the Auckland Primary Principals Association Speech competition has become an annual event. We have students participating in the Samoan, Tongan and English sections.

The sporting performances of Randwick Park Students surpass many of the larger Intermediate schools in the Auckland region. These schools have Year 7/8 rolls far greater than our own but time after time we out perform them.

2014 saw us placed first in Central Counties and Counties in open weight rugby and fourth in the Auckland Championships. The open weight league team came first in Central Counties and Counties and second in the Auckland Championships. The boy’s volleyball team was placed first in Central Counties, second in Counties and second in the Auckland Championships.

Our Yr 5/6 Open Weight Rugby Team won the Manurewa Primary School’s Rugby Tournament. We had seven of our Intermediate students qualify for the Auckland Athletics Championship. Kayla Pomana was placed third in the high jump.

2014 was the first year we entered teams in the nationwide AIMS Tournament held in Tauranga. Competing in netball and 7’s rugby. Again Randwick Park School proved a force to be reckoned with being placed fifth in the Rugby Sevens.

RPSl showed its skills in coming second in the Auckland Intermediate Hip Hop Competition. The schools Hip Hop Crew is one to watch out for in future events having been placed first in 2013 and now second in 2014.

Two school bands competed in the 2014 Band Quest with three individuals recognized for their talents playing particular instruments. The inaugural competition of “The Voice” show cased the singing talent within our community. A number of our students also participated in the 2014 Harmony festival and the Kids for Kids Choir.

The gift of being able to speak more than one language is a something that many of us are envious of. We are proud of how our Te whanau o Tuinga Kura has grown in their learning and Kapa Haka. We look forward to continuing to see even greater things from them in 2015.

We said farewell another group of fine young Year 8 men and women at the end of 2014. We wish them continued success for their years at college and look forward to hearing how their futures continue to  unfold.

On behalf of our Board of Trustees and staff we welcome you to our “special place”. We look forward to getting to know you as part of our Randwick Park whanau/familiy and your tamariki as enthusiastic learners that we can support in gaining new skills and knowledge.   We really enjoy working alongside you and your children as we  encourage them to develop a love of learning.