Wide Sky 2019 Edition by Rangi Ruru Girls' School

WI D E S KY T H E R A N G I R U R U M AG A Z I N E 2019 EDITION

130 YEARS OF RANGI RURU GIRLS’ SCHOOL The vision of the Gibson sisters lives on

F LO U R I S H I N G THROUGH NCEA A pathway for our students both nationally and internationally

G L O B A L LY M I N D F U L – L O C A L LY A C T I V E Word renowned Conservationist and Primatologist Jane Goodall comes to Rangi

WIDE SKY is produced bi-annually for students and their families, alumnae and the wider Rangi Ruru Girls’ School community. It provides a forum in which to celebrate the successes of current and past students and staff, while sharing the latest in events, happenings and developments.

DESIGN Justine Taylor, justinetaylor.nz PROOF READING Rowan Billing & Sian Fremaux 130 YEAR IMAGERY AND INFORMATION Johnann Williams, Archivist + various archived sources PHOTOGRAPHY · Tony Stewart, photoshots.co.nz · Geoff Soper, Hockey · Linton Photography, Leavers Ball photos · Rangi Ruru Teaching & Admin Staff PUBLISHER Ovato Printing PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE Victoria Tait, Jude Connochie & Katrina Topp

RANGI RURU GIRLS’ SCHOOL 59 Hewitts Road, Merivale Christchurch 8014 New Zealand • rangiruru.school.nz • facebook.com/rangiruru • instagram.com/rangiruru • twitter.com/rangiruru

COVER IMAGE Holly Ellis by Tony Stewart

A word from the Editor SIAN FREMAUX EDITOR

It’s my absolute pleasure to bring you the new Wide Sky Magazine in 2019. This edition brings together a mixture of all that Rangi has to offer, and ties into this year’s school theme of ‘Flourish’. The interpretation of Flourish in each of the pieces following is a testament of the diverse and thoughtful minds of so many members of our community. This edition is a celebration, a new beginning and has been a blooming good time to make. Throw the kettle on and settle in if it’s cold or immerse yourself in your own flourishing backyard in the sun and enjoy this magazine. We can’t wait for you to see what’s inside and we’re already looking forward to our next issue.

CONTENTS 2

What does it mean to “Flourish”?

Encouraging girls to Flourish

4 5 6 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 24 25 26

Dr Sandra K Hastie

Rachel McSweeney

St Andrew’s Church at Rangi Ruru Nicki Carter

Globally Mindful – Locally Active Sian Fremaux

Leading learning Melanie L’Eef

Who owns the learning in Global Living? Jude Morgan

The power of music to nurture Janet Kingsbury

ransformative Teaching and Learning T in Theatre Arts (Dance and Drama) Peter Rutherford

Finding your Sporting North Mandy Anderson

Flourishing inside and out Hannah Clarkson

Pastoral Care Rangi Style Stephanie Barnett

130 years of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School Change Makers – Trail Blazers Rosetta Brown

A Pathway to Global Opportunities Kristen Fox

reating Positive Relationships C in Year 7 & 8 Sally Fail

When the campus is your oyster! Linda Scanlan

Mentoring in House Kyleigh Lyth

28 Flourishing through NCEA Juliet Collins

32 Qiqi Wang – 10,000 km from home Louise Stanton

34 Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association Felicity Williams

36 Legacy

Bridget Woodham

What does it mean to “Flourish”? DR SANDRA K HASTIE PRINCIPAL

This year the Student Leadership Team came up with the theme “Flourish”. They described this term as the process that a seed goes through from when it is first planted to the final stages when it has matured into a strong plant. Using this theme, the Student Leadership Team encouraged each girl to plant a seed this year, “a new goal’ and see it through to the final stages and, importantly, be reflective and celebrate. “Flourishing”, according to the dictionary is defined as “a state where people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning and positive social functioning most of the time”. How do we ensure as a school that we are providing that state of experience to our girls? I believe that one of the underlying keys necessary is our need to ensure that we have established a sense of connectedness, each girl being personally known and celebrated as an individual. Maintaining our roll size with our classes and creating opportunities for our girls to know each other through our year levels and our vertical Clan groups open the pathways for this to happen. Coupled alongside this is ensuring that our Wellbeing and pastoral care programmes continue to identify the touch points in each girl’s life where support, encouragement

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and wise counsel are needed as well as maintaining the important partnership between home and school. Another essential part of enabling each girl to flourish comes from teaching the importance of setting goals that are realistic and achievable, with the focus on the mastery steps and the journey rather than just the performance outcome. It is by doing this that we are able to strengthen her self-efficacy as she learns to recognise that it is the setting of personal best goals against herself rather than comparing against others which will allow her to reflect, review and most importantly acknowledge her achievement however small that may be. Our programmes of learning need to ensure that we are providing the best experience for each girl to flourish. As a school we strongly believe in NCEA, the (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) which is a globally recognised qualification and is well suited to how girls like to learn. With its modern, broad and varied curriculum, and the flexibility it gives to us in terms of course design and academic outcomes we are able to personalise the level of study to each girl’s individual strengths and interests. This may include study at multiple levels, acceleration and the ability to tailor for those who require greater

learning support. It is this flexibility that allows us to ensure that each girl has the best possible chance of success. Demonstrating care and collegiality towards all those who work at Rangi Ruru is also important. We need to ensure that we are maintaining a culture where our staff team are known and appreciated as individuals. Having the opportunities to continue to grow as a team and to take time for fun, laughter and the recognition of effort and personal achievements allow us to role model these essential traits to our girls and to maintain a positive working environment. Underlying all of the above, I believe that the foundation to ensure that each girl can flourish is through her personally adopting and living by our school core values of Respect, Aroha, Endeavour and Enthusiasm, Generosity of Spirit, and Integrity. It is my hope that by being in a community which Inspires, Challenges and Empowers and a community that knows and cares about her, she will flourish as an individual, have belief in herself, confidence to pursue her dreams and, after leaving our gates, she will continue to contribute positively to her communities as she makes her way in the world. 

Encouraging girls to Flourish RACHEL McSWEENEY HEAD OF SCHOOL

What an opportunity! Head of School. This was something that I had only dreamed about, and it was now a reality. 2019 was our year to make a difference. After finding out the Student Leadership Team for this year, I spent some time scribbling ideas down for the year ahead. Every year the Student Leadership Team chooses a theme. Before the year had even begun, our team wanted to come up with a theme which Rangi girls of all ages could relate to, something they could use as a platform to achieve their goals and something that would push them outside their comfort zones, allowing them to challenge themselves. I personally think having a theme is also a great way of creating bonds within the year groups. The Seniors become more involved with the Juniors and from there special connections are made. These connections help the school become an even stronger family than it was before. I can remember nearly every theme we have had during my years at Rangi and I wanted the girls to remember the year of 2019. So, I knew this year had to be something special. Before choosing the theme, we took a step back and looked at what

Rangi does really well, and what we thought could be developed. The strengths we saw were a strong sense of community, a good peer support system and a great sense of belonging. However, we felt there was an opportunity to focus on the individual Rangi girl. Rangi girls do a great job at supporting others, but sometimes they forget to support themselves. While trying to decide on a theme, we wanted to choose something that would be inclusive of the whole school, yet still adaptable for every girl. We threw many ideas around, some of which were great and others not so good, but they all led us to our final decision, which is the theme Flourish. Flourish is about growing as a person and as a school. We want everyone to challenge themselves to take risks, to try new things and to not be afraid of failure. Flourishing is also about spreading kindness and support to others when they seem down. In spreading these things, a chain of kindness would be created within the school, making the girls feel empowered and encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone, knowing that if they don’t succeed the first time they have cheerleaders around them who will help them get back up and try again. So far, our girls

have found their feet, have started to believe in themselves and are taking the first steps to trying new things. The excitement continues to grow with this theme and we couldn’t be happier with how it is going. 

FLOURISH IS ABOUT GROWING AS A PERSON AND AS A SCHOOL

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St Andrew’s Church at Rangi Ruru NICKI CARTER BOARD CHAIR

This year the Board resolved that strengthening and major repair and maintenance works to St Andrew’s at Rangi Ruru be undertaken.  St Andrew’s at Rangi Ruru is an integral part of the Rangi campus and it provides a strong connection to our Presbyterian heritage.  It is a very special space for the whole school to gather, pray, reflect and celebrate.  It is also a space that we continue to share with the church congregation and the Rangi community for church services, christenings, weddings and funerals.

to relocate St Andrews to Rangi Ruru.  The project was a centennial project, and on 31 August 1986 the church building was divided into four parts, Christchurch roads were closed and the church was relocated to Rangi Ruru.  We are also indebted to Mr Brian Perry for the gift made in memory of his wife, Janice, and which was used for the relocation and reconstruction costs.  St Andrew’s at Rangi Ruru was opened in March 1987 and, by the time of the centennial celebrations in 1989, St Andrew’s was a key part of the school.

The church building is historically significant, and was built near Christchurch Hospital in 1856-1857.  We are indebted to foresight of the Governors who worked with the Presbyterian Church in the 1980s

Even though St Andrews was relocated to Rangi Ruru, the Presbyterian Church retained ownership of the church building.  In 2017 ownership of the church was transferred to the school and

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the school assumed an ongoing responsibility for the church.  As part of the arrangement, the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees paid funds to the Rangi Foundation to hold for the strengthening, repair and maintenance works that have been undertaken this year and for the ongoing upkeep of the church.  On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mr Stewart Barnett for managing the strengthening and repair works.  Mr Barnett is an Honorary Governor, and his generosity in overseeing and managing the works for the Board means that St Andrew’s is in good condition, well-kept and strengthened, and the school is meeting its on-going obligation as a good custodian of St Andrew’s. 

Globally Mindful – Locally Active SIAN FREMAUX

EDITOR & CREATIVE AND COMMUNICATIONS LEAD It’s safe to say that world renowned Primatologist and Conservationist, Dr Jane Goodall’s visit to Rangi Ruru was nothing less than inspiring. Dr Goodall was in town as part of her worldwide Roots & Shoots programme, supported by the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand. The University of Canterbury Community Engagement Hub was very instrumental in setting up her visit to Rangi Ruru. Being globally mindful and locally active has been an attitude and ethos the students and staff here have adapted as a leading sustainable school – this also happens to be the leading statement for the Jane Goodall Institute Community Program, Roots and Shoots, that we are also proud to be a part of. The Roots and Shoots programme empowers participants to implement sustainable action projects which have positive impacts for people, animals and the environment. We were delighted to host Dr Jane Goodall in discussions about her programme and

the work the school has done to be a leading sustainable school/business. After delivering a powerful presentation to the wider school community, Dr Goodall met with some of our student leaders and a small select group of other students from around Christchurch, to discuss sustainability and world issues in a more intimate question and answer session. This was an incredible opportunity for our girls to personally ask and discuss their ideas and issues first hand with Dr Goodall, who provided many words of wisdom and gems of knowledge. Following this session, Dr Goodall finished her time at Rangi by visiting the science lab that is named after her and then planting a Kowhai tree in one of our beautiful gardens. It was evident that she left a lasting impression on our community and definitely inspired our girls to continue their efforts in sustainability and conservation. Fitting with Dr Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Programme ethos of

implementing sustainable action projects, we have locked in ambitious sustainability policies, embedding new habits and initiatives to reduce impact on the planet. The establishment of a bio-digester on site is the current project being driven by students in the Sustainability Council and Energy Action Group, and they plan to start fundraising for the project shortly. The bio-digester will convert school green waste to biogas, and allow us to eliminate the need for non-renewable energy. This will further reduce our carbon footprint while making significant savings to reinvest into innovative, new sustainability projects, with the hope that this initiative will become a model for other New Zealand schools and institutions in the future. Our Stainability development plan looks to not only place us at the forefront of sustainable schools, but also sustainable business, and we continue to support and take part in ongoing positive action in our local and global communities. 

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Leading Learning MELANIE L’EEF

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL – TEACHING & LEARNING

It has long been recognised that the single biggest in-school influence on student outcomes is high-quality, learner-focused teaching. Professor John Hattie (2018) extends this further in his ground-breaking research “Visible Learning” in which he ranked 138 influences that are related to learning outcomes from “very positive” to “very negative” effects. Ranked number one currently is what he terms Collective Teacher Efficacy which is teachers working together to learn from each other to increase their collective expertise and capability, fed by evidence of their impact on student learning. It is this teachers’ belief that through their collective action, they can positively influence student outcomes, that is at the heart of Rangi Ruru’s commitment to continuous improvement and teachers’ performance development. A core part of this process is the way in which our teachers critically reflect on their teaching and the culture of learning in their ‘classrooms’. They constantly evaluate the impact of their actions on their students and adapt and refine what they do to meet the needs of diverse learners, ensuring that all learners experience success. Teachers do not do this in isolation: they work collaboratively within and across learning areas to focus their energies on the areas that they believe will make the biggest difference for their students. With our focus on continuous improvement, three Leaders of Learning have been appointed this year. Margy Gilpin, Jeremy Thin and Libby Sheehy, are in the most privileged of positions. They work alongside teachers on a daily basis to support inquiry into their teaching and learning practice, along with ensuring teachers’ ongoing professional learning.

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This involves meeting with individual teachers to help them set and monitor their professional learning goals and to identify aspects of their teaching that they want to develop further. They plan and design approaches together, revelling in the learningfocused conversations that take place. They interrogate data, reflect on student voice, engage in research connecting theory to practice, and set the framework for observations which are based on teachers’ goals and their inquiry into their practice. Some teachers are motivated to pursue collaborative inquiries, targeting a shared class or group of learners within a particular class. Jeremy considers that ‘a real strength of the Leader of Learning model is building horizontal connections between colleagues and enabling conversations that focus on teaching and pedagogy, rather than subjectspecific content. Discussing teaching and learning with a colleague from a different learning area adds another dimension to reflective conversations.’ Libby has been ‘humbled by how colleagues have embraced this new role. Through their enthusiasm, their intellect and their ability to reflect, the conversations have been rich, and their inquiries and goals have been targeted and ambitious.’ She has ‘been struck by the variety of learning approaches our students get to experience, and how well our teachers know their students and constantly strive to get the best out of them.’ Margy too feels that teachers have embraced this new way of providing professional mentoring, and it has reinforced for her that the students have very passionate teachers.  ‘They are passionate about their subject areas and strive to create an environment… that will allow students to learn and flourish to the best of their ability.’

Teachers are provided with opportunities to learn from each other by observing their colleagues, along with being observed themselves by their Leader of Learning. This is not a judgement laden exercise nor tick box compliance-driven activity, but is growth focused; a chance for teachers and their Leader of Learning to scrutinise data gathered from observations in order to enhance how they teach and enable learning. Jeremy believes that observing colleagues has ‘made him a better teacher by exposing him to new ideas and ways of doing things’. Music teacher, Henare Kaa ‘values the chance to discuss teaching and learning’ and to consider different ways to make learning accessible for his students. He can see what is ‘successful and why, along with what could be developed further.’ Teachers clearly value the opportunity to reflect on their teaching in this ‘non-threatening, sustained and meaningful way’. An aspect of this learning relationship that teachers also appreciate is the coaching that may result following observations. Constructive feedback, encourages teachers to interpret aspects of their practice in different ways, or they may even have assumptions about a particular strategy or intervention challenged. In doing so, teachers are provided with qualitative and quantitative data on which to make informed decisions and crucially, an invested coach to guide them along the way. Furthermore, teachers receive recognition for their efforts and feel affirmed and valued. They are encouraged to take risks and feel confident to do so and, importantly, students see their teachers modelling the learning behaviours they expect from them.

This collective teacher efficacy, ensures that everyone can flourish in an ‘open to learning’ environment.

LEARNING FROM LEADERS In partnership with colleagues from Christ’s College, we have organised seminars to build leadership capacity within our schools. This year, we have been privileged to learn from Christ’s College Old Boy, and internationally renowned rugby coach, Robbie Deans. Peppered with humorous anecdotes, he shared his perspective on leadership, along with the peaks and troughs of his extensive coaching career. Robbie emphasised the importance of developing a strong organisational culture, characterised by a commitment to continuous improvement and positive relationships. He stressed how important it is for leaders to listen more and he believes profoundly in building the capacity of others to be leaders in their own right. He challenged us to ensure that we maximise the collective capacity and expertise of our people. It is through opportunities like this, that we do just that! Thank you, Robbie! 

TEACHERS CLEARLY VALUE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON THEIR TEACHING IN THIS ‘NON-THREATENING, SUSTAINED AND MEANINGFUL WAY’

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Who owns the learning in Global Living? JUDE MORGAN

HEAD OF LEARNING AREA – GOBAL LIVING

‘When you embrace Global Living time it can be very beneficial and valuable to your learning,’ reflected a Year 11 student. But what is Global Living time and how are our students embracing it? Global Living aims to provide a pathway for all students which will enable them to participate fully in their life at Rangi. We move girls from being inspired, challenged and empowered in Years 7–10, to becoming agents of change through Years 11–13. Over the last five years, we have noticed a change in the way students are wanting to take ownership of their Global Living time. More students are wanting to undertake their own projects, and for longer. Our students want to engage with their learning and are willing to work both collaboratively and autonomously. Our learners are evolving and we needed to evolve with them. Our girls are beginning to understand that they can express themselves as global citizens by being able to inspire, challenge and empower at a local, national or even global level. In recognition of this there are an increasing number of opportunites for girls to participate in self-directed projects which have real world outcomes.

GLOBAL LIVING HAS GIVEN ME THE TIME AND RESOURCES TO CREATE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE. – PHOEBE SUGRUE

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STUDENT VOICE AT RANGI – YEARS 11–13 ICE PRODUCTIONS

MAKING AN IMPACT – YEAR 12 SOCIAL IMPACT

SHELTER magazine is the first in an expanding suite of print publications which are written, designed and produced by our students. In its fourth year now, SHELTER has been sold around New Zealand – you may have even seen it in a Koru Lounge. Alara Gurevin, Deputy Editor of the third, Endeavour Edition of SHELTER, wrote, ‘I joined the SHELTER team because I was interested in being involved in a magazine. As it turned out, I got a lot more than I bargained for when I realised how much work it actually was. SHELTER has been a great project based learning experience for me. I learnt a lot more about software, collaboration with others and time management than I think I would’ve if this whole process was set out more like a graded NCEA standard.’

A new course this year, the vision is to support students to be leaders within our community. Paigan McLean, Claudia O-Shannessey and Lily Ellis ‘’decided to take a stand as students, and create a badge...that symbolises... how we can uplift each other [post March 15]. This group approached a New York artist who agreed to design an image. ‘This badge is [intended to be] a symbol of hope for students community wide and a symbol of our strength as we go into the future.’

Last year, a group of Year 11 students redesigned the 2019 Student Diary. They learned some valuable lessons through this process, including how to work within creative constraints. The original design, while beautiful, was too expensive to produce. In overcoming this hurdle, the Editorial Team produced a successful and engaging diary. One of the students wrote, ‘Working on the Student Diary, I got to work with a variety of different girls that I don’t normally work with.’ The current Editorial Team is now tackling challenges raised by this year’s diary; most notably, the binding. An exciting addition to our student publications this year is a journal for parents of premature babies comissioned by NICU at Christchurch Hospital. The Year 12 Editorial Team led by Ella Kauder and Ruby Green are working closely with staff at the hospital.

Last year as a Special Project, Phoebe Sugrue decided to challenge student leaders across Christchurch to commit to promoting a culture of service in the community. This culminated in a one day conference at the beginning of this year. Phoebe and her fellow Year 12 students organised speakers from the University, the Student Army and Adam McGrath from Lyttelton band, The Eastern share their stories and then lead workshop activities for student leaders from a number of Christchurch schools. This year, Phoebe and her team are working on creating an Instagram promoting Sustainability. ‘Global Living has given me the time and resources to create the change I want to see. I always thought I’d have to wait until I was out of school. If I want something done, I can do it now. It promotes independence which I haven’t had elsewhere in school,’ said Phoebe. 

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The power of music to nurture JANET KINGSBURY DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

One of the meanings of flourish, as a verb, is ‘to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly congenial environment’ – Oxford Dictionary 2019. Girls involved in our music programmes often comment that one of the defining and most rewarding features of music at Rangi is the opportunity to be part of a family of like-minded girls, of all ages, who support each other in a wide range of musical endeavour. After five, and in some cases seven years in this congenial environment, girls emerge as confident young women who are able to use music to connect with the communities that they will live and work in. Music is a vehicle for personal growth and self-expression, through the development of capabilities such as time management, resilience, self-belief, problem solving and relationship building. It is a privilege to play a part in the development of these young women. The range of musical endeavour is extraordinary: choirs, orchestras, chamber music groups, jazz bands, rock bands, percussion ensembles, song writing and recording, composition, musical theatre, solo performance. All of these groups consist of girls across the year levels at Rangi. The girls all learn from and support each other – they give freely of their time to work beyond the school day to further develop and deepen musical skills and understandings. Senior music students often achieve at the highest level nationally, both in academic music and through performance. The continuous cycle of learning as a result of the legacy left from girls who have moved on

from Rangi is an important part of our ethos. The development of younger musicians is fostered by them being inspired by senior students, who then move on to make room for the younger ones to move through. Our music alumnae often keep in contact, and return to engage in workshops and mentoring with current girls. Recent international studies have shown that students between the ages of 11–18 who are involved in extended musical engagement do on average one full year better academically than non-music peers. Achievement in music also predicts academic achievement particularly in the areas of Maths, Science and English. This is borne out very strongly here at Rangi. The school strongly supports NCEA as a robust and highly regarded academic qualification, with our results consistently being amongst the highest in New Zealand. These include Outstanding, Top Scholar, and Premier Scholarship awards, with each category including musicians from Rangi. In the past 11 years 68% of the winners of Rangi’s senior Gold Braid Academic and Leadership awards have gone to girls involved in some aspect of our music programme. Many of these girls receive offers of scholarships, both in New Zealand and overseas for tertiary study. In the last 15 years, seven Head Girls have been musicians, with many other music girls holding further senior leadership roles.

At the start of her Rangi journey, a girl arrives as an individual. During her time here she retains and develops her individuality, through becoming part of the Rangi family – a family which consists of many varied sizes and types of groups. There is change, unpredictability, difficult times, times of self-doubt. Involvement in music nurtures girls through a process of discovery, understanding, and enlightenment – helping them to understand what being human is. There is enjoyment through learning and working together for the common good. This is what it means to flourish. 

IT IS PRECISELY BECAUSE NEITHER INDIVIDUALS NOR SMALL GROUPS CAN BE FULLY SELF-SUFFICIENT THAT COOPERATION IS NECESSARY TO HUMAN SURVIVAL AND FLOURISHING. – TOM G. PALMER

Tom G. Palmer, author of “Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice”, says that ‘It is precisely because neither individuals nor small groups can be fully self-sufficient that cooperation is necessary to human survival and flourishing’.

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THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH STUDENTS AS COLLEAGUES, WITH A SHARED PASSION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, IS AS CLOSE TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AS POSSIBLE

Transformative Teaching and Learning in Theatre Arts (Dance and Drama) PETER RUTHERFORD

DIRECTOR OF THEATRE ARTS

As with many aspects of learning in the Performing Arts, the most engaging opportunities to flourish come through performances in front of audiences. Whether these opportunities stem from our curriculum lessons, or from the multitude of exciting and engaging cocurricular activities offered by Theatre Arts staff and students at Rangi Ruru, performance opportunities that friends, family and the general public are welcome to attend provide those who participate the greatest opportunity to demonstrate their mettle. The dedication and focus of our dancers, actors, technicians and their tutors are evident in the successes in performance festivals in previous years. In 2019 our senior students performed the Kiwi comedy Wheelerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Luck, created by three actors who devised the show, toured it successfully, and then wrote the script as an

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afterthought. The willingness of these actor/writers to allow us to adapt people and places within the text was a large part of the success of our production, as it gave our performers the license to make the play their own. The pleasure of working with students as colleagues, with a shared passion for the Performing Arts, is as close to professional practice as possible. This can mean long hours, particularly during technical and dress rehearsals, and this is where the greatest learning happens. Dean of Law at University of Canterbury, Ursula Cheer, addressing teachers in 2017, identified that students who took Drama at a senior level at school were at an advantage in tutorials and presentation-based assessments as their performance confidence, learned through the practice of regularly performing in front of audiences, gave them an advantage. She also acknowledged

that the skills associated with studying Drama – developing empathy for characters with different backgrounds, having a greater understanding of why people behave the way they do, as well as an ability to read an audience and to use the voice to make an impact in front of different audiences - were skills central in a lawyer’s craft. The co-curricular opportunities in dance are extensive at Rangi Ruru, with five dance groups catering for a range of ages and abilities. Dance groups include: Junior company, Senior company, Elite company, Year 7/8, and Dance Club. All groups perform at Evening of Dance in late November, with the year 7/8 dance group also performing as a part of Kids in Town. Elite, Junior and Senior dance companies performed at the Performing Arts Showcase: ‘Seasons to Shine’ at the Piano, and all the dance groups, plus the entire

Year 8 student cohort, presented work at the Dance Made NZ festival at the James Hay theatre. Both these events took place in mid-August. Co-curricular Drama extends to two groups that meet at lunchtimes during the school week. Drama Club has a focus on building confidence for junior students and Improv club has a focus on learning the skills associated with TheatreSports with a view to participating in the schools’ TheatreSports competition run by Court Theatre. Improv club accepts students from any year level. Student groups regularly participate in theatre festivals and go on to represent the school at a national level. In mid-November our junior students will perform High School Musical 2 Junior with Christ’s College students under the tutelage of staff from both schools. We look forward to seeing you there. Please keep an eye on Rangi Ruru events to buy your tickets. 

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Finding your sporting north MANDY ANDERSON DIRECTOR OF SPORT

The 2019 year started with change as I took on the role of Director of Sport from Jo Fogarty, who left a strong legacy of sporting success and solid processes at Rangi, and the appointment of Melissa Brooks as the Assistant Director of Sport. Melissa’s contribution to Rangi is already evident in her management and administration of Athletics, Basketball and Volleyball, and has been key to ensuring the continuity of what and how we deliver sport at Rangi. Every year it is intriguing to see what the new students to school will bring to the sporting environment. It is no understatement to say that our Year 9s started the year with a roar, showing up in large numbers for Summer Sport Trials, and proving themselves to be capable in different sporting arenas from the pool to the court, the field to the athletic track. Their enthusiasm for all the joy that sport brings has been infectious! Our coaches continue to be the foundation of the quality sporting programme that we offer. Investing in our coaches allows our students to be exposed to experienced coaches who assist them with the skills, mentoring and development that they need to achieve their sporting goals. We are fortunate to have retained key coaches in the majority of sporting codes and have also added to our coaching team with new appointments, including the addition of experienced coaches working with our Yr7/8 students. Our programme at Rangi continues to offer opportunities for the girls to flourish as athletes but equally, if not more importantly, as people. Mental Performance coaching has established itself as a key component of the sports programme, with Ms Paula Rule available for individuals and

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teams who may benefit from focusing on improving their performance by learning to control their minds efficiently and consistently. The focus of Paula’s work with individuals has extended this year to support those ‘workhorses’ within teams – not just the stars or those on a national pathway, but those players who continue to do the grind every day of every week to make a significant contribution to their team. The identification of these students, and the support they have been provided, hopefully allows them to grow in their roles both within teams, and in their own sporting endeavours. Our Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ross Kennedy, continues to work with over 100 students on a weekly basis, assisting them to be stronger and fitter to take on the demands of their sport. However, while the girls might view their S&C sessions to be about being fitter, the true value of Ross’ work with our girls is reflected in the reduced injury rate, particularly significant knee injuries. Ross’ ‘Now We Work’ mantra is about teaching the girls that success comes with hard work. If you put the Mahi in, you will get the treats – whatever you may define those to be! In the past few years, Wellness Monitoring has become another key element to what we offer in the Rangi Ruru sport programme. This year we are utilising a new platform – KOMODO – to help us monitor how our sportswomen are doing. The concept of wellness monitoring has unquestionably had a positive impact on our sports programme. It provides opportunities for our sports staff to initiate conversations with students who are negotiating the study/school/ sport/life balance on a weekly and sometimes daily basis – acknowledging that for our girls to flourish as people,

we need to understand what else is happening in their life outside of sport. With the winter sports season now completed, our teams had many fantastic results at Winter Tournament Week. This year over 70 girls, across five teams competed against their peers for the honour of being the best in their region or in New Zealand. Tournaments provide a wonderful opportunity for girls to grow in self-control, persistence, positivity and resilience through being tested both physically and mentally. The experiences the girls gain from attending tournament helps them to become better players, role models and leaders within our school community. Importantly, girls learn how they can push themselves under stressful situations and to collaborate through playing and living with their team mates. While not all our teams will came home with medals or podium finishes, there is no doubting the experiences the girls gained – on and off court - will stay with them for life. Finally, while we finish this article by listing all the successes that Rangi sports teams and individuals have experienced to date, flourishing in sport at Rangi is not only about winning – or even coming second. It’s also about finding your sporting North. What will inspire you to get up in the morning and come to training when it’s dark and cold and you are tired. What joy you will find through participating in weekly sport with your peers or, for many, competing at the highest of levels in sport. What friendships you will make, and memories you will create. We hope that in sport at Rangi, each girl can find their true North and experience a passion for being active, not just during their time at Rangi, but for life. 

SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS TO DATE • NZSS Athletics – three Golds, six Silvers, three Bronzes

• Netball – Yr 9 Team – Junior SISS Tournament – 4th

• Cross Country/Road Race – Yr 9 – Gold in the Canterbury Secondary School Cross Country and Road Race teams events, followed up with a Silver in the 3 and 6 person events at the NZSS Cross Country Championships

• Rowing – four Golds, six Silvers, three Bronzes at Maadi

• SISS Road Cycling Champs – U14 Team Trial – Gold; U17 Individual Road Race – Silver

• NZSS Tennis Champs – Senior team 5th; NZSS Tennis Cup – Yr 9 team 3rd • Waterpolo – 2nd SISS Senior Tournament • Basketball – 3rd SISS Senior Tournament

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Flourishing inside and out HANNAH CLARKSON

HEAD OF WELLBEING

Stepping into the role of Wellbeing Co-ordinator has been an absolute pleasure and I am constantly amazed by the resilience, strength and compassion shown by our girls. We have a strong culture of wellbeing that is developing within the many layers of the school, and a great deal of our new initiatives are being created and driven by the girls. Student voice is imperative for us if we want to develop a programme that will have a positive impact on as many students as possible. This year we have Whanau Time happening every week. This is a chance for each tutor group or year level to focus on specific areas of their wellbeing. It may involve learning about managing stress, decision making or coping with change, lead by our wonderful psychologists. It could be a session where they look at different ways to study for an assessment, a talk about keeping safe online, a discussion with their tutor about relaxation or even a tea party where they can share food and conversation. We have used the experiences of staff and students from the past five years to inform these sessions and believe that we are

delivering important messages at the times when they are most needed. Our Student Leadership Team are very passionate about wellbeing and this has been clear from the beginning of the year when they decided upon the theme of Flourish. This speaks volumes. Girls and staff see wellbeing as key, we all want the very best for each other and we know that a flourishing student will eventually leave Rangi and experience success in all areas of her life. Sam Summerfield is our Leader of Wellbeing for 2019, and her Wellbeing Council is trying to dig deeper into the areas in which our students might need more help. They have created a wonderful survey which will go out to all students this year to analyse areas that may be currently overlooked. The best judges of whether our current programme is having a positive impact are our students and we are looking forward to analysing the results. Our aim is to have the programme grow and develop along with the needs and the hopes of our students and, as we head into the future, we will continue to offer the experiences and learning around wellbeing that will allow our students to flourish. ď Ž

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Pastoral Care Rangi Style STEPHANIE BARNETT DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

We say “We Know Girls” and we promise that at Rangi Ruru, girls will be “inspired, challenged and empowered within a community that knows and cares about her”. To do this we ensure we have the right people and systems in place. We want our girls to flourish, and so we take an holistic approach to pastoral care which embodies the Hauora philosophy of health and wellbeing – the Physical, Mental & Emotional, Spiritual and Social dimensions. Highly effective Pastoral Care relies on great people and teamwork. Collaborative leadership is provided by the Care & Development Network, a group of teams who provide access to on-site specialist knowledge and care, and offer choice to students through their services and programmes. The Pastoral Care Team consists of Tutors, Year Level Deans, the International Dean, Boarding staff, School Nurses, School Psychologists, the Chaplain, the Pathways and Careers Strategist (Crimson), the Health Coordinator and the Wellbeing & Digital Engagement Coordinator who all provide education, direction and support for both staff and students. Supporting these people and the girls are the Learning Centre team; Health

and Global Living teams; the Student Development & Leadership team who coordinate a range of programmes to achieve both vision and cohesion across the whole school. These include leadership and development opportunities such as Community Service, Exchanges, Service and Discovery trips, Peer Support and Duke of Edinburgh/Hillary Awards. All of these people provide a sense of connectedness to school and to others through positive learning experiences and good health. They create a space and a place where girls feel they belong: for some this happens quickly, while for others it can be more of a struggle. Supporting the people is the process. Affiliation and a sense of whānau are provided by: • Years 7&8 – Dean and Specialist Tutors • Years 9–13 – Deans and Tutors remain with the Year level for 5 years • 6 Clans – a vertical grouping with familial links • Clubs, Teams, Groups – both social and competitive and across year levels • Chapel Services and Assemblies • Camps, Education Outside the Classroom, Overseas Exchanges

• Coaching; the SOAR programme which provides a support network for outstanding athletes; the STELLAR programme which supports talented musicians; the HPL programme which provides mentoring and caters to those girls recognised as High-Performance Learners; the PDP process which ensures every student has an annual Personal Development Plan which establishes her goals and promotes balance and development in all aspects of school life • The Boarding House which provides a Mentoring programme involving Years 12 and 13 students, a Big Sister programme in Year 10 and a Buddy System. These processes and programmes mean the girls are known academically and socially, their strengths and areas for development are identified and their wellbeing is at the forefront. Rangi Ruru maintains a strong focus on being in partnership with parents and caregivers, and on Service as giving to, and working in the interests of others enhances the wellbeing of all. We are proud of our provision of pastoral care but are also aware that we need to keep researching and evolving so that our girls can flourish and thrive in an unpredictable and rapidly changing world. 

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130 years of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School CONTRIBUTORS – JOHNANN WILLIAMS, SIAN FREMAUX, VARIOUS ARCHIVED SOURCES

Rangi Ruru is the oldest independent girls’ school in Christchurch, and it owes its foundation to the hard work of a remarkable family and group of women. The Gibson sisters devoted their lives to the education of the young women in their care. They supported one another and set a model for sisterhood that continues to this day. In 1881 the Gibson sisters won scholarships to Christchurch Girls’ High School, and in time like many other young women who were from ‘good’ but not particularly wealthy families, went on to university. At this time there were few career opportunities outside of teaching for female university graduates. Helen, Alice, Lucy, Ethel, Ruth, and Winifred Gibson, all taught at Rangi Ruru. Mary Gibson, the eldest Gibson sister was to be principal of Christchurch Girls’ High School for 30 years, and Beatrice was Principal at Nelson College for Girls. Their brothers supported the venture with business advice throughout the Gibson Years. Gibson descendants have continued to be part of the school.

By 1923 the school had outgrown the house on Webb Street, and its half-acre of land. In consultation with their brothers, Frederick and Thomas, Helen Gibson and her sisters made the bold decision to purchase Te Koraha for £9,000 when it came up for sale. Ironically, the late owner, Arthur Rhodes had been one of the politicians ‘stoutly opposed to allowing women to vote’. The move to the large house with 4.5 acres of land would allow them to take up to 40 boarders, and at the start of 1924 there were 216 girls on the roll, and increased staff. The fees sat at around 6 guineas a term for seniors. The classrooms from Webb street were hauled in to supplement the classroom space. The stables were converted to classrooms. Finally there was enough space for Hockey and other games. In 1925 Netball was introduced to the school, and tennis took on new life. The first school magazine was produced.

By 1889 all the town sections had been sold and large homes were being built beyond the city centre. The Gibson family was living in Arawa House on Papanui Road, where Selwyn House is now, and it was there that the school opened in May 1889 with 18 pupils.

In 1938 after nearly 50 years as Principal, Helen Gibson died suddenly. Her sister, Miss Ethel took over. Although Ethel might have hoped to retire, the Second World War intervened, and she was to continue as Principal until May 1946 when the Christchurch Presbytery took over the school, and after 57 years as a family run school, one unique chapter closed and a new chapter in the school’s life began.

The venture looked set to succeed and very soon the Gibson family bought land on the south-east corner of Webb Street and Papanui Road. There they built a large house with two schoolrooms and bedrooms for boarders. While the house was being built, Paora Taki of Rapaki, who had known Captain Gibson in the family’s Lyttelton days, gifted the house the name Rangi-ruru, or Wide sky-shelter.

Over the next 73 years Rangi Ruru would grow and undergo many changes. There would be more students and staff. Buildings would come and go, the site would expand and the curriculum would broaden; new sports would be introduced, and Music and Drama would become special features of school life. Now, in 2019, the school has been largely rebuilt around Te Koraha, and

education for girls is very different from the way it was in the closing years of the 19th century when a very young Helen Gibson took on a bold new venture. But the foundations were strong and the core values have remained: the commitment to girls’ education, supporting students to fulfil their potential and to step out confidently into the world, the strong sense of community, and care for others.

130TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION To celebrate 130 years of Rangi Ruru, we hosted our Winter Warmer celebration. It was so wonderful to see so many members of our community come together for a great evening of entertainment and dancing. A birthday wouldn’t be a celebration without a cake, and our Principal Dr Sandra Hastie and Board Chair Nicky Carter kicked off the night by cutting our special 130th Birthday Cake, which was enjoyed by all later in the evening. Singapore airlines also generously donated return flights to London for one of our lucky attendees which was a great end to a fun filled night. Happy Birthday, Rangi! Here’s to the next 130 years. 

IT WAS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE SO MANY MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER FOR A GREAT EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT AND DANCING.

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Change Makers – Trail Blazers ROSETTA BROWN

HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY

Ma tini ma mano ka rapa te whai By many, by thousands, the work will be accomplished. Many hands make light work. Unity is strength. This Mãori whakatauki reminds us of our strength in uniting and sharing responsibilities. We believe young people are capable of driving positive change when we work together. As students, we are passionate about our Sustainability projects and believe they need to be led by us, from start to finish, in order to maximise deep learning opportunities. Our Director of Sustainability and staff mentors step aside and empower students to take full charge. To establish new initiatives students undertake thorough research and investigation, develop proposals, peer critique, seek funding and approval, present plans, meet with suppliers and plan implementation. Students are involved in all aspects of projects, allowing us to gain a range of important skills including management and leadership.

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Leadership opportunities create a sense of wellbeing and increase engagement and ownership of projects. As students we believe that with determination and persistence, schools can lead the way in helping to meet government greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to ensure New Zealand is carbon neutral by 2050. In May, Year 12 student, Sophie Pye coordinated a group of fifty Rangi students on the Mother of All Clean Ups, collecting rubbish from around Kerr’s Reach. In June, Addison Drake won the Art Award for her poster on deforestation in the Christchurch Speaking for the Planet competition, and the Sustainability Council organised a Green Market selling second hand clothes, beeswax wraps, vegan food, and Young Enterprise products. This event was popular and raised enough funds for our carbon offsetting, while encouraging waste reduction and reuse. We are proud of our support of Cool Earth, with funds supporting communities to continue to live in

rainforests and protect fauna and flora. To date we have protected an area the size of our school grounds from deforestation. Funds from our extensive Reuse Depot and from Sustainability Council fundraising events go directly to Cool Earth. Through assembly presentations and weekly Intouch newsletter publications, our Sustainability Council promote green tips to help our community make informed decisions about living with less impact on the environment. Our Global Living classes have been developing projects to benefit the wider community and environment. Year 12 Global Living students have established gardens to grow fruit and vegetables for our local Battered Women’s Trust/Women’s Refuge in Merivale. The Sustainability class held a stall at the House and Garden tour and received generous funding from the PTA to establish a glasshouse onsite. This provides an opportunity for the Science Department and Preschool students to use this learning space as a classroom and provide

service in the wider community. All produce will continue to be donated to Women’s Refuge, or used when staff cook at Ronald McDonald House and the City Mission. Through a collaborative project with Christ’s College, we have established a satellite nursery at Rangi growing native plants for the red zone. Students have also given their time on a long term community project regenerating Drayton Reserve. Rangi was very fortunate to have Jane Goodall spend time at our school recently and share her wisdom with us. A key message was to do our bit in our own backyard. She was impressed with Rangi’s sustainability initiatives, especially Meatless Mondays, an effective way to reduce carbon emissions and our impact on the planet. We hosted a forum for youth environmental leaders from across New Zealand in collaboration with the University of Canterbury and the Jane Goodall Foundation. After this event, Dr Jane Goodall planted a ceremonial kowhai tree to celebrate the beginning of Rangi’s Enviroschool journey.

Rangi students have a proven record for delivering results on sustainability projects. This was acknowledged when Rangi became finalists in the NZI Sustainable Business Awards last year. Through creating greater awareness, students and staff continue to develop a broadened understanding of environmental issues. In doing this we are all part of the solution. So why do we, as students, believe so strongly in the need to live sustainably? We know the world needs people who have the capacity to understand and respond wisely to the challenges of creating socially and ecologically sustainable societies. We need people across all walks of life, who are literate in sustainability principles, who can think critically and laterally, who can work together, who can think of systems, cooperative relationships, and make connections. We need people who are prepared to participate and make a difference. Those people are us! 

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A Pathway to Global Opportunities KRISTEN FOX

CAREERS & PATHWAYS STRATEGIST (CRIMSON EDUCATION)

Rangi Ruru has always been an institution steeped in tradition, but with an innovative wild side. Rangi is the first school in New Zealand to adjust their Career programme to match the evolution of the global trends in careers and pathways education. For this, Rangi sought a partnership with Crimson Education. Crimson Education was founded to supercharge students’ ability to get accepted into the world’s most competitive universities. Since 2013, Crimson has helped students around the world to secure 193 Ivy League offers, 57 Oxbridge offers and over USD$67M in scholarships and financial aid. Crimson’s approach is simple, they strive to help students gain admission to the best universities in the world by building personalized and strategic roadmaps based on each student’s academic ambitions through hands-on mentoring and support every step of the way. Rangi Ruru saw the value in that approach; hence the first New Zealand School partnership of its’ kind was born. After 4 years, real success has been documented. This kind of progress has yielded results for students that are unparalleled at other schools. With 100% increase in scholarships, a variety of pathways chosen, and over 50 scholarships across the class of 2018, Rangi is a leading force in careers and pathways education. Starting in Y10, students are introduced to careers and pathways through a formal and required course. This early introduction to careers and tertiary options has made the path less daunting and given students the gift of time. They can explore different options without the pressure of having to make a decision. At 14 years old, students begin generating a holistic plan for their future school years. This

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early start is imperative when it comes to achieving the best results. It only continues from there. With one-on-one support for each student throughout her Senior years, each girl has the opportunity to devise an individualized plan complete with action steps. No two plans look exactly the same, and this is the beauty of it all. Girls are empowered to take control of their futures and make steps towards achieving their own success. Whether it is work, a gap year, or tertiary education, students get to decide their futures. As Rangi Ruru focuses on guiding their students to be their best selves, the achievements of our old girls are nothing to take lightly. Representing the Rangi spirit all over the world from studying Medicine in Pecs University in Hungary to studying Geophysics at Imperial College London, our old girls are succeeding on an international stage. With a range of achievements both domestically and internationally, Rangi’ Ruru’s Old Girls are brilliant. On the domestic stage, Rangi took home 42 scholarships across universities nationwide. One incredible achievement was that four Rangi students from 2018 (Ruby BlakeManson, Lucy Costelloe, Eleanor Lester, and Valerie Xiang) received the University of Otago’s Academic Excellence Scholarship with a value of $140,000 in total– and that is at just one university. These four students were selected based on criteria of their involvement in school and community activities, exemplifying leadership qualities, and achieving NCEA Level 2 endorsed with Excellence. Using the skills they gained during their Rangi experience, these girls were able to achieve at the highest level. On an individual scale, as Rangi Ruru’s Head of School 2018, Emma Cushing continues to crush glass ceilings.

Evident in her actions throughout her school years, Emma is a thought leader. Braided throughout the events she had planned, organized, and executed for the Rangi community, Emma always had a component of fundraising or education of important issues – both on a community, national, and international level. With the spirit of a social entrepreneur, Emma worked diligently to go to great lengths to give back to those around her in any way she could– whether it be time, financial help, or awareness of important issues. This complete focus on making the world a better place was so profoundly refreshing to see – especially in a young woman with big dreams. Many of those big dreams landed Emma on a stage, where she excelled as an actor and speech competitor. With too many productions to count, Emma had taken the roles she was given, and portrayed them in the most beautiful ways. With the utmost ease, Emma performed at extremely high levels, and with candor. After a Rangi career full of achievements both in and outside the classroom, Emma decided to take the leap and apply for New York University. She was offered a coveted placement in New York University’s Tisch School of The Arts. To clarify how incredible an achievement that is, NYU received more than 75,000 admissions applications in 2018, and only accepted the top 19%. The 2018 acceptance was NYU’s most selective and most diverse class in history – and Emma was a part of that. Transforming the traditional school careers model, Rangi Ruru has stepped out of the box, and their students results continue to prove that this uncanny choice was indeed the right one. Between Rangi Ruru’s development of students and Crimson’s global resources, Old Girls will continue to astound the country and world with their achievements. 

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Creating Positive Relationships in Year 7 & 8 SALLY FAIL DEAN

We are all aware of the impact of positive relationships in our lives and the importance of developing the social skills to enhance these relationships. In Year 7 and 8, this is a focus and we aim to create a positive social and learning environment that allows the girls to grow and develop. In Term 1 and 2 this year we have had a focus on belonging, as well as being kind and respectful to others. We have had whole year group sessions with the psychologists learning about “Traffic Light” friendships. Ms Clarkson, our wellbeing coordinator, also ran a session on accepting differences. Once a fortnight we work as a year group or altogether during our Year 7 and 8 Meeting time. This is a specific time for us to put some work into creating and maintaining our relationships. During these times, the girls can partake in Council in their classes where they discuss pertinent issues, work on their wellbeing, or do some activities to help promote a positive and inclusive environment. For example, the Year 7s made “warm fuzzies”, which are notes of positive comments/compliments, for each other and the Year 8s put on an Amazing Race for the Year 7s to celebrate the end of term.

In Y7 & 8 we have created a “no phones” policy. The girls hand them in each morning and sign them in and they are kept safely and securely locked away in my office. At the end of the day, the girls collect their phones and sign them out. A number of girls have stopped bringing phones altogether as they have realised they aren’t as essential as once thought. We introduced it in an attempt to get the girls to interact and connect more and, from that aspect, it is a huge success. We have girls seemingly happier, talking to each other and not spending time on their phones. We also expect girls to be off their computers at intervals and lunchtimes as well as before school unless they are doing work. Overwhelmingly, the majority of girls’ are pleased about the phone policy and have noticed a difference. We, as staff have also noticed a difference and a reduction of friendship issues so we are putting that down to the phone policy too. By changing the phone policy in Year 7 & 8, we have created more time for girls to relate to each other, and work on their communication skills, which is the foundation of positive relationships. 

Venue for Hire The School has an extensive range of venues and spaces for hire by private, community and commercial groups and organisations. They are available to be hired outside of school time, including after school, nights, weekends and during term breaks.

For bookings and enquiries contact Eddie Cropley on 03 9833703, facilities@rangiruru.school.nz or visit www.rangiruru.school.nz/facilities

When the Campus is your Oyster! LINDA SCANLAN

HEAD OF PRESCHOOL

Rangi Ruru Preschool flourishes as part of the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School community and working alongside the ‘big girls’ (as our pre-schoolers’ call them) is an integral part of what makes ‘sharing the joy of childhood’ our key belief, here at Rangi Ruru Preschool. Here at Rangi Ruru Preschool, we believe that small is definitely better. Our daily group size of 30 children means that every child is provided with individualised care, teaching and learning. In addition to our amazing team, we are privileged to be the only service in Christchurch who has a working relationship with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and we have had two teachers experiencing six-month placements with us. This year we were recognised by the Christchurch City Council for our extensive edible garden spaces within the preschool, which are flourishing under the care and dedication of the children. We have well established links with the school and almost every day we can explore and join in with something occurring within our school community. We are extremely fortunate to be able to provide our children with access to the amazing resources of our school, which add transformative depth and complexity to their learning. Our teachers take individual children’s interests and develop them further by working with our colleagues within the school. This means that a large number of activities, resources, and school premises (such as the gym for our Friday perceptual motor programme,

Library - which has the area designed and resourced for the preschool, Science, Music and Drama areas) are available to add complexity to our strong programme. This can provide greater ability to extend a child’s interests, that may not be as readily available in other early childhood services.  We are fortunate to have strong relationships with many teachers within the school, and work with them, particularly our regular sessions with teachers in the Art studios and for Digital Media projects.  This year we have had more opportunities to work alongside the ‘big girls’ on extended learning projects, which has been of benefit to the learning outcomes for both the preschoolers and our Rangi girls – here are just a few: Sharing stories of New Zealand with year 9 Social Studies classes, PE lessons planned and delivered by Year 11 classes, Art classes together, support with our Preschool sports day and annual trike-a-thon, Kapa Haka lessons with the seniors, and daily visits from our big girls undertaking community award work. Involvement in experiences such as these, is possible due to our place within the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School community. These engagements also offer wonderful learning opportunities for the high school students in which to refine and put their own knowledge and skills into action and to provide them with occasions to mentor, coach and communicate in diverse ways. Exciting times are ahead for both our pre-schoolers and our Rangi Ruru Girls. 

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Mentoring in House KYLEIGH LYTH

DIRECTOR OF BOARDING

The Boarding House Mentoring Programme is a significant part of our Pastoral Care and wellbeing in the House. Every Year 13 student has the opportunity to be a mentor to a new junior student coming into the House. The Mentoring Programme goes for 12 weeks and the students meet weekly. Throughout the programme new students learn all the aspects they need to know about boarding. By the end of the programme they are well familiarized with the various routines. A key component to the programme is developing a strong and trusting relationship with each other. It is also a great opportunity for our senior girls to increase their leadership skills and pass on knowledge they have learnt while boarding.

MENTORING PROGRAMME Overview of the project/work being undertaken The Mentoring Programme is for senior students to mentor junior students during their first year in the Boarding House to help establish them into the new environment, build relationships and give them confidence and security.

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Why we undertook this project? There were a few things we wanted to achieve. 1. New Students to the Boarding House are informed of all the different aspects of Boarding through a one on one session, help is provided so new students can settle into the new environment and a trusting relationship is built with a senior student. 2. Senior students given an opportunity of responsibility to lead and mentor. Help develop key skills in communication, empathy and organisation. 3. Create an inclusive culture between seniors and juniors, breaking down barriers, encouraging more interaction and a strong sense of inclusiveness and belonging for all students. Action/steps we took to complete our project We designed a booklet that mentors use for the 13-week programme. Some of the topics covered include: learning about one another, goal setting, peers and relationships, life in the House, reflections, self-management skills, pastoral care time, school values.

Mentors (seniors) meet with their mentee (junior) once a week for the first term. Throughout the rest of the year they have regular ‘check ins’. Any learnings on reflection Each year we have made changes to the Mentoring Booklet, and have taken suggestions from the students and staff to strengthen the programme even more. It is evident that the programme is working and achieving what we designed it for. Outcomes of our project The Mentoring Programme is in its third year at Rangi Ruru Boarding House. There has been a culture shift with more interaction and inclusiveness within all year groups. New students have also settled faster and feel more confident in routines and are happy. We complete surveys annually. Each year the results are improving: In 2018, 98% of the senior students said the Mentoring Programme was hugely beneficial to the Boarding House. 

COMMENTS FROM OUR 2018 SURVEY FROM SENIOR STUDENTS

COMMENTS FROM OUR 2018 SURVEY FROM JUNIOR STUDENTS

‘I think it is good because we get to see the junior girls more often and we get to know more about them’

‘I really like it because it helps me connect with senior students’.

‘I really enjoy having someone to go and check on. It makes me feel good and positive about the boarding house that the juniors have confidence and are comfortable about coming to see you if they have a problem or even just to talk’. ‘I have found it a really good way to connect with the younger girls and make them feel more at home’. ‘Mentoring is great! I hope my buddy feels I have helped! Just time with your buddy talking is the most beneficial thing I think, regardless of the booklet’.

‘Yes, I really like my Year 13 mentor she is super nice and caring and helpful’. ‘It is the best idea and I think it should be carried on because I’ve made a really good relationship with my mentor’. ‘I think the programme is really good as there is always someone you can trust and talk too’. ‘Another person I can go and talk to if I ever need help with something and she is a friend to me’. ‘My mentor has helped me settle in so much and made it so much easier, I love it!’.

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Flourishing through NCEA JULIET COLLINS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL – CURRICULUM

The New Zealand Curriculum is wonderful. It encourages context and cohort tailored learning opportunities and allows us to develop programmes of learning that are a best fit for us. NCEA provides a flexible assessment structure to reflect this content. An NCEA qualification provides a pathway for our students both nationally and internationally, and our girls flourish with this qualification wherever they chose to continue their learning journey. Our students achieve at the highest levels and we remain committed to the pursuit of individual excellence within the framework of NCEA. NCEA changes are imminent. As we have had the current assessment paradigm in place for more than 15 years, we welcome change that reflects the changing nature of learning and the learners. The changes will be phased in over the next three years: those of most relevance for us include limiting the number of assessments, strengthening literacy and numeracy skills. At Rangi Ruru, the move to larger achievement standards will likely result in most subjects using three standards each year. Larger assessments will allow for rich, in-depth learning outcomes to be reflected. In addition, interdisciplinary, integrated programmes that encourage learning

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across subjects remain possible, and in fact, larger achievement standards may encourage this. One of NCEA’s strengths is that it encourages and assesses skills and attributes that are not subject specific – research, analysis, critical thinking, for example. Standardisation, rote learning and regurgitation, hallmarks of previous, and some alternative, assessment systems, do not prepare students for the future, whatever that might be. We need to be mindful of pathways into further education and the workforce that will require capabilities such as creativity and collaboration. Students need opportunities at all levels of school that allow them to practise these. At Rangi Ruru we are experts in NCEA. Focusing on our national examination system we provide expert service through: • Knowing each girl to support her learning and hence her outcomes • Helping each girl find her learning passion and knowing that she will do better if she loves what she does – designing learning opportunities to support the range of passions and individual strengths • Personalisation of learning in both programme design and learning outcomes. We tailor a programme for an individual and for a cohort

• Encouraging girls to strive for Merit and Excellence endorsements that recognise their efforts • A mix of Internal and External modes of assessment that encourage learning to be a habit, not an event • Rewards that are cumulative – it’s not all or nothing on the day • Facilitating outcomes that suit the individual e.g. extending students with optional standards or reducing the number of assessments to suit the individual students • Having high expectations – all will succeed on their own terms; we aim for the best possible outcome that we believe they can achieve • Innovating around traditions. Rangi Ruru has a reputation for high levels of achievement in exam results. What we know is that assessment results follow learning practices that are personal, engaging and empowering. 

2018 NCEA RESULTS We are very proud of the girls’ 2018 NCEA results. The results are a team effort – the teaching and learning within school, the support and encouragement of families and a concerted and sustained effort to achieve personal success from each girl. The school’s statistics, based on the provisional results, indicate that the girls were very successful in their assessments, both internal and external, for 2018. The number of certificates gained with endorsements is wonderful and the girls are to be congratulated for this. Gaining an endorsed certificate is a goal well worth striving for and is available to those who commit themselves to a rigorous programme of study, particularly at the academically uncompromising Level 3.

Rangi Ruru 2018 Achievements

Actual # not achieved

Year 11

NCEA Level 1

99.1%

NCEA Level 2

nil

NCEA Level 1

97.3%

University Entrance

95.5%

Rangi Ruru 2018 Endorsements

Year 12

Year 13

100.0%

Actual # endorsed

Achieved

Merit

Excellence

Total M&E

NCEA Level 1

115

3.4%

36.1%

62%

98.1%

NCEA Level 2

114

12%

39.3%

49.5%

88.8%

NCEA Level 1

111

28.7%

35.7%

37.8%

73.5%

Behind these statistics lie personal achievements for each individual girl, and we acknowledge and celebrate this.

SCHOLARSHIP These examinations test highlevel critical thinking in addition to specific subject knowledge, and we admire the combination of attributes acknowledged in these awards. These results are achieved at two levels, ‘Scholarship’ and ‘Outstanding Performance Scholarship’. From the 2018 Scholarship exams, the girls gained 26 Scholarships including 6 Outstanding Performance Scholarships. Two of these were Year 12 students. Five girls gained three Scholarships each and two gained two each.

Ruby Blake-Manson English, Biology (Outstanding Performance), Statistics (Outstanding Performance)

Mari-Clare McLaughlin Accounting, Economics, Statistics (Outstanding Performance)

Charlotte Corkery Printmaking

Alyssa Robinson Painting, Printmaking (Outstanding Performance)

Abigail Croot English, Spanish, Economics

Danielle Rutter Printmaking

Rose Hadley English

Valerie Xiang English, Chemistry, Music

Molly Halpine Painting

• Ruby Blake-Manson is a recipient of an ‘Outstanding Scholar Award’ of which there are only 46 nationwide ($5000 each year for three years).

Xuran (Gloria) Hu (Y12) Chinese Eugene In English (Outstanding Performance), Music Sarah Lawrence (Y12) English Eleanor Lester English, Biology, Classical Studies (Outstanding Performance)

• Alyssa Robinson is top in New Zealand in Printmaking and receives a ‘Top Subject Scholarship Award, of which there are 34 nationwide ($2000 each year for three years).

Yu (Clare) Liu Statistics

WIDE SKY 2019

UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS 2018 RECIPIENTS Leah Berquist

University of Otago, Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship 2019

Hannah Davies

University of Otago, Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship 2019

Holly Manning

University of Otago, New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

Eva Weir

University of Otago, New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

Maddi Halliday

University of Otago, New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

Sarah Casey

University of Otago, New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

Karishma Singh

University of Otago, Vice-Chancellors Scholarship High Distinction

Valerie Xiang

University of Otago, Academic Excellence Entrance Scholarship

Lucy Costelloe

University of Otago, Academic Excellence Entrance Scholarship

Ellie Lester

University of Otago, Academic Excellence Entrance Scholarship

Ruby Blake-Manson

University of Otago, Academic Excellence Entrance Scholarship

Eugene In

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship with Distinction

Emma Stephens

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship

Kate Boyd

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship

Emilie Aitken

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship

Lucy Simpson

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship

Abbey Heale

University of Otago, Performance Entrance Scholarship

Valerie Xiang

University of Canterbury, Engineering High Achievers

Gabby Dodd-Terrell

University of Canterbury, Business & Law First Year Award for Excellence

Mari-Clare McLaughlin

University of Canterbury, Business & Law First Year Award for Excellence

Ruby Blake-Manson

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Eugene In

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Yuna Chon

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Valerie Xiang

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Ellie Lester

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Mari-Clare McLaughlin

University of Auckland, Top Achievers Scholarship

Molly Halpine

University of Auckland, Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Scholarship

Abby Croot

University of Auckland, Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Scholarship

Gabby Dodd-Terrell

Auckland University of Technology, School Leavers with Academic Excellence

Emma Cushing

Auckland University of Technology, Academic Excellence/Significant Student

Charlotte Gambrill

PwC, Accelerate Programme

Rose Hadley

Central Lakes Trust, School Leavers Tertiary Scholarship

Valerie Xiang

Victoria University of Wellington, Kahotea Scholarship for Outstanding Achievements

Ellie Lester