MRI Update – End of Term 2, 30 June

Whakapuāwai – To Thrive

MRI Update, 30 June 2023

End of Term 2, 3pm Friday 30th June

Key Dates for Term 3:
Start of Term 3, Monday 17th July
School closes at 12pm – Tuesday 18th July
Talanoa Ako Learning Conversations – Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th July

Message from the Principal 

Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori, Happy Matariki!

We have had a busy last few weeks with lots of exciting events.

Our students officially welcomed Mr Carl Maskell into the Deputy Principal role with a heartfelt, beautiful Whakatau. We are excited to have Mr Maskell in this role, supporting the work that we are doing.

Congratulations to our Kapa Haka who performed recently for their wider whānau as part of our school Matariki Celebrations. They did a fabulous job after spending the day preparing kai and laying a hāngi. It was a special  event, both as a learning opportunity as well as sharing their talent and passion for te Ao Māori.

Earlier in the day our Whāre Ako Ahūru Mōwai refurbishment was officially opened. This is a learning space for our Māori enhancement programmes, our kapa haka to practice in, hui to take place in and for the wider school to come into to learn about te au Māori. The name of our Whāre ( Ahūru Mōwai ) means to embrace and care for. This is the purpose of this room.  It is inclusive and welcoming where students can find a place of belonging.

A lot of mahi has taken place to capture our school values and Ahūru Mōwai as Māori Art.  This includes designing and creating Kowhaiwhai that are special to our school and roopu. 

Last week we held our annual ‘Art Week’ to celebrate the arts and give our students the opportunity to be immersed in art and creativity. We were excited to have local artist Paul Walsh gift us his time to create two outside murals that students had the opportunity to see being painted, then created a special work as a live event at our Art Exhibition, inspired by a student’s work, ‘X Cat’. 

Mt Roskill Grammar school rounded up our week with an outstanding orchestral performance, showcasing their skills and passion with music.  

Our exhibition of work was fabulous and a great way to celebrate the arts, with every student having art included in the exhibition and highlighting the talent of both our students and staff. Thank you to the families who supported these events.

Congratulations to all of our students this term for their effort and work and to those who have received end of term awards at this afternoon’s assembly.  You will find a list of all the award winners below.

Today you will receive your child’s Report, which will go home with your child. You may need to unearth it from the bottom of their bag!  

You will have been sent information to book in for our Talanoa Ako Learning Conversations taking place the first week of next term (A letter with booking details is attached).  This is a great opportunity to talk through with your child’s teacher, any questions you have about your child’s Report and their progress against their goals. We want to work with you to ensure that your child makes the most progress possible with their learning. 

Next term will be another busy, exciting time!

Early next term is our School Open Days.  This shows prospective families the many and varied opportunities that we have to offer at Mount Roskill Intermediate School and showcasing different curriculum and extra-curricular areas. Enrolments for both in zone and out of zone students are open. If you would like to attend or know of someone who may be interested, please see the attached information for more detail.

Congratulations to our Basketball teams, who competed in the after school Competition.  Both teams have played exceptionally well, with both our ‘A’ team and ‘B’ team each finishing in 3rd place across their grades for the wider Auckland area. Well done! We are proud of your commitment, passion, sportsmanship and hard work. 
A special thanks to our great staff coaches, Mr Whitney, Mrs Hill, Mr Granger. 

Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori, Happy Matariki!
Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the Māori New Year.  For Māori, the appearance of Matariki heralds a time of remembrance, joy and peace. It is a time for communities to come together and celebrate.
In 2023, Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki will be officially celebrated on Friday 14 July. This year it takes place during the holiday period.  Last year was an incredible highlight for all of Aotearoa with Matariki marked for the first time as an official public holiday.

For those celebrating Eid, Salam Alaikum.

Have a safe holiday.  Term 3 will commence on Monday 17th July.

Ka mahuta a Matariki i te pae, ka mahuta ō tātou tūmanako ki te tau
When Matariki rises above the horizon, our aspirations rise to the year ahead.

Ngā mihi nui
Kristen Walsham
Principal – Tumuaki

Congratulations
To all our Term 2, 2023 Award Recipients!
These awards were announced at our Assembly this afternoon.

The Care2 Principal’s Award is awarded to one student per class who embodies our Care2 values consistently and constantly gives 100%.
Well done to the following Students:

The House Colours Award is in recognition of students who consistently demonstrate House Spirit, House Values and House Promotion.  Well done to the following students:

Mt Roskill Intermediate School is now a Schooldocs school.  All of our school policies and procedures can now be accessed online through: https://mri.schooldocs.co.nz

Our username is: mri
Our password is: mris

Each term, we will invite our school community to review the Policies that are up for review.  This term we are reviewing our EOTC (Education Outside The Classroom) policy.  To do this, log in with the details above and click onto the Reviews Tab.

Community Notices

MRGS Open Day message to parents

We are excited to invite you to attend the Mt Roskill Grammar School Open Day on Thursday 20 July from 3.30pm – 7.00pm.

You will meet with the staff who will be supporting your child and find out more about our co-curricular opportunities. You can also take a tour of our school, visit our new Learning Hub, have a closer look at what departments teach and students can try exciting activities in a range of subjects. I will give a presentation at 3.30pm, 4.30pm and 6pm about our school.

Our academies for 2024 include Sports Performance & Performing Arts. We have two advanced learning classes in years 9 and 10 with the remainder mixed ability. Some students in year 10 may be accelerated into NCEA Level 1 Maths and Science, selected from across a range of year 9 classes at the end of year 9.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact admin@mrgs.school.nz

We look forward to meeting you on 20 July and welcoming you to MRGS.

Mr Greg Watson
Principal | Tumuaki

Mt Roskill Grammar School enrolments for 2024 are now open.

All families are invited to apply. Applications can be done online or you are welcome to collect a form at our office. We are open Monday – Friday during term time and in the second week of the school holidays. Out of Zone applications must be in by 4pm, 30 August. We would love for In Zone applications to be submitted by 6 October, if possible, for class placement planning and to support your child’s option selection.

IN ZONE: https://www.mrgs.school.nz/in-zone

OUT OF ZONE: https://www.mrgs.school.nz/out-of-zone

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact admin@mrgs.school.nz or come in to talk with one of our staff

Kind regards,

Karen Collins
Associate Principal
Mount Roskill Grammar School

Public Transport Fares are Changing

From 1 July, children under 13 will travel for free and under 25s will get 50% off their fares. For all others*, public transport fares will return to full price.

*If you are a Community Services card holder, you can still get a 50% discount by applying for the Community Connect concession. 

You can find a full breakdown of the new fares for all ages on AT’s website.

Find out more HERE

Term Dates 2023
Term 2 : Wednesday 26 April – Friday 30 June
Term 3 : Monday 17 July – Friday 22 September
Term 4 : Monday 9 October – Friday 15 December