Kia ora koutou,

Kia ora e te whanau. A very warm welcome back to those who are returning to RPS and those who have started with us. We hope you feel welcome and comfortable to come in and chat with us about your child. Our door is open. 

I am thrilled to report to the board this term that our attendance rate went up in term one to 64% of students attending school 90%+. This is compared to 43% in Term 1, 2024.

Thank you for trying to get your child to school everyday! However, we are still some way from the MOE target of 80% and need to keep this as a focus. Here are some reminders for you for this term as we head into winter and illness can interfere with learning progress.  

Our average attendance rates are around 90% but Mondays and Fridays seem to be a problem for us to tackle.

Attendance Matters – Here’s What You Need to Know

Regular school attendance is really important – not just for learning, but for your child’s social and emotional development too. We’re here to support whānau in making sure students are at school and on time as often as possible.

The Law
By law (Education and Training Act 2020), all children aged 6 to 16 must be enrolled and attending school regularly. Parents and caregivers are legally responsible for making sure this happens.

Our Approach
We set annual attendance goals and work closely with students, families, staff and agencies to support good attendance. We also share attendance data with the Ministry of Education, which helps ensure we receive the right staffing and funding.

What We Ask of You
We need your help with a few simple things:

• Let us know as soon as possible if your child is going to be away or late.

• Try to book appointments or family trips outside school hours or during holidays.

• Work with us if there are any concerns about your child’s attendance.

• Make sure your child arrives at school on time and stays for the full day.

Leaving School During the Day
Students must stay at school for the full day unless we have permission from a parent or caregiver. Please contact the office if your child needs to leave early.

Types of Absence
We record all absences using our HERO system:

• Justified absences include things like illness, tangihanga, or a family emergency.

• Unjustified absences include things like taking a holiday during term time without approval.

Planned Time Away?
If you’re planning for your child to be away (e.g. a holiday during term), please contact the principal at least one week beforehand. The principal will consider whether the absence can be approved based on things like the length of time away and how it may affect your child’s learning.

What We Do When a Student is Absent

• Send a text in the morning if we haven’t heard from you

• Call you if there’s no response to the text

• Record the absence in HERO

• Send a letter after three unexplained absences (truancies)

• Arrange a meeting or hui to talk about what’s going on

• Do a follow-up hui or home visit if absences continue

• Refer the case to Attendance Services if there’s still no improvement

We understand that life can be busy and sometimes unpredictable. If there’s something affecting your child’s attendance, please reach out – we’re here to help.

Epro8 Challenge week

This week, the senior classes are getting stuck into EPro8 – a hands-on STEAM challenge that’s all about problem solving, teamwork, and creativity. It’s been awesome seeing everyone work together, building and constructing cool solutions to tricky tasks. We have been constructing a hut, unpacking each step of this build. They are coming along very nicely.