Kia ora koutou katoa. Ko Mel toku ingoa, ko Tumuaki o te Kura Teina o Te Kura Nui o Rototuna. My name is Mel Moore and I am privileged to be the Principal of Rototuna Junior High School (RJHS) and one of two Principals here at Te Kura Nui o Rototuna (Rototuna High Schools). I have been an educator now for over 20 years at schools here in Hamilton. I grew up mostly in the North Island, attending Cambridge and Hillcrest High Schools and then the Schools of Science and Education at the University of Waikato. I feel a real sense of responsibility to ensure the education we provide assists in realising the aspirations that whānau hold for their tamariki. This responsibility keeps me motivated and enthused about the challenges of offering our diverse students and whānau groups a high quality education that meets their needs. It is always a pleasure for us to welcome new students to our kura and I am sure it is both an exciting and nervous time for your child and whānau as you look to join the RJHS community.
We are a school that caters specifically for students who are emerging adolescents and our goal is to ensure that they all achieve personal and academic success in their time with us. The information here in our prospectus outlines how we aim to achieve an engaging and authentic learning experience. To us this means that we are trying to connect the learning and experiences each student has with things that are relevant to them as they go through a time in their lives of significant physical, emotional and social change. We want our students and whānau to be closely connected to our school and their learning, we want them to make a difference in our community and we want them to realise their potential, or to ‘soar’.
During your time here as a student or whānau we welcome your involvement and know that the partnership between school and home is a powerful indicator of success, both at school and beyond school. I hope that you look for as many opportunities as possible to make the most of the learning here and to help us create a school that really is an integral part of our community. Challenge yourselves to make the most of what we offer here and in the true spirit of ‘ako’ do your best to offer our school and those around you something of yourself that can make the learning and experiences at our school just that little bit more special.