Today’s Spirit Day events have been great fun and helped especially our newest learners to get to know other learners in their whānau and to focus on their sense of belonging to the college.
Next week we will hold a series of parent evenings where we invite whānau/parents and caregivers in to meet some of our teachers and hear about various aspects of the school. The year 10 evening will be slightly later in the year and will have a focus on preparation for the CAA examinations.
It was a privilege to support Mr French (who is a parent at our school) and the new principal of Ellesmere College at his mihi whakatau on Tuesday. The Selwyn secondary principals continue to work together for the betterment of all learners in Selwyn.
Enjoy a restful weekend and we look forward to welcoming many parents at the various events across next.
Mauri ora e te whānau,
Rachel Skelton
The flourishing lancewood: Horoeka Haemata
Wondering why our newsletter is called The Lancewood?
The name Horoeka Haemata, gifted by Te Taumutu Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to Rolleston College means flourishing lancewood. The lancewood tree is an important and powerful image that lies at the heart of Rolleston College’s purpose and motivation, and a familiar symbol of Waikirikiri/Selwyn district. It captures the essence of how we define the learning and personal development journey at Rolleston College.
The tree represents education—it starts as a seed, grounds itself firmly in Papatūānuku and with love, care, and guidance it then grows up to take its place on the landscape. The branches reach out and up, always striving to reach Ranginui, therein portraying a desire to reach greater heights. It provides shelter and shade, a home and resting place for our birds and insects, and a source of warmth for our people.
A unique tree that changes dramatically as it matures, its juvenile form changes after 15-20 years to a mature tree. This also represents our learners' journey as they transition from adolescence to adulthood, developing who they are, their identity, accepting challenges and growing through obstacles during their college journey.
Learn more about our story, including the cultural narrative of Tauwharekākaho/Rolleston, on our website.
News
Our school day starts at 9:15am on Wednesdays. This is to facilitate additional professional learning time as we prepare to transition to our new campus in 2026. We will finish at 2:10pm.
The new Wednesday timetable is as follows:
Block 1: 9:15am to 10:15am
Block 2: 10:20am to 11:20am
Interval: 11:20am to 11:40am
Block 3: 11:40am to 12:40pm
Lunch: 12:40pm to 1:10pm
Block 4: 1:10pm to 2:10pm
School bus timetables from Burnham, Weedons and West Melton have been updated accordingly.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday start and finish times will remain the same.
Have your contact details changed?
If any of your information has changed, e.g., address, phone numbers, email, emergency contacts, changes in circumstances, please let our enrolments team know at admin@rollestoncollege.nz.
Rolleston College Parents Facebook group
Have you joined our Facebook group for parents?
Please ensure you answer the membership questions. This is to prevent spam accounts, etc.
