The House

The life of a boarder - day, school, friends

A School Day in the Life of a Boarder – Day & Night Routine

7.00am	Breakfast available until 8.00am
8.20am	Leave the Boarding House for school
8.30am	School timetable begins
Interval	Collect morning tea and lunch from dining room Mix with friends and classmates
3.30pm (2.30pm Wed)	Afternoon tea in your yearly sit Change out of school uniform
5.45pm – 6.15pm	Dinner is served in the dining room
6.30pm – 8.30pm	Prep (homework and study) Leisure Time
8.30pm	Bedtime for Years 7 & 8
9.00pm	Lights out for Years 7 & 8 Bedtime for Year 9
9.15pm	Lights out for Year 9 Bedtime for Year 10
9.30pm	Lights out for Year 10
9.45pm	Bedtime for Year 11
10.00pm	Bedtime for Year 12

What the Research tells us: Benefits unique to Boarding School

Education takes on a broad meaning at Boarding School
Making choices that matter and taking responsibility for yourself - living on your own isn't always easy. There is, of course, plenty of support from staff and peers. But still, you need to take care of yourself and take responsibility for your own actions to a much greater degree than if you were living at home. While there's definitely structure within the boarding school day, you still need to make choices around how you spend your time, what activities and opportunities to take, and how to create a reasonable balance between work and play. You'll be able to make choices that have a direct impact on the things you learn and the life you lead at Boarding School. For parents: this roughly translates to increased maturity and greater self-responsibility for students.

An environment where trying new things is encouraged. Going to Boarding School means venturing into something unfamiliar. Going to Boarding School, like any new adventure, means taking a risk because you think the reward will be worthwhile. The good news is that everyone else who goes to Boarding School is also taking that risk. You'll be part of a community where the willingness to explore new things is inherent in the student body, and where lots of people will also be trying new things. During Boarding School, you'll repeatedly make ventures into the unknown. You'll meet new types of people, find your place in a new community, learn new skills and subjects, and challenge yourself to a higher academic standard. With every little challenge that Boarding School presents, you learn a little bit more about yourself and become a little bit more comfortable with yourself. For parents: this means that students often experience a lot of personal growth, increase their confidence, and have excellent preparation for university.

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Having a lot of fun and forming intense friendships. Boarding School can also be a lot of fun. Imagine living in a house with a bunch of your best friends. It's common in Boarding School for your dorm mates to become your closest friends and support network. There are often a lot of late-night bonding sessions and dorm life antics. The friendships that you make in this environment will be ones you will probably remember for life.

Having a wide range of friends. Boarding Schools actively aim to enrol students from a range of backgrounds. Rangi students come from all over the country and overseas. You will be exposed to a relatively wide range of individuals and cultures.

Having staff as friends and having them regularly available. House staff know each girl well in their many roles - as friend, organiser, nurse, counsellor, tutor, disciplinarian. Relationships with adults thrive in these multiple settings, creating learning and mentorship opportunities that are hard to find in other environments.

Being part of a community of boarders. Boarding School alumni are generally very enthusiastic and proud of their boarding school. The traditions and shared history shapes the character of the school, and influences each student goes there. The shared experience of this tradition and history creates a strong network of people and a feeling of community that lasts for life.

Adapted from “Boarding School Review” research http://www.boardingschoolreview.com

The House & House Life

Te Whare Aroha O Rangi Ruru house2006
In 2002, Rangi closed the original Te Koraha Boarding House and opened a purpose-built boarding facility, Te Whare Aroha o Rangi Ruru. The new House provides excellent and very modern facilities to take account of changes in lifestyle and community expectations. Boarders sleep either in the new facility or the attached Moerangi (the older part of the House).

We are very pleased with the new Boarding House. This modern building has remained an incredibly strong and safe place for our boarders throughout 2011. Few schools can say their buildings have been tested in this way.

Moerangi is home to Year 9 and 10 girls who live in four-bed rooms and Year 11 and 12 girls live in the tower blocks in two-bed rooms. Year 13 girls enjoy single rooms in a semi-flatting situation to prepare them for future independence. Year 13 flats have six single bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and laundry facilities.

Year groups have their own “space”, dormitory areas and shared common rooms, enabling good interaction with their peers. There is a Year 7 to 10 common room and a large shared common room for Years 11 and 12. Year 13 girls have their own apartment lounges, and a new Day Lounge has been developed for all the girls to enjoy.

School Facilities

School facilities are available to all boarders. These include: tennis courts, a swimming pool and a sports field. We also provide a gym, fitness centre, art room, music practice rooms, library and computer rooms. These facilities are available by arrangement and are always supervised for younger boarders. pool2009

Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is unavailable at present. On repair this will again be available during the swimming season. Girls swimming must be supervised by a House Tutor or qualified lifesaver. All girls are encouraged to obtain a lifesaving award during their first term at Rangi Ruru.

Piano and Musical Instruments
Pianos are available for music practice in the music practice rooms. The Boarding House has three pianos; these are available for all girls in the House.

Computer Connectivity for Boarders

Boarding students are welcome to use their own personal computer within the Boarding House.

Network points are provided for students within their rooms in Years 11, 12 and 13. A wireless network covers Moerangi - Years 7 to 10. Depending on the location of your daughter’s room, they will need either a wireless or ethernet card installed in their computer.

Once installed they will have:

24/7 access to the Internet (which is filtered against inappropriate material)
Access to their personal email, class conferences, daily notices etc
Access to their personal documents folder on the network*
Access to printers*

The school has a requirement that all computers are checked and configured with the school’s antivirus and spyware software. Also the computers need to be configured to join the school’s network. Setup is free. There are no costs associated with internet or email access through the school network.

*It is strongly recommended that your daughter’s computer is running Windows 2000 or greater or MAC OSX or greater to take full advantage of the connection.