Rodney College Wellsford New Zealand

Whanaungatanga... a sense of family... while enjoying a Coast to Coast experience

Come to New Zealand exotic culture, stunning landscapes, safe

Come to the Auckland Region beautiful beaches, subtropical, lifestyle

Come to Rodney College for the educational, social and cultural experience of your life

Rodney College

• Is a small college providing excellent opportunities for personalised teaching with first-rate academic outcomes.
• Is a close knit community where our students feel welcome and they make friends easily.
• Has high quality home-stays providing for semi-rural and beachside lifestyles close to Auckland City.
• Is in an area with a subtropical climate, stunning beaches, lakes and countryside and it is a holiday destination for Aucklanders.
• Offers a wide range of academic, sporting and cultural activities; the best way to make friends and to learn English.
• Specialises in surfing, water-sports and equestrian activities.

 
We are a smaller, very friendly school of 350 students, both boys and girls of which we have around 15 international students. Our students know each other and their teachers very well and even though they are placed in their year group classes for their academic studies they frequently come together with a range of year groups for sports and cultural activities. Close friendships and healthy team rivalry is built through frequent school wide sporting, recreational and cultural activities.

Students start their secondary schooling at around 13 years of age in Year 9 and carry on their education up to Year 13 where they then move on to employment or tertiary studies. The students sit NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) exams in Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13. New Zealand students must stay at school until they are 16 years of age.

Rodney College has a range of quality educational facilities with a central library, science laboratories, a new technology block for wood and metal design, fashion, graphics and food technologies. It has computer rooms, dedicated arts, music, horticulture and agriculture faculties as well as a large gymnasium, swimming pool, soccer, hockey, rugby fields and tennis, netball and basketball courts. We have a virtual classroom for distance learning, a school hall for live performances and assemblies, a school marae (Maori meeting house) and our own canteen that sells a range of quality foods for the students.

Many of our students travel to school by bus from all the outlying districts. These buses are free and only for our school students to travel on. The students that live in Wellsford, where our school is located, walk to school. Rodney College is a co-educational secondary school catering for students from Year 9 to year 13. The school services a very widespread coastal, urban, rural and semi rural community.

The Rodney District is part of the Auckland Super City and has a growing population. The east coast has exquisite beaches, safe harbours and is sheltered by many off shore islands, making it perfect for sailing, surfing and water sports. We have a National marine park which is very popular for scuba diving and snorkelling. On the west coast there is the largest harbour in the southern hemisphere, the mighty Kaipara Harbour and here the coastline is famous for its fishing and the vast beaches are popular for land-yacht sailing.

Mangawhai, with its very popular surf beaches and Matakana with its markets, festivals and shopping are tourist destinations and holiday hot spots. The district has many entertainment and sporting facilities with several coastal golf courses. The regions parks, lakes, beaches and forests are popular with campers, trampers, horse riders and bike riders. The beautiful farmlands offer home stay families on farms or lifestyle blocks with many home stays providing facilities and horses for horse riding as part of their Kiwi experience. Most families have a range of animals or pets.

Tourism is a growing industry in the area and we have an exciting, traditional Maori Village at Te Hana with night shows and visits to this classic, authentic village.
Rodney College offers packages to students who wish to learn or improve their skills in sailing, surfing or equestrian show jumping while here in New Zealand with quality instructors as a part of their schooling programme.

For further information on our region see websites:

www.mangawhai.co.nz 

www.tehana.co.nz

www.matakanacoast.com 

www.kaipara.govt.nz


Academic Studies.

Rodney College offers a comprehensive range of subjects at all levels. Junior secondary students study up to 11 subjects per year and they must study English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Physical Education and Health. Year 11 and Year 12 students must select six subjects from a range of options and in Year 11 English, Mathematics and Science is compulsory.

In Year 13 students take only fi ve subjects and use their one study period per day to work independently.
To obtain a pass in NCEA level 1 student need 80 credits at level 1 or above. For a pass at level 2 students need 60 credits at level 2 or above and 20 credits at level 1.

For a level 3 pass the students need 60 credits at level 3 or above and 20 level 2 credits.

Students staying for a school calendar year in senior school are expected to sit NCEA papers at the end of the year. NCEA qualifications are recognised in Europe, USA, Australia, UK, Canada and South America.

For students coming in to the school with little English then without incurring any extra cost, the student can participate in ESOL language classes. The student will be main streamed once their English is at a competent level. They may attend an ESOL class for one or two periods per day within the school, as well as their regular mainstreamed classes.

Rodney College offers Spanish and French languages through to Year 13 with a specialist teacher and the Japanese language can be accessed through Virtual Classroom lessons held in a dedicated E-learning space.

Other specialist subjects that are very popular with our International students are Outdoor Education and Sports Coaching, the Wood technologies, Automotive and Metal technologies, Photography, Farming, Hospitality and Food technologies, Fashion and Design, Visual arts, Music and Digital technologies.

Rodney College does its best to place students in the subjects they choose and at the level of study that meets their needs. Some students work across more than one academic level as a result.

Rodney College achieves academic excellence and attains very high results at a National Level.

We have several school bands varying from jazz, acoustic, to rock bands. The students enjoy playing at several festivals throughout the year and at school performances. Individual tuition is available on a weekly basis with a range of instruments. There is a school choir and there are many opportunities for students to entertain at class and at school wide performances held regularly throughout the year as part of their school activities.

We have a dedicated Maori Performing Arts Group (Kapa Haka) and students travel to regional festivals and perform at school events throughout the year.

The drama department is active and we have a school wide Variety Concert each year that all the students can be involved in if they wish, either as a performer, script writer, stage hand, props or costume designer. We have a specialist drama tutor who runs a lunch time and after school programme which culminates in community performances during the year. The Wellsford community also has a very active Drama Club that several of our students belong to.

We have a very active debating club that competes very successfully in the Auckland region and this team is extremely well coached by our Head of English.

Throughout the year the school has a range of social activities like our school ball and there is much excitement in preparing for this annual event with ballroom dancing lessons, hall decoration and food preparation. We get involved in fundraising for charities, both local and international, like World Vision. These school community activities are a lot of fun and a great way to make new friends.

Sport

Rodney College has an outstanding sporting record and we have a very proactive sports department where students can play very competitive or social sport on a daily basis and can experience many trips way to other schools to compete either during the week or in the weekends.

We have a range of over 30 codes from clay bird shooting to snow skiing. We have very competitive teams in the codes of basketball, tennis, soccer, rugby, squash, rugby 7’s, netball, badminton, triathlon, athletics, cross country running, swimming, touch rugby and surfing.

As well as our school wide sports programme our International students have the opportunity to participate in the Education Plus programme which is runs like an academy. The student can choose to have specialist tuition with very experienced and qualified instructors off site in the sporting codes of Surfing, Sailing and Equestrian Show jumping. Each particular programme has its respective fee and is available at the request of the individual student.

Our sporting facilities include large playing fields, a swimming pool, tennis and netball courts, as well as a gymnasium and rock climbing wall. Students have access to the town’s golf course, squash courts, and tennis courts. Our surf beaches, lake and rivers are used for surfing and kayaking.

Our school prides itself on its achievements at regional, national and in some sports, International level. Sport is probably the quickest and easiest way to make friends and get involved in the life of the school-and to learn English!

Cultural Activities

We have visited the Marine Park at Goat Island, Te Ao o Te Marama, an authentic, traditional Maori Village, Sheep World and Auckland city itself with outings to the Museum, Sky Tower and the waterfront. Each term, we plan a longer three or four day overnight trip as well, where the students get to experience some of the many tourist attractions and adventures our country has to offer. We have been to North Cape via the ancient kauri forests, harbour ferry crossings and the beautiful, 90 Mile Beach. We have swum with wild dolphins in the Bay of Islands, visited the thermal geysers of Rotorua, Hobbit land from Lord of the Rings and even Central Otago in the South Island with its amazing walks and lakes.

We use backpacker accommodation and our school mini-van for transport which significantly reduces costs so our students can experience more for less.

If a senior international student is here at the end of the year and they are not sitting exams, these students can attend our ‘Challenge Week’ activities with our Year 10 students. We provide activities such as surf camps, hiking in the South Island, Safari type outdoor camps and sailing and kayaking to name but a few. These camps are for five days and the student's tuition fees will be able to be used to fund these adventures.

All of these trips are optional for the students and for our long term students, examination and study times are certainly taken into consideration to optimise all the benefits of studying at Rodney College to the best advantage.

Each term we plan one or two day trips to places of interest in our area to give our shorter stay students an opportunity to experience the local environment and its attractions.

Our ‘Kiwi’ Experience Programme

As well Rodney College offers Education Plus which is individualised sporting tuition in sailing, surfing and show-jumping Sailing – students pay $100 for 3 hours of instruction (all equipment provided) with Olympic coach, John Morgan, at Sandspit Yacht Club in the beautiful waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Laser yachts for more advanced sailors.

Optimist yachts for beginners if learning to sail. Crewing available on cruising yachts for evening and weekend sails for more experienced sailors. Lessons can be held each week or as required as part of this programme from February to May and September to January. Students will be taken to the venue and returned to school on the day of instruction. Students experience safe sailing in sheltered waters of many beautiful off shore islands.

Surfing – students can learn to surf with Wayne Glover, one of New Zealand’s most experienced and highly qualified surf coaches and owner of Aotearoa Surf school- based at Mangawhai/Te Arai just 30 minutes from the school. You will be surfing at some of the best surfing beaches in New Zealand. Beaches are safe and well renowned for their quality surf, clear water and clean white sands. Students will be collected from school and delivered back at the end of the school day. Students will
travel to the best of the local surf beaches on days most suitable for instruction, up to one day per week if requested.

Transport, wetsuits, surfboards and up to 4 hour hours coaching are provided. This can be an all round year activity and students will pay just $120.00 per day.

Show-jumping – students will be collected from school and can continue with their dressage or show-jumping competencies with instruction from Michelle and Bruce Wakeling. Bruce has had international show jumping and cross country course building experience at Olympic and World Games events and Michelle rides at a very competitive level in New Zealand. Students need to have some experience with horses and beginner to very competent riders can be catered for on school master to younger “beginning serious competition” horses. Instruction is held in a quality arena and arranged as suits individual needs on a weekly basis over a number of weeks as requested.

Expenses will be $150.00 per lesson and this will be a morning or afternoon activity. A range of quality horses are available with the appropriate tack for each rider and horse. In addition we offer specialist coaching by outside professionals in the sports of tennis, golf and soccer.

Tennis – our specialist tennis coach is Grant van Dalsum. He has been a full time tennis coach since 2008. Several of our students attend his clinics and his weekly coaching sessions. The cost is $50 per hour. He can coach at the local tennis courts, 5 minutes away from the school, at times negotiated by he and his students. Grant has a son in Germany currently who is on a tennis scholarship there.

Golf – our specialist coach for golf is a retired professional golfer, Ted McDougal. He is a Triple AAA coach and he coaches at the local golf club. We have had students compete in national competitions from our local club over the years .Ted can provide golf clubs and all the necessary equipment and he can coach at the given time as requested by the students. Cost is $20 per hour. The golf club is 5 minutes from the school.

Soccer – Jesse van Kekun is an ex professional soccer player and he coaches at the local soccer club and his sole job is running coaching clinics. He can coach after school with the team, or give private lessons . It is $120 for 10 weeks. He coaches the local team who compete at senior level on Tuesdays from 4pm to 5pm. He is also prepared to come to the school soccer fields if requested by the students to coach small groups Our students are able to obtain a quality academic, cultural and sporting programme at Rodney College.

The international student is welcomed in to the family as a fully functioning family member. The student is guaranteed their own room, with a comfortable bed, bedroom storage furniture and a desk. Rodney College home stay families can be at the beachside towns on the east coast, on lifestyle blocks, farms, or in the township of Wellsford or Kaiwaka. If the students are placed outside of Wellsford they will travel to school by bus, which is free each day to and from the college.

Students are only 30 minutes or less to larger suburbs near Auckland and 50 minutes to Whangarei, another city north of Rodney College. It is quite safe for the students to travel on public transport to Auckland city or to other towns in New Zealand.


Throughout the stay, all aspects of accommodation are monitored and there is pastoral care staff and procedures in place should the student need assistance.

All International students are placed in a home stay whose family has been visited and approved by the International Education Department. Careful consideration is taken before placing a student and every endeavour is made to have the best fi t to meet each individual’s needs.

Testimonials

Alois Bartlhuber 14 years – Czech Republic

“ People are so friendly at Rodney College and the families too are so friendly. Everyone accepts you into their life which makes you feel at home. I love being able to choose my own subjects and my International Managers are friendly and like a Mum. We do lots of trips on our ‘Kiwi Experience’ programme to some wonderful places, like the large sand hills at 90 Mile Beach.”


Annalisa Clerici 17 years – Italy

“ While I was at the college, we went on ‘Kiwi Experience’ trips like to the North Cape, Hobbitland and Rotorua. In my Outdoor Class, we went skiing at Turoa. It was really easy to make friends. My host family were really nice people, kind and understanding.”

Inola Hafer 14 years – Germany

“ Rodney College is a very social school and it is really easy to make friends at this school. Some key highlights for me were the haka competition, singing at Variety Concert, acting in the stage performance, and there are many opportunities to show what you can do. I wouldn’t want to ever miss this experience.”

Saki Nakaniwa 17 years – Japan

“ I was the only long term Japanese person in the school and I came with no English to New Zealand and now I can really speak English well. I have lots of New Zealand friends and they make people laugh. Mrs Dempster and Mrs Northin look after us so well. I have made some really cool, lifelong friends, like Ashley, who are going to come to Japan and stay with me.”

Han Young Choi 15 years – Korea

“ Rodney College is one of a kind. It really is a special place. It has many green playing fields and gardens. Everybody is so nice to each other. People are trying to understand what I want to say.”

Seraina Hug 15 years – Switzerland

“ Rodney College is a sporty school with lots of events you can do and trips. People are nice and friendly and help you out if there are any problems. You meet new
people from other countries too.”

Filip Tekelenburg 14 years – Holland

“ Everyone wanted to be my friend and I really enjoyed my classes. Our adventure trips were really fun and we got to see a lot of new places.”


Svenja Thier 15 years – Germany

“ I like the school because it is so small and everyone knows everyone and the teachers know you. It is never boring, you always have something to do. We can have many outdoor adventures – the school really promotes this.”


Gianfranco, Tomas and Juan Ignacio 17 years – Chile

“ We have loved coming to Rodney College. There is so much to do, close to beaches Auckland city and many scenic places. There are many nice people, great teachers and you get to choose your subjects.

Rodney College has lots of sports you can participate in every week with really good coaches.”

Application for Enrolment

Step ONE
Student sends a completed and signed Application for Enrolment as an International Student to Rodney College by Email

Step TWO
Rodney College reviews the application and sends a Conditional Offer of Place/ Invoice and a Tuition Agreement. (If the student is declined, the applicant will be notified in writing.)

Step THREE
After carefully reading all the information provided by Rodney College, the students, the parents complete and sign the Tuition Agreement and return it along with the invoiced fees. The student and parents must keep a copy of the signed Tuition agreement.

Step FOUR
Rodney College then sends a Confirmed Offer of Place to the student, which is kept as a receipt.

Step FIVE
The student applies for a student Visa and then advises Rodney College of the details of the flight he/she will be on.

Step SIX
A member of the International Department of Rodney College will meet the student at the airport and take the student to his/her home stay.

Contact Us

The above mentioned forms can be obtained by emailing bronwyn.dempster@rodneycollege.school.nz or they can be accessed on the school website
www.rodneycollege.school.nz
Application Procedure
Rodney College
International
International College
Bronwyn Dempster
Email bronwyn.dempster@rodneycollege.school.nz

Director of International Education
Rodney College
287 – 319 Rodney Street
Wellsford 0900
New Zealand
Phone +64 9 423 6030 Ext 153
Mobile +64 27 290 9408
Fax +64 9 423 7555

Homestay enquiries
Maria Northin
Email maria.northin@rodneycollege.school.nz
Phone +64 9 423 6030 Ext 148
Mobile +64 27 694 4480

Contact Details
Rodney College
International
Enquiries of a general nature
Email bronwyn.dempster@rodneycollege.school.nz
Phone +64 9 423 6030

Further information
For further information about the school please refer to our
website: www.rodneycollege.school.nz
www.rodneycollege.school.nz