


			Exit This Story

ROLL GROWTH FOR NEW QUEENSTOWN SCHOOL

Print Page

January, 2010

The long-awaited new Remarkables School, at Frankton, 6kms from Queenstown, opens early next month with at least 70 year 1 and 2 youngsters expected to rock up on opening day.

Principal Debbie Dickson said the roll was growing daily with 10 more children already than was anticipated on opening day, February 4.

A powhiri would greet the 70 year 1 and 2 pupils and their families at a special welcome ceremony on the school's first day, but Mrs Dickson said the official grand opening would not be until August when the whole school was completed.

Blessings had already been held for the early childhood centre attached to the school and the first new classroom block.

The school is accepting students in staged intakes during the next 3 years with Year 7 and 8 students being the last to arrive at the start of 2012.

Board chairman Roy Thompson said the main contractor, Naylor Love had done a tremendous job delivering the first stage of the school on time, as had district council contractors upgrading surrounding streets and footpaths.

Queenstown's first walking school bus would be launched at the new school and council travel demand project manager Rae-Anne Kurucz said parent and grandparent volunteers would be trained to run the new system, which would help ease traffic congestion.
Any retired senior citizens interested in volunteering were also encouraged to contact the school, Ms Rae-Anne Kurucz said.

Meanwhile, other Wakatipu schools are also predicting strong growth with some rolls higher than expected a week out from the first day of the year.

Arrowtown School will open with a roll of between 390 and 395 with an unusually high number of new entrants,16, arriving within the first month, 7 of them on the first day.

St Joseph's School had received 11 new enrolments already and will open with a roll of 154, but principal Trish Inder said. Approval had just come through to increase the school's roll cap of 160 up to 175, which was good news.

Queenstown Primary School principal John Western said he expected to open with about 610 pupils. About 20 year 1 and 2 pupils had left to attend the new Remarkables School but the school, now restructured to take Years 7 and 8, had retained its year 6 students.

Wakatipu High School had received 20 new enrolments during the past 3 days, a bit higher than normal. Principal Lyn Cooper said with the school losing its year 7 and 8 student capacity under the Education Ministry reorganisation, there were no new year 7's this year, but the roll was still higher than she had expected, estimated to open at 796 next week, including 11 international students.