RMH School Unit
Term one of 2007 saw the opening of Ronald McDonald House School in response to the increase in medium to long-term stays at the House and the lack of access for siblings or patients to the Starship School. In the past we had been able to enroll siblings into local Auckland schools but this became increasingly difficult with local schools becoming full.
The RMH Class Unit is part of Northern Health School with Richard Winder as principal. Marion Nevin is the teacher in charge of the unit with the assistance of her teacher aide Jocelyn Eaddy. The RMH Class Unit begins class in February each year and follows the standard NZ term dates set out by the Ministry of Education.
With our onsite class, siblings and patients staying at the House are able to access the school curriculum from years 1-8. The classroom and computer learning centre are located on the first floor of the House. Students who stay for 5 days or more need to enrol with Marion, the teacher, and it is very helpful to bring along some schoolwork from the student’s own class teacher as a starting point. The RMH Class Unit links with the student’s school to aim for consistency and continuity in their learning programme.
The school runs Monday through to Friday and the school day is divided into a morning session (10am to 12 noon) and afternoon sessions (1.30 to 2.45). The morning programme is based around Literacy and Numeracy. In the afternoons activities are more varied to include art/craft, field trips, yoga and fitness, cooking, computer technology and other topics of interest.
Important Information
- Parents need to pick up their children at the end of the morning session for lunch. The longer break allows sufficient time for a lunch break and possible hospital visit.
- In the unusual circumstance that it is not possible to collect your child at the end of the morning session, arrangements need to be made with our Family Liaison staff.
- It is really helpful to advise the Teacher by 9am if your child will not be attending a school session or will be ‘on leave’ for a day or more.
