46 Rhodes Street, Merivale, Christchurch 8014
There is nothing more important to a parent than ensuring that their child is nurtured and supported to learn and grow. Rangi Ruru Pre-School knows the importance of a great start for children and values the role parents and the community play to ensure our children flourish.
Rangi Ruru Pre-School is a small not-for-profit, family-oriented, community based education and care centre located in the attractive grounds of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in Merivale, Christchurch. All teaching staff are fully qualified, registered teachers specialising in the care and education of boys & girls aged from 2 years to school entry.
As part of the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School community the children have numerous opportunities, resources and facilities available to them that other centres may not be able to provide. Use of the fully equipped gymnasium, library (with dedicated preschool area), art studios, music suites & the Merivale Lane Theatre, science suites, 3 D and digital media resources, large playing field and artificial turf areas are just a few of the resources that add depth and complexity to what we can offer each child during their learning journey.
Rangi Ruru Pre-School is situated in a spacious and comfortable house, which was remodelled to accommodate up to 30 children and our fully registered teaching staff.
Located in the beautiful grounds of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School means that the Pre-school also has access to the full facilities of the school including library, gymnasium, music & dance suites, dance studio, art studio, 3D and digital technologies, field and artificial turf. No additional cost is required of families for use of the facilities and resources.
Working alongside teachers from the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, we can access resources and teaching expertise to follow your child’s interest.
Our History
Rangi Ruru Pre-School opened in 1989 to provide a community based, high quality care and education programme to children and their families. The Pre-School is a cherished part of the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School family and operated by the school’s Board of Governors.
We pride ourselves on providing respectful and strong relationships, an engaging environment, supporting individual children’s learning and a focus on partnership with families. Our staff ratios and programme provide children with diverse learning pathways and opportunities in small, intimate groups.
Rangi Ruru Preschool has a commitment to high quality practice using up to date educational research and theory as the basis for all we do. We are involved in mentoring trainee teachers, which also includes our unique relationship with two Danish Universities, whose trainee teachers come to us for 6 month placements each year.
Early Childhood Curriculum
Our philosophy embodies the principles, strands and goals of Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum. We recognise the important role parents/whānau play in a child’s education and we seek to complement and build on this. We value parent/whānau input in the daily programme. We also value the input parents have in the decision making process for their child’s care and education. We believe that strong relationships between parents/whānau encourage partnerships in which everyone participates together to promote children’s learning and development.
As a not-for-profit, community based centre, we are supported by and are part of the wider Rangi Ruru community. We value the opportunity to be part of the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School whanau and the access to many social, academic, physical and cultural learning opportunities offered within the environment.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
We recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand, therefore, we are committed to bi-cultural practices within our learning environment. This is acknowledged by the Rangi Ruru values of Manaakitanga, Awhi mai Awhi atu, Whakamana and Ako. We celebrate and respect ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, religious and gender diversity of families within our preschool and all that this diversity brings to the depth of learning which can occur here.
We provide an environment that fosters warm and respectful relationships, where all children are able to develop a sense of belonging and trust knowing they are in a safe and secure environment. The programme allows children time to investigate, explore and discover. Children engage in purposeful activities in a collaborative way with the guidance of their teachers. We foster interests and encourage children to develop and test their theories. Children are encouraged to be creative thinkers and self-motivated learners.
Our Education Programme
We believe children learn best in a small group setting with experienced and qualified teachers.
Our programme can be targeted to really reflect your family’s desires for your child’s learning and care, along with providing more one on one teaching moments than a larger centre may be able to.
Children’s play is meaningful and enables them to continue to grow and develop and extends the child’s understanding and skills, developing a natural curiosity about the world around them.
Teachers assist to structure the physical and emotional environment to support healthy interactions and relationships and provide inviting opportunities for children to actively participate and develop their learning through exploratory play. This occurs individually and within small and large group experiences.
Having access to the amazing resources of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School means that there are many opportunities for complexity and challenges in our learning. We have regular weekly sessions working with faculty members in the art studios, IT Hub for digital media projects, library and PE department to name just a few.
Each child has a learning journal which celebrates their achievements and progress. Parents are invited and encouraged to take an interest and contribute to these books.
In addition to the daily programme we offer optional choices for children to extent their learning. These activities are available for a small additional cost which is charged by the provider.
We could not be happier with our boys’ experiences at Rangi Ruru Pre-school.
It is not just a place where learning is a joy, it is also a place where all children feel valued, included and supported. When we were thinking about what we desired in a pre-school our key priorities were that our children would be cared for, be supported through challenges and have a great deal of fun. In our experience Rangi Ruru Pre-school exceeds expectations on all of those fronts. Our sons have developed close relationships with the teachers and often refer to what they have shared with them. Both have been assisted in building positive friendships and appreciating different opinions. Our eldest son absolutely loved the art-room and through this his particular interests were nurtured and he had an opportunity to be a leader in this skill with other children. Our youngest, craves being outside and his desire to test the boundaries of the slide and the sandpit are encouraged. Our eldest son’s transition to a modern learning environment primary school was seamless as the preschool environment laid the foundations for student driven learning. Our youngest likes preschool so much that he often asks to go on the weekends! Thank you for enriching the lives of our children and for making pre-school a wonderful place for parents as well.
Jenelle and Scott
When we visited Rangi Ruru Pre-school our daughter didn’t want to go home.
She adored the older children who pushed her on the swing and were caring and nice. We noticed a lovely relaxed and happy atmosphere with the teachers guiding the children in exploring their environment, playing, being creative and many more activities. Since that day we feel that we have grown into the Rangi family. We see our daughter developing into a well-rounded child who understands empathy, problem solving, role-play and communication. She also has lots of intriguing excursions into the world of science or practical skills. Rangi Ruru Pre-school has nurtured her curiosity and build up her self-confidence. We are grateful that our daughter has a perfect start to her learning and schooling. We are also grateful that the enthusiastic, knowledgeable and nurturing guidance of the Rangi Ruru Pre-school teaching team will give her the skills to develop into a formidable adult. I can’t praise the Rangi Ruru Pre-school team enough – we love it there!
Julia and Raj
You won’t regret making the decision to enroll your child here.
Our son started at Rangi Ruru when he was just over 2. Having looked into other options, it became clear that not all Early Childhood Centres are equally created and the decision to start him here was easy. The staff are all highly qualified and skilled but it is their love of teaching and caring for little ones that provides the special ‘home away from home’ environment that the children flourish in. All the staff take their time to listen to each child and understand their needs and respond to their interests. No two days are the same. Having the preschool located in the grounds of the secondary school allows for adventures and discoveries to be found in the science and art rooms, the sports fields, the library and the auditoriums where interests are nurtured and developed. These events are underpinned by a gentle rhythm of the daily routine; where the children come together as a family to greet each other, eat and play. Kindness, respect and inclusiveness are key values of the preschool and they are evident in the way the children are communicated to and the way they relate to each other. We will miss our preschool days when our almost 5 year old heads off to school in a few short months. You won’t regret making the decision to enrol your child here – you will gain a loving extended family where you can feel safe in the knowledge that your child is receiving the best support available for their journey into learning.
Stephanie and Aaron
Staff are caring and really want to involve parents and whanau.
Our daughter started recently at Rangi Ruru Preschool and since day one she has asked to go back every day. The staff are caring and really want to involve parents and whanau. Their philosophy of caring for children is the same as ours (RIE based) and is one of the main reasons we chose them.
Laura and Alastair
Access to the high school facilities next door is a real bonus.
Our son Jack loves Rangi Ruru Preschool! He settled in very quickly and really enjoys all the opportunities to be creative, explore his interests and test out his ideas. Access to the high school facilities next door is a real bonus and Jack loves going to the gym for PMP sessions with the high school girls, and dance class.
Victoria and Andrew
