International Student
Information Booklet
Dear International Student
Thank you for deciding to study at John Paul College. We appreciate this is an
important decision for you and your family. You can be assured that each
international student will gain the highest quality education and pastoral care.
This booklet is designed to help in your decision making, providing useful background
information and specific advice on legal and financial matters.
Our school is ready to help you in any way we can, so please feel free to contact us if
you need any further information or help.
We look forward to welcoming into the school community of John Paul College.
Yours sincerely,
Justin Harper
(Principal)
JOHN PAUL COLLEGE is a co-educational, state integrated
Catholic School.
What does this mean?
Co-educational means both boys and girls are enrolled at our school. A State-
Integrated School means some of the responsibilities of running the school are carried
out by the New Zealand Government and some by the Catholic Church.
A number of staff are of other faiths and backgrounds, however, everyone who is
part of the school is expected to respect and uphold the Catholic values and traditions
which are practiced here.
Even though most of the students have connections to the Catholic Church,
international students from other faiths and backgrounds are also welcomed and
included. The school promotes the Christian virtues of repsect, tolerance, acceptance
and homesty. These virtues are also embraced by the international students and their
families.
JOHN PAUL COLLEGE is a “Catholic School in the Lasallian tradition.’ What does
this mean?
The Lasallian institutions are part of a worldwide educational movement of over 900
schools within which 5300 Brothers and 77,000 Lasallian Partners teach some 875,00
students in 84 countries. It’s an education without borders.
Lasallian education arose from the work of St John Baptist De La Salle and the other
early Brothers. It developed through 300 years of expansion among many cultures,
and forms the core of today’s Lasallian schools and agencies. Lasallian education has
the school as its
setting
, the teacher and the student as its
focus
, and the potential of
education as its
inspiration
.
Elements include faith in the presence of God, quality education, concern for the poor
and social justice, and a respect for all persons within an inclusive community. More
information about the Lasallian educational movement can be accessed on
www.lasallianfoundation.org
John Paul College has a strong Catholic ethos which is manifested in many ways.
There is regular classroom and school prayers, and symbols of faith are clearly evident
throughout the school. There is also a close link with the local parish and its priests
Father Thomas and Father Prakash hold a voluntary weekly mass in the school chapel
for students and teachers which many of our international students attend. Religious
Education is compulsory for all students although it is an optional subject for those
international students of other faiths and backgrounds.
HOW WILL THE SCHOOL SUPPORT YOU ON ARRIVAL?
Arrival
If you arrive from overseas, it is likely that Auckland will be your port of entry.
Your connection to Rotorua will be arranged before arrival and our approved shuttle
John Paul College also has an approved local shuttle service which brings students to
our city. This scenic drive usually takes two and a half hours to complete and you will
be taken directly to your new homestay where your homestay family will meet you. If
you arrive with a family member, different arrangements can be made to suit your
needs.
From the outset, you will be given a home phone number and also the phone numbers
of at least two other staff from John Paul College, whom you can contact if you need
assistance. Support is available 24/7 if required.
Orientation
Your first day (s) at school will be spent with the staff of the International Department.
They will show you around the school, explain your timetable, help you set up a bank
account, buy uniform and books, and introduce you to your teachers and fellow
students. An orientation booklet is also given to you, to help you get started. You will
also be provided with a NZ sim card for your mobile phone. Only once it is clear that
you are ready and prepared to be integrated into the classes, will that step take place.
Change of details
During this orientation period the student’s details, including all the necessary contact
details, are filed. It is essential, and a requirement of the Code of Practice (7.6), that
should any changes occur
with respect to contact details, passport or insurance details,
the school must be immediately notified.
How will the School support you during your stay at John Paul College?
General Support
The International Director (Mr. Aaron Corn) is always available to meet with you to
discuss any issues which might concern. He will also give you his home phone number
so that you can contact him at any time.
Mr Corn will also assist and guide you with any school subject, NCEA, academic and
attendance matters.
The International Homestay Coordinator (Mrs Jo de Loryn) is also available to help
and support you. She arranges your homestay family and will visit you at least twice a
year in your home to ensure you are comfortable and happy. Mrs de Loryn will also
help with visas, enrolments, processing visas and all the administrative requirements.
Mrs de Loryn will inform students of visa expirations, new Offer of Places due and any
paperwork that may need updating.
ESOL tuition is guaranteed through timetabled ESOL classes with a TESOL qualified
teacher, Mr Corn. Should further teacher aide support be required in the mainstream
classes, then this can be arranged at an extra cost.
Intensive English tuition is available for those who wish for this support. This is essential
for those at the beginner/elementary level. John Paul College has a number of tutors
on hand ready to provide this individual or small group tuition, both at school or even
in the home environment.
Service providers who offer interpretation and counselling services can be contacted by
phone if you ever feel you need to explain something in your own language. Friends
of the school, who are resident in Rotorua, have also offered to help where they can.
These include speakers of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Spanish, Thai and
Japanese. Rotorua boasts to have residents from over 40 different national
backgrounds, so it is very likely that someone who speaks your language can be traced.
Senior Management Team
The Principal and his Senior Management Team provide the overall leadership for the
school including the International Programme. They include:
Mr Justin Harper - Principal
Mr Stephen Bloomfield - Deputy Principal (Curriculum)
Mrs Maree Stewart - Deputy Principal (Human Resources)
Mr Matt Czyrek - Deputy Principal (Pastoral)
Mrs Laurelle Tamati - Deputy Principal (Kaihautu Maori)
Finance Department
To help ease your financial management of running your personal school expenses,
our Accounts Department provides a personal school banking service. Parents can
deposit any amount they wish to operate this service. At any time they can request a
statement reflecting school expenses and any money remaining at the end of the
student’s study period is fully refundable. The staff in the School Accounts Office are
there to assist you.
Medical support
Confidential medical advice and support can be arranged through the services of the
School Nurse. Visits to the doctor can also be arranged through these school services,
the homestay parent, the International Director or the Home-stay Coordinator.
Payment for these services must be made at the time of these appointments and then
the medical claims can be organised afterwards. This also includes dental services.
Further support
In addition to the above-mentioned support, international students can make
appointments to meet with our well qualified School Guidance Counsellors and our
School Career Counsellor, if there is a need. The School’s Form Class system ensures
that every day, the international student meets together with their 20-30 class
members for pastoral and administrative purposes. An International Form Class is also
held once every two weeks in the International Department to discuss International
issues.
General School Information
School operating times
All New Zealand schools have four terms of tuition per year, and normally each one is
ten weeks long. Term One usually begins in late January and Term Four ends in late
November for seniors (YRS 11-13) and in early December for juniors (YRS 7-10). There
is a two-week holiday between each term, and a long holiday of about seven weeks
between the end of Term Four and the start of the new school year.
The school calendar for 2024 is as follows:
TERM ONE – Wednesday 31
st
January until Thursday 12th April 2024
TERM TWO - Monday 9th April until Friday 5
th
July 2024
TERM THREE - Monday 22nd July until Friday 27th September 2024
TERM FOUR - Monday 14t
h
October until 12th December 2024.
Seniors finish tuition in mid -November and then prepare for and write their external
NCEA exams.
School lessons take place from Monday to Friday with sport and cultural events
throughout the week, including weekends.
Tuition begins at 8.40 a.m. and there are five one-hour lessons each day. Form classes
meet daily for 15 minutes during each day to deal with administrative and pastoral
issues. The school day starts at 8.40 am and ends at 3.05 pm.
Studying at School
It is expected that when enrolled into the various classes, you attempt all educational
assessments. Only after thorough discussions with you, the teacher, agents and/or
parents will an exemption be made. Even if you attempt the various subject assessments,
you do not have to enrol with NZQA. Comprehensive reports are issued twice a year
and specially designed reports which meet the demands and criteria of certain countries,
can be arranged.
Every endeavour will be made to place international students into the subjects of their
choice. However, this unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. It is sometimes difficult to
place students into their preferred subjects – especially in the middle of the year when
some classes are at their optimum size. However, it is easier to accommodate if choices
are submitted before the academic year begins. Thorough discussions will take place
before placing students into the classes and if combinations don’t work out, the school
is always open to make further changes.
Involvement in school life and community
John Paul College, as well as the Rotorua community, offer a wide range of sport and
cultural activities to participate in. It is strongly encouraged that you enrol in as many
activities as you can, as this will help you make friends and it will without a doubt
ensure that your English will improve. Please take note of all the sporting and cultural
opportunities available in school, by reading the
JPC International Prospectus
.
A wide range of the city’s clubs and activities is listed and explained in the brochure ”
What Rotorua has to offer” and the “Rotorua Activities Directory”. Both these are
available in hardcopy or downloadable on our school website www.jpc.school.nz
A highlight of our school calendar, is the International Food Festival in the second
term. All international students are encouraged to participate and promote their
country in this colourful and vibrant occasion.
School Uniform
The John Paul College uniform defines who we are, and our students, proud of their
school, wear uniform at all times.
JPC believes it is important that students are always dressed correctly and only wear
items on the uniform list.
Juniors (Years 7 - 10) wear a different uniform to the seniors (Years 11 -13) and to
accommodate the seasonal changes, a separate outfit is worn in Summer and in
Winter.
Uniform items need to be clearly named, cleaned, ironed and mended. Full school
uniform is to be worn between College and home, both ways.
During your Orientation of the school, Mrs Carolyn Constable will support you to
acquire your own school uniform. School uniforms can be brought from the School
Uniform shop.
School Houses
John Paul College is organised on a horizontal Year Level system. Students are also
allocated to one of five houses for curricular and co-curricular activities. The House
System is one of the processes by which School Spirit is calculated and maintained
throughout the scholastic year.
The Houses are:
Kanea House – Yellow
McKenna House – Blue
MacKillop House –Green
Rice House – Red
La Salle – Purple
kanea • mckenna • mackillop rice •
lasalle • kanea • mckenna
mackillop • rice • lasalle • kanea
JPC Intranet Agreement, Permission Slip and Privacy Act forms
John Paul College has modern digital equipment and besides the computer
laboratories students are also able to access the School’s Wi Fi through their own
digital devices. There are however strict guidelines when using these gadgets. To be
able to use these computer facilities, all students must sign a contract before they are
given a computer password. This JPC Intranet Agreement can be downloaded on the
school website www.jpc.school.nz.
Permission Slips : JPC students need parental permission for students to partake in
educational activities outside the classroom. International students also need the same
permission granted and so this standard form is used. It is an EOTC form and at the
start of your enrolment this would have been signed. However, it can be found on
the website www.jpc.school.nz under International.
Privacy Act: The same applies to a form relating to private information. Please access
the form on the same above mentioned site – sign and return
FURTHER DETAILED SCHOOL INFORMATION, WILL BE SHARED WITH YOU
DURING YOUR ORIENTATION PROGRAMME.
Homestay
All International Students at John Paul College must stay in a Police-vetted homestay
arranged or approved by the school. This ensures that the home you will be living in
is safe, comfortable and welcoming of international students.
A
Student Homestay Booklet
will be issued to you, and this will contain all the
information related to your accommodation that you will need to know. Of special
importance is that:
• Staying overnight with friends during weeknights is not allowed.
• International students must phone their homestay family if they are going to
be late home or if any plans have changed.
• Permission from the homestay family and the Director of International must
be granted if the student intends to leave the immediate vicinity of Rotorua
and the appropriate form must be filled out and handed in to school at least 2
weeks before the date of intended travel.
Your happiness and well-being in the homestay family is critically important and the
school ensures a high level of service in this regard. Mrs Jo de Loryn is our Homestay
Co-ordinator and she is always available to make sure you are comfortable in your
home. Please find all information relating to the ‘Homestays’ in the Student
Homestay Handbook. This is also available on the website www.jpc.school.nz –
under International.
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
1 School Policies apply to all our domestic and international students.
2 Form Teachers and / or International staff will contact homestay parents in the
event of an unexplained absence.
3 Discipline procedures will be applied in the event of truancy and the student’s
parents / and agents will be notified.
SAFETY AND WELFARE
1 Parents and agents will be directly notified should any serious relationships
develop. Any inappropriate sexual activity is not permitted.
2 There is to be no consumption of alcohol, smoking of any kind including
vaping or e-cigarettes
3 Students are not permitted to purchase, possess or shoot guns of any kind,
including those at gun clubs.
4 Students are prohibited from possessing, purchase or using illegal drugs.
5 Students must abide by the laws of New Zealand.
DRIVING A VEHICLE
1. Any international student at John Paul College may not own or drive any type
of motor vehicle or motor bike - unless the student is learning to drive with a
registered driving instructor, having first obtained written permission from their
parents and the Dean.
2. The only exceptions to this rule are students living with their families here in
New Zealand.
3. Students may not travel in any vehicle driven by any other student unless having
received permission from either the parents or agent, and the school. That
person’s name will be recorded on the school Drivers’ List, which will be
maintained and updated by Mrs Gibbons (D.P).
4 Serious consequences will result from any student who is found in a car
which is driven by a student of the school, and who is not on the Drivers
List, which is kept with the Year 12 & Year 13 Deans.
INDEPENDENT TRAVEL
JPC International Students will not be permitted to travel independently during their
period of study in New Zealand. However, those who are keen to travel, can join
organised tours which cater specifically for international students. Any tours with other
families or adults must be approved by the school.
If there is time after their period of study has been completed and before their visa has
expired, then trips can be organised after school policy procedures have been followed.
Should a student wish to enjoy an overnight visit with a friend in Rotorua, then this
can only take place after both families are comfortable with the arrangements. Students
wishing to visit families and friends away from Rotorua, need to follow the safety
procedures which the International Department has organized.
WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL
International students who wish to withdraw from John Paul College must -
1 Provide written approval from their parents or agent.
2 Complete the school’s leaving form.
3 Give home-stay parents two weeks’ notice if this involves terminating their
home-stay arrangements
