Week 1, Term 2 2025
Principals Message
Nau mai hoki mai ki te Wahanga Tuarua!
Welcome back to Term 2!
We have an exciting and action-packed term ahead that we know will fly by. Coming home this week is a handy fridge magnet with all the important dates for Term 2 to help keep you in the loop.
This term, we farewelled Claire Gibbons as she begins her maternity leave. We’re eagerly awaiting news of baby’s arrival and hope Claire will be able to visit us later in the term. In the meantime, we warmly welcome Ms Paula, who has joined Wāhi Pitau. She’s working hard to learn everyone’s names and understand the unique needs of each student. Ms Paula is a dedicated and capable teacher who is doing her very best—please give her time and support as she settles in.
We are also well underway with the implementation of the new English and Mathematics curriculums across the school. Teachers are aligning their programmes with these updated expectations, and you can expect to see progress reflected in student reports later this term. With raised academic expectations, some shifts in student outcomes are to be expected, but we know our bright sparks are more than capable of rising to the challenge and achieving success.
We’re looking forward to a fantastic term working alongside you all.
Ngā mihi,
Cassey Prentice
Attendance Updates!
Fantastic Attendance Progress – Let’s Keep It Up!
We’re pleased to share that Ridgeview had great results in the latest government attendance survey. Currently, 83% of our students are attending school 90% of the time or more—a strong result that reflects the commitment of our families and whānau. Ka rawe!
This term, we’re focusing on two key attendance goals:
- Reducing lateness – A reminder that school starts promptly at 8.50am. Students should arrive before this time so they have the chance to settle in, connect with friends, and organise their resources for the day. If your child would like breakfast, they need to be at school by 8.30am to join Breakfast Club.
- Minimising unexplained absences – If your child is going to be away, please call, text, or email the school office to let us know the reason. This helps us keep accurate records and support student learning effectively.
Together, let’s keep building strong attendance habits that support success at school. Ngā mihi for your ongoing support!
Colour Fun Run – Let’s Get Fundraising!
We’re thrilled to be hosting a Colour Fun Run this term as our major school fundraiser!
Each child needs to be registered online with their own fundraising page. Simply share the link with friends and whānau on social media—the fundraising is done for you! There are awesome prizes up for grabs based on how much each student raises, so sign your child up today and start sharing!
For students who aren’t able to raise much, we have some amazing sponsors who are kindly helping to top up their totals so everyone who signs up can choose a prize.
💰 So far, we’ve already raised $2000, which is fantastic!🎯 Our first goal was $1500—and since we've already smashed it, students will get to slime one lucky teacher! The teacher will be chosen from the Slime Wheel and slimed at lunchtime on Monday.🎯 The next slime target is $2500, and students will vote on which teacher should be next!
Thank you so much for your continued support in making this event such a fun and successful fundraiser.
Event Details:📅 Thursday 29th May🕘 9:00am📍 Sanders Reserve
Let’s keep the momentum going – we’re nearly at our next goal!
❄️ Winter Night Market – Save the Date!
We’re excited to invite you to our Winter Night Market on:
📅 Wednesday 26th June
🕠 5:30pm – 7:00pm
📍 Ridgeview School
Come along and enjoy a warm, festive evening with whānau and friends. We already have two delicious food trucks confirmed, including:
🍕 Woodfire Pizza
🍦 Gelato Ice Cream & Waffles
All our students will be designing and selling their own unique products as part of this term’s learning—so bring some cash and support their creativity!
Want to host a stall?If you, or someone you know, would like to run a stall at the market, we'd love to hear from you! Stalls are just $10, and spaces are limited.📧 Please email: principal@ridgeview.school.nz to book.
Let’s make it a magical evening!
📚 Homework Club – Volunteers Wanted!
We’re planning to launch a Homework Club on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3.00pm to 4.00pm. This will be a relaxed and supportive space where students can:
- Read with an adult
- Practise their basic facts
- Play fun and educational learning games
To make this a success, we’re looking for volunteers who might be available to help during these sessions. If you enjoy working with children and can spare an hour once or twice a week, we’d love to hear from you!
Tasks may include listening to children read, playing simple learning games, or supporting students with their homework.
📧 If you're interested in volunteering your time, please contact Cassey at casseyp@ridgeview.school.nz.
We’ll share more details soon once everything is confirmed. Thank you for supporting our learners!
Music in Schools - for those that are interesting we have optional music lessons available for students at Ridgeview. We currently have 5 students learning the keyboards. If you are interested in your child learning an instrument, contact the details above.
Community Event
The awesome Phoebe has organised another exciting community event for this term! After the success of our local community picnic last term, which Phoebe also led, we’re thrilled to have another opportunity to connect as a community.
Check out the details on the poster below – we’d love to see you there!
