Term 4, 2025 Week 4

Kia ora koutou,

We’ve had a great start to Term 4, and despite being a teacher down this term, there’s some excellent learning happening right across the school.

This week our teachers have begun assessments to help inform end-of-year reports, which will be available in the final week of term.

Teacher Appreciation Poem – Ridgeview Style

To our Ridgeview teachers, we honour today, For all that you do, in every small way. Each of you shines, in your own special light, Guiding our tamariki, hearts bold and bright.

Lauren Hawkins, our 2IC leader so strong, Creative and caring, where little ones belong. With patience and purpose, she leads every day, Inspiring young minds to learn, laugh, and play.

Paula Al Amundi, with joy in her voice, Sees magic in learning and helps kids rejoice. So positive, passionate—childlike and true, You bring sunshine to everything you do.

Ms Sandy, spectacular and sweet, Can step into any space and make learning complete. With calmness and care, you help all to grow, A Ridgeview treasure, more special than you know.

Terrific Tanya Thorogood, driven and wise. You lift every student to reach for the skies. Your passion for progress, your heart and your flair, Show every child that success is there.

Katrina Hart, so fun and so free, The favourite of many, as bright as can be! Your laughter is catching, your classroom a song, A place where each learner feels safe to belong.

And Mrs Gibbons, so steady and kind, Bringing out brilliance in every mind. With care and commitment that never does cease, You help every child find pride and peace.

So here’s to our teachers—the heart of our school,You nurture with passion, with patience, with cool! We thank you, we see you, and we’re proud to say, You make Ridgeview shine every single day.

Strike Action

On Thursday 23 October, Ridgeview staff took part in a nationwide strike alongside many other schools. We sincerely appreciate the support and understanding from our parents and whānau—we know that this disruption is not always easy for families. This action was about sending a strong message to the Government around the importance of ensuring there is a teacher aide in every classroom, addressing the rate of change currently being implemented in education, and achieving a fair pay rise for teachers and support staff. Your support helps us continue to advocate for the conditions that allow us to provide the best education for our tamariki.

Lily’s Lambs

We were treated to a special visit from Lily Taylor and her family, who brought along their rescue lambs for show and tell. Show and Tell is a fantastic part of our junior school programme, helping students develop strong oral language and questioning skills. This time, however, the excitement spread across the whole school! When Lilly arrived with her lambs, we couldn’t resist stopping by to have a look—and a cuddle. It was a joyful experience for everyone.

Sanders Reserve Trip

Our trip to Sanders Reserve has been rescheduled to Friday 28 November. This new date allows Savannah from the Kai Rākau Project to join us and—fingers crossed—should bring better weather for a wonderful day out! Find out more about the Kai Rakau project here: https://www.sustainableparemoremo.org/our-projects-collaborations/kai-rakau-project

Kapa Haka

On Wednesday, our Kapa Haka rōpū represented Ridgeview beautifully at the Kāhui Ako Kapa Haka Festival at Albany Senior. A huge thank-you to Albany Junior for organising the bus and supporting our students. This performance was an awesome warm-up for our final appearance at the Onepoto Festival on 21 November at Onepoto School—we hope to see lots of whānau there cheering us on. We do need some parents to support with transportation, so please let us know if you are available. 

Halloween

With Halloween this week, some students have asked about dressing up. We ask that students do not wear costumes or bring treats to school. Thank you for helping us keep learning routines calm and focused.

Learning Celebration

We're thrilled to celebrate the incredible writing skills of our young learners in Koru. Our tamariki have been working hard, using their creativity and imagination to craft wonderful stories, express themselves, and showcase their learning through words. It's amazing to see their progress and the joy they find in writing. Ka pai, tamariki mā!

Marion, who has only been with us for a week, has produced a lovely piece about a magical umbrella, showcasing his wonderful imagination. Iris has shown great perseverance in her writing, learning to express the experiments we've been doing in class. Keep up the fantastic work!

Welcoming Jaxon Back to School

Our students were so excited to welcome their friend and leader Jaxon back to school this week! The kindness and empathy within our Ridgeview community really shines through—when one of our students is away, their classmates genuinely notice and care.

Jaxon is currently using a wheelchair and has limited ability to move around the school, but that certainly hasn’t stopped his friends from finding creative and thoughtful ways to include him in play and learning. It’s been wonderful to see such strong examples of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga in action.

Parent Meeting & Student Disco

Next Thursday 6 November at 6 pm, we will hold a Parent Meeting to share our strategic direction and give insight into the new curriculum recently shared with teachers. While parents attend the meeting, we’ll run a Halloween-themed dress-up disco for students in our Koru classroom. There’s no cost for the disco, but students may only attend if their parent is at the meeting.

Athletics Day

On Friday next week, we’ll hold our Athletics Day—a fun-filled day of games, activities, and friendly competition. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours, and whānau are warmly invited to join us and help out on the day.

Ridgeview Animals

We're reaching out to ask for your help in keeping our beloved school animals safe after hours. We have some friendly chickens and a cheeky bunny who call our school home. To ensure their safety, we kindly ask everyone to keep an eye out for any unusual activity around the school grounds. If you notice anything concerning, please let us know. Your support helps keep our furry and feathered friends safe and happy.

Driveway Update

As shared in our earlier email, the school driveway will be concreted next week. Please ensure children do not play around the driveway area after school hours while the concrete sets. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.

Our Updated Website

We’re excited to share our refreshed school website. It’s the best place to find term dates, newsletters, permission slips, and updates. Visit ridgeview.school.nz and bookmark it for quick access.

If you spot anything that needs updating, please let the office know.

Ngā mihi nui,

Cassey Prentice

Principal – Ridgeview School