News and Notices
From the Principal
What a wonderful end of Term 2 and start of Term 3 we have had at RidgeView School. It is so cool to be able to do the sporting and other events that make our little school succesful.
We took a team of two to the supercluster cross country and they were amazing. Samuel Baines came second and Ruby Gatfield came sixth which meant that our school came 7th out of eleven schools! How great is that?
Our Year 6s had a wonderful day at AJHS and came home very excited about where they will be going to school next year.
As usual, our disco was a huge success. Thank you so much to all the parents who pitched in to help. We made about $600.
Production 2022
As the term goes on you will be seeing a lot of little animals buzzing around our school. We are presenting The Hare and the Tortoise with our own RidgeView spin. At the moment, our performance nights are Tuesday 27 September, Wednesday 28 September and Thursday 29 September. If for some reason we are not able to perform on these nights, we will do it as soon as possible in Term 4.
Costumes
For the most part, the students will make their own costumes and props. We do ask that every child has plain black pants or leggings and a plain black t-shirt (if you only have a black t-shirt with writing, then turn it inside out) to wear.
Setting up the stage
Are you able to come into school at 3pm on Wednesday 10 September to help us move the pieces of the stage into place? We need to unpack the container in order to reach the stage pieces. This will be dependent on the weather as we cannot do it if it is pouring with rain.
Progress and Achievement
After two really unsettled years, I am really delighted with our overall achievement at school this half year. Our goal is to get 70% of our students At or Above Curriculum Expectations. This includes children with learning difficulties. Our results for the half-year ending June 2022 are:
Reading: 75% At or Above Curriculum Expectations
Writing: 69% At or Above Curriculum Expectations (this is an area of focus especially for boys)
Mathematics: 73% At or Above Curriculum Expectations
Teacher-only Day
We have our teacher-only day on Friday 9 September. School will be closed on this day while the staff does training.
Student-led Conferences
Our student-led conferences will be held on Thursday 8 September. School will close at 1pm on this day. This is an opportunity for our students to share their learning and achievements with you. A booking form will be emailed to you.
Football (Soccer) Tournament
We have been invited to enter two teams (year 3/4 and Year 5/6) into a football tournament on Wednesday 7 September. Our children love playing soccer, so I would really love to make this happen. Is there anyone available to run a session to remind the children of the rules? Also, is there anyone who might have spare kit (shoes, shinpads) that we could borrow for the day?
Tough Guy and Gal Challenge (Mud Run)
Yesterday I took a group of 15 students to the Mud Run in Kumeu. They had a great time and some of the children managed to get covered in mud. It would not be possible for us to take the children to an event like this without the support of parents. So again, thank you to everyone who came along.
Mr Dobson
It is with sadness that I have to announce that Rob Dobson has resigned from RidgeView School in order to care for his wife who has been very ill. Mr D has become something of an instituition around the school and will be missed by all our children and community.
Board Elections
Nominations for anyone wanting to stand in the Board of Trustee elections for RidgeView School close this Sunday 7 August 2022 at 12pm. We meet once a month and it is for a 3 year term. Your job will be to help with the governance of the school.
Masks
The Ministry of Education has asked that all students in Years 4 - 6 wear a mask when inside unless they are doing singing or exercise. Our students have been very good about wearing their masks when asked. We have a supply of child sized masks that they can wear. I will update you as I get new information about this.
Price of pizza
Please note that the price of pizza has increased, so we have increased our price as well. It is now $1.70 per slice.
School Uniform
Please remember that our school uniform consists of plain black pants, shorts, leggings, skorts as well as a uniform shirt and a uniform fleece. If you are needing uniform, but are unable to afford to buy it at the moment, please make contact with me so that I can see what I can sort out.
As we head into the winter months, we ask that ALL children bring a change of clothes. This does not have to be uniform, but children of all ages seem to be attracted to the slippery mud!
We also have a huge number of fleeces in lost property. These are not named so it is very difficult to find the owner. Please come and look if your child has lost his or her fleece.
Paint for our Murals
I am still looking for test pots or leftover paint for our murals - particularly bright or unusual colours. I will happily take your leftovers to use.
New Entrant Enrolments
Are you, or anyone you know, planning on sending your new entrant child to RidgeView School this year (2022) or the beginning of next year (2023)? It would be very helpful for me if you could contact the office and pre-enrol i.e. complete the enrolment forms.
Drink Bottles
We still have a number of children who are not bringing their water bottle to school. Please can you check that they pack it and bring it with them.
Bell Times
School starts at 8.55am and finishes at 3pm. Please could you make sure that your child is on school property by 8.55am as this is when they find out what they need to do for the day.
Yummy Stickers
Just a reminder to collect the Yummy Stickers found on apples and stone fruit. We send them in at the end of September and are then gifted sports equipment such as skipping ropes and balls. You can either collect a sticker collection sheet from the office or download one here.
Old Mobile Phones
Do you have an old phone that you no longer use and would be happy to wipe clean and donate to the school? We are able to connect the phones to our internet and the children can then use them to take photos of their work or use some of the educational apps that are available.
Tying up Long Hair
I am still going to ask that children with long hair keep their hair tied up while at school. Our children climb trees, chains and other things and we have had some whose hair has become tangled up. It is also easier for the children to read and write if they do not have their hair in their face. Finally, nits are a thing and keeping your hair tied up is one way to stop the spread of these little critters.
New Telephone Number
Our new telephone number is 027 593 5963.
Absences
Thank you to everyone who is keeping their children home when they have coughs and colds. I want to acknowledge that this can be really tricky for you, but so far we have managed to spread out the number of children who are ill so that the school has not been overwhelmed.
If your child is going to be away from school, please either email Kalene on office@ridgeview.school.nz or phone and leave a message on the answer phone. We need to follow up every day.