Term 1, Week 1, 2019

He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa - Warm greetings to all!

Welcome to the 2019 school year. We hope you and your families had a restful break, enjoyed the beautiful summer weather we have been having and are ready for the school year to begin.

Road Patrol

We would love your help with road patrol! This can be either a morning shift from 8.30 - 8.50 or an after school shift from 3 - 3.10. If you have any availability during these times please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz and let her know your preferred days and times. The road patrollers have been trained up and the parent job requires supervision of the children while they perform their duties.

Swimming

Swimming starts next week. Please make sure your child brings all the necessary equipment (including a swimming cap and goggles) ready for swimming lessons on the day they are swimming.

Year 1 - 3 swim on Tuesday mornings at Little Makos at Berhampore School.

Year 4 - 5 swim on Wednesday at Little Makos at Berhampore School.

Year 6 - 8 swim at lunchtime on Thursday at the Karori Pool.

We need parents to help our Kotare and Tui swimmers get changed once they have swum. If you are able to help with this please email julie@ridgway.school.nz and let her know. We would really appreciate your help!

Meet the Teachers Picnic Night Thursday 21 February 5.30 - 6.30

We would like to welcome you to join us at our Picnic Night. Please bring a picnic tea to have on the field and take the opportunity to meet all the staff and have an informal chat with your child's teachers.

Ridgway School Fair

We are very excited to be having our school fair on Sunday 24th March 2019 from 11 - 2pm. We have lots of exciting stalls and events guaranteed to fill our tummies and entertain us all. We are looking for volunteers to help us make this the best fair ever. We welcome your ideas and would love you to share these or let us know how you can help on the Ridgway School Fair ideas and volunteering googleform. Also, here is a link to our Save the Date Poster. If you are able to print it out and display it somewhere public that would be great!

Parking - very important safety message!

In the interests of safety please do not park on the yellow lines outside our school. The police are very concerned about families doing this and the potential danger this poses to our children. Please respect the road rules of New Zealand and do not park on the yellow lines, even for a couple of minutes to drop your children off.

Te Reo Extension

We are very happy to offer te reo extension classes run by Pam Clarke. If you are able to support your child at home with their te reo learning and your child would like extension in te reo, please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz and we will sign them up for these lessons.

German

We offer German lessons for both beginners and native German speakers. This is an opt in class with a cost of $40 per term. We have a wonderful German teacher, Nina Koch, who runs these lessons for us. If you would like any more information about this or would like to sign your child up for the term please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz. This will start on Wednesday next week.

Chess

Our chess club has been a big success for over three years now, having at least 30 students involved. There is both a beginners and experienced group to cater for all levels. There is a cost of $25 per term which ensures our club continues and pays for our very talented chess teacher (Mark van der Hoorn). If your child(ren) want to give it a go or continue from last year please complete this form by Friday 15 February.

Netball Year 1-4

Our Future Ferns Netball Year 1-2 and Year 3-4 play this term. All sessions are run at the Evans Bay Intermediate School netball courts in Tacy Street, Kilbirnie on Saturday mornings. There is a cost of $28 per player. Please complete the registration form by Friday 8 February if your child would like to play or click here for more information.

Emergency food bags

These are coming home with your child today. Please pop some food and drink into the labelled bag and return it to school with your child. For more information about Ridgway's emergency procedures follow this link…

Mandarin Language Assistant Homestay

We are looking for a family to host the Mandarin Language Assistant for the year. The family will get $200 a week and need to provide food and board. Please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz if you can help.

Extracurricular School and Community Activities

If your child is interested in learning an instrument at school, playing soccer for Brooklyn Northern United Football Club (BNUFC), or joining an after school chess club please follow the links to our Contacts and Community pages for more information.

Here's to a great year!

Sarah Taylor

Deputy Principal