Term 1, Week 1, 2020 (30 January 2020)

He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa - warm greetings to all. Welcome back Ridgway whānau and a warm welcome to all our new families. We hope you had a relaxing break over Christmas and New Year.

First day of school

School starts at 8.55am on Monday 3rd of February. We will be holding a pōwhiri on the first day at 9.30am to welcome all of our new children and their families. All families are invited to stay and join us for this. Those who are new to the school will be part of the manuhiri and be welcomed to our school community. Those who are already part of our school will join the tangata whenua and sit with the rest of the school.

Litter Free Lunch Boxes

We are implementing litter free lunch boxes this year. All children will need to take home the rubbish & left-overs from their lunch boxes, including recyclables and food that has not been eaten. We will, however, have compost bins for things like apple cores, orange peels and banana skins.

Water Only School

This year we are becoming a water only school. Please support us in this by only sending water to school with your child. They can fill up their empty water bottles at school if they run out during the day. Other drinks will be looked after and returned at the end of the day.

Road Patrol

We need some lovely parents to volunteer to help us with road patrol again this year. Any assistance is really appreciated. Please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz if you are able to help. It is either 8.30 - 8.50 in the morning or 3 - 3.10 in the afternoon. The purpose of the role is to support our road patrollers as they keep our children safe when crossing the road.

Coronavirus

Students who may be at high risk of exposure (because they have recently been to China or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with the virus) should delay the start of their school year for 14 days and voluntarily stay away. If you have a particular concern please contact Healthline at 0800 611 116 or your GP for medical advice. As always, if your child is sick then please keep them at home to avoid the spread of illness and help keep us all healthy. Please also remind your child about the importance of hand washing and covering their mouths when sneezing and coughing.

Picnic on the Field and Workshops for Parents

On Tuesday 4th February from 5pm we are having a bring your own picnic on the field. This is an opportunity to chat with other parents and meet and talk to the teachers. While this is happening on the field, we will be running ten minute workshops that you are invited to attend. Your children will be supervised on the field if you wish to attend these workshops.

Please also take this opportunity to share your aspirations for your child this year. There will be sheets of paper up in te wharenui and post it notes for you to contribute your thoughts.

Language opportunities

This year we are again offering opt-in te reo extension classes and German language lessons. Later in the year we will extend our language teaching across the school including other languages such as French and Spanish. Mandarin will carry on across the school this year. The te reo extension group is only for Year 4 -8 and children will need to meet the entrance criteria to be accepted into the class. Most children involved in te reo extension last year have met the criteria already. If you would like your child to be involved in either German or extension te reo then please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz. We would like to start these in the second week of term.

Mandarin Homestay

We are still looking for a homestay for this year's Mandarin Language Assistant. If you are able to help with this please email sarah@ridgway.school.nz.

Waitangi Day

Just a reminder that school is closed on Thursday 6th February for Waitangi Day.

Teacher Only Days

We have the following teacher only days this year: Thursday 9 April , Friday 29 May and Tuesday 27 October. Please note them in your calendar.