Tawatawa News

14 February 2025

He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa
Bonjour à toutes nos familles

Think like a meteorologist!

This term, we are looking at all things weather related, through our discovery learning ‘Wild Wellington’.  If you have a job that is affected by the weather, or have secret inside information about all things weather related, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with your child’s kaitiaki teacher if you’d be able to come in and talk to the children. 

Designer and author Steve Mushin comes to Ridgway to help students imagine a rewilded Wellington in the year 2050.

Wellington leads the world in urban rewilding. Our iwi-partnered projects like Capital Kiwi, Predator Free and Zealandia are making news around the world. And our pioneering technologies like smart traps and AI bird song monitors are helping us remove predators, learn more about nature, and rewild our hills – faster than most people believe is possible. So what could a future rewilded Te Whanganui a Tara look like?

Imagine streets and suburbs designed for humans AND for kiwi, tūī, kākā and tīeke. Imagine high-tech buildings designed with habitats for ruru, gecko, pekapeka and wētā. Imagine flying to school on an electric flying bike, high above roads rewilded with nikau, rimu and kahikatea. Imagine diving into a restored Waimapihi stream and swimming amongst kōkopu on your way home from work. Wellington will be all of this, and much, much more. But it’s up to us to create it.

Steve Mushin is the author of Ultrawild, an award-winning science book about high tech urban rewilding, or ‘ultrawilding’. He specialises in helping kids and adults imagine transforming cities into habitats for all species. Steve will be running his Ultrawild Design Thinking Workshops with every class at Ridgway School during March and April. Part outrageous brainstorming, part serious science and engineering, students will learn rapid design thinking skills, illustration, futures writing and model making skills. And collaborating as a school-size design team, Ridgway will create a scale model ultrawilded Wellington suburb – then pitch the vision to the local community at a grand exhibition on April 8th.

Rascals: Ridgway After School Care programme

If your child needs after school care, sign up here! 

Upcoming Events

• 17 February - Mihi Whakatau (welcome to all our new children, staff and whānau)

• 7 March - Mid term hui 2.15

• 16 March - Weetbix Tryathlon (sign up here)

• 18 March - Athletics Day at Newtown Park (Please fill out this form if you are able to help out.)

• 8 April - Cross Country

• 11 April - Last day of Term 1