Riverview School - Term 1, Week 3, 20 February 2025
Around our Kura
Welcome Back BBQ
Peer Mediator Training
Learning
Tumuaki Talk
Greetings to all parents, whānau, students, and staff,
We had another outstanding fortnight at school, with the children happy and energetic and learning a lot. Walking around the classes, talking with the children, and seeing them engaged in their learning are always pleasures. The children are putting a lot of effort into being HEARTWISE and are illustrating positive ways of learning around our Kura.
Peer Mediators:
This week, Mrs. Ayr returned to train the 2025 Peer Mediators. They are an absolutely amazing group that will lead and support our tamariki well.
How Far Will Bo (and Lola) Go?
It is that time of year again, and I am very excited about this year’s 24-hour fun run - How Far Will Bo Go? We have set Friday 07 March as the big day. Tomorrow, the Years 5 and 6s will receive the information and permission forms for How Far Will Bo Go? This is a reminder that our Year 4s will participate in the How Far Will Lola Go? during the day on Friday 07 March.
Attendance:
Attendance is important for more than just learning. Did you know that reduced attendance has been shown to increase:
- schoolwork-related anxiety,
- social and emotional concerns, such as friendships, can decrease a child’s sense of belonging and well-being.
At Riverview School, we aim to build each child's self-confidence and support their learning, social, and emotional needs, enabling them to be the best they can be. Regular attendance helps us build and maintain positive outcomes for learners.
If your child arrives after the first bell at 8.55am, they must come to the office and sign in.
Ministry of Education priorities for all schools:
1. Transition, Attendance, and Engagement
The Ministry of Education mandates improvements in these areas. Parents and caregivers must inform the school when a child is absent and provide the reason for the absence. Emphasis is placed on ensuring students arrive at school on time and are prepared for learning. This goal aligns with the School's Goal of developing 'Connections' for educational success.
2. Literacy
Our Years 4 - 6 teaching team is currently undergoing training in iDeaL Structured Literacy, which covers all aspects of structured literacy, including reading, writing, and phonics. This intensive and focused programme will provide valuable data to support literacy improvement. Our Years 1 - 3 team will continue with our Better Start to Literacy journey, which has successfully raised our juniors' literacy levels over the last three years, and covers all early stages of literacy.
3. Mathematics
As a school, we are utilising the PR1ME learning resource, as we have previously. We have been unpacking the New Zealand Curriculum, assessments and how to deliver effective teaching using the tools we have. Our focus is to create connections with our tamariki, using best teaching practices to impact our tamariki.
Learning Interventions:
We are very fortunate to have two highly skilled staff members who are highly skilled in taking Literacy and Mathematics Learning Interventions.
When do I need to sign in?
If you come to school at any point during the day, other than dropping your child off or collecting them at the start or end of the day, you must sign in at the office. All visitors, whether collecting their child during the day or running late, must also visit the office, sign in, and wear the visitor sticker.
Arrival Times:
We ask that children not be dropped off at school before 8:00 a.m. This is a health and safety matter, and staff are busy preparing for the day and may be unable to supervise your child.
HEARTWISE VALUES:
Our HEARTWISE Values is the foundation of what makes our kura special. Each teacher explicitly teaches these to our tamariki, and we aim always to model them.
Two whakatauki which I feel relate to our HEARTWISE Values are below:
He iti te mokoroa, nāna i kati te kahikatea
The mokoroa (grub) may be small, but it cuts through the Kahikatea
This reflects the fact that small things can have a great impact. It encourages us to think big. Although numbers or resources may be small, like the mokoro, great tasks or achievements are possible.
Whaiwhia te kete mātauranga
Fill the basket of knowledge.
This speaks to the importance of education and knowledge. Be encouraged and fill your kete/baskets with knowledge. This will also fill our collective kete/basket with knowledge about developing the HEARTWISE Culture at our Kura.
Kapa Haka
We started senior Kapa Haka this week with Matua Harry from Ngāti Rēhia. It is great having our kura involved; our tamariki are very excited. We are now planning Kapa Haka for our junior tamariki also.
Ngā mihi
Eamonn
To further develop our HEARTWISE School, we focus on our Connections / Culture / Curriculum for success in learning
This supports our vision of Growing - Discovering - Learning for Life
Years 3 and 4 Swimming Sports
Stand Outs of the Week
Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated over the past two weeks by their teacher to receive a Stand Out of the Week certificate.
Ruby Corbett, Tanner Wycherley, Cruz Howard, Sasha Dixon, Daisy Atkins, Amon Auerbach, Acācia de Oliveira, John Dobbie, Olivia Moffat, Jua van Manen, Onyx Best, William Steel, Gunnar Putt, Zak Harrison, Koa Winkler, Remy Scott, Ayeman Islam, Havana Yakas, Cooper Jonas, Meilah Dryden.
Term One - Overview
Riverview School PTA
OSCAR Assistant
RIVERVIEW SCHOOL OSCAR ASSISTANT
Riverview School OSCAR is a well-established and successful provider of care for primary school children both after school and during the school holidays. We have a part-time position for an OSCAR Assistant beginning February 2025 onwards. Under Ministry of Social Development standards the minimum age for this position is 21. During term time the hours are two afternoons a week (3.00pm to 5.30pm). During the school holidays the hours are 9.00am to 4.00pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. These are our trip days when a second adult is needed to provide extra supervision. The position also includes providing full-time cover for annual holiday leave of the Programme Manager. There could be some room for negotiation regarding the number of hours for the right candidate.
We are seeking a mature, energetic, reliable, resourceful person to join our small team, with good communication skills, who can relate well to children. As a more senior member of the team, being able to direct other members of staff and deal with parents are required skills. Experience working with children, and working in a team are an advantage. Recent first aid training would be a bonus. All OSCAR staff are subject to a Police VET and reference checks are made.
Please email a CV and cover letter, including names of two referees to the Programme Manager Shelley Robinson at oscar@riverview.school.nz. Please feel free to contact the Programme Manger with any questions you may have about the position.
General Information and Reminders:
Cellphones and Smartwatches:
The school policy is that cell phones are not allowed at school for educational purposes and should be left at home. If a child needs to bring one, they must bring it to the office before school starts and pick it up at the end of classes.
The same requirement applies to any “smart watches” with phone or recording capability. The development of this technology is very impressive, but should such expensive devices come to school, they may be misused or damaged, lost, or stolen; we strongly recommend that anything that expensive should not be at school.
Here are some quick notes for you to know about:
- Newsletters: They come home on Thursdays every odd week. We prefer to send them by email, but if you need a paper copy, please let the office know.
- The swimming pool: Each class has several lessons a week, and children will need togs, towels, and a swimming cap.
- Riverview School sunhats: These are required in Term 1 and 4 and can be purchased from the office.
- Drinks for children: We are a water-only school, so please do not send other beverages. Our water fountains all have filtered water. We recommend that children have a named water bottle and refill it from a fountain if needed.
Appointments with staff:
If you would like to meet with a staff member, please take the time to contact the school to make an appointment. Please don't show up and expect to see someone, as this may cause frustration or disappointment for you if they are unavailable. If you need to see the Principal, Deputy Principal or Assistant Principal, please ensure you make an appointment. On arrival, please wait at the front desk; someone will find them for you. Please do not walk directly to their offices.
Assembly: These are generally held bi-weekly. One week is senior school (Rooms 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18), and the other is a junior school assembly (Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10). If you come to the assembly, please do not park in the 'Roundabout' / Pickup bay. Often, parents run late, causing congestion, frustration, and dangerous situations.
Attendance
Throughout 2024, we regularly communicated the importance of regular attendance and the impact it has on learning. Every hour and every day of school counts. Attendance has a strong impact on connection, engagement, learning and, consequently, achievement. This year, we have a goal of having an overall attendance of 90% or more and at least 75% regular attendance for the whole school. (This is regularly attending school/days in a row).
We will again contact whānau/families whose children's attendance is low, whether due to illness, holidays, or unjustified absences.
Parents planning on taking children on holiday during term time must notify the Principal via this email: admin@riverview.school.nz
COMMUNITY CORNER - EVENTS and NEWS
NETBALL 2025
Welcome Back to Our Amazing Volunteers!
As the Kerikeri Netball Centre competition kicks into gear, we’re excited to welcome back all our incredible coaches and umpires! To start the season strong, we’re hosting a series of workshops designed to support and prepare you for the year ahead.
We also want to hear from you! Tell us about your goals for 2025 and how we can support you in achieving them. Please make sure to register for the workshops so we can gather this information in advance and tailor our support accordingly.
Welcome Back to Umpiring Workshop : 6:00pm - 8:00pm 27th February 2025
Click on the links below for more details-
Looking forward to another great season with you all.
Kerikeri Netball Centre Exec Team
