Riverview School - Week 3, 24 October 2025
Amazing Activities
Tumuaki Talk
Kia ora koutou, Greetings to all parents, whānau, students, and staff
Welcome Back:
This week we welcome Vic Phillips back from her study leave. It is wonderful to have her back and being a part of the team building our tamariki. We are also excited to share that Mr Kurt Jefferies will be on study leave next year. Well done, Kurt, we are very proud of you.
Cyber-Safety:
Last night we hosted Mr Rob Cope in the hall to engage 168 whānau in kōrero about internet/device safety. This was a fantastic session with a lot of insight into the challenges and threats in the cyber world.
If you missed it and want to attend, Rob is aiming to be back at KKHS early 2025. Keep an eye out and book for this event.
The cost to have Rob talk is expensive, however, very worthwhile. Thanks to the generosity of a Kerikeri community member, we were able to cover this cost and provide it free of charge. We are very grateful to the member who covered this, and would like to say a very heartfelt and HEARTWISE thank you.
Next year, there will be another event with Rob at the High School. I would highly recommend that all parents attend. It is thought-provoking and has a wide range of strategies to implement to support our children.
Gaga Pit:
You will see another new addition to the school grounds, thanks to the efforts of Room 13. See the information and images below. Well done to all the tamariki in Room 13 and their whānau and school staff who supported this awesome initiative.
Bald Angels:
Last week, the school raised $533 to be donated to the Bald Angels. This event was the initiative of Piper Murdoch and Olivia McDonald. Well done to these tamariki for the mahi, and to all our school for supporting the event. The money donated helps the Bald Angels support whānau and tamariki in need.
Ngāti Rēhia Waka Blessing:
We were honoured to take our Years 5 and 6 tamariki down to Te Ahurea this morning for the blessing of the Ngāti Rēhia waka. This event is one which many tamariki will not witness again. The behaviour of the tamariki was outstanding and really did Riverview School proud.
OSCAR:
As shared last week, the Riverview School Board has decided to relinquish the rights to run an after-school care programme. We will communicate the next steps soon, as KeriKidz will be leasing the facility starting on 24 November.
Attendance:
We recently received our attendance report from the Ministry outlining the number of students with regular attendance at Riverview School. The Ministry has stated that students must attend school 5 days per week for 90% of the time to achieve ‘regular attendance’. Any day away, regardless of the reason, is marked as an absence.
In term 3, just 55% of Riverview School students achieved ‘regular attendance’.
We are well aware that non-attendance can be for many reasons, including illness, attending a tangi, family events, or situations beyond your control. We do not wish to add pressure to any of these situations by insisting that your child attend school, as we know there are times when this is not possible.
We also know that getting children to school every day can be hard work. If this is the situation for you, then please ask us to support you in getting your child to school each day. We are pushing for regular attendance and can provide strong motivation at the school level to help you get your child here every day.
Last week, some emails were sent out to inform and offer support to whānau whose child has been away from school for more than 5 days in a single term. This time may be justified; if that is your child, disregard the email. However, if you do need help with attendance, please get in touch with your child’s class teacher or our deputy principal, JoAnne Morningstar. We aim to improve our attendance and work alongside whānau to do this.
Ngā mihi
Eamonn Kelly
Principal
Gaga Pit
Room 13 have been working hard on planning, designing, and constructing a school Gaga Pit and are very proud of their efforts. Gaga Ball is a dodgeball varient based around our HEARTWISE value of Honesty. Over the next couple of weeks, Room 13 will be teaching other classes how to play so that everyone can enjoy this great game. A special thanks to all those parents who were able to give up their time to help us out. A huge thanks to Waipapa Landscape Supplies for the very generous donation of timber and Matt from Supreme Builders for his expert knowledge.
2026 Term Dates
Term One: Monday 02 February – Thursday 02 April
Term Two: Monday 20 April – Friday 03 July
Term Three: Monday 20 July – Friday 25 September
Term Four: Monday 12 October – Monday 14 December
Standouts of the Week
Congratulations to the following students, who have been nominated by their teacher to receive a Stand Out of the Week certificate over the past few weeks.
Piper Colebrook, Harper Hutcheson, Wilder Kriz, Tom Smith, Kohen Clarke, Lilei Stent, Lani Poutsma, Blake McDowell, Rafe Stott, April Lavakeiaho, Eden Underwood, Benjamin Lan, Ashleen Singh, Remy Scott, Destiny Rogers, Ezra Sutton, Jude Posel, Lucas Marin-Salinas, Peyton George, Maz Michalick, Hugo Ducker, Te Wano Rehu, Brodie Heap, Leroy Bickers, Karli Rutherford, Arlo Lawson, Cruz Flintoff, Dion Smythe, Harper Hutcheson, Leighton Moa, Demi Stougie, Lillie Thistlethwaite, Dion Smythe, Blake Selwyn, Reagan Nikora, Lacey Candy, Millie Wyatt, Cora Gent, Manaia Teu.
Principal's Awards:
Well done to the following tamariki who Mr Kelly recognised for showing the HEARTWISE Values around the School. We are all very proud of you:
Dani Leahy, Leighton Moa, Darren Gwilliam, Miles Jefferies
Policies and Procedures
The school works with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies, which have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.
SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our Board of Trustees has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented. We will advise you when policies are up for review and how you can take part in the review.
We invite you to visit the site at https://riverview.schooldocs.co.nz (note that there's no "www."). Our username is "riverview" and password "heartwise".
The review topic this term for parents and caregivers is:
- Bullying and Harassment
- Behaviour Management
- Searches, Surrender, and Retention of Property
- Minimising Physical Restraint
- Stand-down, Suspension, and Exclusion
- Staff Wellbeing and Safety
Please follow these instructions:
- Visit the website https://riverview.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
- Enter the username (riverview) and password (heartwise).
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
- Read the policy.
- Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type.
- Enter your name (optional).
- Submit your ratings and comments.
If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.
OSCAR
Our after school sessions are having a weekly 'super fun session' over the coming weeks. The first one is next Thursday 16 October for our first LEGO Challenge session. We have a $15 special for your first ever session at our after school programme. See the flyer below. Bookings essential.
Assemblies - Friday at 2.00pm
Term Four - Overview
Lunches - available every Thursday
Scholastic Book Fair - Week 5
This term we will be having our annual Scholastic Book Fair in Week 5. We close the library and set up a lovely selection of books, diaries, and stationery items for the children, yourselves, other family members, and friends to come along, browse and buy. This is a great time to get that Christmas/ birthday shopping started. Wednesday 5 November is 'Parents only night' from 4.00pm to 6.30pm. Thursday 6 and Friday 7 November sales will be available from 3.00pm to 4.30pm and final sales available on Saturday 8 November 10am to 12 noon.
Community Notices
