Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora, Hello, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Bula, Hola, Fakaalofa atu, As Salam Alaykom, こんにちは, Hallo, Hoy, હ લ ો, Hē leu, Mauri, न म त, Ola , Chum reap suor, Kumusta, Nihao, Xin chào

It has been a busy few weeks with a lot going on at Riccarton as we fast approach the end of the year. It is great to see the Year 7 and 8 students enjoying their end of year camp at Waipara, and we wish the Year 5 and 6 students well as they head off to Woodend next week.

Parent Survey

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the parent survey. As usual, it has provided some very useful insights and we appreciate the positive feedback about our school. The lucky fifty dollar Westfield Voucher goes to the Aidan Matthew's (R10) family. Please come in to the office to collect your prize. We will be looking over and analysing all  results over the next few weeks. These will help us as we prepare our 2018 Charter and Strategic Plan. We will put a summary of the results in an upcoming newsletter.

Maria Goulter Parental Leave

Next Friday we say farewell to Mrs Goulter who will be taking the remainder of this year and all of next year off on maternity and parental leave, as she is about to have her second baby. We will miss her next year, but would like to wish her and her husband Danny all the very best as they welcome a baby brother or sister for Lachie!

Richie Mo’unga

Last week we had ex-student Richie Mo’unga play his first game for the All Blacks in France! We are all very excited to have a former student as an All Black and Richie spends a lot of time in and around our school, as he has nieces and nephews attending our school and his sister Ma'ilinoa works here as a fabulous teacher aide. To celebrate this occasion, our staff invited Richie’s parents in for a celebratory morning tea, which included a video clip from the man himself! Well done Richie! We are very proud of you.

Chrome Books in Homes

We have been approached by some volunteers from St Vincent de Paul who have been doing great work reconditioning old laptops and turning them into chromebooks. They are making them available for use in family homes. They are being offered free of charge. If you would like to be considered to receive this offer, please leave your name at the office and we will pass on your contact details. We also have contacts that can help you get very cheap data for internet access if you currently have no online access at home.

Enrolments for 2018

We are at that time of year where we are planning ahead for 2018 and need to know how many children are likely to be here next year. Please let us know if your child/children are not coming back to RPS in 2018 ASAP. Please be aware that the last application date for this year for out of zone enrolments for 2018 is coming up as follows;

Application Deadline: Monday 4th December 2017

Ballot Date: Wednesday 6th December 2017

Further information about enrolling at Riccarton can be found via this link. 

Swimming Pool Keys

As normal, we are opening the pool up over the summer for community use. Information about this will come out soon in a separate notice. To run the pool over the summer we need volunteers to open and close the pool and complete tasks associated with the running of the pool. Volunteers get the use of a pool key at a reduced rate. Please pass your name on to the office if you can help with this.

End of Year Prize-giving   

We have our end of year assembly and prize giving, starting at 1pm, on Friday 15th December at the Riccarton High School Hall. This is a formal occasion with a number of invited guests and items. This assembly generally finishes between 2 - 2.30pm. All students return to school following the prizegiving. Please make time to get to this important event.

End of the year dates

As we approach the end of the year it is important that everyone is aware of important events. Please be aware of the following:

Wed 29 November - Fri 1 December

Yr 5/6 Camp - Woodend

Thursday 30 November

Yr 8 Leavers Dinner - Twiggers, 5.30 - 8.45pm

Monday 4 December

BOT Meeting

Thursday 7 December

Yr 8's Farewell Assembly, 1.30pm

Friday 8 December

Honours Wall Assembly, 11.30am

Friday 15 December

Prize-giving - RHS at 1pm

Monday 18 December

Last day of school for Years 1 - 4, 3pm

Tuesday 19 December

Last day of school for Years 5 - 8, 12.30pm

Have a great week, and please support your children to be Respectful, Responsible, Real Learners.

Ngā mihi nui,
Paul Irving
Principal