Tawatawa News

21 May 2026

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

A farewell to Pearl

From Pearl:  I am very sad to be making this announcement but I will be leaving Ridgway School at the end of this term. This was an incredibly hard decision to make but don’t fret! I am not just leaving for any old school, I am moving to Hong Kong with my partner to teach. I always knew I wanted to live and work overseas, but that decision became almost impossibly hard when I joined Ridgway School - the best school in the world. I feel so grateful for my time here, and the connections I have made within this wonderful community. When I return (at some point in the future), I will definitely be coming back to Ridgway! To the amazing Kōtare tamariki - I wish you all the very best in your future. You have all been an absolute joy to teach and it has been a privilege to be there with you during such an important transition in your life. Arohanui, noho ora mai rā, ka kite anō au i a koutou - Pearl <3

While we are very sad to farewell Pearl (sniff, sniff), we are very pleased to welcome Demelza Hall back to Te Kura o Tawatawa – Ridgway School. Demelza previously taught with us in 2020 before heading overseas when her husband was posted to China. 

Demelza will teach in Kōtare on Mondays and Tuesdays, with Nathan teaching from Wednesday to Friday. This will provide strong consistency for learners, as Nathan is already the Kōtare team leader and works closely with the team throughout the week. Demelza will be spending time in Kōtare over the rest of the term to get to know the children and be ready to hit the ground running at the start of Term 3. 

I'm sure you will join us in wishing Pearl all the best for the start of her big overseas adventure!

School photos next week

Dig out the hair brush from underneath the couch!  Dust off the three piece suit and ball gown!  It’s photo time! Here is the timetable for the two days. Out of school sibling photos are from 8:30am on Wednesday, and coaches are welcome to join for the sports team photos, starting from 2pm on Thursday. If your child will be in a sports team photo, it'd be great to have them in their Ridgway t-shirt if they have one. 

Year 7 & 8 netball training with the Pulse

Our Year 7 & 8 team were lucky enough to get a training session with some Pulse players this week!

Cancellation of Staff Only Day

We had a Staff Only Day booked in for July 27th this year. We have decided not to take this anymore due to all the school closures we’ve had to have this year (thanks weather).  July 27th will just be a normal school day. 

Learning Conferences and mid-year reports

Your child will get a mid-year report in the last week of this term.  You will be able to talk to the teacher about this report at the learning conferences which will be in the second week of Term 3 (Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th July).  These reports will come out via the app so if you haven’t yet got the app, now would be a great time to get it. Any issues with getting it set up, our IT expert Nicole in the office can help you out!   

Community Conversations - listening to whānau voice

We're resetting our strategic plan for the next three years, and we want to make sure it reflects what matters most to you and your whānau. The world has changed enormously since our last plan and it is important to us that we understand your hopes (and concerns) for your children's future.

Each Board member will reach out to about 6 (randomly selected) families to organise a relaxed 30-minute (ish) conversation. We'll then look for common themes from these chats and send a survey to all whānau to confirm we've heard you correctly and that the themes accurately reflect the whole school community. This approach means we get depth from conversations and breadth from the survey.  The last time we did this we had responses from over 200 people which was fantastic!  

Board members will be in touch by the end of this term if your name has been drawn out of the metaphorical hat and the conversations will then take place at a time that suits you both!   If you don’t hear from anyone but would like to talk to a Board member, please email ridgwaybot@ridgway.school.nz and we will arrange a chat with one of our lovely Board members. 

Preschool Storytime at Tawatawa - Ridgway Library

Upcoming Events:

• 26 May - Southern Zones Cross Country

• 26 May - Raising Resilient Children with Kathryn Berkett at Island Bay School 6.30-8pm

• 27 and 28 May - School Photos

• 1 June - King's Birthday - School closed

• 9 June - Inter Zone Cross Country

• 10 June - Year 7 immunisations

• 10 June - Kapa Haka Festival at WHS 

• 1 July - Matariki Celebration 5.30 - 7pm

• 15 - 18 September Year 7 & 8 Camp Makihika

• Noho marae for Year 5 - 8:  November 25 - 27th