Nearing the end of Term 3

I love the spring, surrounded by new life.  Daylight savings begins on Sunday and generally, so does the hay-fever season.

Our flag has flown at half mast since news of the death of our Head of State, Her Majesty The Queen.  Whether you are a royalist or not, one can only be inspired by true, humble servant leadership.  At no point did The Queen hide the fact that Jesus Christ was her rock and guide and the fruit of her first allegiance is undeniable.  It is comforting to know our Lord is impartial, He loves and knows you and I as much as he did our Queen.  As decided by our government, all schools will be closed this coming Monday.

​Board of Trustees Elections
The 2022 triennial elections have finished and I wish the thank all of those who stood.  It was a very close race.  I wish to welcome to the BoT Christie Rentoul and James Galloway, I am looking forward to working with you.  We also welcome Mike Ponder back onto the BoT.  Mandy Li and Inus van der Westhuizen were close behind and I thank you both for standing and being willing to offer your service.  
The new Board of Trustees will take office early next term and begin by electing the BoT Chair as per normal.  Please continue to pray for our governance team as we continue to walk the path of careful, Jesus-led stewardship.

Alistair Crawford
As mentioned in last weeks notices, we are privileged to have Alistair join our team on a Monday in the position of student/staff counsellor/support person.  He will be available for students, particularly from Y7-13, and staff as per the the requirement of the Ministry of Education.  Here is a little more about Alistair:

Kia ora.
My name is Alistair Crawford. I am writing this as an introduction to you at Richmond View who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting.  Jacqui (my wife) and I have four children. The youngest two attended Richmond View some years ago. Back then I was a truck driver and had been in the industry from the time I left Marlborough Boys in 1980.  Jacqui and I are members of Connect Church (formally the Blenheim Baptist Community Church) and have both served in the children’s ministry and youth for many years. I recently have stepped down from the children’s ministry but still assist with the youth.

In 2014 I became a qualified counsellor through Bethlehem Tertiary Institution and was capped in 2015. As a teen I failed school cert English and now have a bachelor’s degree in counselling. Two significant things got me through the study and exams.  Faith and Grace.

Since then, I have been in private practice - Barnardo’s, Bread of Life as a counsellor and Women’s Refuge as a co-facilitator in the Wairau Program. I also work at Redwoodtown School as a 24-7 youth-worker.
During the past six years at Redwoodtown School I have learnt a lot about myself and children. There is always more to learn. I like to work with PACE. Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. It’s never just play.  

I enjoy time with my family, motorbikes, Church, books and animals. Quite fond of food too.

​Blessings Alistair Crawford (BCouns) MNZAC

DISCO!
We need help!  The Junior disco is coming up next week (29th September) and the CREW need your help with several different tasks.  Nothing too difficult.  If you are able to help, please contact the RVS Support CREW at [email protected]

Exams
Last week our Year 11 and 12 students had their preliminary exams as part of their preparation for the NCEA exams at the end of the year. I would like to congratulate them on the excellent attitude and effort that they made. We were blessed to have the support of Mrs Aileen Ambler who supervised the exams and it was great to hear that she found our students a pleasure to oversee. 

This time of the year is a good opportunity for you to talk to your son or daughter about how they went in the exams and about the next steps they will take to prepare. It is never too late to get a good programme of revision in place and as always, our teachers are available to help with any questions that come out of this work. As a parent, you can help by providing a quiet space for your son or daughter to revise, that is free of screens and other distractions. Encourage your son or daughter to share their plan with you and then remind them of the benefits that come from quality revision. 

Please reinforce the importance of getting the basic practices of school right - attending on time, being in correct uniform and being prepared to learn.  There are now just under five school weeks (and two weeks of holiday/revision) left for our seniors before they go onto study leave on November 3rd and I wish them all the best as they prepare for these assessments.

Dave Pauling
​Principal