Welcome Back to Term 2

Kia ora koutou,

Term Two, 2022 is upon us and we are looking forward to it.  We begin our term on Monday morning as a whole school in the Auditorium, something we have not done for a very long time.  It will be GREAT to be together again.  There will also be a Principal's assembly in the Auditorium on Friday afternoon at 2:20pm.  Family are welcome to come, please wear a mask inside the foyer and auditorium if you attend.

The Easter and ANZAC period were great times to reflect on the peace we have.  Peace first and foremost in our inner-most being through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Peace like no other, devoid of circumstance and not based on our performance, but His act of love.  
ANZAC then reminds us of the peace we have here in this beautiful region and the cost of this.  The ability to learn, grow and develop without the war and corruption some countries face.

                    'May our mountains ever be, freedom's ramparts on the sea'

Looking forward to a term of learning and growing in gratitude for what we have and what we have yet to attain.


COVID-19
Last term was an incredibly difficult one for many but we thank Jesus for His help through it.  The final five weeks of last term saw 1/3 of our students and close to a half of our staff suffer from COVID-19.  The peak of infections here at RVS was in Weeks 9 & 10, so we feel confident that we have seen the worst for now.  Thank you for your patience, communication and understanding through it.  There are a few changes now relating to COVID at RVS this term.

 - I have removed the COVID information page as most of it is no longer relevant apart from isolation times.  Your family must still isolate if someone contracts COVID in your household.  

 - As mentioned, school-related covid numbers are low compared to last term and our program will resume as close to normal as possible.  We will continue with our cleaning schedule and use sanitiser while the country is at Orange Level.

 - Masks are still recommended by the Ministry of Education.  We encourage their use in classrooms but they are no longer mandatory, apart from in the auditorium for assemblies.  Y5 and up (for those without an exemption) will still need to wear them in the auditorium as will parents who visit until further notice.

 - You are welcome in the classrooms in the mornings as we were used to before Red Level.  Please do not enter if you are unwell, and consider wearing a mask.  We do like parents visiting in the morning but please be gone from the classroom by the morning bell and if you are getting out of your car, do not park in a drop off zone. 

While on the car park, please do not let your children ride scooters or run in the pick up area after school.  We need your help to keep this area safe.

​Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
We are looking forward to meeting and talking with you all over the next two weeks.  You can book these times online and the link was sent via the RVS News email.  Please book in.  These times where we meet are so important for our learning partnership.  

BoT Election
The Chairman of the Board Mr. Mike Ponder and I  wish to congratulate Mr Simon Green to the RVS BoT beginning this term.  Voter turnout for the election was good and all three members who stood received voter support.  We look forward to having Simon work with us as we continue to prayerfully consider the governance of RVS.

Staffing
I would like to welcome to the staff Susie Johnson as our new Office Manager starting mid Term 2.  As our school has grown, so have the demands on our administration and finance with 250% more to deal with than in 2017 to help paint the picture.  Maria will spend less time in the office and more time working with finance and supporting me. 
The short list for the role saw several top candidates.  Susie comes with huge skill and experience and we are excited to have her with us.  

Building work
As we continue to grow, more infrastructure is continually required.  The Ministry of Education does not fund capital works for state integrated schools like RVS.  The money for new buildings must come from the the proprietor, Elim.  The Blenheim Elim Church Trust borrow to build buildings for Richmond View School and charge attendance dues to cover these costs.  None of the attendance dues comes to the school.  
The quality of the buildings that Glenroy Housing are constructing are exceptional, and are VERY economic, both to build and to run thereafter.  I thank Phil Vile and his team for their amazing work.  Materials and timelines are particularly hard hit with COVID supply line issues so please continue to pray for our contractors and our proprietor as we continue building RVS.
At the moment we have our new Y0/1 classroom being built.  This will complete the buildings needed for our junior school.  A hallway has also been adda it the end of the A-block to connect the new class to the A-block toilets, also providing better fire egress and access to A-block without walking through a classroom.
We still plan to begin work on 'F' block, a 2.,5 classroom annex to the science lab before the end of the year.  This will be a Y11-13 space.  
I will hold an evening presentation at some point to update you all on next steps before too long.

God bless and see you soon,

​Dave Pauling
Principal