Office Hours

8.30am-3.30pm

Hours of Instruction

8.40am - 3.10pm

Email: office@coastaltaranaki.school.nz
Website: https://sites.google.com/coastaltaranaki.school.nz/coastaltaranakischool/home
Location: 92 Carthew Street, Ōkato, New Zealand
Phone: (06)7524022 - 027 320 1267
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastaltaranakischool

HERO APP:

All school communication is via the HERO app. Please ensure you have downloaded this on your phone and check it daily. It sometimes logs out and doesn’t alert you for new notifications so it is important that you regularly check it for messages.

To download the Hero app on your smartphone, scan the QR code. Alternatively, click on this link to start the login process on your browser.

1. Scan the code or search for ‘Hero” in your app store and download, or visit https://go.linc-ed.com

2. Select “New user”. Use the email address that you provided when you enrolled your children, use this address to request a password. (Please note: each contact must have their own email address)

3. Enter your email address and click the “Request Password Link”

4. Check your email! If one doesn’t arrive, ensure the school has your correct details on file.

5. Follow the secure link and enter a new password

Tē tōia, tē haumatia

Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and a way of doing things

Tēnā koutou e ngā whānau o te kura,

A warm welcome to the start of the new academic year. For our returning students, whānau and staff, welcome back. To our new students, whānau and staff, welcome to our community of learners. Coastal thrives on community partnerships, our strength grows with every new connection.

We are very fortunate to have three exceptional educators join our Coastal team. Richard MacCallum, as our Deputy Principal with a secondary focus. Gemma Chambers, as our Deputy Principal with a primary focus, and Viola Fung as our English/literacy specialist. Enjoy reading a little bit about each of these exceptional practitioners as they introduce themselves to the Coastal community.

The beginning of the school year is full of emotion for students, whānau and teachers alike. Starting at a new school is challenging: a new uniform, a new building, new teachers, rooms, classmates, and classes. We are here to guide our students through the challenges and complexities of a new routine. Some students embrace the new year with excitement and anticipation, while others cautiously enter it with questions or anxiety about what to expect. It was heartening to see students and school staff getting back into the positive routines that define our school community, and our new students joining the Coastal way.

Our first assembly highlighted the importance of being a positive, tolerant, resilient, and kind member of our school community. Representing our school values as a lived experience is key. Coastal is a place where everyone belongs.

“I belong here.” “My teacher really knows who I am.” When students express themselves in this way, we know that they feel known by their teacher, connected to their school and feel that they belong in their learning community. That’s what we want our students to feel when they walk around our place. We also recognise that for our students to feel that important sense of belonging, they need to be championed. Whilst we all have unique talents as individuals, we share common experiences that unite us. Our ethos is based upon all tamariki as exceptional learners. We emphasise the importance of supporting others within our community; actions make those words a reality. No one is a cookie-cutter, we are all different, multifaceted, wonderful, endearing, and precious because of it! By embracing all aspects of school life within and beyond the classroom, we encapsulate the vitality, the diversity, the excitement, the sense of fun, the sense of belonging and most of all the great sense of spirit that burns brightly in our tamariki.

At the start of a new academic year, I would like to go through some key points to ensure a successful partnership between the school, parents/guardians this year.

Communication

We all know that communication is a vital component in the harmony and success of our

school. We have many ways of communicating with you about your child’s education and well-being. While our Hero App and Facebook page are an important form of communication, your child’s teacher is the conduit of information. Our newsletter is an important part of that process too. This regular communication with home is the way in which we share news, success stories and achievements.

For those of you who are anxious to discover the learning plan for your tamaiti, you will notice that our website is under construction. With a new leadership team, important additions to our communication practice have resulted in the need to update our website.

I thank you for your patience and welcome any feedback regarding what you would like to see communicated about your child.

To that end, I will be holding a termly Principals’ drop-in for parents/guardians at which you can discuss any successes, concerns, or issues that you would like me to address with no appointment needed. The sessions will be held between 3.00 – 4.00pm at the end of the term. Details to follow later in the term.

Please refer to the attached communication information sheet for details about our communication procedures. Thank you for ensuring that all emergency contact information, including your current email addresses and cell numbers, is accurate. Any change in emergency details, please contact our office.

Uniform

Parents and guardians play a significant role in helping us to maintain high standards in regard to uniform and we ask that all parents who send their children to our school fully support the school uniform policy. I am sure you agree that it is important that all students wear our uniform with pride as representatives of Coastal in our community.

Conduct

There is no place for purposefully poor conduct of students at Coastal. It is wonderful to walk through the corridors, visit classrooms and see exceptionally well-behaved students, representing our school values. When poor conduct occurs, our discussions are always learning focused, and students are supported to make good choices. As our children grow, taking responsibility for the language that they choose to use and the way in which they interact with others becomes a central focus in educating the whole child. Thank you for working with us when our tamariki excel and when they need to be supported and guided.

Cell phones/Social Media

Many of you will be familiar with the changes to school cell phone policy that has been guided by the new government. Coastal has a cell phone policy and, as we move towards implementation of the government’s ‘no cell phone rule’ next term, our procedure will be shared with whānau.

Unfortunately, social media can sometimes have a detrimental effect on students both emotionally and academically. Your tamaiti is attending Coastal to learn and for us to take care of their te whare tapa whā and make the most of all of curricular opportunities available to them, I am certain you do not want social media to affect this experience. When we become aware of an issue that has occurred outside of school, we will continue to inform parents/caregivers. We will continue to educate our students to use social media for good and switch off devices - to switch off the brain. Sleep is important for our tamariki.

Attendance

Excellent attendance at school is crucial if your child is to achieve their very best potential. Thank you for continuing to make us aware of any upcoming appointments and any issues surrounding school attendance. If there are issues around attendance, please reach out to us. We are here to support you in ensuring that your child is happy, learning and thriving.

We have a strict safeguarding policy at the school; this includes ensuring that every student is accounted for at the start of the day and during lessons. As part of this process, you may receive a call from our office informing you that your child is not in school, and we have no reason for their absence. Similarly, if a student is not in class – we will locate them and follow this up with a phone call. Repeated incidents will result in them being sent home.

Car park & dropping off

Our car park area is already very full of staff vehicles and to avoid further congestion, and to keep our students safe from harm; we thank parents who pick-up their child outside of the school grounds. We have seen fewer and fewer vehicles coming into the school car park at the end of the school day. We are grateful to parents for the slow way in which they drive and understanding that child safety and the importance of the bus turning circle are paramount.

Here’s to a great year!

Ahiahi pai,

Stephanie Clifton

Principal

I have been teaching since 1996 and started teaching at the high school I attended as a

student. I began as the Sport’s Administrator and graduated to Head of Sport and then

quickly into the classroom as I discovered a love of teaching young minds. My subject has

always been Geography and I have taught the variations of the subject across schools,

curricula, countries and continents. My last teaching position in South Africa, before

emigration to New Zealand, was as Head of Geography and Dean at an amazing, high-

achieving all-girls school in Durban.

Since arrival in NZ, I taught for 6 years at King’s College and a further 4 years at St Kentigern

College – both in Auckland. Big private schools are fascinating ‘beasts’ be a part of and I

certainly gained invaluable knowledge around school systems, policies and leadership. I

have also spent a lot of time on the sports fields of the world and I have a particular bias

towards all thing’s rugby having coached to 1 st XV at schoolboy level. I believe that sport is a

vital part of a good week (and a good year) as so many valuable lessons are learned on the

sports field.

I have been looking forward to joining Coastal Taranaki since I was offered the position and I

see so much potential in the school. I am certain that 2024 is going to be a fantastic year.

Hi - I am Gemma Chambers, you can call me Whaea Gemma.

I am super excited to be here at Coastal Taranaki School and have had the most wonderful welcome. I have been working at International schools for over 19 years now and I can't wait to get to know the community here at Coastal and join in with the galas, calf and lamb day, sports and more.

I used to work as a Radio journalist and I have always been fascinated by story telling and sharing. I hope to help continue to foster the culture here at Coastal Taranaki as an environment that encourages exploration and creativity in the telling of their own stories.

I love the outdoors and being in nature and am thrilled to see how much access we have here to open spaces, native bush and beautiful spaces around the Okato community. I look forward to exploring these areas with the learners and teachers and bringing out some amazing learning opportunities for the children here in our care.

I live in Oakura with my husband Andrew, my two boys Freddie and Jude and my gorgeous dog Tank. I have been here in NZ now for 4 years and feel very lucky to call Taranaki our home.

If you have an idea to share, a suggestion to make or just fancy a check in please do let me know and I look forward to meeting you soon.

Kia ora! I was born in Hong Kong and moved to the UK as a child. My home city is Milton Keynes, the land of roundabouts. I enjoy my Chinese heritage through food and festivals. I speak fluent Cantonese. I moved to New Plymouth in September 2023 with my husband and two kids (aged 7 and 4). We have never been to New Zealand before our move and didn't know anyone at all. It's definitely been an adventure!

Typical for an English teacher, I love reading and sharing about books and language. I am a huge Harry Potter fan with a fairly large collection of books. I also enjoy cooking, painting, crafting, visiting museums, zooming with my friends and spending time with my family. If I have time, I try to squeeze in language learning; I'm currently trying to brush up my rusty Mandarin and learn Maori. I'm excited to be part of the CTS community!

Kia ora koutou katoa, namaste. ko Whaea Johannah toku ingoa.

Introducing myself as the teacher for room 22 at Coastal Taranaki School gives me great pleasure. With years of experience working with our tamariki, community and alongside staff, I am excited to be teaching the students in years 2 and 3. I also have the advantage of knowing the majority of my students already. I completed my teaching degree in 2023, and I am excited to work more closely with our hard working colleagues at CTS. I am also inspired by the support and mentorship I will have available to me as a first-year teacher. I am excited to get to know every member of room 22's whānau and start some enjoyable educational activities and learning with our tamariki.

Kia Ora e te Whānau o CTS

We hope you had a great break and the start of Term 1 has gone well for you and your families.

Employment

Along with our new Tumuak/Principal Stephanie Clinton, we warmly welcome our two new

Deputy Principals to our Kura. Richard MacCallum in our Senior school and Gemma Chambers

in our Junior school.

We also warmly welcome Viola Fung to the English/Literacy space and longstanding staff

member Johannah Poutini has a teaching position in the junior school.

Strategic Plan

One important role of the Board of Trustees is to create and evaluate the 3 year Strategic Plan

for our Kura. This is informed by consultation with you, our school community. Thank you to

whānau who gave feedback at the end of last year. We look forward to hearing from our new

whānau when the consultation is sent out again in the next newsletter.

Board Meeting

Our first meeting for the year will be Monday 12th February at 6.30pm at the school meeting

room (Near the main office). Anyone is welcome to attend a meeting. Please get in touch with

our Presiding member, Kat Moffitt - 0274651422 if you are interested to find out more about

coming along.

Board succession planning

If being on the Board of Trustees interests you or you know someone you think would be great

in this governance space, we have information available on the NZSTA website outlining the

roles and responsibilities of the Board

https://www.nzsta.org.nz/advice-and-support/information-for-parents/#parent-faqs

Feel free to talk to the current members also to find out more.

Procedure for Concerns and Complaints

This is an area which is often difficult to navigate for us as whanau, so attached is the correct

procedure should you have a concern or complaint and for it to be dealt with most effectively.

Nga mihi,

Coastal Taranaki School Board of Trustees.

From Left - Connor Rayner Head Student, Thomas Moffitt Deputy Head Student,

and Zak Tunnicliffe- Fougere Head Student

We invite you to meet your child's teacher in school on the 14th February 2024.

Click link here for the schedule.

PUKEITI TEAM NEWSLETTER

TERM 1 2024

Welcome to 2024 at Coastal Taranaki school and the Pukeiti Team. We have 5 Teachers and classes that make up the Pukeiti team.

Mrs Hofmans - Year 2/3 - Room 17 Pukeiti Wha - Team Leader

Mrs Madden - New entrant - Room 16 Pukeiti Tahi

Mrs Noack - Year 1 - Room 15 Pukeiti Rua

Mrs Moorby - Year 1/2 - Room 24 Pukeiti Toru

Whaea Johannah - Year 2/3 - Room 22 Pukeiti Rima

If you need to contact your child’s teacher, please email the address below, or leave a message at the office and they will get back to you. Teachers are engaging with students, so urgent messages regarding absences, early pickups and after school pick up details need to go through the office. Classroom teachers are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have. You are welcome to pop in before school for a quick chat although time is limited. If you require a lengthy conversation, it is best to book an appointment slot.

Please contact the office on 06 7524022 or 0273201267 if your child is going to be absent.

CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESSES:

Mrs Hofmans philippa.hofmans@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Mrs Madden kelly.madden@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Mrs Moorby jemma.moorby@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Mrs Noack catrin.noack@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Whaea Johannah johannah@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

SCHOOL WEBSITE:

Our class websites and blogs are linked on the school website

www.coastaltaranaki.school.nz

HERO APP:

All school communication is via the HERO app. Please ensure you have downloaded this on your phone and check it daily. It sometimes logs out and doesn’t alert you for new notifications so it is important that you regularly check it for messages.

START OF DAY AND END OF DAY:

School starts at 8.40am with the get ready bell. This is when students prepare for the day, hang up their bag and bring the things they need for the day into the classroom e.g. book bags and drink bottles. The second bell at 8.50am is our official start time.

Students are welcome to arrive from about 8.20am. Arriving at 8am or earlier is too early and teachers need to use that time for their day preparations. Please ring the office for any messages for your child regarding pick up time, buses etc.

At the end of the day we use a ‘WALKING SCHOOL BUS’ to bring each class out to the top field by the car park area. Teachers will drop students off on the field for you to collect them. Please wait on the top field for your child to come out.

SUNSMART:

Please send your child to school with a named hat and a named drink bottle with water only (no juice or fizzy). Hats are compulsory during terms 1 and 4. Students without hats have a shaded area they can play in. Teachers will supervise students to reapply sunscreen before lunch time. Please ensure your child comes to school with their first application of suncream already on in the morning.

BREAKFAST CLUB AND SCHOOL LUNCH:

Breakfast Club opens at 8.15am. Students need to arrive at Breakfast Club by 8.30am to allow time to get to class by 8.50am.

School lunches are provided for every student unless you have opted out. Please send enough food for morning tea and a little bit extra in case your child does not like the lunch provided that day. If you decide to opt out, please let the office know.

UNIFORM

Please send children to school in their school uniform. Random tops, jerseys, leggings, shoes and shorts are not part of the uniform. Shoes are to be black. If you have circumstances beyond your control where an alternative needs to be worn one day, please send a note to let the teacher know.

SWIMMING:

We have 2 swimming sessions each week. Please ensure all items of school uniform and togs and towel are clearly named. If your child does not have their togs that day, they will either go to another class, or come and watch. Our swimming sessions are:

Mrs Madden’s class: Monday and Wednesday

Mrs Moorby’s class: Monday and Thursday

Mrs Noack’s class: Monday and Thursday

Mrs Hofmans’s class: Monday and Wednesday

Whaea Johannah’s class: Monday and Wednesday

TEACHER RELEASE DAYS:

All NZ primary school teachers get Classroom Release Time (CRT). This term, this increases to 3 days a term. This is used for testing and workload purposes such as planning and preparation. During these days, classes will be taken by Margaret Normanton or one of our guest teachers.

LIBRARY SESSION:

Each class has a session in the library each week. Please encourage your child to remember to bring their library books back in their book bag each week. Our session days are:

Mrs Madden’s class: Friday

Mrs Moorby’s class: Tuesday

Mrs Noack’s class: Friday

Mrs Hofmans’s class: Wednesday

Whaea Johannah’s class: Thursday

TOYS:

We encourage students to leave toys at home. These sometimes get lost or broken and this causes a lot of upset and distracts from learning. If your child wants to show a special toy to the class, please send a photo or video to the teacher.

Ideas for supporting learning at home:

*Reading together

*Key ring sounds

*Poem book

*Reading to self

*PMeCollection website/app reading

*Story writing practice

We look forward to working alongside you and your child. Please contact us if you have any queries.

Philippa, Kelly, Jemma, Catrin and Johannah

Welcome to the Pouākai team (Years 7 to 10)!

The focus for Term 1 is hauora, which embraces a holistic view of wellness and health. The Te Whare tapa Wha model depicts this concept as a wharenui/house, in which the four walls represent the elements that make up one's well-being. These elements include:

• taha wairua / spiritual well-being

• taha hinengaro / mental and emotional wellbeing

• taha tinana / physical wellbeing

• taha whānau / family and social wellbeing

• Whenua / land; our connection to the land forms the foundation for these elements.

Setting expectations and developing a positive class culture where students feel safe and included will underlie the learning this term. Tasks will be aimed at developing collaboration and communication, building positive relationships, breaking down barriers, and encouraging a ‘can-do’, ‘I’ll try’ attitude (growth mindset).

Please ensure you have the HERO app for notices and your child’s progress. If you have any queries about this, please contact the office. For any clarification regarding expectations for the Pouākai team and your child’s timetable, please visit your child’s class site (on the school website). Questions related to your child, please contact their homeroom teacher in the first instance. Teacher’s emails are also found on the school site.

It has been great welcoming students back into the Science lab. We are ready for a very productive and learning focused year. As your child's classroom teacher, I ask that you make sure they are prepared for class each lesson with their chromebook, and a pen. We generally keep our books in class so these are always on hand. Having learning discussions at home is also very useful and a great way to reinforce concepts learned in class. You can also check out our class site and blog, they will be updated in the next few weeks.

Year 9 and 10 are beginning their course by studying Chemistry, while year 11s are carrying out a unit on healthy waterways. On Thursday 22nd March we have a field trip with Dr Emily Roberts, where we find macro-invertebrates in the Kaihihi stream and use them to inform us of the water quality.

Our Agriculture class is also off to a good start, with year 11 looking at reproductive technologies used in dairy farming. Our small year 12 class is focussing on management practices and their effect on animals. We are still helping out with managing the school farm, and there are lots of exciting plans in the pipeline for this space.

If you have any questions or would like to make contact with me, I am really keen to communicate. My email is rebecca.barron@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Thanks
Rebecca

This week students attended WITT for a Powhiri and orientation.

Courses at WITT begin next week so this was an opportunity for our learners to make themselves aware of their surroundings, meet their tutor and their class before it begins.

If you need to get in touch with me please feel free to send me an email sarah.oke@coastaltaranaki.school.nz. I am the Careers/Pathways lead this year.

Ngā mihi

Sarah Oke

Follow the link below to look at the CTS Library Catalogue

Touch Rugby - Ōakura

Touch Rugby season begins on Monday 19th February 2024 at Corbett Park in Ōakura. Please complete the Ōakura Touch Rugby form here to register.

Rippa Rugby - Ōakura

Rippa Rugby series at Corbett Park in Ōakura will be held every Wednesday afternoon, beginning Wednesday 6th March. The programme will take place over 6 weeks and organised by Taranaki Rugby Football Union. There is NO COST to participate in this event. Please complete the Rippa Rugby form here

The Round Robin competition would consist of games of two 7-minute halves and a 2-minute rest between halves each week.

Year 1 and 2 – 1/4 field, 7-a-side (teams of 10) Year 3 and 4 – 1/4 field, 7-a-side (teams of 10)

Year 5 and 6 – 1/2 field, 7-a-side (teams of 10) Year 7 and 8 – 1/2 field, 7-a-side (teams of 10)

Rippa Rugby rules will apply across all grades and gear will/will not be provided by the TRFU.

· Teams will need to provide a ref and ref a half each per game.

· Teams would be mixed boys and girls with at least 3 boys and 3 girls on the field at a time.

CTS Swimming Sports - Friday 23rd February

Our school swimming sports is being held on Friday 23rd February at the Ōkato Pool. We require support on the day with 6x Lane Timers and 2x Lane Marshalls.

Please email nicky@coastaltaranaki.school.nz if you can assist on the day.

See below a breakdown of the day.

9.10am - Competitive races

Year 3-4 Widths:

Year 5-13 Lengths:

The Widths will be run first followed by the Lengths

25M

Freestyle

Breaststroke

Backstroke

Butterfly

50M

Freestyle

Breaststroke

Backstroke

100M

Freestyle

Breaststroke

Backstroke

Medley

25M Freestyle

25M Breaststroke

25M Backstroke

10.40am - MORNING TEA

11am: NE -Y3 classes arrive to the pool

NE - Y3

• Dolphin dive

• Flutterboard

• Running race

• How far you can go under the water

12pm: Rest of school arrive for Whānau relays and Teacher races

(NE - Y3 and non-competitive swimmers return to school)

1pm - LUNCH AT SCHOOL all races completed. Return to school for afternoon classes

Head over to our school sports facebook page CTS Sports and follow for all our school sports news, results and updates.

Kia ora Whānau! SAVE THE DATE for the "CTS Fiesta 2024" Friday 1st March!

A reminder that we will be including a "Fiesta Garage Sale" in this years event. We would really appreciate donations of GOOD quality items. If donating clothing please ensure it is CLEAN If you have bigger items you are wanting to donate please get in touch on 027 665 8874 to organise pick up.

The first donation drop off time is Friday 9th Feb in the school hall from 3pm-3.30pm.

Alternatively you can drop items to Bex at the coffee cart.

Please share to your whānau and friends who may have items for us!

Thank you for supporting our awesome school!

Ngā mihi FOCTS

After a successful trial run at Coastal Taranaki School in 2023, Ka Puāwai will back for 2024! Our first session will be Friday 16th February at 9.00am.

This is a fun and free 30 minute weekly session of stories, songs and rhymes from Mrs Madden, our new entrant teacher, and our librarian Delwyn. We would love to see you there!

Take a read of some of our community feedback...

"My 2 year old has loved the sessions we've attended, it's great for her learning and for socialising with other children and she loves books and dancing so it's been a perfect little Friday morning activity. It's also been nice as a part-time stay at home mum and new resident to Ōkato to meet other mums in the community. I hope it continues running because we will definitely be there next year and will spread the word to other parents.

Ka Puāwai brings preschoolers into the school and community library so it's a familiar place when they start school. They get to know Delwyn and Mrs Madden! It's the perfect day and time for preschoolers. Half an hour is perfect for the attention span of a 2-year-old!

We look forward to seeing you all again (and hopefully some new faces too!)

Ngā mihi

Kelly and Delwyn.

COASTAL TARANAKI SCHOOL

Stephanie Clifton - Principal

Richard MacCallum Deputy Principal, Senior school

Gemma Chambers Deputy Principal, Primary school

Rebecca Barron Science/Ag, Taranaki Team Leader

Viola Fung English

Andrea Dingle Maths

Steve Leppard Hard Materials Technology, Tech on 45

Bridget Shaw Visual Arts

Casey Stevens P.E & Health

Justine Francis Music

Pip Gorrie Digi Tech, CCIT Lead, Specialist Teacher

Sarah Oke Food Technology, Careers/Pathways, Tech on 45

Karla Jorgensen Pouākai Team Leader Years 7-10, Year 7/8 Teacher

Jason Brewer Year 7/8 Teacher

Renee Leathley Kaitake Team Leader, Year 5/6 Teacher

Emily Finey Year 4/5 Teacher

Liana Roberts Year 4/5 Teacher

Philippa Hofmans Pukeiti Team Leader, Year 2/3 Teacher

Johannah Poutini Year 2/3 Teacher

Jemma Moorby Year 1/2 Teacher

Catrin Noack Year 1 Teacher

Kelly Madden NE Transition Teacher

Shelley Cook SENCO

Lisa Betts Guidance Counsellor

Sarah Warren Whakareo Matatini (Literacy Teacher)

Delwyn Pearce School Librarian

Kirsty Koboski Publicity Officer

Jacky Kopu Office Manager

Nicky Phillips Office, Funding & Sports Administrator

Ole Bucka Grounds & Maintenance

Learning Assistants

Darryl Levett

Kirsty Koboski

Paula Fleming

Dee Heath

Jess Harfield

Ruth Barron

Ian Robinson

Nicole Whittle

Kaycee Cresswell

Allister Adamson