Te Karere o te Tumuaki/Principal's Message
Kia ora e te Whānau,
Welcome back to 2025, I hope you have all had a relaxing holiday break with lots of whānau time and fun. It has been a fantastic start to the year with lots of new students, and some new staff who were welcomed with a pōwhiri on the 3rd of February.
As you can see the new building is making good progress. The painting of Block 1 and the painting and renovations in Block 4 have also been completed over the holidays. We are planning further upgrades to the outdoor play areas over the year, which the tamariki and staff are excited about.
As you are probably aware the Ministry of Education requires schools to begin implementing the refreshed English and Maths curriculum and teachers have a lot of mahi to do with that. We have two teacher only days this year to help us, Friday 7 March and Friday 30 May. It is a big piece of work for us to be involved with.
Another focus for the Ministry of Education is improving attendance. Last years data shows that 53% of students attended our school regularly. We need to improve this as the expectation is at least 80% of students regularly attend. Regular attendance means being at school 90% of the time. We will work together on this and we appreciate your support.
At the end of last year I was appointed as the lead principal for the seven schools in our Community of Learning/Kahui Ako which involves a commitment of 2 days a week for the role. The focus of the Community of Learning is to improve outcomes for all students across Whangarei. Danny Hamilton will be Acting Principal on those 2 days of the week. Onerahi School is in a strong place to support this kaupapa.
There are a lot of interesting opportunities and experiences in the pipeline for our tamariki this term and we are all looking forward to what is ahead of us. As always we welcome you in this partnership with your tamariki.
Ngā Manaakitanga
AnnMaree MacGregor
Principal
WELCOME
We are delighted to welcome 2 new staff members to Onerahi Primary - Gabrielle Badham - pictured left and Gill Slaney - pictured right.
Kia ora koutou,
Ko Gabrielle Badham tōku ingoa. I am excited to join the Onerahi Primary team as the Garden to Table (kitchen side) and ORS specialist teacher.
I have a strong tūrangawaewae in Onerahi, having grown up here and attended Onerahi Primary. My grandfather, Godfrey Badham, co-founded the Onerahi Medical Centre, and my whānau have long been involved with the Onerahi Soccer Club.
With over 13 years of teaching experience across three countries, I have worked in diverse roles and year levels, developing a passion for supporting students and building positive school communities.
I have three wonderful children, Olive, Arlo, and Coco (our fur baby). My partner Mark, is the Deputy Principal at Morningside and we both share a love of inspiring learners to be the best that they can be. As a family, we love travelling, exploring different cultures, and enjoying the outdoors.
I look forward to working with your tamariki and welcome any whānau keen to help with cooking and gardening. Feel free to contact me at gabrielle.b@onerahi.school.nz.
Ngā mihi nui,
Gabrielle Badham
"Kia ora koutou, my name is Gill Slaney and I am really pleased to have become a part of the Onerahi School community. I am enjoying meeting everyone and hope you pop in and say hi when you're passing Room 16. I have been teaching Junior and Middle School children for many years. I have taught on the Coromandel, in Auckland and most recently in Waipu. Before making the move to Northland I taught for 17 years in New Plymouth. I have two daughters and three grandchildren here and am loving being close to them now. Looking forward to getting to know you and your children as the year progresses."
Additionally, the very warmest of welcomes to all our new students who have joined us in 2025, and also to their whānau. We look forward to our journey together.
New Road Patrol
Did you spot the difference? We have had some brand new, folding Road Patrol lollipop signs installed at the crossing on Church St. Our new 2025 Road Patrollers have all been trained on these new signs, and are looking forward to a year of keeping our tamariki safe as they cross this busy road.
(Pro Tip: When our patrollers put out our signs, they will also put their hands out. This is to give them time to check cars have stopped. When they drop their arms it's safe to cross)
How you can help them do this important mahi is to be mindful of your speed and please obey the 40km/hr limit along Church St. We also ask that you do not turn into or block the driveway access, to our staff only carpark. If you are needing to cross the road on Church St, please be a great role model for our tamariki and use the pedestrian crossing also. Parking on yellow lines can block our road patrollers sight lines so please avoid parking over these. Performing a U-turn in Pine Park Road can also put our students at risk as many cross this road in the morning. Using the end of the cul-de-sac is a good option for turning around.
Honey
Once again, in 2025 we have honey available for purchase at the school office. Honey has been kindly donated by our partner beekeepers - Tahi honey, and we have further been gifted larger sized jars of Honeyeater honey - also from local Pataua hives. The honey is priced amazingly from $5 per jar to $20 (the big 1 kg jars) so why not pop in and pick some up.
2nd hand Uniform
As fast as they come, they go! We are still a bit light on most of our secondhand uniform supplies. Especially in any larger sizes. As soon as it comes in, it tends to quickly find a new home. If your child has outgrown their uniform and you have no further need of it, please feel free to drop it in to the school office. The sales of these help the school purchase additional items that our former PTA used to supply, such as sunscreen, etc. If you ARE on the hunt for new uniform, we have a large stock in all sizes at present of school jumpers and jackets, for the bargain price of just $10 each.
IMPORTANT NOTICES/TINO PANUI NUI
Medication: If your child requires medication to be brought or kept at school, please be aware that due to health and safety concerns, this must be kept secure in the school sick bay. It is not to be kept in children’s schoolbags during the day. This is to protect the safety of not only the child requiring the medication but also all other students. All medication requires an accompanying permission/approval form signed by their parent or caregiver. This includes epi-pens for allergy management, inhalers for asthma or any other medication your child requires on a short-term or as needed basis.
Contact Us
Email: office@onerahi.school.nz
Website: https://www.onerahi.school.nz/
Location: Onerahi Primary School Church Street, Onerahi, Whangārei 0110, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 436 0521
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onerahischool
Harold at the B2B
Harold is thrilled to be taking part in the Sport Northland Chilltech Beach to Basin on March 2nd 2025. We’re excited to be one of the two charities benefitting from this fantastic event, alongside “I have a Dream”. You can show your support by making a donation directly to Whangarei Life Education when you enter and keep an eye out for Harold on the day! www.facebook.com/sportnorthlandevents
Thank you so much!
Kia pai tō rā
. .....
Nadine Campbell
Educator
Life Education Trust Whangarei
Ph: 027 270 2056
www.lifeeducation.org.nz
