COASTAL TARANAKI SCHOOL

Office Hours

8.30am-4pm

Hours of Instruction

8.40am - 3.00pm

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

Kia Ora Tatou

In life many things happen outside our control, and I would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt condolences to the 3 Staff Members who lost loved ones last week. For many Staff this has been a tough period, and I am proud to be associated with a group of people who demonstrate such unconditional empathy, and aroha, particularly when people are struggling. E ngakau aroha ana to all concerned.

Week 3 already, and what a busy start to the Term. As well as business as usual there have been a number of additional activities including those with a Literacy Week focus (e.g. a visiting Story Teller, a Shrek Film Evening, Dress up Day, and competitions), School Photos, a Year 7/8 Girls Self Defence Programme, Girls Netball, and the start of Cross Country Training.

A number of Staff have also been involved in Professional Development, including a 3 day Structured Literacy Course.

Talent - whatever happens to it?? On a day to day basis I am continually amazed at the array and level of talent so many students possess in a wide range of areas whether it be sport, music, art, cultural activities, math’s, or language.

So many children demonstrate enormous potential during their formative School years. The concern is that so many fall by the wayside, and perhaps only a few actually go on and realize their true talent, and potential, when they become adults.

Why does this happen? That is the million dollar question, and of course the reasons are varied and often complex – mixing in the wrong peer group, the pressure of expectation, injury, parenthood, etc.

Very early in my career I spent three years teaching @ Elgin Primary School, in Gisborne, a sunny, beautiful, but isolated part of New Zealand. During that time I taught George Albert, a little Maori boy, and one of the most talented kids I have ever set eyes upon - academically as well as at sport. I coached a talented Year 4 Rugby Team of which George was the shining star. At 8 years of age he was fearless, he could side-step off both feet, tackle, kick with both feet, run like the wind, and read a game faultlessly – he was quite gifted.

As well he was simply a great kid, with a tremendously supportive family. In fact I became indebted to his family because during my time there I spent almost a term in hospital as a result of a serious rugby injury. George’s mother was a night nurse at Cook Hospital, and spent hours chatting with me during many sleepless nights.

Young George had it all ahead of him, and he appeared on track when, as a 17 year old, he played for what was in those days a very strong Poverty Rugby Team (with the likes of Ian Kirkpatrick and Laurie Knight). Sadly things then began to go wrong. He became a young father and involved in drugs, and of course his rugby, and everything else, suffered. In short he was never to realize his huge potential.

Sadly this situation is far too common, and I worry about the world many of our young people are growing up in. It seems acceptable to many that hard work and commitment aren’t really a necessary part of the whole deal, and that it is OK to opt out. And of course that smoking/vaping is OK, and that doing drugs is OK.

As those of us with life experience have learnt, failure is not necessarily the worst thing in the world - it is far worse to not try. As Peter Blake said, “If it was easy, it would hardly be worth doing”. According to Lois Muir, former Silver Ferns Player and Coaching Great, “Put in the hard work, and be at peace with yourself”.

As Teachers and parents we bend over backwards to provide children with opportunity, and help develop the talents they possess – however in the end it is up to them to make the most of those talents. Unfortunately far too many people reach middle or old age with regrets – “if only….”

Have an awesome weekend.

Nga mihi nui

Richard McMillan

Reminder: Friday 15th August is a scheduled Staff Only Day.

School will be closed to all students.

Nominations open!

Kia Ora,

Earlier this week an email was sent today to all eligible whānau on our electoral roll, with forms and relevant information for the upcoming election nominations.

Please check your spam folder if you have not received this.

Any issues please contact Paula Fleming, paula.fleming@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

This is also a reminder to update your contact information with the office

if you have had a change of

address, phone number or email.

Ngā mihi,

Paula Fleming

Returns officer

It is time to return all Pets Day trophies from 2024.

Our wonderful FOCTS team are just finalising the last few details for Pets Day 2025, information will be out soon.

Whānau have been emailed your child’s unique Photolife Key Code to go online to view and purchase 2025 School Photos.

***FREE DELIVERY EXPIRES Midnight Sunday 3 AUGUST 2025***

https://mailchi.mp/education.govt.nz/ka-ora-ka-ako-healthy-school-lunches-update-18236936?e=4a78427dd0

Last week was a literary blast at Coastal! We had a week packed with competitions, readathon, author visits from Lesley and Helen, a pre-loved book sale, a cake sale and the finale Dress Up Friday and movie night.

Thank you to everyone who’d participated in the activities. We had some fierce entries for the cake competition and dress up competition! Thank you to FOCTS and Delwyn who were key collaborators in this joint venture this year.

We raised around $4000 through the book-sale, cake sale and readathon!

Whilst our Years 11-13 are working hard to complete their internal assessments and CAAs to gain their desired credits, our Years 9-10 have been exploring the novel Noughts and Crosses by Majorie Blackman. We’ve been working in small groups to analyse the author’s choice of language and engaged in character analysis.

Resources, deadline dates and information on NCEA L1, L2, L3 and CAA literacy are available on Mrs Fung’s 2025 class site: https://sites.google.com/coastaltaranaki.school.nz/fung2025/home

Important Dates:

Wed 20th August

• Year 12/13 Internal Deadline 3 - Text 1 and Text 2 responses.

Term 3 Week 8 and 9

• CAA literacy and numeracy window

Wed 3rd September

• Year 11 Internal Deadline 2 - NCEA 1.1 Verbal Language Essay

Wed 8th September

• Year 12/13 Optional Deadline - Close Viewing (Film Study)

Check out the video from author Helen Griffiths who visited us last week.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HUQMbgTf7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Helen Griffiths, an author from Taranaki, visited with a short film based on her children's book, Ross the Cat. The film, which was partially funded by the New Plymouth District Council's Creative Communities Scheme, features local children narrating the story and highlights Pukekura Park, where the real-life Ross the cat spends much of his time. The project aims to celebrate young talent and showcase the park's attractions.

Helen's book Ross the Cat showcases many of the familiar sites of Taranaki’s iconic Pukekura Park as the reader strolls through the pages in search of the famous feline. Ross is a much loved celebrity with over 3000 Facebook followers! Have you spotted Ross at Pukekura Park before?

So much fun with our storyteller Lesley Dowding. Such fun and joy in beautiful traditional oration…

The Year 9–13 team showcased their Art and Design projects. We love that our subjects allow learners to think big and design projects they are passionate about. Our skilled kaiako cleverly support and guide them to develop mahi they can be proud of. For our art ākonga, we know the subject requires dedication and time beyond their timetabled classes. Many ākonga have taken the opportunity to work on their mahi during break times and were even keen to continue over the holidays—unfortunately, the roofing project put a halt to that idea.

At Coastal Taranaki School, we are developing a ‘Hoodie of Honour’. This hoodie can be worn instead of the school uniform as a symbol of achievement and excellence across various fields. It is awarded for academic, sporting, and cultural success, as well as for demonstrating strong character. This is a new initiative that we will continue to grow and develop.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Symbol of Excellence:

The Hoodie of Honour has become a symbol of excellence in all aspects of school life, recognising high performance in academics, sports, and cultural activities.

Criteria:

While high achievement is a key factor, high attendance, classroom engagement, and positive behaviour are also considered.

Coastal Taranaki’s first recipient of the ‘honour hoodie’ is Clyde Hart-Yates for excellence in Basketball.Clyde is an inspirational young sports leader within our kura. In 2024, he proudly represented the Taranaki Under-16 Basketball team, and in 2025, he stepped up to represent the Taranaki Men’s Under-18 Basketball team. He also plays weekly in the Coastline Men’s Basketball Team based in Ōpunake, showing his commitment to improving by competing alongside adult athletes.

Clyde is found in the school gym every day—playing, encouraging, and mentoring students as young as 10 years old in the game he loves. In Term 2 of this year, Clyde was awarded a fully funded placement in the Playmakers Academy – Advanced Training + Strength & Performance Programme. The following statement from Playmakers captures his dedication perfectly:

“I'm delighted to let you know that Clyde has been selected for 1 free term at Playmakers in Term 2. Congratulations! This is testament to his attendance at practice and attitude on and off the court.”

In a small kura, it can be difficult to stay motivated and goal-oriented when you're the only one striving toward a particular dream. Yet Clyde has remained committed. Through his consistent presence, humble leadership, and outstanding work ethic, he has fostered a love of basketball among his peers and become a role model to younger students.

Clyde has worked tirelessly to develop both his talent and the self-belief needed to pursue his goals. His attitude, maturity, and kind-hearted nature far exceed his years, and his determination to succeed is unmatched. This scholarship would mean the world to both Clyde and his mum, who has supported him wholeheartedly—driving him to countless games and trainings, picking him up late from school, and even investing in a professionally built half-court at home to help him continue to train.

Clyde is deserving not only because of his talent, but because of his character, leadership, and unwavering commitment to both personal excellence and uplifting those around him.

On Tuesday, 29th July, we were honoured to host the WITT Level 4 Barbering students, who offered free haircuts to our ākonga. We had 30 students take up the opportunity and walk away with a fresh new look! We are incredibly fortunate to be able to provide experiences like this for our learners. A massive thank you to the WITT barbers – tū meke! Your mahi and community spirit are truly appreciated.

On Monday August 12th our Year 9-13 learners will be attending the Careers Expo held in New Plymouth. The expo plays an important role in helping the Taranaki Community to "Get informed and Get ahead" in their careers.

This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals exploring their career options. Our ākonga will meet numerous employers, education and training providers, including universities, institutes of technology, polytechnics, private training establishments, and support services to assist in their career journey.

We will be travelling by bus to the new Plymouth TSB Stadium on Monday 12th August at 9am and will plan to leave the stadium at 10.30am to return back to kura.

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Issue 5

Orders in by Wednesday 6th August 3pm please If you are ordering via the 'Loop' or on paper,

please include your child's name and class room number.

Delwyn

CTS Community Library - Okato

delwyn@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Over the first two terms of 2025, a group of our amazing girls have had the opportunity to participate in a very special fitness programme at ChanceFit Gym in Okato — and what a journey it’s been!

Led by the wonderful Chance Bunyan, a parent from our school whānau and a passionate fitness coach, these sessions focused on building strength, confidence, and positive energy in a fun and supportive environment. Twice a week, the girls walked over to the gym, where they were met with encouragement, great workouts, and lots of laughs. Each session was tailored to suit their age and abilities, and helped them grow not just physically, but mentally too.

On one of the final days of the programme, the girls were surprised with their very own ChanceFit drink bottles — a thoughtful gift from Chance herself to acknowledge their commitment and celebrate all they’ve achieved. We are incredibly proud of how they’ve shown up each week, challenged themselves, and supported one another.

A big thank you to Chance for leading the sessions with so much heart, to the staff and parents who helped supervise, and to Tu Manuwa of Sport Taranaki for funding this awesome initiative.

Ka mau te wehi, girls — you’ve made us all proud!

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

Kia ora koutou,

Whaea Annie, our new entrant teacher, is planning ahead. If you know of any preschoolers in our community, who may be turning five in the next year or two please share this Pre-enrolment at CTS with their families. Even if you have a child at the school already please fill the form out. It only takes a few minutes to do, but it is really important that we have an idea of student numbers so that we can plan ahead. This also ensures that all new families have all the information they need around Transition to School visits.

For more information about transition to school, click this link - Transition to School CTS 2025

If you’d like to contact me directly, my email is annie.harris@coastaltaranaki.school.nz

Ngā mihi nui

Annie

Transition to school/New entrant teacher

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Annie Harris

Transition to School and New Entrant Teacher

COASTAL TARANAKI SCHOOL

Richard McMillan Interim Principal

Gemma Chambers Junior School Deputy Principal

Sarah Oke Acting Deputy Principal, Food Technology, Careers/Pathways, Tech on 45

David Cripps SENCO

Viola Fung English

Andrea Dingle Maths

Steve Leppard Hard Materials Technology, Tech on 45

Kelly Waugh Visual/ Performing Arts

Natalie Bound Science

Casey Stevens P.E & Health

Keegan Bruckner Social Sciences

Liana Roberts Pouakai Team Leader, Year 7/8 Teacher

Rebecca Connolly Year 6/7 Teacher

Emily Finey Year 5/6 Teacher

Renee Leathley Kaitake Team Leader, Year 4/5 Teacher

Heather Jull Year 4/5 Teacher

Annie Harris NE Transition Teacher

Jemma Moorby Year 1/2 Teacher

Philippa Hofmans Pukeiti Team Leader, Year 1/2 Teacher

Johannah Poutini Year 2/3 Teacher

Sarah Warren/Tara Ross Year 2/3 Teachers

Justine Francis Release Teacher

Margaret Normanton Release 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

Fon Julian

Marcus Wade

Student Support

Ida Staunstrup-Moore

Lisa Schrader