Newsletter 3 Term 3
Onerahi School Friday 19 September
Te Karere o te Tumuaki/Principal's Message
Kia ora e te whānau,
We've reached the end of another successful term. Although we have been hammered by sickness, our tamariki have been well supported by our kaiako and our valued team of trusted relievers. There is definitely a whiff of spring in the air, and hopefully the holidays will provide a circuit breaker to the germs so we can all return in Term 4 rested and recharged.
Teachers, Principals and Learning Support staff are currently negotiating their latest collective agreement for their employment terms and conditions. We are giving you a heads up that primary schools will strike on the 23rd of October. We will communicate at the beginning of next term about how this will be managed. Be assured that our tamariki are at the heart of any claims during this time of negotiation.
We had a whakawātea this week to thank and farewell our tired old prefabs near the swimming pool. A big thank you to our Kaumatua Fred Tito for joining us and leading us in this. In the first week of the holidays the asbestos will be removed under a highly controlled process. It will be important that you stay clear of the school grounds at this time. In the second week the rest of the buildings will be removed and the process to make everything neat and tidy again will begin. It was great to see on our facebook post many people reminiscing on their experiences in those rooms.
If you have visited our kura recently you may have noticed the new surfaces under the junior playground. Many thanks to the Board for supporting this upgrade.
I trust you will all have a precious family time during the school holiday break and we will see you next term.
Ngā manaakitanga
AnnMaree MacGregor
Principal
A Farewell and a Welcome
Since our last newsletter was published, we have farewelled Jade Grant, a popular and much loved teacher who taught at Onerahi Primary for more than 11 years. Jade has moved on to share her expertise with a new group of students, with the added benefit of a shorter commute each day.
We extend a warm welcome in Rm 4 to Miss Zoe Hannah. Zoe is a familiar face in our kura, having previously completed some of her teaching training here and we are delighted to have her back, fully qualified and excited to lead the students of Ruma Wha through their learning.
Cultural Festival 2025
On Tuesday 9th September we welcomed a number of guests to our school, for our annual Cultural Festival. This was a celebration of a number of languages and cultures. There were Chinese, Japanese and Korean Dances, a chinese fashion show, kapa haka performances and children took part in rotations through various activties relating to these cultures. There was even special food available celebrating each culture. It was delicious! Visitors such as the Consul-General of Japan, students from Hurupaki School, and whānau were invited in to join us, and the feedback was very positive. What a wonderful event this was, enjoyed by all. A huge thanks to Hannah, Liying and Liz plus all their helpers for organising the day.
The Seniors Epic Bike Trip
On Wednesday 17th September as the sun shone brightly, a large group of senior students from rooms 3 and 6 hopped on their bikes and rode all the way into town, via the Waimahanga Track, and back again. Nearly 15 kms as a round trip. Ka rawe!
Jelani and Elise share their experience below:
J - "It was a really long bike ride. It was challenging, but I am glad I did it. Going to the pump track and park was fun. Going past the river and seeing a big school of fish was awesome. It was tiring and it was really hot."
E - "It was very very fun, and a cool experience that we are lucky to have gotten to do. My favourite part was going on the pump track. It was sad to see a lot of rubbish along the way though. Also we did pick the hottest day in a long time to do it! A big thank you to the helpers for giving up their time so we could go on the trip."
Garden To Table
Our Garden to Table classes have been busy in both the garden and the kitchen. We are thrilled to be harvesting our own cauliflower and broccoli to use in delicious kai. The garden is really taking shape, and tamariki are enjoying the new experience of growing seeds in our propagation house and watching them flourish.
In the kitchen, we have been exploring what it means to be risk takers and open minded. This has included trying new foods such as tofu, refried beans, and frittata. It has been inspiring to see students’ pride and curiosity as they prepare and taste meals together... and to realise that the fear of trying something new is never as bad as it seems.
Alongside these practical skills, we have also been learning about what makes something living or nonliving, making strong links between our kitchen and garden learning to ensure our plants have the best chance to thrive.
Triennial Board Elections Update
Meet the Onerahi School Board
Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent election — we appreciate your support and engagement with our school’s governance.
The newly elected board held its first meeting this week and welcome Stacey Jones and Natasha Bowling, who have been co-opted to join the team.
Thank you to all our board members for giving their time and energy to support our kura. We look forward to working together to serve our school community.
NB: L-R - Dan Williamson, Kirsty Oliver, Kyle Middleton, Kat Lester, Sam Moselen, Lani Knowles, Stacey Jones. (Natasha Bowling absent)
Honey/Honi
Honey is 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 (250gm) to $20 (the big 1 kg jars) so why not pop in and pick some up. It's delicious!
2nd hand Uniform and Spare Lower Halves.
Uniforms come and uniforms go! Stock levels are constantly dropping on our school shirts in many of the sizes. Especially the bigger ones! (Size 10, 12, 14 etc). 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. Stocks are depleting again of the jackets and jumpers and there are few or none to be found now in most sizes. The price has returned to $10 but it's still a great bargain!
Additionally we are on the lookout for donations of spare pants, skirts, leggings, shorts etc in black or navy that can be lent out to those in need of a spare change through the day. If you have any sitting around that no longer fit your little (or not so little) one, feel free to drop them in.
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
ENROLLING AT WHANGAREI INTERMEDIATE??
Enrolments for 2026 are now open! If your child will be joining us next year, please complete the online enrolment at wis.ac.nz. We’d also love it if you could spread the word—encourage your friends, whānau, and neighbours to enrol early too. We can’t wait to welcome another great group of tamariki to Whangārei Intermediate School.
