New Entrants Information

WHANGAREI PRIMARY SCHOOL

New Entrant Information

2026

WELCOME

The Board of Trustees and staff welcome you and your family to Whangarei

Primary School. We are truly proud of our school and we invite you to become active participants in our kura.   At Whangarei Primary School our wero is, 

“Dare to be Remarkable”

“Me Hautoa Taumata Rau”

and we promote diverse opportunities for all our students to achieve  in a wide range of learning environments. 

 

 

New Entrant Enrolment Policy and Procedure at Whangarei Primary School

Welcome to Whangarei Primary School.  We are excited and honoured that you have chosen our school for your child(ren) to attend.  The following is some information that you may find useful.

Our school follows a cohort entry system.
If your child’s birthday is before Week 1, they will begin in Week 1.
If their birthday falls between Week 1 and Week 5, they will begin in Week 6.
If their birthday falls after Week 5, they will begin in Week 1 of the following term.
If you're unsure about when your child should start, please don’t hesitate to check with the school office.

Enrolment Process

Parents make initial contact with school to indicate interest in enrolling at Whangarei Primary School.
Enrolments in zone are added to our enrolment list, once proof of address has been verified.
Please note:  proof of address must be one of the following documents: Tenancy or purchase agreement, insurance/rates bill.
You must provide a birth certificate or passport and immunisation details.
Out of zone enrolments are advertised in September/October for the following School year.  Applications must be in by the closing date.  Please contact the school office for Out of zone enrolment application.
Our school follows a cohort entry system.
If your child’s birthday is before Week 1, they will begin in Week 1.
If their birthday falls between Week 1 and Week 5, they will begin in Week 6.
If their birthday falls after Week 5, they will begin in Week 1 of the following term.
If you're unsure about when your child should start, please don’t hesitate to check with the school office.
School Visits

Students are expected to wear their school uniform for school visits.  

The structure of the visits will be:

2 x visits by enrolling students to their school classroom.  This will be done either at the end of the term prior to starting or will be in week five, depending on which cohort you are in.
Visit 1:   9.00am - 11.00am (Thursday)

Parents / whanau are welcome to stay for this visit.
Please bring a healthy ‘brain food’ snack to eat during this time (‘brain food’ is something healthy e.g. fruit or vegetables)
Parents & whanau / teacher discussions are welcomed. We ask if these could happen during morning tea (11am to 11.30am) or at another arranged time.

Visit 2:   9.00am - 11.00am (Friday)

Parents / whanau are encouraged to leave their child(ren) for part of this visit.
Please bring a healthy ‘brain food’ snack to eat during this time (‘brain food’ is something healthy e.g. fruit or vegetables)
The Principal and Junior Syndicate Leader will meet with you in the staffroom to go over school expectations and answer any questions you may have.  Light refreshments will be provided, and you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other parents and whānau whose children are also starting school.

 

Please note:

Once children have started school, we ask that parents drop them off and leave before the school bell rings. This helps support a smooth transition and encourages your child to settle confidently into their school day.
We encourage you to support your child in carrying their own school bag and walking into and out of school each day. This helps to foster their independence and build confidence in their daily routine.
Being on time each day is an essential part of starting school, as it helps establish a positive routine and sets the tone for successful learning.

School Uniform

All children are expected to wear the Pacific Blue school uniform polo shirt at school every day. A Navy Blue school sweatshirt/hoodie and a Navy Blue rain jacket are available and are part of the uniform to be worn. These items are all available to be purchased at Bethells. Navy shorts, skirts, skorts or pants must be worn with this uniform (these can be purchased from various outlets), jeans are not permitted. Hats are compulsory in Term 1 and Term 4 and can also be purchased from Bethells.   

 

 

 

 

 

Class Placement

All class placements are made in consultation between the classroom teacher, Junior Syndicate Leader and the leadership team.  Please note this decision is based on a range of information including enrolment information and class availability.   Our aim is to have our new entrant rooms at a manageable size so that students have the ability to settle into school and learn routines.

Please note, that due to the nature of new entrant students continually coming into school, we have to re-examine rooms and teachers for these rooms.   Sometimes there can be new teachers required to be employed before a new classroom is started.  We endeavour to have this pre-organised and arranged before visits occur so that the student can visit the teacher that they will be with.  Unfortunately, this sometimes does not happen and students will need to visit a pre-existing teacher.

Stationery

A stationery list will be given to you when your enrolment is accepted.  Please purchase the required stationery so that your child arrives with the necessary stationery and is prepared for learning.

Lunch boxes & drinks

We are encouraging nude food in our school.  This means lunch boxes with no wrappers, a healthy snack for brain break and water only.  If you could try and ensure that sweets are limited as this can have a large impact on students ability to learn effectively while at school.

Transition from home to school

Your child may take some time to settle into routines - this is okay.
Once children have started school, parents are to drop their children off and leave before the bell rings (this supports your child transitioning to school).
Please look at the readiness for school list at the below for more information.
We ask that New Entrant children bring a change of clothes to school each day (children may need to get changed for a number of reasons).
Each day your child will bring home a book bag with something to share with their family / whanau.  This may be a book to read, an activity to share, notices, some work done during the day etc.  Please take the time to talk with your child about this and return the book bag to school each day.
Seesaw is a key tool we use at school to stay connected with you. Please ask your child’s teacher how you can get connected through Seesaw.

Some skills for your child to work on for starting school:

-Independently use the toilet
-Be able to dress themselves including putting on and taking off their shoes/togs independently
-Be able to look after their own belongings e.g put your jumper in your bag when they take it off
-Be able to communicate their needs e.g. ask for help
-Be able to recognise their first name
-Engage in activities that use materials such as scissors, glue, pens and pencils
-Have a developing ‘love of literacy’ e.g. sit and listen to a story
-Be able to take turns and share with others
-Use basic manners e.g. using ‘please’ and ‘thank you’

What to expect?

Reading:

Students will get a book bag and a Poem Book, which will have one new poem to share with whanau for the week.  Once a week, students visit the school library and select their own library book to share at home over the week. These need to be returned the following week so a new one can be issued.

Literacy: 

Learning letter sounds is a very important part of your child's early literacy journey. At school, we will be focusing on learning around one to two new sounds each week. Once these are confidently mastered, students will move on to learning new sounds.

To support this learning at home, your child will bring home a learning book in their book bag. This will include activities that reinforce what we're working on in class. These activities may focus on fine motor skills, letter and number formation and recognition, or phonological awareness.

Mathematics:

Learning to count objects one-to-one and identify and write numbers up to ten is an essential skill for young learners. A great way to support this is by encouraging them to count everyday objects—like toys, snacks, or steps—as part of daily routines. This makes learning meaningful and fun!

Routines:

Our school routines are consistent throughout the new entrant classes.  We try to break up sessions into manageable pieces where regular movement, learning, hands-on activities, food, water and toilet breaks are integrated into the day.

Playbased learning:

As students are still learning how to be at school, we believe in a play based learning approach.  Sessions are broken into parts where the teacher is with individual or small groups of children, while the remainder of the class are doing alternative play based learning activities.

Readiness for School:

We are excited your child is about to start school, and like you we have expectations for your child.  We know that 5 year olds are very capable children, and that they have long left being a baby, toddler and preschooler.  They are at school!  Therefore in the first 5 weeks at school, it is essential we all work on these expectations.

We expect:

- Your child to carry their bag to school, at least from the gate and place it on the hook by their name.
 -Your child can complete any morning tasks, such as put their book bag away, hand in a note, etc.
 -Your child can write their name, neatness is not vital.  4 & 5 year olds can do this well.
 -Prompt your child on arrival to go and say hello to the teacher.
 -Ask your child to show you around and then say goodbye - adults who delay can create an upset child.
 -As you leave encourage your child to do something: play, puzzle, blocks, books, etc
 -When the bell goes we expect students to come to class - support your child to know this.
 -When asked to come to the mat, your child will come.
 -When your child’s name is called, we expect them to respond.
 -Your child will listen when someone speaks to them.
 -Your child will sit on the mat, on the space allocated.
 -Your child will use manners where needed, especially please, pardon and thank you.
 -Your child will hold a pencil correctly - excellent YouTube sites to explain correct grip.
 -Your child can hold and use scissors correctly.
 -Your child can listen to a story on the mat.
 -Your child can follow class routines.
 -Your child can blow their nose, can manage collecting a tissue and disposing of it in the bin.
 -Your child to put things away when asked.
 -Your child will tell an adult they need to use the toilet and can manage themselves at the toilet.
 -Your child can tell us how they are feeling - happy, mad, sad, unwell, etc
 -Your child can undress and dress for swimming.
 -Your child can ask a question and ask for help.

Our expectations are all based on setting up your child for success.  Five year olds are amazing.  We appreciate not all children have the same learning rate, however, if we all support them to gain mastery towards the above expectations in 5 weeks, then we are telling your child they matter.  Early mastery of these fundamental expectations for school will lead to continual success.

 

Our Teachers

 

 

My name is Miss Long and I am incredibly excited to be part of our new entrant team for 2026. I have been teaching for 13 years, 9 of which I have spent at Whangarei Primary School. Over this time, I have taught years 0-6 and I absolutely love teaching and growing a love of learning for our youngest learners.  

As a teacher, I am a big believer in creating learning spaces where students feel comfortable and as though they belong. I am very creative and enjoy finding ways to learn that are fun and engaging. 

 In my spare time, I love getting outdoors and finding places to explore in our beautiful region and going to the gym. I am fortunate enough to live on a farm where I am surrounded by animals, calves, cows, and our cat Ziggy. 

I look forward to meeting you and your whanau in 2026, 

Nga Mihi,

Sam Long

 

Kia ora whānau, 

My name is Antonia Fiteni, and I’m super excited to be teaching the New Entant/Year One this year! I love creating a fun, engaging, and creative learning environment where our tamariki can explore, imagine, and discover new things each day. I especially enjoy supporting our young learners as they transition into school — helping them feel settled, find their feet, and grow in confidence on their learning journey.

Our class will use a wide range of resources and experiences to support learning — from hands on materials in class and awesome online tools, to art, play, and fitness. I also value social connection and building a strong, supportive classroom community where everyone feels they belong.

Outside the classroom, I have a real love for the ocean and nature — they inspire much of the creativity and calm I bring into our learning space.

I’m really looking forward to meeting you and your whānau in 2026 and beginning this exciting year together.

Ngā mihi nui,
Whaea Antonia ????✨

 

Kia Ora 

My name is Vickie Whitehead. I have the honour of being your child's teacher for 2026.

I am married with two children who both attend Girls High School.  I am a qualified early childhood teacher with over 20 years of experience.  I have also been a teacher aide for nearly 10 years.  My passion has always been working with children.

In later years my focus has been helping those with learning difficulties and other challenges ensuring that they can be successful and happy at school.  I am looking forward to working with both you and your child so they can be successful and achieve great things at Whangarei Primary School.  

Warm Regards 

Vickie Whitehead

 

Kia Ora, my name is Jess Brown, and I am excited to introduce myself as your child’s new teacher for this year. This is my second year teaching at primary school, and I’m thrilled to start this journey with your child. Before coming to primary school, I worked in early childhood education, and I’m passionate about creating a fun and engaging learning environment for all students. 

I have three wonderful children of my own, which helps me understand the importance of building strong connections between school and home. I am looking forward to getting to know each child and their family, and I’m excited about all the adventures we’ll have together in the classroom this year.

I’m fun, creative, and I love gardening, so you can expect plenty of exciting activities and projects throughout the year!  My goal is to make learning enjoyable and help each child feel confident, valued, and supported.

I look forward to meeting you and your whanau in 2026.

Warm regards,

Miss Brown

 

 Kia Ora and welcome to 2026. 

My name is Caitlin Tavinor and I am looking forward to continuing to be a teacher at Whangarei Primary School this year.  I have taught for a number of years in New Entrants/Year One classrooms and have a passion for making school an enjoyable place to be for all tamariki. I love teaching New Entrants.

A little bit about me. I built a house with my husband in Hikurangi a few years ago and welcomed a baby girl, Ellie, in November of 2024.  

I am excited to be back in the classroom and support your children in an easy transition to school.  I will be working on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Warm regards,

Caitlin Tavinor

 

 

 

Kia ora koutou,                                                                            

My name is Sofia, and I am delighted to be part of the Whangarei Primary School team as a New Entant/Year One teacher. I have had the pleasure of teaching both New Entrants and Year 2 students and am passionate about creating a classroom environment where children feel confident to explore, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. I love being part of each child’s transition to school and helping to foster a positive attitude towards learning from the very beginning of their journey.

I have a strong passion for literacy and the power of storytelling to inspire curiosity and imagination. Before training as a teacher, I worked as a librarian in a range of roles, which deepened my love for books and the way stories connect us. Outside of school, I have two young children who keep me busy. Our family enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring nature, and making the most of the beautiful places around us. I will be working on Thursdays and Fridays.

I look forward to getting to know you and your children and working together to make their start to school a happy and successful one.

Ngā mihi,
Sofia Newbold

If you have any questions, queries or concerns, please feel free to contact the school office.  

We look forward to working with you to educate your child.

Phone: 09 4383 186

 

 

Here is a useful website to help you get ready 

School Readiness

Please consider the following questions to help us with settling your child in those first few important weeks. 

All About ME link

Whangarei Primary School  

Student Information - All about me!! 

Name: _____________________________________ Gender: _________________ 

Ethnicity: ___________________________________ Language Spoken at home: __________________________ 

 

Social Skills: (How does your child get on with their peers, etc) 

 

 

Self Esteem: (How confident is your child about starting school and being in a new environment with new people, rules and expectations?) 

 

 

Independence: (Tell me about their independence skills. Can they: dress/undress themselves, looking after items, eat out of a lunchbox, look after their things) 

 

 

Peers: (Are there particular students this student should or should not be with?) Any further comments or things we need to know: 

 

Thank you for taking the time to complete this for us. We appreciate your time and support, as we want to know more about your child. If you would like to contact us, please feel free to contact the school office.