STAFF  PROFILES

Craig Pentecost
Principal

Kia ora koutou, my name is Craig Pentecost. I have been a Principal for 6 years. I started as the new Principal of Omokoroa No.1 School at the beginning of Term 1, 2018. The opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives of the students, staff, caregivers and the wider community at Omokoroa No.1 School excites me as an educational leader. I am a strong believer that by maintaining effective relationships, creating positive attitudes, and promoting community synergy, learning can be maximised across our learning community.

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Sharon Herder 
Year 2, Room 9

I have been very lucky to teach at Omokoroa No.1 School for over 20 years.
In this time I have taught from New Entrants to Year 3.
​I was given the opportunity to be the Reading Recovery teacher for three years and I really enjoyed working in the one to one situation. I am now back in a Year 2 class with an enthusiastic group of children who are keen to learn.
I enjoy teaching all areas of the curriculum but my particular loves are reading, art and I.C.T.

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Bobbie Bateman
Year 3/4, Room 11

I started teaching because I love working with children. I love the interesting ideas and energy they bring to class. I am the third generation of teachers in my family. I started teaching intermediate children, then, took a few years off travelling the world. Eventually I came to Omokoroa No.1 School. I have two children who both went to this fabulous school. I feel very privileged to be part of a very professional and talented staff. I work with Sarah Jane in the Year 3 & 4 group.

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Sue Morgan-French
Year 0/1, Room 7

I believe in the inherent goodness of all children and aim to make their school experience a positive one; a place where they grow not only in learning but in self esteem and social graces. Teaching is my passion.
I also love reading, the outdoors, music and conversation! I have a husband, three grown boys and have been very lucky to have been teaching at Omokoroa No 1 for the last 17 years.

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John Barthow (DP)
Year 2, Room 8

I have taught for many years and have been teaching at No 1 School for over 10 years. I really enjoy working with the junior children and leading the junior school. It is great to see the rapid progress that young children make in their learning. Every day is a new day with plenty of new learning opportunities. Importance is placed on building reading, writing and maths skills as well as encouraging children to show respect and courtesy within our classroom team. I like the children using a ‘have-a-go’ approach to everything, especially when using ICT devices.

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Sarah-Jane Little
Year 3/4, Room 11

Kia Ora,
My name is Sarah Jane Little and I am lucky enough to co-teach with Bobbie Bateman in Room 11.  Room 11 kids are fabulous!  We do so much learning and have big brains to fill, but we still have heaps of time for lots of art and games.  At the moment my husband and I live at the Mt with our 3 rambunctious boys.   We spend hours and hours at the beach riding waves and pouring over rock pools.  I love fishing, growing veges  and snow boarding too.

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Trina Fraser 
Reading Recovery

I love the energy and enthusiasm that overflows from children in the junior school each day.  It’s contagious! 
I aim to create learning spaces in which everyone develops an excitement about learning and lots of “strong thinking” around; being willing to try, to persist, and to enjoy the challenges along the way.
As well as teaching I love, reading, gardening and live on a, too -large, lifestyle block with my husband and three children.  

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Debbie Rice
Year 3, Room 6

I am very lucky because I teach many different areas of the curriculum to a variety of classes and year levels.  This year I  have a fabulous bunch of Year 3’s.  I love to learn and I endeavour to pass on this passion to all my students.

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Susan McRoberts
Year 4, Room 10

I enjoy teaching most subjects, but especially mathematics and writing. I love teaching because every day is different. It is challenging because each child has different things they find difficult and I enjoy finding ways to help them understand. It is rewarding to see children achieve when they have worked hard at something. Also children are fun to be around!

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Jane Haden
​Room 14, Year 5/6
​Hello my name is Jane Haden. Making children curious learners is my main aim. I believe they must develop a passion for life and learning. I take pride in the fact that I can be a part of their journey and hope that the children take a little something that can contribute to a successful and happy life.
 

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​Aaron Joe
Year 7, Room 3

I started my first teaching job in Omokoroa No.1 School in 2011 after gaining a Graduate Diploma in Teaching.  I spent the previous nine years working in the finance and commercial property sector after graduating from Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies.  I decided to re-train as a primary school teacher because I felt we needed more positive male role models in primary schools.  I am the sports-coordinator at Omokoroa No.1 School, so I help plan, organise, and coach different sports in conjunction with other teachers throughout the school.  My passions in life are teaching, my family, sport, travel and cooking.

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Leanne McEwan
Year 8, Room 1

I enjoy teaching at Omokoroa No.1 School because it is a fabulous school to work in, with great students, families and staff.  My favourite subjects are Art and English. I love art because I can see how creative the students can be, and reading because there are lots of great novels to study. The great thing about teaching the Year 8's, is as it is their last year of school, they get to go to interesting camps and do a lot of exciting activities. Every term is always different and challenging. 

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Megan Ryan
Year 1, Room 13
After teaching many levels throughout the school, I am very excited to be back with a group of enthusiastic junior learners. I endeavour to build positive relationships with each child to enable them to be happy, confident, pro-active and risk taking learners. Primary school is a wonderful time for children to develop not only a passion for life-long learning but a strong sense of self and a respect for others that they need to take into the world.

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​Liz Webster
Year 6, Room 5

As I have been teaching for many years I have taught in all levels. With this experience I understand and enjoy watching children grow in their learning and experiences of life.  At present I teach Year 6 and lead the Year 5/6 syndicate. I encourage the children to be independent and inquiring learners using different ICT devices to help them. I love to be involved in Literacy activities as we gain so much knowledge from listening,reading and writing. I also lead the Enviro-monitor team, who continue to develop and care for our gardens, grounds and bush area. Each year we have overseas students visit who help to add to our school environment. 

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Christine Radford
Step, Stage and Sound

Each teacher from Year 1 to Year 6 has a classroom release entitlement, and during this time each class comes to the Multi Media Room, where throughout the year the children work together on a range of performing arts.  I am also the choir trainer for our school choir. The school has performed for the last five years at either the Kids 4 Kids or the Tauranga Music Festival and are now a regular feature at the end of year prize giving concert.

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Rob Maclaren
Year 5, Room 4

Hi my name is Rob Maclaren and I have been teaching for a number of years in NZ. Before that I spent three years teaching English as a second language in Asia. I love teaching because every day is different and I continue to learn every day with my students. I believe that year 5/ 6 children are able to start taking charge of their own learning and are at the age where they are ready to be more independent and take more responsibility. I enjoy seeing their growth and development every day.  My own interests are surfing, sailing, yoga and spending time with my own kids.

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Bridget Broadhurst
Year 7, Room 2

I am the leader of the Year 7 and 8 syndicate. I love teaching the more diverse curriculum in this part of the school. While I enjoy teaching all subjects, I particularly enjoy teaching Mathematics, English and Physical Education. 
I also coach the senior volleyball and water polo teams. 



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Fiona Jackson
iPad Expert

I have been working at this school part-time since 2010.  I really enjoy watching student’s endless energy for learning.
For the last few years I have been integrating iPad into my lessons. I discovered how powerful it was for the children’s learning.  They become so engaged and excited that I knew we could develop it within the school to make it become a tool for learning.  This year I am devoting most of my time to specialising in using digital devices and sharing learning opportunities with every class in the school while upskilling the teachers.

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ADMINISTRATION  AND  SUPPORT  STAFF

Rae O'Hara
Administration Staff

Angela Batt
Administration Staff

Rae Earnshaw
Librarian

TEACHER  AIDES

Jacqui Sedgwick
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Cushla Nolan

Claire George

GROUNDS  MAINTENANCE

Shayne Hall​

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES

From Left to Right
Front Row
 Susan McRoberts (Staff Rep)
Tim Mayston - Finance
Ben Bell- BOT Secretary Communications
Back Row
Craig Pentecost - Principal
Aaron Power - Property
Simon Finnimore- Health & Safety
Sharlene Pardy - Policy

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