Name:     Gerald Koberstein	School:  Principal at Onerahi in New Zealand
Relationship:	Country:     United States of America
Mr. Koberstein: Principle in New Zealand School, Mangakahia Area School, Titoki PDC, Private Bag, WHANGAREI Kia Ora .My name is Gerald Koberstein and I have been Principal at Onerahi since 2002. Before coming to Onerahi I was Principal of Mangakahia Area School which is in Titoki approximately 30 minutes West of Whangarei. The challenge for me when I came to Onerahi was getting used to the age range. Area schools have children of all ages from 5 years to 18years of age .Onerahi is a contributing Primary with children’s ages ranging from 5 years to 10 / 11 years . I have also taught at Whangamata (Coromandel)and Lawrence (Central Otago) area schools but I started by teaching primary in Hamilton at Knighton Normal ,Insoll Avenue , Hillcrest Normal and Maeroa Intermediate school. I was involved for some years in the Area school association and in the role of National Secretary was involved in the Education Accord and also a number of a number of Reference groups set up by the Minister of Education. As well as being Principal at Onerahi I am also involved in the setting up and running of the new Principals Development Centres which are being established by the Ministry to provide development and guidance for experienced Principals. This year I have been awarded an A.S.B. /Auckland Principals Association overseas travelling Fellowship for 2004.I will be away for 3 months looking at the development opportunities other countries provide for their Principals .I will be visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Poland and Singapore .This is an amazing opportunity and I am very thankful to both ASB and the Auckland Principals Association for this opportunity. We live on 30 acres just out of Whangarei and really love living in the country . I find the commuting to be a great way of not only preparing for the day but also for unwinding at the end of the day . We have had a great start to the school year with over 40 new enrolments on the first week. They have been lucky to be involved in the introduction of the Skills For growing programme that we have introduced this year. Last year ALL the staff went through extensive training in this programme and we are now implementing the programme .It is a programme that strongly supports and extends our very successful values programme that has been running in the school for a number of years. The success of this type programme is evident in the children at Onerahi. Many visitors comment on the friendly, polite, helpful children they encounter at our school and the very caring supportive atmosphere that is clearly evident in the school. The support by the community is very strong and it is because of this support that we are able to implement some very innovative programmes such as our environmental education programme. The partnership we have with the parents and caregivers in educating their children is a partnership we value very strongly and to that end encourage an effective clear communication system with families. We encourage visits to the school and to the classrooms. We do ask however for the all visitors firstly report to the main office. Our new web site set up by a staff member Yaron Overeem will develop as the year progresses and our goal is that both staff and parents will make greater use of this to strengthen the link between home and school so that our children’s learning is enhanced further. Early drop-off a problem for schools By DENISE PIPER - Whangarei Leader | Tuesday, 25 November 2008 Primary school students dropped off at school more than an hour before class starts is causing problems in some Whangarei schools. Local principals say they are concerned about children needing supervision but also understand parents have to go to work. The comments come after youngsters in Christchurch were caught playing chicken with cars on the road as they waited for their school gates to open. At Onerahi Primary School there is a percentage of children who are dropped off before 8am, says principal Gerald Koberstein. "They’re not getting into strife or doing things silly but it is a concern because at that time there’s no supervision for children," he says. Mr Koberstein says he appreciates parents have to work but says many children are dropped off early by car. He suggests encouraging them to use the walking school bus or dropping them off at a friend’s house. "If they walk to school, that can fill in the time." Kamo Primary principal Rex Morris says the school opens at 8.30am for a 9am start. But it has extended its hours to allow kids to be dropped off after 8.15am, he says. "What we say to parents is supervision begins at 8.30 and outside that time there’s no active supervision. "But we recognise also the difficulty that parents have when they’re going to work. For 15 minutes they’re not going to employ someone to look after the kids," says Mr Morris. At Whangarei Primary School, Geoff Skudder says children do come to school early but he does not have a problem with it.