Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Hundreds prepare to start school

By Sandra Conchie
Bay of Plenty Times·
1 Feb, 2016 07:39 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Harlow Stapleton is all set for her first day at Greenpark School tomorrow. Photo / Andrew Warner

Harlow Stapleton is all set for her first day at Greenpark School tomorrow. Photo / Andrew Warner

Hundreds of new entrants will be among the thousands of Bay youngsters heading to school this week.

There is just one more sleep to go for Harlow Stapleton, who has waited months to be old enough to attend school like her big sister Shya.

The Greerton youngster, who turned 5 on Saturday, will be a new entrant at Greenpark School when the school opens tomorrow.

Harlow said she was looking forward to going to school, but would miss her mate Lauren from Maungatapu Daycare and her teachers.

"I will also miss playing with [brother] Mack," she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When the Bay of Plenty Times visited her and her mother Kirsty Stapleton at their home on Friday, a mixture of emotions washed over Mrs Stapleton.

"I don't know whether Harlow's more excited than nervous. She has a completely different personality than her older sister Shya, and doesn't talk about going to school. She's a little bit more cautious and very clingy.

"When I was working I used to take her to daycare three days a week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Almost every time she would become upset when I went to leave, and the teachers used to have to pull her off me.

"So I really don't know how she's going to be on her first day at Greenpark."

Mrs Stapleton said she was also a bit nervous about letting her daughter go, but husband Guy had tried to reassure her Harlow would be all right when she got into a routine.

"I'm very glad our Shya is attending the same school," she said.

Discover more

Travel

Tiki's new song pays tribute to Bay

31 Jan 08:07 PM

14,000 people to take up cycling in the Bay

31 Jan 10:13 PM

School year begins for Bay students

31 Jan 11:38 PM

"It will be a bit weird and a bit sad not having Harlow at home with me during the day, but I still have my 17-month-old son Mack to look after and keep me busy."

Shya, 6, who begins Year 3 this year, said she couldn't wait to get back to school.

Mrs Stapleton said she and her husband had been preparing Harlow for school.

"I read to her every night and she points to the letters. Harlow knows all her A, B, Cs, and can do a little bit of counting and do some sums," she said.

The bright-eyed youngster showed off her new school uniform, new sneakers, backpack and drink bottle - all ready to make her school debut.

A Ministry of Education spokesperson said the Ministry could not provide the exact numbers of new entrants starting school this week in the Western Bay region until the March 2016 roll returns were processed, usually sometime in May.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We estimate that around 6100 Year 1 to Year 13 students will start at Western Bay of Plenty schools at the beginning of the school year, and around 450 Year 1 students will start school some time during the year," the spokesperson said.

The ministry's head of sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, said nationwide 61,820 5-year-olds were expected to begin their primary schooling sometime during the year.

- Send in photos of your 5-year-olds' first day at school to news@bayofplentytimes.co.nz

Bay of Plenty region: Projected school roll in 2016

* Year 1 (start of school year): 690

* Year 1 (entire school year): 4150

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

* Year 1-13 (start of school year): 52,800

Source: Ministry of Education

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

07 Jul 10:52 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

07 Jul 08:39 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

07 Jul 08:19 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

07 Jul 10:52 PM

Police were alerted to a sinking boat in Tauranga Harbour at 2.45pm.

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

'Unique challenges': Debate grows over parking in Mount Maunganui

07 Jul 08:39 PM
Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

Sea pods revitalise Tauranga waterfront with marine habitats

07 Jul 08:19 PM
Truck driver back at work and walking again after surviving fatal crash

Truck driver back at work and walking again after surviving fatal crash

07 Jul 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP