Kia ora Vogeltown whānau,

I recently had the opportunity to attend an Our Kids Online parent evening presented by Rob Cope, hosted by Highlands Intermediate. This was the second time I had seen the presentation, and once again, it was worth every minute. The session served as a powerful reminder of the challenges children face growing up in an online world. As parents and caregivers, we are the first generation to raise children in a digital age - an environment drastically different from our own childhood experiences. The complexities and dangers of the online world make it crucial for us to be proactive in guiding and protecting our children.

Rob Cope emphasised several key messages to help parents keep their children safe online. The first is the importance of educating yourself. Parents need to be aware of online risks, including exposure to inappropriate content and potential interactions with online predators. To gain better insights, recommended resources include Childhood 2.0 on YouTube and The Social Dilemma on Netflix. Being informed allows parents to have meaningful conversations and make informed decisions about their child’s online experiences.

Another critical step is to educate your children. Open and ongoing discussions about the risks of the internet - including gaming, social media, pornography, cyberbullying, and online predators - are essential. Children need to understand the potential dangers and be equipped with strategies to respond if they encounter harmful content or uncomfortable situations.

Encouraging honest conversations can help build their awareness and resilience.

Implementing filters and monitoring tools is another key step. Parents can use internet filters and monitoring applications to help restrict access to inappropriate content and track online activities. These tools act as an additional layer of protection. More information on recommended filtering and monitoring systems can be found at www.ourkidsonline.info/filters.

Beyond monitoring, Rob Cope encourages families to promote connection and establish a family plan. Setting clear boundaries around device use - such as using devices only in shared spaces - helps maintain expectations and mitigate risks. Finding ways to “disconnect to reconnect” by engaging in screen-free family time strengthens relationships and encourages children to engage in real-world interactions. Technology should complement life, not replace meaningful connections.

Finally, parents must stay actively involved in their child’s online activities. This means knowing what platforms they use, understanding who they are interacting with, and maintaining open communication. Children should feel comfortable discussing their online experiences, whether positive or concerning. By staying engaged, parents can better guide their children in navigating the digital world safely and responsibly.

As technology continues to evolve, so do the challenges of online safety. By educating ourselves, fostering open discussions, implementing safeguards, and prioritising connection, we can create a safer online environment for our children.

Kia pai tō koutou rā – have a great day!

What an incredible camp experience our Paetoki team had at Vertical Horizons! A huge thank you to our amazing teachers, parents, and students for making this time away such a success. It was a true team effort, and we couldn’t be prouder of you all.

The teamwork shown by the teachers ensured everything ran smoothly leading into the camp and while there. It was great to see them sharing responsibilities and watching how their encouragement helped children get through tricky moments.

Our parents showed great initiative - from helping with camp organisation, assisting with activities, or simply offering words of encouragement, your involvement made a real difference. It was fantastic to see the way you stepped in and supported all of the children.

All of our children showed incredible resilience and courage as they stepped outside their comfort zones and tackled new challenges. Whether it was conquering heights, working as a team, or pushing through moments of doubt or worry, they faced these with a great attitude.

This camp was a great example of what can be achieved when we come together as a school community. Well done, team!

We recognise the individual efforts of children reading outside of school hours with certificates that acknowledge the number of nights that they have read. Children are awarded a certificate for every 25 nights of reading that they do. A night is a minimum of 10 minutes reading for children in the Taranaki syndicate, 15 minutes for children in the Huatoki syndicate, and 20 minutes for students in the Paetoki syndicate. With certificates being given out it is important that children are having their reading signed off by a parent at home on a daily basis.

We have noticed an increase in parents using the junior driveway to drop off and pick up children at school. While the gate may be open at times, vehicle access is for teaching staff only.

Allowing additional vehicles in this area compromises safety of children, especially during busy times when they are arriving or leaving school.

We kindly ask all parents to park on the road and, if necessary, walk their children into and out of the junior school.

Thank you for your co-operation in keeping our tamariki safe.

Reminder as we are still having children arrive at school too early:

We are keen to make sure that all children are safe. To help us out we ask that the earliest that children arrive at school is 8:15 am. This provides time for teachers to prepare for the day, it is a time when we are sure most staff are onsite, and it is also when our road patrollers start duty for those children needing to cross the road.

Having not been around at the start of last year, Term 1 continues to bring surprises, and the tryathlon was certainly one of them. It was fantastic to see the cooperation and collaboration among teachers as they organised this event. Their teamwork extended beyond just the school tryathlon, encompassing the kindy and whānau tryathlons as well. I have been impressed with how the teachers have come together to make this happen and a special thanks to Celeste Broderick for her efforts in coordinating everything so smoothly.

Coming together as a school and participating in events like these is a wonderful way to build a sense of team and connection - not only within each syndicate but also across the school and with parents and whānau. I often say, "You don’t need to be the best, you just need to try your best," and it was inspiring to see that mindset in action throughout these events. Well done to everyone involved!

We are really looking forward to an evening of great food and fun together. Get organised nice and early and block out from 5pm - 7pm on Wednesday 5th March on your calendars to connect with teachers and other Vogeltown whānau.

We are keen to ensure any issues or concerns are resolved at the lowest level possible. Anyone who has a concern or complaint should raise it as soon as possible with the most appropriate person. This is usually the staff member directly involved.

Simply contact the person involved to arrange a time to discuss the matter privately. Indicate what the concern is about and let them know if you’ll bring a support person to the meeting. Be prepared to listen to different points of view and try to work towards a resolution. In some cases, finding a resolution may require another meeting and/or involve senior management.

It is important that we know if you have a child starting school sometime in the remainder of this year. This will allow us to put organisation in place for new students - especially those starting school, and to understand our predicted roll throughout the year.

You can do this by contacting the office to confirm that we have your child on our records, or by completing an enrolment form (which can be collected from the school or downloaded off our website).

If you know of anyone else living in zone that may be looking to enrol then please share this message with them.

The awesome team at GameChanger have Vogeltown School Hoodies available to order. You can try a sample on for size at their store, which is on the corner of Huatoki and Carrington Sts. The link to order is below:

The 2025 Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon is being held in New Plymouth on Tuesday 25th March 2025 at Ngamotu Beach.

If you wish to enter your child and register them under the Vogeltown School group, here is the link to do this:

http://raceroster.com/events/2025/93896/new-plymouth-weet-bix-kids-tryathlon/register?team=714836

We will have a Vogeltown tent up for children to meet but parents are responsible for their children on the day.

TERM CALENDAR

Put all these dates in your diary or your phone! Remember we will put all updates on Facebook, Skool Loop and Seesaw.

TERM 1 2025

5 March - Whānau Fiesta

7 March - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

10 March - Taranaki Anniversary Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

11 March - Cohort 2 entry

20 March - Paetoki swimming sports TBC

21 March - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

25 March - Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon, Ngāmotu Beach

26 March - Home and School Meeting , 6:30pm, senior school staffroom

2-3 April - Learning Conferences

4 April - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

9 April - Starting School the VS Way

11 April - Last Day of Term 1

Thank you for the ongoing support of Vogeltown School, we really appreciate the efforts everyone makes to ensure our kura is such a great place to learn and work!

On behalf of the Vogeltown team, ka kite ano!

The VS team

Email: office@vogeltown.school.nz
Website: www.vogeltown.school.nz
Location: Vogeltown School Huatoki Street, Vogeltown, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Phone: (06) 753 6843

Our school policies, like many schools, are now in an online system through a portal called 'Schooldocs'. Any time you want to bring up a school policy, just log in to schooldocs and you can access the policies.

The login is: vogeltown

The password: huatoki

The website link to Schooldocs is below.