VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI
WEEK 2, TERM 4, 2026
Term 4 is a special time of the school year. Sunshine is making a welcome return, and Christmas and the summer holidays are edging closer. There is always a sense of excitement as the year draws to a close, but there is also so much to enjoy, celebrate and achieve before we get there!
This final term is an important part of our children's learning journey. Learning continues right until the end, and this is often the time when teachers are keen to see children really applying the skills, knowledge and confidence they have developed throughout the year. It's an opportunity for every child to show just how far they have come, take pride in their progress and continue giving their very best.
Alongside learning, this is also a wonderful time to enjoy friendships and the connections that have been built throughout the year. Next year will bring new classes, different dynamics and opportunities to form new friendships. For now, we want our children to appreciate their classmates, enjoy being together and make the most of this time as a class.
Being a great Vogeltowner matters right until the very last day! Sometimes, as the excitement of the holidays builds, children can begin to relax the expectations they have worked so hard to meet throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to remind them that being kind, respectful, inclusive, courageous and original doesn't have an end of year expiry date! The way we treat others, manage ourselves and approach our learning matters just as much as in December as it does in February.
As adults, we often look back and realise just how special our primary school years were. The friendships, experiences, laughter and memories are things we carry with us long after we leave. This is particularly true for our Year 6 children, who are preparing to farewell Vogeltown and take their next big step into intermediate school.
Let's help every child finish the year with a flourish! We encourage you to take a moment to talk with your child about making the most of this final term, continuing to give their best, looking after their friendships and showing what it means to be a great Vogeltowner.
LABOUR DAY...
Just a reminder that school will be closed on Monday 26th October for Labour Day. We look forward to welcoming our learners back to school on Tuesday 27th October.
We hope you all have a great long weekend with your whānau.
Like all schools we’re working hard to improve levels of attendance across the school. The Ministry of Education has set a target for all schools to have a high proportion of students with an attendance rate of 90% and better. In Term 3 we had 60% of our children with an attendance rate of 90-100%. This is lower, due to illness, when compared to the attendance in Term 1 (78%), and Term 2 (72%).
The evidence shows that attendance is directly related to how well learners achieve. The more learners attend, the higher their achievement. There is no safe level of non‐attendance - even missing just two days a term is linked to lower achievement.
Going to school is important for learners’ wellbeing too. The research shows that frequent absence is associated with worse wellbeing outcomes, including schoolwork‐related anxiety, decreased sense of belonging, and fewer friendships with peers.
We’re keen to work with you to ensure all children have access to regular learning. If you have any aspects of attendance that you need to discuss, I recommend making a time to talk with your child’s teacher.
Kia ora whānau,
We’ve had to make a change to the date of our school hāngī to ensure our expert helpers are available to guide us through the process. As we continue to build our own knowledge and skills, we’re still reliant on the knowledge and generosity of others.
Our new hāngī date is Friday 13 November, with our Year 6 hāngī sleepover kicking off preparations the night before, on Thursday 12 November.
We’re still looking for parent and whānau volunteers to help with all stages of the process. This includes preparing the food and fire the night before, keeping the fire burning through the early hours to heat the stones, laying and lifting the hāngī, and serving the food on the day.
We had fantastic support last year, and we’re keen to keep building on this. Our long-term goal is to develop the knowledge and experience within our own school community so that this special event can continue for years to come.
Whether you’re an experienced hāngī hand or simply happy to roll up your sleeves and be told what to do, we’d love to have you involved. The more helpers we have, the better! We'd love to see helpers from whānau across the school - whether your tamariki have been at school for 4 months or 4 years, we'd love to have you there to help alongside us.
If you can lend a hand, please add your details using the link below. We’ll be in touch closer to the time with further information.
https://forms.gle/C3gGjo5i7QyR3kxv6
Ngā mihi nui,
Vogeltown School Team
It has been wonderful to see our community so excited about our next production - this time from our Huatoki team!
We have now opened up the tickets to both shows, so if you would like to order more, you can do this now!
Tickets will be given out on Tuesday 27th October, so please check your child's bag on this day, and remember to bring your tickets with you for the shows on Wednesday. If you place your order for tickets after 10am on Tuesday, the tickets will be available for you to collect from the senior office on Wednesday.
Congratulations to the following tamariki who received a principal's award at today's full school assembly:
Lily van den Hoven, William Su, Casper Hermann, Tommie Lett, Wyatt Steer, Szareah Tito, Jack McNally, VJ Walters-Bhaskaran, Keira Lewis, Lincoln Salle, Remi Russell, Kyrie Robinson, Lealyn Coombe, Otinga Repia, Malachi Robinson, Elobea Telfer, Vinny Bumbesevic, Ivy Kinge, Lucas Gordon-Byrne, Harper Coates, Will Palliser, Quinn Gray, Archie Brewer, Jack Visagie, Amber Hawkridge, Waiora Neho, Frankie Benton, Grayson Williams, Otto Popata, Finn Cowley, Moana Bonzon, Ivan Botha.
Ka mau te wehi!
SAUSAGE SIZZLE FUNDRAISER - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Vogeltown School is going to be open as a voting place for the 2026 General Election on Saturday 7th November. We are going to hold a sausage sizzle outside the hall from 10:00am to 2:00pm on this day as a fundraiser for the 2027 camp.
If you are able to help at the sausage sizzle, even just for an hour, this would be most appreciated. Please email vshomeandschool@gmail.com if you are available.
Thank you for your support!
TERM CALENDAR
Put all these dates in your diary or your phone! Remember we will put all updates on Facebook and Skool Loop.
TERM 4 2026
26 October: Labour Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
27 October: BOT Meeting, 6:30pm
28 October: Huatoki (Year 3/4) Production - Matinee at 1:30pm, Evening Show at 5:30pm
29 October: Puanga Festival, Waitara - Vogeltown School performance @ 12:45pm
30 October: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
4 November: Highlands Orientation - 11:30am at Highlands
5 November: Paetoki (Year 5/6) Production - Matinee at 1:30pm, Evening Show at 5:30pm
12 November: Year 6 hāngī sleepover
13 November: Hāngī day
13 November: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
16 November: Cohort 2 New Entrants first day
18 November: Pizza Lunch Day
27 November: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
1 December: BOT Meeting, 6:30pm
10 December: Year 6 Leavers Assembly, 5:30pm, school hall
11 December: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
15 December: Final day of school for the year, school finishes at 3pm as normal
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! Have a great weekend!
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
Website link to Schooldocs.
